"Can I help you with your hair?"
Bawan Shi said nothing, so Favia took it as her consent.
He approached the fairy girl, adjusted her into a position that would be convenient for combing her hair, and quietly touched the girl's hair from behind.
Then he took out a comb and started combing his hair from the ends.
One touch revealed that her hair was in good condition, but it had many tangles and was still stained with accumulated dirt, turning the bright red color into a dry one. Favia was puzzled as to why she didn't use magic to wash it, but then he thought that it was his first time washing it for her, so it wouldn't hurt to use magic himself.
"Don't...don't do that..."
"Ok?"
"Everyone, don't want me to be like this..."
"Let me say this first."
Favia said this, unmoved.
"This is not a request, this is a request. Pay me back the money you owe me first before you give me your opinion."
"......it is good."
Bawan Xi nodded slightly.
But to be honest, she wanted to make things difficult for him, but she didn't dare.
So when Bawan Shi silently accepted having her hair washed by Favia, she suddenly looked towards the window of the room.
The light coming in from the window made the dust floating in the air sparkle. She didn't know why, but she felt that the smell was very comfortable. She could also say that she liked it very much.
At this moment, in this room, it seemed as if even time had passed away at this moment, and the boy was just trying hard to move the comb for the fairy girl.
The next day, Bawan Shi returned to London with Favia.
After arriving at the Clock Tower in London, Favia found that the atmosphere within the association was somewhat tense. He then learned that the current Pope had asked the Inquisition in England to join the Inquisitions in various European countries in confronting the Ottoman Empire, which had destroyed Byzantium and occupied Albania, and was only separated from Rome by the sea.
This pope is Alexander VI, who is known as the most controversial pope of the Renaissance.
203: The Corrupt and Unscrupulous Pope of Rome (2k5)
The city of Rome.
It is a magnificent cathedral with an exterior made of pure white marble and shining gold decorations.
The towering spire points to the blue sky, symbolizing the firmness and purity of faith.
The sun shines on the spire of the church, and the golden decorations sparkle in the sun, which is dazzling. The windows of the church are inlaid with colorful glass. The sun shines through the glass, casting colorful light, making the entire interior of the church dreamy.
Through the windows of the cathedral, you can see that this city, which has stood for many years, is bathed in the sunset, and only this place is still filled with gorgeous lights.
It was extremely luxurious. In it, there was an old man who held a high position and squinted his eyes slightly.
Although this old man is very old, he has a sturdy build, with thick black eyebrows, bulging eyes, thick lips, a slightly raised long nose, and a short chin that seems to have been cut with a knife, making him look like a ram when viewed from the side.
"Does that fellow Da Vinci have any objections?"
Suddenly, the old man asked, and the guard beside him seemed to be used to it and spoke urgently.
"Yes, he seems to be somewhat dissatisfied with the church's current situation..."
At this point, the guard seemed to be struggling over whether he should continue.
"Humph, that old guy, I rescued him from the hands of those bastards in France, provided him with good food and drink, and let him have a lot of free time, but he still keeps muttering so many words all day long."
It seemed the old man was very dissatisfied with France, and he started to curse at France, but his facial expression did not change at all, and the guard beside him did not even dare to breathe.
"Forget it, have those bastards in England replied?"
"There has been no response from the Clock Tower yet..."
"Damn it, you're still dragging your feet. If those Ottoman bastards find a chance to invade Rome from Albania, even if I lose Rome, I'll tear off the heads of those damn magicians before I commit suicide to apologize."
The fifteenth and sixteenth centuries were a time of extremely fierce confrontation between two of the three major religions in the world.
On the one hand, the Spanish Reconquista was coming to an end, and the Sultanate of Granada was struggling to survive by building fortresses in the rugged mountains of southwestern Spain.
On the other hand, the rise of the Ottomans made the whole of Europe breathless; in 1453, the thousand-year-old city of Constantinople was captured by the Conqueror Mehmed II.
In 1479, Albania was conquered, and in 1480, Mehmed II attacked Otranto, causing panic throughout Italy.
Fortunately, Mehmed II died in 1481, and the leaderless Ottoman Empire had to withdraw its troops from the Apennine Peninsula, but his successor Bayezid II continued to maintain tremendous pressure on the whole of Europe.
Countries in Europe are in a neurotic state, and it only takes a spark to ignite the raging flames of religious persecution.
"Do we need to continue asking the three monarchs of the Clock Tower and El-Melloi for assistance?"
"...Forget it. I didn't have much hope for those selfish guys. But it doesn't matter. I will continue to be tough as long as they hand over the ownership of the Inquisition in England."
"Yes, your will."
"By the way, I heard that there's a magician who's been healing people everywhere in recent years... What's his name?"
"Von Holmhain Paracelsus."
"Hmm... That's the name. I know. You can go down."
"Yes, His Holiness the Pope."
The old man is none other than the contemporary Pope, known as Alexander VI. His real name is Rodrigo Liansol di Borgia. He is the first Pope of the Templar Church to publicly acknowledge that he has children with his mistress, and he is also a Spaniard.
Alexander VI was more of a politician than a religious figure. In 1493, he drew the colonial expansion boundary between Portugal and Spain, the "Papal Meridian".
Alexander VI is often considered a symbol of the corruption and decadence of the Renaissance Church, the most dissolute and unscrupulous pope.
He also had extraordinary political ambitions and was notorious for his lavish wealth and deliberate schemes for his son, but he was not the originator of these bad deeds. After all, his predecessors set a "good example" for him.
Apart from political and religious evaluations, the family headed by him can be said to be praised for its sponsorship of art. They have sponsored Pinturicchio, Bartolomeo Veneto, Michelangelo, Tiziano and Hieronymus Bosch, and Leonardo da Vinci even helped his son build war equipment.
It is worth mentioning that his uncle, Pope Callixtus III, personally rehabilitated Joan of Arc in the second year of his papacy.
Although the efforts of Joan of Arc's mother and the director of the French Inquisition were partly responsible, the approval of Pope Callixtus III was undoubtedly extremely important. He forced the exoneration of Joan of Arc despite the general reluctance within the Inquisition.
Ever since the 'Avignon Prisoner', the Catholic Church generally disliked the French. After all, the Pope who was captured by the French in Avignon was humiliated and beaten by people sent by the King of France at the time, causing his death a few weeks later.
That is why when Joan of Arc, the savior hero of France, was identified as a "witch" by the Inquisition controlled by England, no one in the Inquisition stood up to refute it. Some people even sighed and thought that it would be better if the two damn countries continued to fight. After all, it had only been more than 20 years since the end of the split of the Catholic Church, and the hatred had naturally not been eliminated.
It should be noted that due to the Great Schism and the "Avignon Prisoner", the church was weakened. Taking this opportunity, European countries seized control of the Inquisition in their respective countries. When Joan of Arc was betrayed, the British let Bishop Pierre Cauchon, who only obeyed the orders of the British, serve as the inquisitor and conduct a unilateral sentencing ceremony.
Although the shadow of corruption, debauchery and murder shrouded the entire church during the reigns of these two uncle and nephew popes, both of them had great respect for the church itself and were talented in speaking and preaching.
As time passed and night fell, the Pope once again narrowed his eyes slightly, as if he was taking a rest. As for the guards beside him, they had already retreated. After all, as the Pope, although he was old, he was still powerful.
At this moment, he was the only one in the entire hall, and it seemed as if the hall was prepared just for him.
He became the Pope at such an old age, and he served five popes in total, including his uncle, thus accumulating sufficient experience, influence and wealth. However, since the humiliating "Avignon Prisoner", the position of the Pope has lost its holiness in the past few centuries.
Alexander VI rocked in his chair, a soft and intoxicating sleep descended from the sky, and he gently closed his eyes. The 84-year-old pope recalled what his uncle said to him after he became pope:
"That Frenchwoman named Joan of Arc is a true saint."
"But she's already dead. There's no need for us to vindicate her. The church can no longer lose face, uncle."
"Yes, it's totally unnecessary, but not completely unnecessary. Her mother feels that her child is living a miserable life and suffering because her child shouldn't have lived such a miserable life. That's enough."
"But this will definitely affect my uncle's plan to unite other countries to attack the Ottoman Empire. Constantinople has been lost for so many years..."
Garristus III pondered for a while, his eyes drifting to the distant scenery, and then he spoke slowly.
"My reputation is bad enough, it doesn't matter, and--"
Afterwards, amid the devout praises that could be heard everywhere in the city, the evil old man walked towards the city.
Disappeared in the eyes of the young Alexander VI.
When the 84-year-old Alexander VI opened his eyes, the surroundings had already returned to silence.
But the long wait continues, when will the church be able to restore its former glory?
Over the years, countless people have come, countless people have bowed, and countless people have left with salvation.
The sky outside the Eternal City was as warm as spring, with a tranquil and deep clarity.
From beginning to end, the holy images hanging in the church witnessed everything calmly.
"I'd go to hell for the church."
Alexander VI murmured softly. He knew that he was not a good person and many innocent people died directly or indirectly at his hands.
But even though he knew this, he would never stop. He would sacrifice everything in exchange just to get back everything that once belonged to the Holy Church.
204: The Purest El-Melloi? (4k5)
A room in the clock tower in London is filled with a drowsy warm sunset.
Bawan Shi, who was traveling back to London with Favia, was clearly tired after a day of work, but at this moment her mind, which should have become scattered, was as active as in the morning, just because she saw the man who was talking to Favia.
His long, smooth black hair fell on one side of his shoulder, his face was handsome and gentle, and his demeanor was calm and generous. This was undoubtedly the elegance of a man from a famous family.
An inexplicable feeling of irritability and inferiority suddenly surged into the fairy girl's heart, and she could only lower her head and play with her fingers.
Compared to before, her beautiful red hair has returned, the bruises and scars on her face are gone, the only thing that has not improved is her throat and her inner attitude.
"I see, Favia, do you want me to heal Bawan Xi's damaged throat?"
Paracelsus pushed his hair behind his ears and patted his slightly wrinkled white coat with a carefree look.
"But logically speaking, you can definitely do it with your own abilities, right?"
"I don't have much experience."
"It's not a big deal, actually. Forget it, I'll do as you say. But the problem now is, Favia, you brought Bawan Xi back, you should at least give her a place to live."
"She currently lives with me."
"Hmm? Are you guys staying in the same room?"
When Paracelsus heard this, his tone became slightly happier, and even the hand holding the water cup couldn't help but slightly curl up one finger.
He didn't expect that after he asked Favia to go to the Scottish Highlands, he would bring back a young girl, and from the look in Bawan Xi's eyes that were always stealing glances, the answer was already obvious.
"Anyway, I'll trouble you to treat her later."
Favia ignored the man's teasing, took out a tool from the tool bag on the table and handed it to Paracelsus.
"I'm going to go out for a while. I'll pick you up in the evening."
Although the silver-haired boy did not say this to the fairy girl, she nodded subconsciously, then raised her head and watched him leave.
"As for him, although he has a magic talent far beyond mine, he is still the same as when we first met. He always likes to participate in the woolen production and trade, textile industry, retail industry or shipbuilding industry in various districts of London. In this respect, he is a person like me who likes to meet all kinds of people."
Hearing this, Bawan Xi looked at Paracelsus in confusion, only to see him walk a few steps towards the window. Not knowing what to say, she could only say "hmm" in a low voice.
"By the way, Bawan Xi, what do you think of Favia?"
To the fairy girl, this man named Paracelsus always seemed to have a soft, star-like look when he mentioned Favia, with a happy arc at the corners of his mouth, as if he was talking about his friend with confidence and tenderness.
Therefore, although she still felt irritable and inferior, she lowered her eyes and played with her hands and could only say softly:
"friend......."
"friend?"
After a pause, Paracelsus smiled. Although he did not give a direct answer, he could understand the feelings of the fairy girl. However, he felt that calling her "friend" was too ambiguous.
Paracelsus, a magic genius and teacher at the Clock Tower, was very observant. He immediately noticed the abnormality in Bawan-shi's heel and was reminded of the vampire, a fantasy species that lived in Scotland and was recorded in books.
When he thought of this, Paracelsus roughly deduced the cause and effect of the previous "blood-sucking incident" in Scotland. It was probably caused by Bawan Xi in front of him. However, he could also tell from Bawan Xi's completely unconcealed inferiority that this incident might just be a misunderstanding.
But after all, Favia did not directly tell him the true identity of Bavan Xi, and Paracelsus felt that there was no need for him to expose it.
"For Favia, there are many people in the Clock Tower who simply want to be his 'friends', and some even don't care about his family background."
Paracelsus quipped.
"?"
The hooded Bhawan Shi looked puzzled.
"What I mean is, it's rare to see him care so much about someone, please keep up the good work."
