When the golden retriever Shag returned to the arena with a limp Zeus, it was getting late. The white dove Dura flew slowly above their heads, and she couldn't rest assured of Zeus.

A kind old woman covered Zeus's body with a white gauze handkerchief.

At the moment, because most of the inhabitants of Rome still gather in the gladiatorial arena to watch the performances, there are hardly any pedestrians on the streets. The inhabitants of the Great Baths, who were more devout Christians, did not want to go to the Colosseum to watch the bloody performances, so they passed the time in the Great Baths.

"How are you feeling?" Dura had tears in her red eyes, she really felt sorry for Zeus.

"There is still one breath, and I can't die for a while. Zeus said weakly, "It's still so noisy in the arena, I really don't want to go back." ”

He was right, it was still far from the Arch of Constantine, and the shouts and shouts that could be heard from the colosseum still hurt people's eardrums.

"Where can we go?" said Dura, flying a little higher, trying to find a quieter place for Zeus.

When the time for vespers arrived, the countless churches in the city of Rome rang one after another.

For some reason, there was a mournful sound in the bell.

"That's not a good sign!" Zeus said so earnestly that Dura swooped down from the air and looked at him against the tip of his nose.

"Isn't it the same as the bells on a regular day?"

"I have lived for more than 400 years, and I have heard more bells than you have ever heard of human voices—what is the church? It is the closest sacred place to heaven in this world! In some unknown place and time, the church is the only way to heaven. And in the church, the bell towers are the highest, the closest to the heavens, so what do you think the bells in the church convey?

Hearing Zeus say this, Dura listened to the bell that shook the heavens and the earth, as if there was really some unpredictable mystery hidden in it, but she couldn't understand it.

"Are you referring to tomorrow's triumphal ceremony?" asked Dura, cautiously.

Tomorrow, Emperor Honorius, General Stilicus and Queen Mother Arya will arrive in Rome for an unprecedented triumphal ceremony to celebrate the triumphal victory over the Visigoths two years earlier.

"It's been two years since there was a bullshit triumphal ceremony, and Stillico really figured it out! What did he mean by that? I'm afraid that after fighting outside for a long time, the emperor will forget about him as a great general?"

As a talking pigeon, Dura is no more than a mount of Zeus, no matter how great he is. When Zeus was talking or making a fuss, she never dared to say much.

It was inevitably embarrassing to stay in front of Zeus, so Dura flew up another ten meters. Condescendingly, it is natural to see more clearly.

In the distance, at the door of a humble chapel, Dura saw a scrawny old figure, the pale old man wrapped in a tattered dirty robe, his shoes were covered with several large and small holes, six or seven dirty toes were exposed, and some of them were still stained with blood on their toes.

"Manifest thy spirit, merciful Lord!" said Dura, before he could finish his sentence, he flew over like a gust of wind.

"What's the matter? Did she see Mount Sinai?" Zeus, puzzled, rolled over and sat up from the back of the golden retriever, and grinned at the chapel where Dura had flown to.

The afterglow of the setting sun shines on the marble-carved lintel of the chapel like a sprayer, bringing to life the silhouettes of the Twelve Saints. It's just that the sunset is still very high from the horizon, and the red light can only shine on the stone sculpture group, but it can't shine on the exhausted old man below the stone sculpture group.

Just by looking at the torn robes on his body, you knew that he was a clergy—no, he should be called a priest, and that style of robe could only belong to Eastern Rome.

How did an old and frail priest from Eastern Rome come to Western Rome?

Although they are now ruling in Eastern and Western Rome as a pair of brothers, their appearance is well known. The Eastern and Western Churches have long since parted ways, and everyone stubbornly believes that they are orthodox, which has led to a situation that is almost incompatible.

Judging from the national strength, Eastern Rome has been much stronger than Western Rome in recent years, and the rich treasury has ensured that the people live and work in peace and contentment.

It's too late to envy the East Rome that is so good, I don't know why this pastor left his family and business and ran thousands of miles to the West Rome.

Zeus's first thought might be that the priest had committed an accident in his hometown and couldn't stay any longer. But seeing his kindness and good intentions, he really doesn't look like a wrongdoer.

Just as Zeus was thinking about it, and couldn't decide whether to go up and say hello to the old man, the old priest had already seen him.

As the only holy mouse in the city of Rome, Zeus's status is noble, but he never puts on a show, especially when he meets a believer who also believes in God, as long as he has free time, he will definitely come forward to take the initiative to greet him.

But the old priest made him a little undecided—he even wondered if it could be an impostor.

The old priest did not show surprise when he saw a mouse lying on its back on the body of a great hound, but he leaned against the wall, stood up with great difficulty, and bowed deeply to Zeus.

"Does he recognize me?" made Zeus stunned for a moment, and then a little embarrassed. He wondered if he was too careful.

Looking at the old man's dusty and shabby appearance, Zeus felt very uncomfortable in his heart.

Although it is a holy mouse, it does not know anything about the "miracles" of Jesus—the bright red tail dragging behind him is the only proof that he is a holy mouse—when Jesus was crucifixed, he dripped the blood of Zeus's tail, turning the originally black tail bright red.

However, he can break through the barrier between the earth, hell and heaven in an instant at a critical moment.

"Great Holy Mouse, it is a great honor for me to see you!" the old priest's words pulled Zeus back to reality.

"Do you recognize me?"

"There is no one in the world who does not recognize you. ”

Hearing this, Zeus became a little proud, and he looked up at Dura, who was flying above his head, and Dura also looked excited.

As he spoke, Zeus and his two attendants had reached the stone steps of the chapel. Zeus had always looked down on the nobles and senators who liked to put on a show, so he always seemed approachable.

Since the old priest complimented him so much, he could not appear to be superior, as if he were very pretentious. So, when he reached the stone steps, he jumped off Shag's back and walked towards them.

He climbed up with both hands and feet, and he looked very undexterous.

The old priest kindly lowered a hand, and when Zeus climbed up the second stone step, he jumped directly into his palm.

The old priest raised his palm and lifted Zeus to the same height as his face: "You are such a magical mouse. The old priest's tone made Zeus a little fluttery, but he was a little frustrated.

"Can you tell from the outside?" he said, shaking his bright red tail.

"It's not just your tail, it's you who can talk, and ......"

"What else?" Zeus was anxious to know.

"God has not given you a strange ability, which is not to say that he despises your existence, but that he has hidden this amazing ability. As he said this, the old pastor's cloudy eyes suddenly became transparent.

"Where did God hide it?"

"Forgive me for not being able to give advice, for I cannot disobey the will of God. ”

In the city of Rome, Zeus, a mad clergyman like this, saw a lot, and they were always full of God's will, God's call...... It's all nonsense pretending to be a ghost, some are trying to cheat money, and some are simply crazy.

Zeus has seen too many such tricks.

He suddenly felt that he was not disappointed, so he wanted to retreat from the old priest's palm, but he didn't want the old priest to hold him tighter, which startled Zeus: "What do you want to do?"

"Are you comfortable in the Colosseum? You could have chosen a better place, but you have found it so that you can do whatever you want?"

Zeus couldn't take it anymore, he bowed up, and tried to withdraw from the old priest's hand, but the old priest didn't hold his hand tightly, but he couldn't, as if he had been caught in a puzzling magic, Zeuston, and panicked.

Seeing this, Shag, the hound, who was standing on the side, barked violently at the old priest, and Dura also flew up and down around the old priest's palm, panicking so much that he didn't know what to do.

"What the hell do you want to do?"

"You were the kindest and most innocent of rats, but for centuries the slaughter in the arena has tarnished your soul. Most of your spirituality has become numb, and your divinity is even more fragmented, and if you continue like this, you will be destroyed!"

"Don't talk nonsense to me, I can stay wherever I like, no one cares!"

The old priest no longer looked at Zeus, but at the gladiatorial arena behind the triumphal arch of Constantine.

After a while, he said leisurely: "Everything is going to end forever, and from now on, no one will ever see the thrilling performance there, isn't it a pity?"

"You psychotic!" Zeus scolded angrily, "Hurry up and let me go, or ......"

Before he finished speaking, he fell to the ground with a "trumpet"—was the old priest's conscience found out?

But when he looked closer, he found that the old priest was long gone—as if he had never been there.