"It's ridiculous." Cardinal Picomini said meaningfully: "How could they raise such a question? ”

"How much do you know about this?" Ezio asked rhetorically, apparently not expecting Cardinal Picromini to easily get information from him until an agreement was reached.

"Probably know a little more than the laity outside the Holy See." Cardinal Picromini's fingers tapped lightly on the handle of the chair: "That's a very impressive fortune - after all, as Templars they had to live a boring life like ascetics, they couldn't save money, they couldn't marry a wife, they couldn't have children - I mean, of course, the ones before 1307.

In 1127, the head of the Knights Templar, Hugo de Payin, was ordered by the King of Jerusalem to seek the approval of the Holy See for the Templar Order, and traveled halfway through Europa and all of Great Britain, where not only the wealthy lords and nobles, but also the poor commoners, untied their purses to finance the organization founded by faith and chivalry.

Two years later, the Holy See recognized their legitimacy, and ten years later, His Excellency Innocent II granted them the privilege of being exempt from the tithes of the Church and collecting tithes in their domains under the direct orders of the Pope, free from the elbows of kings and lords.

I don't know if everyone who joined the Knights Templar would kiss the devil's buttocks, but they did donate everything except themselves to the Order when they joined, and as far as I know, seventy-seven nobles donated more than one million gold ducats when they joined the Order, including extremely vast fields and forests, and at its peak, the Knights Templar's estates were everywhere in sight. According to the Pope's edict, these lands were exempt from taxes – as well as countless holy objects, gold and silver coins, horses, armour, weapons and all kinds of precious utensils. ”

"That's a lot." "So they took out loans, like bankers, and they lent money to those who had generously financed them, to the commoners, to the merchants, to the nobles, to the kings, and to overwhelm them with the money they had given before," said Ezio sarcastically. ”

"After all, in the name of God," said Cardinal Picromini with understatement, "how much more they are quite equal, and even the Saxons, the enemies of Christians, are in debt to them." ”

"And how much did they end up amassing?"

"Contributions, loans, plundering, and tithes, all add up, six million gold ducats a year, nine thousand fiefdoms and estates, and the whole island of Cyprus."

"I suddenly understand the beautiful man Philip IV who destroyed the Knights Templar." Ezio muttered, "I know there are many, but I don't know that there are many, six million gold ducats a year, and every year, even if they need to keep the Knights running, these coins can probably build a golden city - then, Philip IV really didn't get all the money, otherwise France wouldn't be in this situation now." ”

"Not only no, but only a very small part." Cardinal Picromini said: "Jacques. Morality. Molay could have escaped, but he didn't, because he had to give the Order time and leeway to make a comeback - he was the Grand Master of the Order, and he had made Philip IV misjudge, wasting seven years on him, and in those seven years, enough time for the Knights Templar to transfer the treasures hundreds of times. ”

He looked at Ezio, who shrugged his shoulders knowingly: "At that time, the Eagle's Nest had been destroyed by the Tatars, and tens of thousands of followers had been slaughtered, but the Assasin sect was widely distributed, and there were still branches active, and the eyes and eyes sent by the Eagle's Nest had survived, and although they had lost their minds, they still fulfilled their obligations well - they said that there was a convoy that stretched for dozens of miles from Paris to La Rochelle, and that a whole eighteen Calais ships over a hundred feet were waiting for them, and they set off from the port and then disappeared, not even the oarsmen on the Calais ship made an appearance in any port. ”

Cardinal Picromini nodded, "The Templars have always been quick-moving, and even if they were careless before, they would become cautious at the reminder of Philip IV, and according to the documents of the Holy Court, in addition to gold and silver, there are several most precious holy relics - the crown of the kings of Jerusalem, the seven candlesticks of King Solomon, and the four golden gospels. ”

"That's all?" Ezio asked.

"The Knights Templar have collected countless relics, but they are nothing compared to these."

"What about the Fruit of Eden?"

"The Fruit of Eden? What is that? Cardinal Picromini asked rhetorically, and Ezio did not see a trace of panic on his face, which he did not seem to know.

"God makes every tree grow out of the ground, that it may be pleasing to the eye, and that its fruit may be good for food. And in the midst of the garden there was a tree of life, and a tree of good and evil. Ezio read a passage that Cardinal Picromini would certainly not be unfamiliar with: "...... But the fruit of the tree in the middle of paradise, which God has said, 'You must not eat of it, nor touch it, lest you die.' He read, and then asked in amazement, "Do they think that among these treasures there is fruit from heaven?" How is this possible, I have never heard of it, and I have not recorded it, and it should be a metaphor, referring to that kind of holy relic? Is it the bones of saints, or are they sacred vessels? ”

"It's a book," said Ezio, "and it's said to contain all the knowledge that people have and don't have." ”

"It is true that the first fathers of mankind were tempted by the devil to eat the fruits of wisdom and the discernment of good and evil," said Cardinal Picromini, "but they did not become omniscient." ”

"I don't know, but those people are very stubborn in believing that there is such a book."

Cardinal Picromini lowered his head and thought for a moment: "...... Giulio. ”

"Yes," said Ezio, "though he has been hidden in the shadow of your wings and Borgia, there are many things that have been done, and I don't know when they began to pay attention to Giulio, but how can a child like this be able to grasp knowledge that even the wisest elders cannot acquire?" So, it must be you, or me, in short, his two teachers, who got the fruit of Eden and showed him the book. ”

"Then why don't we take it for ourselves?" Cardinal Picromini gave Ezio a roll of his eyes indecently: "Don't we need it more than he does?" ”

"Who knows, that's what they think anyway."

"They asked you for the book."

"What's more," Ezio pouted, "with this book, there is also the whereabouts of that treasure, they are adults, children make choices, adults want everything." ”

"It seems that they annoy you a lot."

"It's okay," Ezio said, "but you have to be careful." ”

Cardinal Picromini smiled, if it was the Eagle's Nest two hundred years ago, he really had to be cautious, now...... Just look at Ezio's attitude, probably like the current Templar Order, who has long since fallen.

"By the way, I haven't asked yet, why are you in such a hurry to find me?" Ezio asked.

"I need a credible person to go to France." Cardinal Picromini said: "Help me send a letter to Giuliano. Della. Cardinal Lovere. ”

"Can I know what's in it?" "If it's just a hello then forget it, you can find a pigeon." ”

Cardinal Picromini did not hide it: "Giuliano. Della. Lovere lost his testicles in an 'accident', and it was impossible for him to become pope, so he wanted his illegitimate son, Joshua, another of my students, to carry on his business, but if Julio was there, you know—so Lovere decided to take a salary, and if I didn't want to choose Joshua, then he would let me have no choice but him, and even accept Borgia's assignment, I didn't know he was so capable of bending. Forget it, let's not talk about it, anyway, we have to make sure Julio's safety first and foremost, so I swear to him that if I can become pope, Joshua will take the triple crown from me. ”

"Will he believe it?"

"Yes."

"So you really want Lovere to be your Pope?"

Cardinal Picromini did not answer the question, but smiled slyly.

————————————

After Ezio left, Picromini asked the monk who served him to call Joshua.

When Joshua came, Cardinal Picromini scrutinized him, and there was Giulio, who seldom paid attention to another disciple, and Lovere's jealousy was not without reason,—— when he was not paying attention, Joshua. Lovere had grown up, shorter, more slender than Giulio, with a prominent skeleton, and his face no longer frightening since the mark of the devil had faded from his face, and if it weren't for his cold blue eyes, many would have liked him, but according to the monks, he was not willing to come into contact with anyone other than Cardinal Picromini, and he avoided them as if he were avoiding the plague.

As soon as he saw Cardinal Picromini, his blue eyes burst into a frenzied light, but Cardinal Picromini's heart did not fluctuate.

"Joshua." He said, "I have something for you to do. ”

"Please," said Joshua, trembling, "please, let me go to hell to fetch water!" ”

Cardinal Picromini laughed, but this smile was not sincere enough in front of Ezio: "You must first know that Giulio may not be back in Rome for a while, he will be in Lucca, three years, five years or more......," he paused, "and I can't be left unattended, so I want you to come to me." ”

Joshua's body shook slightly, and he almost fainted, happily.

"You will take Giulio's place and study by my side." As your father wished: "In the future, you will inherit my mantle." How, would you like to? ”

“…… I do! I do! Joshua couldn't wait to say, "I would love to!" Wasn't that his only wish? Ever since Cardinal Picromini had dispelled the marks on his face, he had seen this calm and trustworthy elder as his salvation, and after he had been abandoned and even killed by his own mother, his own father, he had given him a place to live, an identity, a chance to learn, and if it weren't for Picromini, would his father have been willing to turn his head to look at him?

Never.

All he had was bestowed by the benevolent and wise saint in front of him.

He nodded vigorously, not noticing the deeper and colder look in Cardinal Picromini's eyes—and don't you even ask Giulio? Cardinal Picromini thought that when they were both in Rome, Joshua was not close to Giulio, but Giulio was like a real brother to Joshua, and now that Giulio was almost killed because of Joshua, he did not even think of Giulio and did not even ask.

"This is for you." Cardinal Picromini took out a golden cross from the black stone box, very similar to the one he had given to Giulio before, the length of his palm, with a gold chain attached, but this one was much more ornate than the unpretentious of the previous one—it was inlaid with three blue zircons the size of hazelnuts, surrounded by yellow-green mica: "Remember them? It is because of them that you are free from the curse of the devil," said the cardinal: "wear it, it is my blessing to you, and do not take it off for a moment." ”

"Then write to your father, Giuliano, about all this. Della. Lovere. ”

————————

On the way back to his room, Joshua looked at the proverb inscribed on the back of the cross, which Cardinal Picromini had favorited.

"Do unto them as you would have them do unto you."