"The Holy See is the head, the cardinal is the nose, the monk is the mouth, we are the arms, we are the minions" According to Peter's prior reminder, Gawain held the sword of phosphorus and fire in his hands in both hands, half-knelt under Urban's crown, and said the oath to serve as "the priesthood", and then Owen Seth held the Pope's letter of appointment and handed it into Gawain's hands. And the cardinals and red-clothed people around should also take the oath, and the entire Latrano hall was filled with solemn voices.

Outside the church, in front of the door of Asinlaria, there was a crowd of people, Gawain's guards and soldiers were standing in a solemn formation, and under the bell tower in front of the church, Ingridina was standing there with some faint worry, rubbing her hands, because she knew that if the pope really did as those onlookers said, she would give Stephen . If Gawain has any divine priesthood, it means that Gawain will adhere to the precept of celibacy, what if so? Although it is not uncommon in the Catholic world for this group of priests to secretly support noblewomen and even nuns, it is only underground after all.

"Peace of mind, Inglina, the Holy See is sensible." At this moment, two noble women, escorted by a strict guard, came straight to her in a cloak.

Ingrid turned around in surprise, and then her fat hat was lifted by Placides with a smile, and her blonde hair shone beautifully in the sun, "Is that you, Plasidis?" ”

"You are the same abandoned woman, but you have different circumstances, you are really enviable." Plasidis quickly embraced Inglana into her arms, and then her hand reached out, introducing Inglina to the graceful lady behind her. "The Noble Duchess of Tuscany, Matilda, Countess of the Frontier of Germany."

The three women then saluted each other. Birel, the stout and unwieldy infantry commander over there, came running and hurriedly knelt down before Matilda. "Get up, Billel, your appearance is a waste in the court, and I will henceforth entrust you, along with three hundred Lombard infantry, to the hermit Peter, and you should have no problem as the commander of the army, right? A wild boar with fangs should not spend its life in a town pen. Matilda said lightly.

Billel immediately expressed his complete obedience to the mistress's decision, and Matilda naturally walked in the middle. Her young husband followed with his head bowed, and Inglana and Placydes naturally leaned against the side of the road—after all, only a woman of her stature and power could enter this sacred temple of the Lord.

When the Duchess stepped in, the oath was over, and Gawain was about to turn away, when he saw Matilda smiling and dressed up towards him on the glittering floor under the ornate vault. But then it staggered.

At the end of the Duchess's salute to the Holy See and the cardinals, Peter whispered to Gawain, "This is her, don't forget the promise she made to me beforehand." Of course, you can pretend that you don't know, lest the other party mistakenly think that we are greedy. ”

Gawain thought about it, and stood politely behind Matilda. When the duchess turned her head, she happened to be face to face with herself.

"There's something I need to do. Your Excellency, the newly ordained priesthood? ”

"I think you should have made a promise to my brother-in-law beforehand. Honorable Princess. ”

"Oh, so what?" Matilda's face was full of tentative smiles.

"I just want to say that Gawain doesn't need your two thousand Hu Fu grants, and we can sign another fair treaty instead of a unilateral gift."

Matilda gave the back of her hand, and after Gawain kissed her lightly, she expressed interest in the proposal.

"That is the trade between Tuscany and Lombardy, and Amalfi on the coast, and with the city of Bari, both of which can enjoy the right to enjoy tax exemptions. Amalfi's glassware and paper from Egypt, wine, grain, horses, and armor from Tuscany and Lombardy, and fish and salt from the city of Bari were among the special offers. ”

As a result, the duchess then became bold, one hand just withdrawn, the other hand covered her forehead, and leaned back and laughed in front of the Holy Seat without any scruples, "You just seemed to be inadvertently including the Lombard war horses and armor, what a cunning Varyag, as a warrior and a merchant, but I must tell you, it is impossible to buy these two materials so easily, the horses raised by the Po River, the equipment and armor forged by Milan, are my two arms, can anyone be in the trade, Will you give up your arms in order to get the other person's beautiful hair? ”

"Now we are all arms of the Holy See, and not our own." Gawain is of course also very good at talking.

"Alright then, let's just keep our arms together, but I'll still put a price on these two things, which you should understand."

Then, with great pride, Gawain stretched out his hand and shook hands with the duchess, indicating that the treaty would enter into force immediately, and that "the ships of Pisa and Amalfi, and the port of Bari's docks, will be in effect from this day!" ”

The bells of the church of Latrano rang in unison, and to the cheers of the crowd of believers, Gawain, dressed in white robes, was the first to walk out, and after waving to the crowd, he only said one sentence, "The overture of the expedition has ended, but it is only when we are in front of the Holy Sepulchre that we can end the appreciation of this grand music." Then he and Peter embraced, "Goodbye to the Sava River." ”

"Yes, goodbye to the Sava River!"

After saying this, Gawain quickly stepped into the saddle of Quicksilver's saddle, and immediately followed the Asinlaria Gate with the Varangian Guards and the Brocade Brothers, and headed in the direction of the outer city of Rome without looking back.

At the door, Gawain raised his whip and struck Sabina, and then the mare stepped forward to the standing Ingrid, and knelt down, and the widow smiled at her sister Plasidis, "I'm sorry, I'm going to leave too." He stepped into the meek Sabina, looked at Govin and smiled, waved to Plasides, who was still standing there, and stepped into the middle of the Tascolana Avenue.

"Hey, Ingrana, how about you be interested in accompanying me on a trip to that lagoon-protected city?" After the sun slowly passed overhead, Gawain asked with a smile.

"I don't understand what your considerations are, but I'd love to, Commander Count Gawain." Ingridina's idea is to wander the world with Gawain, and it doesn't matter.

In the Adriatic Sea in April, the sea is as smooth as the silk woven by Inglana, and the emerald islands on both sides are like the petriald stones dotted on the silk, and the unknown birds are constantly whirling around the masts and sails, holding the Venetian governor of Chania, Molito. Rosso's letter of recommendation, the large ship in which Gawain and Ingrid were traveling, made its way into the lagoon and sandbar without hindrance.

"Gawain looks, the outline of the city of San Marco." In the early morning, Ingrida spoke excitedly from the bow deck of the ship, pointing like a child to the shadows surrounded by the mist and the forest.

"No, it's just a shadow of the sandbar on the edge of the lagoon." Gawain, who heard the sound, looked at it, and then pressed Ingrina's head and corrected it. (To be continued......)