Chapter 102: The Legendary Holy Grail
"Who I am doesn't matter. What's important is finding out who killed Saunière, and dealing with that GPS."
William walked over to Sophie, picked up a bar of soap from the washstand, and pressed the GPS tracker into it. He then turned, opened the window, and tossed the soap into a garbage truck that was just driving by. He led Langdon and Sophie into the women's restroom to hide.
Less than five minutes later, they heard police sirens approaching from downstairs. Peeking out, they saw a dozen police cars speeding off in pursuit of the garbage truck.
William smiled at the two of them. "So, what now? What's our first step, Princess Sophie, Professor Langdon?"
Sophie didn't speak. She simply led William and Langdon back to Saunière's body. She said sadly, "He looks so much older than I remember. We haven't been in contact for a long time. He called me… he called, and I didn't answer. He sent me a message saying it was a matter of life and death. I thought he was just trying to find an excuse to see me. I never thought… I never even got to see him one last time. I'm so sorry, Grandfather."
Hearing Sophie's words, William thought to himself that the old man, Saunière, hadn't called him before his death, either. It seemed he still didn't fully trust him. Was William's only purpose to protect Sophie?
After crying silently for a moment, Sophie composed herself. "When Saunière couldn't find me, he must have turned to you two. Professor Langdon is an expert in symbology. And William… Saunière said you were both part of the Priory of Sion. There must be some connection between you and my grandfather for him to trust you and ask for your help. The situation must have been urgent. He didn't have time to explain everything to any of us."
William mused internally that it wasn't that Saunière didn't have time; it was that he didn't fully trust him or Langdon.
At that moment, Professor Langdon picked up the note Fache had dropped, took out a pen, and began scribbling in his small notebook. Finally, he said, "Based on the numeric sequence and the phrase, they can be combined to point to only two things: Leonardo da Vinci and the *Mona Lisa*."
Langdon and Sophie exchanged a look. Sophie said, "Da Vinci… the *Mona Lisa* isn't far from here. The clue must be there."
With a new lead, Sophie quickly led them to the gallery housing the *Mona Lisa*. Using a small UV flashlight, the three of them found a line of text written in invisible ink in the lower-right corner of the painting.
"Another puzzle," Sophie murmured.
William stared at the sentence blankly while Professor Langdon anagrammed the letters, muttering new words to himself. Finally, when he said "Virgin on the Rocks," Sophie immediately realized the painting he meant was in another hall.
Behind the frame of the *Virgin on the Rocks*, they found a key, its head shaped into a fleur-de-lis and a coat of arms. Langdon held the key and looked at William. "This is the symbol of the Priory of Sion, the same as on your ring, William. What is Saunière trying to tell us?"
William shrugged. He was just as confused, feeling like a complete bystander in all this. But suddenly, his ears twitched. "Someone's coming," he whispered. "Don't move. I'll handle it." He moved toward the doorway and hid behind it.
Ten seconds later, Sophie and Langdon saw a Louvre security guard rush into the hall, pointing his gun and shouting, "Raise your hands! You're under arrest!"
The guard sensed someone behind the door as he entered, but before he could turn, William struck him from behind, knocking him unconscious.
William gently lowered the guard to the floor, motioned for Sophie and Langdon to follow, and led them quickly out of the Louvre. They made it to Sophie's car and sped away just before Fache returned.
In the car, Sophie held up the key. "This was my grandfather's. I saw it when I was a kid. He told me he would give it to me when I grew up."
Langdon took the key from her. "Sophie, have you ever heard of the Priory of Sion?"
"No, today was the first time. Does this have something to do with them? William, shouldn't you be telling us what's going on? You and my grandfather were members of this society. You must know more than we do."
Sitting in the back seat, William rolled his eyes. "I don't know anything. All I know is that the ring on my hand belonged to my grandfather. Right before he died, he gave it to Saunière for safekeeping. I found my grandfather's message, called Saunière this morning, and he asked me to meet him at the café this afternoon. He gave me back the ring and said he was going to take me to a meeting in England tonight. That's all I know."
Seeing that William was refusing to say more, Langdon could only explain, "The Priory of Sion is one of the oldest and most secret organizations in the world. The fleur-de-lis is their emblem. They protect a powerful secret, one they claim exposes a great deception at the heart of history."
William asked with feigned surprise, "What kind of secret? Where did it come from? How are we supposed to find something from a thousand years ago? And how do you know all this?"
Sophie, who was driving, expertly swerved to avoid two police cars. "Never mind that now. We have to find a place to hide. Fache won't give up looking for us."
"Sophie, find a car dealership," William said. "Don't forget, I'm not wanted by the police yet. We can buy a car."
"You're right, William, you're not a suspect," Sophie agreed, turning toward the nearest Renault dealership.
William got out of the car, walked into the dealership alone, bought a new car with his credit card, and drove it to pick up Langdon and Sophie 500 meters down the road.
Once they were all in the new car, Sophie asked, "William, do you think the Priory of Sion really exists?"
"I don't know. I only heard of it from Saunière today. Do you want it to exist?" William asked back.
Sophie was silent for a moment. "I don't know. Ever since I was little, my grandfather trained me in cryptography and puzzles. He was always pushing me… Sophie, what do we do next?"
Langdon said with a slight smile, "We go on a treasure hunt."
"To help find my grandfather's killer, I hope the Priory exists so we can find more allies," Sophie said determinedly.
"But I hope it doesn't," Langdon countered, "because the history of the Priory is a bloody one. Most of its members were slaughtered. Legend says that over a thousand years ago, a Frankish king conquered Jerusalem. The Crusades were actually planned by a secret brotherhood—the Priory of Sion. Their army was known as the Knights Templar."
"The Templars claimed to be protecting the Holy City, but that was a cover for their true purpose. According to the legends, they went to war to find an ancient artifact, something that had been lost since the time of the early Church. They were sent to find that artifact."
William pulled the car over to the side of the road. "Did they find it?"
Langdon looked at William, wondering why he had stopped, but William just said, "Tell me, Langdon."
"Well," Langdon continued, "the truth is, no one knows. The Knights Templar suddenly ceased their search and traveled directly from the Holy Land to Rome. No one knows if they blackmailed the Holy See or if the Church simply bought their silence. The fact is, the Pope issued a papal bull granting the Knights Templar supreme authority, making them a law unto themselves. Their power grew so immense that they became a serious threat to the Vatican."
"So the Holy See issued a secret order, a decree to be opened simultaneously all across Europe. The decree stated that the Pope, by God's command, declared the Templars to be Satan-worshippers and ordered the extermination of these heretics. The purge was brutally successful. With the exception of England, the Knights Templar were almost completely annihilated throughout Europe."
"Afterward, the Pope sent his armies to seize the Priory's treasures but found nothing. The Templars who had escaped the slaughter vanished from history."
Sophie asked, "What sacred objects and treasures? Why did my grandfather never tell me any of this?"
Langdon smiled grimly. "Sophie, you have heard of it. Everyone in the Western world has. The sacred object they were protecting is the legendary Holy Grail."
"The Holy Grail," Sophie and William breathed in unison.
Chapter 103: King Solomon's Treasure
"The Holy Grail," Sophie lamented. For anyone in Europe or America, it was a familiar name. There were countless legends about the Holy Grail in films and books.
Sophie then asked, "So what is the other treasure?"
Langdon, in the passenger seat, looked at William. "Perhaps William knows what it is."
Sophie looked at William in surprise. "William, you know what the treasure is, don't you?"
William looked at the curious faces of Langdon and Sophie and paused for a moment, deciding what to reveal. "King Solomon's Treasure," he said.
"What?" Langdon exclaimed in disbelief. "As a professor of symbology and history at Harvard, I can assure you there's no definitive record of King Solomon's treasure ever existing. It's considered a legend, a myth with no historical basis."
William just shook his head. "It's real. It was in the Holy City, where it was discovered by the Knights Templar over a thousand years ago. It contained tons of gold, countless artifacts, sheepskin scrolls, gold coins, silverware, and jewels."
"The Devinhir family were its guardians a thousand years ago. That lasted until the great purge 600 years ago, when the surviving members of the Knights Templar were forced to hide it. Many years later, a group of traitors emerged and split from the main order, taking the treasure with them and hiding it again."
"The most ridiculous part," William continued, "is that this splinter group hid King Solomon's throne so well that after a few decades, even they lost track of where it was. For the last three hundred years, the Devinhir family has been searching for it. The legendary treasure of King Solomon... My God, a dozen generations have spent their lives looking for it. Haha, and now the task has fallen to me. Who knows if it has been carved up by greedy men or if it's still buried in some forgotten corner of the world."
"Incredible. Truly incredible," Langdon breathed. "The treasure of King Solomon actually exists, and yet there are no written records... William, who were these traitorous members of the Knights Templar?" The Harvard professor, with his sharp memory, immediately seized on the key question.
Sophie, listening from the back seat, tensed at the question. William just looked at Langdon and Sophie with a smile. "Do you really think I'm going to tell you? This is the secret the Devinhir family has protected for a thousand years."
"Oh, no," Langdon groaned, holding his head in his hands. "William, I wish I hadn't heard any of this. I'm going to have insomnia for the rest of my life. My God."
From the back seat, Sophie gave William a light shove. "Oh, shut up, William."
William shrugged. "Not telling you is for your own good. Do you have any idea how many people in the world want to know this secret? Knowing it would put you in danger. You could be captured and interrogated, thrown into some lightless prison for the rest of your life, or end up buried in a desert or at the bottom of a river."
"Okay, okay! Don't tell me! I don't want to know!" Professor Langdon said with a shudder. "If an organization that has been searching for hundreds of years can't find it, a common man like me would be delusional to even try. William, you've scared me enough. I think... I think I can guess who you're talking about. As an American, I definitely don't want those guys coming after me."
"You've already guessed?" William asked, surprised. "Are you really that good, Professor?"
"For heaven's sake, I'm the top history and symbology professor at Harvard. Is there anyone who would understand this better?" Langdon retorted.
"Shut your mouth, Langdon, and tell me what you know," Sophie scolded from the back seat.
Langdon looked at her, surprised, but saw the serious look in her eyes and raised his hands in surrender. "Alright, my lady. William's reasoning is very clear. To hide such a massive treasure, all of Europe would have been unsafe. They had to transport it to another continent. Asia and Africa were also unlikely back then. And William said they haven't been able to find it for over 300 years. This suggests it was hidden during a very critical moment in history, like during the American Revolution, when the fledgling U.S. government would have been terrified of the British army getting their hands on it. Am I on the right track, William?"
William smiled. "Yes, spot on."
Langdon threw his hands up. "Then it's obvious! That treasure is the legendary National Treasure of the United States, which has been a myth for over 200 years! The one supposedly hidden by the Founding Fathers and that powerful people are still searching for today. And the group of traitors William mentioned must have been formed by Templars who fled Europe for the Americas. My God." He shook his head. "I don't want to know anything else about this. The secret society protecting that treasure is one of the most powerful and influential in the United States. Crossing them is a death wish. Let's talk about something else."
"I just got tangled up in a 600-year-old European conspiracy that made me a wanted man," Langdon continued, his voice strained. "If I go up against an American organization so powerful it can influence entire industries... I can't even imagine what would happen to me."
"Okay, Langdon, you're right. Let's talk about something else," Sophie said, also frightened by his words.
*National Treasure?* William thought. *It can't be the treasure from the Nicolas Cage movie, can it? Damn it, the movie never said exactly where the treasure ship was.* He wracked his brain, trying to recall the details. His soul was that of a transmigrator, and after 18 years in this new life, he couldn't possibly remember every detail of a movie he'd seen only once in his previous life. He remembered a code on the back of the Declaration of Independence, and the treasure was under a church, but what was the name of that church?
After giving up, William looked at the expert beside him. Perhaps Langdon would know something. "It might not be as dangerous as you think. I have a clue, but I'm stuck on it. Professor Langdon, maybe you can help me solve the puzzle."
Langdon shook his head emphatically. "No, William. I don't want to know. It's too dangerous. Even if we found it, we wouldn't live to spend it. A treasure of that magnitude is worth tens of billions of dollars. I have a good life, and I don't want to risk it. Once this is all over, I'm going back to being a professor at Harvard."
"Alright, let's get through this first," William said. "Afterward, Professor, I'll come to America to discuss academic matters with you. You wouldn't turn me away then, would you?"
"We'll see," Langdon replied evasively, turning his attention to the key in his hand. After a careful inspection, he noted that the key's bit was an ancient artifact, hundreds of years old, but the bow was modern and had a laser-etched code on it. "Hauks 24. What kind of riddle is that?"
Sophie heard it and understood immediately. "Hauks 24 isn't a riddle, it's an address. I know where that is. William, drive!"
Following Sophie's directions, they found a Swiss bank in the city center. After using the key to open the main door, the three of them entered. Guided by the bank's night manager, Sophie used the key and a numeric sequence her grandfather had left her to access Saunière's safe deposit box in the vault.
When she opened it, she found only a small wooden box inside. The lid was engraved with the image of a rose. Langdon saw it and said in surprise, "My God, it's a rose... The rose is the symbol of the Holy Grail!"
William took the box from Sophie's hand to examine it. It was clearly an antique. But before they could try to open it, the door to the vault swung open and the night manager walked in.
Chapter 104: An Unexpected Member of the Priory
"My apologies, everyone. I didn't expect the police to arrive so quickly," the manager explained as he led them through a side door. "When you first came in, the bank's security system was automatically triggered. Your wanted notice was already in the system, and we couldn't override it. Please, follow me. Your account is one of the oldest our bank holds, and one of its provisions is a guarantee that the client can leave the bank safely."
The manager opened a door leading to an armored transport truck. Langdon looked at the vehicle, hesitating, but finally climbed aboard at William's urging.
The night manager proved to be remarkably resourceful, skillfully handling the police's interrogation and stalling them long enough for him to drive William and the others safely out of Paris.
Inside the truck's cargo hold, William examined the wooden box in his hands. "The Holy Grail," he declared dramatically. "The Chalice. The source of the Light God's power."
"That's all nonsense," Sophie said, laughing at his teasing tone.
Langdon looked from William to Sophie, surprised by their casual dismissal. "You don't believe in God?"
Sophie smiled and shook her head. "I don't believe in power that falls from the sky. I only believe in people, and sometimes, people can be very kind."
William nodded in agreement. "I feel the same way. I believe there are more good people in the world than bad, but I also believe that only by being strong can I protect the things and people I care about."
He opened the wooden box, revealing a cryptex inside. It was very similar to the one Henry had left him, though this one was much smaller.
Sophie took the cryptex from William's hands. "Oh, my heavens," she said, "this is a cryptex. It was invented by Leonardo da Vinci."
She examined it carefully before continuing, "It's used to protect secrets. Inside, there's a glass vial filled with vinegar wrapped around the papyrus scroll. If someone tries to force it open, the vial breaks, and the vinegar corrodes the ink, destroying the message. There are five rings, each with twenty-six letters. That's nearly twelve million possible combinations. Without the password, no one can get to the secret inside."
Just then, the armored truck began to slow down. The rear door opened, and they saw the night manager pointing a P226 pistol at them. "After twenty years," he said grimly, "I never thought I'd be waiting for three murderers."
"What?" William exclaimed.
With a loud *bang*, the manager fired a shot into the truck's interior, the bullet striking the wall just inches from William. He aimed the pistol at William, who slowly held out the cryptex in his left hand. His right hand was behind his back, ready to summon a Glock 17 from his storage space and kill the manager the moment he reached for the device.
"Wait," the manager said suddenly, his voice sharp. "Show me the ring on your hand."
His eyes were fixed on William's left hand. William turned his palm over, revealing the Devonshire family ring. The manager's expression shifted from hostility to shock. "What's your name? How do you have that ring?"
"William Devonshire."
"And your grandfather's name? In England?"
William hesitated for a moment, but seeing that the P226 was no longer pointed directly at him, he answered, "Henry Devonshire."
The manager's face lit up with excitement. "My God! Then you didn't kill Saunière!"
William, Langdon, and Sophie stared at the manager, the realization dawning on all of them at once. He was also a member of the Priory of Sion.
The manager lowered his gun. "Get out, quickly."
Once they were outside, he explained, "My name is André Vernet. I am the guardian of this cryptex. I have been for twenty years. I never expected Grand Master Saunière to be killed. It must have been the Guild."
"But I thought that organization was banned," Langdon said hurriedly.
"No," André said. "In fact, they were only publicly banned by the Holy See. In the end, they went underground, just like us, and hid themselves within the ranks of the Vatican. They secretly established a commission to find the Holy Grail and hunt down our members. In recent years, many of us have been assassinated by them. Now, with Grand Master Saunière and the other three sénéchaux dead, the Priory is facing its most dangerous moment."
André pulled William aside and spoke in a low voice. "William, the secret of the Holy Grail must not fall into their hands. You are the last remaining sénéchal of the Priory. You must find the Grail and protect it."
"But Saunière was killed before he could tell me anything," William replied. "I have no idea how to find it. Do you know anything that could help?"
"I'm sorry, William, I am only a guardian. My duty was to protect this cryptex. I don't know anything else," André said apologetically.
"I know someone," Langdon interjected. "His research on the Holy Grail is extensive. His name is Sir Leigh Teabing. He's an Englishman, but he lives here in France. He might be able to help."
William had no better ideas. He knew very little about European history, so consulting an expert might actually yield some answers.
"Alright, let's go to him," William said. "What about you, André?"
"Don't worry about me. After I drop you off at Teabing's residence, I'll drive straight to Zurich. They won't be able to find me there," André assured him.
After everyone got back into the truck, William and André rode in the cargo bay while Langdon and Sophie sat in the cab. Langdon and Sophie couldn't hear what the two men discussed, but when William emerged from the truck later, his face was grim.
André had told him that the Priory of Sion was now in name only. The four sénéchaux were all dead. Over the last decade, ordinary members had been so terrorized by the Guild that they had gone into hiding, erasing their identities. After the deaths of the four leaders, most members had lost all contact with the organization.
The Priory's members were artists, scholars, and professors. The organization was too scattered, which made it easy for their enemies to defeat them one by one.
The Guild had grown especially despicable and shameless in the ten years since Henry's death, even resorting to assassination. André warned William to be extremely careful. The fact that he was the last sénéchal of the Priory must not get out, or the Guild would undoubtedly come for him.
Their goal wasn't to destroy the Holy Grail, as they claimed, but to use it for blackmail, just as the Knights Templar had done a thousand years ago. These were marginalized figures within the Church, fighting for power.
***
Back in Paris, Captain Fache received a report from his subordinates. The Zurich Depository Bank had called the police to report that one of their armored trucks in Paris had been driven off the premises without authorization. The bank's headquarters suspected the vehicle had been stolen.
At first, the reporting officers paid it little mind, but when they saw Fache's tactical team blockading the area and searching nearby streets, they immediately realized the situation was more serious. They contacted the bank again and requested the vehicle's GPS location.
The GPS data showed that the armored truck had stopped at the Château de Villette for ten minutes before getting on the highway heading toward Switzerland. The police immediately suspected that Langdon might be seeking help from Sir Leigh Teabing, the château's owner.
When Fache heard the news, he was overjoyed. He hurriedly ordered his men to assemble a convoy of more than ten cars and raced toward the Château de Villette.
Chapter 105: Teabing and Langdon's Argument
After dismissing his chauffeur, André, Langdon answered three security questions at the gate to Teabing's estate. A moment later, William and the others heard a voice over the intercom: "Welcome to Château Villette, Professor Langdon."
As they walked into the manor, they saw an elderly man with a full head of white hair, supporting himself with a pair of crutches, standing at the top of the stairs. "Welcome to Château Villette," he called out. "I am Leigh Teabing, the master of this house."
"It's been too long, Teabing," Langdon said. "Let me introduce you. This is Sophie, and this is William Devonshire." He then turned to his companions. "Sophie, William, this is Sir Leigh Teabing."
After setting down his crutches to shake hands with Sophie, Teabing turned to William. "Devonshire," he said, his eyes twinkling. "The famous Devonshire family. I've met you before, William. You were only five or six years old. Your grandfather Henry and I used to have afternoon tea together often in England."
Hearing this, William quickly took Teabing's offered hand. "Hello, Sir. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Teabing smiled at William, then turned back to Langdon. "Earl Grey?"
Langdon smiled and nodded. "With a slice of lemon, if you have it."
"Of course. I'll take you to the sitting room. We can have a drink and something to eat. It's nearly dawn, after all."
Once they were settled in the sitting room with their tea, Teabing said, "For you to come to me in the dead of night, it must be something very important."
Langdon leaned forward. "We wanted to ask you about the Priory of Sion."
"The Priory, or the cryptex?" Teabing replied instantly.
Langdon hesitated, unsure if he should reveal everything that had happened that day. Seeing Teabing waiting expectantly, he decided against it. "My apologies, Teabing. We've come at such an odd hour, but we've encountered something we can't understand. We need your help to find clues and solve a mystery."
"You? There's something *you* can't understand?" Teabing immediately caught on. "It seems you've found something I've been looking for. Langdon, we are friends, but you know how long I've been searching for the Priory. To keep this from me… that's not very friendly."
"Alright, my fault," Langdon conceded. "But I'm coming to you now, aren't I?"
"Fine, what's done is done. I can only accept your apology," Teabing sighed dramatically. "But Langdon, next time you have a chance to uncover a secret like this, remember to call me. Now, the Priory of Sion, you say…" He paused, collecting his thoughts.
"The Priory of Sion was founded by the surviving members of the Knights Templar, over six hundred years ago, after the original order was slaughtered. Its members were mainly scholars, professors, artists, and some nobles. Like the Devonshire family," he said, gesturing with a nod toward the ring on William's hand. "They have been members of the Priory for generations."
Teabing turned his head to William. "Which is why I must ask, why have you, William, never participated in any of your family's activities, and why do you appear here now?"
"I don't know," William admitted. "I'm here to find that answer myself. I found some letters among my grandfather's effects. He instructed me to find Professor Saunière, but the professor was killed before he could tell me anything."
"I see. It seems your grandfather took all the secrets he knew to the grave to protect you. The Priory is typically led by four people: a Grand Master and three sénéchaux. All four know the location of the Holy Grail."
Teabing looked at his butler. "Thank you, Rémy. That will be all."
The butler bowed and exited the room. Teabing continued, "The members of the Priory are all over the world."
Langdon interjected, "Pierre Plantard's claim in 1967 that the Priory existed was a hoax."
"Ha! That's what they *want* you to believe. In modern society, many ancient and secret organizations must go to great lengths to deceive the public to protect their secrets. Langdon, you can't be fooled by such simple tricks."
Teabing chuckled at Langdon's skepticism. After his laugh subsided, he said, "The Priory of Sion has only one task: to protect the greatest secret in the history of the world."
Sophie spoke up. "The source of power in this world?" It was something she had heard Langdon say earlier.
"No, that's a mischaracterization," Teabing said immediately. "The Priory does indeed protect the source of the Holy See's power in this world—faith—but not in the way you think."
"What does that have to do with the Holy Grail?" William asked.
"Everything. To understand the Holy Grail, William, you must first understand the Bible. The version we know today was collated by the pagan Roman emperor, Constantine the Great."
"Constantine? How is that possible?" Sophie said. "From what I know, Constantine was a Christian."
"No. He was a pagan his entire life and was only baptized on his deathbed. Since ancient times, his clan had always worshipped the sun god Sol Invictus. But during Constantine's rule, a large-scale conflict erupted between Christians and pagans. Constantine was a pragmatist. As the situation grew more tense, he decided to unify all religions in his empire under a single faith: Christianity. In order not to let his empire fracture, he convened a very famous ecumenical council—the Council of Nicaea."
Teabing paused, letting William and Sophie process the information before he continued. "At this council, different Christian sects engaged in fierce debates and voted on which gospels to adopt, the date of Easter, holy days, the sacraments, and the divine nature of Jesus Christ."
"I don't understand," Sophie said. "Why did they need to determine Christ's divine nature?"
"My dear Sophie," Teabing said, leaning forward conspiratorially, "until that moment in history, Jesus was viewed by many of his followers as a mortal prophet. A great and powerful man, but a man nonetheless. A mortal."
Langdon smiled and explained, "Some believers thought Jesus was a mortal man, while others believed he was divine."
"Wasn't he the son of God the Creator?" William asked.
"Haha! He wasn't even considered divine by many at the time," Teabing scoffed.
William laughed. "So you're saying the divinity of Jesus Christ was decided by a vote?"
"Precisely, William," Teabing said. "You must remember, gods were everywhere in that era. It was Constantine who injected divinity into the person of Jesus, elevating him to a divine being in the eyes of the world, allowing him to be reborn as a deity. And since there could be only one religion under Constantine's rule, Christianity essentially defeated all other religions and gods."
At this, Langdon felt compelled to refute him. "No, I don't agree with you. I don't think Constantine *created* Christ's divinity. He simply used the law to formalize a belief that was already widespread and accepted by the people."
"That's just two different ways of saying the same thing," Teabing said dismissively.
"No, it's not the same," Langdon countered. "You are distorting the facts to support your theory."
"But the fact is, for many believers, Jesus was sometimes a god, and sometimes a man," Teabing said, his voice rising.
"But more believers firmly held that he was God," Langdon retorted.
"Nonsense!" Teabing said angrily. "They had to issue formal orders to establish his divinity! And the ridiculous thing is that the Council of Nicaea was rife with political ambition from within the Christian religion itself!"
Seeing that Langdon and Teabing were about to quarrel, Sophie thought of her grandfather's death. She interjected quickly, "Why does it matter so much now, after all these years, whether he was a man or a god?"
Teabing and Langdon fell silent for a moment. Then Teabing said gravely, "Because if you have only one God, some people will use God's name to commit murder."
To that statement, no one had a response. History had already proven Teabing's words to be true.
Chapter 106: The True Holy Grail
Seeing the atmosphere had grown a little serious, Teabing picked up his cane and smiled at William and Sophie. "Come, I will show you what the Holy Grail truly is."
Everyone followed him to the data room that Teabing had converted from a living room. Teabing said to William and Sophie, "You have surely heard of the famous painting, *The Last Supper*."
It was such a renowned work that of course they had. They both nodded.
"Come, William, Sophie, look at this picture, and then close your eyes."
William and Sophie did as he asked.
"Three... two... one... open them. Can you find a cup in this painting?"
William stepped forward and examined it carefully. Indeed, he couldn't find a single cup. He looked at Teabing, puzzled.
Teabing used a crutch to trace a 'V' shape on the display, encompassing the figure to the right of Jesus in *The Last Supper*. "This," he declared, "is the Holy Grail. The letter 'V' is a symbol for the feminine. Furthermore, if you were to move this figure to Jesus's left side, you would find they fit together perfectly. It's amazing, isn't it? The person at Jesus's right hand is actually leaning on his shoulder. Doesn't that seem very intimate?"
William and Sophie nodded.
"That's because this person is a woman," Teabing said triumphantly. "She is Mary Magdalene, the wife of Jesus."
"The prostitute?" William interjected.
Teabing laughed. "No, she was not a prostitute. That was a smear campaign launched by the Church in 591 AD to discredit her. A very effective one, at that."
Langdon said helplessly, "This is an unsubstantiated rumor, Leigh. There's no proof."
Teabing stared at Langdon. "You know there is plenty of evidence, Robert, but you simply turn a blind eye. I have sufficient proof right here that Mary Magdalene was a descendant of a royal bloodline. After Jesus's death, she was with child. After fleeing to France, Mary gave birth to a daughter named Sarah."
William's eyes widened in shock. "So, that's why the Holy See has spent thousands of years trying to find and destroy the Holy Grail. It's because of the existence of Sarah's descendants. If... if someone with Sarah's bloodline could unite with the Church, could they feel a direct connection to Jesus through that union?
"Oh my god," William continued, "if this truth were ever revealed to the world, the authority of the Holy See would be destroyed. The leadership of the faith should have been inherited by Sarah, not the Church."
"Precisely, William," Teabing said. "Whoever holds the key to heaven can rule the world of faith. This is the true origin of the Holy See's witch hunts."
At that time, the Church believed that powerful women threatened their authority. They sought out and persecuted women with independent minds across Europe. In a period of just over 300 years, more than fifty thousand women were officially recorded as being burned alive, and the unrecorded number is unknown.
Some rumors suggest the number could be as high as several million. Imagine, as William just said, if the leadership of the faith was meant to be inherited by a daughter. That is why they had to silence them. This is the greatest cover-up in human history.
This is also the secret the Priory of Sion has been trying to protect for two thousand years. They are the guardians of the royal bloodline.
Just then, a buzzer sounded from the desk. Teabing walked over to the intercom. After pressing the button, he heard his butler, Remy, say, "Sir, I just saw Langdon and Sophie on the news. Sir, be careful. They are wanted."
After listening, Teabing turned angrily to Langdon. "You didn't tell me the truth! There's a warrant out for your arrest on television. You're suspected of murdering four people! Langdon, you scoundrel, you used my interest in the Holy Grail to hide in my home! Get out immediately, you murderer! If you don't leave, I'll call the police." He moved as if to make the call.
Professor Langdon immediately said, "Leigh, listen to me! Sophie is Jacques Saunière's granddaughter!"
Teabing froze when he heard Langdon's words.
Langdon pressed on, "You're an expert on the Priory of Sion. I imagine you know who its members are, just as you know William's family has always been a part of it. Jacques Saunière must be on your list as well."
"Leigh, tell me, was Jacques Saunière a senior member of the Priory? Four members have now been murdered, which is the same as the number of sénéchaux you've mentioned. If you were in his position, what would you do before you died? You would pass the secret to the person you trust most—someone outside the Priory, an heir you have been training. Sophie."
Teabing scoffed. "Langdon, your far-fetched theories are impressive. They almost sound plausible."
"Perhaps you should look at this, Teabing," Langdon said, holding out the rosewood box.
Teabing's eyes widened with disbelief as he stared at the box in Langdon's hand, his voice trembling. "Impossible... is that the keystone?" Teabing walked over to Langdon and carefully placed the box on the desk.
At that moment, William suddenly heard the faint sound of footsteps coming upstairs. He immediately scanned the area with his spiritual power and sensed a person approaching, armed with a gun.
William moved swiftly to the back of the data room door, pulling out a Glock 17 and fitting it with a suppressor as he went. He waited silently behind the door.
The other three in the room were startled by William's sudden actions, looking at him in surprise.
He waved a hand at them, signaling for them to be silent. A moment later, a white-haired man walked in, pointing a gun at the three of them. He aimed first at Sophie, then at Teabing. "Give it to me."
Teabing asked with a confused look, "What?" Seeing the white-haired man's eyes become fierce, he hurriedly tried to bargain, "Perhaps we can make a deal."
"Give me the keystone." The man pointed the gun at Teabing, who shouted in alarm, "William!"
Hiding behind the door, William shot the gun out of the white-haired man's hand. The impact injured his wrist, and he groaned in pain. William stepped out and said, "Don't move."
The white-haired man saw William pointing a gun at him and glared with pure hatred.
William felt threatened by the man's gaze. "Teabing," he asked, "according to the Castle Doctrine, am I legally permitted to kill this man who broke into your private residence with a firearm?"
"No, William! This man may be useful to us, and you've already subdued him. There's no need to kill him," Langdon said hurriedly, seeing William's intent.
William glanced at Langdon's nervous expression and said nonchalantly, "This guy is probably the murderer of Jacques Saunière and the other three Priory leaders. Am I right, you white-haired freak?"
The man looked at the ring on William's hand and snarled, "Remnant of the Priory. Every breath you take is a sin. You cannot escape. The angels of God will find you and hunt you down, and your family with you."
Hearing him threaten his family, William's anger flared. He lunged forward and delivered a brutal punch to the man's kidney. With a sickening thud, the man collapsed to the ground, clutching his stomach, all resistance gone.
"Ha! Angel? Are you talking about yourself? I don't think God allows murderers into heaven. Men with blood on their hands only go to hell."
"You should not have threatened my family," William said, his face ferocious as he grabbed the man's head with both hands, preparing to snap his neck. "The Devonshire family never shows mercy to its enemies. So, go to hell."
"No, William, don't! You're committing murder! Just hand him over to the police," Sophie shouted.
"Sophie, we can't hand him over to the police," William countered. "If we don't kill him today, everyone here will be hunted by him and his accomplices. You all heard him. They will even hunt down our families. These people are fanatics. Sir," he said, turning to Teabing, "do you think I should enforce the Castle Doctrine? I can make the scene look like I had to kill him to save you."
"Leigh, he's been subdued. We should hand him over to the police," Langdon said urgently, seeing that Teabing was considering it.
*Damn it, I'm surrounded by saints,* William thought. He shook his head in frustration, knowing this wasn't the right time. With Langdon and Sophie objecting, he couldn't just kill the man in front of them without facing serious trouble with the authorities later.
He grabbed the white-haired man, twisting his arms painfully behind his back. The man groaned, sweat pouring down his face. William had no intention of letting him go; he would just have to find a way to get him out of Teabing's chateau and kill him later.
William found some tape in the data room and sealed the man's mouth, then bound his hands and feet securely. He dragged the assassin out of the data room and threw him to the floor in the hallway.
---
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