After careful consideration, Manuel gave his reply:
"Let's go on a pilgrimage to the church ruins and other places first. After all, I did come to Alexandria with the intention of a pilgrimage this time."
Jaqmaq did not object or try to dissuade him much regarding his old friend's plan. Instead, he nodded and continued to ask when Manuel planned to visit the Mamluk barracks so he could arrange his time.
"How about three days from now?" Manuel stated his plan.
"Alright." Jaqmaq also deferred to his opinion, not insisting.
After seeing Jaqmaq off, Manuel asked his wife and children to come out of the bedroom. Before waiting for dinner, Barbara, who had only learned today that her husband had connections with the Mamluk upper echelons abroad, couldn't help but express her doubts to Manuel during their conversation about the matter, "Manuel, although it has been proven that this Muslim is trustworthy, didn't you worry before coming here this time that he might extort you?"
Manuel laughed heartily at her bringing up this question only now, moved closer to his wife, and answered her doubts, "That's a good point. Let me put it this way, what benefit would he gain from defrauding me, an outside monarch? If Mamluks from Circassia, a mountainous region primarily inhabited by Eastern Orthodox, truly had a sense of belonging to their current faith and the accompanying convert's fanaticism, then they wouldn't have gained the power to govern a large area, let alone be willing to hold their noses and associate with Christians, as they see them."
"Moreover, after I befriended this Emir, I also sent people to secretly investigate his perception of Christians. The result was that although he appeared to be a devout Muslim on the surface, he actually showed a spirit of pragmatism both externally and internally. This is enough to trust his words and actions in social interactions."
"Even if, for argument's sake, Jaqmaq intended to harm me, I would still have a way to deal with it. You should know that before arriving at the agreed location, I did not disclose my whereabouts to any other unrelated parties, and Alexandria not only has several mercenary groups but also a Venetians delegation stationed here." As he spoke of the Venetians, Manuel showed a sly smile, leaving those unaware of his plans completely bewildered.
After hearing her husband's explanation, Barbara clapped her hands in perfect synchronization as soon as he finished speaking, and their children, spurred by the atmosphere, also clapped their little hands, half-understanding.
So, at just past seven in the morning the next day, Manuel, having rested well, took his wife and children and headed to the cathedral in Alexandria for a pilgrimage, following the map Jaqmaq had given him. Although this ancient city, due to the destruction by the Crusaders last century and the limited governance of the Mamluks, was far from as prosperous as it had been when it belonged to the Roman Empire or other Egyptian dynasties. Yet, successive Emirs who managed the area, for their own interests, still tried their best to restore its operation and economy.
At least for now, this was still the case. Before the Ottoman ruled Egypt and contracted out various regions of Egypt to the Mamluks for a complete tax-farming system, the Mamluk class had not yet degenerated and corrupted to the point of completely disregarding the potential of local livelihoods and only knowing how to drain the local resources.
As he walked towards the planned cathedral, Manuel also took the opportunity to observe the daily lives of the local common people. The result was consistent with his expectations: although the wide streets were bustling with people, and it could be described as an endless stream, due to the severe damage suffered last century, Alexandria never gave him the feeling of a large city it should have.
No wonder the Mamluk Sultan handed this region over to Jaqmaq's jurisdiction. Manuel took out a few silver dinars and bought several valuable silk robes and a Coptic Bible adorned with jewels from a large Egyptian merchant wearing a white turban mixed with sand and grit. He intended to use the latter for his children's language education.
A little over fifteen minutes later, Manuel, following the directions on the map, arrived at the largest church currently in Alexandria: St. Mark's orthodox Church. Among Coptic Christians, it has a more familiar name: St. Mark's Coptic orthodox Cathedral.
In the past, St. Mark's orthodox Church, as the seat of the Eastern Orthodox Patriarch of Alexandria and the Coptic Pope of Alexandria, received immense attention and maintenance. It was rumored that at its most magnificent, it could even attempt to rival the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople.
However, after repeated wars, and with the Muslim rule in Egypt moving the Coptic Papal See to Cairo, St. Mark's Cathedral was no longer what it once was. Even the holy relic of St. Mark, a sacred object, was stolen in 828 by the Venetians, who revered St. Mark as their patron saint. The brutal actions of the warring parties during the Fifth Crusade further devastated this ancient church. Although Coptic Christians and Eastern Orthodox believers continuously donated funds hoping to repair it, it still could not fully restore its original scale. ①
The only consolation was that the current St. Mark's orthodox Church at least had the framework of a church. Although its outer walls were incomplete, they were still as white as an Egyptian's turban; the interior of the church was supported by reddish-brown date palm wood pillars and beams, holding up this ancient cathedral; and while the interior decoration was virtually nonexistent, exquisite icons still hung on the walls, with the largest one in the center depicting St. Mark, the patron saint of this church and even this city.
"Is this the St. Mark's orthodox Church, the former seat of the Patriarch of Alexandria and the Coptic Pope of Alexandria?" Looking at the grand but now so dilapidated cathedral before her, Barbara couldn't help but clutch her chest, "Why is it so ruined now?"
Manuel did not answer her directly but slowly recounted the events that had occurred there in a calm yet sorrowful tone. After listening to her husband's narration, Barbara, like those who feel sad about past history, lowered her head and sighed, not knowing whether it was for the church and Christians here, or for the Romans and their Empire, and began to pray sincerely.
Was he not the same? At this moment, in this somewhat dilapidated but still frequented by many Christians for prayer cathedral, as his companions had already begun to pray one after another, Manuel, bathed in the warm and not yet scorching morning light, like a devout believer, clasped his hands tightly and also began his prayer:
"…"
"May we, at that hour, not be found sleeping or idle, but vigilant and self-controlled, ever ready to share with Him the joy of eternal bliss, and enter His glorious and holy temple…"
"And may You help me achieve great deeds, and be ever great, that I may sing praises to You and proclaim great works. ②"
"Amen."