Back at the castle, William accompanied his mother and Tina for a walk in the castle garden, chatting. Tina, that little girl, clung to William's arm and wouldn't let go. William had no way to deal with her. Every time he tried to pull his arm away from Tina's embrace, the little girl would pretend to cry, pulling on William's sleeve pitifully and following him. William, unable to escape her entanglement, just let her be.
His mother, Lina, just shook her head, and finally, unable to stand their clinginess, she sent William away.
William was also a bit overwhelmed by Tina's enthusiasm. He hadn't "eaten meat" for several months, and now being pestered by Tina was becoming unbearable. His mother sending him away suited him perfectly, so he cowardly ran off.
Back in his study, William turned on his computer and searched online for Jacques Saunière of the Louvre. After finding the Louvre's phone number, William dialed it. After several transfers, he finally reached Jacques Saunière.
"Hello, this is Jacques Saunière, who's calling?" an old man's voice came through the phone.
William said directly over the phone, "We are the guardians of the God of Light, the defenders of truth. Holiness and faith are with us. The Knights Templar live on."
Jacques Saunière on the phone was silent for a moment before saying, "Who are you, and how do you know that phrase?"
William said, "Mr. Jacques Saunière, my name is William Devlinshire. My grandfather, Henry Winster Devlinshire, left me a message to find you."
"What, Devlinshire? You're from the Devlinshire family?" Jacques Saunière's tone on the phone was urgent and excited.
"Yes, Mr. Saunière, my grandfather, Henry Winster Devlinshire, left me a message ten years ago. I only found it yesterday. My name is William Devlinshire. You might be able to find information about me in newspapers or online," William said.
"Okay, give me half an hour. I'll call you back." Jacques Saunière didn't immediately believe William, only hearing that William said his information could be found in newspapers and online. He wanted to confirm it first.
William hung up the phone and sat at his desk, silently wondering what secret was worth the Devlinshire family guarding for thousands of years, generation after generation willing to be executioners to keep this secret.
After waiting for half an hour, William's phone rang. After answering, William heard Jacques Saunière on the other end say, "I don't know if you are William Devlinshire right now, but I can meet you in France, and it has to be today. I don't have much time left.
If you are a member of the Devlinshire family, we welcome your return. We have been without strength for too long. William, come see me. We have been waiting for your Devlinshire family to return for too long.
It's been ten years, and we've finally waited for your family's return. William, I have something to show you and many things to tell you. This is also what Henry wished. This afternoon at 2 PM at Monica's Cafe outside the Louvre, I'll be waiting for you there." He then hung up the phone.
William stared at his phone, completely bewildered. What did those words mean? Could it be that besides his own family, these guys had no other armed forces? If that were true, this organization would be too reckless.
He pondered whether to go or not. This whole thing felt a bit strange. What did Jacques Saunière mean by "his time wasn't much"? Was he dying?
Damn it, he had just returned and wanted some peace, but trouble found him again. Blast it, William thought for a moment and decided to go. His curiosity had been piqued. It wouldn't take long to get from Oxford to Paris; a few hours of driving would be enough.
William checked the equipment in his storage space, then went downstairs to the armory in the shooting range to grab ten grenades, stun grenades, smoke grenades, and some other gear. After preparing, William found his mother, who was having tea with Tina, and told her he had to go to France for something and wouldn't be back for lunch.
This earned William a fifteen-minute scolding from his mother, Lina, and the little girl, Tina. They complained that he was leaving again right after coming back and wasn't spending time with them, only caring about outside matters.
Only after William promised to take them shopping three times did they let him off the hook. William, walking out of the castle, wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Sigh, women can be really scary when they nag. That little girl Tina, with Mom backing her up, has gotten bolder. Just wait until I get back; I'll teach you a lesson."
William drove a Land Rover out of the castle and went directly to Oxford train station to take the Eurostar to France. Oxford to Paris is about 500 kilometers, and there wasn't enough time to drive.
Hurrying, he finally arrived at Monica's Cafe outside the Louvre at 1:30 PM. William had seen Jacques Saunière's photo online. Seeing that he hadn't arrived yet, William ordered lunch at a seat and ate while waiting.
What William didn't know was that Jacques Saunière had actually arrived at one o'clock, but had been sitting in an outdoor seat across from Monica's Cafe. When William got out of the taxi, he saw him, but he didn't get up to find William directly. Instead, he sat there observing his surroundings, checking if anyone had followed William or if William was alone.
After William finished lunch and it was almost 2 PM, Jacques Saunière, confirming it was safe, got up and walked towards Monica's Cafe.
William's seat allowed him to see the cafe's entrance. As soon as Jacques Saunière entered, William saw him. William stood up and waved to Jacques Saunière. After they shook hands, Jacques Saunière ordered a coffee from the waitress. After the waitress delivered the coffee and left, Jacques Saunière finally spoke, "I didn't expect to see Henry's descendant. I thought I would never see anyone from the Devlinshire family again in my life."
William didn't speak. He still didn't understand why Henry wanted him to find Jacques Saunière.
Jacques Saunière saw that William remained silent, but there was no displeasure on his face. Instead, he smiled at William and said, "What did Henry teach you?"
William said perfunctorily, "Everything he knew."
Jacques Saunière looked into William's eyes for half a minute, and seeing William's clear and bright gaze, he knew William wasn't lying. He nodded happily.
"Very good, excellent. I'm very glad you listened to Henry's instructions and returned to our big family. Frankly, without your Devlinshire strength, we've had a difficult ten years. There was no one to solve thorny problems. Now that you can return, it's for the best. William, I've read your information in the newspapers; you're excellent. Thank you very much for coming to see me. Let me formally introduce myself: I am Jacques Saunière, Grand Master of the Priory of Sion."
William was startled. He had heard of the Priory of Sion, the full name being the Priory of Sion, the one with Leonardo da Vinci, Newton, and Hugo. How could this be? Wasn't this a legendary organization? And how was this related to the Devlinshire family?
Jacques Saunière noticed William's confusion. "You must know that the ancestors of the Devlinshire family were Knights Templar, right?"
William nodded.
Jacques Saunière continued, "After the large-scale massacre of the Knights Templar, because you were English, and England was not greatly affected by that massacre, your family became the last guardians of our Priory of Sion. The greatest secret of the Priory is kept by you. Ten years ago, before Henry died, he entrusted the secret archives and this ring to me. Now it's time to return them to you, William."
Jacques Saunière took out a gold signet ring engraved with a fleur-de-lis crest. William took it and immediately put it on his left pinky finger. It fit perfectly.
Jacques Saunière checked the time and continued, "I still have some things to arrange. After work at 8 PM, I'll take you to England, to the archive that your family has guarded for generations, and also notify some people to attend your initiation ceremony. Once the ceremony is complete, you will be an elder of our Priory of Sion and a Guardian Knight of the Knights Templar. Congratulations, Sir William."
Knights still exist in this era? Knights, my foot. Aren't they just free thugs? By God, if there's no benefit, you guys can just play by yourselves. I don't have the time or energy to accompany you.
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