Chapter 13 chapter eight

the next day After the chapel, before the corral, There's that big vat of pig's blood, there is a strange thing, sticking out almost in the shape of a cross... chapter eight morning prayer Hours of unspeakable pleasure spoiled by a bloody incident The rooster is the most unreliable animal, sometimes it is a symbol of the devil, sometimes it represents Christ.We have a few lazy chickens in our monastery, which never crow at sunrise. On the other hand, especially in winter, the morning prayers are usually held when the night is still dark and all things are still asleep, because the monks must rise in the dark, pray in the dark, light the shadows with devotional fire, Wait for dawn.Therefore, some monks stayed up all night, reciting hymns silently, counting the passage of time, and when the rest's sleeping time was over, they woke everyone up.

So that night we were still in a dream, and we vaguely heard these people going back and forth between the dormitory and the Pilgrim's Guest House, ringing a bell.Another monk poked his head into each room and shouted: "Saint Benedict is in the morning prayer." The monks in the room would answer: "By the grace of God." William and I followed the rules of the Order of St. Benedict: within half an hour we were ready for the day and went downstairs into the chapel. The monks knelt on the ground, recited the first fifteen hymns, and waited for the novices to follow their masters inside.Then everyone took their seats and sang a loud chorus: "Domine labia men aperies et os meum annuntiabit laudem tuam." The singing rose to the vaulted ceiling of the chapel like a child's plea.Two monks mounted the pulpit and chanted the ninety-fourth psalm: "Proclaim the Grace of Charity," and the others joined in.I feel the warmth of increased confidence.

The monks were sitting in the chorus, and sixty human figures in one style of monk's robes and one style of turban were hard to recognize.Sixty shadows dimly lit by the lamps on the altar, sixty voices praising Almighty God.Listening to the harmonious tunes, the joys of heaven, I couldn't help but ask myself, could there really be hidden mysteries, illegal attempts and terrible threats in the monastery?For everything is just the opposite now, and I feel that the monastery is inhabited by holy men, that it is the source of virtue, the center of learning, the boat of prudence, the tower of wisdom, the domain of meekness, the citadel of strength, and the censer of majesty .

After singing six hymns, start reading the Bible again.Some monks couldn't help falling asleep, and a monk who hadn't slept all night walked around the seats with a small lamp, waking up those who nodded frequently.If a monk is very sleepy, it is his turn to go around with a lamp to express repentance.In its place came another six verses of hymns.Then the dean prayed, and the cantor prayed aloud again. Everyone bowed their heads facing the altar and meditated. At that moment, everyone felt a fragrant peace in their hearts.Finally, they put the turbans over their faces again, sat up and solemnly sang "Te Deum".I also praise God for having freed me from the doubts and insecurities that filled me when I first arrived at the monastery.We are fragile creatures, I tell myself, and even among this group of learned and pious monks, the devil still sows jealousy and stirs up subtle hostility.But at this moment, all these things were like light smoke, blown away by the gust of faith, all the people were chanting the name of the Father, and Christ came among them.

After the morning prayers, the monks did not go back to their rooms before the morning prayers began, although it was still dark.The novices followed their mentors into the synagogue to study the psalms. Some monks were still meditating in the chapel, but most of them were walking and meditating in the monastery, and William and I were the same.The servants are not up yet.Not long after that we were back inside the chapel for the morning hymn class. The hymn-singing began again, and one of these Monday-must-read psalms thrust me back into my old fears: "The guilt of the wicked is written up in me, and there is no fear of God before his eyes, who speaks What you say is not justified.” ※Bandhammer School & Jing School E-book※

It seemed to me that the admonition required by the canons for this day was simply ominous.After the hymn, I read the Book of Revelations as usual, but my uneasiness was not relieved, and I was reminded again of the terrible design of the doorway, the carving that had made my heart tremble the previous day.Fortunately, after the choruses and carols were sung, and when the Gospel was preached, I glimpsed above the altar, outside the window behind the chorus, a faint light had illuminated the glass windows, revealing the hidden colors in the darkness one by one.Dawn hadn't come yet, it was just the first ray of dawn when the winter dawn broke, but that was enough. The church had replaced the half-light of total darkness, and it was enough to make me relax.

We sang the Gospel, and as we memorized the Word of Revelation, it seemed as if the bright morning star had invaded the whole temple, and the still faint light shone like in the words of a hymn. "Thank you, God, for the great joy of this moment." I prayed silently and told myself, "What are you afraid of, stupid heart?" Suddenly there was some noise from outside the north door, and I wondered how the servants could be so loudly preparing for their work.At this moment, three pig farmers came in, their faces were full of horror, they walked up to the dean, and whispered something to him.The dean first gestured for them to be quiet, as if he didn't want to interrupt the ceremony.But several more servants entered, and the shouting increased.

"One person, one dead person!" Someone yelled.Another said: "It's a monk. Did you see those sandals?" The prayers ceased, and the abbot hurried out of the chapel, beckoning the superintendent to go with him.William followed them.At this time, the monks also left the table one after another and went outside quickly. The dean came over: "Brother William, you have also seen that there is something wrong brewing in this monastery, and we can only rely on your wisdom to solve it. But I beg you: act quickly!" William pointed to the corpse and asked, "Did he attend the morning prayer?"

"No," said the Dean. "I noticed that his seat was empty." "Is no one else absent?" "I guess so. I didn't notice that much." William hesitated for a while before asking the next question. His voice was lowered, careful not to be heard by others: "Is Berengar present?" The dean looked at him in surprise and uneasiness, as if to show that in order to understand the reason more easily, my mentor actually asked the question he had thought about.Then he said quickly: "He attended morning service and sat in the first row, to my right."

"Naturally," said William, "all this proves nothing. I don't believe that anyone has slipped into the chapel by the back door, for the body has probably been stuffed in the vat for hours, at least from everyone's from bedtime." "Precisely, the servants didn't get up until dawn, so they didn't find him until now." William knelt down next to the corpse, as if he was used to handling corpses.He picked up the cloth on the ground, dipped it in the bucket of water, and wiped Venantius' face further.Meanwhile, the other monks crowded around, chattering in horror.The dean forced silence on them.Severinus, who was in charge of the health of the monks, pushed forward and knelt down beside my mentor.I forced myself to suppress my fear and disgust, and joined them, partly to listen to their conversation, and partly to help William wash the cloth stained with pig's blood.

"Have you ever seen a drowned man?" "Many times," said Severinus, "I think I understand your implication. But the faces of drowned men are swollen, not like his." "Then this person was thrown into the vat after death by someone." "Why did he do that?" ※Ballet Hammer School & E-Book of Fine School※ "Why did he kill him? We're dealing with a man with a twisted mind. But now we have to see if there are any cuts or bruises on the body. I suggest taking the body into the bathhouse, undressing, and washing." , check it carefully. I will go there immediately to find you." After consulting the abbot, Severinus asked the pigman to carry the corpse away.At the same time, my mentor asked the abbot to order the monks to go back to the chapel by the same route, and the servants also retreated, so that soon there were only us, the master and the apprentice, standing by the pig's blood vat.The dark red pig's blood splashed all over the ground, staining the snow red.The water that was splashed just now formed several puddles of snow on the ground, and a large pool of smudges formed where the corpse lay. "What a mess." William nodded towards the footprints left by servants and monks around, "My dear Adso, the snow is the easiest place to leave traces, but these footprints erase all traces." so we may not see anything interesting. A great crowd of monks walked across the ground from here to the chapel, and from here to the barns and stables, trampled by many servants. The only intact The clearing is between the barn and the cathedral, let's see if we can find anything interesting." "What did you expect to find?" I asked. "If he didn't fall into the tank by himself, someone must have carried him there dead. One person carrying another person's body will leave clear marks on the snow. So, you Look around here to see if there's anything in the ground around here that isn't anything other than the rowdy group of monks that broke our trail." We search carefully.I will say—God forgive my vanity—that I immediately spotted suspicious marks on the ground between the urn and the cathedral.Those are human footprints, deeply imprinted in places that have not been trampled by others.My guide at once discerned that they were shallower than the tracks left by the monks and servants, which meant that they had been made earlier, and that a bit of snow later had obscured them.But what is more worthy of our attention is that between those footprints, there is a continuous trace, which seems to be left by some object after being dragged across the snow.In short, this trail extends from the side of the pig's blood vat to the entrance of the restaurant, which is the entrance on the side of the cathedral between the east and south towers. "Dining room, office, library," William said. "The crux of the problem is again in the library. Venantius died in the cathedral, and it is probably in the library." "Why in the library?" "I tried to think of myself as the murderer. If Venantius had been killed in the dining room, the kitchen, or the office, why not leave him there? But if he had died in the library, he would have to be He moved it somewhere else, because in the library the body would never be found (perhaps the murderer was particularly interested in its being found), and because the murderer probably didn't want attention to be drawn to the library." "Why is the murderer particularly interested in the discovery of the body?" "I don't know, I can only assume. How do we know that the murderer killed Venantius because he hated Venantius? Maybe he killed him just to leave some other meaningful symbol .” I murmured, "But, what kind of symbol could it be?" "I don't know about that. But don't forget that some symbols have no meaning, such as blasphemy." "Isn't it cruel to kill someone just for an outrageous speech?" I said. William interjected: "Even killing someone to prove someone's innocence is too cruel." Just then Severinus joined us.The body had been washed and examined in detail, and there were no wounds or bruises on the head.As we walked toward the nursing home, William asked, "Do you have poison in your lab?" "Anything. But that depends on what poison you mean. Some substances are good for the body if taken in a small amount, but deadly if taken in too much. Like every herbalist, I keep these herbs with great care. Use them as much as possible. For example, I have planted grass in my garden. When the heartbeat is irregular, adding a few drops of grass juice to other herbs can calm the heartbeat, but too much medicine will make people feel sick. Comatose to death." "Did you notice that the body showed no signs of poisoning?" "No. But there are many poisons that leave no trace." We walked to the sanatorium.The body of Venantius, washed in the bathhouse, was brought here to lie on a large table in Severinus' laboratory.The alembic and other glassware here, and bowls and such, remind me of an alchemist's shop (although I know such things from indirect statements).There were long rows of shelves against the wall beside the door, and on the shelves were many bottles and jars filled with things of different colors. "You have a huge collection of herbs," William said. "Did you grow them all?" "No," said Severinus, "there are many herbs that are impossible or difficult to grow in this climate; they have been brought to me over the years by monks from all over the world. I have many rare Precious medicinal materials, there are also many herbs that are easily obtained from the local flora. Like this one... Huoquan and Chuan Shao, which are produced in China and given to me by a learned Arab. Indian aloe vera, the most effective in healing. Salty grass Can revive unconscious people. Arsenic is a very dangerous poison, anyone who swallows it will die. Riba is a plant that is good for the lungs. Bud incense can cure head wounds. Frankincense, for lung congestion and Hermenitis. Myrrh..." "A gift from the Magi?" I asked. "Yes. But now it is used to prevent miscarriage. It is collected from a tree called Impatiens. This is 'Mumia' which is very rare. It is produced when mummies decompose. It is a very magical drug.Medicinal Datura, can help people fall asleep..." "And arouse carnal desires," my mentor added. "There is such a saying, but they don't have such a purpose here, as you can imagine." Severinus smiled, "Look at this again," he picked up a small glass bottle, and said, " Impure zinc has a magical effect on the eyes." "What is this?" William asked loudly, touching a stone on the shelf. "Is that? I got it a long time ago. Obviously it also has healing properties, but I haven't found out what it does. Do you know?" "Yes," William said, "but it's not a drug." He drew a pocket knife from under his monk's robe and slowly raised it close to the stone.The knife followed his hand slowly towards the stone, and suddenly I saw the blade jerk, as if William turned his wrist, but his hand did not move at all.The blade hit the stone with a metallic sound. "Look," William said to me, "it sucks iron." "What's the use of it?" I asked. "It has many uses, and I will tell you later. For now, I want to know whether there is anything here that can kill a person, Severinus." Severinus pondered for a while - I would say he thought too long compared to his terse answer: "There are many things. As I said, the line between poison and medicine is very thin , the Greeks say 'medicine' for both." "Hasn't anything been moved recently?" Severinus thought for a moment, as if to emphasize what he had said: "Not recently." "What about the past?" "Who knows? I don't remember. I have been in this monastery for thirty years and twenty-five in the sanitarium." "A long time indeed for human memory," William agreed, and then he added abruptly, "Yesterday we talked about hallucinating plants. Where are they?" Severinus' actions and the expression on his face showed that he was eager to leave the subject: "Let me think about it. You know, I have too many wonderful drugs here. But let's talk about it anyway." What do you think of the death of Venantius?" William replied: "I have to think about it too."