Chapter 53 Chapter 51

Even at a speed of 60 kilometers per hour, the crumbling bumper on the armored vehicle dragged on the sandy road, making a loud friction noise, and sparks continued to fly to the hood. We must get off this road, Langdon mused. He couldn't even see where he was going.The only working headlight of the armored vehicle was knocked crooked, and a beam flew into the woods beside the country road.Obviously, the car's so-called "armor" refers to the cargo compartment and not the front of the car. Sophie sat in the passenger seat, looking at the wooden box on her lap expressionlessly.

"Are you okay?" Langdon asked. Sophie looked shaken: "Do you trust him?" "The other three murders you mean? Of course. That explains a lot of things—why your grandfather was so desperate to pass down the keystone, why Fache was so desperate to hunt me down." "No, I mean Vernet trying to keep his bank safe." Langdon glanced at Sophie. "Instead of...?" "Take the keystone as your own." Langdon didn't think about it at all: "How could he possibly know what's in this box?" "The keystone is kept in his bank. He knew his grandfather. Maybe he knew something. Maybe he was determined to get the Holy Grail."

Langdon shook his head.Vernet was not like that. "The way I see it, there are only two reasons people seek the Holy Grail: not because they naively think they're after the long-lost cup that Jesus used..." "that is?" "It's that they know the truth and are threatened because of it. There are many groups throughout history that have sought out and tried to destroy the Holy Grail." The silence inside the car made the rattling noise of the broken bumper louder.Now they have driven several kilometers.Langdon watched the cascade of sparks cascading down the front of the car and worried that it would be dangerous to drive.Besides, it's sure to draw the attention of passing vehicles.So Langdon made up his mind.

"I'll go down and see if I can put the bumper back in place." He pulled over and pulled into a station. The noise finally died away. Langdon was extremely alert as he walked to the front of the car.Now, instead of staring at the barrel of the gun, he could finally breathe freely.He took a deep breath of night air to clear his head.Not only was he under the pressure of being arrested, but he also began to feel a heavy responsibility.His and Sophie's fates will be tied to one of history's greatest secrets. Langdon felt a heavy burden on his shoulders, knowing that they could no longer return the keystone to the Priory.The news that the other three people were killed showed that outsiders had already beaten people inside the Priory, and they compromised.Obviously, the members of the Priory were being watched, or spies had been mixed into the organization.It seemed that this was why Saunière had given the keystone to Sophie and Langdon—they were not members of the Priory, and they were uncompromising people.It would not be proper to return the keystone to the Priory.Even if Langdon had a way of finding the members of the Priory, it was very likely that the people who came to get the keystone were precisely the enemy.At least for now, whether Sophie and Langdon wanted it or not, the keystone was still in their hands.

The front of the armored car looked even worse than Langdon had imagined.The headlight on the left is gone, the one on the right is like an eyeball dangling in its socket.Langdon tucked it back in and it rolled out again, the only joy was that the front bumper was about to fall off.Langdon kicked it up, trying to kick it away. As he kicked the twisted metal, he recalled his conversation with Sophie.Sophie once told him that "grandfather left me a message on the phone saying he was going to tell me the truth about my family".This sentence seemed meaningless at the time, but now, after learning that the Priory of Sion had something to do with it, Langdon thought of a startling possibility.

The front bumper came off completely.Langdon gasped.At least this car will no longer look like fireworks on National Day.He picked up the bumper, dragged it to the shelter of the woods, and figured out where to go next.They didn't know how to open the cryptex, or why Saunière had given it to them.Unfortunately, their very existence tonight depends on finding the answers to these questions.Langdon thought: We need professional help. In the research field of the Holy Grail and the Priory of Mount Sion, there is only one person who can help.Of course, the most troublesome problem is to convince Sophie first.

Sophie waited for Langdon in the cargo hold, disgusted by the weight of the rosewood box on her lap.Why did my grandfather give me this? She couldn't figure it out. Think, Sophie! Use your brains.what is grandpa trying to tell you Sophie opened the box, took out the cryptex, and examined it carefully.She could even feel her grandfather's hands making the cryptex.The keystone is a map that only the eminent can read.Grandpa was such an "outstanding man". Sophie stroked the drum.five letters.The stone disc turned smoothly in her hands.She aimed the five letters at the copper arrowheads at the ends of the stone cylinder.In a seemingly absurd move, those five letters make up a word.

G-R-A-I-L. She gently grasped the ends of the cylinder and pulled it outward.The cryptex remained motionless.She heard the sound of vinegar flowing inside the barrel, and stopped.She tried again. V—I—N—C—I. Still nothing. V—O—U—T—E. The cryptex remained locked. Frowning, she put the cryptex back in its case.Watching Langdon outside the car, Sophie was grateful for his company.PS: Go find Robert Langdon.It was clear why Grandfather wanted to bring him in as well.Sophie still doesn't know how to understand her grandfather's intentions, so her grandfather appoints Robert Langdon as her guide.A teacher who guides her holistically.Unfortunately for Langdon, he was much more than a teacher tonight. He had become the prey of Bezu Fache...and some unknown forces were also trying to claim the Grail.What exactly is the Holy Grail?

Sophie wonders if the eventual discovery is worth their lives. Armored vehicles hit the road again.Langdon felt better because the driving was so much easier. "Do you know the way to Versailles?" Sophie looked at him: "Sightseeing?" "No, I have a plan. A historian of religion I know lives near Versailles. I don't remember the exact address, but we can look for it. I've been to his estate a few times. His name is Ray Teabing , is the former British Royal Historian." "He lives in Paris?" "Teabing's passion in life was the Holy Grail. Fifteen years ago when word spread that the Priory's keystone had appeared, he moved to France in the hope of finding the Holy Grail in the church. He has also written about The keystone and the book of the Holy Grail. Maybe he can help us open this cryptex and tell us what to do with it."

Sophie's eyes were full of vigilance: "Do you trust him?" "Trust him in what? Won't steal information?" "And won't hand us over." , "I'm not going to tell him we're wanted by the police. I hope he'll take us in until the truth comes out." "Robert, don't forget that every TV in France is probably showing our picture. Bezou Fache uses the media a lot, and he's going to make it difficult for us to move forward." Great, Langdon thought.My screen debut is about to be dedicated to "Most Wanted in Paris".At least Jonas Folkman was gloating: every time Langdon made news, his book would sell like crazy.

"Is he really a reliable friend?" asked Sophie. Langdon wasn't sure if Teabing would watch TV, especially at this time of day, but Langdon had a hunch that Teabing could be trusted.An ideal haven.Given the current situation, Teabing should do his best to help them.Not only because he owed Langdon a favor, but also because Teabing was a persistent Grail researcher.Sophie claimed her grandfather was head of the Priory of Sion, and once Teabing knew that, he'd be eager to help them unravel the mystery. "Teabing will be a powerful ally," Langdon said, "but it will depend on how much truth you plan to tell him." "Fache will likely offer a reward." Langdon smiled. "Believe me, money is the most secondary need for this man." Ray Teabing was wealthy. As a descendant of the 1st Duke of Lancaster in England, Teabing used the traditional method-inheritance-to obtain money.His estate outside Paris is a seventeenth-century palace with two private lakes. Langdon had first met Teabing a few years earlier through the BBC.Teabing approached the BBC, hoping to reveal to people an explosive historical fact about the Holy Grail through the mainstream media. The BBC's producers were very interested in Teabing's hypotheses, research and evidence, but he found these views too unacceptable and worried that the program would affect the network's reputation in journalism.At Teabing's suggestion, the BBC implored leading historians around the world to help resolve the crisis of confidence, asking them to prove the shocking Holy Grail secret through their own research. Langdon is one of the selected scholars. The BBC once flew Langdon to Teabing's estate to assist in filming.He spoke to the camera in Teabing's palatial studio, from his skepticism about the Holy Grail story to his own years of research on the subject.Finally, Langdon offers some of his own research—a series of symbolic connections that strongly support Teabing's claim. Although the show was filmed in the UK with a strong cast and ample evidence, it still attracted strong disapproval because it clashed violently with the views of most Christians.The show did not air across the Atlantic in the United States, but it generated a strong response there as well.Not long after the show aired in the UK, Langdon received a postcard from an old friend, the Christian Bishop of Philadelphia.It simply read: "Did you do it, Robert?" "Robert," Sophie asked, "are you sure that man can be trusted?" "Absolutely. We're friends, and he has no shortage of money. As it happens, he hates the French government. The French government charges him ridiculously high land taxes on the grounds that the land he bought is a famous scenic spot. He absolutely No cooperation with Fache." Looking out the window at the dark road, Sophie asked, "If we go to him, how much are you going to tell him?" Langdon said nonchalantly, "Believe me, Ray Teabing knows more about the Priory and the Holy Grail than anyone else in the world." Sophie looked at him and asked, "Know more than your grandfather?" "I mean more than anyone outside the Priory." "Then how do you know Teabing isn't from the Priory?" "Teabing has spent his life trying to tell people the truth about the Holy Grail. The Priory is trying to hide the essence of the Holy Grail." "Sounds like a conflict of interest." Langdon understood her concern.Saunière handed the cryptex to Sophie, and although Sophie didn't know what was inside or what to do with it, she would not be willing to involve a stranger in this matter.There may be a big secret hidden in the cryptex, and it may be right to go with your instincts. "We don't need to tell Teabing about the keystone right away. Or not tell him at all. We can hide in his house and think about it at the same time. Maybe when we talk to him about the Holy Grail. You can figure out Grandfather The reason for giving the keystone to you." "Grandfather gave it to you and me," Sophie reminded. Langdon felt some pride, but was again puzzled by Saunière's involvement. "You know something about where Mr. Teabing lives?" Sophie asked. "The place where he lives is called Villette Manor." Sophie looked at him suspiciously: "You mean that the Villette estate used to be the royal family?" "Exactly." "Then he's a friendly man." "You know that place?" "I used to pass there. In the Castle District. Twenty minutes from here." Langdon frowned and asked, "So far?" "Yeah. But that'll just give you enough time to tell me what the Holy Grail is." Langdon paused, and said, "I'll tell you at Teabing's residence. He and I each have a specialization in the study of the Holy Grail, so if you listen to both of us at the same time, you will understand more comprehensively." Langdon Smiling, he continued: "Besides, the Holy Grail is Teabing's lifeblood. He will tell the story of the Holy Grail wonderfully, just like Einstein told the theory of relativity." "I hope Ray won't mind our visiting him late at night." "He's the real 'Sir Ray'." Langdon knew very well. "Teabing was a man of character. He was knighted by the Queen of England after writing a detailed history of the York family." Sophie looked directly at him. "Are you kidding me? We're going to visit a lord?" Langdon smiled awkwardly. "We're looking for the Holy Grail, Sophie. And who could help us more than a knight?"