Chapter 32 Chapter Thirty-One

The X33 space shuttle roared into the blue sky and arced south toward Rome.In the cabin, Langdon sat quietly without saying a word.He couldn't remember everything that had happened in the past fifteen minutes.He had briefly introduced the Illuminati and their anti-Holy See covenant to Victoria, and his understanding of the current situation began to deepen. What am I doing here?Langdon wondered.I should have spotted the opportunity and slipped away just now!But now he knew very clearly that this opportunity would never come again. Langdon's greater awareness of the situation made him more eager to return to Boston.However, the uproar that this event might cause in the academic world made him inexplicably cast aside his caution.Everything he had ever believed about the Illuminati's demise suddenly seemed like a grand lie.On the one hand, he has to work hard to find evidence to confirm this matter.Undoubtedly, there is also a moral issue here.Thinking of Kohler suffering from illness and Victoria alone, Langdon felt obliged to stay here if his knowledge of the Illuminati was of any use.

But it doesn't stop there.Although Langdon was ashamed to admit it, when he heard where the antimatter was, what struck him first was not only the danger to the people in Vatican City, but also something else. artwork. The world's largest art treasure house is now living on a ticking time bomb.The 1,007 exhibition rooms of the Vatican Museums house more than 60,000 priceless treasures—michelangelo, da Vinci, Bernini and Botticelli among them.Langdon wondered if all the artwork should be removed if necessary.He knew it was impossible.Many of the artworks are sculptures weighing several tons.Needless to say, the greatest treasures are architectural - the Sistine Chapel, St. Peter's Basilica, Michelangelo's famous spiral staircase in the Vatican Museums - priceless testament to the creation of human genius force.Langdon wondered how much longer the storage would last.

"Thank you for coming," Victoria said. Langdon snapped out of his reverie and looked up to see Victoria sitting across the aisle.Even under the stark fluorescent lights of the cabin, she seemed unflappable—an air of glamour.Her breathing seemed to deepen now, as if an instinct of self-defense had stirred her... the love of a daughter drove her to seek justice and punish the criminal. Victoria didn't have time to change out of her shorts and sleeveless top, her brown legs already getting goosebumps in the air-conditioning of the plane.Langdon took off his coat naturally and handed it to her.

"American style of hospitality?" She took the clothes, showing gratitude to him in her eyes. Langdon felt a sense of danger as the plane cut through the turbulence.The windowless cabin seemed even more cramped, and he tried to imagine that he was in an open field, but he realized that the idea was ironic.He had been in an open field before that happened.Extremely dark.He no longer recalled the incident in his memory.That's long gone. Victoria looked at Langdon and said, "Mr. Langdon, do you believe in God?" The question startled him.The sincerity in Victoria's voice was more relaxing than her inquiry.do i believe in godHe had been hoping to find a lighter topic to pass the travel time.

Puzzling, Langdon thought, that's what my friends call me.Although Langdon had studied religion for many years, he was not yet a believer.He respects the power of faith, the charity of the church, and the power that religion gives to everyone... However, in his opinion, if a person really wants to "believe", the inescapable intellectual doubts will always end up affecting his academic thinking. formed a huge obstacle. "I want to write," he heard himself say. Without judging or questioning him, Victoria replied, "Well, why don't you believe it?" He chuckled lightly. "Oh, it's not that simple. To have faith, there has to be a sudden change of faith, a heartfelt acceptance of the miracle—belief in the Immaculate Conception and divine intervention. And then there's the code of conduct." The Bible, the Koran, Buddhist texts...these all contain similar requirements and similar punishments. These scriptures all assert that if I don't follow specific rules I will go to hell. I can't imagine a god who can do this in such a way. way to rule the world.”

"I hope you don't let your students dodge questions so shamelessly." The comment disarmed him. "what?" "Mr. Langdon, I'm not asking if you believe what people think of God. I'm just asking if you believe in God. That's a different story. The Bible is about stories... about people understanding themselves and finding meaning .I'm not asking you to judge literature, I'm asking if you believe in God. When you lie under the stars, do you feel God's presence? Do you feel, deep down inside of you, that you're gazing at God's handiwork?”

Langdon thought for a moment. "I ask too many questions," Victoria said apologetically. "No, I just..." "Of course, you will certainly discuss matters of faith with the students in your class." "It's endless." "Also, I think you're definitely a naysayer. You always add fuel to the debate." Langdon smiled slightly and said, "You must be a teacher, too." "No, but I got it from a teacher. My father can prove both." Langdon laughed, imagining the ingenious Möbius strip—a twisted paper loop that, in principle, had only one side.Langdon first saw this one-sided graphic in MC Escher's artwork. "May I ask you a question, Ms. Wittler?"

"Call me Victoria. Ms. Wittler sounds old to me." He sighed secretly, and suddenly realized that he was not young anymore. "Victoria, my name is Robert." "You have a question." "Yes, as the daughter of a scientist and a Catholic priest, what do you think about religion?" Victoria hesitates, smoothing a lock of hair around her eyes, and says, "Religion is like language or clothing. We gravitate to the customs we grow up with. But at the end of the day we are all preaching the same thing." Things. Life has meaning. We are grateful for the forces that made us."

Langdon became interested. "So, you're saying that whether you're a Christian or a Muslim depends only on where you were born?" "Isn't that obvious? Just look at the spread of religions around the world." "So faith is random?" "Not at all. Faith is universal. The specific method by which we understand faith is arbitrary. Some of us pray to Jesus, some make pilgrimages to Mecca, and some conduct subatomic particle research. Ultimately we We are all seeking the truth, and the truth is greater than ourselves." Langdon longed for his students to express their views so clearly.God, he wished he could express himself so clearly. "And what about God?" he asked. "Do you believe in God?"

Victoria was silent for a long time. "Science tells me God must exist, my brain tells me I'll never understand God, and my heart tells me no one intended me to." How concise, he thought. "So you believe that there is such a person in God, but we will never understand him." "It's 'she,'" she said, smiling. "You native-born Americans are right." Langdon chuckled, "Mother Earth." "Goddess Gaia. This planet is an organism. All of us are molecules with different uses, we are interconnected, we serve each other, we serve the whole."

Looking at her, Langdon felt a surge of emotion he hadn't experienced in a long time.The ecstatic clarity in her eyes... the purity in her voice.He was hooked. "Mr. Langdon, let me ask you a question." "Call me Robert," he said. "Mr. Langdon makes me feel old. I'm old!" "If you don't mind, Robert, can you tell me how you got involved with the Illuminati?" Langdon thought about it, and said, "Actually, it's all about the money." Victoria seemed a little disappointed. "Money? Consulting fee, is this what you mean?" Langdon laughed, realizing that his answer must have sounded wrong. "No, it's the currency in circulation." He reached out his hand to take some money out of his trouser pocket, found a one-dollar bill, and said, "The first time I learned that the Illuminati symbol was stamped on the currency of the United States, I I became very interested in this cult.” Victoria narrowed her eyes, obviously not sure whether to take him seriously. Langdon handed her the bill. "Look at the back, do you see the Great Seal on the left?" Victoria turned the one-dollar bill over. "You mean this pyramid?" "This is the pyramid. Do you know what the pyramid has to do with American history?" Victoria shrugged. "Exactly," Langdon said, "is irrelevant." Victoria frowned. "Then why does it become an important pattern of your national seal?" "There's a weird history here," Langdon said. "The pyramid is a mystical symbol, representing upward convergence, pointing directly to the ultimate source of light. See what's up there?" Victoria looked closely at the note. "There is one eye in the triangle." "It's called that. Have you seen that triangular eye anywhere else?" Victoria was silent for a while, then said, "Actually, I've seen it, but I'm not sure..." "Masons all over the world have this mark." "Is this symbol Masonic?" "It's not, it's the Illuminati. They call this symbol the 'Light Delta,' which represents a call for enlightened change. The eye symbolizes the Illuminati's all-pervasive, omniscient power. The Illuminati The bright triangle represents enlightenment, and is also the Greek letter delta, which mathematically means..." "Change, transition." Langdon smiled. "I forgot I was talking to a scientist." "So you say the Great Seal of the United States is a call to enlightenment, to insight into all change?" "Some people call this the 'New World Order.'" Victoria seemed taken aback as she glanced down at the bill again. "Written under the pyramid is the new... rank..." "The New Secular Order," Langdon said. "Secular, is it non-religious?" "Is not religious. Not only does this wording clearly state the goals of the Illuminati, but it also flagrantly contradicts the words next to it, which read 'In God We Trust.'" Victoria seemed a little disturbed. "But how did this symbol end up on the most powerful currency in the world?" "Many scholars believe that this has something to do with Vice President Henry Wallace. He is a high-level Freemason and of course has ties to the Illuminati. Whether he is a member of the Illuminati or just influenced by them is unknown, but it is He sold the plans for the Great Seal to the President." "How did you sell it? Why did the president agree to..." "The president at the time was Franklin D. Roosevelt. Wallace only told him that New Secular Order meant New Policy." Victoria seemed suspicious. "Then Roosevelt didn't let anyone else see the symbol before he asked the Treasury Department to print it?" "No need. He and Wallace are like two brothers." "brother?" "Check your history books," Langdon said with a smile. "Franklin D. Roosevelt was a well-known Freemason."

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