Chapter 50 Chapter Forty-Nine

Langdon and Victoria were standing alone outside the double doors, which was the inner room of the Secret Archives.The colonnades are incongruously decorated, with carpet covering the entire marble floor and ceiling-mounted cherub statues pointing at wireless security cameras below.Langdon calls it a sanitization renaissance.Next to the arched entrance hangs a small bronze plaque that reads: Director of the Vatican Archives: Father Jaqui Tommaso, Father Jaqui Tommaso.Langdon recognized the curator's name from the rejection letter, which sat on his desk at home.Dear Mr. Langdon, I regret to write this letter to refuse...

Pity.nonsense.Langdon had not seen a non-Catholic American scholar granted access to the Vatican Secret Archives since Yaqui Tommaso came to power.What a gatekeeper, as historians call the curator.Yaqui Tommaso is the world's most stubborn librarian. Langdon pushed open the door and walked into the inner room through the arched entrance. He half expected to see Father Yaqui Tommaso in full armor, wearing overalls, a helmet, and a bazooka on his shoulders. However, the room was empty. one person. There was silence.Soft lighting. Vatican Archives.A dream of his life. As Langdon gazed at the hallowed room, his first reaction was one of embarrassment.He realized what a shallow romantic he was.The room he had imagined for so many years was far from what he saw.He pictured dusty bookcases piled high with tattered scriptures, priests cataloging books by candlelight and light through stained-glass windows, monks absorbed in reading ancient scrolls...

It really doesn't even touch the edge. At first glance, the room looks like a dark hangar in which twelve separate squash courts have been built.Of course Langdon knew what those glass-walled enclosures were for.He was not surprised to see this. Moisture and heat would corrode ancient parchment. Proper book preservation requires closed storage rooms like these—closed cells that keep out the moisture and natural acids in the air.Langdon had been in a closed storage room many times... it was like being in an airtight tank with a librarian-controlled oxygen supply. The storage room is very dark, even a bit gloomy, only the small round lights at the end of each bookshelf faintly illuminate the outline of the room.Each individual storage room was dark, and Langdon felt as if there were ghostly giants standing around, towering bookshelves loaded with heavy history.The collection here is incredible, and Victoria seemed dazzled by it.She stood beside him, staring at these huge and transparent storage rooms without saying a word.

Time was running out, and Langdon took the time to scan the dimly lit room, looking for a book catalogue—a bound encyclopedia listing all the library's collections.However, all he saw was the red light from several computer terminals distributed in the room. "Looks like they have an index. Their index is computerized." Victoria looked hopeful. "Then it should be done faster that way," Langdon wished he was as excited as she was, but he didn't think it was good news. He walked over to a computer terminal and started typing.His fears were quickly confirmed. "The old fashioned way is better."

"why?" Langdon took a step back and forth from the monitor. "Because real books aren't password protected. Physicists aren't born hackers, I suppose?" Victoria shook her head. "I just crack open oysters, that's all." Langdon took a deep breath, and turned to face the transparent storage room with rare treasures.He walked towards the nearest room, squinting into the dim interior.Langdon recognized the clutter within the glass walls as ordinary bookshelves, parchment boxes, and examination tables.He checked the glowing red indicator labels at the end of each bookshelf.In all libraries, these labels indicate the contents of that row of books.He looked down the transparent wall to look at the classification titles.

Pieter Le Eremita...Le Croccetti...Urbano...Levanto... "The books are labeled," he said as they walked, "but not alphabetically by author." He wasn't surprised.Ancient archives are almost never cataloged alphabetically because so many authors are anonymous.Searching by title doesn't work either, since many ancient archives are untitled documents or parchment fragments.Too many directories are compiled in chronological order.Frustratingly, however, the sources are not in chronological order either. Langdon felt that precious time was slipping away. "It seems that the Holy See always has its own way."

"It was unexpected." He scrutinized the labels again.The data spanned centuries, but he found that all the key words were interrelated. "I guess it's sorted by subject." "By topic?" Victoria said, sounding like a disapproving scientist. "It seems too bad." In fact... Langdon thought, thinking more carefully, that this might be the most brilliant taxonomy I've ever seen.He always urged his students to understand the overall style and theme of a period's art, and not get lost in trivial dates and specific works.It seems that the Vatican Archives cataloged materials along a similar philosophy.Roughly sketched...

"Everything in this vault," Langdon said, feeling more confident now, "Centuries of material, all related to the Crusades, that's the theme of this vault." He realized that those materials It's all here.Historical records, literature, artwork, socio-political data, contemporary analysis, etc. all in one place...it's brilliant to gain a deep understanding of a topic. Victoria frowned. "But those materials can be relevant to multiple topics at the same time." "That's why they are cross-referenced with the bookmarks." Langdon said, pointing to the colorful plastic plates inserted in the materials in the glass wall: "These signs indicate the location of the next-level materials, and those materials are listed according to their The primary subject is elsewhere."

"Oh," she said, apparently dismissing it.Putting her hands on her hips, she looked around the vast space, then looked at Langdon and said, "So, Professor, what's the name of this Galilean thing we're looking for?" Langdon couldn't help laughing.He still hadn't figured out how he was standing in this room.Right here, he thought, somewhere in the dark, that thing was waiting there. "Come with me," Langdon said, walking briskly down the first aisle, checking the signs for each storage room. "Remember how I told you about the Path of Light? And how the Illuminati passed through An elaborate test to recruit new recruits?"

"Treasure hunt." Victoria followed up and said, "The problem facing the Illuminati is that after they placed those signs, they have to find a way to let the scientific community know that this road really exists." "Naturally," said Victoria, "otherwise no one would know how to find the way." "Yes, and even if scientists knew that the road didn't exist, they wouldn't know where it started. After all, Rome is too big." "That's right." Langdon walked down the second aisle, scanning the signs as he spoke. "About fifteen years ago, some historians at the University of Paris and I discovered a batch of letters of the Illuminati, which mentioned the mark in many places."

"Sign. A statement of the road and its origin?" "Yes. And since then, many Illuminati researchers, including me, have found references to that mark elsewhere. The clues do exist, and Galileo spread them around the scientific community without the Vatican even having a clue .” "Then how did he spread the news?" "We don't know for sure, but it's likely in print. He's published a number of books and newsletters over the years." "The Holy See has undoubtedly seen these works. It sounds dangerous." "Indeed. But the mark is all out." "But no one has actually found it?" "No. But strangely, anywhere that alludes to the mark—like Masonic journals, ancient scientific journals, Illuminati letters—refers to it by a number." "Is it 666?" Langdon smiled. "503, actually." "What does that mean?" "None of us can figure out what it means. I am obsessed with the number 503. I have tried everything to find out the meaning of this number—including numerology, reference maps, and latitude, but nothing works." Lan Deng said, walking to the end of the aisle, he turned a corner and was busy scanning the next row of signs. "For many years the only clue seemed to be that 503 began with the number five...a sacred number for the Illuminati." He paused. "I feel like you've figured out what it means lately, and that's why we're here." "That's right," Langdon said, allowing himself a precious moment to revel in pride. "Are you familiar with a book called , written by Galileo?" "Of course I'm familiar with it. It's a scientific book that is famous among scientists and eventually sold out." Out of stock wasn't the word Langdon wanted to use, but he knew what Victoria meant.In the 1730s, Galileo wanted to publish a book that supported Copernicus' heliocentric theory, but the Holy See forbade its publication unless Galileo included equally convincing evidence that the Church's Geocentric theory - this theory Galileo knew was absolutely wrong.Galileo, however, had no choice but to comply with the Church's request and publish a book that gave equal weight to what was right and what was wrong. "As you probably know," Langdon said, "although Galileo compromised, the Dialogue was still considered heretical, and the Holy See put him under house arrest." "No good thing goes unpunished." Langdon smiled. "Exactly. Yet Galileo persevered, and while under house arrest he secretly wrote a lesser-known book that scholars often confuse with the Dialogue. The book is called the Discussion." Victoria nodded. "I've heard, "Discussion on Tides." Langdon paused, dismayed that she had heard of this obscure book on planetary motion and its effect on tides. "Hey," she said, "you're talking to an Italian marine physicist whose father admired Galileo." Langdon laughed.However, Discussion was not what they were looking for.Langdon explained that the Discussion was not the only work Galileo wrote while under house arrest at home.Historians believe he also wrote an unremarkable booklet called Diagrams. "Illustrated Truth," Langdon said. "I've never heard of it." "I'm not surprised that you haven't heard of it. The Diagram is Galileo's most secretive work—presumably he was correct about some scientific phenomena, but he was forbidden to publish it. Like some of Galileo's previous writings." Like the manuscript, the "Illustration" was also sneaked out of Rome by one of his friends and published quietly in the Netherlands. This pamphlet was widely circulated among the European scientific underground. Later, the Holy See got wind of it and launched a fire. book movement." Victoria looks smitten now. "You think there are clues in the Diagram? The mark, the information about the Path of Light?" "Galileo's word 'mark' comes from the Diagram. I'm sure of that." Langdon walked to the third row of storage cabinets and continued to check the signs. "Archivists have been looking for a copy of "Illustrated" for many years, but due to the book burning campaign of the Holy See and the poor durability of this booklet, this book has long since disappeared from the world." "Durability?" "It's permanence. Archivists rank the materials from one to ten for completeness. The Illustrated is printed on papyrus, a paper that, like cotton, doesn't last more than a hundred years." "Why not use stronger paper?" "It was ordered by Galileo, in order to protect his followers. This way, any scientist caught carrying the book would just have to throw the book in the water and it would melt. This is extremely effective for destroying evidence, but not for archivists. Too bad everyone thinks there is only one copy of the Illustrated left in the world after the eighteenth century." "A copy?" Victoria looked fascinated for a moment, looking around the room and asking, "Right here? "The Vatican confiscated the book from the Netherlands after Galileo's death. I've been begging to see it for years, ever since I realized what was in it." As if seeing what Langdon was thinking, Victoria moved across the aisle and began browsing the adjacent row of bookshelves, doubling the distance between them. "Thanks," he said, "look for the signs about Galileo, science, scientists. You'll know when you see it." "No problem, but you haven't told me how you figured out that the "Illustration" contains this clue. Is this related to the numbers you frequently see in the letters of the Illuminati? Is it related to 503?" Langdon smiled. "Yes. It took me a while, but I finally figured it out. 503 is a simple code, and it refers to "Illustrated." For a moment, Shi Lan registered the moment when the unexpected discovery happened: it was August 16, two years ago.That day, he attended the wedding of a colleague's son. He stood by the lake, the bass of the bagpipes floated on the water, and the wedding procession entered in an ingenious way...they crossed the lake on a yacht.The boat is decorated with flowers and garlands, and a proud Roman numeral is written on the hull - DC Ⅱ. Confused by the notation, Langdon asked the bride's father, "What does 602 mean?" "602?" Langdon pointed to the yacht. "DCⅡ is the Roman form of the number 602." The man laughed. "It's not a Roman numeral. It's the yacht's name." "The name is DC II?" The man nodded. "Yes." Langdon felt a little embarrassed.Dick and Connie were the new couple, and the yacht was obviously named after them. "Then what happened to DC I?" The man replied with a sigh, "It sank during the rehearsal lunch yesterday." Langdon smiled. "What a pity." He looked back at the yacht. Dc II, he thought, is like a miniature one.For a moment he thought of that number. At this point, Langdon turned to face Victoria. "503," he said, "as I mentioned, it's a code. It's a trick played by the Illuminati to disguise what it actually represents in Roman numerals. The number 503 in Roman numerals is—" "It's DIII." Langdon raised his eyebrows. "The reaction is too fast, don't tell me you are a member of the Illuminati." She laughed. "I number the pelagic formations in Roman numerals." Of course, Langdon thought, don't we all. Victoria looked carefully. "Then what does DIII mean?" "DI, DII, and DIII are very strange abbreviations used by ancient scientists to distinguish between Galileo's three oft-confused books." Victoria interrupted him immediately. "Dialogue... Discussion... Diagram." "D1, D2, D3, all scientific, all controversial. 503 is DⅢ, "Illustrated" his third book." Victoria looked anxious. "But there is a problem that I still don't understand. If this mark, this clue, and the explanation of the road to light are really in Galileo's "Illustrated", why didn't the Holy See see it when it took back all the books?" "They probably saw it, but didn't pay attention. Remember the Illuminati logo? Remember how they hid their logos in plain sight? The logo must have been hidden in the same way—in plain sight. Those who do not seek it cannot see it, and those who do not understand it cannot see it." "What does that mean?" "This means that Galileo hid it well. According to ancient records, the sign was expressed in a form known to the Illuminati as pure language." "Pure language?" "That's right." "Is it mathematics?" "That's what I guessed. It seems obvious that Galileo was a scientist after all, and that his books were for scientists. Mathematics is a language of logic that sets the thread. The booklet is called Diagrams, So mathematical diagrams may also form part of that thread." Victoria's voice sounded more hopeful. "I think Galileo created some sort of mathematical code that would escape the eyes of the clergy." "So you won't be fooled," Langdon said as he walked down the row. "I won't, mainly because you won't. But if you're so sure of your judgment on DIII, why don't you write an article and publish it? That way, those who were actually admitted to the Vatican Archives a long time ago must have come here Check out the book "Illustrated." "I don't want to publish it," Langdon said. "It took me a long time to find this information, and—" He paused, a little embarrassed. "You want to be famous." Langdon felt himself blushing a little. "In a sense, yes, it's just—" "Don't be so embarrassed. You're talking to a scientist. Publish or you're out. At CERN we call it 'Prove or Live.'" "I don't just want to be the first, I'm also worried that if the bad guys find this information in "Illustrated", then this clue may not exist." "Is this villain referring to the Holy See?" "It's not that they are inherently bad, but the church has always underestimated the threat of the Illuminati to them. In the early twentieth century, the Holy See actually said that the Illuminati were pure nonsense. The clergy believed, and perhaps it was true, that Christianity The last thing they want to know is that a very powerful anti-Christian organization has infiltrated their banks, politics, and universities.” The present simple tense, Robert, reminded himself that a very powerful anti-Christian organization was infiltrating their Banks, politics and universities. "So you think the Holy See will destroy all evidence of the Illuminati threat?" "Very likely. Any threat, real or not, would weaken people's faith in the authority of the Church." "One more question," Victoria suddenly stopped and looked at him as if he were an alien, "Are you kidding me?".Langdon stopped. "What do you mean?" "I mean, is that your plan to turn things around?" Langdon wasn't sure if what he saw in her eyes was pity teasing or pure terror. "Do you mean the book "Illustrated"?" "No, I mean go to Illustrated, look up a four-hundred-year-old mark, crack some mathematical code, and walk down an ancient artistic path that only the wisest scientists in history have ever Found it...it's all going to be done in the next four hours." Langdon shrugged. "Of course there are other ways."

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