The stagecoach reached Avignon that evening, nearly seven o'clock. The distance from Marseille to Paris is almost two hundred or close to three hundred lieue (the traditional French unit of length, one lieue equals about four kilometers), which is obviously not something a stagecoach can reach in a short time. In fact, there was also no direct stagecoach from Marseilles to Paris at all, and passengers traveling to Paris by stagecoach generally kept changing coaches from one section to the next.
In the twilight, the stagecoach drove through the towering walls of Avignon and into the ancient city. Getting out of the car, Joseph looked up and could see the Papal Palace towering over the hill, hidden in the twilight. Avignon was, for a long time, the residence of the Catholic Pope, and nowadays, although the Pope has long since returned to the Vatican, the city is still the direct territory of the Holy See. This special status would not change until after the outbreak of the Revolution.
"That would be the Papal Palace." Seeing that Joseph was looking up toward that side, Father Alfonso explained on the side, "Although the Pope's reign is no longer here today, this is still a holy place."
"Can I come in and take a look?" Joseph asked.
"Ah, boy, I'm afraid that's not possible. That place isn't for just anyone." Father Alfonso replied, "I have traveled many times between Marseilles and Paris as a messenger of the Church, and on each occasion I have passed through here, but on each occasion also I have only been able to look out over this sacred palace yet. Well, Bishop Myriel went in there, so if you're interested in what's going on inside, you can ask the bishop yourself in the future."
Joseph heard this and shook his head, "I don't need to ask the bishop, I think I should be able to get in there myself in the future."
Hearing this, Alfonso thought he meant that he too could become a bishop, so he smiled and said, "That's what the Lord Bishop expects of you."
But that's not what Joseph really meant. Joseph knew that in a few years, the Revolution would break out. In the Revolution, especially under Robespierre, Catholicism was beaten to the ground and stamped on with 10,000 more feet. Almost all the churches were confiscated and converted into so-called "rationalist" churches. The icons in the churches have been replaced with busts or full-body portraits of revolutionary leaders and historic heroes. A bastion of reactionary power like the Papal Palace is naturally no exception. It's really easy to get in and look around at that point.
Avignon today is still the direct territory of the Holy See because one time Jesus drove out the businessmen who did business in the temple of Yahweh, so in the city of Avignon, compared to other cities of similar size, the commercial atmosphere here is much lighter, there is no loud clamor in the city to sell the merchants, walking around among the people part of the people are dressed in black robes the rest of the majority of them are pious pilgrims. Of course, Joseph understands that this is only superficial in terms of greed for money alone. In terms of doing business, not many organizations in this world can compare to the Holy See. After all, people are the ones who invented absolution and can sell a fowl feather as an angel feather. But on the surface, they still have to put on a holier-than-thou act.
After getting out of the cart, a few of the passengers exchanged friendly goodbyes, and Joseph then followed Father Alfonso forward along the street for about a hundred toise (the old French unit of length, which is equal to about 1.624 meters) to the darkened gates of a convent. But instead of going straight over to the gate, Father Alfonso turned to the right, to a small, equally dark door on the right, and then raised his hand and knocked gently on the door.
The small door did not open, except that there was another hole in the small door with a barred bar. This hole was pulled open, and an eye appeared in that small hole.
"I am a messenger sent to Paris by Bishop Myriel, Bishop of the Diocese of Corsica. Will have to spend the night here. This is the bishop's godson, and he will go with me to Paris." Father Alfonso said as he handed over a document.
The eye looked at Alfonso, then at Joseph, and then a hand appeared at the window to take the papers, and then the little porthole in the little door was closed.
After a while, with a creak, the small door, whose shafts seemed to be rusted, was opened. It revealed a large man dressed in a black clerical outfit with a hood covering most of his face. The big man stood bowlegged in the darkened walkway, and without a word, he held the paperwork back against Alfonso and sidestepped to one side. The movement made Joseph notice that he seemed to be limping a little on one leg.
Alfonso then led Joseph inside, and the big man then closed the door again, dropped the lock, reached out, plucked a horse lamp from the wall, carried it in his hand, and walked ahead to show them the way.
There were no windows against the street in the convent, and the windows against the inner courtyard were very small. Even in the daytime, it was very dark in this aisle, which grew more and more eerie and dead at that moment. There was only the light of the horse lamp and the shadow of the crippled hulk who carried it ahead of him, jostling about. This kind of scene, inexplicably, reminded Joseph of the dark underground passages of the Zakarum Cathedral in the Diablo games. And the large, lumbering man in front of him reminded him inexplicably of the Dark Wanderer. That's why Joseph couldn't help but look warily to both sides, fearing that one or a group of reddish sinking devils with small torches would suddenly jump out from nowhere.
However, the world that Joseph had traversed was a normal one after all, so the only things that popped up in the dark and long alleyways were rats, not any monsters, and the large man who walked in front of him was just a silent caretaker, and there were no fires that somehow lit up in the places he walked through.
A little farther on, the caretaker paused, fished a set of keys from his belt, unlocked a small door at the side of the aisle, and then turned back to him and said in a low, incoherent voice, "You ... are ... here tonight. "
Then he lifted the lamp, lowered his head, and walked in. Alfonso led Joseph inside as well. By this time, the large man had lit the candles on the candlestick in the center of the room. The room was suddenly filled with a dim yellow light.
Having lighted the candle, the caretaker got up and walked out, and on his way out, he lowered his head again through the low doorway. By the light of the candle and the lamp he held in his hand, Joseph saw that he had a long scar on his face.
Seeming to notice Joseph's gaze, Alfonso sat down in front of the table after the caretaker had gone out and said: "He was originally a captain in His Majesty's service. He was wounded in that Seven Years' War, and when he got out of the service, he couldn't find anything to do, and then he came here and became a caretaker."
Then he sighed and said, "Times are getting difficult nowadays, and it's hard for an able-bodied person to live, let alone someone like him. It is good to know that the Church does not forget those who have fought for the Catholic Church. God will bless him too, Amen."
"Amen." Joseph followed suit.
By the next day, just after dawn, Joseph left the monastery again with Alfonso and bought two tickets for the stagecoach to Joué-lès-Tours. The two had just gotten into the carriage when they heard a surprised voice say, "Father Alfonso? Little Joseph?"
The two looked over, only to see that the two young couples they had seen yesterday were also sitting in the carriage.
"Ah, it's you guys? Are you guys going to Joué-lès-Tours too?" Alfonso asked.
"Ah, we're going to Lyon." The one who was the husband happily replied, "I got a job at a school there."
"It's been a good job when it sounds like it." Alfonso said.
"Thanks." The one who was the husband replied.
So everyone made small talk as if they had forgotten the argument that had taken place in the carriage the day before. Waiting until Lyon, however, after parting from them, Alfonso thus exclaimed to Joseph: "I really didn't realize that the influence of that apostate was so great."
"What apostates?" Joseph asked.
"That's the same Voltaire who was just torn by the devil last year and fell headlong inside hell." Alfonso replied in a rare, mean-spirited tone, "This damned apostate, it is said that on his deathbed he blurted out blasphemies about burying half of himself in the Church and leaving half outside. That way if he gets lucky and goes to heaven, he goes to heaven from the half of the Church, and if - not really if but definitely - he is going to be punished to hell, he can escape from the outside half. Oh, where can he flee to escape the hand of the living God? He must be warm inside that great pit of fire today, hahahahaha ..."
"But Mr. Gregory didn't seem to mention Voltaire just now." Joseph asked again, "And there didn't seem to be anything particularly unreasonable about what he said."
"You've got a good point there." Alfonso said, "It's true he didn't mention the apostate directly. But a lot of his views, well, that is, the ones that you don't think are unreasonable or even very valid, actually come from that apostate. Joseph, be warned, that's what's so scary about the devil. Devils never show their true colors to people; instead, they disguise themselves as prophets, saints, and seduce you with their seemingly radiant 'truths' to lead you into evil ways. This is what is most frightening and dangerous about the apostates, the devil, the false prophet, and the antichrist. Child, you must know that Lucifer, the Devil is originally the most glorious archangel beside the Lord of Heaven. It has just as much light in it that can deceive. Therefore, if we do not trust the Church, we can easily be deceived by them. May God punish them, amen!"