"Sorry, everyone," the night manager apologized, leading them. "I didn't expect the police to arrive so quickly. The bank's security system automatically triggered the alarm when you entered. Your warrants are stored in the system, and we can't override it. Please follow me. You're holding one of the oldest accounts in our bank, and it includes a clause that ensures customer safety while leaving the bank."
As the night manager spoke, he pushed open a door and led William, Langdon, and Sophia towards an armored truck. Langdon eyed the truck suspiciously, hesitant to board. It was only after William urged him that he reluctantly climbed in.
Shortly after leaving the bank, the truck was flagged down by the police for inspection. Fortunately, the quick-witted night manager skillfully handled the officers' questions and managed to drive them out of Paris.
Inside the truck, William examined the wooden box in his hands. "The Holy Grail, the miraculous cup, the source of the divine power on earth," he mused.
"That's nonsense," Sophia laughed, joining in on William's playful remarks.
Langdon, observing their casual banter about the Holy Grail, asked, "You don't believe in the divine power?"
Sophia shook her head, smiling. "I don't believe in any godly powers from above. I believe in people. Sometimes, people can be incredibly kind."
William nodded in agreement. "I believe there are more good people than bad. But I also believe that only by being strong can we protect what and who we care about."
William opened the box, revealing a cryptex. It looked quite similar to the one Henry had left him, though this one was smaller.
Sophia took the cryptex from William, examining it closely. "Oh my God, it's a cryptex. This was invented by Da Vinci."
Sophia scrutinized the cryptex and continued, "It's designed to protect secrets. Inside is a vinegar-filled glass vial wrapped in a scroll. If you try to force it open, the vial will break, and the vinegar will dissolve the writing. There are five sets of 26 letters, creating over twelve million possible combinations. Without knowing the secret, no one can unlock it."
At that moment, the truck began to slow down and stopped. The door opened, and the night manager stepped in, pointing a P226 at them. "I've guarded this for twenty years. I never thought I'd face three murderers. Hand it over."
"What do you want?" William asked.
"Bang!" Without hesitation, the manager fired a shot into the truck's interior, narrowly missing William. With the gun pointed at him, William slowly approached, holding the cryptex in his left hand while keeping his right hand behind his back, preparing to discreetly retrieve his Glock 17 from the hidden storage space and take down the manager.
"Wait, let me see your ring," the manager suddenly demanded, visibly agitated.
William turned his left hand to show the manager. Upon seeing the ring, the manager became even more excited. "What's your name? Why do you have this ring?"
"William Devonshire."
"From the Devonshire family in England? What was your grandfather's name?"
William hesitated but then noticed the manager had lowered his gun. "Henry Winston Devonshire."
The manager's excitement grew. "God, so you didn't kill Saunière."
William, Langdon, and Sophia looked at the manager in surprise. They all realized he must be a member of the Priory of Sion; otherwise, he wouldn't have put down the gun after seeing William's fleur-de-lis ring.
Lowering his gun, the manager instructed them, "Come on out."
Once outside the truck, the manager introduced himself. "I'm André Vernet, the guardian of this cryptex. I've been protecting it for twenty years. I never imagined Grand Master Saunière would be killed. So, it was the Illuminati who did it."
Langdon quickly asked, "The Illuminati? Wasn't that organization disbanded?"
André replied, "No, they were only officially disbanded by the Church. But like us, they went underground. They now operate from within the Church."
"They formed a secret committee dedicated to finding the Holy Grail and hunting our members. Over the years, many of our members have been assassinated by this Illuminati faction. Including Grand Master Saunière, we've lost three Masters and a Grand Master. The Priory of Sion is at its most perilous moment."
André then pulled William aside and whispered, "William, the secret of the Holy Grail must never fall into the hands of the Illuminati. You are now the only remaining Master of the Priory of Sion. Find the Grail and protect it."
"But Saunière never told me about the Grail before he was killed. I have no idea where to start looking. André, do you have any information?" William asked.
"I'm sorry, William. I'm just a guardian. My task was to protect this cryptex. I don't know much else," André replied apologetically.
"I know someone who might help. He's deeply knowledgeable about the Holy Grail. His name is Teabing, an Englishman living in France. Maybe he can help," Langdon suggested.
William, realizing he needed more expertise, agreed. "Alright, let's go find him. André, what about you?"
"Don't worry about me. I'll take you to Teabing, then I'll drive to Zurich. They won't be able to track me there," André assured.
Back in the truck, William and André sat in the cargo hold, while Langdon and Sophia took the driver's seat. Neither Langdon nor Sophia knew what William and André discussed, but when William got out of the truck, he looked very serious.
André had confided in William that the Priory of Sion was nearly extinct. All four Masters were dead, and the ordinary members, scared by the Illuminati's actions over the past decade, had gone into hiding. After the deaths of the Masters, most members had lost their contacts.
The Priory's members were artists, scholars, and professors, making the organization too scattered and easy to pick off individually.
Especially after Henry's death, the Illuminati had become increasingly ruthless and unprincipled, even resorting to assassinations. André warned William to be cautious, emphasizing that he should keep his position as the last remaining Master of the Priory a secret. Otherwise, the Illuminati would surely come after him.
These people didn't want to destroy the Grail as they claimed. Like the Knights Templar a thousand years ago, they aimed to use it to blackmail the Church. These fringe elements within the Church were driven by a lust for power and profit.
Meanwhile, in Paris, Fache received a report that the Swiss bank had issued an alarm, indicating that one of their armored trucks had left the bank without notification. The bank staff at the Swiss headquarters suspected it had been stolen.
The officers initially didn't pay much attention until they saw that Fache's team was conducting a street search nearby. Realizing the connection, they requested GPS tracking from the Swiss bank.
The GPS showed the armored truck had stopped at Château Villette for ten minutes before heading towards the highway to Switzerland. The officers immediately suspected that Langdon might be seeking out the château's owner, Sir Leigh Teabing.
Upon receiving this information, Fache was thrilled and quickly mobilized over ten cars to head towards Château Villette.
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