Chapter 84 Hermes Organization

Bishop Mayne walked through the circular stairs step by step, and walked deep underground.

This is a naturally formed tiankeng, the depth of which cannot exceed at least four towers of the sky, and a diameter of about twenty feet, which is more than enough to fit into a lord's castle. The inside of the cave was not dark at first, there were skylights on the high dome, and the light escaped into the ground through the windows, leaving winding spots of light on the stone walls made of ice.

As the altitude continued to drop, the light spot gradually became darker, and soon merged with the stone wall. But the center of the pothole reflects a faint blue light, which becomes more obvious as you go down. Even if you don't hold a torch, you won't fall into the predicament of not being able to see your fingers.

The stairs under the feet are like a small snake around the pothole, clinging to the rock wall.

The stair board is cut from granite, rectangular in shape and three fingers thick, enough for two people to walk side by side. One end is embedded in the rock wall, and the other end is suspended. In order to prevent accidental falls, wooden railings are erected at the suspended ends, and the railings are connected by ropes.

He didn't count how many stairs there are, but he knew that the laying of each stone slab was extremely difficult. The stonemasons of the church were suspended by ropes, and they carved deep enough grooves in the solid rock, and then inserted stone slabs into them. Every movement must be careful, because there are as many as three hundred people who slipped or broke and fell to the bottom of the pit.

If the Hermes Cathedral built above the head is a symbol of the church's unyielding spirit, then the Hermes mechanism hidden deep in the bottom of the cave is the real core of the church.

The stone wall beside the stairs is inlaid with God's Stone of Retaliation, and every 100 steps there will be a Judgment Army standing guard, and there is also a team of God's Punishment Army standing by at any time to meet the invaders. Between the dome and the interlayer of the cathedral floor, there are many sandbags and rubble buried. If the defense line of the holy city fails and everyone has to evacuate, the pope will activate the trap, allowing the gravel and gravel to completely bury the place.

Although it was not the first time for Mayne to go to the Hermes institution, the feeling of walking in mid-air still made him feel dizzy. Especially when looking to the side, there will always be an illusion that you are falling.

He breathed a sigh of relief when his feet were on solid ground.

At the bottom of the tiankeng is a huge disc-shaped white millstone. The surface is as smooth as a mirror. Standing on it, you can even see your own reflection clearly. After ingenious design by craftsmen, the light coming in from the skylight of the dome will converge on the millstone at the bottom of the cave after being refracted many times in the pit wall. Even without the torches lit, the bottom of the tiankeng is not completely dark.

Only at the bottom of the pit will you find that sunlight is not colorless. After being illuminated, the millstone reflected a faint blue light. Looking up, the entire tiankeng was lit up by this blue light, showing a cold color. If you look carefully, you can also notice that there are countless dust flying in the brighter light, just like the tiny creatures recorded in ancient books.

Using the holes naturally formed on the cave bottom and the mountain wall, the church opened up the connection, further expanded it, and built the Hermes Organ. Thanks to these holes extending in all directions, the air circulation here is smooth, without the decayed and dull feeling of being in the depths of the ground.

When Mayne stepped into the gate of the agency, the defense force became much tighter. The Judgment Army here is a group of five, guarding each checkpoint—they are the most loyal warriors of the church. Once they accept this duty, all of them will spend their lives in the institution and never return to the ground.

In fact, only he and the pope can enter and exit the institution, and even the two archbishops, Heather and Teflon, cannot set foot here.

But Mayne didn't know how many forks in the mechanism. In addition to the main road due south, there are many branch passages on both sides. If you walk along them, you will often find more branches. Some were used by the church, while others were simply blocked. He once heard that when building the mechanism, several craftsmen strayed into those unmarked forks, and lost their way inside, and never found their way back.

The straight main road leads all the way to the depths of the mountain, and there is a checkpoint every 30 feet (about 100 meters). Mayne knew that the agencies in each level had different tasks. The outermost section is the living area for the warriors on duty at the bottom of the cave. The second section is the archives, used to store documents, fragments and ancient books. The third section is the prison area, where some prisoners who cannot see the light...and innocent people are detained.

After crossing three checkpoints, Mayne stopped. Going further, there is the secret area of ​​the organ, where all the research and inventions of the church come from. Without the Pope's consent, he can't go there without authorization. In more than three years as archbishop, he has only entered once.

Mayne turned to the left and turned into a side road.

The side road was very short, and he reached the end not long after. Seeing the bishop appear, the judge guarding the gate immediately fisted his chest, "My lord!"

Mayne nodded, "Open the door."

Inside the door is a corridor, with burning turpentine torches hanging on the wall, like countless dancing light spots in the darkness, extending along the corridor to the end. There are many thick wooden doors lined up on both sides, and there is a number plate hanging in the middle of each door panel.

The Judgment Warrior raised his torch and walked ahead to lead the way. Mayne noticed the changes in the numbers on the number plate as he walked. When he saw the mottled house number marked with the number thirty-five, he stopped, took out the key, inserted it into the lock, and twisted it lightly. The sound of the lock opening was particularly harsh in the silent cave, and there was a faint echo at the end of the corridor. As if sending out a signal, there were cries and howls from behind many door openings, including men's and women's. If you listen carefully, most of them are pleadings like "Let me out!" "Help me!" "Please, kill me!"

Mayne was unmoved. He ordered the samurai to guard the door, walked into the room, and closed the wooden door to isolate the chaotic and noisy sounds.

Through the iron railing, the bishop saw an old man sitting on the head of the bed—maybe he was not old, but his hair was already grey, and his forehead was covered with wrinkles. The beard has not been shaved for a long time, and it almost hangs down to the neck. Since he hadn't seen the sun for too long, his skin was horribly pale, and his hands and feet were as thin as bamboo poles.

Mayne glanced at the lunch box by the iron railing. The food inside was barely touched. He sighed, "You should treat yourself better, the church has no shortage of such food. Your three meals are all according to the king's standard." It is formulated, except that there is no wine. Even the fish is the best cod from Clearwater Port. You should be familiar with its taste, Your Majesty Wimbledon?"

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