Ulmer Minster Cathedral is the tallest church in the world and is far away from the city center. This brick and stone church has gone through nearly six hundred years of vicissitudes from its design to its completion. It is the crystallization of the wisdom and blood and sweat of generations of craftsmen.
The church was designed and built by the great architect Enzinger in 1392, and was almost completed by the architect Bayer in 1879. Ulm Minster Cathedral is 126 meters long and 52 meters wide, with three towers, and the overall Gothic style is adopted.
The overall structure is tall and thin, with sharp spikes on the top, presenting a strong feeling of mystery and sublimity.
Each window has a huge glass painting with bright colors, which will present a variety of colors indoors when the sun shines in. ①
Coincidentally, Elphis's manor was also designed by Ensinger, and the whole thing is shrouded in the atmosphere of the Holy Light Society.
From outside the manor, you can see the towering spire. As the carriage slowly drives in, you can see that the entire building is full of reliefs, and there are several gargoyle-like gargoyles on the protruding roof. Behind the gargoyle image are huge bat wings, ferocious claws and ugly faces, as if they are terrible creatures that just ran out of hell, but ironically, this kind of statue serves the purpose of guarding the gate and protecting the Holy Spirit. ②
The layers of curved arches create a delicate yet piercing beauty, as if walking into the abyss step by step, revealing the desolation of life.
Elphis loves this kind of architecture deeply, Gothic, Gotik! Dedicated to God, a gift to the God of Holy Light!
In such a place that symbolizes the Holy Light, there live the traitors of the Holy Light, the loyal servants of Hastur, the Lord in Yellow. What a ridiculous irony. If any member of the Holy Light Society found out about this, they would probably burn down the building with gritted teeth, because it was a blasphemy against the God of Holy Light.
But Elphis knew one thing for sure, that is, the god believed in by the Holy Light Society no longer appeared before people and no longer walked among the people. Any miracles or so-called power of light could not compare with the power of Hastur, the Lord in Yellow. His existence was higher than any god known to the world.
Elphis dismissed the servants around him, stayed in the living room, and took off his shirt.
On the wall in the middle of the living room hangs a marble statue of the Crucifixion of Gideon, symbolizing the scene where the Son of God was crucified on the ground of the skull. This case is recorded in the four canonical gospels, and most scholars even believe that it is a historical event.
The facial expression of Ye Su's statue is peaceful and serene. He shows no fear of death or pain in his body. He wears a crown of thorns on his head, symbolizing his status as the Son of God. The finely carved wounds on his chest and ribs still seem to have bloodstains, which makes people feel terrified.
The dead Ye Su seemed to have never lost anything, still full of wisdom and courage, showing the greatness and glory of the Son of God to the world.
Although the statue died with its upper body naked, it still spreads love and grace to the world, symbolizing Yesu's nobleness in sacrificing himself to save the world.
But to Elphis, who believed in Hastur, the Lord in Yellow, all this was irony and mockery, but also joy and excitement.
Elphis lit sixty-six candles on the ground and poured out a compound essential oil called Faith from an exquisitely shaped glass bottle; this essential oil was made from blue spruce, fir, frankincense, myrrh and mint leaves. The cool woody scent and the refreshing effect of mint leaves can help users quickly enter a state of meditation.
From the secret compartment hidden under the floor tiles, he found a yellow robe, a long whip made of cowhide and a book.
The materials used to make this book are unacceptable to ordinary people. It is made from the skin of sixty-six nine-month-old babies, and their hair is used for threading. Ordinary dead babies do not meet the conditions for making this book. They must be killed by their own blood relatives and soaked in frankincense, glycerin and lemongrass extract for six hours to become the raw material requirements for making this book.
There are extremely strict requirements on how to write such a strange and chilling book.
Ordinary people would use a feather pen or a fountain pen to write, but to write on this tender baby (proof) leather book, you need to take out the first rib of the innocent boy's chest and grind it several times before making a pen. The ink used for writing is also very particular, and you need to take blood from the liver of an albinos. This blood can only maintain its activity for twelve hours. Once the activity is lost, a second portion of blood is needed to continue.
It can be seen what an evil item this is. It took the death of hundreds of lives to create such a strange secret book.
And this secret book was taken out right under the nose of Yesu's statue, which was even more outrageous.
Wearing a yellow robe, Elphis held the secret book high in both hands, knelt on the ground, and began to meditate and chant the name of God.
Lost Carcosa stands in the mist,
Projecting a towering tower in the abyss.
Scorning the king of the world sitting on the throne of glory,
Watching the farce of the world,
Admiring the ugliness of living things,
They gambled, they fought,
They use their lives to present the highest performance,
A script for the Lord in Yellow,
To the soul of the nameless,
O Hastur, the faithful pray to you,
May you grant me your blessing!
O Hastur, here the faithful offer their blood,
May you grant the gaze from the Pleiades!
Praise you, Hastur!
The prayer ended here. Elphis put down the secret book he was holding high and placed it on his knees. He picked up the long whip that had been prepared long ago and swung it at himself.
Snap! Snap! Snap! Snap! Snap! Snap!
Six crisp sounds were heard, accompanied by Elphis's suppressed cry of pain, and six blood marks appeared on the body under the yellow clothes.
The flowing blood was absorbed by the yellow clothes, leaving only traces of whipping, and the small amount of blood that splashed onto the secret book turned into a distorted text.
The end of the world is about to wake up,
He is the beginning and the end,
His messengers walk among men,
Sowed His deeds and glory.
My followers, do what you have to do.
The script has been written.
Perform according to the script.
That's the dedication you should make.
After Elphis read this passage, it turned into blood mist and disappeared.
Elphis understood what he had to do next, and he even thought that he had been watched by the Lord in Yellow, becoming an actor in the script. This psychological suggestion became stronger and stronger, giving Elphis a pleasure beyond the climax in his mind. This pleasure also paralyzed his nerves, making the pain in his body insignificant.
He stood up and took off the robe that was as shiny as new. The previous self-whipping did not cause any damage to the robe. He put the robe, the whip and the secret book back into the secret compartment.
After changing back into his original clothes, Elphis, who had previously shown a fanatical worship of Hastur, instantly changed into the appearance of a noble gentleman and a big businessman. He looked up at the statue of Ye Su suffering and laughed wantonly, laughing at the so-called Son of God, laughing at the false gods, laughing at the pathetic and ignorant beings, but he also laughed at himself, because he had found the true God!
He thought,
"The only power that mankind relies on is science and that humble faith."
Faith has always been a creation that strengthens belief, this was Elphis's previous view, but until he touched the mysterious side, he discovered that faith can bring strength, salvation, and unimaginable benefits, so he risked his life to believe in the Lord of the Deep Space Star Sea; He generously gave up authority, power and instructions to the believers, and they only needed to pay a little price to obtain God's grace.
"What humans have is only the tip of the iceberg of what He has. He is like the wind of the world, and every move he makes can make the world tremble. Humans cannot face Him directly, because humans themselves cannot understand His existence. They can only believe in Him. Those who disobey Him will understand that death is not terrible. What is terrible is more terrible than death."
Elphis calmly called the servants, cleaned up the candles and other ritual items present, and told them that today's meditation was over, they could start preparing dinner, and go to the study to deal with some documents first.
The servants believed it without a doubt. In their eyes, Elphis was the most devout member of the Order of the Holy Light they had ever seen. He needed to pray for a period of time before the Lord every day, and before every meal he would abide by the principles of the believers and recite prayers to God, the Holy Spirit and the Son.
He has elegant manners and a witty and humorous way of speaking. Such a master is rare even for a butler who has served many people. His cultivation is even comparable to that of the royal nobles. It's a pity to hear from the master that his wife has passed away a long time ago, otherwise the servants would also like to see what kind of beauty can be worthy of such a Mr. Elphis.
The maids were very excited when they first received the news. If only this handsome and wealthy gentleman would fall in love with them, they would be able to live the life of a mistress. Unfortunately, Mr. Elphis had never been interested in maids in his home. He would occasionally bring back a few good-looking ladies from banquets, and some romantic stories about him spread.
The chef in the kitchen was busy preparing a sumptuous dinner.
Elfs, who has lived in England for many years, is not used to traditional German cuisine. Instead, he is more accustomed to the complicated banquet process in England, which requires preparing multiple cold dishes, hot soups, staple foods and desserts.
The servant announced that dinner was ready, and Elphis moved from his study to the banquet hall.
Pure silver knives and forks have been prepared on the long dining table; this is a custom passed down from the Middle Ages. Using silver knives and forks can not only ward off evil spirits, but also turn black instantly after encountering poison, thus freeing diners from the risk of being poisoned.
There are intricate carvings on these knives and forks, and the images of giant dragons are carved on the handles. This is one of the free gifts when purchasing a courtyard house, and it is also a pure handicraft of great value. Not to mention the historical value of this set of knives and forks, just the pure silver used is enough to allow most poor people to live a fairly comfortable life.
Elphis skillfully wrapped his collar with a white cloth, which could prevent the sauce from falling and leaving stains on his expensive clothes. Before eating, Elphis used his right hand to touch his forehead, chest, left chest heart and right chest, and said softly,
“Thank God for giving us food so that we can live,
Thank you, Most Holy Trinity, for your mercy,
Thank you for washing away our sins with your sacrifice.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
Amen.
The servants placed exquisite food on the table one after another. Elphis chewed silently. The only sound in the banquet hall was the slight friction between knives and forks and ceramic plates.
Just as Elphis was about to eat the delicious cod fillet, the butler knocked on the door and whispered to Elphis,
"Sir, we have a visitor."
Elphis looked surprised. Generally speaking, visitors would not come after dark. This courtyard was relatively remote and it would take more than half an hour to get here from the city center by horseback.
"Who is it?" Elphis asked.
The housekeeper said helplessly,
"A strangely dressed man, black, tall and thin."
Elphis suddenly remembered something terrible and cried out,
"What!"