Two weeks of exchange activities quickly came to an end. The participants were very satisfied with the process, with most believing that the exchange had brought them considerable benefits.
For many, Liang En's alchemy demonstration was an unexpected and significant gain. It provided them with a thorough understanding of ancient Egyptian language and ancient alchemy.
According to Liang En, almost everyone requested a copy of the video recorded during his alchemy demonstration and attempted to translate the Latin into their native languages.
Yes, theoretically, most occult researchers are proficient in Latin, but the requirements for what are called researchers here are quite high. They are typically professional scholars or individuals with this level of knowledge.
Thus, for many who are termed enthusiasts in the field of occult studies, they need materials in their native language to continue their research.
However, these tasks had little to do with Liang En. As the gathering concluded, he left the manor with two ladies and flew to Naples to accept his castle.
Of course, accompanying them were Elizabeth and Mary, with Joan of Arc joining from France. After all, opportunities for everyone to travel together were rare, and Joan did have vacation time from filming.
"Liang En—" As they waited in the airport lounge, sipping hot chocolate, Liang En suddenly heard a girl's voice calling out from a distance.
"Jeanne." Hearing the voice, Liang En immediately put down his cup and stood up, hugging the girl who ran to him. "How have you been?"
"Filming is going well. Almost all my scenes are done in one take, so our progress is about one-third ahead of schedule," Joan said, rubbing her face against Liang En's chest.
"The pity is that you're not always around. Even though we video chat every day, I still miss you a bit."
Joan has always been straightforward, so she didn't hesitate to express her feelings directly. Thus, she spoke of her longing.
"I miss you too," Liang En said earnestly, hugging Joan. Then he took her hand and walked towards the exit of the lounge. "Let's go now, the car is already parked outside."
"Ah, what a perfect love," Bathory whispered to Mary as they walked out. "Thinking about my previous husband, I envy Jeanne a bit now."
"You're lucky. At least there was some affection, unlike me, where it was purely for political reasons. There was nothing but duty and obligation," Queen Mary sighed.
For these two ladies, their marriages were far from happy. Seeing the interaction between Liang En and Joan naturally evoked their own emotions, leading to a brief exchange.
In ancient marriages, feelings were undoubtedly secondary. As social status increased, the importance of emotions in marriage reasons decreased.
For Liang En's three historical companions, Joan from the commoner class could marry for love, but the two noble ladies had purely political marriages.
Political marriages could lead to reasonably good lives, like Elizabeth Bathory and her husband, who developed affection over time. But there were also terrible outcomes, like Mary and Louis XVI, who led separate lives after producing an heir.
Louis XVI was better emotionally than his predecessors, at least not surrounding himself with mistresses, preferring to immerse himself in lock-making.
This seemingly resigned approach stemmed from the irreparable state of France's economy at the time, leaving Louis XVI with no choice but to live day by day.
Amid their conversation, they soon reached the airport's parking lot, handed over the rental car to the driver, and headed towards the nearby mountains in an SUV.
The terrain here resembled northern Scotland, rugged but with much denser vegetation. More importantly, the infrastructure, especially the roads, was much better than expected.
Unlike sparsely populated northern Scotland, northern Italy, with its long history, was densely populated, particularly around the ancient city of Naples.
Even driving into the mountains, they saw villages at regular intervals, with cows, sheep, and vineyards dotting the slopes.
Such rugged terrain wasn't suitable for growing crops like wheat, so the locals primarily focused on grape growing and livestock farming.
The era of purely agricultural economies had passed, so most locals now relied on tourism. Luckily, the famous tourist city of Naples provided a steady stream of visitors to support the industry.
Unfortunately, the castle where Liang En and his companions were headed was deep in the mountains, far from the benefits of the tourism industry.
After more than two hours, following a road around a ridge, a deep blue lake appeared before them.
The most striking feature was a small island in the center of the lake, where their castle stood. Though called an island, it looked more like a mountain peak submerged in water.
In reality, the lake was formed from glacial meltwater during the Ice Age, with the so-called island being a mountain peak in the middle of the basin, now surrounded by water.
Around the lake were several villages and some simple facilities for backpackers or family tourists. As they parked and approached the lake, someone from the castle arrived by boat to fetch them.
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Liang and the three ladies," the middle-aged Italian man greeted them at the pier, shaking hands with Liang En. "Vice President John has briefed me. I'll be assisting with the handover and introducing you to this historic castle."
After a five-minute boat ride, they docked at the island's pier and followed a mountain path to the castle at the island's highest point.
This former military fortress followed military principles in all its facilities, like the hidden, easily defensible pier nestled in a mountain cove.
Unfortunately, as the castle's military importance waned, the pier's small size and inability to expand became one of its main drawbacks.
The harbor could only accommodate five or six small boats, making it inadequate for transport needs.
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