Arrival in the Holy Land

Today is a rare day with exceptionally good weather.

The sky is clear, and the wind and waves are gentle.

Since that harsh and stingy Jewish merchant died.

The captain and the sailors no longer needed to pretend to be busy; they stood on deck, basking in the sun, their damp and sticky skin exposed.

Various changes of clothes hung from the mast.

Passengers also chatted in small groups on deck, and no one wanted to stay cooped up in the stuffy cabin.

The atmosphere on the ship had been rather awkward for the past two days.

Some passengers had even disembarked at Crete, planning to take other ships to the Holy Land to escape the embarrassing situation.

During the Siren's Night, Lothar had witnessed many unsavory scenes. Passengers and sailors, men and women alike, were embracing each other. According to Catholic doctrine, both fornication and homosexuality were sins.

"Once we reach the Holy Land, all sins will be purged,"

Father Beckett told the people.

That night, under the influence of the Siren's song, he had been entangled with a male sailor in the cabin for a long time.

Jesus surely wouldn't believe that sins would be completely erased upon reaching the Holy Land, but the priest still said so.

Just as Jesus wouldn't believe that killing infidels was guiltless, but rather a path to heaven, His Holiness the Pope still said so.

The sailors saw through these matters with particular clarity. Having spent their lives at sea, their faith was not devout.

When tsunamis, pirates, or storms arrived, they would even pray to Poseidon, the pagan sea god.

And on a ship as narrow as if isolated from the world, while intimacy wasn't commonplace, it was by no means unimaginable.

It was said that the corpses of Sirens could yield precious aphrodisiac spices comparable to ambergris, but Lothar abandoned the idea of cutting them open to extract the scent.

He couldn't bring himself to butcher humanoid creatures like pigs or sheep, not yet.

It had been a full two days since they had sailed away from Crete.

They had passed by Cyprus during this time but didn't linger, only replenishing their freshwater supply before sailing on.

Cyprus had once been a core territory of the Eastern Empire. After the Regent Empress of the Eastern Empire was crowned, it seized the opportunity to declare independence and possessed a considerable naval force.

After passing Cyprus, they were very close to the Holy Land. From time to time, they could vaguely see the hazy, yellowish coastline in the distance.

The ships here had also become much more numerous.

Merchant ships laden with spices and silk from the East; passenger ships carrying scattered Crusaders; and swift rowing warships equipped with many oars and ballistae at the bow, often seen with scattered planks and barrels floating on the sea.

These were the remnants of plundered and destroyed merchant ships, and pirate ships destroyed by naval forces.

"Look quickly!"

The sailors suddenly became excited.

Someone cheered, "It's our ship!"

On the distant horizon, a large fleet gradually appeared before them.

Smaller frigates, massive capital ships, galleys...

On their large black sails were printed white cross emblems.

The sails billowed in the wind, providing powerful propulsion, driving these large ships across the sea.

"That's... a fleet of the Knights Hospitaller!"

Lothar immediately ordered, "Hoist the Crusader banner, so our Christian brothers don't mistake our identity!"

Father Beckett said with pride, "The Knights Hospitaller have a large naval force in the Holy Land. They often patrol at sea, protecting the safety of trade routes and sea pilgrims."

This was the strength of the Order today.

Not a kingdom, yet superior to one.

Lothar glanced at him sideways, making him feel a little guilty.

Father Beckett had been noticeably quieter these past few days. The old man's loss of his virginity had severely damaged his reputation on the ship, and he was constantly worried that Lothar would spread the news, making him anxious and insecure.

The carrack arrived at the port outside Jaffa precisely at noon, when the sun was at its harshest.

The terrain here was severely weathered, with deserts and Gobi plains everywhere. Faintly, several heavily eroded tower-like structures could be seen standing tall on the vast, boundless Gobi.

Fringilla's lazy voice sounded, "My lord, the sun is so hot, it's making me feel like I'm dying."

Lothar felt helpless, "Stop pretending. You just overused your Spirit once and slept for two days, you should be fine. How can a noble vampire royal like you be so fragile?"

"Vampires are supposed to be afraid of the sun!"

Banya remained quietly by Lothar's side, like his shadow.

She usually tried to minimize her presence, but at crucial moments, she could always be relied upon.

"Hans, raise my swallowtail banner!"

Lothar commanded, "From today onwards, we will likely have to deal with many nobles. You will temporarily serve as the herald."

Hans looked troubled. "My apologies, my lord. While I am honored to accept this position, my knowledge of heraldry is limited, and I fear I would not be competent."

Lothar shook his head. "Competent or not, you must take it. Besides, your knowledge of heraldry already surpasses that of most knights."

Ryan instructed his villagers, calling out loudly, "Stand up straight, remember what Sergeant Moder and I taught you these past few days, and don't disgrace our lord!"

"Yes!"

Among these villagers, the men now held spears and shields. Though unarmored, they wore matching tunics, giving them a respectable appearance.

Of course, they were currently just for show, only capable of serving as an honor guard.

Their combat effectiveness was only slightly better than that of conscripted militiamen.

Theoretical strategy could never compare to actual drills.

Lothar took a deep breath of the dry wind blowing from inland.

Finally, they had arrived!

"This is the Holy Land, where countless people come seeking salvation... and wealth. Knights from the West, impoverished and destitute, can also transform into lords of a city here."

Lothar stood on the docks. For the first time in days, he stepped onto solid ground, his steps involuntarily feeling a bit unsteady. Banya quickly supported him.

"Prepare to depart. We are not far from Jerusalem. The sooner we reach our destination, the sooner we can rest."

He handed the carrack over to the captain, but he had confiscated all the wealth of the merchants on board, using it as "sacred funding" to protect the Holy Land.

They had only walked a short distance.

Just then, Lothar saw a group disembarking from the docks. They flew flags with yellow backgrounds and crosses, and most wore tunics in alternating dark red and white.

They were well-equipped, clearly professional soldiers and knights.

The knight leading the group, leading his horse, directly inquired, "This familiar rampant lion coat of arms... are you from the Habsburg family?"

"And you are?"

Lothar frowned.

The Habsburgs were not a particularly prominent family; their influence was limited to the Swabia and Bavaria regions.

He truly hadn't expected to be recognized so soon after disembarking.

"I am Sir Kevin McKidd, a knight sworn to Baron Godfrey of Ibelin. This is my young master, the sole heir of Baron Ibelin, Lord Balian."

Lothar shifted his gaze behind the knight, towards the young man wrapped in a dark red tunic.

So this was the principal figure, though he seemed to have very little presence.

"I am Lothar of Argao, from the Habsburg family, the second son of Count Werner, and a landless knight."

Lothar nodded in greeting. "It is an honor to meet you, Sir Balian of Ibelin, Sir Kevin."

"Sir Lothar, your father and my lord were very close friends. They served His Majesty the King together in the Royal Knights of Jerusalem. I personally witnessed their deep friendship as they fought side-by-side."

Sir Kevin looked at Lothar's tunic, a hint of nostalgia in his eyes. "It's this style of robe, truly brings back memories."

The Royal Knights of Jerusalem were clearly not a military order like the Knights Templar or the Knights Hospitaller.

It was more akin to the Order of the Golden Fleece of Burgundy in later times, a title of honor, representing a rank and glory.

"I just don't understand why he chose to return to a poor mountain village like Switzerland to become a country count, instead of staying in the Holy Land."

"Frankly, I don't understand what he was thinking either. I always thought he returned to Swabia because he couldn't make it in the Holy Land."

Lothar shrugged.

He had heard of the man. Count Werner had mentioned him as one of his few comrades in the Holy Land.

Baron Godfrey of Ibelin.

The Ibelin family was not simple. Although he was only a baron, the prestige of this barony was still beyond what Count Werner of Argao could compare to.

Firstly, Ibelin was located very close to Jaffa, a prosperous trading city with a constant stream of passing merchant caravans. Just the taxes collected would be a substantial income.

Furthermore, the Kingdom of Jerusalem was limited in size, with only about a dozen titled barons.

And Baron Ibelin was clearly one of the top among them, a confidant of King Baldwin, a staunch royalist, and he held more than just the fief of Ibelin.

On the way here, Lothar had been contemplating how to establish a connection with them. He hadn't expected to encounter their heir and retainer by chance.

Sir Kevin inquired, "Sir Lothar, are you heading to the Holy City?"

"Yes. Now that we've arrived in the Holy Land, how can we resist the urgent desire to immediately travel to the Holy City, to behold the Holy Sepulchre and the Cathedral of the Passion on the Mount of Olives?"

"Ha, indeed. If you don't mind, we can travel together. The Baron is waiting in Jaffa, and I'm sure he'll be delighted to see both his old friend's son and his own heir at the same time."

"That would be wonderful."

Lothar replied with a smile, "Balian, are you from Gaul? Perhaps I should call you Beryan."

Balian nodded slightly. "Yes, that's right, Sir Lothar."

"Balian, you seem a bit reserved?"

"Indeed... I am not a noble. I mean, I used to be a blacksmith, so I'm not good at dealing with people like you."

"I understand."

Lothar nodded, "But if I may be so bold, you need not be reserved at all. In this era, there are plenty of nobles as vile as scoundrels. As long as you have a noble soul, even a blacksmith can stand tall among princes."

Balian's situation, to put it bluntly, was the legalization of an illegitimate child, which was not uncommon in this era.

It was often seen in families without heirs, although due to weaker claims, there were also instances where inheritance rights were forcibly seized by relatives of powerful nobles.

The Middle Ages emphasized legal principles, but in the end, it all came down to might.

ps: Much of the content in the movie Kingdom of Heaven has been artistically embellished, or even fabricated out of thin air. For example, Balian was not an illegitimate child at all, but the third son of the family, and he was not as young as depicted in the movie.

What needs to be said here is, do not try to learn history from novels.

Because the author has stated that they will incorporate some movie plot points, fabricate some plot points, and finally add a small portion of historical plot points.