Crowning the Elected Consul

It's true that God's will is so clear; any scoundrel who tries to defy it will surely fail. So, as soon as the wooden gate opened, Pauline, blessed by God, rushed to the front. Those scoundrels who dared to defy God's will, like the Britain named Andy in the first lane, had their horses accidentally collide with those in the second lane. Although no one fell off their horse, the Britain's speed was clearly affected.

Moreover, he's now being held back by the other horses, making it difficult to accelerate. Horses often rely on speed to clear obstacles, and with the right speed, it's much easier to overcome them. Now, Andy is having to exert a lot of effort to catch up, and his entire rhythm has been disrupted.

As for the Russia on the other side named Onegin, he was quite astute and avoided colliding with the rider in lane seven. However, in trying to avoid a collision, his rhythm was disrupted. As a result, Pauline surged ahead, running undisturbed in the lead. Moreover, she and her horse were extremely familiar with this track. So, after only the first lap, Pauline had already gained a clear advantage.

Although Andy and Onegin eventually broke free from the interference and caught up, the gap between them and Pauline was already quite significant, and was even widening—because Pauline's strength, at least on this track, was already very strong.

Therefore, Pauline ultimately won the equestrian show jumping competition with an absolute advantage.

In the subsequent horse racing and skeet shooting events, Pauline won two more championships, making her the person with the most gold medals at this Olympic Games. However, Pauline's legend ended there. In the subsequent pistol and rifle shooting events, Pauline made mistakes, especially in the rifle event. In the final shot, where hitting a five-ring or higher would have secured the championship, Pauline hit a nine-ring on someone else's target. As a result, she didn't even get third place.

The final event of the Olympic Games was the Marat. Marat starting point was at the Panthéon, and the finish line was naturally at the main Olympic Games stadium, a distance of 42.195 kilometers. It was an extremely difficult event, but surprisingly, quite a few people signed up. Some even made their own ancient Athens military uniforms, carrying leather shields and short spears to participate, turning what should have been a sporting event into a carnival.

However, these people didn't run very far; they basically didn't even leave Paris before dropping out of the race. By the time the athletes left Paris, the original team of over a hundred people had dwindled to just over ten. But that wasn't the most embarrassing part. The most embarrassing part was that only two people actually made it to the finish line. And according to later tradition, the Olympic Games podium has three spots.

With the Marat over, all the events of the Olympic Games have concluded, leaving only the closing ceremony. The closing ceremony, of course, will follow the usual format: group gymnastics, speeches from various leaders, the mayor of the next Olympic Games host city... well, sorry, they haven't been chosen yet, so we'll skip that.

Of course, the final speeches will be delivered by the Pope and Bonaparte.

The Pope began by stating that this Games would be a successful and peaceful event, in accordance with God's will, and a celebration that would please God. He expressed his confidence in the Games' complete success and in the achievement of lasting peace in Europe. He was also confident that Napoleon Bonaparte's rule would lead the France people, and indeed the people of Europe, into a golden age.

Finally, he stated that he had an important gift to give on behalf of God, which he entrusted to Bonaparte for his rule.

After saying this, he turned to Napoleon and gestured for him to come forward. Napoleon stepped forward, and a bishop next to the pope presented a beautifully decorated box. The pope opened the box and took out a crown.

"I, God's servant, Pope Pius VI, by the will of God, now proclaim that Napoleon Bonaparte is granted the title of 'Emperor of the Rome.' Your Majesty Bonaparte, may God be with you."

As the Pope spoke, he placed the crown on Napoleon's head.

Napoleon seemed to only then realize what was happening, and exclaimed in surprise, "Your Holiness, how could I, the First Consul of the French Republic and the democratically elected head of government, become Emperor? I think you might be..."

"God has decided that you will be the Emperor of the Rome," the Pope said. "Moreover, Your Majesty Bonaparte, you are the Emperor of the Rome; this is God's will. Do not doubt God's will. If God says so, then it will surely come to pass. Just as God believes that you will surely protect the devout people of Rome."

"In that case..." Napoleon nodded, then turned to the other astonished and excited crowd in the main stadium and said:

"I, Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the French Republic elected by the France people, and Emperor of the Rome, the Anointed One of God, here today make the following promise to you:"

As the first elected leader of the French Republic, I will, as always, uphold the democratic system and republican system of France. God is my witness, France will forever be a government belonging to the vast majority of the France people, a government governed by the vast majority of the France people, and a government that serves all the France people."

This statement was heard through the loudspeaker by everyone in the stadium, and they cheered. "Long live the First Consul! Long live France!"

"Long live democracy! Long live the republic!"

If it were Joseph speaking at that moment, he would certainly have waved to everyone and shouted "Long live the people!" However, Napoleon was not a time traveler and wouldn't engage in such an imitation. So, although he waved to everyone to quiet them down, he didn't utter the words "Long live the people!"

After the cheers subsided, Napoleon spoke again:

"At the same time, as God's anointed emperor of the Rome, I also want everyone to consider a question: What is Rome? What are the Rome?"

What is Rome? Is it Virgil's poetry? Pliny the Nature's Manifesto? The Twelve Tables? Diophantus's algebra?

Rome is the sum of all these things; Rome is civilization, exploration, law, and freedom. Rome is human civilization itself!

So what is a Rome? Anyone who aspires to seek truth, follow the law, and pursue freedom is Rome.

Ladies and gentlemen, I believe this is why God bestowed upon me the incomparably glorious title of Emperor of the Rome, and why I, as the First Consul of the French Republic, accept the Rome crown. Long live Rome! Long live human civilization!