Chapter 260: Caesar’s Day In Bethlehem
“How many are there here?”
“Three, Lord.”
Caesar lowered his head, and in front of him was a flat rectangular box. This kind of box was often used to hold necklaces, rosaries, or crosses—when opened, it was indeed lined with expensive silk and black velvet cloth, but more precious than these were the three syringes neatly arranged inside.
Of course, people of this era could not understand these apparatuses, even if they held them in their hands to use and disassemble, they could only recognize them as a combination of bloodletting needle and water bag, and they would even feel puzzled and confused, as bloodletting needles might use some expensive metals—for example silver and gold, after all, those nobles and kings probably would not accept priests using goose quills, or reed tubes, to perform bloodletting on them, and copper tubes could only be said to be barely acceptable.
Carefully making a bloodletting needle, making another water bag, and connecting them together seemed no different, and the “water bag” at the rear did not have much capacity either, for enema fluids that were measured in “buckets,” with this small tube, how long would the priests have to be busy?
In this time when technology was backward almost to the point of nonexistence, and medical knowledge was firmly restricted within the Church and library, people naturally had no motivation to research delicate apparatuses related to medical treatment. In fact, even in another world, it would take several hundred years for people to see the prototype of the syringe—that syringe was made of pure silver and used a screw-sealing method.
Its blueprint was borrowed by Caesar, but the cost was much higher. Haridi used an alloy of fifty-four percent gold and silver-copper for the needle, the syringe barrel was forty-six percent gold, and the screw at the connection with the syringe barrel used seventy percent gold—for this he tried many times.
The making of the syringe barrel also involved the problem of making internal and external threads—even with Caesar’s blueprint and suggestion, when forging these delicate little things, Haridi still could only use the method people in the 4th century used to manufacture threads.
The external thread was first wrapped with steel wire around a metal rod, then polished according to the trace of the wire coil; the internal thread was more complex, he had to wrap a tougher and harder alloy wire around a rod, then cover it with softer metal and carefully hammer it out.
And the lathe and workbench he could now use were still wooden—Caesar could afford the money, but it was too conspicuous.
From when Caesar brought him back from Damascus until today, nearly two years had passed. During this time Haridi had almost stopped accepting work from others, yet he could only produce three syringes, and the difficulty and tedium involved can be imagined.
He had been staring intently at Caesar, watching him carefully unscrew the needle, then twist the bolt on the syringe barrel, inspect the surface and interior, and finally assemble them back together.
Caesar had already prepared filtered wine. He drew a bit of wine, then pressed the needle hole, turned the screw on the syringe to see if there were any signs of leakage; then he drew more wine, rotated the syringe barrel to apply pressure, watching if the translucent red liquid could smoothly spray out from the needle hole; finally he brought a conventional ounce, because the syringe barrel was not glass and could not show the scale clearly, but it could be judged from the height of the screw column—this test also passed.
Throughout the entire process Haridi held his breath, although he had tested them all before bringing them, and more than once, but when Caesar methodically inspected them, he was still extremely nervous.
Caesar withdrew the needle and held it before his eyes, scrutinizing it carefully again. The needle he had found on Nur al-Din, although forged finer than the current one, because Haridi had not considered the danger of the needle breaking off in the flesh for Nur al-Din, nor needed to worry about whether this needle would be used a second time, its hardness was not within consideration.
Or rather, really breaking off would be the best, if it were not Caesar performing “purification” on Nur al-Din, even if others saw it, they would only think it was broken gold thread…
But the syringes Caesar needed could not be disposable. If disposable, after starting treatment, how many needles would he have to make? Therefore, this needle had to be a bit thicker than the one left in Nur al-Din’s body, basically reaching the 18g standard. That is, the outer diameter was about 1.3 millimeters, suitable for surgery or rapid infusion.
“Did you boil them in a pot of boiling water as I required, and burn them in the fire?”
“Yes, Lord, every time, according to the temperature and time you needed, and no discoloration or deformation was found.”
“Keep one, leave it here with me, then continue making—just the needles.”
“How many do you need?”
“I don’t know how many I’ll need,” Caesar sighed, he had not needed to worry about these things before.
The thing that troubled him most now was that his research and experiments could not proceed alongside the expedition.
At that time he left Haridi in Bethlehem precisely because he hoped others would see Haridi and the work entrusted to him as a young man’s momentary whimsy, and after the initial impulse passed, it would become boring and casually abandoned.
If he brought Haridi back to Ayyarasa Road, as an Isaacite, Haridi could not enter Holy Cross Castle—and outside the castle, as someone valued by Caesar, Haridi would inevitably attract more attention, even if those people could not understand the use and meaning of the syringe, even just to displease Caesar, Haridi’s work might be interfered with, or even he might be killed.
Of course, Caesar did not want to see such a situation.
And his approach had indeed worked.
“Is anyone still spying on you now?”
“Almost none.” Haridi hesitated a bit, then said.
Indeed, recently inquiries from any side had decreased, perhaps also because when they discovered he was continuously and repeatedly making the same thing, which looked like just a more complex bloodletting needle or the like, not understanding it, they would not pursue further, and naturally could not discover its true use.
Except for one person, a detestable witch—Haridi did not want to say it that way, because many Isaacite women had been burned and drowned for that charge, but this person, Lego’s sister, a woman who betrayed her faith and people, had still not let him go.
Haridi had of course been fully devoted to researching this thing, but his sense of smell was as sharp as ever, and when Lego’s sister intentionally came to probe, he noticed.
He severely interrogated his two apprentices and learned from their mouths that the woman had used meat patties and wine to coax some intelligence out of them—he was somewhat hesitant, after all, Lego was his friend and had given him quite a bit of help after he came to Bethlehem.
After being exiled, he had even invited Haridi to Nalessa—perhaps Lego did have designs on him—just with Haridi as a goldsmith valued by the Knight of Bethlehem, with exquisite craftsmanship and the status of a sage’s student, they could better establish themselves in Nalessa.
But in any case, compared to other Isaacites, Lego had at least some human warmth toward Haridi.
Haridi ultimately decided to cover up the matter.
He even allowed those two apprentices to continue staying in his workshop（ also to prevent them from babbling at home）, just assigning them a lot of work and reducing their supplies—from food to clothes to bed, in short, treating them in the usual way workshop masters treat apprentices.
No one knew that those nonexistent customers were all fabricated by him; the rough blanks the apprentices laboriously made, the polished stones, the drawn gold thread or silver thread, were either directly resold by him or thrown into the furnace, remelted into ingots of silver and gold, then given back to them, so they had no time to spy on their teacher’s work, nor the energy to gossip with others.
But he was willing to let the matter rest, yet that woman kept stirring—after Lego was forced to leave Bethlehem, she was driven out by the innkeeper, after all no one was paying for her inn anymore, she became even more deranged as a result, perhaps because she had no money left to buy food to tempt the two apprentices, one night she secretly infiltrated Haridi’s workshop.
She probably wanted to steal a finished product, and Haridi was tired of continuing to deal with her, so he picked up his working hammer and smashed her to death with one blow.
It was late at night then; Haridi wiped the ground, cleaned the tools, simply wrapped her up, and threw her outside the city—this woman had become very light, Haridi did it effortlessly, and was not discovered by anyone.
He also did not think it was a big deal, even feeling that doing so could be called an act of benevolence.
After all, according to the law of this time, this woman would first suffer tortures like tongue-pulling and hand-chopping before being hanged—or rather, as an Isaac woman, she was more likely to be burned to death.
But he did not confess to Caesar, still because of Lego—Lego had offended Caesar badly before, but Haridi felt that at least this matter should not have much to do with Lego.
Isaacites valued interests above all. Although Lego had been punished, he had not reached the end of his rope; Caesar even allowed him to take away the soap he had bought, and with that batch of soap he reestablished his industry, shop, and residence in Nalessa.
He still had his daughter and son-in-law; although not as successful as in Bethlehem, in a few years, with his talent and means, rising again was possible.
And what benefit would probing Caesar’s secrets and betraying him bring him?
Before judging Caesar, people would definitely judge him first; Caesar might escape unscathed, but he would definitely end up on the gallows, the kind hanging with the puppies, Lego would not do such a stupid thing.
As for that woman, when Lego left Bethlehem it was equivalent to severing ties with her—no, it should be said the relationship had ended long ago, after all she married a Christian against her family and people’s opposition, she was no longer an Isaacite, Lego might not shed tears for her, let alone revenge for her.
Although Haridi was still a bit uneasy. But this woman was already dead, all clues had been severed with her, unless someone could like Christ Jesus make her rise from the dead.
Otherwise, continuing to pursue the matter would have no meaning.
However, when Caesar asked him to continue making needles, Haridi suddenly felt an impulse, wanting to know if the matching potion had already been made?
He had made many things before, from brooches, sword scabbards, belts to reliquary boxes; some things had unglorious uses, even to the point of being called malicious or evil.
But whether they were noble or evil, none made him as curious and eager as this apparatus. If as his master said, its significance was completely different from a bloodletting needle or enema device, it could really cure the patient.
Moreover, even if used by a mere mortal it could achieve the same effect, this was a transgression—without doubt, not only affecting priests among Christians, their sages and Saracen scholars would also be impacted.
But compared to the danger and persecution that would follow closely, Haridi wanted more to see those arrogant people fall from on high, especially those in his own people.
