PFC Chapter 24 Stonemason Ceremony
Chapter 24 Stonemason Ceremony
When the three entered the living room, Pastor Jensen, on the left, said to Chen Wenbin very earnestly:
"...Robin! Whatever you have to do this afternoon, schedule it all for tomorrow!"
Now come with us to a place!
Chen Wenbin didn't speak, but carefully observed Governor Hopkins, who was dressed in a formal suit, and the fat old man Franklin with a wicked smile on his face. When he noticed that all three of them were wearing a special ring on their fingers... he immediately understood.
The ring features a compass, a carpenter's square, and the letter G, which is the symbol of the Freemasonry Stonemasons Guild!
Chen Wenbin was initially puzzled. Pastor Jensen had said he would introduce him to the organization as soon as he landed, but there had been no news until now. He wondered what the legendary initiation ceremony was all about.
"...James, I want to know why now?"
Chen Wenbin looked at Governor Hopkins and asked, "And what brings Your Excellency the Governor here?"
Reverend Jason did not answer. Governor Hopkins looked at him calmly and said slowly, "Robin, in our view, only a man with a wife is truly mature!"
Before today, you didn't meet the requirements for membership at Providence Club, but now you have Diana... Congratulations! You made a very good choice; she will be a wonderful wife and mother!
As her guardian in the New World, I am more suitable to be your referrer!
"...Oh! I see!"
Chen Wenbin suddenly realized why Pastor Jensen had been trying to find him a wife; there was another reason behind it!
hum!
What's with all this talk about maturity? You have to have a wife to join. Isn't this just an attempt to exploit your weaknesses?
At this moment, Franklin impatiently urged, "Alright! Robin! Hurry up and bring a spare set of clothes. I'm going to personally guide you through the ceremony today!"
You should feel honored!
I'm the current president of the Pennsylvania General Association! You wouldn't receive this treatment if we weren't good friends!
The more Chen Wenbin heard this fat man say, the more he felt there was a trap involved!
But when the time comes, let's go and see for ourselves!
After taking a set of spare clothes that Mary had given him, Chen Wenbin followed the three men into the carriage.
On the way, he tried to find out the details of the ceremony from Pastor Jensen, but the pastor didn't say much. He just told him how to answer some questions and, after confirming that Chen Wenbin remembered, hinted that the ceremony would not harm him.
As for Franklin, that old fat man, he kept glancing at him after getting on the bus, chuckling to himself every now and then.
If it weren't for the certainty that this old guy only liked women, Chen Wenbin would have suspected that his chrysanthemum was in danger.
Fortunately, he was confident that his current fighting strength was enough to crush more than a dozen strong men, so he was very relaxed. Even Franklin, who was preparing to "treat" him properly later, had to secretly admire his calm demeanor.
The carriage traveled northwest until it reached a public cemetery in the suburbs of Providence, a piece of land purchased by the Baptists, Quakers, and Congregationals to house the graves of their respective followers.
"...Robin, get out of the car! We've arrived!"
After Pastor Jensen finished speaking, he took out a black leather blindfold and explained to Chen Wenbin, "Robin, from now on, you will need to be blindfolded for the entire time, and you cannot remove the blindfold or speak unless someone asks a question. Understand?"
Chen Wenbin thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "...Okay! I accept!"
It's just a game of hide-and-seek with your eyes covered!
With his current level of sensory acuity, coupled with his overclocked state, closing his eyes would hardly affect his movements, especially since he had already memorized the surrounding terrain.
The so-called ceremony location should be the area where the three cemeteries meet, where there is a stone tablet... The specific location of the ceremony can only be underground near the stone tablet!
Sure enough, after being led a short distance by the three men, he heard the sounds of stones being moved and iron gates being pulled open. Then came the sound of descending stairs, and the smell of damp earth and burning whale oil wafted towards him.
Besides that, there was the hushed conversation of about a dozen people... Damn it!
Chen Wenbin suddenly laughed, mainly because he was speechless, because the owners of these voices were the new shareholders who had invested in Providence Industries yesterday!
He could even identify the specific names: Aaron Lopez, the slave trader; former Governor Samuel Ward; Nicholas Brown of the Brown family and his son John; Thomas Cranston, a judge at the Rhode Island colony; and John Bannister, a merchant who had long worked part-time as a pirate at sea but had recently come ashore for a rest…
These guys were arguing with him about a few hundred pounds yesterday afternoon, and today they're trying to get revenge on him... How incredibly childish!
What mysterious organization in the world... it's just a club for idle, powerful, and wealthy people to have fun and build relationships!
To put it bluntly, it's no different from children playing house!
Chen Wenbin suddenly felt bored, but the process still had to be followed, so he had no choice but to hold his nose and listen to Benjamin Franklin introduce the glorious history and great achievements of Freemasonry in a deliberately mysterious tone.
What free stonemasons were building pyramids for the Pharaohs in Egypt three thousand years before the birth of Jesus?
He supposedly helped Alexander the Great conquer Persia, participated in the assassination of Caesar, and prevented Saladin's conquest...
In short, they exaggerate to the extreme, making up all sorts of unofficial histories!
After Franklin finished reciting the "History of the Organization," Reverend Johnson and Governor Hopkins, as introducers, stepped forward to Chen Wenbin and began to take turns reading the commandments.
These rules are similar to those of other organizations: keeping the organization's secrets, maintaining contact with the organization, not betraying the organization, and supporting the brothers within the organization... The routines are all pretty much the same, and Chen Wenbin only needs to answer "I fully accept them."
Then came the final ceremony, called "The Resurrection of Saigon Abif." Chen Wenbin guessed that this was probably a prank, making new members look bad in front of older members, with the aim of increasing the sense of hierarchy and cohesion among the organization's members.
Later, the fraternities in universities in Europe and America probably learned this system from the Freemasons, or rather, the fraternities in those famous universities were themselves branches and reserves of Freemasonry.
And the person who guided Chen Wenbin's ceremony was none other than Benjamin Franklin, that fat old man!
The fat old man chuckled twice and put a loose rope around Chen Wenbin's neck. Three old members surrounded Chen Wenbin on the left, right and behind him, and together they walked towards the muddy swamp with a few planks laid out... Although Chen Wenbin was blindfolded, he could smell the earthy smell of the swamp from a distance.
During the meeting, the three senior members kept pressing him for the so-called "secret," and Chen Wenbin, following Pastor Jensen's instructions, kept replying, "We'll talk about it after the temple is completed."
They were about to enter the swamp when Franklin quietly stepped aside, stomping on the first plank to raise its edge and block Chen Wenbin's path. If he continued forward, he would definitely trip and fall headfirst into the swamp...
Franklin and the onlookers watched this scene with great anticipation, and they could almost imagine Chen Wenbin's disheveled appearance.
Unfortunately, although Chen Wenbin's eyes were covered, he could still hear. He couldn't hide the fat man's little movements from him. With a light leap, he landed firmly on the plank and then used his shoulder to knock Franklin, who was waiting to laugh at him, into the mud!
"...Fuck!" the fat old man screamed and quickly rolled out of the mud!
This unexpected scene silenced the entire underground chamber!
"...Pfft!"
Someone looked at the comical Franklin and finally couldn't help but laugh, and then, as if it were contagious, everyone burst into laughter.
Chen Wenbin helplessly shrugged. Although he didn't speak or remove his blindfold, the sarcasm was palpable!
"...Ahem! Quiet! Continue the ceremony!"
Finally, Governor Hopkins stepped in and stopped the laughter. He pulled Franklin, who was covered in mud, to his feet, and then waved for the three "traitors" to continue the ceremony. Once Chen Wenbin had crossed the mud without any trouble by stepping on three planks, they carried him to the altar.
Then Pastor Jensen stepped forward and lit three candles not far from the feet of Chen Wenbin, who was lying flat. Upon seeing this, everyone sang a prayer in unison.
A few minutes later, the singing ended, and Chen Wenbin's blindfold was finally removed. When he opened his eyes, he saw three candles at his feet, the smiling faces of Governor Hopkins and Reverend Jason, and the completely sullen and ugly face of that fat old man Franklin.
Reverend Jason reached out and helped him up, a smile in his eyes. "...Congratulations on your resurrection, Brother Robin Chen! Welcome to the Providence chapter. You are our 367th brother!"