At the ticket counter of St. Mark's Basilica.
William, dressed in casual clothes, took out a ten-euro note and handed it to the middle-aged ticket seller behind the counter, saying, "Hello, two tickets."
?
The ticket seller inside the booth glanced at Halsey, who was standing behind William, then looked at Yelena and Ivan, and shook his head.
He replied in heavily accented English, "Sir, that's not enough. Your two children also need to pay."
"Oh, I'm sorry," William quickly apologized with a smile, then took out another ten-euro note and handed it to the seller through the window.
He said, "They just turned four and a half this year, so I habitually only paid for my wife and me. Sorry for the trouble."
"You're too kind, sir," the ticket seller said, preparing four tickets and handing them to William.
"I wish your family a pleasant visit."
"Thank you." After taking the tickets, William led Halsey and the children away, joining the queue heading towards the ticket check.
"Ah, a son and a daughter, how happy... Four and a half???"
It was only after William's family had walked away that the ticket seller realized Yelena and Ivan were only four years old.
— — — — — — —
...
At the ticket check, people were queuing orderly, waiting to have their tickets checked and enter.
William didn't bother to use his special connections to clear the area, not only to avoid unnecessary commotion but, more importantly, because the "crowd" was part of the fun of a holiday.
"Haha~!" Yelena, in particular, loved crowded scenes. She tugged on William's left hand, pointing at a painting above the main entrance of the church and excitedly exclaimed,
"Dad! Look, look! Is the person in the very center Jesus?"
"Hmm?" William followed the direction of Yelena's finger and saw a brightly colored fresco within the recessed semicircle.
The person in the center of the fresco had a halo behind them, and the other disciples raised their hands in reverence.
William then nodded and said, "Yes, that's Jesus."
"Wow~!" Yelena gasped again. She looked around at the surrounding architecture and paintings, sighing, "Dad, Mom, there are so many beautiful sights on Earth."
Seeing their daughter so happy, William and Halsey couldn't help but smile.
"Yelena," Halsey said, walking over to Yelena, "Mommy will tell you stories about Christianity. Do you want to hear them?"
"Yes, yes! I do~!"
"Jesus was..."
The mother and daughter slowly walked along with the queue, discussing religion and history.
Meanwhile, William went over to Ivan, who had been silent, placed a hand on his son's shoulder, and asked with a smile,
"Ivan, why are you still so down? Don't you like it here?"
"No, I like it here very much, especially the statues and frescoes," Ivan replied.
Then he added, "Maybe I'm still adjusting after just leaving the island. Don't worry, Father."
"Is that so? Good then," William said, patting Ivan's somewhat spiky head.
"You, you need to smile more. Even Myron calls you 'Little John' now."
"Little John?" Ivan, who had been looking ahead at the crowd, was startled. He looked up at William and asked, "Why Little John?"
"Because John always has a grumpy face."
"Uh... to give me that nickname, it really fits Brother Myron's style," Ivan said, scratching the back of his head.
Seeing his son still the same, William could only shake his head and smile wryly.
"Daddy~! Come on, come on!" Just then, Yelena, who was ahead in the queue, called out.
"Coming."
William then patted his son's shoulder again before walking behind Halsey and Yelena.
Looking at his family's backs, Ivan couldn't help but show a fleeting smile.
Then he turned his gaze to the front of the crowd, focusing on a 'little girl' and a group of 'monks' surrounding her.
The girl was about 1.4 meters tall, dressed in Christian nun's attire, with rare naturally red long hair, and appeared to be around ten years old.
Using his superhuman vision, Ivan noticed that the girl's eyes were also an eerie green.
As for the 'monks' surrounding her, they were dressed in typical Christian attire.
The monks were not as relaxed and at ease as ordinary tourists; instead, they waited with serious expressions to enter the church.
Very strange.
As soon as Ivan arrived, he noticed the group of monks and the girl surrounded by them.
Suddenly, the girl seemed to notice Ivan's gaze.
But she only smiled back at Ivan, then followed the monks through the ticket check and into the interior of the church.
Seeing this, Ivan merely frowned slightly but didn't delve too deeply.
Due to the orderly queue, William's family quickly entered the church.
Inside.
They found the space vast, with rows of giant marble pillars and over four thousand square meters of mosaic art.
The main hall also contained countless paintings and sculptures, along with golden-painted walls and abundant warm lighting from above, making "opulent" the most fitting description.
The most striking feature was the Golden Altar at the very back of the central hall.
Behind the altar was a golden screen, approximately one and a half meters high and three and a half meters wide.
The screen was adorned with over eighty porcelain tiles depicting scenes from the lives of Jesus, the Virgin Mary, and the disciples, as well as over two thousand diamonds, gemstones, and crystals.
Luxurious.
After all, since 1075, all ships returning to Venice from overseas were required to contribute a precious gift to decorate this church.
It would be hard for it not to be luxurious.
.
"Wow!" (x2)
Yelena and Halsey, mother and daughter, both exclaimed in admiration upon seeing the'sparkling' jewels from afar.
Women...
No matter their age, they are drawn to "bling-bling" jewelry.
The mother and daughter immediately gathered around William and said,
"Husband (Dad), let's go to a jewelry store tomorrow and pick out some accessories, okay~?"
"Hehe, alright. The most important thing is to have fun while on vacation. Buy whatever you like," William said generously, embracing the two women.
At the same time, their words drew envious and jealous glances from nearby tourists.
The jealousy came from male tourists who thought William was just showing off.
The envy came from female tourists who envied Halsey and Yelena for having such a generous husband and father in William.
However...
If a group of female tourists knew William's true identity, they might break their necks trying to be his mistress.
Ivan, standing behind William, appeared much more discreet.
He simply followed silently behind his family, his gaze occasionally darting towards the front of the crowd.
He saw the group of monks slowly escorting the girl towards the Golden Altar.
As they drew closer to the altar, Ivan felt an increasing premonition that something was about to happen.
Immediately, he tugged at William's sleeve and whispered, "Father, I think we need to change attractions."
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