Before starting this chapter, a special thanks to Lady Trent, and Light, who I know has been faithful to my stories and my universe since the very beginning. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for this loyalty!
4- The Universal Ruler
The next morning, Lara woke up early in spite of herself, and even though she knew she had enough time before Khin's return, she decided to get up and enjoy the early morning and the facilities her host had told her so much about the day before.
After changing, she went down to the ground floor and naturally headed for the pool, towel over her shoulder. She didn't see anyone, but she wasn't that surprised as it was still very early in the morning. She walked up the glass walkway to the main staircase. She then went back down into the hall, and went the opposite way of the main door, before passing through a large glass door. She suddenly found herself facing some kind of fake vines hanging from the ceiling through which she had to make her way, and after another moment of surprise, she finally discovered a space just as large and uncluttered as the rest of the villa. The pool itself was huge, with a small waterfall that dripped with a constant, but relaxing noise. The large green plants all around and the rough faux stone floor gave the impression of being lost in the middle of the jungle. She did a few laps, just to gently wake up her body. She quickly rinsed off under the shower, before taking the direction of the kitchens with a silent step, wrapped in her thick bathrobe. There, she discovered that a bowl of fruit, freshly squeezed fruit juices, some pastries and eggs just out of the frying pan had been left at her disposal on a low table, in a comfy corner facing the gardens.
She sat there, on one of the deckchairs, and savoured her fragrant tea in the silence of the big house. Outside, the sun was now fully up, spreading its bright rays over the surrounding jungle and the businessman's property. The adventuress savoured its warmth and admired the perfectly tended garden. She observed the statues and their precisely chiselled fountains, which she had not noticed until now. She frowned slightly when she noticed that they were two winged creatures, a man and a woman, wearing traditional Burmese headgear and attributes. Their movement gave the impression they were fighting each other, but also that they were throwing themselves into each other's arms. She immediately dismissed the idea, or rather, the image of a memory that crossed her mind for a split second, and looked away.
She quietly finished her breakfast, then decided to go back up to her room to change. She went back down to the ground floor, this time to the gym which was an extension of the pool. Unsurprisingly, she found a room full of ultra-sophisticated and modern machines, all equipped with the latest technology. After a good two hours of intensive training, including a session of punching against a boxing bag, she finally stopped. And as she took a few steps to take her breath again, once again admiring the view of the gardens, she couldn't help but think that despite the obvious comfort in which he lived, Khin was completely alone in this immense, superficial void.
When she decided to go back upstairs to her suite and change again, Lara paused at the top of the stairs. Her gaze instinctively turned to the corridor she had used the previous day, the one that served Khin's office and the libraries. She definitely felt like going there to have a look after all.
She turned the handle, and gently pushed the heavy door open to slip quietly inside. For a split second she thought she was in another world, but one that was strangely familiar. Khin's library was exactly as it looked: huge, like the rest of this villa, and filled to the brim with books of all kinds. A large room with several dark wooden desks opened up to her. In one corner there was a set of red velvet armchairs, and in the other a lovely spiral staircase that led to a second floor. All the walls were literally covered with books wherever she looked. Above her head, painted directly onto the ceiling, was a gigantic old-style planisphere. There was also a sort of mezzanine, running the length of the room, bounded by a wooden railing. Lara realised the upper floor was also partly filled with books and manuscripts of the same kind.
She took some steps around, and after a moment chose a small book of poems. She sat down in a rococo armchair that matched the rest of the room and read quietly, listening to the background sounds of tropical birds and fountains that she could hear from outside.
"Mr. Khin will be absolutely delighted to see that you are here at your ease," she heard suddenly.
She looked up abruptly, and found Nay watching her from the doorway.
"I never refuse a good book, indeed, especially when it comes from a collection as complete and almost as impressive as mine."
"I don't doubt it, Miss. You've got plenty here to educate yourself for a good many years to come."
"Oh, I hope for my sake I'm out of here by then. No offense, of course. Though I don't mind the idea of wasting my time in a clever way," she replied with a small nod of her shoulder and admiring the library around her once more.
"Books are the most precious thing we own, after all," agreed the Burmese. "They are traces of history, testimonies that we must preserve and keep alive. They tell us a lot about our predecessors, and about humanity, don't you think?"
"I also believe that all these men and women who have been writing tirelessly since humanity was able to do so have always been keen to pass on their knowledge, and I believe that it is also interesting to share all this knowledge and make it accessible to everyone. If you ask me, some works would be better placed in a museum, or in places where they can be seen and admired. In my opinion, they are the property of mankind, which evolves and grows thanks to them in a way."
"I completely agree with you on some points, Miss. But we must not forget that it is also because of these very works that humanity sometimes destroys and divides itself."
The man supported the look that Lara gave him, slightly surprised by this answer. An expression that she was unable to decipher had frozen on his face.
"But I assure you, that doesn't prevent Monsieur from keeping all his treasures preciously, and taking the greatest care of them," he continued in a neutral tone.
I imagine that several of us would literally tear his eyes out if he allowed this kind of heritage to go up in smoke, Lara thought.
She felt the Burmese's eyes scrutinize her intently as silence suddenly hung between them.
"Is everything all right, Miss?"
She put on a false smile.
"I was just wondering when my prestigious host would return, so we could discuss things in more detail."
Nay nodded politely.
"That was the very purpose of my coming. Monsieur has returned from his trip and asked me to fetch you, Miss. If you are available, of course."
The adventuress nodded in turn. She watched as the Burmese man stepped aside to invite her out of the library. She stood up and reluctantly put the book back on it shelf. She went out and the driver followed. They walked up the long corridor towards the central staircase. They found Khin, who was waiting gently there.
"I hope the night was gentle and restful," the wealthy businessman inquired, addressing her with his eternal self-satisfied smile, which she had absolutely not missed at all she suddenly realised.
"Probably much more relaxing than yours," she retorted as the three of them descended into the great hall.
Lara let herself be guided by the determined walk of the two Burmese men in front of her, who led her to a secluded corner of the hall, not far from the pool. At first glance, there was nothing special about this place. They stopped in front of a dark wall. Lara frowned.
Khin then raised his arm and laid his hand flat against the smooth marble. After a few fractions of a second, a blue light lit up around his fingers one by one. Then the light diffused under his whole hand, and there was a "beep".
"Business leaves little room for rest indeed. As they say, business waits for no man. But as you yourself mentioned, it's important to always keep an eye on your own business and always be on the lookout."
He withdrew his hand, and almost instantly the outline of a door appeared before them. The opening slid open to let them through. Lara thought she was in yet another dark corridor, but she soon discovered that it was in fact a small airlock, which opened onto a staircase that went down into the basement of the villa. Small red lights with an eerie edge illuminated each of its steps. After the reconstructed fairy-tale castle, she was now facing a staircase cast in black concrete, which would have fitted perfectly in a spaceship.
Without waiting, Khin took the first step. Lara followed, encouraged by a polite gesture from Nay, who consequently closed the way. The staircase was stuck in a kind of narrow corridor, and went down relentlessly underground. They descended without stopping, the steps followed one another without interruption, the descent seemed endless.
When they finally reached the bottom -and obviously several meters underground judging by the thickness of the concrete surrounding them-, Lara discovered a kind of second airlock, much larger than the first, at the bottom of which was a gigantic rounded metal door. The completely smooth, dark walls reminded her strongly of a bank storage room. Khin moved forward to place his hand in the centre of the enormous door. Again, the security system unlocked one finger after another in a steel-blue light. Several of the ultra-sophisticated locks unlocked with small, steady clicks, until a louder slam. The entire door mechanism was triggered, and the various central parts began to move, sliding around each other in an amazing ballet.
The heavy door finally opened and swung open, revealing a gigantic space that lit up as the three of them passed through to the other side. Lara could not contain her amazement at the place she had just entered. It looked like some kind of fortified cellar, halfway between a warehouse and an ultra modern archive room. The room itself was maybe a hundred meters long and was hugely empty and high. From floor to ceiling, everything was an interweaving of glass and transparency, spotlights illuminated the structure from the ceiling, which gave the place an unreal atmosphere. The Englishwoman followed the two Burmese men without saying a word as they made their way through a maze of transparent glass cases containing all sorts of objects: paintings, precious stones, parchments, precious objects, shields, weapons... all of which were obviously related to the history of the Asian continent. They passed a set of ceremonial clothes sewn with gold and precious stones, gigantic vases with light blue details, ancient texts by Confucius himself, the dagger of X... no, the handle was not the same finish, Lara thought to herself as she felt her heart racing in her chest. But it looked just like it.
Each object was precautiously kept in its own cubicle and displayed on racks. It all looked like a real underground museum gallery, with exactly the same kind of lighting and sanitized display cases. Their footsteps echoed dully on the glass floor, Lara noted the thick reinforced concrete hidden behind the glass and that imprisoned them once more, as well as the countless surveillance cameras placed everywhere. After what seemed to her to be an extremely long time, they arrived in a slightly larger space at the bottom, where was standing a transparent staircase leading to an open mezzanine overlooking the entire gallery. As they went up, in the middle of the room, the adventuress discovered a large rectangular block of transparent glass which was obviously used as a table. Around it were more glass cases, smaller this time, containing books and scrolls of all sizes. Here too, each one was carefully kept in its own compartment.
Khin went to press a button on a small box fixed to one of the table's corner. There was a metallic clatter, far above their heads, and a steady puffing sound was heard in the air ducts. Lara immediately recognised the feeling of pressurisation and the slightly humid air necessary for the preservation of the most sensitive works, specific to the archive rooms of certain museums or other top secret buildings.
Completely ignoring her host and driver, the adventuress instinctively walked forward and slowly made her way around this strange library, her head constantly raised towards the shelves all around her, unable to lay her eyes on a particular book. Everything smelled of wax and old parchment, all the perfectly maintained leather bindings beckoned her. The names of the most eminent historical figures flashed before her eyes: Homer, Herodotus, but also Copernicus, Nostradamus, but also more recent ones, like Luther, Goethe... On closer inspection, they were all there. All the greatest poets, philosophers, politicians, writers and alchemists of all time were gathered there, in a cellar deep in the Burmese jungle.
Suddenly, one of the books, though a simple booklet among the others, caught her eye. She reached out towards it, unable to hold back.
The Diagramma della Verita! Galileo's manuscript which contains all the knowledge about the movements of the earth and the stars...
Lara turned to her host, and silently asked his permission. He replied with a nod and a mischievous smile. Nay then stepped forward to offer her and his employer a pair of plastic gloves, which she quickly put on. He went to press a small switch, which deactivated the security system that protected the book. The transparent box in which it was kept unlocked. Lara carefully took the book out of its place, holding her breath so that it would not fall into dust. She was surprised that this did not happen: some of the pieces here must have been over 800 years old. She turned around and walked to the glass table behind her, where she placed it with great care. She leafed through the book with very slow movements, fascinated.
"Very good choice, although very controversial," Khin said in a solemn tone.
The adventuress looked at him with a forbidding eye.
"It should be safe in the papal archives..." she muttered, shaking her head, still amazed to find herself in front of this work.
"Theoretically, yes..."
Lara watched as the Burmese man complemented his answer with a shrug and a sly, almost condescending smile.
"... but let's just say that I've been able to build up trusting contacts with certain people over the years."
Lara glanced around again, dispirited. Given the size of the collection, it couldn't have been just contacts and a few well-placed notes. She looked down again at the small slips of paper in front of her, almost offended to think that she herself didn't have such a long arm to have access to this kind of work; in any case, it seemed a pittance compared to what Khin could obviously get with a simple snap of fingers.
"With a collection like that, you're not far from making an impression," she admitted, finally straightening up.
"Would I have scored any points?"
"Maybe you'll score some when we finally talk business," Lara retorted, folding her arms against her, determined to get her host on to the subject that really interested her.
Khin remained completely impassive for a short while, then leaned towards Nay. He dismissed him with a few brief words and a wave of his hand. The young man gave him a sidelong glance - Lara even thought he was going to protest - before changing his mind. Then, obviously reluctantly, the driver nodded politely to both of them before turning away. His footsteps slowly faded away as he went down the straircase and went away in the gallery. Khin waited some time, before turning his attention back to his host.
"Do you know the history of Burma, Miss Croft?"
Lara shrugged a shoulder.
"I suppose I know the broad outlines, though the timeline I have in mind surely deserves some clarification and elaboration."
Khin nodded slowly. He began to walk slowly in circles around the room, his gaze downcast and focused on his own steps.
"As with many countries, Burma's history is quite complex and has not been as tranquil as the Irrawaddy, our feeder river, which flows through its heart. We have always been a military and conquering people, our history is one of war. We have been coveted by many for our wealth. We came out of dependency in blood, promising ourselves to live free and in peace, and yet we continue to suffer the violence of the military junta..."
"I'm sorry about that."
"I don't hold it against you, I assure you."
They exchanged a polite look.
"But that's not the point," he added abruptly, as if he realised that he was getting lost in his thoughts. "Did you know that the first Burmese city-states date back to the first century A.D.?" he said, this time addressing the young woman directly.
"The Pyus, a Tibeto-Burman population if I remember well?"
"They flourished for over 1,000 years, and are especially a crucial record of the introduction of Buddhism to Southeast Asia. But the decline of the Pyus and their City of Splendours very quickly allowed the Pagan region to rise to prominence. Pagan is considered the founder of the Burmese empire. It was once a rich kingdom with strong relations with India, the Chinese and Khmer kingdoms."
"I also understand it was during this period that most of the temples found in your country were erected?" added Lara, who had settled down to lean against the central table.
Khin confirmed with a shake of his head.
"Bagan, the ancient capital of the kingdom, was a very dynamic city open to the outside world. From the eleventh century onwards, it established itself as a very active centre of Buddhism. As a result, hundreds of temples and monasteries were built with great architectural and artistic creativity. But this spiritual and artistic prosperity came to a halt when the Mongols took over the kingdom."
Khin walked over to one of the boxe behind him. His gloved fingers took hold of an extremely yellowed parchment, the edges of which had been nibbled away by time. The businessman then placed the document on the glass table, next to the one Lara had taken out earlier. She expected a piece of parchment covered with writing, but she finally discovered a drawing: that of a warrior with a pointed headdress, from which a long red ribbon escaped. The man wore a thick leather armour representative of the time and rode a powerful white horse. The adventuress did not need to decipher the ideograms inscribed all around to recognise him.
"Genghis Khan, the Universal Ruler," she murmured.
"One of the most iconic conquerors in all of human history."
"Not least because of his remarkable intelligence in terms of military tactics," Lara completed.
"He is the unifier of the Mongolian peoples and the founder of the Mongolian empire, the largest contiguous empire in history. An empire larger than any other that ever existed. It is thanks to him that trade was facilitated, and that the Silk Road was established, notably by giving a certain political cohesion to this whole group of tribes. And above all Gengis Kahn allowed the expansion of Eurasian culture."
As he spoke, the Burmese man placed his hand flat against one the table's side; there was a blue light, like the one she had seen when they had reached the stairs, and then another click. The surface of the table sank in on itself, and opened in two, revealing a secret hideout.
"The irony of the whole thing is that Mongolia is strictly speaking an invader in the eyes of most countries on our continent," Khin commented as he approached the table. "Burma was a very small part of the whole Mongolian empire during the reign of Genghis Khan. But his greatness and influence were such that their traces remained in any country on the continent in some way. His imprint is undeniable, and I think it's fair to say it has helped build our identity in the centuries that followed."
"Just like many countries that have been influenced by charismatic leaders who have unfortunately left their mark on human history," Lara added.
"When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they can seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall," Khin added.
They slowly nodded together, inwardly agreeing on this circumstantial famous quote. The Burmese man turned around and motioned to her. Hidden in the glass table, was what at first looked like a large grey concrete slab, which turned out to be a piece of a dark stone tablet covered with elegant engravings. It was illuminated by mini spotlights, and protected like all the others under a glass pane. It was badly crumbled and cracked in places, some pieces had been glued to the others in order to try to reconstitute its whole. Even if a great part of it was missing, one could clearly make out a vertical writing system, which mainly covered the upper part of the slab.
"It was discovered a few days ago, further north, not far from Bargan's archaeological site, buried under several layers of vines and roots."
Lara's eyes roamed over the stone carvings, fascinated by this poetic piece of history. However, her knowledge of Asian ideograms did not allow her to understand the text precisely. Khin read it to her in a loud and clear voice.
"As you might have guessed, it is not complete, a part of it is still missing, but here is what it says :
The Eastern wind dis- the snow
-city, as if sprinkled with j-
And the victorious land have-
The case closed, the-
On this river g-
I do-
I do not-
I think of-
Alon-"
"There's a large part of it missing indeed, but I guess it is a poem, then. Who wrote it?"
"Ogedei Khan."
Lara frowned.
"Genghis Khan's eldest son?"
"Precisely."
The young woman suddenly felt confused. She didn't understand what her host was getting at, and what this stone tablet had to do with the ruby stone. She glanced questioningly at Khin, who seemed to guess the question that was burning in her mind.
"Genghis Khan led many, many expeditions and skirmishes throughout his reign. Most of them, as you already know, allowed him to establish his authority over the conquered territories, and to ensure that cohesion persisted in the immensity of such a vast kingdom. But what very few people know is that the Universal Ruler was also a fervent defender of his heritage, and was keen to safeguard his culture. He couldn't do it alone, of course. So he founded an order, dedicated specifically to that."
"A sort of militia, in a way?" Lara wondered, listening to the businessman with great attention.
"A group composed of about twenty of the best men he had in the whole kingdom. Over-trained and loyal men, dedicated solely to the hunt for precious objects, better known as the Universals."
"So their goal was to find and collect the most valuable objects on the continent to build up a treasure trove, if I understand correctly?" the Englishwoman asked, nodding her head slowly and thoughtfully.
"Genghis Khan was mainly interested in safeguarding the greatest, most precious and most secret treasures of the Eurasian continent. These could range from simple weapons to the most complex and coveted objects, or ones that supposedly had mystical powers."
"And the ruby I brought back was precisely one of those treasures, wasn't it?"
"Mee Myethci, the Eye of Fire. A unique stone, considered the most beautiful of all. Even at that time, there were rumours about its magical, mystical powers. Legend has it that it was born from the tears of one of Asia's oldest demons."
"Is that why you wanted it back?" Lara asked bluntly.
Khin stared at her, focused.
"For your information Miss Croft, not all businessmen are necessarily dishonest," he replied with a certain outrage.
"It's up to you to prove me wrong," she retorted sharply.
They gave each other a steady glance, silently sizing each other up.
"What I am looking for precisely Miss Croft, is the original sanctuary where this stone comes from."
There was silence for a short time, during which Lara inwardly weighed her host's words, thinking about all those information at the same time. Khin took a deep breathe and resumed his explanation.
"The circumstances surrounding Genghis Khan's death are still quite unclear. Several theories have been woven over the centuries: some speak of a fatal wound during one of his last campaigns against China's Ming, others speak of a mysterious illness, others speak of an infection to which he would have succumbed after being shot with an arrow... the fact is that, shortly before his death, he entrusted the ruby to the Universals and asked them to make it disappear. Or at least to keep it safe. Genghis Kahn lived in troubled times, and because of the delicate mission he had given himself, he asked the one person he really trusted to take responsibility for hiding the ruby. The one he had appointed to head the order, and who was none other than his direct heir."
"Ogedeï Khan."
The man nodded slowly.
"It would appear that Ogedeï correctly fulfilled his mission. The stone travelled from shrine to shrine, obliterating any clue to its location. The Mongolian Empire back then stretched all across Eurasia, as far as Poland, and in the southern countries, on the Gaza side. But I wouldn't have thought it would end up so far from its origins, until Hage, my contact in Namibia located it there. He spent years tracing every step of the stone's journey."
"So, you're trying to find the shrine from which Ogedeï Kahn initially took the stone?"
Khin shook his head again.
"And do you have any idea where this shrine might be located? Because, Burma is full of thousands of sacred temples and shrines, some of them-"
"We have not yet pinpointed its location indeed, which is also where I was hoping to get your help, I won't hide it from you. But one thing is certain, the ruby originally came from the only sacred sanctuary in which the objects Genghis Khan wanted to keep safe could be kept..."
"In his own tomb, I suppose?"
Khin nodded mischievously, a glint of excitement shining in his eyes.
"So if I may summarise the situation," Lara continued, "the pigeon's blood ruby you asked me to retrieve would in fact come from Genghis Kahn's tomb. A tomb you wish to uncover. And you think this poem," she said, pointing to the stone tablet, "would be related to the tomb?"
"Precisely."
The Englishwoman took a brief moment to think: it all seemed to make sense so far. She pouted, however.
"I thought Genghis Kahn's body was repatriated to his native land in Mongolia when he died?" she said, frowning a little more.
"He was buried on a mountain top, yes, that's what some rumours of the time say. But this has never been established with precision, since the procession that accompanied the body of the deceased emperor was sacrificed, as well as all potential witnesses, so that the exact location of his remains could not be located, as a precaution I suppose."
"I see. But how can you be sure he was buried here in Burma then?"
"There are many indications that he was," Khin asserted with some aplomb. "This is a long-term job, involving many years of research and investigation, contacts and negotiations. This poem itself is a clue. All the research I have done on the subject is gathered here, and I wish you could have access to it yourself, since that is where I will need your services from now on."
Lara took a look at all the documents piled up next to the tablet, from the dictionary to translate the tablet to various books and references on Genghis Kahn from what she could see. Khin really seemed sincere, he may have had started research years ago before finding any kind of clues. A doubtful pout played on her lips, but after all, she realised she couldn't possibly be aware of all the archaeological research being conducted in the world.
"If you're willing to help me, of course," the businessman snapped at her sudden silence.
Lara slowly rummaged through the documents. There was quite a lot of content, maybe she'd come up with something with all this. She nodded slowly.
"I'll have to do a lot of research on my own, and I'll probably need some help with the translations, but I might come up with something, yes."
"Of course. As I said, I will make sure that everything you need is available to you. I will ask Nay to have a badge prepared for you to give you access to all restricted areas like this one in the villa. I will also put him at your disposal to take you wherever you need to go, I think in particular to the national library, in downtown Yangon if needed. Even though I've literally scoured it from end to end, it's not impossible that your expert eye will spot information I might have missed."
The adventuress looked up at the businessman. A petty smile, and an expression tinged with a certain determination had appeared on his face.
"I'll just have to get to work, then," Lara concluded.