The Fox of France

Chapter 384: The Opening Ceremony

In fact, many of the measures Joseph mentioned had already been implemented. Various entertainment industries, various competitions—from the "Paris Rose" competition involving women from various nightclubs to the globally influential "Prometheus Award." Various sports activities, such as tennis matches across Paris neighborhoods, were already underway.

The Ministry of Truth had even devised "French Tennis Competition Rules," creating a silver-bottomed trophy to award the tennis champions of various Parisian communities.

Tennis had been immensely popular across all classes in France initially (largely due to its gambling associations), but its connection to gambling caused complications. Consequently, during the Bourbon dynasty, tennis was outright banned.

However, banning tennis didn't halt gambling; it just found other avenues. Despite occasional issues arising from gambling, it rarely led to significant unrest. In some ways, it became a form of stress relief.

So, under Napoleon's reign, the ban on tennis was lifted. With the Ministry's guidance, the sport thrived even more than its gambling days. Community and inter-community matches became a more effective form of recreation.

Regarding gambling, it wasn't encouraged, but recognized for its recreational value. It needed regulation—a balance of moderation and transparency. In essence, gambling on tennis was allowed, but the management of tennis gambling establishments fell under state control—handled solely through the Ministry's tennis lottery.

Apart from tennis, the Ministry introduced new "football rules" and was preparing for community football matches—the origins of future football leagues.

However, the paramount event remained the Olympics. The Olympic flame had arrived in Britain, while another route was en route back from North America.

A dozen days later, the flame returning from North America reached Spain.

After a day's stop in Spain to synchronize with the other flame's progress and replenish supplies, it continued eastward, reaching Marseille two days later. Meanwhile, the other flame had left Britain.

The flame's passage within France was slower than in other countries, traversing numerous small towns and villages, unlike merely passing through capitals or major cities elsewhere. Each stop brought a day-long festivity and parade, slowing the flame's progress.

Media coverage focused on the flame's passage—local receptions, the region's specialties, and occurrences during the relay. Each newspaper had its focus: "Scientific Truth Gazette" emphasized local enthusiasm, "Businessman Gazette" focused on products and potential trade, while "Sun Report" exaggerated romantic incidents during the relay (although known for fictional stories).

This extensive coverage prolonged the journey; it took over two months for both flames to approach Paris. During this time, the Pope, accompanied by a sizable delegation, left Rome by ship for Paris.

The French Navy dispatched a fleet to escort the Pope's delegation. Upon arrival in Marseille, Minister Lucien of France's Ministry of Truth hosted a grand welcome ceremony, presenting a marble statue of the Assumption of Mary—a gift from the French people to the Papal entourage.

Subsequently, escorted by Lucien, the Pope's party traveled north by a dedicated train, reaching Paris. The First Consul of France met the Pope's delegation, engaging in warm discussions about the development of Catholicism globally and other shared concerns.

Napoleon welcomed the Pope's attendance at the impending inaugural Modern Olympics in Paris, stating that promoting worldwide peace resonated with the spirit of Christ, an essence embodied by the Olympics. The Pope's visit validated the Church's adherence to Christ's spirit and positioned the Vatican as the true spiritual leader of Christianity. France pledged cooperation to spread Catholicism globally.

In turn, the Pope praised Napoleon's piety, likening him to Charlemagne. He commended France's significant contributions to the Catholic world, envisioning Napoleon and his associates as protectors and propagators of Catholicism, similar to Charlemagne and the Twelve Paladins. He emphasized strengthening the inseparable traditional friendship between France and the Vatican.

Post-meeting, the Pope visited Paris's Notre Dame Cathedral, where he and his entourage resided until the conclusion of the Olympics. Here, they conducted ceremonies to bless the Republic and met with bishops from various regions—a formality, as the French Church operated independently. While acknowledging the Pope's spiritual leadership, they maintained their independence.

In reality, doctrinal differences between the French Church and the Vatican had grown evident, surpassing even the differences between Anglicanism and the Vatican. Yet, these distinctions were tacitly disregarded, presenting a façade of profound unity.

Three days after the Pope's arrival in Paris, both Olympic flames returned to the city. On May 30, 1804, they united in front of the Shrine of the Forefathers, initiating celebrations across Paris.

The torch relay in Paris followed a community-based pattern. Roads were pedestrianized, barring carriages, and mounted police ensured order. The flame passed systematically through neighborhoods, avoiding the stampedes seen recently in British cities due to overcrowding.

Taking a whole day, the flame completed its relay within Paris, heading in a relay to the endpoint—the main venue of the Olympics. Over a thousand citizens followed, whether by carriage, horseback, or on foot, towards the main venue. However, most young enthusiasts on foot were swiftly left behind by the relay.

Among those on foot was the young Henri, recently retired from the cavalry as a lieutenant, enrolled in the Paris School of Applied Arts, aiming for an engineering career. He and his fervent classmates ran until exhausted, unable to keep pace.

Watching the distant flame, fatigued Henri bent, gasping, calling out, "Great France, please wait for your people…"

However, the torch didn't halt, and neither did France—it ran faster than the relay torch. Napoleon, a cohort of officials, and visiting dignitaries were already at the main venue, readying for the inaugural ceremony of the first Modern Olympics. Were it not for Henri's classmates arriving in a rented carriage, Henri would've missed the opening ceremony. Despite not securing tickets, he watched from a distant hilltop through a telescope.

The choice of the evening of June 1 for the opening ceremony aimed to showcase France's lighting technology. Initially, the Moulin Rouge had creatively adorned itself with various lights. Now, technological advancements allowed France to enchant the main venue with lights, creating a dreamlike spectacle.

Apart from the light show, there were indispensable fireworks. A year ago, the laboratory at the University of Paris conducted a systematic study on flame reactions, aiming to invent a new method for analyzing metallic minerals. This research, within the military industrial complex's laboratories, transformed into various signal flares. Once the civilian applications of this signal flare technology emerged, it evolved into various fireworks. Supported by this technology, France's current fireworks expertise can be considered the foremost in Europe. These elements required the opening ceremony to be held at night.

The first part of the opening ceremony naturally commenced with speeches from leaders.

First was Napoleon's address. He conveyed wishes for world peace, praised the Olympic spirit, urging all participating athletes to uphold the spirit of "friendship first, competition second," displaying style and skill in the games.

Finally, Napoleon stated:

"The essence of the Olympic spirit lies in 'the pursuit of human-centeredness, achieving self-transcendence, and self-perfection.' Each athlete will demonstrate superb skills in a fair competitive environment, sparking passionate participation and creating the brilliance they aspire to in their hearts.

The significant mission of the Paris Olympics is to promote the exchange of cultures worldwide. We earnestly hope that the enduring historical culture of the French nation, the vibrant cities and countryside, and the hospitable people, leave wonderful memories for our friends."

After Napoleon's speech, the Pope presided over the blessing ceremony held for this Olympics.

Following the lengthy and elaborate blessing ceremony were various performances in the opening ceremony. Due to contamination from the future, these performances naturally turned into various large-scale gymnastic displays. In this era, such performances seemed to showcase a certain military capability. After all, the rigidly disciplined formations resembled firing squad tactics that some countries hadn't entirely abandoned yet.

The first group gymnastics primarily focused on revisiting the ancient Olympic history. Consequently, this performance included numerous elements related to pagan rituals, but including the Pope, everyone seemed to ignore them entirely.

It began with imitations of the ancient Greek Olympics, followed by various processions of the Roman Empire, including crowds, chariots, and even a few elephants (procured from the Turks).

Next came the portrayal of modern France. Through continuous formation changes, the participants spelled out France's national motto: "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity," then occasionally showcasing the slogan of this Olympics: "Science, Progress, Peace."

After the gymnastics performance, the entry of athletes from various countries followed. As the host, the French delegation entered first, followed by other countries in alphabetical order. Post the entry, athlete representatives delivered speeches. Amidst cheers, a torchbearer entered the stadium.

As this torchbearer entered, they lit the torch of another dressed as an ancient Greek scholar waiting on the track. The latter raised the torch, running forward, waving to the crowd and displaying the red windmill symbol on their clothes. The audience erupted in cheers and, as trained earlier, quickly formed human waves.

The first runner covered barely a hundred meters before another, dressed as an ancient Greek warrior, awaited. Being a torchbearer at the main event was something to boast about for a lifetime. Many had almost fought tooth and nail for this opportunity initially. Eventually, an auction resolved the issue, with each of the five torchbearers reportedly spending an average of fifty thousand francs.

The second torchbearer, while running, displayed a shield bearing the insignia of the Borgh Insurance Company and their slogan: "A Reliable Assurance."

The third, fourth, and fifth torchbearers were dressed as various ancient figures, each using different means to display a company's advertisement.

The fifth torchbearer approached the main torch, where a figure dressed as Artemis (the goddess of the hunt) stood, holding a bow and arrow.

As Artemis frequently roamed the forests, her attire was quite revealing for convenience. Like most Greek (Roman) goddesses, her top had no sleeves, fully exposing her pure white arms. However, these goddesses typically wore long skirts that reached the ground. Even Aphrodite, usually depicted bare-chested in sculptures, wore a skirt trailing to the ground. But Artemis was different; her skirt was short, revealing her knees and entirely displaying her snow-white legs. In this era, such attire was quite scandalous and unconventional. However, Pauline didn't care. She was used to numerous criticisms; a little more didn't matter.

Reportedly, after this Olympics, inspired by Pauline's attire, starting from the Moulin Rouge, many women in certain professions began an Artemis impersonation trend. Considering Artemis's divine role, this was almost ironic. Especially conservative British and certain Austrian newspapers sharply criticized Pauline's led trend. However, Pauline's response was immediate: launching a brand-new "Cleese" series of sleeveless short dresses for women – although these "hunting dresses" weren't necessarily suitable for actual hunting (except for hunting something particular).

The arrowhead of the arrow in Pauline's hand was wrapped in an oiled cloth. She aimed it towards the torch, igniting it.

Pauline drew her bow fully, aimed at the main torch nearby, and launched the burning arrow toward it. As the rocket descended, the fuel-filled main torch ignited, burning fiercely.

With the lighting of the main torch, Beethoven's "Olympic March" played in the arena, accompanied by various fireworks exploding in the sky, filling it with a myriad of colors.

Fireworks, an intoxicating sight even in later years, were even more mesmerizing at this time. Moreover, the French fireworks surpassed any previous displays. These fireworks were shot into the sky using specially made cannons, each shell far heavier than what people were accustomed to, and employing the latest timed fuses, nearly eliminating duds. The cannon's launch method enabled them to reach greater heights, allowing more people, including those who couldn't secure entry tickets and were outside the venue or even on higher ground further away, to use telescopes to watch clearly.

"This is truly magnificent!" Watching the dazzling fireworks, Beethoven said to his student Chelini, "Chelini, did you bring paper and pen? I've got inspiration again!"

The splendid fireworks display lasted for almost half an hour, concluding the opening ceremony amidst booming cannon fire and dazzling fireworks.