Assassin's Creed: Renaissance

Chapter 42

"We all know how difficult the past was," Marco said, "but we chose to face it together and it made Venice stronger... The transition of power is very difficult for anyone, but we are respectable and respectable." We have faced this process with equanimity. It is indeed sad to lose a governor in the prime of his life - and it is also very chaotic to see that the murderer of our dear Mocenigo is still at large. However, there are some things we can do A word of consolation: many of us have long been dissatisfied and disturbed by the policies of the previous governor, and questioned the direction he led us forward." Someone in the crowd agreed, and Marco smiled and raised his hands, motioning for silence . "Oh my friends, I dare say I have found the right path for you! I can see the landscape ahead and I know where we are going! It is a beautiful place and we will go together! I The future of Venice I see is a strong and rich future. We will build a fleet that will make all enemies fearful! We will expand our trade routes overseas and bring back more treasures and wealth than Marco Polo did. Spices!" Marco's eyes were full, and his tone was threatening. "I say to those who stand against us: Be careful which side you choose, for all who oppose us is evil. We will not tolerate our enemies either! We will hunt you down, we will uproot you, we will destroy You!" He raised his hands again, and made an impassioned statement: "Venice will always be——the brightest treasure of all civilizations!"

Just as he lowered his arms triumphantly, brilliant fireworks lit up the sky—a grand finale that made the night almost as bright as day.The explosion was deafening - and almost completely drowned out Ezio's deadly gunfire.He then left the crowd, and it was only then that people noticed that Marco Babaig—one of the shortest-serving doges in Venice's history—was lying dead on the deck of the doge's boat, shaking and clutching his heart.

"Rest in peace," Ezio said to himself, without slowing down.

Word spread so quickly that it reached the brothel even before Ezio returned.Theodora and her courtesans cheered him admiringly.

"You must be very tired," said Theodora, taking his arm, and leading him into the inner room. "Come on, have a good rest!"

First, Antonio would like to express his thanks. "The savior of Venice!" he yelled, "what should I say? Maybe I shouldn't have questioned you so soon. At least now, we have a chance to wait and see what happens..."

"Stop talking about it now," Theodora said. "Come on, Ezio. You've worked hard, child. I can feel that your tired body needs soothing."

Ezio quickly understood what she meant, and followed her: "Indeed, Sister. My body aches so badly that I'm afraid I need a certain amount of comfort. I hope you can provide me with such comfort. "

"Oh," laughed Theodora, "I'm not going to relieve you alone! Girls!"

A group of smiling courtesans squeezed past Ezio into the inner room, where he saw a surprisingly large bed in the center of the room, flanked by contraptions that resembled reclining chairs, only with pulleys, chains and straps .It reminded him of Leonardo's workshop, but he couldn't imagine a possible use for that thing.

He exchanged meaningful glances with Theodora, followed her to the bedroom, and closed the door behind him.

A few days later, Ezio stood energetically on the Rialto Bridge, watching the passers-by.He was going to have a few glasses of Veneto before lunch when he saw an acquaintance hurrying towards him—one of Antonio's messengers.

"Ezio, Ezio," said the man, stepping forward, "Sir Antonio wants to see you—this is very important."

"Then let's go quickly," Ezio said, following him off the bridge.

They found Antonio in his office with another person there.To Ezio's surprise, it was Agostino Babaig.Antonio introduced them.

"It was an honor to meet you, sir. I regret the passing of your brother."

Agostino waved his hand. "Thank you for your sympathy, but to be honest, my brother is a fool and is completely under the control of the Borgia faction in Rome - the last thing I want in Venice. Fortunately, some civic-minded The townspeople have avoided that risk for us by assassinating him. And in a very novel way...Of course they'll investigate, but I personally don't think they'll find anything..."

"Signor Agostino will soon be elected Doge," interposed Antonio, "which is good news for Venice."

"The Committee of 41 moved really fast this time," Ezio said dryly.

"I think they've learned from their previous mistakes," Agostino smiled sarcastically, "but I don't want to be a doge with no name like my brother. That makes us have to pay attention The business at hand. My wicked cousin Silvio has taken over the arsenal and has two hundred mercenaries stationed there!"

"But when you become Doge, won't you be able to remove them?" Ezio asked.

"That would be great," said Agostino, "but my brother's extravagance and extravagance have almost drained the city's financial resources, and it is difficult for us to resist an elite army that controls the arsenal. If there is no arsenal , even if I become the governor, I can't really control Venice!"

"Then," said Ezio, "we should also organize an elite force of our own."

"Well said!" laughed Antonio. "I think it would be a good idea to entrust this to me. Have you ever heard of Bartolomeo d'Alviano?"

"Of course. He used to be a mercenary leader serving the Pope! I heard that he has turned against the Pope."

"He's here at the moment. He doesn't like Silvio because, as you all know, Silvio is also Cardinal Borgia's lackey," Agostino said. It's at St. Peter's, just to the east of the Armory."

"I'm going to meet him."

"Before you go, Ezio," Antonio said, "Signor Agostino has something for you."

Agostino took out a piece of rolled old vellum from his robe, on which was a piece of heavy black wax wax that had been torn, and a tattered red ribbon attached to it. "Found it in my brother's papers. Antonio thinks you'll be interested in it. Take it as payment for this... service."

Ezio took the paper.He knew immediately what it was. "Thank you, my lord. I'm sure it will be of great help in that inevitable battle."

Ezio only took a moment to get his weapons ready, before heading towards Leonardo's workshop, where he was surprised to find his friend packing his luggage.

"Where are you going?" Ezio asked.

"To Milan. I was going to send you a message before I left. Enclosed a box of pellets for your firearm."

"Oh, luckily I came to you. Lo and behold, I got another ancient page!"

"Excellent. I am very interested in these pages. Come in. My servant Luca and others can take care of the inventions on this page. I have trained them to be excellent. It is a pity that I cannot Take them all away."

"What are you going to do in Milan?"

"Lodovico Sforza made an offer I couldn't refuse."

"What about your job here?"

"The commission for the navy was cancelled. They have no funds for new projects. It seems that the previous governor squandered most of the wealth. Actually, I can also make fireworks for them, no need to travel thousands of miles to China to ship back But anyway, Venice and Turkey are at peace, and they say I'm welcome back anytime—in fact, I think they want me to. In the meantime, I'll keep Luca—leave Venice, He is like a fish out of water—plus a few basic designs for them to improve. The Earl is also very satisfied with those family photos—although in my personal opinion, there is still a lot of room for improvement.” Leon As Nado said, he spread out the kraft paper. "Okay, let's take a look."

"Promise me you'll send me a message as soon as you get back here."

"I promise you, my friend. You too—write to me about your progress, if you can."

"I will."

"Okay..." Leonardo looked at the contents of the page, "This pattern looks like a blueprint for the double-edged dagger that goes with your metal bracer, but it's not finished, it looks more like Early sketches. The rest have obvious connections to other pages—you see, here are more map-like markings, and those intricate knot patterns remind me of those scribbles of my own thinking!” Leonardo Vol. Picking up the vellum, he looked at Ezio, "I will put the other two pages you gave me in a safe place in Venice. They are obviously very important."

"Actually, Leon, if you're going to Milan, can I ask you one thing?"

"Go ahead."

"While you're passing through Padua, can you arrange for a reliable courier to deliver these pages to my uncle Mario in Monteriggioni? He's a...reliquary researcher...I know He'll find the pages very interesting. But I need someone I can trust to do it for me."

A smile flitted across Leonardo's face.If Ezio hadn't been preoccupied, he might have thought it was a knowing smile. "I'll take the luggage straight to Milan, but I'll make a short visit to Florence myself to see what's going on with Agnello and Innocento, so don't worry, I'll take your stuff there and let Agnello and Innocento to Monteriggioni."

"That would be great," Ezio said, taking his hand. "I'm so lucky to have a friend like you, Leon."

"I think so too, Ezio. Sometimes, I think you just need someone who really thinks of you." He paused, then added, "Good luck with your work. I hope that one day, your Work can come to an end, let you take a good rest."

Ezio's iron gray eyes were blank, but he did not answer, but said: "You reminded me - I have another mission to complete. I will have Antonio's men take the other two pages Brought to you. Goodbye!"

(End of this chapter)