In order to become a Heroic Spirit, I had no choice but to cause trouble in history.

So, as the doctor advised me to rest early today, I'll update again tomorrow. I'm truly sorry!

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Chapter 167 The Bronze Statue of David

The art exhibition was a success, and Anno's "Hell Tour" captivated the hearts of most people.

The image of Jesus with wings quickly spread as an important symbol.

Some people have even fabricated their own stories, saying that after Jesus was crucified, he received God's mercy, and weeping angels plucked their own feathers to make wings for Jesus so that he could meet God.

Jesus' image is even more holy than before.

It also distanced it from people.

It must be said that humans have a truly powerful ability to fill in the gaps and make their own explanations.

Anno seized this opportunity to become famous overnight, and the entire British elite were discussing his book, "Hell Tour".

However, what Anno did next left the entire city of Florence speechless.

Lawrence Anno Falgao publicly stated that he would donate his work, "A Tour of Hell," which caused a great uproar in Florence, to the Catholic Church free of charge.

This made a group of nobles, collectors, and connoisseurs anxious, as they were all eagerly waiting for the work to be sold.

But they didn't have much to say, since donating, selling, or keeping it for themselves were all Lawrence Anno's personal decisions.

They could only remember the name Lawrence, a rising star in the art world.

For Anno, the bustling and busy November has finally come to an end, and December is Verrocchio's stage.

"David" is finally completed. As a life-size bronze statue that took more than half a year to complete and was finally finished at the end of the year, its exquisite craftsmanship and artistic height have once again stirred up the entire artist community.

Just like in the design drawings, the young David was full of vigor, with a natural posture, and his eyes seemed to be filled with emotion as he confidently looked into the distance.

The longsword in his hand was incredibly sharp, and at his feet lay a human head—the head of the giant Goliath, with a wound on his forehead from being struck by a stone, from which blood was seeping.

David was also dressed in clothes decorated with gold, a part of which Verrocchio entrusted to Anno to complete.

Anno's skill level, which is sufficient to independently complete many gold and jewelry artworks, goes without saying. He perfectly provided his green leaf for the flower-like sculpture "David".

The perfect delivery of the David bronze statue has further enhanced the reputation of Verrocchio Studio.

Anno quietly stayed in Verrocchio's studio, studying and working, and gave part of his earnings to Uncle Fedino and Aunt Anna.

Anno spent the rest on buying gems, pearls, and gold.

His main focus was on this field; oil painting was just a side project.

These precious objects are quite valuable, so Anno is often in financial straits, but he always manages to turn things around quickly through his art.

He doesn't have many works, but they are all of very good quality.

At the end of 1466, Anno finally gained recognition from the Florentine Painters' Association and became a member, thus securing his place in Florence. Anno was only 18 years old that year.

He declined Verrocchio's request to set up his own studio, and instead chose to rejoin Verrocchio's studio as a partner.

The time came to February 1467.

On this day, a young man knocked on the door of Verrocchio's studio.

"Excuse me, do you need any apprentices or general laborers here?"

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Chapter 168 Leonardo da Vinci

The studio door and the Verrocchio residence door are separate.

"Please come in, sir." Currently, only Anno is in the studio fiddling with his gold trinkets.

Perugino went back to his hometown to visit relatives, Botticelli and Credi went on vacation, and Grandano and Verrocchio also had no scheduled activities at the studio.

The boy who knocked opened the door and went in: "Um, hello sir."

Anno raised his head from the pile of gold and met the gaze of the visiting boy.

After two years of artistic immersion, Anno did not develop the slovenliness common among most artists of this era, perhaps because he studied the jewelry industry and paid great attention to his personal image.

The boy stood not far from Anuo, also with long black hair, but it was tied up and only reached his shoulders.

The boy was very handsome, wearing a short shirt, with a well-proportioned figure and a vibrant smile on his face.

Like Anno, he is a handsome man in a broad sense.

Antoine de Florence is famous not only for his imaginative paintings and exquisite jewelry, but also for his appearance, which is a subject of much discussion.

"Um, I saw that you guys seem to be hiring here..." the boy said shyly.

“Yes, we are hiring.” Anno nodded.

Since he recently became a member of the Florence Painters Association, he no longer serves as a student in Verrocchio's studio, as he is now fully capable of starting his own business. However, he has chosen to remain in Verrocchio's studio, this time as a collaborator.

He also bought his own residence, which is next to Verrocchio's and is currently under construction, so he still lives in Verrocchio's house.

He plans to bring his Uncle Ferdinand and Aunt Anna over once the house is built.

Now that Anno has become a partner, he no longer needs to handle cleaning and tidying up. The Verrocchio studio needs a new apprentice.

"Ah, I haven't introduced myself yet. My name is Leonardo da Vinci." The boy smiled a little shyly. "Leonardo da Vinci."

“Hello, Mr. Leonardo.” Anno stood up from his seat and shook hands with Leonardo da Vinci. “I am Lawrence, Lawrence Anno Falgao.”

“You are the one…” Leonardo da Vinci was somewhat surprised. Leaving aside other places, Anor was quite famous in Florence.

Anno smiled and said, "It's me. Please sit here for a while."

Anno led Leonardo da Vinci to the sofa.

“Our studio is indeed hiring, but it’s not your average job opening.” Anno looked at the young man, who was more handsome than pretty.

“I understand, Mr. Lawrence,” Da Vinci said, a little nervously. “It seems they’re looking for… an apprentice?”

“Yes, an apprentice.” Anno nodded. “An apprentice who learns while working. Of course, the pay isn’t low, four Floras a month, five if you perform well. Is that acceptable, Mr. Leonardo?”

Leonardo da Vinci nodded quickly: "Of course, sir."

Anno pondered for two seconds: "Being an artist is a very strange profession. How about this, Mr. Leonardo, I'll contact the person in charge of our studio to come over. Could you please wait a moment?"

“No problem, Mr. Lawrence!” Leonardo da Vinci was quite pleased.

Anno went into the residence and found a servant: "Mr. Verro, could you please go to town and find Mr. Verrocchio? Tell him that someone here has come to interview for an apprenticeship."

“Yes, Mr. Lawrence.”

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Chapter 169 Admission

Verrocchio returned quickly and met the reserved Leonardo da Vinci.

"Leonardo da Vinci, fifteen years old..."

“Don’t be nervous, sir.” Verrocchio still seemed quite gentle. “Lawrence has already explained to you the work that needs to be done here.”

"Yes, sir, Mr. Verrocchio."

"Then, may I demonstrate it appropriately?" Verrocchio smiled and glanced at Anno.

"Um... I usually like to draw eggs, can I show you this?"

Anno realized things weren't so simple: "An egg?"

He patted Verrocchio on the back: "Teacher, it seems we've attracted some extraordinary people."

Verrocchio also maintained his smile.

Eggs are more difficult to draw than regular balls.

Leonardo da Vinci excitedly pulled over his easel, and Anno handed him a brush, and da Vinci began to paint.

It's clear that Leonardo da Vinci loved drawing and must have practiced it.

"Did Mr. Leonardo have any painting training?" Verrocchio stood behind Leonardo da Vinci, watching his brushstrokes, and felt as if he were seeing a second Anno.

Leonardo da Vinci shook his head: "I only practiced it out of interest, but my father was a gentleman and he collected two works, one of which was an egg."

“I see…” Verrocchio glanced at Anno and sighed.

Da Vinci's words reminded him that Anno's past had not yet been found.

Although he has never given up searching for Lawrence's past over the years, to be honest, he simply cannot find it.

He used his connections to search half of Europe, but there was no one named Lawrence Anno missing; it was as if this person had appeared out of thin air.

Ferdinand and Anna only knew this much, and all three of them had given up hope of finding out about Anna's past.

Leonardo da Vinci was truly like a second Anno; his brushstrokes were skillful and steady, and the eggs he painted were so lifelike that they looked just like real eggs.

The two people standing behind him smiled in unison.

As soon as Leonardo da Vinci stood up, Verrocchio shook his hand: "You're accepted, Mr. Leonardo. Thank you for choosing my studio."

"Oh, really?" Leonardo da Vinci said, somewhat puzzled but also very pleased.

“You can talk to Lawrence more,” Verrocchio said happily. “You are both young and so talented, you’re bound to have a lot in common, and Lawrence can teach you a thing or two.”

"Ah, I understand, Mr. Verrocchio." He bowed to the two men, appearing very polite.

Anno smiled.

He knew what Verrocchio meant.

Interacting with peers is one aspect, but the fundamental purpose is to let Anuo get used to the feeling of mentoring apprentices in advance.

Anno will eventually leave and start his own business; this is the rule in the industry. When a student reaches a certain level, he must leave his teacher.

Anno will also have his own apprentices in the future, and getting familiar with all of this in advance will definitely be helpful for the future.

“I’ll be troubling you a lot in the future, Mr. Lawrence.” Leonardo da Vinci shook Anno’s hand, his face beaming with a smile.

Anno smiled and patted Leonardo da Vinci on the back.

Verrocchio was almost blinded by the sight of the two handsome men standing together in perfect harmony.

Thus, the two geniuses officially formed a bond.

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