Let me introduce you, this is my girlfriend, the Israeli boxing champion

When planning the vigil time period, Alvin, who originally wanted to continue, was forcibly sent into the sleeping bag by Leonardo da Vinci.

"Go to bed now! Otherwise I won't open the car for you tomorrow!"

Alvin, who had originally put up a symbolic resistance, could only helplessly crawl into his sleeping bag and close his eyes, but he knew that he would not be able to fall asleep tonight.

"The problem is that I lost ownership of Attila, and from her subjective will, attacking Constantinople was not an option for her."

"So, Vashak, your mission is to find ways to make Constantinople become Istanbul."

"Only in this way can this singularity be returned to its proper trajectory and prevent it from completely losing its value."

This world is so interesting...

PS1: If you can be free of XZ every day, you will be really pro when you are really free of XZ.

PS2: Cheshire Cat UPUP

Chapter 034: Wild Growth in the Mediterranean

The Doge of Venice in 1453 was Giovanni Mocenigo, and under his very steady governance, the city was developing rapidly.

Peace with the Turks in the Mediterranean, prosperity of cities, protection of trade routes both at sea and overland, notoriously high interest rates offered by banks, but favorable investment conditions and satisfactory depositors, the church was also wealthy, and artists had both spiritual and material support.

The city arose from the sack of Constantinople following the Fourth Crusade, in which Enrico Dandolo conquered the Byzantine Empire and shamelessly displayed their spoils: most notably the four bronze horses lined up along the front wall of St Mark’s Basilica.

"That's great, CTMD!"

When Alvin couldn't help but burst into curse, Da Vinci quickly pulled him all the way to the road leading to the Governor's Palace.

"Da Vinci, let me go!"

"You can do whatever you want after the mission is completed! Now we have to go see the Governor to explain our purpose and request support!"

"Do you think they will agree?"

"At least go through the process first!"

When Alvin and Leonardo arrived at this vile and treacherous city that early spring morning, they saw the pink marble and brick of the magnificent Doge's Palace, the wide square stretching forward and to the left, the amazingly tall brick bell tower, and the slender Venetians in dark clothes.

They moved like shadows across the land and sailed up and down the stinking maze of canals, riding in elegant gondolas and ugly barges loaded with everything from fruit to bricks.

"By the way, I heard that you stayed here for a while, Da Vinci?"

"Yes, I accepted a commission from the Venetian Navy at that time, and I even had a studio here for that purpose."

"But when this work was over you went to Milan."

"I can't argue with that."

When they explained their purpose to the governor's housekeeper, the governor's servants took over their luggage and promised to arrange suitable accommodation for them who had come all the way from Constantinople. Then the servants dispersed, leaving behind a middle-aged man with a sallow face, a fat body, and a pair of watery eyes. His shirt was soaked with sweat, and his smile would be ashamed of even molasses.

"Sir," he walked forward with a fake smile, "please allow me to introduce myself. I am Nero, and I am here to receive guests for the Governor. My duty is to take you two on a brief tour of our proud city, and then the Governor will..."

At this point, Nero's eyes nervously moved between Leonardo da Vinci and Alvin, trying to confirm who was the diplomat who came from afar on a mission. In the end, he chose the man wearing a monocle.

"...to receive you, Mr. Vashak, and to have a drink before dinner in the servants' hall." He bowed, and added: "Our gondola is waiting for you and your wife..."

"What can I say, Da Vinci?"

"...You're lucky..."

"Then please give me your guidance, Ms. Mona Lisa."

".......snort."

But for the next half hour, Alvin and Leonardo were half-forced to enjoy the beauty of Venice. They sat in a gondola, which was expertly driven by the bow and stern gondoliers, and saw the city from the best angle. But the pleasure was ruined by Nero's endless chatter. He was exhausted at the moment. He wanted to take a nap during Nero's dull monologue, but suddenly woke up again. Something caught his attention.

Ezio heard shouting coming from the other side of the canal, not far from the church. Two armed guards were harassing a merchant.

"Sir, you should stay home," said one of the guards.

"I've paid the rent. I have the right to sell merchandise here."

"I'm sorry, sir, but this is against the Governor's new rules. I'm afraid you've violated them pretty severely."

"I will appeal to the Council of Ten!"

"You don't have time for that, sir," another guard said, kicking over the awning of the stall. The man was selling leather goods, and the guards stuffed the best into their pockets and threw the rest into the canal.

"Don't say such ridiculous things next time, sir." After saying that, the two guards swaggered away.

"What's going on?" Alvin asked Nero. He felt that this was his chance.

"Nothing, sir. Just a little local problem. Please ignore it. We are about to pass under the famous wooden bridge of Rialto, the only bridge over the Grand Canal..."

Alvin didn't mind the middle-aged man who was forced to make a living continuing to talk, but what he saw made him uneasy. Not long after, Leonardo insisted that the boat stop so that she could go to the market selling children's toys that they had just passed and take a look.

She walked straight toward the stall that attracted her. "Look, Alvin!" she cried.

"What did you find?"

"That's a mannequin. One of those little handmade models we use as models when we paint. I'd like to buy one or two."

When a beautiful lady looks at you with pleading eyes, it is difficult for gentlemen to refuse her, let alone this is Leonardo da Vinci.

"Let me get my wallet out first."

But just as Alvin reached for his wallet, a group of young men squeezed past them, and one of them took his wallet.

"Hey!" Alvin shouted. "Asshole! Stop!" He chased after him, but the man he had identified immediately disappeared into the crowd with his companions.

"It's really outrageous that the public security in Venice is still so bad after all these years. This is obviously not Naples."

Alvin removed another wallet from his belt.

"Fortunately, I'm more skilled."

After seeing Da Vinci successfully pick up the goods with a smile on his face, Alvin's expression became painful again.

This is a bit too expensive.

They continued sightseeing with the background sound of the chatterbox, but Da Vinci, holding the two mannequins, looked very satisfied. Alvin was full of impatience, it was nothing, it was just his old habit, after all, the gondola was made of wood.

"Now in front of us is the famous Seta Palace, which is also the place where the Council of Ten and the Doge make decisions for Venice..." Nero was still talking, which reminded Alvin of the tour guides in the scenic area.

"Over there is the residence of the Deputy Governor, who is currently known for his efforts to unify the management of the city's merchants. This is a commendable work, but unfortunately it faces resistance from the lower classes of the city..."

"To put it bluntly, he is the captain of the urban management team."

There stood a formidable walled building on the canal, with three gondolas moored at the pier in front of it, and as they passed he heard the voices of several men talking.

"My stall was destroyed and my goods were ruined. I demand compensation!" said the vendor in an angry tone.

"Sorry, sir, we're closing." One of the guards poked the poor man with his halberd.

"This isn't over yet. I'm suing you in Parliament!"

"Go ahead if you want!" another older guard said sternly. But at this time, an official appeared with three other people.

"You're looking for trouble, aren't you?" the official said.

"No, I..."

"Arrest him!" the officer roared.

"This place may be the most beautiful, but it is definitely not the best." Alvin whispered in Da Vinci's ear.

"That's what I thought at the time," Da Vinci replied. "But work is work, Alvin, the gondola has arrived at the dock."

PS1: Seeing Titan’s performance today, I am looking forward to the last day of the Ninja World War.

On this day, Xiao Bao entered the S8 realm again.

PS2: The 1080+ restored version of Tiga is broadcast on the entire network, except for A-B.

Chapter 035 Miss Da Vinci wants me to confess ~ The love brain war of geniuses

"This residence looks pretty good." Alvin looked at the place arranged personally by the Doge of Venice. At least there was a place that satisfied him.

"But I am not satisfied, Alvin," said Da Vinci, who was fiddling with a model she had found on the market, but gave the residence a negative review.

“Why is there no studio?”

"I thought you were talking about us sharing the same bedroom."

"That's not important. Let me think about it. There should be an empty room here. If we clean it up, it should be able to be used as a workshop."

"We have only five days to resolve the issue."

"This is why you can't be a genius, Alvin."

"Okay, you're right."

Alvin had no way to refute this. He was not a master of time management, and compared to Leonardo da Vinci, he had to deal with those politicians.

"Do you want me to make you a pot of coffee?"

"No need, and you still have things you want to do, am I right?"

Alvin was a little surprised, but when he saw Leonardo's triumphant look, he knew the answer.

"Your attention has hardly left the Seta Palace since you got off the gondola. It's easy to observe your reaction."

Putting down the work in his hands, Da Vinci walked up to him and put his hands around his neck.

"If you want to do something, go ahead. I'll wait for you here."

"To be honest, I almost fell in love just now."

"Can I consider this a pursuit?" Da Vinci raised his lips slightly. "If you do well enough, you may have a chance."

"...I think I should carry the car back to Constantinople overnight."

After saying goodbye to Leonardo, he wasted no time and headed straight for the Palazzo della Seta. This was no easy task in a city filled with complicated alleys, winding canals, low arcades, narrow squares and dead ends. But everyone knew the palace, and the locals were happy to give him directions if he got lost - although they couldn't figure out why anyone would voluntarily go to such a place. One or two people suggested that the easiest way was to take a gondola, but Alvin wanted to get familiar with the city as soon as possible and didn't want to attract attention when he arrived at his destination.

In the afternoon he came to the Seta Palace, though it looked more like a fortress or prison than a palace, for the central complex stood within a high battlemented wall. The other houses on either side of the wall were separated by two lanes, but there seemed to be a large walled garden at the back, and in front, facing the canal, was the open area that Alvin had seen earlier.

But there, the guards on duty seemed to be in a fierce conflict with a group of young men in motley uniforms. The young men seemed to be laughing at them, then evading their halberds and spears and throwing bricks, stones, rotten eggs and rotten fruits at the angry guards. But they were probably just trying to attract the guards' attention.

With the young men distracted, Alvin climbed the palace's outer wall with ease, as quiet as a shadow and trying not to attract attention. Finally he reached the top of the wall and looked down at the gardens below. There he saw two men talking intently. They were heading toward a side door of the palace, which led to a narrow, hidden canal that skirted the back of the palace. Alvin watched them from the top of the wall, clinging to the wall as steadily as a gecko, and quickly crawled down to eavesdrop on the conversation under the cover of branches.

"...Your castle in the air is about to collapse, Mr. Deputy Governor."

"This is only a minor setback. It won't be long before the merchants who defied me and that bastard Chancellor are dead or in prison or rowing on Turkish slave ships."

"I mean the people from Byzantium. They are here, you know. That's why the Chancellor is so bold. You see, we were robbed and pillaged, our guards were no match for their tricks, and I could only barely prevent the Governor from interfering."

"Byzantine people? They are here?"

You idiot! If they knew you were that stupid, you'd be dead! You know full well how angry they are with us."

"I'll crush him like a flea!" he roared.

"Well, if he were a flea, he would certainly suck all your blood. Who knows? Maybe he is here, listening to our conversation."

"Okay, now you should tell me that you believe in ghosts."

"Your arrogance has made you stupid, Mr. Deputy Governor. You can't see the whole picture. At best, you are just a big shot in this small place."

"Venice will be mine! I provided all the armaments in Florence! It's not my fault that those idiots can't make good use of them. Also, don't say bad things about me in front of the Speaker. I can tell him something about you..."

"Stop wasting your breath! I have to go. Remember! The meeting will be held in four days, and the location will be at the Seta Palace."

"I'll keep that in mind, Mr. Deputy Speaker."

"Then see you tonight. I have to entertain the 'guests' from Byzantium."

As Ezio watched, Grimaldi boarded the gondola, which was shrouded in darkness, and drifted off into the night.

"What the hell," the viceroy said to his secretary after the gondola disappeared in the direction of the Grand Canal. "What if he's not mistaken? What if that damned Byzantine is really here?"

"If what he said is true, then I have to go tonight. I originally wanted to hide until the day of the meeting. By then, I will have a way to deal with the Byzantines..."

"Come with me and help me pack up those documents I just mentioned, otherwise our dear friend the Deputy Speaker will come to urge us."

They returned to the palace, and Alvin followed behind, as silent as a ghost. He merged with the shadows, and his footsteps were lighter than a cat. He knew that there would be a feast waiting for him tonight, but first he needed to find out what the vice-governor was planning - what were those documents he was talking about?

"Why are people turning a deaf ear to the truth?" the viceroy said to his secretary. "The so-called free opportunities only lead to more crime! We must ensure that the city controls every aspect of people's lives while allowing bankers and private financiers to thrive."

“That’s how society thrives. If those who oppose us have to be silenced, then that’s the price of progress. Constantinople belongs to a bygone era. It’s time for them to go.”

"I hope you can still say this when Attila attacks you." Alvin said dimly.

"As expected, it's better to hang these people."