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

"Where did you see all this?"

Some female drivers are more skilled at racing. At first, Alvin didn't agree with this, but when Da Vinci talked nonsense seriously, he believed it.

"I spent my childhood in a convent, and every night I could see from the window some nuns who had stayed out all night with priests or monks..."

Hearing this, his mouth opened into the shape of an "O". This was no longer because he was too free, this was the kind of part of the article that couldn't be mentioned!

"You're overthinking it, Alvin... Most convents are built by royal families or nobles. It's impossible to build one without money and background."

She was very familiar with that look. He had the same look when she talked to Michelangelo about this matter before. You know, his neck hurt because his brother came down from the ceiling, and he felt something was wrong as he listened. If his assistant hadn't stopped him, he would have crawled back to the ceiling of the church to continue painting "The Creation of Adam".

"And don't forget what era we are in now. It's the Renaissance, humanism. People in this era were very open-minded. Oh, by the way, the best-selling book on the market right now is Boccaccio's The Decameron."

The Decameron tells the story of 1348 men and women who took refuge in a country villa during the plague epidemic in Florence, Italy in 10. They spent the whole day having fun and feasting, and each person told a story every day. They lived there for 10 days and told a hundred stories. These stories criticized the Catholic Church, mocked the church for teaching darkness and sin, praised love as the source of talent and noble sentiments, condemned asceticism, ruthlessly exposed and lashed out at the depravity and corruption of the feudal aristocracy, and embodied humanistic thought.

——In fact, it is just a famous book in the name of GHS, which is similar to Jin Ping Mei

“Hasn’t this been sold for over 100 years?”

"Don't forget what the primary productive force is. This is human nature. Last time, we seized a lot of things from under Ritsuka's bed. But when I saw Mashu's expression that day, I felt something was wrong..."

Well, it's decided. I'll ask the girls in Chaldea to check it out when the time comes.

"By the way, having said so much, what do you think of this modified mask?"

"Very good, is there anything you can't do?"

"Well, you can't have a baby alone."

“That’s something I didn’t notice.”

Alvin was a little embarrassed, but he noticed Da Vinci. She leaned back in her chair, curled up into a ball, and Alvin saw loneliness in her eyes.

"what happened?"

"Nothing, just talking so much suddenly reminded me of the past," she said. "It's been a long time since someone talked to me like this, thank you, Alvin."

"Da Vinci, will you come with me to the Mardi Gras celebration tonight?"

PS1: This is the first time I have seen such uniform barrages targeting a single person on all major platforms. Here, let’s hope that Future Warriors will always have a promising future.

PS2: I just discovered today that The Wizard has returned to Europa Universalis. I’m going to catch up on the two episodes I missed.

I always love Saint Pauline!

By the way, what about Sun Shiwan’s Northern Expedition (Part 2)?

Chapter 045 The best fireworks should be seen at sea

On a full-moon night, the bustling streets of Venice are still crowded. As summer approaches, the temperature is gradually rising, which makes the locals feel fortunate, meaning that the damp and turbid air and cold freezing rain of winter will be far away from them.

In the last few days of Ramadan, the Carnival in Venice began. People from all over Europe came to this prosperous city to see its charm. However, the lower class people in the city slowly sank into drunkenness and debauchery. Wealth only belonged to the upper class, while the lower class people spent their days lazily enjoying themselves.

But even so, this city is just like this. As long as you abide by the rules and can pay the rent, you can settle down in this city no matter you are a criminal or a heretic, a pariah or a rich man.

Because here, there is never a shortage of opportunities.

Strictly speaking, tonight is just a prelude. The highlight of today is the competition for the golden mask. There are four rounds in total, and the contestants will compete against each other. In the end, the jury will select the champion. This is the highlight of the first day of the carnival. As a prize, the holder of the golden mask can board the flower boat on the canal and become a VIP at the Governor's Palace.

Alvin and Da Vinci had chosen a seat early on, on the balcony of a nearby building, which they would use as a private box. It's not that the lowest viewing position was not an option, but in the words of WWE, it was a high-risk area.

"The third competition," the MC announced. "It will combine elements of the first two competitions, with some new elements. This time, you will have to use speed and skill, as well as your charm!"

He stretched out his arms and pointed to several fashionably dressed women in the square, who responded to his words with charming laughs.

"Several ladies have volunteered to help us with this contest. Some of them are here in the square. Others are walking in the nearby streets. You'll even see them on the gondolas. You'll also see the ribbons tied in these ladies' hair. Your task, glorious contestants, is to collect as many ribbons as possible before the sand in my hourglass runs out. The contest will end with the ringing of the church bells, but I can assure you that no matter your luck, this will be the most enjoyable contest of the day! Whoever brings home the most ribbons will win, and will be one step closer to winning the Golden Mask. But remember, if there is no clear winner in these contests, the jury will decide who will be lucky enough to attend the party!"

"Now - the competition begins!"

"Who do you think will win?"

"Me?" Da Vinci fell into deep thought. What she saw in the same competition many years later was cheating, but now, it should be unlikely.

"I think the guy with the magenta mask should win, what about you?"

"Probably the one with the white mask, but is it really that short?"

"Almost. It will be done in about 10 minutes."

Just as Leonardo had said and the master of ceremonies had promised, the moment was short and pleasant. The bells of St. Paul's Cathedral rang at his command, the last grain of sand had fallen, and the contestants returned to the square, handing their ribbons to the judges, some smiling, others ashamed. When the master of ceremonies held the man in the magenta mask aloft, the audience applauded.

"Oh, you mysterious young man, you have a very lucky day today," the master of ceremonies said. "I hope your good fortune will not desert you at the last moment."

He turned to face the audience around him, and at this time the servants moved the debris on the platform and tied ropes around it, making it look like a boxing ring.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the final contest will be a head-on confrontation. It will be a test of pure strength. The contestants will fight each other until only two remain. The final confrontation ends with one party losing consciousness. Then the moment you have been waiting for will come! We will announce the true winner of the golden mask, but be careful when you place your bets - the final outcome is still unknown!"

"I kind of regret not betting." Alvin said with some regret. "It was an accident to come to an environment without gambling."

"Gambling environment?"

"Everything can be gambled in Great Britain, even the weather and whether the bus or subway will be delayed."

"It's amazing."

The final brute force confrontation was the most exciting. The one that Da Vinci favored used his brute force to crush the opponent directly, but the one with the white mask successfully advanced to the final decision with his varied skills and flexible footwork.

"Want to gamble, Da Vinci?"

"It was agreed in advance that property and the like were out of the question."

"How about the loser agreeing to a condition from the winner?"

"If that's the case, then that's fine."

The man in the magenta mask threw punch after punch at the man in the pure white mask, but the latter nimbly dodged the really heavy blows and even responded with a few pretty powerful left uppercuts and right hooks.

There was no rest in this final fight, and the man in the magenta mask was already showing signs of fatigue. He waved his arms angrily and rushed towards him. But he dodged and grabbed his ankle, squatted down, and threw a few punches at his chin and body, and the strong man finally fell down.

The only man standing in the boxing ring looked at the MC and raised his arm.

"I think the winner is revealed." The emcee climbed into the boxing ring and shouted to the crowd.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" he announced, clearing his throat nervously. "I think you will all agree that we enjoyed a fierce but fair fight today!"

The crowd cheered.

"Ladies and gentlemen - this is the winner of the golden mask -!"

People cheered and applauded, and Da Vinci looked at Alvin.

"You've already won from the beginning."

"So now I can fulfill this condition, beautiful lady?"

"As you wish."

When she was pulled all the way to the port by Alvin, jumped onto a boat and drifted towards the Adriatic Sea, Leonardo felt something was wrong.

"You plan to stay here?" She said, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. "At least you should find a hotel or something, right?"

"Uh, did we make a mistake somewhere?" Alvin was confused. "What are we doing at the hotel during the carnival?"

"You...I...should have told you earlier!"

"If you had said it earlier, you wouldn't have seen the best picture, Da Vinci."

When the huge fireworks rose from Venice, she finally understood the meaning behind them. If watching the fireworks in the city was just admiration, then watching the fireworks at sea was a whole-body experience. The fireworks were shot vertically into the sky with a shocking sound, then exploded, bloomed with brilliance, fell with a glittering tail, blended into the darkness, and then disappeared.

"This is the best place to watch fireworks in Venice. How about it? Do you like it?"

She looked at the somewhat thin figure, and for the first time, her beautiful features showed a completely new kind of fluctuation because of "people". She even felt a little nervous.

"......like."

Chapter 046 He is the Governor, and I am also a Governor!

"Number 443."

"Number 2215."

When they boarded the Governor's ceremonial boat on the canal, an attendant walked up to Alvin.

"Sir, the Governor wants to see you."

"Let's go. Looks like we have to sit in first class today."

The Governor has been very irritable these days.

Having already promised the Byzantine side, he had privately contacted the members of the Ten-Man Council in the past few days, and only three votes chose to support him, and that was when his own vote was counted, not to mention the forty-one-member council at the next level.

Little-known fact: the Council of Ten actually consists of eleven people. The Governor also has voting rights, but including his own voting rights, there are only three people. You can imagine how difficult the meeting tomorrow at St. Mark's Basilica will be.

So he decided to ask for help from outside. When Alvin learned about the troubles faced by this Venetian public servant, he "naturally" fell into deep thought.

"Can you give me a seat in St. Mark's Basilica tomorrow morning?" Alvin asked. "Near the altar."

Giovanni Mocenigo looked serious. "It's difficult, but maybe it's possible." He looked at the man from Constantinople in front of him. "I may know what you are thinking, Mr. Alvin, but this matter is not a joke."

"I can try. I have the advantage of surprise. And the people in the council might change their mind when they see a strange face. You must put me there, Governor Mocenigo."

"Call me Giovanni." He finally found a trustworthy ally.

“Meet me in front of the cathedral half an hour before High Mass.” He looked Alvin in the eyes with respect for a man who had given everything for Byzantium.

"I'll help you if I can, Mr. Alvin. The Eternal City will be proud of you."

The boat departed from the Doge's Palace and stopped at the canal near the Cathedral, where a loud trumpet sounded and the performance stopped. The crowd quieted down and applauded when Mocenigo appeared on the port side of the boat. A waiter introduced him: "Ladies and gentlemen! The Doge of Venice has arrived!"

The Doge began his speech: "My friends, welcome to the most important event of the season! In peace and war, in wealth and poverty, Venice's Carnival will always take place!"

Just as the Governor continued his speech, Leonardo, who had taken two ice creams from the table, saw him disappear among the guests. She pouted in displeasure, but still waited there.

He was looking for traces of certain people on the ceremonial boat, and thanks to the guests and guards, he came to a remote corner silently like a ghost, getting as close to them as possible. His gorgeous robe was bathed in the colorful light around him, which made them relax their vigilance.

"You are not qualified to say that about him," the nobleman replied. "He is the governor!"

"Yes, yes. He is the governor, and I am also a governor!" said the short man, stroking his beard. He introduced himself so that Alvin immediately knew who he was.

"It's his party. It's his carnival, and he can spend as much of his own money as he wants."

"He's the Doge in name only," Francesco said sharply. "And he's spending Venice's money, not his own," he lowered his voice. "You know, there are more important things to worry about right now."

"Mocenigo is their chosen leader. It's true that your father may feel that he will never be able to make it, so he has high hopes for your future as a politician, but considering the current situation, do you think you really have the ability to do so?"

"I never wanted to be a governor..."

"Then I would like to congratulate you on your success," said the nobleman coldly.

"Look," Francisco said, suppressing his anger, "power is more important than wealth. Does he really believe that he was chosen governor for reasons other than wealth?"

"He was chosen for his intelligence and leadership!"

The fireworks display began, interrupting their conversation. Francisco watched for a moment, then said, "Is this what he did with his wisdom? A fireworks display? While the whole city is in crisis, he's hiding in the Governor's Palace, thinking that he can make people forget all their problems with just some expensive, exotic stuff."

The noble gestured contemptuously. "People just like to watch the fun. It's human nature. Wait and see tomorrow..."

Watching the two nobles leaving, Alvin raised his wine glass and sneered. He found it incredible that the two rebels could discuss such matters so openly on the ceremonial boat.

If every ambitious person was so incompetent, then the world would have been changed to the point where even mothers wouldn't recognize it.

But now that I know what I want, the next step is to spend time with Da Vinci.

"I am back."

"Your ice cream hasn't melted yet."

Da Vinci lied a little bit. In fact, the fingertips of her blue gloves had turned darker, but he noticed this detail.

Why bother.

Of course, he couldn't say that, so he could only accept the thoughtful dessert from her.

"Didn't people at this time think of using glass cups?" he complained.

“Because it was already finished, what I really didn’t expect was that they actually supported refills.”

"It's surprisingly advanced in some ways." Alvin ate the ice cream quickly, although it was a little cold on his teeth.

The next day's fireworks show came as scheduled, but for Da Vinci, who had already seen it at sea, it was no longer to her liking.

"I'm going to St. Mark's Basilica tomorrow, Leonardo da Vinci."

"I will go with you."