Assassin's Creed: Renaissance

Chapter 11

Paola's luxurious "House of Pleasure" was not far from the busy streets where Leonardo's workshop was located, but Ezio had to cross the wide and lively Piazza Duomo, where he discovered his newfound art of blending into the crowd Extra useful.Ten days had passed since the self-execution, and Alberti probably thought that Ezio had left Florence long ago, but Ezio did not intend to take the risk, and neither did Alberti, judging by the number of guards stationed in the piazza.He must have had plainclothes spies as well.Ezio kept his head down, especially when passing between the Duomo and the Baptistery - the busiest part of the square.He passed the Giotto-designed bell tower that had overlooked the city for 150 years, and the red cathedral dome that Brunelleschi had built only 15 years ago, when he saw a group of tourists from France and Spain carrying When he nodded his head and looked at these buildings with undisguised surprise and envy, his heart suddenly felt proud, but does this city really belong to him?

He suppressed those gloomy thoughts and hurried across the south side of the square to Leonardo's studio.The equipment in the studio seemed more chaotic than last time, although he could vaguely see some order.The number of man-made objects Ezio had noticed earlier increased again, with an odd wooden contraption hanging from the ceiling in the shape of a scaled-up bat skeleton.Taped to one of the easels was a large sheet of parchment on which was drawn a gigantic and unusually complex knot design, with Leonardo's inexplicable scribbles at the corners.In addition to Agnello, there is another assistant named Innocento. The two are working hard to organize the studio and classify the things in it for easy search.

"He's in the backyard," Agnello told Ezio, "just go straight there. He won't mind."

Ezio noticed that Leonardo was doing something very odd.Songbirds are available everywhere in Florence.People would hang birdcages in windows for their entertainment, and replace the birds when they died.Leonardo was surrounded by a dozen cages containing songbirds. Under Ezio's watchful eye, he selected a cage, opened the door made of wicker, and urged it to get out of the cage and fly to freedom. .Leonardo watched it fly away eagerly, before turning to pick out another cage, when he noticed Ezio standing there.

Upon seeing Ezio, Leonardo smiled charmingly and warmly, before hugging him.Then his face became serious. "Ezio! My friend. I didn't expect you to come after what happened. But welcome, welcome. Just wait for me. It won't be long."

Ezio watched Leonardo release the thrushes, bullfinches, larks, and the much more expensive nightingales one by one, each time watching them fly away intently.

"What are you doing?" Ezio asked suspiciously.

"All life is precious," Leonardo replied, "and I cannot bear to see them imprisoned in this way, just because they have beautiful voices."

"Is that your only reason for releasing them?" Ezio suspected that he had a deeper motive.

Leonardo grinned, but did not give a positive answer. "I don't eat meat anymore either. Why should those poor animals die for it?"

"Then the farmers would have no work to do."

"They can grow grain."

"Imagine how boring that would be. And there would be an oversupply problem."

"Oh, I forgot you were a financier. I forgot the etiquette. What brought you here?"

"I need help, Leonardo."

"How can I help you?"

"I have something here... I inherited it from my father. If possible, I would like you to fix it for me."

Leonardo's eyes lit up. "Of course. This way. Let's go inside—the kids are messing up the studio like they always do. Sometimes I wonder, why did I hire them in the first place?"

Ezio smiled.He thought the same thing, but at the same time he understood that Leonardo's favorite thing was always the work itself.

"Come here."

The small inner room was more messy than the studio, but the well-dressed (and out of tune with the surrounding) Leonardo walked among the piles of books and specimens, and papers filled with inexplicable words, and carefully put some things Pile it on top of something else, and finally empty out that big drafting table. "Excuse me, it's a mess," he said, "but we've got an oasis! Let me see what you've brought. Or do you want a glass of wine first?"

"No, no need."

"Very good," said Leonardo eagerly, "then let me see!"

Ezio carefully removed the blade, the bracer, and the mechanism, along with the vellum that he had wrapped them around, with the cryptic symbols on them.Leonardo tried in vain to put those things back together, but failed, showing a discouraged expression for a while.

"I don't know, Ezio," he said, "the contraption is old—very old—and complex, but I daresay its construction was even ahead of our time. It's fascinating. ,” he looked up, “I’ve never seen anything like it. But without the original blueprints, I’m afraid I have nothing to do.”

He was about to repack Ezio's things when he turned his attention to the brown paper. "Wait!" He yelled, examining it intently.Then he put the sword blade and wrist guard aside, spread out the brown paper, and compared the words on it, he began to rummage through the old books and manuscripts on the nearby shelf.He found two books, put them on the table, and flipped through them carefully.

"What are you doing?" Ezio said impatiently.

"It's interesting," Leonardo said, "this paper seems to be a page from an ancient book."

"what?"

"It's one of the pages in an ancient book. The text on this paper is not printed, but hand-copied. It is really very old. Do you have anything like it?"

"Gone."

"What a pity. They shouldn't have torn out the pages of this kind of book," Leonardo paused, "but maybe, it all adds up to—"

"what?"

"Nothing. You see, what's on this page is written in ciphertext, but if my theory is correct... judging by the patterns, it's probably..."

Ezio waited, but Leonardo was lost in his own world.He dragged a chair and sat down, watching Leonardo patiently rummaging through and reading the books and scrolls, cross-referencing and taking notes from time to time, all written in mirrored script with his left hand.Ezio guessed he was acting out of caution.Judging from what he saw in the studio earlier, if the church knew what Leonardo was researching, then this friend would definitely not have good fruit.

Finally, Leonardo raised his head, but Ezio was fast asleep. "Brilliant," Leonardo murmured, and then raised his voice again, "Brilliant! If we reverse the order of these letters, and every second letter..."

He drew the blade, the bracer, and the device to him, and began to repair them.He pulled a toolbox from under the table, picked up a pair of pliers, and got down to work.An hour passed, then two hours... Ezio fell into a deep sleep amidst the dull, warm air in the room and Leonardo's soft knocking and scratching.finally--

"Ezio! Wake up!"

"Uh?"

"Look!" Leonardo pointed to the table.The blade had been restored and attached to the queer contraption, which was fastened to the bracer.Everything was wiped clean, like brand new, just no reflections in sight. "It's a matte finish," Leonardo said, "like Roman armor. Something that reflects in the sun just exposes you."

Ezio took the weapon in both hands, weighing it in his hands.It's light, but perfectly balanced.Ezio had never seen anything like it.It was a spring-loaded dagger that could be concealed in the cuff.He only needs to move his wrist, and the blade will pop out.

"I thought you were a pacifist," Ezio said, thinking of the birds.

"Creativity takes precedence over everything," Leonardo said emphatically, "whatever the idea. Now," he said, pulling a hammer and chisel out of his toolbox, "you're right-handed, aren't you? Very good. Please put your right ring finger on this piece of wood."

"what are you going to do?"

"Sorry, but I have to. This weapon has a special design."

"What do you mean by that?"

"We have to cut off that finger before you can use it."

Ezio blinked.Many images flashed through his mind: he thought of Alberti's hypocrisy for his father, of Alberti's relief after his father's arrest, then his execution and his flight.He gritted his teeth. "Let's do it."

"Maybe I should use a meat cleaver. It will flatten the wound," Leonardo said, taking one out of the desk drawer. "Okay—put your finger on it—like this .”

Ezio tensed as Leonardo raised the cleaver.He squeezed his eyes shut and listened to the sound of it chopping on the block, but he felt no pain.He opened his eyes.The cleaver was in the wood inches from his hand, and his finger was unscathed.

"You bastard!" Ezio was startled and furious at the tasteless prank.

Leonardo raised his hands. "Calm down! I'm just joking! I admit it's a little cruel, but I really can't help it. I want to see how determined you are. You see, when using this device, you did need to sacrifice a lot of money." finger. I'm guessing it has something to do with some ancient joining ceremony. I've made a slight tweak though. That way you'll keep your finger. Lo and behold! The blade pops out without hindrance, and I've added You just need to remember to spread the palm of your hand when you eject the blade! That way you keep your fingers. But you better wear gloves when you use it - it's sharp."

Ezio was fascinated and grateful to Leonardo, so his anger quickly subsided. "That's really unusual," he said, popping and retracting the blade a few times until he got used to it. "incredible."

"That's right!" Leonardo agreed. "Are you sure you don't have any similar pages?"

"Sorry, it's really gone."

"Oh look, if you happen to find something like that, please bring it to me."

"I promise you. About the cost of the repair—"

"I'd be happy to help. And I've benefited a lot myself. No need to—"

At this moment, there was a heavy knock on the door of the studio.Leonardo hurried over, and Agnello and Innocento also looked up in horror.The people on the other side of the door began to shout: "Open the door, this is an order from the Florentine guard!"

"Wait!" Leonardo replied loudly, but then whispered to Ezio: "Stay inside and don't come out."

Then he opened the door and stood in the doorway, blocking the guard's way.

"You are Leonardo da Vinci?" said the guard in a loud, fierce, official voice.

"Can I help you?" Leonardo said, walking out into the street, forcing the guard back.

"I have the right to ask you a few questions." Leonardo moved his feet again so that the guard turned his back to the door of the studio, but the guard still insisted on asking questions.

"What do you want to ask?"

"We have received reports that you have been seen interacting with a fugitive criminal."

"What? Me? That's ridiculous!"

"When was the last time you saw Ezio Auditore?"

"Who?"

"Don't play dumb with me. We know you are very close to the Auditore family. You also sold several graffiti to the mother of that family. Shall I help you recall?" Duan hit Leonardo in the stomach.Leonardo let out a scream of pain and fell on his knees, while the guard started kicking him. "Are you going to talk now? I don't like artists. A bunch of gays."

This was enough time for Ezio to slip through the door and stand behind the guard.The streets were deserted.The man's sweaty nape was exposed.This is a great opportunity to experiment with his new toy.He raised his hand, touched the mechanism, and the sharp blade bounced out without a sound.With a deft swing of Ezio's right hand, it pierced the guard's neck.The freshly honed blade was exceptionally sharp, piercing the man's jugular vein without hindrance.The guard fell, dead before he hit the ground.

Ezio helped Leonardo to his feet.

"Thank you," said the artist, trembling.

"I'm sorry - I didn't mean to kill him - I didn't have time to -"

"Sometimes we have no choice. But I'm getting used to it."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I am one of the suspects in the Saltalieri case."

And then Ezio remembered that a few weeks earlier, Leonardo and three other People were accused of being his patrons.The case was finally settled due to lack of evidence, but his stigma has not been completely cleared. "It's just that we don't prosecute homosexuals here," he said. "Well, I think the Germans seem to have a special name for these people-'Florentines.'"

(End of this chapter)