Assassin's Creed: Renaissance

Chapter 18

He turned and left.Ezio went to the tree where he had been hiding earlier, and sat down.Flies began to hover near Vieri's face.Ezio opened the letter and read:

Lord Francisco:
I have spoken to your son as you requested.I agree with your assessment, but only partially.Yes, Vieri was arrogant and often impulsive; and he treated his men like playthings, his lives like ivory or wooden pieces on a chessboard.And his punishments for his men were brutal: according to the reports I received, at least three were disfigured as a result.

But I don't think he is as hopeless as you say.I even believe the solution is fairly simple.He wants your approval.your attention.These actions of his are just the result of uneasiness bred by inferiority complex.He often mentions you with admiration and expresses his wish to be closer to you.So, even if he was loud and rude and cranky, I believe it was just because he wanted attention.He wants your love.

You can make appropriate handling based on the information I give, but I must request to terminate such communication.If he finds out what we're communicating, I'm frankly very worried about what will happen to me.

Sincerely,
Father Joe Condo

After reading the letter, Ezio sat there for a long time, thinking.He looked at Vieri's body.At his belt was a purse, which he hadn't noticed earlier.He walked over, removed the wallet, and went back down the tree to check the contents.The purse contained a miniature portrait of a woman, several florins in pouches, an unused notebook, and a carefully rolled vellum.Ezio unfolded the paper with trembling hands, and understood immediately.It was one of the pages of the ancient manuscript...

The sun rose a little higher, and some monks came with a wooden stretcher, and they put Vieri's body on the stretcher and carried it away.

From spring to summer, mimosas and rhododendrons give way to lilies and roses, and a fragile peace returns to Tuscany.Ezio watched with satisfaction as his mother gradually improved, but the tragedy completely destroyed her nerves.It seemed to him that she might never be able to live without the peace and tranquility of the convent.The fact that Claudia was considering taking vows as a novice made him even more unhappy, but he knew that she was born with the same stubbornness as himself, and obstruction would only strengthen her resolve.

Mario uses the time to ensure that San Gimignano (now run by his reformed and non-alcoholic old comrade Roberto) and its surrounding area are no longer a threat and uproot the Pazzi family .Monteriggioni was safe, and after celebrating the victory, Mario's mercenaries got a well-deserved holiday, which they used to spend time with their families, or drinking and having fun, but never neglected their training; Squires sharpen their weapons and polish their armor, while masons and carpenters repair the fortifications of towns and castles.France in the north also has no time to look aside for the time being: King Louis is busy dealing with the English invaders and has to face the troubles brought to him by the Duke of Burgundy.In the south, Pope Sixtus IV, a potential ally of the Pazzi family, was too busy promoting relatives and overseeing the construction of that magnificent chapel in the Vatican to interfere in Tuscan affairs.

Mario and Ezio had many long conversations: they both knew that the threat had not gone away.

"I have something to tell you about Rodrigo Borgia," Mario told his nephew, "He was born in Valencia, studied law in Bologna, but never returned to Spain because there It was more suitable for him to realize his ambitions. At that time, he was one of the important members of the Holy See institutions, but his goals always rose. He was one of the most powerful men in all of Europe, but he was not just in the church. Just a cunning politician," he lowered his voice, "Rodrigo is the head of the Knights Templar."

Ezio was taken aback. "That's why he was on the execution ground of my poor father and brothers. He was behind it."

"That's right, he certainly hasn't forgotten you, not to mention that he lost his influence in Tuscany thanks to you. Now he has learned of your lineage and the threat you pose to him. Be careful, Aye Zio, as long as he has the chance, he will definitely kill you."

"Then if I want to be free, I must stand up to him."

"We ought to be on our guard against him, but we have troubles about us to deal with, and we've been at home long enough. Come to my study."

They left the garden and went into an inner room of the castle--at the end of the corridor that led to the map room.The room was quiet, dimly lit without being gloomy, and filled with books, looking more like the room of a scholar than a military commander.There are also many handicrafts on the shelves here, which look like Turkish or Syrian products, and some books have Arabic script written on the spine.Ezio asked his uncle about the books, but got very vague answers.

Once there, Mario opened a box, took out a folder, and took out a stack of papers from the folder.Ezio recognized several of them immediately. "Here is your father's list, child—though I should not call you child any more, for you have grown into a man and a good fighter—and I will add the names you told me at San Gimignano Already." He looked at his nephew and handed over the document. "It's time for you to get to work, too."

"Every Templar on the list will fall by my sword," Ezio said calmly, his eyes brightening when he saw Francisco de' Pazzi. "Let's start with him. He The worst of the Pazzi family, who hates our allies, the Medici family."

"That's right," Mario agreed. "So, you're ready to leave for Florence?"

"That's what I intended."

"Fine, but if you want to be fully prepared, there are some things you need to know. Come on." Mario turned to a bookshelf and pressed the hide button on the side.The bookshelf turned away silently, revealing a stone wall behind, with many square notches carved into the stone wall.Five of the notches hold objects.The rest is empty.

Seeing this, Ezio's eyes lit up.Those five notches contained the pages of that ancient book!
"It seems you recognized it," said Mario. "I'm not surprised. After all, your father left you one of them, and your clever friend in Florence deciphered it—these are Giovanni Pages found and translated by Johnny before his death."

"And the one I found on Vieri's body," Ezio added, "but what's in it is still a mystery."

"Well, you're right. I'm not a scholar like your father, but with these pages, and with the help of the books in my study, I'm gradually solving mysteries. You see these repeated words, and Is there a way for these symbols to connect?"

Ezio looked at it carefully, but a strange familiarity emerged in his mind, as if he had awakened a certain instinct that he had inherited - with this instinct, the scribbles on the ancient manuscripts came to life, and their meaning was in his eyes. It gradually became clear. "That's right! And there seems to be a part of a painting hidden in these words and patterns - look, it looks like a map!"

"Giovanni - and now I - have come to the conclusion that some kind of prophecy seems to be recorded on these pages, but the meaning of the prophecy is not clear to me. The book mentions 'Pieces of Eden'. This ancient book It was written long ago by someone also of the Assassin Order, whose name seems to be Altaïr. He went on to write: 'Something lies beneath the earth, something ancient and mighty'—but We haven't figured out what that is yet."

"This is the page from Vieri," Ezio said, "put it on the wall."

"No hurry! I'll make a copy before you leave, but you should show the original to your friend in Florence. You don't have to tell him the inside story, at least not for the time being, and knowing it will no doubt increase His danger. I'll put Vieri's up later, so we're one step closer to solving the puzzle."

"What about the other pages?"

"It's still scattered everywhere," Mario said, "but don't worry about it. The task in front of you is still waiting for you to concentrate on completing it."

(End of this chapter)