Assassin's Creed: Renaissance

Chapter 28

When Ezio returned to Florence and informed Duke Lorenzo of the death of the last member of the Pazzi family, Lorenzo was both happy and sad: the safety of Florence and the Medici family would cost so much blood.Lorenzo was inclined to use diplomacy to iron out differences, but it was this attitude that made him an outlier among the rulers of the free cities in Italy.

He rewarded Ezio with a ceremonial cloak and bestowed upon him the title "Defender of the Liberty of Florence".

"This is a truly generous gift, Your Excellency," Ezio said, "but I am afraid I will not have the time to enjoy its benefits."

Lorenzo was very surprised. "What? Are you planning to leave again so soon? I had hoped that you would stay, live in your family mansion, and accept the position of city management to work with me."

Ezio bowed to thank him, but said: "I'm very sorry, but I believe our troubles will not end with the destruction of the Pazzi family. They are just the minions of a huge beast. I am going now The place is Venice."

"Venice?"

"Yes. The one who went to Francisco with Rodrigo Borgia, a member of the Barbaig family."

"Babaig is one of the most powerful families in Venice. Are you saying this man is dangerous?"

"He was an ally of Rodrigo."

Lorenzo thought for a moment, then spread his hands. "It is with the deepest regret that I let you go, Ezio, but I know that I am still in your debt, which means that I have no power to order you. Besides, I feel that what you have done has long-term consequences. It would be good for our city to watch, though I may not live to see that day."

"Don't say that, sir."

Lorenzo smiled. "I wish I was wrong, but living in this country is like living in the crater of Vesuvius - it's life and death at any moment!"

Before leaving, Ezio brought Anita some presents and told her how he had been going, although for him, revisiting his family's mansion was painful, and it was almost impossible for him to make up his mind to set foot inside.Deliberately bypassing the Culverzies' house, he visited Paula, but found her preoccupied despite her affability.The last time he visited was the workshop of his friend Leonardo, but when he got there, he saw only Agnello and Innocento, and the place seemed to be closed.Leonardo was nowhere to be seen.

Agnello greeted him with a smile. "Hello, Ezio! Long time no see!"

"It's been a long time indeed!"

Ezio glanced around questioningly.

"You want to know where Leonardo went."

"Did he leave?"

"Yes, but he'll be back. He's brought some things, but not all, so Innocento and I are looking after the rest for him."

"Where did he go?"

"It's funny. The master has been dealing with the Sforza family in Milan, but then Count Da Pesaro invited him to Venice to stay for a while-he will complete five family portraits there..." Ann Guinero showed a sly smile, "It would be great if only these are the only ones, but the city council of Venice seems to be very interested in his architectural skills, and provided him with a studio and corresponding manpower. So, dear Ai Zio, if you want to find him, you have to go to Venice."

"But that's where I'm going!" exclaimed Ezio, "that's great news. When did he leave?"

"Two days ago. You shouldn't have any trouble catching him, though. He's got a big wagon full of stuff, and he's got two oxen to pull it."

"Is anyone with him?"

"Only the coachman, and a few guards on horseback, so as not to cause trouble on the road. They took the road that leads to Ravenna."

Ezio took only what could fit in the saddlebags, and after riding for a day and a half, he came across a heavy, canvas-roofed ox-drawn wagon at a bend in the road, a mass of machinery And the model is carefully packed in the car.

The coachmen stood on the side of the road, scratching their heads, looking sweaty and distracted, while the guards were just two big, thin boys with crossbows and spears in their hands, constantly looking at a nearby hill.Leonardo is nearby and appears to be setting up some sort of lever device.He looked up and saw Ezio.

"Oh, Ezio! What a coincidence!"

"Leonardo! What happened?"

"I seem to be having some trouble. One of the wheels..." He pointed to a rear wheel that was almost off the axle. Not enough strength, and my makeshift levers don't lift the car high enough. Can you...?"

"of course can."

Ezio beckoned to the two coachmen, who were huge and much more useful than the two thin guards.Together, the three of them lifted the van high enough for Leonardo to put the wheels back in place and carefully nail them in.When he was done, Ezio and the others lowered the van and looked at its contents.Among them was undoubtedly the bat-shaped model he had seen.It looks like it has been modified quite a bit again.

After the van was repaired, Leonardo and the driver sat in the front seat of the van, while the others followed on horseback.The guards patrolled back and forth non-stop.Ezio kept the horse by Leonardo's side and spoke to him.It's been a long time since they last met, and they have a lot to talk about.Ezio told Leonardo what had happened, and Leonardo talked about his new job and his hopes for Venice.

"It's good to have you on the road! But I warn you, traveling with me will slow you down considerably."

"I'd love to. And I want to make sure you arrive safely."

"But I have guards to protect me."

"Leonardo, don't get me wrong, but even fledgling bandits can take them down, and it's as easy as squashing a bug."

Surprise first appeared on Leonardo's face, then annoyance, and finally he laughed. "Then I'll be doubly grateful for your company," he said slyly, "and I have a feeling that it's not just out of friendship that you want me to arrive safely."

Ezio smiled, but did not answer.He just said, "I noticed you're still working on that bat device."

"what?"

"you know what I mean."

"Oh, you said that. I just use it to tinker with it. It's just that I can't keep it."

"What is it for?"

Leonardo was a little reluctant. "I don't really want to talk about this until it's finished..."

"Leonardo! You can trust me," Ezio said in a low voice, "after all, I also entrusted you with my secret."

After experiencing some internal struggles, Leonardo opened his mouth: "Okay, but you can't tell others."

"I promise you."

"Even if you tell people, they'll just think you're crazy," Leonardo said excitedly, "Listen. I think I've found a way to make people fly into the sky!"

Ezio looked at him and laughed in disbelief.

"Sooner or later, I will let you put away such a smile." But Leonardo's tone was not malicious.

He quickly changed the subject and talked about Venice: the city is estranged from other Italian city-states, and is closer to the East than to the West—this is both for commercial interests and for its own safety, because the Ottoman Turkish Empire The power has expanded to the northern coast of the Adriatic Sea.He spoke of the beauty and the sinister of Venice, of the city's exaltation of trade, of its riches, of its quaint architecture--a canal raised in a marsh, held by hundreds of thousands of roots. A city built on massive stilts—and its astonishing independence and political power: Less than 300 years ago, the Venetian Doge enlisted a crusader army from the Holy Land of Jerusalem to destroy all commercial And the rivals who confronted his city-state militarily made the Byzantine Empire bow down.He spoke of the dark and mysterious backwaters, and of the towering, candle-lit Governor's Palace; of their strange accents in Italian, the long silences between conversations, and their flamboyant beauty. Tastefully dressed, they have excellent painters, the most outstanding of which is Giovanni Bellini, whom Leonardo longed to meet.He talked about their music, their custom of wearing masks to celebrate festivals, their habits of showing off, and their mastery of poisoning. "All this," he concluded, "I read it from books. Just imagine what the real Venice would be like."

It will be dirty, and there will be many people, Ezio thought coldly.Just like anywhere else.But he gave his friend an approving smile.Leonardo was a dreamer.Dreamers have the right to dream.

They entered a canyon, and their voices began to echo off the cliffs on both sides.Ezio scanned the barely visible cliff tops on either side, and suddenly tensed up.The mounted guards went forward, but in such a small space, he should have heard their hoofbeats.But he couldn't hear anything.A mist rose from the canyon, and the surrounding suddenly became cold, which made him feel uneasy.Leonardo was unaware of this, but Ezio could see that the coachmen tensed up too, scanning their surroundings warily.

Suddenly, a small stone fell from the cliff, and Ezio's horse backed away in fright.He raised his head and squinted at the dim sun in the sky, where he saw a hawk soaring.

Now even Leonardo is on the alert. "What happened?" he asked.

"Someone has come to accompany us," Ezio said. "There may be enemy archers in ambush on the high cliffs."

But then he heard thunderous hoofbeats: several horses were approaching from behind.

(End of this chapter)