Assassin's Creed: Renaissance

Chapter 36

"Who needs guards talking all the time?"

"Here we are," Grimaldi said.A few of them came to a house near the Church of Our Lady of Lilies, where there was an inconspicuous door.Ezio kept a safe distance so as not to attract the attention of the extra vigilant Dante, who had just seen them enter the door as he rounded the corner of the square.He scanned his surroundings to make sure no one would see him, then climbed up the side of the house and onto the balcony above the door.The window of the room adjoining the balcony was open, and in the room was a heavy oak chair, behind which was a long dining table covered with papers, at which sat the Spaniard in a purple velvet robe .Ezio blended into the shadows, waiting, ready to listen to their conversation.

Rodrigo Borgia is in a bad mood.That assassin had sabotaged his important plans several times, and had narrowly escaped death by his men time and time again.Now he has come to Venice, and has killed one of his chief allies there.As if that wasn't enough, for the first 15 minutes of the meeting, Rodrigo was also forced to listen to the poor men bicker over who should be the next doge.Those idiots acted like they didn't know that he had already made his choice and bribed all the key members of the 41-man committee.And he chose the oldest, most pompous and smoothest of the three.

"Shut up, you guys," he finally couldn't help scolding, "I want you to obey the organization and serve it unwaveringly, not this stupid dispute for self-interest. I have made a decision , and will do so. Marco Babaig will be elected the next Doge a week after the death of Giovanni Mocenigo. Considering the guy is 76 years old, as long as he looks like A natural death would surprise no one. Grimaldi, do you think you are capable of planning accordingly?"

Grimaldi looked at the two Babaigs.Marco gloats, while Silvio, despite his disappointment, manages to maintain his dignity.What a bunch of idiots, he thought.Governor or not, they were puppets of the Grand Master, who was handing over his real responsibilities at this time.Imagining a bright future for himself, Grimaldi replied, "Of course, Grand Master."

"When were you closest to him?"

Grimaldi pondered. "I am in charge of the Governor's Palace. Mocenigo may not like me very much, but he trusts me very much and summons me to see him from time to time."

"Very well. Poison him at the first chance."

"He has a special person to test the poison."

"Jesus, man, do you think I don't know? Everyone knows you Venetians are good at poisoning. When they've tried the poison, add something to the meat. Or to the Sardinian jam he's rumored to be very fond of." Put something on. Think about it carefully, or you will end up miserable!"

"Leave it to me, Your Excellency."

Rodrigo looked at Marco annoyed. "I think you should be able to find a suitable poison?"

Marco smiled disapprovingly. "My cousin is better at this kind of thing."

"I should be able to get enough 'Cantarella'," Silvio said.

"What is that for?"

"It's a very potent arsenic that leaves almost no trace."

"Very good! I'll leave it to you then!"

"I must say, sir," said Marco, "that you are admiring us for what you have done. But are you not afraid of danger?"

"That assassin didn't even dare to come and kill me. He's smart, but he's no match for my intellect. In any case, I'd prefer to be directly involved in the plan. The Pazzi's let me down in Florence. I really hope that Baba The Eagles won't do what they did..." He stared at the two of them.

Silvio snickered. "The Pazzi family is a bunch of laymen..."

"The Pazzi family," Rodrigo interrupted, "is a powerful and respectable family, but a mere young assassin completely defeated them. Don't underestimate this troublesome enemy, otherwise the Babaig family will also be ruined." It's in his hands." He paused, letting them digest the words. "Let's go now and get this done. We can't afford another failure!"

"Big head, what's your plan?"

"I'm going back to Rome. Time is running out!"

Rodrigo stood up abruptly and left the room.From his hiding place on the balcony, Ezio saw him leave alone, striding across the piazza in the direction of the Molo district, sending a flock of pigeons flying away in fright.The others quickly followed him, then separated and left the square.When everything was quiet, he jumped onto the stone road below and hurried towards Antonio's headquarters.

No sooner had he arrived than Rosa welcomed him with a long kiss. "Put back your knife." She said with a smile, her body clinging to him even tighter.

"It was you who made me draw the knife. It took it back," he added slyly, "and you."

She took his hand. "Then come on."

"No, Rosa, I'm really sorry, but I can't go."

"Oh—you're tired of me!"

"You know it's not like that! I'm going to see Antonio. It's urgent."

Rosa looked at him and saw the tension on his face and those gray-blue eyes. "Okay. I'll forgive you this time. He's in his office. I think he's missing the model of Seta Palace again, after all, he has the real one now! Come on!"

"Ezio!" Antonio said immediately when he saw him, "I don't like the way you look. Is everything all right?"

"I hope all is well, too, except that I just learned that Carlo Grimaldi and the Babaig cousins, Silvio and Marco, are with someone I ... know very well, Everyone calls him 'The Spaniard.' They're going to murder Doge Mocenigo and replace him with one of their own."

"This is really terrible news. If their people become Doge, the Venetian fleet and this trading empire will fall into their hands," he paused, "and they will declare me a criminal!"

"So—will you help me stop them?"

Antonio held out his hand. "I'll help you, my brother. And every man I've got."

"And women," Rosa interrupted.

Ezio smiled. "Thank you, my friends."

Antonio seemed lost in thought. "But Ezio, we need to make some arrangements first. The Doge's Palace is so heavily guarded that the Setta Palace is like an undefended park in comparison. We don't have time to make a set of miniatures so that we can configure..."

Ezio raised his hand and said firmly. "There's no defense you can't break through."

Both looked at him.Then Antonio laughed, and Rosa smiled mischievously. "Well said! — no wonder we all like you, Ezio!"

Later in the day, after the pedestrians had thinned, Antonio and Ezio made their way to the Doge's Palace. "I am no longer surprised by such a betrayal," Antonio said as he walked, "Mocenigo is a good man, and I didn't expect him to be governor for so long. When I was a child, the education I received It is 'Nobles are just and kind and good men'. I believe it. Although my father was a cobbler and my mother a kitchenmaid, I aspired to be far greater. I studied hard and persevered, but I still There was no way to get yourself into the ruling class. If you were not born noble, they couldn't accept you. So - I ask you, Ezio, who in Venice are the real nobles? Grimaldi, Marco With Silvio? No! We are! Thieves, merchants, and whores. We keep the city running, and we have more honor in one little finger than all the so-called rulers put together More! We love Venice. Those people only use it as a tool for profit."

Ezio said nothing, as he could not imagine such a good man as Antonio wearing a ducal hat.They soon came to St. Mark's Square, and walked around the square towards the pink palace.It was obviously heavily guarded there, although the two of them managed to climb the scaffolding on the side wall of the cathedral adjacent to the palace without anyone noticing, but when they stood on the top of the scaffolding, they realized that although they could— -and they did-jumped to the roof of the palace, and even had access to the courtyard from there, but was barred by a tall iron grating with spikes curving outwards at the top.In the courtyard below them, they could see the Doge, Giovanni Mocenigo himself: a stately old man, but shriveled and thin in the rich robes and caps that symbolized the power of the city-state leader.The doge was speaking to Carlo Grimaldi, Rodrigo's appointed murderer.

Ezio listened carefully.

"Do you understand what I am proposing, sir?" Carlo was saying. "Please listen to me, because this is your last chance!"

"How dare you talk to me like that? How dare you threaten me?" the governor retorted.

Carlo immediately apologized. "Forgive me, my lord. I did not mean to threaten you. But please believe me, my main concern is your safety..."

After speaking, the two walked into the room, out of their sight.

"We don't have much time," Antonio said, seeing through Ezio's thoughts, "and we can't get through this iron gate. Even if we can get in, you should see the number of guards around. Devil!" he annoyed Beating the air, a flock of pigeons flew into the sky in fright. "Look at them! Those birds! How easy it would be if we could fly!"

Suddenly, Ezio laughed to himself.Time to visit his friend Leonardo da Vinci.

(End of this chapter)