Assassin's Creed: Renaissance

Chapter 39

The strange bird that appeared in the sky on the night of the Doge's death caused a serious disturbance in Venice, which lasted for many weeks.Leonardo's flying machine had caught fire when it crashed in Piazza San Marco, and ended up in ash because no one dared to approach the bizarre contraption.During this period, Marco Babaig was formally elected as the new Governor and took office.He made a solemn public oath to find the assassin who had narrowly escaped, for having murdered Carlo Grimaldi, a noble public servant of the city-state, and, presumably, the old Doge himself.Guards from the Babaig's house and the Governor's Palace were present on every street corner and patrolled the canal day and night.

At Antonio's suggestion, Ezio was discouraged by hiding out at the headquarters of the Thieves Guild, which was not helped by the fact that Leonardo was temporarily out of town with his patron, Count Pesaro.Not even Rosa could cheer him up.

Soon, one day before the arrival of the new year, Antonio called him to the office with a cheerful smile on his face. "Ezio! I have two pieces of good news for you. The first is that your friend Leonardo is back. The second is that the carnival has begun! Everyone will wear masks, so you..." But Ezio Already reached the door.

"Hey! Where are you going?" Antonio called to stop Ezio.

"Go see Leonardo!"

"Oh, come back sooner—I want you to meet someone."

"who?"

"Sister Theodora."

"nun?"

"You'll understand then!"

Ezio, hooded over his head, walked through the streets, inconspicuous among the strangely dressed men and women in the streets and canals, wearing strange masks.He was clearly aware of the patrolling guards.Marco Babaig also didn't care about Grimaldi and the death of the previous governor; and now, since he has shown a conscientious attitude in tracking down the criminals, he can let the matter go under the premise of public approval— — he has apparently stopped his costly manhunt.But Ezio was well aware that if there was a way to set a trap and kill himself, Marco Babaig would not hesitate at all.As long as he lived, he was the confidant of the Knights Templar, one of their most feared enemies.He has to be on his guard all the time.

He managed to reach Leonardo's studio and walked in without anyone noticing.

"It's good to see you again," Leonardo greeted him, "I thought you were dead this time. I never heard from you, and then everyone started talking about Mocenigo and Greg The Rimaldi thing, and then my employer suddenly wanted to travel and insisted that I go with him - we ended up in Milan - and I never had time to rebuild my flying machine, because the Venetian navy was going to let me go Designing for them—it's so distressing!" Then he laughed, "But the important thing is that you're alive and intact!"

"And I'm the most wanted man in Venice!"

"That's right. The double murderer killed two of the city's most famous citizens."

"You certainly won't believe that."

"If I believed such things, you wouldn't have come to me. You know you can trust me, Ezio, and you can trust everyone here. After all, it was the day we sent you to the Doge People from the government." Leonardo clapped his hands, and an assistant brought the wine. "Luca, can you find a carnival mask for our friend? I always think he'll need it sooner or later."

"Thank you, my friend. I have something for you too." Ezio handed him the ancient page.

"Great." Leonardo recognized it immediately.He made room on a nearby table, spread out the paper, and examined it.

"Well," he frowned, watching intently, "there are design drawings of new weapons on this page, and they are quite complicated. It looks like it can be installed on your wrist guard again, but this is not a sword blade." He stared at the page again for a moment, "I know what it is! It's a firearm, only small—about the size of a hummingbird, in fact."

"Sounds like an impossibility," Ezio said.

"There's only one way to figure it out, and that's to build it," Leonardo said. "Fortunately, these Venetian assistants of mine are experts in design and manufacture. We'll start building it right away."

"What about your other jobs?"

"Oh, those can wait," Leonardo said lightly, "They all think I'm a genius, and there's no harm in letting them continue to think so—in fact, it means they're less likely to bother me!"

Within a few days, the musket was completed and brought to Ezio for testing.For its size, its range and firepower are pretty good.Just like the two blades, it is also designed to be mounted on the spring device of the wrist guard, which can be stored in the wrist guard, and can be ejected instantly when needed.

"How did I never think of a similar design?" Leonardo said.

"What's even more puzzling," Ezio said in astonishment, "is that people hundreds of years ago could have come up with such an invention."

"Oh, whoever came up with it, it's a brilliant piece of work, and I hope it helps you."

"I think this new toy comes just in time," Ezio said sincerely.

"I understand," said Leonardo, "although the less I know the better, I venture to suspect that your plans have something to do with the new governor. I'm not much of a politician, but sometimes I can smell Smells of trickery."

Ezio nodded meaningfully.

"Oh, you'd better talk to Antonio about it. And you'd better keep that mask—you'll be safe on the streets as long as the carnival is on. But remember—don't light your weapon Come out! Be sure to hide it in your sleeve."

"I'm going to Antonio right now," Ezio told him, "he wants me to meet someone - a nun named Theodora, just over in the Dorsoduro district."

"Oh! Sister Theodora!" Leonardo laughed.

"do you know her?"

"She's a mutual friend of Antonio and I. You'll like her."

"Who is she?"

"You'll find out soon enough," Leonardo said with a smile.

Ezio walked towards the address Antonio had given him.The house looked nothing like a convent.Once inside, he was convinced he had come to the wrong place, for the room reminded him of Paola's "House of Pleasure" in Florence.Those elegant young women who come and go are definitely not nuns either.He was about to put on the mask, and when he turned to leave, he heard Antonio's voice.After a while, Antonio appeared with an elegant and beautiful woman on his arm.The woman, with her full lips and provocative eyes, was indeed dressed like a nun.

"Ezio! Here you come," Antonio said.He looked a little drunk. "Permit me to introduce... Sister Theodora. Theodora, come and meet--how should I put it?--come and meet the most brilliant man in all Venice!"

"Nun," Ezio said, bowing.Then he glanced at Antonio. "Am I wrong? I've never seen you so devout."

Antonio laughed, but Sister Theodora's tone was strangely serious. "It depends on how you view religion, Ezio. It's not just the heart that a man needs to be comforted."

"Have a drink, Ezio!" Antonio said. "We need to talk, but first you need to relax! You are very safe here. Have you seen any of the girls? Have you found someone who suits you? Don't worry, I won't Tell Rosa. And you have to tell me..."

Antonio's words were interrupted by screams from a nearby room.The door slammed open, and a man with frantic eyes rushed out, wielding a sharp knife.The bed behind him was soaked in blood, and a girl writhed in pain. "Stop him!" she screamed, "He hurt me and took my money!"

The lunatic let out a roar, grabbed another girl who couldn't get away in time, and pulled her close to him, holding the knife to her throat. "Let me go, or I'll chop this too!" he yelled, piercing the girl's skin with the tip of the knife, and a drop of blood gushed out. "I will do what I say!"

Antonio regained consciousness immediately, his eyes shifting from Theodora to Ezio.Theodora also looked at Ezio. "Oh, Ezio," he was taken aback by the calmness in her tone, "this is your time to act."

The madman walked to the door, and a small group of girls stood by.He came to the door and yelled at them, "Open!" but they all seemed too scared to move. "Open the damn door, or she'll taste the knife!" He drove the point deeper.Blood trickled down her neck.

"Let her go!" Ezio ordered.

The man turned to look at him, his expression contorted. "What are you? Don't force me to kill her!"

Ezio looked from the man to the door.The girl he had caught had passed out and was a complete liability.Ezio could see the man hesitate, but sooner or later he would have to let her go.He is ready.The other girls were too close, and he had to seize his moment and move quickly, and he didn't know much about the new weapon yet. "Open the door." He said to one of the girls in a firm tone.

As she turned to open the door, the lunatic let go of the bleeding girl.He looked away from Ezio and was about to run out the door.Ezio took the opportunity to pop the miniature firearm and squeezed the trigger.

With a loud bang, a cloud of flames accompanied by blue smoke erupted between the fingers of Ezio's right hand.With a surprised expression on the face of the lunatic, he fell to his knees with a neat little hole in the center of his forehead, and his brains spilled on the door frame behind him.The girls screamed and scrambled to dodge him as he fell forward.Theodora shouted orders, and servants rushed to tend to the two wounded girls, but the one in the bedroom was bleeding too much to be saved.

"Please accept my gratitude, Ezio," Theodora said, after order had been restored around him.

"I didn't have time to save her life."

"You saved other people's lives. If you weren't there to stop him, he would have killed more people."

"What witchcraft did you use to kill him?" Antonio's tone was full of awe.

"Not witchcraft. Just a secret weapon. Like some kind of throwing knife, only more powerful."

"Oh, I can see you'll be able to use it sooner or later. Our new Doge is in constant fear. He's always surrounded by guards, and he never leaves the Doge's Palace." Antonio paused, then added: "I Guess your next target is Marco Babaig?"

"He is as much my enemy as his cousin Emilio."

"We'll help you," put in Theodora, "and our chance will come soon. The Governor is throwing a big party for the carnival, and he'll be there. Not planning to save any money. According to my spies, he even ordered fireworks from China!"

"That's why I asked you to come here today," Antonio explained to Ezio, "Sister Theodora is one of us, and she holds the lifeblood of Venice."

"How do I get invited to the party?" Ezio asked her.

"It's not easy," she replied, "You need a golden mask to get in."

"Oh, it shouldn't be too hard to get a pair."

"Don't worry—every mask is an invitation, and it's numbered," but then Theodora laughed. "Don't worry, I have an idea. Come with me." She led He followed him to a quiet small courtyard at the back of the house, where there was a fountain in the center of the ornamental pool.

"Tomorrow, they're doing some special carnival competitions that are open to everyone. There are four competitions, and the winner gets a golden mask and becomes the guest of honor at the party. You have to win the competition because You can only get close to Marco Babaig if you are at the party." She looked at him and continued, "I suggest you take that little fire-breathing thing because you can't get close enough to stab him distance."

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Just ask, but I don't guarantee an answer."

"I'm curious. You're wearing a nun's costume, but you're clearly not a nun."

(End of this chapter)