CHAPTER 5 #2
The doors were several meters tall, and the bookshelves were towering—at least six or seven meters high.
It truly felt like a house for giants.
She entered the office and waited for a while, noticing no one was there.
"Dechio, let’s take the items out."
Inside the box were the improved microscope, some slides made from less-than-pure material, tomatoes, and other vegetables.
Lorenzo had just finished discussing matters regarding the gambling house with his subordinates. When he turned to enter the office, he saw the young woman fiddling with some strange things again.
He had originally wanted to ask about what had happened that afternoon.
How could the woman, who had clearly been dead, come back to life?
A flurry of letters had arrived—some inquiring about the young woman’s background, others offering large sums of money to take her away, and still others asking if she could bring back their recently deceased relatives.
…They had all gone mad.
However, as Lorenzo stepped closer, he finally noticed the onions, cucumbers, and small leafy greens in her basket.
Last time it was orange juice; what was she going to eat this time?
Hedy was busy adjusting the distance between the lenses, completely unaware of his footsteps.
Dechio coughed, and only then did Hedy realize, raising her skirt and curtsying.
"Good evening, Mr. Medici."
A servant nearby brought over a chair, and she sat back down at the desk.
"Speak," Lorenzo said, fingers intertwined as he quietly sat across from her.
He appeared pale and mysterious, evoking thoughts of a vampire's nocturnal visit.
"I… saved someone today," Hedy instinctively added. "I hope it didn’t cause you any trouble. I didn’t kiss her, and I’m not—I'm not a lesbian."
"I've already handled the matter," the Lord replied with an arrogant and somewhat aloof tone, raising an eyebrow as his voice grew slow and deep. "Bringing someone back from the dead… isn't that witchcraft?"
"You could do it too, but you'd have to touch her chest," Hedy said calmly, meeting his gaze. "This woman’s heart stopped because she was too obese, and her heart grew too tired to continue beating. I simply pressed on her chest and gave her oxygen."
The servant nearby was scribbling down every word quickly, seemingly planning to send these methods to the hospital.
Lorenzo gave a noncommittal "hmm" and turned his eyes toward the strange instrument.
"What is this?"
"It's a microscope," she had to use an English term.
"Microscope?"
"Yes, I invented the word," Hedy said, reaching for the device and signaling Dechio to bring over the two candlesticks.
It seemed that after telling so many lies, there was no shame in it anymore.
In the Renaissance, she had no choice but to forcibly invent some things—
Latin and ancient Italian weren’t always useful.
In front of Lorenzo, she cut the onion open and took a thin slice of the purple outer skin.
Though the purity and light transmission of the glass weren’t up to modern standards, the simple experiment wouldn't be greatly affected.
She dropped a bit of water onto the slide, placed the onion skin on top, and placed it under the microscope.
Hedy bent down, continuously adjusting the position of the slide with her hands and then fine-tuning the lens distance.
"Alright, please take a look."
Lorenzo glanced at her, stood up, and walked over, mimicking her posture as he peered into the eyepiece.
The guard beside them watched the young woman warily, ready to act if necessary.
The next moment, the Lord suddenly lifted his head, and as he looked at her again, he lowered his gaze back to the microscope, his tone growing slightly eerie.
"What is this? Devil's footprints?"
A string of purple, agate-like objects was neatly arranged together.
But upon closer inspection, it resembled a beehive, with noticeable gaps and differences in size.
He had been to many countries but had never seen anything like this.
"This is... onion skin magnified many times," Hedy struggled to find the right words, subconsciously praying that she wouldn't be thrown into a church to be burned alive.
"Anything magnified several times will appear very strange. If you slice any of these fruits or vegetables I brought and place them under this microscope, you’ll see a completely different view. "
Lorenzo motioned for his trusted aides to come over and examine it, frowning. "Are you saying that even humans can be magnified like this?"
"Indeed."
"Why look at these things?"
Hedy took a deep breath, thinking to herself that she must be crazy, but she maintained her composure. "Because my second suggestion is to make it a habit for everyone to wash their hands."
Whether it’s chefs, maids, or even the clergy and doctors performing surgery—
A person can significantly reduce the spread of many diseases just by washing their hands regularly.
She began to explain the differences between cells, bacteria, and viruses, naturally referencing the ancient books she had read about these topics, explaining how these texts were lost due to wars.
She sliced carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, and even used a glass rod to show him the magnified view of her upper jaw.
"Many things can't be seen with the naked eye because they are simply too small."
"But they also possess the power to destroy us."
Lorenzo studied it for a long time before suddenly lifting his head to look at her. "But there is no complete book that systematically records these things?"
Hedy didn't sense any malice or suspicion in his tone, and she felt a wave of relief inside.
"Yes, you can send them to the academy so that the wise scholars can study them in more depth."
She silently hoped that the development of biology and medicine could speed up a little more.
She turned to her maid, Dechio, who immediately took out the microscope’s blueprint and the brief instructions from the box.
Lorenzo nodded slowly, and the servant promptly collected everything, locking it all away.
He then turned to her, as if assessing a friend or perhaps a chess move.
Cosimo soon walked over and handed her a bag of gold coins.
There were at least twenty or more inside.
Hedy hesitated to take it, instinctively looking toward Lorenzo.
"Is it not enough?" he asked. "Or would you prefer something else?"
"No... I don't need these," she replied cautiously. "The reward you've already given me is more than enough."
Too much wealth could bring about danger to her life; she didn’t even dare keep the jewelry near her.
Lorenzo studied her expression before signaling Cosimo to take her out.
Dechio stayed in the office, her head lowered the entire time.
"What else have you observed over these days?"
The maid paused for a moment, then slowly spoke. "She's usually obedient and gentle, never causing trouble."
"But she doesn't like going to the bathroom to bathe with others."
"Sometimes she waits until most people have left, then hurries in and out quickly."
Lorenzo twirled a solid gold ring, seemingly deep in thought.
She always wore a shawl, instinctively covering her bare chest.
She wouldn’t bathe with others, nor did she interact with the flashy and beautiful young men.
Even in the presence of the popular Botticelli, she always maintained a composed demeanor, her speech and actions restrained.
Old-fashioned, introverted, yet unexpectedly interesting.
"Next time, take her to the private bath on the second floor," he said indifferently.
Consider it a reward for today.
"Yes, Lord," the maid replied.
These days felt somewhat similar to her time in Austria.
Living in a mansion, constantly being watched by maids.
Living a life of luxury, indulging in endless fine wine.
And having to deal with a powerful figure every now and then, while ensuring they didn’t grow suspicious of her.
Hedy had completely calmed down.
Here, she could stay peacefully, with only the Medici family as the possible danger.
If she dared to wander into some unfamiliar, unknown territory, one wrong move could leave her dead.
Her life now was quiet and orderly.
Apart from prayer and mass, her mornings usually consisted of a large cup of citrus juice, followed by writing in her journal in English or German. She only reflected on theorems and formulas, never discussing anything personal.
In the afternoons, she would conduct simple experiments, though due to limited equipment and materials, the success rate was usually low.
When she grew tired of staying indoors, she would walk around the Lord’s Square or admire the works of Botticelli and Da Vinci.
They sometimes spent time in their workshop or in the courtyard, listening to violins and painting, but they rarely spoke to each other and always kept a distance.
But, as expected, Da Vinci began procrastinating again.
His "Adoration of the Magi" supposedly had a draft rushed out, but then he abandoned it for over two weeks.
Since then, not a single stroke had been added.
Hedy's own experiment with moldy orange peels wasn't going well either; various bacteria kept appearing, and the penicillin culture didn’t succeed. She had even replaced the beef broth in the petri dishes multiple times.
Feeling frustrated, she decided to go downstairs and push him for the progress on the painting.
After all, she was laying the foundation for Western art history.
A few more words of pressure today, and there would be more paintings on the walls of the Louvre next year.
As she descended the stairs, Hedy spotted someone again, this time with a large sack in his arms, clearly heading down to the basement once more.
That mischievous someone winked at her with a smile. "Want to teach me again?"
No! Focus on your painting and stop distracting yourself!
It was strange, though. Lorenzo was always cold and stern with her, but with these artists, he was incredibly indulgent.
One was allowed to paint pagan gods and nudes, while the other was permitted to steal corpses for dissection.