CHAPTER 21 #3
"I’ve never been a lord," she whispered. "And I’ve never meddled in... matters like this."
"But you’ll do it well," Leonardo said, looking into her eyes. "And I will always be your advisor."
From war machines to the city gates, from medical care to explosive bombardment, he could do anything for her.
"Hedy," he said, tightening his grip on her hand, "you are a force strong enough to do what countless women would never dare to imagine."
She took a deep breath, and suddenly smiled.
Yes.
I’ve done it.
——
Luka City still retained its previous layout, with its design remaining solid and reliable.
They chose Luris’ older brother as the city’s defender and instructed the reinforcements from Florence to withdraw south. Five-fifths of the troops were redirected northward.
The main army retreated through a tunnel, and after the last person had pushed a cart out, the exit was sealed off.
The convoy began its march northward, a vast procession like a returning flock of wild geese.
There was a relatively flat road beside the bay, and the journey was smooth.
The area was divided by a chain of mountains, splitting the region into two parts.
To the west lay numerous small towns scattered like broken biscuit crumbs in the towering mountain ranges, while the east was the territory of the Duchy of Milan and the Duchy of Modena.
They chose not to provoke the local lords, taking a shortcut directly to Genoa.
Before their departure, they had already received word from Lord Lorenzo.
His response was still brief yet powerful.
"—Florence will always be your support."
Hedy folded the letter and tucked it away, feeling a sense of relief.
The fact that this core person held no suspicions was already a stroke of absolute luck.
If another, more confused lord had been in control of Florence, learning of her decision to march north to Genoa, they might have started to suspect her intentions or even issue irrational commands, and she might not have been able to hold Luka City.
Conquering Genoa wasn’t a particularly difficult task.
From a geographical standpoint, it was easy to attack but hard to defend, and its many resources made it an attractive prize.
Throughout history, it had been tossed around like a dangling pearl earring, repeatedly contested and conquered.
Before the Romans arrived to build their city, the indigenous people here were the Ligurians. After the fall of the Roman Empire, the Byzantines took control.
Then the Lombards and Franks came in turn, each enjoying the strategic benefits of this magnificent port.
As time passed, the region prospered, and Genoa became a republic, engaging in multiple conflicts with Venice.
In the following centuries, it would be passed between the Spanish Empire and the French First Empire, with its ownership constantly shifting, even briefly held by the British as a piece of international trade leverage.
Hedy was well aware that with her and Da Vinci's presence, the history of the next few centuries might be completely rewritten. What the future world would look like, she couldn't even begin to imagine.
At least for now, she could use enough calm and mature strategy to first seize this crescent-shaped city.
With its naturally advantageous deep-water port, once the situation stabilized, they could expand and develop fleets and international trade, even exploring other continents. And once the existence of the Americas and Asia became clearer, many resources and medicines could eventually be accessed.
She rubbed her forehead, realizing that she might be thinking too far ahead.
At first, she had only planned to secure a stable job in Florence, to simply survive and find some peace in this unfamiliar city.
Then, by a twist of fate, she ended up at the Doge's Palace—now the Old Palace—where she transformed from an alchemist into a secret political and business influencer.
From Florence to Milan, from Milan to Luka, many things she had once given up on, believing they were mere fantasies, were now constantly turning into reality. Even in Milan, there were now Medici family shops selling penicillin.
All the choices and judgments felt like walking a tightrope over an abyss with her eyes closed.
Luckily, even though there had been some wrong decisions along the way, she had managed to survive.
With more and more resources at her disposal, her demands and aspirations were expanding as well.
What would the world look like in five years?
The journey had been constant and bumpy. Sometimes, due to the many stones the wheels had to roll over, she would be shaken awake several times at night, and her sleep wasn’t great.
Clearly, this era didn’t have highways. Sometimes, when they encountered large pits or ditches, it was a challenge to push the wooden carts carrying huge cannons through.
And at these times, Da Vinci’s presence felt almost divine.
— No one could figure out how he did it, but he just made it happen.
He would find some seemingly fragile wooden branches or dismantle a wooden cart and turn it into a bridge. Even though the bridge might look awkward and flimsy, the long army could pass over it smoothly.
Hedy stood at the other end of the bridge, her expression filled with awe.
This man… He could create colors, cast bronze statues, and design bridges.
What can’t he do?!
After the army passed through, they decided to set up camp and rest at the other end of the deep pit.
What had once been a pile of wood, now resembled a bridge, was quickly reassembled into its original form under Da Vinci’s explanation and direction, with a few assistants fumbling through the task. Aside from the additional indentations on the wood, the functionality remained unaffected.
Hedy stood by, watching the entire restoration process, and at one point, she almost doubted her own eyes.
"You look surprised," Da Vinci couldn't help but laugh. "Didn't I write all of this in my manuscripts already?"
Hedy let out a long sigh, shaking her head slightly. "For a moment, I almost wondered if you were actually Merlin."
"Well then, it seems my King Arthur is standing right before me." He smiled even more, lowering his head to kiss her hand gently. "Your Majesty, the King."
Luris, from a distance, rolled his eyes.
The campfires had been set up in multiple places. On one side, the waves of the bay beat against the shore, and on the other side, the mountains stretched endlessly. The scattered firelight flickered in the gap between the sea and the mountains, resembling a necklace of fallen stars.
The noise of the people was drowned out by the mountain winds and sea waves, like the quiet chirping of insects.
"Speaking of Merlin, have you guys heard that prophecy?" Luris fiddled with the campfire, watching Hedy eat grilled fish. "The one about the red dragon and the white dragon?"
"What?" Da Vinci passed her a salt shaker, clearly intrigued. "You seem to know quite a lot about the northern affairs?"
"Mercenaries should be like rats, aware of the movements in every direction," Luris said, shaking his finger. The little mustaches on his lips twitched with his words. "That prophecy came true last year."
"What?"
"What?!"
"Absolutely true," Zino's second brother chimed in confidently. "This isn’t just news from France; even the Venetians are talking about it!"
A thousand years ago, there was a king in England who wanted to build a tall tower. However, no matter how much he reinforced it, the tower would collapse every night.
The king asked his magicians about this, and one of them brought a seven-year-old boy, Merlin, before him.
"Your Majesty, it is because your tower is built on a vast swamp," the boy said, gazing at the king.
The seemingly smooth surface actually hid a deep underground lake with surging currents beneath it.
"In the deep swamp, there are two massive stones, and between them sleeps two giant dragons, one red and one white," the boy explained. When he spoke of it, his words seemed to remind one of his bloodline from the Earth Mother.
The king gathered his men, and they dug up the ground beneath the tower. Indeed, they discovered the sunken lake, and between the giant stones, they found the two sleeping dragons, one fire-red and the other silver-white.
"So—the red dragon is Wales, and the white dragon is Saxony," Luris adjusted his slipping mustache and lowered his voice. "According to the great wizard's prophecy, these two dragons will fight endlessly, and in the end, the red dragon will bring an end to it all."
Hedy, sitting nearby, was absentmindedly toasting her hands over the fire.
The warmth made her feel drowsy.
"And what does this have to do with now?" Someone beside her waved his hand, clearly not following the story. "This is just a bedtime story for a three-year-old—no one even knows where the Sword in the Stone is anymore!"
"But the prophecy was indeed fulfilled—last August, Henry Tudor defeated Richard III!" Mr. Zino raised his voice. "He is now the new king of England!"
Hedy froze for a moment and asked, "The House of Plantagenet was ended?"
"Yes, it's over! Now, everyone is talking about this Henry VII!"
She was momentarily stunned, wanting to say something but then suppressing her thoughts.
The drowsiness that had started to rise in her was now dispelled. Her mind began to swirl like the fog over London.
What kind of era was this— from Caesar to Henry Tudor, how many more dangerous figures were out there?
He ended the thirty-year War of the Roses and founded the Tudor dynasty, which marked the golden age of England. The red Lancaster rose and the white York rose were merged into the red-and-white Tudor rose, and this royal emblem would shine with eternal glory.