CHAPTER 26 #3
Leonardo thought of a way to push it back into position and then have it push outward again—press, rebound, press, rebound. By repeating this in and out motion, a continuous energy cycle could be created!
With enough fuel and proper control and stabilization of this force, countless new machines could be born from it! He thought of the cars and trains they had discussed, along with the massive machines in factories that ran day and night.
All of this... was completely possible!
Leonardo dove into his lab, spending nearly four or five days at the Florence Academy without even realizing how much time had passed, forgetting that he had only recently gotten married.
Meanwhile, the young and gracious queen began inspecting various drafts of laws and their revisions. Occasionally, she would hold a salon at the Plato Academy with friends, enjoying gentle conversation and fine wine.
Their love was not as fiery and intense as those in knightly tales, but like still waters, it flowed steadily and endlessly.
One late night, Leonardo rushed back to their bedroom, finally remembering to go home and sleep. His queen was already fast asleep, the blanket warm and soft.
After changing into his pajamas, he took a deep breath and climbed into bed beside her. The once distant and perfect existence that seemed out of reach was now his wife.
Everything felt like an unreal beautiful dream.
The two of them slept close together, like larks nestling, unknowingly falling into each other’s embrace, both smiling faintly in their sleep.
Outside, the wind howled relentlessly, but it could not disturb the warmth inside.
——
As March arrived, another piece of good news came through—
The fleet she had commissioned two years ago had finally been fully deployed and was in place.
Back when Hedy was still a merchant in Milan, she had been paying attention to the prices of different ports and fleets. Later, she also gathered several subordinates to assemble a fleet that was sufficiently capable.
Just a month ago, after being open with Leonardo about her background, she had brought up another matter.
—The true face of this world, beyond what it appears.
“This world isn’t just about our island,” she said, drawing a rectangle on a white sheet of paper and sketching the shapes of different continents inside it. “I’ve seen places farther away.”
“You mean… the East?” Leonardo’s expression became rather focused. “I’ve read The Travels of Marco Polo for a long time, and there are many clues in it.”
In fact, this book was less of a travelogue and more like a collection of essays.
It recorded the descriptions and experiences of merchants from different regions regarding the East, and it wasn’t just about Marco Polo.
One of the ways people in Europe understood the East was through the Ottoman Empire, which had also led to several wars.
“So, you mean you know how to find the East by sea?”
Suddenly, Leonardo hurried off to fetch a book and showed her the page he had marked earlier.
Hedy took the book and, almost instinctively, read the word aloud: “...Zayton?”
“—It is one of the largest ports in the world, where countless merchants gather, and goods pile up like mountains. The bustling trade here is unimaginable.” Da Vinci looked up at her. “It is the key to opening the East.”
Hedy was somewhat unfamiliar with the location, but she understood the outline of Asia and the position of the Americas.
On the white sheet of paper, the charcoal pencil began to mark different oceans and continents, scattered like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle across the seas.
Leonardo leaned closer to her, focusing intently on these unfamiliar forms.
“We’re here now—” her pen tip pointed to a small corner. “And over here is the East.”
“Where is this?” he asked, extending his hand.
“Russia,” Hedy paused, then added somewhat uncertainly, “But at this time, it was probably still under the Mongols.”
“Below this country,” her pen tip slowly moved downward, “is China.”
She circled the coastline, but couldn't yet find the precise spot to mark: “Zayton’s port should be here.”
If they could find it successfully, they could open up trade and communication with this ancient empire.
In addition to Europe and Asia, she also marked the locations of the Americas and Africa.
She also drew the heart-shaped Australia, with the equator emphasized in bold at the top.
Leonardo was somewhat astonished when he saw the size of the Americas and Africa. He could hardly imagine that there were still two ancient continents that had yet to be developed.
“By the way, these two islands should have been discovered by this era,” Hedy took a sip of water and began to explain to him the stories of the African slave trade and the Mayflower.
Every continent carried countless stories, where people chased after wealth and power, doing the same things on every piece of land.
Though many of these stories were cloaked in the guise of freedom and openness, they would inevitably fall into the mundane in the end.
Listening to her account, Da Vinci began adjusting and refining the positions of the islands on the map, also detailing the navigation routes.
He had always been deeply interested in geography and had a unique understanding of navigation.
What was once a hasty and rough map was, through their combined efforts, transformed into a clear guide for opening new trade routes.
Every sea exploration was never solely about money.
Compared to the circulation of gold coins, Hedy was more concerned about other things.
Luxury goods—such as sugar, coffee, tea, and porcelain—seemingly insignificant items, could potentially change the entire trajectory of the world’s economy.
Plants—like quinine trees, oaks, pepper trees, and various rare species—would rewrite the history of medicine and industry, speeding up the world’s development once again.
And there were also certain sensitive political information.
If they could establish early communication and cooperation with certain empires, later arrivals might not be able to reverse certain events.
Half a year ago, as the fleet was nearing its final repairs, the Queen's CEO, Atalante, issued a recruitment call, seeking skilled sailors from across the country and offering substantial financial rewards in the announcement.
Once the records of the applicants were compiled, they were handed over to Hedy, who began sorting through them as though selecting employees for a company.
Over the past few years, she had ingrained a text-based work approach into every aspect of her operations, and, alongside Atalante, they were handling issues with greater efficiency.
Atalante and the younger generation were continuously training more such talents, bringing vitality and energy to this new government.
Hedy had initially intended to select veteran captains and seasoned sailors with ample experience at sea.
They might not be literate, and would need scribes to help them with their names, but they should have an exceptional ability to judge natural environments.
However, as she flipped through the resumes, a familiar name suddenly appeared.
—Christopher Columbus, from Genoa.
"Calm down, Hedy," she told herself.
"This isn't the first time you've encountered this situation."
At the age of just over thirty, Columbus was in the prime of his life and held a deep respect for the newly crowned Queen.
Although he had only sailed through a few nearby bays, he was passionate about expeditions.
Without hesitation, Hedy brought him into the ranks, leaving her other subordinates somewhat puzzled.
Some of the old sailors had thrown more anchors than Columbus had worn shoes—why choose such an unknown man?
Leonardo was about to ask more questions, but when he saw the sly smile on Hedy’s face, he instantly understood.
She had certainly come across another character from a book.
Speaking of this, Leonardo had once doubted the true nature of this world.
On the day Hedy revealed the truth, one of the reasons he wanted to step away and be alone for a while was because he realized he was some character from five hundred years of history.
If someone were to tell you while you were alive, "You will become a legend of your era," or "I read your manuscript five hundred years later," it would be absurd and surreal.
Moreover, Hedy had even seen several works of his that he had never painted.
It felt as though he were some kind of ghost.
But his attention was soon diverted by other matters—like how one could travel five hundred years ahead.
Hedy now had a regular bedtime story routine with him, where they would share things from each other's worlds.
Leonardo would tell her ancient stories about Tuscany, and she would explain what a mobile phone was.
There were times when Leonardo even considered death—if it was the only way to leave this time period.
Of course, he would never recklessly make such a ridiculous choice, at least not while having someone he loved and cared about.
When everything was ready, the Queen's fleet set sail from Genoa towards the East, following the predetermined route in search of a new world.
The ship was not only loaded with large amounts of lemons and oranges to ensure they wouldn’t suffer from scurvy due to a lack of vitamin C, but also filled with goods and silver.
If they were able to return safely in a year or two, more fleets might appear on the wings of the empire, becoming new military and commercial powers.
After adapting to her position as queen, Hedy gradually began to make more attempts.
She was smart enough not to take everything on herself.
For instance, she delegated research on electromagnetism, steam engine design and improvements, radio exploration, microbiology, and genetics to the scholars of this era after explaining the basic concepts. She even established more academies to facilitate research and development.
Many things, once the spark was ignited, could grow into a roaring fire with the aid of a strong wind.