CHAPTER 29 #4
"The East, the one Marco Polo talked about, and Zayton!" Leonardo almost struggled to find the right words. "What dynasty is there now? Or did they go to the Americas?"
"I hope they bring me some good news," Hedy began to breathe deeply. "I've been waiting for their fleet for a year and a half—"
The two of them hurried toward the conference room like children eager to receive gifts on Christmas, their attendants following behind, mirroring their every step.
The door to the conference room was wide open, and the sounds of Niccolo and others speaking were already clear.
The moment Hedy stepped into the room, her heart skipped a beat.
She knew she had completely rewritten history.
From the restructuring and unification of Italy, to the birth of Protestantism, to the elevation of royal power, and the comprehensive upgrades in politics and education...
But in this moment, the East and West were finally no longer isolated. The glorious empires hidden across the ocean were now echoing back.
Nine large chests were lined up, each facing her, wide open.
Columbus, nearing forty, now had a thick beard, accompanied by several attendants with similar beards. They all bowed to the prince and queen, signaling for them to view the extraordinary gifts laid out in the room.
White porcelain vases and plates were neatly arranged, filled with luxurious silks and brocades to prevent shaking, with fragrant tea leaves tucked into the gaps.
In addition, there were large jars of black and white pepper, countless spices, pearls, embroideries, gold, and silver—
"Your Majesty," Columbus approached Hedy, holding another small box, his steps measured. "We found Zayton, and along the way, we met the lord and kings there."
"The prosperity and strength of the Eastern city are exactly as His Highness described."
Leonardo took the box from him, signaling for Hedy to open the gift.
Hedy took a deep breath for a few seconds before opening the box.
At the very top was a diplomatic document, remarkably in both Chinese and English, and the format was incredibly clear.
Her heart skipped a beat, and an instinctive sense of foreboding began to form in her mind.
As she lifted the document, another gift embedded with sapphires was revealed.
"This is a special gift from the emperor, meant for you," Columbus smiled. "It took me quite some time to figure out how to use it."
When she saw the object, her pupils contracted in shock.
She recognized it.
It was a Colt 1917 revolver.
——
A handgun?!
Hedy was stunned for several seconds, feeling as though her usually fluid thoughts had come to a complete standstill.
Leonardo, noticing the change in her expression, gestured for the attendants and officials to step into the adjacent room to rest for a moment. He then took a step forward and picked up the revolver.
The craftsmanship was exceptional, made from high-grade steel, with flawless construction. Not only was the handle embedded with large gemstones, but every small part of the firearm was meticulously cast and assembled with precision.
Leonardo only needed a second to realize that this was another thing that shouldn’t be present in this time period.
He looked up at Hedy, but he didn’t voice his doubts aloud.
— Another person from the future has arrived in the East, and they have already begun changing this world, haven’t they?
“Hedy, you should sit down and rest for a moment,” he said, softening his tone as he helped her into a soft chair. Then, he turned to the somewhat bewildered Columbus. “Tell me about the situation in the East, sailor.”
Columbus nodded and took two notebooks and a printed copy from a nearby table, handing one to Leonardo.
One was his personal journal, documenting what he had seen and experienced during his voyages, with notes on the customs and cultures from India to China.
The other… was a black-and-white printed book, containing photographs.
Leonardo immediately recognized what the small square object capable of capturing scenes was—people from the future would no longer need artists to capture images. They could all simply take photographs of the scenes around them, some of which were even in color.
He flipped through a few pages and noticed that the book was in both Chinese and English, though unfortunately, he wasn’t fluent in English.
“We traveled east along the map, passing through many countries,” Columbus began recounting his journey, occasionally taking a sip of wine.
Hedy took the bilingual book and had already processed the situation—this was a time when people from the future, for some unknown reason, had returned, starting to influence the course of the empire’s history.
And perhaps, they had already reached the peak of power.
She flipped through the book for a while, then suddenly realized something. “This is a history book?”
"Yes," Columbus replied respectfully. "As per your instructions, we purchased it from ordinary students while we were out on our voyage. We didn’t mention it to anyone from the diplomatic department."
"But due to the language barrier... although we had people who understood English, there were still many words we couldn’t quite make out."
Leonardo watched her closely and asked, “What’s happened?”
Hedy flipped to a particular page and then began summarizing it for him in Italian.
Three hundred years ago, in a place in China called 'Beijing,' a mysterious fire from the sky appeared. Some of the natives vanished, and in their place, a modern town from another time and space emerged.
Following multiple wars, conflicts, and annexations, China, which had been fragmented, began to unify once again and work toward peace. The country started advancing in technology and culture, blending the ancient and the modern.
She hesitated for a second when she reached that part.
If it was a town, by now it should have developed the country to a point of great strength... and surely they would have even developed submarines by now, right?
But why hadn’t there been any sign of life from that country before they sent the fleet? Why hadn’t the old captain heard anything about it?
As she turned the page with her fingertips, a photograph of ruins appeared.
Leonardo paused for a moment, muttering, "They too have had internal strife..."
And it was a devastating internal strife.
Hedy steadied herself and continued translating the rest of the account.
There had been various degrees of conflict between modern and ancient cultures. After the establishment of the new dynasty, three wars had broken out in the past two hundred years. The most recent one lasted twenty years and only ended ten years ago.
Since the population of people from the modern era was only around forty to fifty thousand, they had only managed to grow to about three hundred thousand after later education and evolution, but this development was constantly hindered and controlled by conservative forces.
Even though the ancient people possessed machine guns, their minds were still incredibly difficult to change and alter.
Modern education faced issues of limited spread and lack of resonance, and it was also spontaneously resisted by multiple regions.
The distant Eastern empire had experienced numerous wars, with new and old forces continuously battling for power and control. A large portion of their scientific and philosophical works had been destroyed by extremists.
As Hedy read on, her heart sank bit by bit.
This was something she had always worried about.
The leakage of technology would allow barbarians to understand the manufacturing and use of explosives and firearms, unknowingly creating a large portion of natural enemies for themselves.
As she governed this nation, she was always conscious of this concern and anxiety.
Whether it was the ratio of black powder or the production and reactions of nitrocellulose, she had spared no effort in creating vast secret bases to control the flow and spread of information.
The vast majority of people in this world had long grown accustomed to living in unconscious ignorance and darkness. If one were to recklessly ignite a light in the sky, they would even be enraged enough to destroy both the light and the one who brought it.
"—We come from the year 2030, and with the strong support of the first and second generations of leaders, we brought the empire to a level close to the 1990s."
"But we forgot that the fiercest and most cunning enemies might be standing right behind us, disguised as humble and progressive 'friends.'"
"Now, the Great Ming Empire has undergone several revolutions and wars, enduring countless hardships to protect the last remnants of civilization. Yet, their technological level has helplessly regressed back to the 19th century."
... Nearly two hundred years of regression.
Hedy put the book down, covering her face with a long sigh.
As a ruler, perhaps she should feel relieved by this news.
But as a modern woman, also from the future, she had witnessed the prosperity and openness of the modern world. She shared a deep, emotional connection to the fall of civilization.
Certain events described in the pages felt as if barbarians had stormed in, burning universities and museums.
Columbus, having turned to fetch a photo from the box, didn’t hear what had just happened, still immersed in the joy of discovering foreign cultures.
"Their country is incredibly advanced, and the people work in factories!" Columbus pulled out an album and showed them black-and-white photographs. "These are pictures of us traveling north by train, and here are photos of us visiting their workshops—"
Hedy and Leonardo took the photos, seeing themselves in group shots with other East Asian faces.
"I think I want to see it for myself," Leonardo mumbled. "I originally thought I’d have to wait until I meet God... to see these things."
"They have electricity?"