The Sacred Mission of the Dam

There were many scattered small islands beyond Venice's main island. These islands had not been abandoned; instead, many luxurious estates had been built on them, and the world's top billionaires lived there.

Venice was no longer the maritime empire that had once been able to supply an eastern expedition on its own. It was merely a tourist city. With its finances strained, the mayor had even signed off on auctioning thirteen Renaissance-era historic buildings and palaces to raise construction funds.

Tao Niu Palace was one of them. Cecilia Venier, the Sultan's wife, truly had charm. Even a palace that had been torn apart and was on the verge of collapse still drew buyers willing to pay for it.

For the truly wealthy, they no longer managed their own companies and businesses. They hired professional managers. It did not matter where Gianluca studied anyway; he was not studying to make money.

He barely mentioned anything about himself and showed no interest in those mansions either. He merely watched the navigation system as he steered.

Alessandro looked at the palace-like buildings with envy. A monthly income of six thousand euros counted as a high salary, yet his family's monthly income was not even as much as the amount children from those wealthy families squandered in a day. Though they lived in the same city of Venice, the gap between people was simply that vast.

"That used to be a prison." As a competent tour guide, Monica explained to the two tourists, "The thirty-first Doge, Domenico Selvo, was once imprisoned there."

"That is Saint Mary's Monastery, where the nuns lived. You have it wrong," Gianluca said. "The monastery where he was imprisoned is on another island."

Monica stuck out her tongue.

"They took in respectable courtesans from the city who had syphilis. They