Judas's Kiss

After grains of sand were magnified one hundred to three hundred times, one discovered that they were not colorless, transparent silicon dioxide, but a riot of colors—agates with colored bands or layered patterns. Such magnification required a microscope, another invention born alongside the telescope.

Now that human technology had advanced, photos of sand magnified three hundred times could be taken directly. One of them now hung on the wall by the entrance to the exhibition hall.

"Rich people," Pomona said enviously. This "palace" had an indoor marina with jet skis docked inside. Under Shadow's guidance, Alessandro was riding one around. He was having so much fun that he had long forgotten his cousin. Having such a good "servant" really was wonderful.

Above the indoor marina was the exhibition hall. Jean-Jacques Rousseau had once made a living copying sheet music, while Gianluca's museum had a musical-note typewriter. It looked quite old, at least one or two hundred years old.

François Pinault liked collecting paintings and artworks, while Gianluca liked manuscripts. The exhibition hall was filled with equally strange and unusual things.

Inside a human skull, a lifelike infant lay curled up. Fortunately, both the skull and the baby were fake. It looked bizarre, and there was no telling what it was meant to express.

There was also Leonardo da Vinci's earliest wing framework, which was easy to recognize. Beside it stood a biomimetic robot resembling some sort of spider, along with quite a few archaeological finds and bird specimens.

"Freak," Pomona said pitifully. No wonder Gianluca couldn't get a girl.

Strange things were much the same as junk. They were hardly any better than Ron collecting comic books.

"Found anything interesting?"

Severus suddenly appeared in the doorway.

"What are you doing here?"

"I know what that boy is up to. Whether