Chapter 124

"I already said I don't care! No, no... but... thank you for praising me like that, Da Vinci."

The Fairy girl turned her head, her face flushed, and looked out the window at the scenery.

The air in Rome is fresh, and the air is filled with the fragrance of flowers.

Large flowers collected from all over Europe bloom in their respective pots, so vibrant it's as if it's flowering season. Countless people bask in the sunlight, wandering around, immersing themselves in the local atmosphere, seemingly contradicting the Serenity.

The bustling City is bathed in a soft glow, dazzling and extravagant, yet it also seems lonely.

The Theological Debate between Rome Pope and the Reformed Christians attracted the attention of all of Europe, including the Ottoman Empire, which had been hoping to find an opportunity to invade Rome by sea ever since withdrawing its troops from the Apennine Peninsula in 1481.

After the fall of Constantinople, the Sultans and their Cursecraft organizations controlled the appointment of the Patriarch of Constantinople, and imposed penalties such as execution for those who could not guarantee the loyalty of believers to the Sultans. This was undoubtedly a major blow to the Holy Church.

However, the Ottoman Empire now seemed to realize why Martin Luther Luther's theories were able to sweep across Europe so quickly, so the current Sultan swiftly issued a decree. "Anyone engaged in printing science will be executed."

In fact, as early as 1485, the Ottoman Empire Sultan had issued a decree prohibiting the printing of Arab Book.

Then in 1508, a decree was issued stating that "movable type printing is permitted only in non-MSL communities and not in MSL communities."

Clearly, this was because the Ottoman Empire recognized the danger that the spread of ideas posed to them, and therefore made arrangements in advance so that everyone could only use writing, which greatly slowed down the speed of dissemination. This move also directly affected Central Asia and India in modern times.

The Ottomans' move was undoubtedly similar to that of the later Qing Dynasty, which was essentially a form of political manipulation. However, the Ottomans' methods were significantly more sophisticated than those of the Qing Dynasty, as they cut off the problem at its source. In contrast, the Qing Dynasty waited until a large number of Book opposing them had been printed and had already caused a significant impact before launching a strong counterattack. For example, the Qing Dynasty had been trying to ban the dissemination of the novel "The Great Ming Heroes," but the novel was republished under a different name.

Ultimately, the Qing dynasty addressed the symptoms, while the Ottomans addressed the root cause; both ultimately became mere specimens of the problem.

"Okay, it's finished."

Da Vinci put down his brush, spread his arms like the wings of an airplane, and then handed the painting he had just finished to Bavan Shi.

"... Wow, Da Vinci, you're amazing! This painting is so good! It was totally worth spending so much time looking at it."

"If you don't fall asleep as soon as you sit down, an hour might be enough."

"I only took a short nap..."

"I'm not entirely sure," said Bawan Shi, sounding somewhat unsure.

"Okay, I'll take it that way."

Da Vinci said with a half-smile.

For Uomo Universale as her, drawing Bavanshi would be quite easy, mainly because she dozed off for four and a half hours out of five, and kept swaying around... But ultimately, it was still quite easy for her.

"By the way, Da Vinci, may I draw in this notebook?"

Suddenly, Bavan Shi, holding the notebook that Da Vinci had handed her, exclaimed excitedly.

"Sure."

The Uomo Universale rose slightly, leaving the Fairy girl with the tools and space to paint.

He then sat down on a chair nearby, closed his eyes, and enjoyed the warm sunshine.

In fact, Da Vinci felt that the only painting he couldn't paint well was Favia, which he found somewhat regrettable.

Was my 'omnipotence' completely ineffective against him? Or was there something strange about Favia that I hadn't noticed?

During Favia's stay in Rome, Da Vinci's friends naturally knew that their beloved young man had arrived, so they came to visit him uninvited. Favia met people like Michelangelo and Raphael at Da Vinci's home.

For example, Michelangelo immediately approached Favia with sparkling eyes and suggested that he create a sculpture based on Favia.

Favia might have agreed to a normal request, but Michelangelo wanted to sculpt a nude... so naturally, Favia refused.

As for Raphael, he was very respectful and well-mannered, and didn't make any demands. He was also known for his excellent interpersonal skills, and rarely refused requests for paintings.

If there's one point to mention, it's that after meeting Favia, Raphael, who was always amorous and indulging in women, gave up his womanizing ways.

Even Da Vinci was amazed by this.

"Looks like I don't have a talent for drawing... But I'm still very serious..."

A few minutes later, Da Vinci saw Bavan Shi walking towards him apologetically, holding the notebook he had just handed her. The page of the notebook showed a 'drawing'.

How to put it? It's very simple, but also very messy, like something a three-year-old child would scribble. You can only barely make out that it's a group of people.

"Ha... Is this what you drew with 100% care? You really didn't slack off...?"

"W-what? What? Da Vinci, what's with that sorrowful look you're giving me? It feels so mean."

"I'm telling the truth, and what you drew is—"

The next instant, Da Vinci's pupils suddenly contracted as he realized that the Fairy girl had drawn the first page of his own sketchbook, the one he had specifically saved for Favia. Now this girl had ruined it, and he suddenly felt a bit annoyed.

"This is a family portrait I drew. This is Favia, next to her is me, and this is Sella Parasuss, and that's Makiri..."

Perhaps sensing that Da Vinci was truly angry, Bavan Shi cautiously observed my expression with a raised eyebrow, pointing to the minimalist drawings in the notebook as she spoke.

"This is Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael..."

"... I see." Da Vinci suddenly broke into a friendly smile. "Actually, starting like this is quite good. After all, if you really can't draw it, then sketching out what's in your heart without hesitation based on your sincere thoughts—this kind of initial wish is truly admirable."

After saying this, the Uomo Universale picked up the notebook and went into the Magecraft Workshop he had built inside the house, leaving only the Fairy girl outside.

Just as Bavan Shi was praying that Da Vinci was truly not angry.

"What's wrong with you?"

Having already returned with clothes and shoes, Favia walked in and saw Bavan Shi in this state, so she asked him a question.

Upon hearing this, when her eyes met those of the Silver-Haired Boy, she seemed startled and swayed slightly before looking at Favia as usual.

"Ah, um, it's nothing, um, welcome back."

"Sorry to keep you waiting, where's Da Vinci? Is he still doing his research?"

"No, no, Da Vinci just went in."

"That guy probably only went in because he saw me come in, right?"

Seeing Bavan Shi react as always, Favia, who was already used to it, walked up to her casually and spoke to her in a natural tone.

"Maybe..."

As she backed away, Bawan Shi answered, her mind preoccupied with how she had suddenly become so sweaty, which caused her to stagger and be drenched in sweat.

"I went out for a while and found the Artists to be very interesting. One wanted to teach me to sing, and another wanted to visit his hometown, Florence."

"Yes, yes, the Artists are quite interesting."

Bawan Xi echoed, saying she didn't know what was wrong with her, but felt she should try to smile. So she tried to force a smile, but her face seemed to twitch... She really wanted to run back inside, but no, that would make her look like she was in a bad mood.

Perhaps because of Da Vinci's previous joke to Bavan Shi, "You are one of Favia," the Fairy girl's already stiff expression and unclear speech became even more severe when she spoke to Favia, and she even broke out in a sweat on her neck.

Wow, what beautiful clothes and shoes! And they're red! Is this really okay? If you really gave them to me...

So, do you like it?

"Uh-huh."

"If you like it, then go inside and put it on."

"Uh-huh."

And so, Bavan Shi picked up the clothes and shoes that Favia handed him and walked back to his room in a daze.

Feeling embarrassed, the Fairy girl tried to delay changing, so her movements were slow and hesitant.

Then, the Fairy girl fiddled with the hem of the red dress that Favia had given her, and looked down at the red shoes that seemed very long to her.

At that moment, Bawan Shi felt her face burning hot.

It looks good, but because it clings so tightly to the body, it makes every part of the body feel prominent...

"What should I do...?"

Her heart was pounding, and her emotions were running high. To calm herself down, Bawan Shi threw herself onto the bed, took off the clothes she had received, and hugged them tightly to her chest.

Although I was suddenly a little nervous and at a loss today, and almost screamed and cried, this is a gift from Favia, and I'm very happy.

The image of the Silver-Haired Boy flashed through Bawan Xi's mind, and she murmured softly, her face flushed.

"... I love it, I love it the most."

Then, then--

She fell asleep without realizing it because she was sweating so much and feeling so hot and stuffy.

210: You are a respectable believer (6k5)

Then came the morning of the Theological Debate that would captivate all of Europe.

"Rodrigo, why did you have to engage in Theological Debate with that Martin Luther? It was completely unnecessary, and you didn't need to get involved yourself."

Inside the Saint Novia Cathedral, opposite the current Rome Pope Alexander VI, stands a Cardinal. Although both are elderly, this cardinal's voice is loud and powerful, and his eyes sparkle with unparalleled enthusiasm and vitality.

His name was Giuliano de la Rovere, who, in the historical sequence, succeeded Alexander VI and was known as the God of War God Pope Julius II. He was also considered by the Holy See to be one of the 25 most accomplished Pope in history, and the statue of Moses was modeled after him.

In fact, the honest believer in the Church of Rome that Da Vinci mentioned in his earlier notes was him. As Cardinal rarely seen in hundreds of years, he was completely different from the various greedy bishops and Pope who appeared in the Church over the years.

Therefore, theoretically, someone like him should not have had a good relationship with the morally questionable Alexander VI.

But surprisingly to many people, their relationship is actually quite good.

"Giuliano, I'm dying. A few days ago, I realized I couldn't stand in the sunlight anymore, which means it's time for me to die."

Alexander VI did not directly answer Giuliano's question. Instead, he looked up at the Saint Novia Cathedral, which had stood for a thousand years. As the center of the Church, its architecture itself was a silent symbol of majesty and Faith, and it was also the venue for today's debate.

"... Really? You've worked hard."

Upon hearing this, Giuliano wore a complex expression.

He knew perfectly well that the old man before him had made a deal with the Dead Apostle more than a decade ago, which was why he had managed to survive to this day.

Although it was an undeniably depraved act, he knew why his friend had done it.

"After I die, given the already rotten reputation of the Pope, the Order, who are already rotten to the core, will have no choice but to elect you. At that time, as someone known worldwide for his high moral character, you will naturally become Pope. Then, present the evidence against me and those guys, and kill them all without exception. My children will assist you. Oh, and by the way, don't show any mercy to the Borgia either. Kill them all. Don't hold back too much; there will always be bloodshed."

The old man smiled, seemingly indifferent to the life or death of his entire family.

"Are Caesar and the others already prepared...?"

Giuliano's Caesar was the Alexander VI, Caesar Borgia, a man described by Da Vinci as having "a serene face and Angel eyes," and the model Niccolò Machiavelli used for his Prototype, the Lord.

"It was decided long ago. The Borgia has risen to the top of power because of me, but it's all based on nothing. After I die and have helped you, they will collapse at your command."

"You and your uncle have done so much for the Church."

"Haha, that idiot uncle of mine, as soon as he took office, he immediately went to exonerate Jeanne d'Arc of France, causing the plan to unite all countries to fight against the Ottomans to be shelved... After all, everyone is afraid, afraid that the Church might regain its former power."

"But you were in charge of the investigation into the exoneration of Jeanne d'Arc, and you taught her to say those things, didn't you?"

"There's nothing we can do. Her mother is so old and still acts like that. Besides, it was definitely a frame-up. Although I've always thought of the France Royal Family as a bunch of bastards, that France girl is indeed... a respectable person. Oh, and when you become Pope, remember to ban 'The Malleus Maleficarum'."

"But then there's the pressure the Ottoman Empire exerted on Europe..."

Since the Middle Ages, various disasters have kept Europe in a state of turmoil for a long time. Against this backdrop, social Order has deteriorated, greatly undermining social stability. In particular, the rise of the Ottoman Empire has impacted the spiritual world of Western Europe. People who generally lack a sense of security and distrust each other can only rely on accusing others of being witches and using witchcraft to explain why so many misfortunes happen in the world.

"Before the day I become a complete Dead Apostle, I will storm into Constantinople alone and kill as many Cursecaster as possible. That will keep them quiet for a few decades."

"... Yeah."

Giuliano's voice became somewhat hoarse.

"Hahaha, I've been holding back for so long, I'm itching to go on a killing spree, so I'm doing this voluntarily, there's no need for that kind of expression..."

Alexander VI suddenly looked up at the murals inside the church, depicting the founder of the Church and the savior of the Borgia.

As the portrait gradually came into focus, the Pope experienced an indescribable yet intensely emotional feeling.

He was aware of his actions, and although he was merely covering them up, they were still heinous, which cannot be denied. Many people died because of him.

Corruption and depravity.

Dissolute behavior.

Play hard.

He will be infamous for eternity.

All of these were acceptable; there was only one thing he couldn't tolerate.

For Alexander VI, the mere thought of it was far more terrifying than anything else.