Page 21 of DATE
"Hey, Miss Kiesler, don’t turn away just yet—how about I give you a discount of five soldi?"
"One spoonful for over a hundred soldi? You might as well rob the cardinal's house!"
Hedy walked a few steps but then suddenly remembered something and hurriedly turned back.
Alejo gave a sycophantic smile. "How about one hundred and ten soldi?"
"I won’t buy that," Hedy said, her mind drifting back to her previous life. She then asked, "Sir, do you know anyone in the copper mines?"
"Copper mines? You’re looking for ore? I’ve got some here..." Alejo immediately turned to search for goods, but was interrupted as Hedy quickly grabbed his arm.
"No, not copper ore," she corrected, "I’m talking about a blue stone that can only be found in copper mines."
That would be chalcanthite.
Upon hearing this, Alejo stroked his chin, his expression becoming thoughtful. "What do you need it for?"
"To make... to make pigment," Hedy replied, stepping back a little and feigning ignorance. "I heard from some foreign visitors in the city that the blue stone is even more beautiful than ultramarine, and it's easy to find in copper mines. Do you sell it?"
If it was too expensive, she would just forget about it.
Alejo chuckled, then casually sat down on a nearby wooden chair, crossing his legs. "You think I don’t know about that?"
He had a cousin who had once visited his family and brought him some of that very stone.
It was indeed translucent and rich in color, like the sapphire on King Theseus' scepter.
But such a fine thing, though abundant in the mines, had to be wrapped in thick cloth when extracted. Even a glance at it had to be followed by a quick cleaning and several layers of wrapping.
"I once thought of making a fortune off it, but the moment you take it out, it changes color, and then it’s worthless!" Alejo rubbed his nose and smirked. "In the cave, it's sky blue, but once you bring it back, it turns white. If it were pure white, that’d be fine, but it has some odd greenish tints. It's truly bizarre."
Hedy, who had been unsure if he was talking about chalcanthite, became alert at this. "So could you help me get some? I’d like to take a look at it!"
"You're after this?" Alejo looked at her with a suspicious expression. "Are you going to somehow turn it back to blue?"
Hedy wasn’t sure how to deflect, so she slipped two soldi into his hand. "Since it’s a worthless thing, could you just bring me a few? I could even use it for buttons."
Alejo laughed and handed the silver coins back to her with a generous gesture. "I’ll write a letter and send it over. You should get it by next Sunday."
"Then... I’ll bring you some pasta next time," Hedy said, her smile bright with gratitude. "You’re very kind, sir."
"This is for you, not for Da Vinci," he waved his hand dismissively. "Now, go on, it’s nearly mealtime."
When Hedy returned to the workshop, the contrast between this place and Botticelli's was even more striking.
The workshop down the street was spacious and elegant, with two floors and apprentices working. This place felt like a shabby mess, not even the crows wanted to linger here.
As soon as she stepped into the courtyard, Hedy noticed that Da Vinci was watching her from the window.
I’m not late, am I?
She carefully closed the door, walked over to him, and tried to use cooking as an excuse to slip away.
"You went to Botticelli's workshop?" Da Vinci asked briefly.
"Yeah... I went," she replied.
What kind of history do they have?
