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Hedy stood at the other end of the bridge, her expression filled with awe.
This man… He could create colors, cast bronze statues, and design bridges.
What can’t he do?!
After the army passed through, they decided to set up camp and rest at the other end of the deep pit.
What had once been a pile of wood, now resembled a bridge, was quickly reassembled into its original form under Da Vinci’s explanation and direction, with a few assistants fumbling through the task. Aside from the additional indentations on the wood, the functionality remained unaffected.
Hedy stood by, watching the entire restoration process, and at one point, she almost doubted her own eyes.
"You look surprised," Da Vinci couldn't help but laugh. "Didn't I write all of this in my manuscripts already?"
Hedy let out a long sigh, shaking her head slightly. "For a moment, I almost wondered if you were actually Merlin."
"Well then, it seems my King Arthur is standing right before me." He smiled even more, lowering his head to kiss her hand gently. "Your Majesty, the King."
Luris, from a distance, rolled his eyes.
The campfires had been set up in multiple places. On one side, the waves of the bay beat against the shore, and on the other side, the mountains stretched endlessly. The scattered firelight flickered in the gap between the sea and the mountains, resembling a necklace of fallen stars.
The noise of the people was drowned out by the mountain winds and sea waves, like the quiet chirping of insects.
"Speaking of Merlin, have you guys heard that prophecy?" Luris fiddled with the campfire, watching Hedy eat grilled fish. "The one about the red dragon and the white dragon?"
"What?" Da Vinci passed her a salt shaker, clearly intrigued. "You seem to know quite a lot about the northern affairs?"
"Mercenaries should be like rats, aware of the movements in every direction," Luris said, shaking his finger. The little mustaches on his lips twitched with his words. "That prophecy came true last year."
"What?"
"What?!"
"Absolutely true," Zino's second brother chimed in confidently. "This isn’t just news from France; even the Venetians are talking about it!"
A thousand years ago, there was a king in England who wanted to build a tall tower. However, no matter how much he reinforced it, the tower would collapse every night.
The king asked his magicians about this, and one of them brought a seven-year-old boy, Merlin, before him.
"Your Majesty, it is because your tower is built on a vast swamp," the boy said, gazing at the king.
The seemingly smooth surface actually hid a deep underground lake with surging currents beneath it.
"In the deep swamp, there are two massive stones, and between them sleeps two giant dragons, one red and one white," the boy explained. When he spoke of it, his words seemed to remind one of his bloodline from the Earth Mother.
The king gathered his men, and they dug up the ground beneath the tower. Indeed, they discovered the sunken lake, and between the giant stones, they found the two sleeping dragons, one fire-red and the other silver-white.
"So—the red dragon is Wales, and the white dragon is Saxony," Luris adjusted his slipping mustache and lowered his voice. "According to the great wizard's prophecy, these two dragons will fight endlessly, and in the end, the red dragon will bring an end to it all."
Hedy, sitting nearby, was absentmindedly toasting her hands over the fire.
The warmth made her feel drowsy.
"And what does this have to do with now?" Someone beside her waved his hand, clearly not following the story. "This is just a bedtime story for a three-year-old—no one even knows where the Sword in the Stone is anymore!"
"But the prophecy was indeed fulfilled—last August, Henry Tudor defeated Richard III!" Mr. Zino raised his voice. "He is now the new king of England!"
Hedy froze for a moment and asked, "The House of Plantagenet was ended?"
