Page 289 of DATE
While instructing her subordinates to quickly verify the facts, Hedy made a rather unexpected decision.
A group of conscripted Genoese citizens was handed several books, and every evening, just before bedtime, they were watched as they entered the barracks to read.
This decision left many people stunned.
The soldiers were already somewhat fearful that assassins might be hiding among the Genoese, and it was highly likely that some of them were spreading the rumors.
—However, once this plan was put into action, the entire atmosphere seemed to calm.
The Genoese might find themselves awkwardly reading popular but cliched knightly tales, or they might have to endure reading the Lord’s own written works, such as On the Four Elements and Maternal and Child Encyclopedia. And they were not allowed to leave until the candle had burned down to a certain point.
"The presence of oxygen is for allowing people to obtain it through breathing—"
"Women should be allowed to express pain and anger during childbirth, as the punishment of Jesus and the original sin of heaven have long been acknowledged and absolved through their hard labor."
"The key to feeding infants is to..."
A group of rough soldiers, knowing that the night watchman was patrolling outside with an oil lamp, dared not interrupt the tiresome and mentally taxing readings. They could only grit their teeth and listen to the lengthy discussions about postnatal care and mercury poisoning theories.
At first, the readers and those on rotation eyed each other warily, but soon this strange bedtime routine became a rather helpless yet reasonable activity —
Usually, the Genoese would read three or four lines with a thick accent, and soon, the beds around them would start to echo with the deep sound of snoring.
Over time, even a new recruit who had only joined at the age of thirteen could distinguish between lead poisoning and liver poisoning.
When the story about the book-reading hypnotism reached Leonardo, it made him laugh for so long that he couldn’t catch his breath.
Such a thing — could only be done by Hedy.
Young Leonardo, who was just beginning to experience the stirrings of love, didn’t have much time to linger with his lord. He was now focused on something far more important — the design of the scythe chariot.
This was an idea he had recorded previously, but due to a shortage of horses, space limitations, and various other factors, it had never been put into action. Recently, however, another batch of defeated soldiers from Genoa had fled in disgrace. While counting the battlefield spoils, they had discovered many fine blades and bows.
Many of the horses had fled in panic from the fierce sound of gunfire, throwing their riders to the ground. After five or six days, someone had discovered a large group of military horses grazing and sunbathing in a hidden valley, their saddles still in place.
He had modified the war chariot, adding long and sturdy iron frames to both sides, and attached cross-shaped, scythe-like wheels on all four directions. When the two horses galloped, the chain would automatically move the blade wheels, turning the chariot into a meat-grinder capable of cutting through the battlefield at will.
This design was bold and direct. Old Fabio, despite grumbling about Leonardo’s impulsiveness, had sharpened the blades and even added serrated edges for better cutting power.
“—This could even cut through their horses,” the old man commented truthfully. “And you’ll need to add more money for this.”
Leonardo was so busy that his feet hardly touched the ground. In addition to designing military equipment, he had to oversee the repair of the city walls and the design of outer defense fortifications. He had little time to meet with Hedy.
And often, when he went to see her, whether it was early or late, there was always a long line of people sitting outside her office. Even when he went in to report his work, there were many eyes watching him from behind.
By July, the summer nights had grown hot and stifling.
Hedy had again delayed her sleep due to handling many business matters from Milan. She was engrossed in writing responses when she suddenly heard familiar footsteps.
"Leonardo?" She pushed one letter aside and continued to read another letter from Atalante.
Milan’s ranches had expanded their production significantly, and all the goods sold out as soon as they were put on the shelves, mostly to the foreign clientele who seemed to particularly favor them.
"This is the progress report on the defense works for today," Leonardo said, placing several sheets of paper in front of her.
"Mm, I'll look at it later." Hedy was confirming the profits from the oil painting workshop. On the reply letter, she instructed him to maintain confidentiality when opening the third branch and to hire enough guards.
"This is the analysis article on ammunition improvements for today," Leonardo added, placing another document down. "And the blueprints I drew myself."
