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The mildew disease, penicillin, and, of course, this war.
What kind of person could spend vast sums organizing such a large army? The answer was clear.
He had begun analyzing the war’s situation and the political landscape of the entire Apennine Peninsula, even knowing the financial status and weaknesses of every city-state, as though he had seen them with his own eyes.
Even without a map in hand, he could accurately analyze the obstacles and support along the way, even explaining the strategy for attacking Genoa in clear detail.
—Like a born prophet and politician.
"If anyone could unify the entire Holy Roman Empire," the boy slowed his pace, looking at her intently, "it could only be you, my lady."
And he had followed her all the way here, for the sole purpose of fulfilling the grand ambition in his heart.
Hedy casually toyed with her wine glass, not immediately responding to him.
Dechio and Luris, on the other hand, were both taken aback. They clearly couldn’t imagine that such a young boy could possess such maturity. His way of speaking and thinking was more akin to a seasoned, perceptive old fox.
"Who is your teacher?" Dechio couldn’t help but ask. "Who taught you all of this?"
The boy smiled.
"My family is poor, everything I know, I learned on my own."
——
Machiavelli was taken for a bath.
To be precise, he was scrubbed down.
After his long journey, due to his family's lack of money, he couldn't afford a hotel, let alone a bath or a change of clothes. When Dechio brought him over, they made sure to keep a bit of distance, and some passing maids and attendants would even cover their noses.
The lord endured the smell, which was akin to that of canned herring, while having the conversation. Once it was confirmed that this was a promising candidate to consider, the lord immediately handed the young man over to the male servants.
"Clean him up first, then bring him out."
The servants ended up needing six buckets of hot water to scrub him clean. After the first two buckets were used, the water was almost as murky as mud. The more they washed, the more the servants realized that they would need to scrub his hair by hand, and his neck and back would have to be scraped to remove the foam and grime.
After the six buckets of water were used up, and after new clothes and shoes were brought in, he was thoroughly cleaned up and taken to the lord.
Hedy had already returned to her office to read, only raising her head when she heard the noise.
...Now he looked more like a noble.
In any case, this father of modern political science came from an old family of officials. The Machiavelli name was not only considered to be descended from the ancient Marx family but also produced thirteen judges from Florence. In terms of heritage, it actually predates even the Medici family. It was only in recent decades that the family had fallen into decline.
When the young man had arrived, his clothes were ragged, and he looked like a scavenger, with only his dark, bright eyes standing out. But after trimming his short hair and changing into proper attire, he looked as if he had suddenly transformed into a young nobleman.
The dark-haired, dark-eyed youth was naturally fair-skinned and tall, with a refined manner of speech and behavior. Now dressed in a silvery satin long coat with breeches, his legs and waistline were as if sculpted by the hand of God.
Hedy scanned him from top to bottom, vaguely unable to remember his previous dirty, foul-smelling appearance. She nodded in approval to the attendant behind him.
"Hedy—are you looking for me?" Leonardo strode in, pausing when he saw the boy. Suddenly, he asked, "Machiavelli?"
The latter quickly turned around, instinctively taking a step back, his voice rising in excitement. "Are you—Mr. Da Vinci?!"
Da Vinci blinked. "I remember your speech on the street five years ago. It was certainly impressive."
"It's Mr. Da Vinci!" Machiavelli seemed to revert to being a little boy again. He even turned to Hedy to confirm the truth. "He's really here—he's the one who saved our entire city during the Battle of Florence!"
