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Dechio, standing nearby, presented Columbus with a generous reward. Columbus, humbled, bowed again and quickly withdrew.
The content of the document was very concise.
First, it expressed a friendly attitude toward diplomatic relations and a willingness to engage in long-term communication and cooperation.
Second, it included a reasonably clear map of some maritime regions, marking not only the territory of the Great Ming Empire but also the basic locations of key trading ports.
...
Tenth, the document welcomed academic exchanges through the dispatch of international students.
Reading through the entire document, one could sense their pride and composure, as well as their warm and welcoming attitude toward guests.
The possibility of sending international students opened up a new realization for Hedy—Florence desperately needed a fresh influx of talent in this area.
The reason they were so open to this possibility was because they needed broader overseas markets to fill the economic gaps left by post-war reconstruction.
Even if their people only went abroad to learn basic skills, they would contribute to the dual advancement of the industrial and technological revolutions in this era.
Europe was already inclined toward overseas trade, and she didn’t mind letting tea and porcelain sweep through Italy, bringing with them cultural and lifestyle transformations.
Everything was falling into place.
At present, although the two children were still very young, she didn’t have much time to tend to them.
There was the selection and dispatch of international students, setting up fleets and organizing their voyages, the progress of intelligence and security agencies, the industrial process, and various domestic trade matters...
Although Leonardo had already helped her shoulder many of these tasks, it still wasn’t enough.
She needed to do much more.
Hedy exchanged a few brief words with Leonardo, and soon enough, she had outlined a plan in the form of a list.
It was at that moment that Niccolo knocked and walked in.
"My lady, perhaps you should head to the study upstairs," he said, his smile full of enthusiasm and delight, as if he had just received wonderful news.
Still not fully recovered from the complexity of her emotions, Hedy instinctively asked, "What’s going on?"
"The power communication line from Florence to Luka is now fully operational," Niccolo replied with a grin. "Would you like to have a word with Mr. Zino, who’s stationed there?"
This line has been under construction for a long time—mainly because digging and filling holes are too troublesome.
From the planning stage around May last year until now, it's not only about properly placing the wires and the reception room in the Old Palace, but also dealing with the numerous pits and hills along the road from Florence to Luka.
But now that the work has started here, future construction in other cities will be much faster.
Scholars from the Florence Academy were still engaged in heated debates even after the circuits were connected—they argued endlessly over the insulation material for the outer edges of the wires and were trying to incorporate their new discoveries into the communication network.
The huge machine was hidden in the wall, with only a typewriter-like platform exposed on one side of the study.
By the time Hedy arrived, many officials and scholars were already there.
They quickly bowed to the queen and the prince, but soon turned their attention to the machine, which was slowly marking the paper with ink dots.
—This was yet another of Leonardo’s masterpieces.
The oil painting for the Florence Cathedral was progressing too slowly, and with the added complexities since the children were born, the “Last Supper” was only about one-third complete.
