Page 398 of DATE
"I heard that since the end of last year, Spain has been importing timber," Bazzi said as he sat down. "When I was at home resting, there were people in the tavern saying they shouldn't have sold so early. Now, after a few negotiations, it seems like it might just be enough for their dowries."
"Spain is importing timber?" Leonardo's expression turned alert. "What about France?"
"Both France and our country have some logging areas that supply timber to Spain," Bazzi said uncertainly. "Maybe it’s due to the war?"
Spain had been at war for over two hundred years, more troubled than both England and France.
Strictly speaking, it had been the Kingdom of Castile and the Kingdom of Aragon— but nineteen years ago, the Princess Isabella of Castile married Prince Ferdinand of Aragon, and in the following years, they ascended the throne, giving the country the title of the Kingdom of Spain.
Since 1479, the Kingdom of Spain had been rapidly developing in both order and scale, quietly encroaching on nearby weaker city-states.
"The people of Pisa, when they speak of Their Majesties, call them 'The Catholic Monarchs,'" Bazzi said, shaking his head slightly. "It's not a good place there—people have been secretly escaping by boat."
Leonardo, belatedly realizing this, understood that in recent years, they had been so caught up in their struggles with Franceand the Papal States that they had completely ignored this potential threat.
He gestured for Bazzi to step down and stand by, and signaled for Niccolo to bring a few people from the intelligence department upstairs.
Some things needed to be confirmed promptly... and hopefully, the situation was not as bad as he feared.
The official in charge of monitoring the western situation soon arrived and carefully explained what they had observed.
"France and Spain... indeed, their trade and contacts are very close, and it seems like there’s been a big business deal in the past year."
"Spain..." The official hesitated, glancing at Leonardo's expression, unsure how to begin. "Spain doesn't seem to show much respect to the Queen."
Niccolo's expression immediately darkened, and he stepped forward, asking, "Doesn't show respect? What exactly is going on?"
The officials had noticed these small details but were unsure of how much priority to assign to them—
After all, Spain wasn’t a major power at the moment, and there was a whole France between them and Italy, so there was no direct land connection.
That country had been causing some stirrings, but it was generally considered an internal matter. It wasn't exactly unfriendly to Italy, but neither was it very warm.
Such intelligence, reported vaguely, could easily lead to criticism from higher-ups—no commercial value, and nothing that seemed overtly hostile or displeased. It was a difficult situation to handle.
"Specifically..." the official lowered his gaze and stared at his feet. "They’re reviving the old faith."
"What?!" Both Leonardo and Niccolo repeated in unison."Reviving the old faith?!"
In fact, due to many of its advantages, Protestantism had already begun to spread rapidly.
It had many benefits—respecting people’s faith while also valuing the individual’s worth and existence.
There were no tithes, no indulgences, and none of the harsh rules that caused so much trouble.
Now, Italy was moving toward freedom and openness, where people could openly enjoy their desires and self-expression.
Wearing makeup and jewelry was considered normal behavior, and there was no condemnation for acts not related to procreation. Parents were expected to love their children and be careful with pregnancies, treating life with equal compassion.
This trend, fueled by the artistic creativity of Florence and Milan, had begun to spread to many neighboring countries.
The rulers of those neighboring countries, however, seemed to have ambiguous attitudes.
The Papal States had indeed fallen, their primary religious foundation destroyed completely by gunpowder.
Though the clergy were reluctant to reduce taxes, hoping instead to funnel the tithe gold directly into their own pockets, the rise of Protestantism could at least help solidify their royal power, quietly erasing many of their sins.
"But in Spain... Queen Isabella has been heavily constructing the Inquisition."
