Creed of the heavens

"Go."

Watching Lu Xiao step on the stirrup thoughtfully, Mario patted the brown horse's rear heavily: "I sincerely hope that one day in the future, you can become the mainstay of the Brotherhood and help us fight against the increasingly powerful St. Templar Knights."

The horse raised its head and neighed loudly under the slap, and galloped on the road at high speed with all four hooves.

Lu Xiao immediately turned her head and looked at the dilapidated city of Monteriggioni. Mario stood at the gate of the city with a smile on his face and waved goodbye to him. The mercenaries on the city wall beat their weapons to send him off.

After studying art in Monteriggioni for half a year, Lu Xiao began to get used to the rhythm of life in this era, and gradually became familiar with the rude mercenaries and simple people in this small town.

In name, Mario Auditore, who is Lu Xiao's mentor, has not been in contact with Lu Xiao for a long time due to his busy schedule, but he was very impressed by this noble lord who is thick and detailed.

His forthright character and clear method of rewards and punishments made the mercenaries who have always gone their own way willing to obey his orders, just like the regular army.

During the defense of Monteriggioni, Lu Xiao witnessed the combat effectiveness of this group of sloppy mercenaries, who were more brave and skilled than the private soldiers cultivated by the Paqi family with a lot of money and resources.

No wonder being able to become the leader of the Italian Brotherhood of Assassins, this personality charm is indeed not something everyone can possess.

The horse Mario chose for Lu Xiao was very vigorous, and the outline of Monteriggioni quickly disappeared from Lu Xiao's vision.

Looking away, Lu Xiao lightly clamped the belly of the brown horse with her legs, shook the reins and shouted loudly.

"drive!"

The steed that received the order sped up again, and the warm winter breeze from the Apennine Peninsula blew on Lu Xiao's face. One man and one horse galloped along the dirt road towards Florence.

Known as the City of Emerald, Florence is the center and birthplace of the Italian Renaissance.

Art was once highly prosperous in ancient Greece and ancient Rome, but gradually declined and annihilated in the Dark Ages of the Middle World ruled by Catholicism.

The Renaissance originally originated from the resistance of the Florentine folk to the idea of ​​theocracy.

With the growth of private capital and the economic recovery of many European countries, people gradually got rid of the numbness and pessimism about real life in the past, and the emerging bourgeoisie headed by bankers began to pursue the joy of life.

But this kind of hedonistic thought runs counter to the idea of ​​Catholicism, and the class conflict between the two led to the rise of the Renaissance.

Folk artists have long hated the asceticism unilaterally advocated by the Catholic Church. The corrupt lives of priests and nuns are no longer new. They are eager to break the false mask of the Holy See and let the people's thoughts return to freedom.

However, most of the cultural works at that time were related to praising the Holy See, and artists who had no clue could not find a suitable opportunity to resist.

After some discussions, they hoped to express their pursuit and advocacy of free thought by reviving the culture of ancient Rome and ancient Greece.

The emerging bourgeoisie, headed by bankers, was happy to see artists challenging the ideological confinement of the Holy See. It was they who funded and sponsored folk artists, which greatly promoted the growth of the Renaissance.

The Renaissance movement, which was greatly appreciated by later generations, was actually a challenge by the emerging bourgeoisie to the feudal rule of the Holy See, representing a head-on collision between the two classes.

The Medici family, the rulers of contemporary Florence, is the leader of the emerging bourgeoisie.

Backed by strong assets, they were born as bankers. With the efforts of two generations of Giovanni and Cosimo, they gradually replaced the Albicci family that ruled Florence at that time and established a tyrant regime, officially becoming the uncrowned king of Florence.

The contemporary ruler of Florence is the grandson of Cosimo, Lorenzo de' Medici who has left a strong pen and ink in history.

From the perspective of the Assassin Brotherhood and the Knights Templar, the Knights Templar, which controls the core power of the Catholic Church, wants to suppress the rising momentum of the emerging bourgeoisie and continue to maintain its inherent dominance.

In line with the idea that the enemy of the enemy is a friend, the Italian Brotherhood fully supported the rising bourgeoisie everywhere in order to counter the plot of the Templars.

Giovanni Auditore de Firenze, the younger brother of Mario Auditore, was born in Monteriggioni like his elder brother, but Giovanni left the family territory when he was a teenager and went to Florence to join his relative Hilario Auditore.

Hilario is a good friend and staunch supporter of Cosimo Medici. He once served as the leader of Cosimo's justice standard-bearer council of elders for a long time. The two families have inherited a profound friendship since then.

According to Mario's description, the purpose of the Auditore family's support for the Medici was not pure. The Brotherhood of Assassins had long spotted the potential of the Medici family and bet on them in advance.

When Giovanni was 19 years old, he "coincidentally met" Lorenzo Medici, who was only 6 years old, on the banks of the Arno River. After Lorenzo slipped and fell into the water, Giovanni jumped into the river without hesitation to rescue him .

The friendship between the two families was strengthened by this incident, and Giovanni became Lorenzo's close friend and long-term ally.

Over the years, Giovanni has assisted Lorenzo in handling many important matters that the Medici family was inconvenient to handle personally, and thwarted the Holy See's attempts to subvert the rule of the Medici family many times.

The Auditore family also grew stronger in Florence with the support of the Medici family, and is now an important banker in the city of Emerald.

Apart from Lorenzo and a few core members of the Medici family, few knew Giovanni's true identity under the guise of a banker.

He is an assassin, a core member of the Italian Brotherhood of Assassins, a thorn in the side and a thorn in the flesh that the Knights Templar are eager to eradicate, and one of Lorenzo's most difficult right-hand men.

Chapter 8 Old Pervert (Adolescence Limited Edition)

Rushing all the way from Monteriggioni to Florence, the travel-stained Lu Xiao was checked by the guards of the Medici family, and successfully entered Florence with the identity certificate given by Mario.

Lu Xiao's oriental appearance, which is very different from that of the Italians, inevitably attracted the attention of the city guards and passing business travelers.

In order to avoid continuing to attract attention, Lu Xiao put on the hat of the wind-shielding cloak again after entering the city, and rode his horse low-key to find his way in the city of Florence.

The outer part of the city of Emerald City looks no different from Monteriggioni, with low clay houses everywhere, and most of the people passing by look numb and wear dirty and simple linen clothes.

But as Lu Xiao rode his horse slowly along the avenue, the prosperity of Florence gradually appeared before his eyes.

Men and women in splendid medieval costumes can be seen everywhere. Although the style of clothing tends to be conservative, their mental state is very different from that of the poor in the outer city.

These middle-class people hold their heads up confidently while walking, chatting and laughing freely with their companions. In the bustling market, one after another can be heard shouting and attracting customers, which truly shows the vibrant and prosperous city. street view.

There are many exquisite buildings unique to the Renaissance period between the churches and towers dominated by Gothic buildings on both sides of the avenue.

Gothic architectural style churches are tall and thin, usually designed with spires, aiming to express the mystery, pathos and sublime meaning of Catholicism with excellent architectural technology, so as to make people instinctively awe and reverence.

As the center of the Italian Renaissance, under the rule of the Medici family, Florence was the first to abandon the Gothic architecture that represented the supremacy of theocracy.

The Santa Maria del Fiore Church in the center of the city is one of the most famous Renaissance buildings in Florence.

The design of this church completely subverts the concept of Gothic churches, adopting more classical columnar proportions and semicircular arch volumes, expressing the restoration of the ancient Roman architectural style to the greatest extent.

According to the map instructions given by Mario, Lu Xiao wandered around this famous Renaissance city with a face full of curiosity, and finally found the residence of the Auditore family not far from the Church of Santa Maria del Fiore.

"This is true"

Lu Xiao looked at the vast mansion in front of her, and couldn't help showing amazement.

Taking the modern society that Lu Xiao lives in as an example, the closer to the city center, the land price will inevitably rise geometrically.

The fact that the Auditore family can own such a large mansion in the center of the city is enough proof of their status and wealth in the Emerald City.

The fatigue of many days of travel made Lu Xiao and the steed under him look a little tired. He led the horse to the gate of Auditore's mansion, and Lu Xiao handed over Mario's letter of introduction to the porter.

"Please inform Mr. Giovanni Auditore, and give him this letter by the way."

The concierge looked suspiciously at Lu Xiao who was covered by a hood: "I'm sorry, the owner is still working in the bank, can you give the letter to the mistress Maria?"

Lu Xiao frowned slightly, and quickly recalled the information Mario told him in her mind.

"Maria de Mozzi, born in the famous Mozzi family in Florence, is very clear about Giovanni's career and secret identity. He is his most important virtuous wife, and also a member of the Brotherhood of Assassins."