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The first barrel had already been partly consumed by the angels, and with the bottle Botticelli had poured earlier, only about four-fifths remained.
She replaced the glass stopper with a cork and began to look forward to the taste of this barrel of wine in a year.
However, if they returned victorious from the war, it was likely that this barrel of wine would be finished in a single afternoon.
In addition to pouring the new wine into the barrels, Hedy discovered some other things.
There were differences even between different types of oak.
For example, the American oak used to make the wine she had once favored carried hints of vanilla or caraway. French oak, on the other hand, imparted a more subtle creamy and caramel flavor to the wine.
However, the artificially dried wood, although resistant to decay, seemed prone to cracking. This kind of wine barrel would likely only last three to five years, and after that, it might not hold up well.
If they were to create wine that would age well for twenty years, they would need to use naturally air-dried oak, allowing it to evenly evaporate for one to two years in the wind.
She immediately took out a few coins and asked the craftsmen to set up the necessary structures in the back storage room.
In a few years... she wondered what everything here would look like.
By the end of November, the lord finally returned with his troops in tow.
On the day of their return, the whole city erupted into cheers and celebrations, with singers and bands joining the procession, filling the streets with music and song.
Hedy, along with the lady of the house and the children, waited in front of the Doge’s Palace, eagerly looking out for familiar faces. After a long wait, they finally saw the figures they had been longing for.
When Lorenzo dismounted, the children rushed toward him, cheering, and Clarice went to meet him, embracing him briefly.
Da Vinci also dismounted from the back of the line and, smiling, gave Hedy a big hug.
"You’ll never guess what I’ve made," he whispered excitedly in her ear. "The Turks have all left on their ships!"
Hedy paused, then broke into an astonished smile. At that moment, she felt the heavy stone in her heart finally lift.
They had actually won the war—she had a few more peaceful years to live!
Lorenzo had intended to say something to Hedy, but when he turned around, he saw Da Vinci hugging her and whispering with a smile. He silently withdrew his gaze.
Winning was enough.
For the next several days, the city was once again immersed in celebration.
During this war, Lorenzo had managed to convince the lords of Naples and Milan to sign the Treaty of Collective Defense. Even more surprisingly, Pope Innocent VIII had joined in, directly persuading many smaller city-states to join as well.
However, as they had expected before leaving, Venice chose to remain neutral, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
Not only that, but Florence's army made a significant contribution in several key battles, and their reputation began to change the minds of many who had previously underestimated them.
The key to their success was the war machine designed by Da Vinci himself—the giant crossbow.
Da Vinci was already well-versed in many fields, with deep knowledge of physics and mathematics. When he set off, he began innovating and reworking old concepts.
This giant crossbow, 80 feet wide, required six large carts for transport and movement. Although firearms were starting to become widespread in this era, they were inaccurate, had poor killing power, were prone to misfires, and took time to reload.
In contrast, this giant crossbow acted like a silent giant, directly turning the tide of battle.
He designed a sophisticated and advanced spiral gear mechanism and, through over thirty sketches, drew the gears, worm screws, triggers, and other components.
"A stone weighing over a hundred pounds hit that warship like a meteor!" one witness exaggerated, gesturing with his hands as he described the scale to Hedy. "Before the ship could even turn around, it sank with a few splashes!"
