Page 158 of DATE
CHAPTER 12
Hedy's expansion of assets was happening so quickly that even she found it hard to believe.
But this was very scientific—just like how ancient humans might spend an entire afternoon using flint to make fire, while modern people can do it with just a click of a lighter.
The first industry she invested in was a textile workshop, and she carefully selected a few loyal and honest partners.
This industry had been developing for over two hundred years and already had a fairly complete production line—
From the cleaning, washing, and stretching of wool to the later processes of finishing and dyeing, a total of fifteen steps were required to complete the manufacturing of the product.
Not only that, but the artisans also had clear divisions of labor. According to guild rules, each person was only allowed to do their designated task and could not arbitrarily sell the items from the workshop.
With just over a hundred gold coins, Hedy opened a textile workshop and, under Leonardo's guidance, improved the hydropowered washing process, which significantly boosted efficiency.
—Strictly speaking, she had acquired a new identity: that of a cloth merchant.
The affordable and high-quality cloths sold at the market almost immediately flew off the shelves. She even made a colorful poster to advertise the durability and warmth of her products, and indeed, people were quite taken with it.
The workshop now sat here like a hen continuously laying eggs.
If she stayed in Florence for a long time, it seemed she could be involved in an endless cycle of success, eventually becoming one of the wealthy merchants.
She also took the opportunity to socialize with the owners of nearby workshops, sometimes dining and chatting at their homes.
They exchanged a lot of information—merchants wanted to hear from her about the lord’s interest in tax changes, while she could learn about other areas of the world.
She heard that the lord of Milan was gleefully pursuing a fiery-tempered beauty, as if he were a donkey dangling a carrot before him, sending gifts over and over again.
She also heard that the textile workers in England could no longer bear the high taxes and had fled in droves. Oxford once had over three hundred looms, but now only thirty or forty remained.
Amidst all this complex information, she keenly noticed a knowledge blind spot she had never paid attention to before—
The relationship between mercenaries and weaponry.
In modern times, with the state machinery being perfected and mature, weapons are not something ordinary people can casually possess or produce.
But in this era, clearly, all of this was hampered by insufficient production capabilities.
In the early days of history, weapons and rations were said to be made and supplied by villagers from different towns, and if they failed to meet the requirements, they faced a fine of up to one pound of gold.
As the rule of lords developed, blacksmithing became more in demand, and weapon production successfully increased, giving rise to the weapons manufacturing industry.
Florence now had twenty flags in the city and seventy-six flags in the countryside.
Whenever an external enemy threatened, the citizens were expected to promptly equip themselves and come to aid.
However, the true standing army wasn’t made up of the citizens,but rather a group of mercenaries called "contracted soldiers."
"They must be very expensive, right?" Hedy asked curiously while having dinner with another wealthy merchant. "With the costs of training and placement, it must add up to more than just a small expense."
The plump, jolly merchant waved his hand dismissively, picking up a rabbit bone and using it to gesture.
A squad at least consisted of three people: a knight, a sergeant, and a page.
"As for the price…" he stroked his beard uncertainly, "twenty florins per month?"
Hedy was stunned, thinking she had misheard the number.
