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His younger brother had died less than a year ago. This boy truly was born out of suffering, and even his name came with a unique history, different from that of other children.
Now, in the palace, there was a child named Giuliano, the illegitimate son of one of the lords, alongside seven other children born of the lords and their wives. It was almost like a kindergarten.
She took a nap, then finished the experimental design paper on lead products and asked Dechio to deliver it to the office. Afterward, she went to the monastery where Da Vinci worked.
The draft of the Adoration of the Magi mural was finally completed.
When Da Vinci saw her, he instinctively sniffed the air. Her long hair, loose and fragrant with the smell of moonlit oranges, her flushed face, and bright eyes indicated that her health had improved significantly.
"I heard about what happened in the palace—how you saved the lady of the house," he said, putting down his paintbrush and smiling genuinely. "From now on, you are forever a guest of the Medici family."
Difficult births happened almost every few days in the city, but few were successfully resolved.
The people of Florence had heard of the alchemist who brought the fat woman back to life in the square, and their opinion of her was full of admiration and gratitude. They were thankful for the Medici family’s protection and guidance and sincerely hoped for the lady’s good health.
As for Hedy’s new-found honor and fame, she remained indifferent. She moved closer to the wall to examine the draft that Da Vinci had drawn using lead strips and suddenly asked, "Leonardo—"
"It’s Leonardo."
"Leonardo, do you think there will be a war in the future?"
Da Vinci hadn’t expected that she would care little about the lavish gifts and rewards and instead focus on something else entirely. He thought for a moment before replying, "I don’t know."
"But if war is really coming... I think I would make an excellent mechanical engineer."
Hedy froze for a second, seeming not to have heard him clearly. "Excuse me, what?"
"A mechanical engineer. I love designing all kinds of firearms and large siege weapons," Da Vinci replied, sounding suddenlyinterested. "Do you want to see some of my designs in my workshop?"
"I’ve been thinking of a movable fortress-like cannon, one that could move around, crushing the enemy while shooting gunpowder!"
Hedy was stunned for a few seconds. "You—designed that?"
Da Vinci was a painter, right?
No, even if he wasn't a painter, he was still an artist, wasn’t he?
Da Vinci laughed. "Come on, I’ll show you the models I’ve made."
As for painting... well, tomorrow! Tomorrow, for sure!
CHAPTER 7
Hedy had seen Leonardo da Vinci's manuscripts before, but she didn’t quite understand them.
The main reason was that his handwriting was encrypted, requiring a mirror to read the reflection, and one also needed to comprehend the odd mechanical diagrams.
Another issue was that, according to reports, da Vinci had thousands of pages of manuscripts, and by now had accumulated dozens of notebooks, with countless items in his workshop.
...It’s understandable why this gentleman worked so slowly when it came to painting.
"I've thought of several military engineering ideas before, like watchtowers or special-shaped trenches," da Vinci unfurled a few scrolls to show her the designs, "and this movable war machine that can crush the enemy with its weight while also spraying gunpowder in all directions."
Hedy pondered for a few seconds, wanting to tell him that this should be called a tank.
Not only did he design various siege weapons and defense formations, but he had also drawn many improved versions of weapons.
There were many designs, all containing intricate mechanisms, clearly carefully thought out.
