Ron Zo Sabatini walked dazedly down the street, he looked like a soulless walking corpse, and sometimes when someone hurried past him and bumped into him, he staggered over, but there was a hollow in his eyes, as if the soul was not in this shell at all.

Several men ran past Sabatini with a bust in their arms, and his gaze shifted and stopped and turned, and his gaze fell on the head of the bust held by the men.

Half of the head's head had been smashed off, but from the crippled jawline, it was still clear that it should have had a rather majestic face.

Sabatini watched as the men were happily talking about something as they ran in the direction of the town hall, and he knew that these people were going to smash the statue in public, and that many of the citizens who were with them in the direction of the town hall were either participating in the feat of the false fire or just going to see the excitement.

Sabatini had already seen it, and when a fire was lit, the young man from Bologna felt as if something had stabbed him in the heart.

He saw a few familiar paintings, which had previously been placed in the art gallery of the town hall for all to see, and several that had been housed at the University of Florence, a university funded by the Medici family and which had the most complete arts and humanities education system in Europe to date.

But now these precious masterpieces of art are being thrown into the fire, and in the scorching flames that rise into the air, the canvas burns and twists in an instant, and then turns into a charred wreckage that gradually scatters among the ashes that have also been burned beyond recognition.

Sabatini wondered whose fault it was, was it the townspeople, or was it really the sin of art as they hated?

But how can art be sinful?

Sabatini did not understand that he had visited many famous masters, but these people either avoided talking about art or made Sabatini stunned and rebuked in unison.

As for Botticelli, whom he admired the most, Sabatini was utterly disappointed, because instead of instructing him on how to knock on the door of the temple of art, the master of the time warned him not to be deceived by the depravity, and later told him harshly: "Young people should do something that really sublimates their souls, and not waste their limited lives on love or vanity in the pursuit of fame." ”

This made Sabatini really at a loss, and he sometimes even wondered if the masters were all confused.

As for the neighbors with whom he used to be very good, Sabatini rarely spoke to them as he had done when he first arrived, because he found that some of them seemed to have a bad habit of snitching.

Sabatini was fortunate enough to be a companion of James Columbus, which meant that he could not only earn some money to feed himself, but also eat from time to time to eat some of the food that is now rare for Florentines.

The price of black bread has become frighteningly high, the lack of meat and fish are rare, some wealthy families have begun to live by selling their goods, and ordinary people have no extra food to eat except to keep themselves from starving.

A loud commotion came from the far square, followed by the wind, and the shouts came one after another, and Sabatini seemed to hear someone cheering.

He guessed that it was what the Archon was doing again, but he wasn't interested in that, and even wanted to stay away from the terrible campfire.

But the huge fire was so big that the flames rose from the sky even more than the rooftops of many buildings, and even from a great distance, you could see the light and shadow of the flames that seemed to reach into the sky and seemed to engulf everything.

A few more people ran toward the plaza with objects that were defined as the "root of sin" in the world.

The passionate character of the Florentines at this time exerted a terrifying destructive power.

Sabatini saw people in the streets angrily hammering at carvings on buildings, while others were pointing at the door of a house, shouting at their owners how disgusting the patterns were.

And some of the excited, scissor-holding women staring at each passer-by with bright eyes, and when they found their target, they would rush over, accusing the slightly flamboyant or gaudy women of violating the anti-secular and simple law, and without hesitation, they waved the scissors, and with a few clicks, cut the dresses that they hated into the fashionable beggar outfits.

The fire of vanity is not only burning in the town hall square, but at this time the whole city is burning a huge fire of vanity, which ignites the fire that has been suppressed in people's minds for a long time, and then this flame begins to spread to every corner of the city.

When Sabatini returned to the compound, he rarely saw James at home, and he looked like he was packing up and preparing to leave.

"I'm leaving, boy, someone has come to take over the exchange," James Columbus patted Sabatini's arm, "and I've had a great time with you." ”

"You're leaving Florence, at this time?" Sabatini asked unexpectedly, "Did you just look outside like this and leave?" ”

"I'm here to do business, and it's none of my business." James looked indifferent, "I've made enough money this time, in addition to the money, I have also bought a lot of art, and I have sent someone to give away the things before, I have to say that I did the right thing to come to Florence this time, it is my brother Christopher, probably not as easy as me." ”

Listening to James's self-talk, Sabatini became a little excited, and he walked over and reached out to hold the package that James was packing.

"I know you're here to make money, I'm going to be your accountant, so I know you're making a lot of money while the Florentines are in a mess, and I know your artworks," Sabatini said with some urgency, "Then can't you stay longer, since you have money, why don't you buy more art, those things are very valuable, now the Florentines are dying of poverty, they will be willing to sell to you, and then you can sell to other people, you still make money, please buy all those works, At least it saves something! ”

"Hey! Are you telling me what I'm supposed to do! James pushed Sabatini away, then pushed him against the wall behind him and pressed his chest tightly, "I'm not a philanthropist, I can't care so much, the Florentines themselves are crazy, they are destroying the masterpieces they have created, what does this have to do with me?" ”

"But isn't there a reason for you?" Sabatini angrily asked, "We all know what you did, you took advantage of the Florentines to buy their goods at a low price when they were in trouble, and lured them to use those goods to make a high interest pledge to your exchange, and then you sold those goods to other cities, and at the same time sucked the blood of desperate merchants with high interest rates, and when they were about to go bankrupt, you forced them to use the art in their hands to pay off their debts, and now Florence will become like this, you are responsible." ”

"So what!" James punched the wall next to Sabatini's head, "If I don't do it, someone will do it, and besides, I'm not just making money from them, I've given them a chance, don't you see that some of them have become rich, although only a few people, but those people are helping the city now, and I've done enough." ”

"But that's not enough," Sabatini said, with a pained look, "you should go and see them, they are burning paintings and books, and I have seen with my own eyes that someone has taken the collection of books from the University of Florence and thrown them into the fire, and I have seen them smash a large number of carvings, don't you think it's a crime?" ”

"You're too young, young man."

James let go of his hand and walked to the window, even in the courtyard, he could clearly see the flames rising in the direction of the town hall in the distance, and the buildings looked as if they were going to be swallowed up at any moment.

"We're businessmen and we just make money, we can't do that," James shook his head, "they're really crazy, how many precious things have to be ruined, and once they do, they don't have to do it again." ”

"So you should stay, don't you, you have money and a backer, you can ask the finance officer to ask him to allow you to buy those works of art and books, so that you can increase the income of the Florentine government, he will definitely promise you, won't he?" Seeing that James seemed to be shaken, Sabatini hurriedly agitated, "You will become the benefactor of the city, and when this destruction is over, you can even come back and sell those things to them again, and I believe that the Florentines will worship you like a hero." ”

Sabatini's words seemed to impress James, and he looked at the young man in front of him with some surprise, as if he didn't expect him to have such a clever idea.

Still, James shook his head and rejected the suggestion, which sounded good.

James knew very well the purpose of his visit to Florence, he made money and became a rich man, and even began to collect art in order to make people in his hometown say that he had taste, but all this was done at the behest of Alexander.

It was precisely because of this that he understood more clearly that if he really helped the Florentines as Sabatini said, then what awaited him was Alexander's wrath.

A tyrannical populace, a depressed and disorderly market, and a government that is in chaos are what Alexander needs.

Florence, now on the verge of collapse, was the result of Savonarola's rule, but it was also the result of Alexander's creation.

"Listen to me Ronleft," James patiently advised, "there are some things that we can't stop, you and I are just little people who can play too little role, and the only thing you can do now is to pray to God that this chaos will end soon, even if it is the obnoxious Pope, as long as he can put an end to it." ”

Sabatini slowly crouched down against the wall in a daze, holding his head in his hands, and let out a low cry.

A piece of paper was handed to Sabatini.

"Take this, be careful yourself during this time, I think something big will happen in Florence soon, you should be careful these days, if you need to, you can take this paper to the Archon of Sazi, he should be able to help you."

Sabatini blankly took the piece of paper with James' signature and looked up at him.

"Don't worry too much, this situation will pass, Florentines are impulsive, but sometimes it's not necessarily a bad thing, is it?"

James smiled, then picked up the backpack he had packed on the bed and carried it on his back.

"Okay young man, I'm leaving, I hope that the next time I see you, you will already be a great artist, and I will put your share of salary on the table, and the extra one will be regarded as a reward for your dedication to your service during this time."

Sabatini stood up and looked at James helplessly, although he was still full of depression, he still reached out and hugged James hard.

"Are you going back to Genoa?" Sabatini asked casually.

"No," James smiled strangely, "I've got a new errand, I'm going to Castile." ”

Seeing the door slam shut, Sabatini turned around a little lonely.

Now he was alone again, and unlike when he came to Florence alone with hope and passion, Sabatini suddenly felt an indescribable loneliness.

He looked at the pieces of paper in his hand, put them away, walked to the window and looked in the direction of the town hall, and looked at the fire that was always burning, and the young art apprentice could not help but let out a low cry.

The fire on January 17 burned for 2 whole days!

When night falls, the whole city is enveloped in fire, which, according to some travelers, can be seen clearly in the town of Berorgado, far from Florence.

During these two days, no one can say exactly how much was destroyed by the fire, except that the people's defenders kept throwing all sorts of things into the fire that were identified as worldly depravity, and those that could not be burned or were too bulky were immediately smashed and destroyed.

A culmination of this ritual was the feat of the famous artist Botticelli when he threw several of his precious works into the fire.

Botticelli burst into tears when the flames engulfed the paintings in an instant, but soon he became firm again, walked to the consul under the gaze of countless people, and then, having received his blessing, raised his arms in solidarity with the people of the square and Savonarola.

Neither Sabatini nor James saw the touching scene.

The two of them stayed in the house in the compound one by one, still with sad and helpless but hopeful mixed feelings, waiting for James to say that the big thing was about to happen.

The other, who had already boarded a boat on the pier by the Arno River, quietly left Florence.

As told to Sabatini, James stopped in Pisa and did not see anyone but the people of Pisa's Bourse, and then he boarded a ship bound for Castile.

On 20 January, the fire that shook Tuscany and Romagna was finally extinguished.

When he heard the news, Alexander VI, who was attending the next day's carnival festive ball, was stunned for a long time, so much so that Julia Farne, who was next to him, had to gently pull his sleeve to wake up the pope.

"How dare he ......"

These were the first words that Alexander VI spoke, and although he immediately retracted it, according to some people who happened to be not far away, the pope's voice trembled when he said it with too much excitement.

"That savonarola is crazy."

This was the only comment that old Rovere had since heard the news.

This sentence became the thought of almost all the people who heard the news of the false fire.

Alexander was negotiating with Ashulk when he heard the news.

Ashulk is still willing to participate in the establishment of large-scale sugar cane plantations in Crete.

Especially when he heard that Alexander had already begun to recruit workers before that, Ashulk felt that this was a bit cunning.

At this time, the Ottomans also realized that Alexander was obviously prepared, and even without his participation, Alexander would have done so.

Today, however, Crete is still under the control of the Venetians, whose importance to the maritime colony is evident.

"So you need kind words in front of the Sultan," Alexander did not hide his demands on Ashulk, "The Ottoman navy can contain the Venetian maritime power, or at least make life difficult for the Venetians at sea." ”

Ashulk was quite sympathetic to Alexander's suggestion, which he felt did not even need to be made as a request, because he believed that the Sultan's own Cretan ambitions were enough to lead him to a war.

But of course he would not have put this idea out there, and in the eyes of the Ottomans it could have been used as a bargaining chip.

But Alexander was not as optimistic as Ashulk.

He knew that Bayezid II was more interested in conquering Europe by land, and although the Ottoman navy had already threatened the European coast at sea, it was not until at least Suleiman's time that the Ottomans were truly ready to attack the islands in the Mediterranean.

Until then, the attacks on the Mediterranean islands had been fierce, but the real focus of the Ottomans was on land.

So now he really needs Ashulk's lobby.

The use of Arab pirates to combat the maritime trade of Europeans was not Alexander's idea, as it had been done many years ago by Mohammed II, who had already mastered large swaths of the eastern Mediterranean.

This time, however, Alexander needed a more draconian approach than in the time of Muhammad II, and even if necessary, he hoped that the Ottoman navy would launch a threatening attack on the continent itself.

Alexander was not worried that doing so might cause the Sultan to change his mind, knowing that nothing made more sense for Bayezid II than to invade the continent from Greece.

Because of his early Thrace birth, Bayezid II's political opponents used it to question his succession, and many elders recognized Mehmed II's other son, Jemal.

Although Bayezid II was victorious and expelled Jemal, his determination to conquer all of Greece and the Balkans made Bayezid II stubbornly refuse to invade Europe by other means.

In fact, at this time, neither the Ottomans nor the Europeans were really ready for a real decisive battle with the enemy.

It would be at least nearly half a century before the two sides fought an unprecedented naval battle for supremacy in the Mediterranean at Lepanto in the Greek Gulf.

Negotiation is difficult, and both sides already know each other's cards.

Alexander needed the Ottomans to create a near-monopoly maritime trade environment for him.

Ashulk, on the other hand, relied on Bayezid II's favor to exert influence on the Sultan.

"It is the key to get the land of Crete and force the Venetians to agree to our rights in Crete," Alexander reminded Ashulk earnestly, "We all know that it is not easy to force the Venetians to submit, and that requires your efforts in front of the Sultan." ”

Ashulk furrowed his eyebrows slightly, of course he knew that this was not an easy job, but considering the huge profits that could be as high as a million dinars, the Ottomans nodded seriously and said that they were willing to accept the task.

Seeing that Eshulk readily agreed, Alexander's already unhappy mood at the departure of Jossa finally relaxed, and just as he was about to suggest further negotiations on the next terms, Ulliu pushed the door in with a letter from Pisa.

Seeing the letter, Alexander had realized something, and when he saw James Columbus's signature on the envelope, he took the letter and tapped it lightly in the palm of his hand twice, and then picked up the paper cutter beside him to cut the wax seal.

The letter was not long, and James did not mention anything that might arouse suspicion, except that he reported to Alexander in a very casual tone about his future itinerary, but more about the incident that shocked him.

"Blocks away you could see the fires higher than the roofs, and the snow in the streets had melted into streams because of the heat, and people had to walk through the mud to the square," James wrote in the words of an eyewitness, "and many people stood on the roofs and watched the commotion, and they obviously didn't know what was burning on this huge bonfire, and as for the monks in the monastery, those who had been silent were now almost dumb, even when I left, You can also see many monks praying to the huge fire. ”

Alexander looked at the letter silently, even though he already knew what was about to happen, but when he read James's description, he still felt a kind of depression.

Ashulk noticed Alexander's strange appearance, and he looked at the letter suspiciously, wondering what kind of news could make Alexander, a man of such audacity, change his face.

"It's Florence," Alexander thought for a moment and felt that there was nothing to hide, so he handed the letter to Ashulk, "it's a catastrophe." ”

The Ottomans took the letter suspiciously and looked at it carefully, and gradually Ashulk's face showed an expression of disbelief.

"It's all burned?"

"It's all burned," Alexander nodded slightly, "so many predecessors' hard work, so many artistic treasures, just like that." ”

Alexander shook his head helplessly, he had a chance to save those priceless masterpieces of art, and even if he was willing to try, he might be able to stop the fire of vanity.

But in the end Alexander chose to watch from the sidelines, because he needed this fire!

"Prepare for me," Alexander whispered to Ulliu, who was standing aside, "I want to meet the Pope." ”