The late autumn sky had already cast a layer of colorful scenery over Montina's wilderness, and the intoxicating scenery everywhere made Alexander a little obsessed.

The castle in the distance is painted in a deep shade of gold, and in this autumn season, it looks like a huge wheat pile standing halfway up the mountain.

Montina looked really beautiful at this time, and when the slightly yellowish leaves of the sky fluttered past him, the moment came into view.

"It's beautiful here." Barondi is a little distracted and says that she is not as obsessed with art as her other sisters, and even if she is willing to pay a lot of money to buy some works of art or sponsor the literati who ask for help, it is more just to show off the taste of the Rovelle family and establish the image of the family.

But at this time, Barendi was attracted by the scene in front of her.

All this is really beautiful, even so beautiful that she is a little suffocated, she doesn't know if she lives here all the year round will forget everything because she is greedy for the beauty here, maybe after a long time, she may even be reluctant to leave.

"It's really beautiful here, it's Montina."

Alexander whispered that he could immediately feel Barondy's emotions at this moment, but he also knew that it was probably only for a moment.

Barendi would not give up her unusual sense of responsibility to the Rovire family for the sake of this beautiful view, and perhaps only then could she find herself.

"But there's going to be a war here at any time." Alexander whispered.

"Where will there be no war?" Barendi glanced at Alexander, "The thing I have heard the most since I was sensible is war, although my family is more concerned about the power in the Holy See, but this does not mean that we don't care about the battlefield. ”

Alexander nodded silently, he knew that Barendi was right.

In fact, who knows the people of the Rovere family better than him, the old Rovere will be called the God of War Pope in the future, in addition to the fact that he can be said to be the last pope in the Vatican who has a huge impact on the entire European Christian world, but also because of his enthusiasm for war.

It was also the elder Rovere who established the Swiss Guard of the Holy See, which later circulated for centuries.

This kind of emphasis on force is enough to prove what kind of person old Rovie is.

"Barondi, your father wants us to get married as soon as possible, do you know about it?"

Alexander suddenly wondered what Barendi thought, he had never thought of her before, and now looking at her as if she was immersed in the beauty, Alexander seemed to realize that she was just a young woman.

"Of course I am following my father's orders," Barendi said naturally, and then she looked at Alexander with a somewhat puzzled look, "Don't you think so, our marriage contract was a decision made by my father and your uncle, Count Mordiglo. ”

"yes, it's their decision."

Alexander nodded with a little emotion, marriage in this era is like this, no matter rich or poor, everyone is not free, probably because of this, when the tragedy Romeo and Juliet came out nearly a hundred years later, it caused such a sensation and prompted countless people's tears.

"So we just have to go on according to the fate that was laid out for us." Barondi seemed to know what Alexander was going to say, so she just said to herself, "Since we are part of the family, in addition to enjoying the honor and wealth that the family brings us, we should also fulfill the obligations entrusted by the family. ”

Alexander looked at Barendi with a little surprise, he didn't expect Barendi to see things so thoroughly.

In fact, it is true that as aristocrats, they must bear corresponding responsibilities and obligations while enjoying a noble status that ordinary people cannot enjoy.

At least for the family, that's what they're supposed to do.

This is what Alexander knew he was going to do, and Barendi probably couldn't understand or imagine.

Ulliu had already received the news, so when Alexander came to the castle, he saw the Moors waiting for him from a distance, far from the castle gates.

Seeing Alexander, Ulliu immediately jumped a few times, waved his hand from a distance, and then did not wait until the group approached that the Moors hurriedly saluted the master at the front of the group.

"Uliu, maybe you're going to have to be busy next."

Alexander told his servant that he would indeed have Ulliu do a lot of things to do, one of which was that he needed Moore to put out fires everywhere for himself.

It will certainly not be long before the news of the imminent marriage will be heard, and then it will be necessary to use Ulliu, whether it is Pisa or Cosenza, and if you think about it, the hostess on either side seems to be very difficult to deal with, and the Moors seem to be very clever in this kind of thing, at least not to make things worse.

In the vault, Alexander meets with Bramont and Pompeny, who seem to be much larger to the Château de Montina than he had promised to rebuild the Marino Palace.

Alexander was not surprised by this, although the new castle of Montina was not built by Bramont himself, the style and structure of the entire fortress did come from the master's idea of a new castle.

Bramont was also satisfied, or rather preferred to show his talent in such a timeless creation that truly embodied the grandeur and construction of architecture than the small prayer hall he had built in Rome.

So when he saw that there was a small model of the castle in the dome of the room, which was originally small and was already full of all kinds of art and books, Alexander couldn't help but glance at the master architect who seemed to be waiting for his admiration.

It was a truly new castle, and if it had been built, no one would have recognized the present castle of Montina, and looking at the sturdy structure that had been placed on the hillside of what roughly looked like the original castle, even if it was just a pile of models made of wood, Alexander could still feel a faint majesty and grandeur in it.

"This is indeed an impressive masterpiece," Barondy whispered to Alexander, who could see the interest in Alexander's eyes, but she reminded in a low voice, "but do you think we have so much money to build such a thing?" ”

"There will always be," Alexander smiled, "and I don't expect to live in it in my lifetime, but our descendants can." ”

How long was the historic Château Montina built?

Alexander thought about it and couldn't remember, but it was a long time.

That's long enough time for anyone with a long life to despair.

Then, the Château Nuova in Montina set a precedent for a new castle era.

The sturdy fortress replaces the circular fortress wall that has lasted for too long, and forms a whole with the entire castle, and the star fortress that supports each other and the scattered corner fortress that is completely external to the outside ensures the integrity and strong defense capability of the entire castle system.

"I think future generations will be able to see this castle completed."

Barondi glanced slightly sideways at Alexander, the first time they had mentioned their descendants.

It's just that Barendi has a strange feeling, and it seems that there is something strange on Alexander's face when their descendants are mentioned.

In fact, Alexander was thinking more about many years later, when he appeared in this castle and visited it with curiosity, he probably never imagined that every brick and tile here was actually built under his own supervision.

This magical feeling even made him feel that even if his descendants did not keep the castle in the future, it seemed that there was no pity, after all, he himself witnessed this magical transition between the past and the present.

Bramont was delighted.

If the small prayer hall in Rome was the pinnacle of his artistic career, then this new castle in Montina is a new challenge.

The completely different architectural structure makes the fortress completely abandon the appearance of ancient fortresses that have lasted for almost a thousand years, and the fortress is composed of geometric edges full of strength and aggression, and looks like a porcupine covered in sharp spikes.

This made Bramont even look forward to seeing for himself how the fortress would defend itself against formidable enemies when it was built as soon as possible, though he also knew that the chances of seeing it were slim.

Pomperney breathed a sigh of relief.

The pesky soldier didn't come back with the Count, and although his daughter would have been upset when she heard about it, Pomperney still hoped that Offrey would have as much fun as he returned.

Alexander was greeted with everyone, and there was also a stranger.

This man's name was Gallo de Ticón, an emissary sent by the Ticon family of Ferrara.

This man was cautious, and even a taciturn man, unlike other diplomats who tended to be talkative, who was not originally fit to be a diplomat, but who was now sent to Montina by the Duke of Ferrara.

Alexander met the man after dinner.

Although dinner with foreign envoys should be a rite of etiquette, Alexander insisted on having his first meal back in Montina with his 'family'.

The dinner was not long, but Alexander listened with great interest to Bramont's detailed explanation of the construction of the castle.

Speaking of the heightened spirits, the architect got up excitedly and walked around, and assured Alexander that he would be able to show him the castle of its original size as soon as possible.

Alexander believed that the so-called initial scale was probably the excavation of a large area of deep and shallow foundations.

Alexander chose to summon Ferrara's visitors to the vault, and there was no special reason for this, but because he didn't like the empty feeling of the main hall.

But it's exciting news for Ferrarans, as a small space often means more intimate discussions can be made.

It was already late autumn season, so it was dark early, and when Gallo de Ticón came outside the dome, he saw Ulliu sitting on a bench and wiping his clothes and armor vigorously.

At the sight of the Ferrara, Uriu immediately stood up and saluted respectfully, but because he was holding a cuirass in his hand, Gallo de Ticon noticed a mark on the cuirass that looked obvious.

"Is this a crossbow bolt left?" The Ferrara man asked casually, and from the style of the armor he noticed that it must have been a man of great status, or perhaps it was used by the Count himself, so he paid more attention to the mark.

"It's a crossbow," said Ulliu, smiling at Gallo de Ticón, "my lord has fought with the Genoese before, and I have heard that it is a bit dangerous. ”

De Ticon nodded, of course he knew about this battle, and it was because of this that he came to Montillo.

"My lord, my lord is waiting for you." Uliuu led the messenger to the door of the vault.

"Hmm." The Ferrara man nodded casually, then looked at Ulliu as if he remembered something, "You are the Count's servant, so you are the Ulliu, right?" ”

The Moorish looked at Gallo de Ticon in some surprise, he did not expect that this Ferrara nobleman actually knew about it, he bowed humbly again, and then knocked on the door until he heard the response inside, and then opened the door for the guest.

De Ticon looked at the Moors a little strangely, he did not expect that the rules of the Count of Montina seemed to be cumbersome.

It's just that he certainly doesn't know that this is purely a habit that the Moors have slowly formed after so long, because he really doesn't know which young lady the old man is sometimes alone with, or even with his sister, the Moors have learned to be very obedient.

But when the Ferrara man entered, as the door closed, Uliu, who was standing outside the door, stroked his chin and began to ponder the matter.

Gallo de Ticón was a man of little curiosity, and as a diplomat of the Ticon family, he had traveled to many places and met many people, both the oligarchs of Venice and the hereditary nobility of Bologna.

However, he was still somewhat curious about Alexander.

It is said that it took a short time for this young man from Sicily to reach his current status, which cannot but make many people blush and at the same time cannot but admit the good fortune of this young man.

At least his already well-known romance with the Pope's daughter was enough to make many people jealous.

But Gallo de Ticón didn't focus on that kind of thing like some people do, and in fact he cared more about Alexandria's relationship with Venice.

Ferrara is a small city, like a giant and a child compared to Venice.

Previously, the Ticons of Ferrara had not taken the Gombray of Montina to heart.

Although they could not compare to the powerful city-state of Venice, the people of Ferrara were equally inferior to Montina, who for them was a small part of the countryside.

Ferrara is small but has a long history, and in the heart of the city you can even see some remnants from Roman times.

The Ticon family is one of the oldest families, if you talk about history alone, as one of the earliest nobles in Lombardy, the Ticon family has no less family glory than any European royal family.

And what does Montina have? The castle that has been demolished for hundreds of years has become the laughing stock of the whole Romagna, and some people have even bet whether the castle will be built or demolished in the end.

So Montina had a new owner, and this did not attract the slightest attention from them at first.

For the people of Ferrara, it was enough to maintain a good relationship with Venice.

But things suddenly changed.

First came the unexpected defeat of the Venetians in the Romagna War in 1497, then the surprising alliance between Montina and Pisa, and then the Genoese proved the special status of the Count of Montina in Romagna with different attitudes.

The people of Ferrara are very intelligent, they know that they have a very important position as the gateway to Romagna for the Venetians, and it is precisely because of this that the Venetians have an ambiguous attitude towards them.

Ferrara did not want to fall victim to the power struggle in Romagna, unlike Pisa, which was only facing the threat of Florence, and Ferrara, because of its strange geographical location, made them suffer from all sides of the year.

Gallo de Ticón stood in the vault and surveyed the room, and his years of diplomatic experience allowed him to reveal some of the character and weaknesses of his negotiator in many details.

However, looking at this room with a high roof and a small place, de Ticon was a little unsure of the character of the owner of this room for a while.

Alexander sat down at the table, and when he saw de Ticon, he stood up.

For the first foreign envoy to visit, he still paid great attention to etiquette, not to mention that this person was an envoy of Ferrara.

A few years later, the elder Rovere did not hesitate to start a war in order to let his son inherit the title of Ferrara, and the reason he did so, in addition to the noble status of the Duke of Ferrara, was that he could continue to seize Ferrara and completely curb Venice's ambitions for central Italy.

"Count, please accept my congratulations on your victory in the recent war." De Ticon said enthusiastically as soon as he came up.

When he saw Uliu wiping his armor in the corridor before, he had already made up his mind to say what he liked, after all, a person who would directly face the enemy's crossbow arrows should value his bravery and honor.

Alexander looked at the diplomat in front of him with a little surprise, this attitude of de Ticon was not very in line with the behavior of a diplomat, because this kind of words and deeds of openly congratulating one of the warring parties on the victory of one of the warring parties is likely to be regarded as hostility to the other side, and may even be regarded as the attitude of the country behind it towards both sides of the war.

However, Alexander could not help but admit that this diplomat was very good at choosing places, at least in the vault, and any words and deeds he did only happened between two people, and these few words he just said casually were easy to gain the favor of others.

"I'm so thankful, but I have to say that I didn't win this war." Alexander smiled lightly and stated the truth: "We just maintained some kind of tacit truce when both sides decided that it was no longer necessary. ”

"But you are facing Genoa, and if you can force the Genoese to have to keep Montina as they are, that means you have won a substantial victory."

De Ticon's unsparing praise made Alexander feel a little fond of him, and although he knew that this man must have come to Montina on some kind of mission at this time, Alexander did not mind talking to him.

"Count, you should go to Ferrara, where autumn is no worse than Montina, and there may even be another charm," Gallo de Ticón warmly invited, "especially the Po River, which is the most beautiful in this season, although it is a little too busy for shipping, but at this time you can still see those beauties on both sides of the Po River." ”

Listening to de Ticon's seemingly enthusiastic introduction to Ferrara, Alexander had already noticed the subtle meaning of his words.

"Is shipping on the Po River busy?" Alexander asked as if intentionally or unintentionally, and seeing the slight change in the expression on Ferrara's face, he nodded, "I think you can tell me what you mean." ”

Gallo de Ticon's smiling face slowly grew serious, and he knew that the Count had probably guessed what he meant.

"Yes, Lord Count," said Ticon with a solemn expression and a slight nod, "my Duke has sent me to make a proposal to you that will be beneficial to both of us, and the Duke thinks that you may be interested in the Po River. ”