From Rome to Pisa, the road is already familiar to Nomelo.

For the sake of Lucrezia, for the sake of Caesar, for the sake of the Pope, he traveled back and forth between the two cities, and each experience made him feel strangely surprised at the young man named Alexandre Giulian Cambrai.

For going to Pisa, Nomelo was a little resistant, he didn't think that he could complete the task arranged by the Pope so smoothly, although Lucrezia took the initiative to write a letter, but in Nomerlo's opinion, the Pope actually agreed to the conditions of Gombray under the circumstances.

Although the majesty of the Vatican is not as good as before, but daring to blackmail the Pope so blatantly, Nomelo is still a little in awe of that Gombray from the bottom of his heart.

Nomelo believed that the letter had been ordered by Alexander, but this aroused some curiosity in him.

Because if it is as Lucrezia said, then Estelles is likely to fight with Barentia's children for the sovereignty of Montina in the future, not to mention whether Estelles has this right, or whether Barentia will eventually marry Alexander, just such an arrangement surprised Nomerlo.

Because he can't imagine what kind of father would deliberately arrange for his children when they were just born, the hidden danger of great conflicts in the future.

Although everyone knew that such a struggle for inheritance was never uncommon, and even the Borgia family had staged such a farce not long ago, parents always had the luxury of hoping that such a thing would not happen in their own family, but Alexander's arrangement was puzzling.

Nomelo thought that Alexander must have other plans, at least even if he really wanted Estelles to inherit Montina in the future, he should have other plans for Barondi's children, otherwise it would be too unreasonable and too strange.

So what is his purpose, Nomelo feels that knowing this can grasp Alexander's thoughts, otherwise rushing to Pisa like this will always make him feel a little uncertain.

It's just that he was too familiar with this road after all, and it was much smoother to walk, so before he could figure out the problem that had always bothered him, he had already arrived in a village not far from Montina.

Nomelo was also familiar with the village, having been there when he led his army to Pisa to rescue Lucrezia, and he remembered meeting a Florentine here.

It's just that the rescue ended in embarrassment, and what he saw was not the kidnapped Pope's daughter, but a Lucrezia who simply looked like she had eloped with her lover, which made him more helpless than an accident.

Nomelo reflected on the past as he led the men into the village, where he planned to rest for a while and hurry as soon as it was still dark, so that he could reach Pisa before nightfall.

Nomelo was walking along the dirt road in the village, which was full of sewage, when he saw a familiar figure coming towards him.

If it was somewhere else, maybe he wouldn't recognize this person with a sad face as if he was in trouble.

But because he was in this village, and he happened to be just recalling the trip, he immediately recognized the Florentine man in his slightly dirty robe, who seemed to have traveled for a long time.

Nomelo didn't remember what it was, but he knew that the man seemed to have served in Alexander's army, which caught his attention.

Machiavelli also saw Nomerlo.

Unlike Nomerlo, Machiavelli immediately recognized the Pope's private secretary.

Machiavelli was stunned for a moment before immediately meeting him, for a man who is keen on utilitarianism, what could be more desirable than to become acquaintances with the Pope's cronies.

Machiavelli first saluted Nomelo respectfully, and then formally reported his current position and status.

"Officials and diplomats of the Florentine Government Office?"

Nomelo looked at Machiavelli with some surprise, not that he was surprised that he would serve in Florence with this man, but that as far as he remembered, this man had also served in Florence, which was under Savonarola.

Now it seems that this man is not only not implicated by Savonarola, but on the contrary, seems to be exalted, which makes Nomelo look a little differently at Machiavelli.

"It should be said that all this is due to the Count of Montina."

Machiavelli was keenly aware of the key to Nomerlo's presence here, and if he hadn't gone to Florence to meet Alexander, how could the Pope's private secretary suddenly run away to this poor countryside.

And Machiavelli also admitted that he was not wrong, everything he has now can indeed be said to have been given by Alexander, but the real reason for this is not enough for outsiders.

"Apparently I am probably the Florentine with whom I have the closest relationship with Pisa today," Machiavelli said in a deliberately self-deprecating tone, "and the Florentine lords thought that at least I could talk to the Pisan officials, so they sent me on various diplomatic missions, but this time I probably went home empty-handed." ”

"Oh, why?" Nomelo asked, not just out of curiosity, but wanting to know more about the situation between the two cities.

"The reason is that I was a prisoner of the Genoese before, and after I was finally released, I learned that Tomneo of Pisa was dead."

Machiavelli could not help but look dejected when he said this, he did feel that this mission was too unlucky, not only did he become a prisoner and was carried around the Tuscan land by the Genoese, but he had been secretly proud of the great credit for relieving the crisis in Pisa, and with the death of Tomneo, it suddenly became worthless.

To make matters worse, the Venetians he had hoped to use to intimidate Calgino actually did something to Pisa, which not only did he lose his credit, but if he looked closely, he might be suspected of delaying time for the Venetians to kidnap Tomneo.

The Florentine, who felt unusually unlucky, had to stay in the village for the time being, and he needed to think carefully about how to explain his previous actions to the count.

You know, even if he doesn't say it himself, who can guarantee that in the future the Count will not know that Machiavelli was in Calgino's army when he fought bitterly with the Genoese Geres?

If it is explained at that time, it will be too late.

Machiavelli's heart suddenly warmed up again because of this sad face when he saw Nomelo now.

The status of the Pope's private secretary was enough to give him a certain sense of security, at least he knew that Alexander's rather strange relationship with the Borgia family would be of indescribable benefit to him if he could have the help of this pope's cronies.

"Forgive me for some things I can't say to you," Machiavelli prevaricated a little, then thought for a moment before continuing to speak, "You probably already know about the conflict between Pisa and Venetian fever, and I think I can provide some reliable information on this matter. ”

Nomelo nodded slightly, he knew that no one would provide news for no reason, so the next thing to see was whether these messages were worth paying some kind of payment.

"What do you hope for?" Simple and straightforward, Nomelo doesn't want to waste time on these little things.

"A chance for me to meet the Earl alone, and I know that with my relationship with the Earl, I should be able to get him to agree to this."

"You mean, the meeting at Palazzo Lucrezia?"

Nomelo was keenly aware of the meaning of the Florentine language.

If it were only in the Ducal Palace, this request would seem less necessary.

"Yes, I think the Count may have had some minor misunderstanding, which may affect the relationship between Pisa and Florence, so I hope to be summoned by the Count alone."

Machiavelli was alert not to mention his own involvement, knowing that it might arouse Nomerlo's suspicions, but he was not worried.

After all, he was a Florentine diplomat, and asking for a secret meeting with Alexander would not cause much trouble.

Sure enough, Nomelo agreed to the request with only a little hesitation, and he could see that Machiavelli's words were not true, but he now wanted to know more about Florence, even if it was not true.

"I will tell you that the Archon of Sazi has had a secret meeting with the Venetians," seeing that Nomelo did not seem to be very concerned about the news, Machiavelli decided to reveal something more important: "They did not only provide Florence with help in their kidnapping of Tomneo, but as far as I know, the Venetians were prepared to give Florence a considerable loan." ”

Nomelo, who had been seemingly nonchalant, finally reacted a little, he glanced at Machiavelli, and asked casually in a tone that didn't seem to mind too much: "Can you tell me the amount and details of this loan?" ”

"I don't know what the consuls agreed to, and they were negotiating when I left Florence, but I believe there should have been a result by now."

At Machiavelli's judgment, Nomelo nodded.

If it weren't for the results, the Venetians wouldn't have ventured into Pisa to hijack the hapless Tomneo.

"But I know it's a whopping 200,000 florins."

Machiavelli's words finally touched Nomerlo, and the Pope's secretary turned to look at the Florentine seriously, then nodded slowly and said: "I will arrange a private meeting between you and the Count, and as for whether he will meet you at the Lucrezia Palace, it is up to the Count to decide." ”

Machiavelli let out a secret sigh of relief, knowing that there was hope that the difficulty before him was finally over.

Nomelo did not linger any longer, and after hearing the news from Machiavelli he felt the need to rush to Florence at once, for he would then have to return to Rome as soon as possible to report the news to the Pope.

Coins issued by the Vatican have already been put into circulation, and by their influence on Florence, this gold coin, known as Pisette, attracted a lot of attention as soon as it appeared with its exquisite minting pattern, and some people even collected it as soon as they got it, and refused to use it lightly.

This phenomenon was obviously undesirable to the pope, and in order to prevent this kind of collection, Alexander VI even ordered a reduction in the minting process, hoping to reduce the process of making people lose interest in collecting and put gold coins on the market.

In any case, Alexander VI's dedication to this worldly work with a more zealous attitude than any of his predecessors inevitably aroused some criticism.

The pope was openly criticized for being so zealous with accumulating wealth that he had completely degenerated into a worldly merchant, and others directly denounced this behavior as worse than his predecessor's buying and selling priesthood.

But Alexander VI turned a deaf ear to all these accusations, and Nomerlo, one of those in the know, knew very well that Alexander VI was so enthusiastic about the cause because, with the formidable ability of the exchange, the Pope was enjoying the enormous profits of the day.

Florence was clearly a piece of fat in the eyes of Alexander VI, and the fall of Savonarola allowed him to regain his tentacles in this long-lost city, and it was precisely because of his years of feud with Florence that he did not have any burden of trying to make a fortune from the city.

The issuance of currency in Florence was an agreement with the Florentine government, for which Alexander VI even went so far as to put pressure on the Florentine consul Sazi in the name of supporting the Medici family.

While this pressure was effective, it also apparently undermined the Pope's chances of a possible re-establishment of relations with Florence.

Nomelo could imagine how angry the Pope would have been if Venice had been allowed to destroy it at such a great price.

Nomelo decided to leave for Pisa at once, to meet Alexander as soon as possible and then return to Rome to report the news that Machiavelli had revealed to him.

Nomelo finally arrived in Pisa just after dark.

He had planned to go to the Ducal Palace to ask for an audience, but Machiavelli found out that the Count, and of course the Duchess and her mother, were not in the Ducal Palace, but in the Lucrechia Palace.

So Nomelo immediately turned to the Lucrezia Palace, which was located by the river.

No sooner had he arrived than Lucrezia's house when Nomelo saw from afar a few workers who were busy hanging a large badge on the arched porch at the entrance of the courtyard.

Nomelo took a closer look at the badge and noticed that the inset of the badge was a traditional Pisan pattern of a red cross on a white background.

It's just a little different from the Pisa badge that there is a rather striking star in the upper right corner of the cross.

The star is surrounded by a line of sparkling light, several of which fall directly into the center of the Pisa cross.

Looking at this badge, Nomelo couldn't help but think of the origin of Estles's name.

The morning star, the star that breaks through the darkness and brings the dawn, is the meaning of Alexander's name, and it now seems that he wants to make this name of apparent profound significance forever etched in the history of Pisa.

Nomelo's arrival clearly made Lucrezia happy.

Although she had been hoping to get a reply from her father as soon as possible after sending the letter, Lucrezia did not expect Alexander VI to reply so quickly, and sent Nomelo as soon as possible.

Lucrezia was of course well aware of Nomelo's identity, and sometimes she even felt that her father trusted Nomelo more than her brothers.

This also led Lucrezia to speculate whether Nomelo would be another unknown illegitimate son of his father.

However, this suspicion has never been confirmed, and Lucrezia has gradually felt that her father's trust in Nomelo is somewhat different from that of his own siblings.

Nomelo smiled at the sight of Lucrezia, and although it hadn't been long since his last visit to Pisa, Nomelo had noticed some subtle changes in Lucrezia.

She seemed to have become a little more sedate, or rather more dependent on Alexander, and when she walked beside him, she was no longer like a lively fawn as before, but more like a competent wife.

Or a mistress?

As soon as this strange thought flashed through Nomerlo's heart, he immediately suppressed it.

"Welcome, Nomelo," Alexander paused in front of Nomelo and looked at the Pope's private secretary, "If I'm not mistaken, you should have set off last night, right?" ”

"How did you find out?" Nomelo asked with a little surprise.

"There's nothing strange about it, for I've noticed mud stains on your robes, and I know it rained near Rome last night, and it's clear that you left the city before evening, otherwise you should have found shelter from the rain."

Alexander smiled casually, noticing the unnaturalness on Nomelo's face, but he didn't mind what was going to his mind.

Although it seems to be only a little surprised, in fact, the shock in Nomerlo's heart is indescribable!

He could not have imagined that Alexander knew everything about Rome so well that he could even know that it had rained the night before.

This made Nomelo feel not only unexpected but also faintly uneasy, and he even secretly wondered whether he should report the matter to the Pope after returning home.

"Nomelo, tell me what good news you have brought us?" Lucrezia asked anxiously, her expression a little nervous and a little uneasy, and when she looked at Nomelo, her eyes seemed to reveal a kind of apprehension waiting for the verdict.

Nomelo could understand the reason why Lucrezia was like this, after all, it was the first time in 18 years that she had been so desperate against her father, and Nomelo even remembered the obvious blackmail revealed in the letter.

"As you might imagine, the Pope is a little disappointed in you, little Lucrezia," Nomelo shook his head slightly, and seeing that the originally excited look on Lucrezia's face instantly dimmed, the secretary couldn't help but look at Alexander with a slightly reproachful look, "You shouldn't have done this, you shouldn't have turned her against her father." ”

"We have nothing against my father," Lucrezia retorted with displeasure at once, "I just want to get my daughter her right." ”

Lucrezia's words made Nomelo smile bitterly, and he had to look at Alexander next to him with a little admiration.

"Lucrechia, what you call your daughter's rights is actually blackmailing your father." Nomelo said in a deep voice.

He looked at Alexander again, and Nomelo nodded when he saw Alexander making an inviting gesture to him.

Many things have to be made clear, or as status changes, the relationship between people is not the same as before.

In the past, Alexander was just a pawn in the hands of the pope to play with at will, and both the chess player and the chess piece knew this very well.

And now, at least Nomelo has sensed the change in the relationship between the two sides.

The relationship between them is no longer between a chess player and a chess piece, and certainly not a father-in-law and a son-in-law.

Sometimes cooperative, sometimes counterproductive, the relationship between the two Alexanders looks complicated.

But Nomelo knew that the Cambrai in front of him was now a figure who could compete with the Pope.

"Your Majesty has asked me to bring to Miss Estelles the Relic of St. Aden of Pisa," said Nomelo to Lucrezia, who smiled happily, and then he looked at Alexander, "and I have also brought with me a personal promise from the Pope, that His Majesty considers any attempt by Venice to Pisa intolerable and intolerable. ”

Hearing Nomelo's words, Alexander smiled.

All this time, this is what he has been waiting for.

"In that case, I am about to have a message for you to bring back to His Majesty the Pope," said Alexander, "I have just received the news that the Ottoman Sultan Bayezid II is about to march on Bucharest. ”