Even if the exact number of Pieces of Eden scattered around the world is unknown, the map depicted in Codex 22 alone provides the tip of the iceberg of the legacy left by the First Civilization.

Over the years, some of these Pieces of Eden have been unearthed by the Assassins and Templars, and have changed hands several times during the battles between the two organizations.

The Sword of Eden was one of them, and both the Templars and Assassins once possessed the artifact, but now no one knows exactly where it is, leaving only vague clues.

The biggest obstacle to Lu Xiao's collection of the Pieces of Eden was not the Templars, but the rejection of the Pieces of Eden themselves from those who were not descendants of the Isu bloodline.

Now that he has decided to leave Florence, Lu Xiao plans to tentatively touch one of the artifacts, the Shroud of Eden, before leaving.

Giovanni readily agreed to Lu Xiao's request to study the Shroud, and sent someone to send it to the Auditore Mansion.

The Piece of Eden was the highest secret to both the Assassins and the Templars, and Ezio and Claudia, who had not yet officially joined the Assassin Order, had no right to know of its existence, and were taken out into the streets by Maria as an excuse.

The shroud was encased in a wooden box carved with delicate patterns, and it was placed on the desk in Lu Xiao's guest room.

Giovanni seemed to have suffered from the Shroud, he stood a little far away from his desk, and his eyes flickered a little to remind Lu Xiao: "Try to be vigilant when studying the Shroud, don't be tempted by the whispering sound it makes, and keep your mind." ”

"I have a little psychological shadow about this thing, so I won't accompany you to open the wooden box, you can cheer yourself."

As soon as he said this, Giovanni turned around and slipped away, not even giving Lu Xiao a chance to stay.

"Hehe~" The corners of Lu Xiao's mouth twitched, "Don't worry, I won't open the box to death, I just want to use it for an experiment." ’

Even through the container, Lu Xiao could feel a strange spiritual wave affecting him, tempting him to open the lid of the box and take the shroud for himself.

The formal assassin training in the past two years has not only tempered Lu Xiao's body and skills, but also tempered his will.

Barely resisting the attraction from the shroud, Lu Xiao slowly stretched out his finger and touched the top of the wooden box.

"Congratulations to the host for acquiring the Piece of Eden, the Shroud, do you want to put it into the system space now to complete the mission?"

'Sure enough......'

Lu Xiao let out a long sigh of relief that his experiment had succeeded.

Before personally contacting the Pieces of Eden, Lu Xiao had always been worried, in case he came into contact with the Pieces of Eden, would it be considered a mandatory completion of the task, and the one-year stay time would begin to count down.

The experimental results proved that the system was not so domineering, giving its host room to choose for itself, which added a lot of flexibility to Lu Xiao's follow-up plan.

Although he was curious about what kind of effect the Shroud of Eden had, Lu Xiao was self-aware, and without the blood of Eden, opening the box would cause him to be immediately controlled by the artifact and lose his mind.

"Let's talk about it later, anyway, this artifact is kept in the hands of the Brotherhood, and there will definitely be a chance to get it officially in the future." ’

……

After successfully completing the tentative experiments on the Pieces of Eden and the World Mission, Lu Xiao only had one thing left to stay in Florence.

Standing in front of the gate of Leonardo da Vinci's studio, Lu Xiao's expression was a little tangled.

Every time I met with Leonardo da Vinci before, this all-round genius would enthusiastically propose to paint a portrait of him, even if Lu Xiao rejected him many times, he was still indomitable.

"Hey~"

sighed, considering that it was now that he had something to ask for, Lu Xiao could only stretch out his hand and knock on the door.

"Who's coming?"

Leonardo da Vinci's voice, as always, is full of enthusiasm for life and curiosity about the unknown, and it sounds very cheerful.

Opening the door and seeing Lu Xiao's reluctantly smiling face, Leonardo da Vinci happily opened his arms and gave Lu Xiao a warm hug.

"Haha! Welcome, my friend, to finally make up your mind to leave a portrait? ”

"Not really." Lu Xiao complained angrily: "I have important things that I need your help with." ”

Leonardo da Vinci was a little surprised, but he still took Lu Xiao's hand and led him into the studio.

"Tell me, as long as I can help, I will not refuse."

"Before that." Lu Xiao's face became solemn: "I need to remind you that this matter may involve the secrets of the two secret organizations fighting for thousands of years, are you sure you want to understand the truth behind this world?" ”

Lu Xiao obviously saw the light of curiosity flashing in Leonardo da Vinci's eyes, and there was no fear on his face, but he rubbed his hands excitedly.

"Hey! My friend, don't whet my appetite, you know my character, the unknown is the most attractive. ”

"Say it, say it, I'll listen to you the whole time."

Lu Xiao shrugged helplessly: "I knew you would say that, but the process still has to go through a while." ”

Without involving deep secrecy, Lu Xiao informed Leonardo da Vinci of the battle between the Assassins and the Templars, and placed the leather boots with damaged blades in front of Leonardo da Vinci.

"Interesting."

Leonardo da Vinci studied the boots with great interest: "The hidden mechanism inside the boots is very ingenious, and it applies an innovative idea that has never been involved in Europe. ”

"Lu, give me a little time, I need to study these leather boots well, if I can thoroughly understand the production principle of the boot blade, it will definitely play a huge role in promoting my research and creation."

Lu Xiao had no choice but to leave the studio lightly, leaving Leonardo da Vinci alone to draw illustrations of the mechanism on the paper.

"Regional Suppression Mission - Complete in Florence, reward free skill point 1, please use it with caution."

Lu Xiao, who had just walked out of Da Vinci's workshop, paused, and then muttered to himself in a very low voice: "I know without you reminding me." ”

……

In the spring of 1477, a carriage drove out of the north gate of Florence driven by an oriental man in a brown traveling cloak.

It has been more than two years since Lu Xiao arrived in the world of Assassin's Creed in 1474, and his age has increased from 25 to 27 to 28.

This age is still in the category of young people, and there is not much change in appearance for the time being.

But Lu Xiao's temperament has undoubtedly changed dramatically from when he first came to the world of Assassin's Creed.

Lu Xiao, who was an ordinary white-collar worker, gradually moved away and was replaced by a sect elite with rich practical experience.

After Rodrigo Borgia was released back to Rome by the Brotherhood, his style changed somewhat, from a once aggressive initiative to a more pragmatic and low-key one.

He gradually withdrew his energy from the Assassin Brotherhood and began to focus more on the selection of the next pope.

As the current Pope Sexter IV is getting older, the Holy See is beginning to prepare for the selection of a papal successor, and many cardinals are campaigning for it, and undercurrents are beginning to surge under the table of the Greater Roman region.

Without Rodrigo taking the lead, Fiorentina had a very peaceful time.

The Renaissance grew in a peaceful context, and the trend spread outward from the city of Emerald to neighboring cities such as Siena and Pisa.

The cardinals of the Holy See were busy with infighting and somewhat ill-prepared for the rise of artists supported by private capital.

When the Holy See realized that the ideas of the Renaissance were shaking the foundations of papal rule, all of Italy joined in this movement of intellectual emancipation, even affecting other neighboring European countries.

The class struggle between the Holy See and the private capitalists had nothing to do with Lu Xiao, who was now heading in a carriage to Romagna in northern Tuscany.