Mario revealed the secrets of the Auditore Sanctuary and Altaïr's Codex, indicating that he was beginning to truly cultivate Lu Xiao as a core reserve talent of the Assassin Brotherhood.

If you want to become a core member of the Brotherhood, Lu Xiao's current ability alone is not enough.

The day after the Pache family's failed attack on Monteriggioni, Mario led a brown horse and drove Lu Xiao all the way outside the city gates.

"Assassination is not just a profession, but a continuation of the beliefs of the ancient and present day, and theoretically speaking, anyone can become an Assassin regardless of their social level or ability, as long as they are willing to follow the tenets of the Brotherhood."

Handing the reins of the horse into Lu Xiao's hands, Mario said earnestly, "But if you want to become a true core member of the Brotherhood, you need to master more knowledge and skills. ”

"Your combat skills have entered the door, and even I am ashamed of my ability to use a bow, and the rest is nothing more than tempering my combat experience through actual combat, but you still have a lot to lack in other aspects."

"Florence is the center of the Brotherhood's activities in Tuscany, and Giovanni and other senior members will continue to teach you how to be a qualified Assassin."

"And then." Mario threw a delicately crafted leather bracer to Lu Xiao: "You will definitely use it when you arrive in Florence, and Giovanni will teach you how to use this 'weapon'." ”

"Go ahead."

Seeing Lu Xiao thoughtfully step on the stirrup and get on the horse, Mario slapped the brown horse's buttocks heavily: "I sincerely hope that one day in the future, you will become the mainstay of the Brotherhood and help us fight together against the growing Templar Order." ”

The horses raised their heads and neighed loudly under the beating, and galloped up the avenue with their hooves on all fours.

Lu Xiao looked back at the ruined city of Monteriggioni on the horse, Mario stood at the gate with a smile on his face and waved goodbye to him, and the mercenaries on the city wall also beat their weapons to send him off.

After half a year of learning art in Monteriggioni, Lu Xiao began to get used to the rhythm of life in this era, and gradually became familiar with the rude mercenaries and simple people in this small city.

Mario Auditore, who is nominally Lu Xiao's mentor, has not had long contact with Lu Xiao because of his busy official duties, but this noble lord who is thick and fine has left a very deep impression on him.

His bold personality and clear means of reward and punishment make mercenaries who have always done their own thing willing to obey his commands, and prohibit them like regular soldiers.

In the defensive battle of Monteriggioni, Lu Xiao witnessed the combat effectiveness of this group of scattered mercenaries, who were more brave and good at fighting than the private soldiers trained by the Pache family with a lot of money and resources.

It's no wonder that being the leader of the Italian Brotherhood of Assassins is a charisma that not everyone can possess. ’

The horses Mario chose for Lu Xiao were very athletic, and the outline of Monteriggioni City quickly disappeared from Lu Xiao's field of vision.

Retracting his gaze, Lu Xiao lightly clamped the brown horse's abdomen between her legs, shook the reins and shouted.

"Drive!"

The horses that received the order increased their speed again, and the warm winter breeze of the Apennine Peninsula blew on the Lu Xiao's face, and one man and one horse galloped along the dirt road in the direction of Florence.

……

Known as the city of Filenal, Florence was the center and birthplace of the Italian Renaissance.

Literature and art flourished in ancient Greece and Rome, but gradually declined and disappeared during the Dark Ages of the Middle World ruled by Catholicism.

The Renaissance originated as a Florentine folk rebellion against theocratic ideas.

With the growth of private capital and the economic recovery of many European countries, people gradually got rid of the numbness and pessimism of real life in the past, and the new bourgeoisie led by bankers began to pursue the joy of life.

But this hedonistic idea was contrary to the teachings of Catholicism, and the class conflict between the two sides led to the rise of the Renaissance.

Folk artists have long been disgusted by the asceticism unilaterally promoted by the Catholic Church, and the corrupt life of priests and nuns is nothing new, and they are eager to break the false mask of the Holy See and let the people's minds be free.

However, most of the cultural works of that time were related to the praise of the Holy See, and the artists who had no clue could not find a suitable opportunity to resist.

After some discussion, they hoped to express their pursuit and assertion of free thought by reviving the culture of ancient Rome and Greece.

The new bourgeoisie, led by the bankers, was happy to see artists challenge the ideological confinement of the papacies, and it was they who contributed to the growth of the Renaissance by sponsoring folk artists.

The Renaissance movement, which was greatly praised by later generations, was in fact a challenge to the feudal rule of the papacy by the emerging bourgeoisie, representing a head-on collision between the two classes.

The Medici family, the rulers of contemporary Florence, were the leaders of the new bourgeoisie.

Born as bankers, backed by strong assets, with the efforts of Giovanni and Cosimo generations, they gradually replaced the Albici family, who ruled Florence at that time, to establish a tyrant regime, and officially became the uncrowned king of Florence.

The contemporary Florentine ruler is Lorenzo de Medici, the grandson of Cosimo and a man who left a strong mark on history.

From the point of view of the Assassin Brotherhood and the Knights Templar, the Knights Templar, who controlled the core of the Catholic Church, wanted to suppress the rise of the new bourgeoisie and maintain its inherent dominance.

Believing that the enemy of an enemy is a friend, the Italian Brotherhood fully supported the emerging bourgeoisie that had emerged everywhere against the Templar schemes.

Giovanni Auditore de Florence, the younger brother of Mario Auditore, was born in Monteriggioni like his brother, but as a teenager Giovanni left his family territory to join his relative, Illario Auditore.

Illario was a close friend and staunch supporter of Cosimo Medici, having served for a long time as Cosimo's standard-bearer of justice (head of the Council of Elders), and the two families have enjoyed a strong friendship ever since.

According to Mario, the Auditore family's support for the Medici was not pure, and the Assassin Brotherhood had long seen the potential of the Medici family and bet on them in advance.

When Giovanni was 19 years old, he first "coincidentally" met 6-year-old Lorenzo Medici by the Arno River, and after Lorenzo fell into the water, Giovanni did not hesitate to jump into the river to rescue him.

The friendship between the two families was strengthened by this, and Giovanni became Lorenzo's close friend and long-term ally.

Over the years, Giovanni helped Lorenzo deal with many important matters that were inconvenient for the Medici family, and repeatedly thwarted attempts by the Holy See to overthrow the Medici family's rule.

The Auditore family also grew in Florence with the support of the Medici family, and today is one of the most important bankers in the city of Emerald Firene.

With the exception of Lorenzo and a few core members of the Medici family, few people know that Giovanni hid his true identity under the guise of a banker.

He was an Assassin, a core member of the Italian Brotherhood of Assassins, a thorn in the side and a thorn in the flesh that the Templars were eager to eradicate, and one of Lorenzo's most difficult right and left hands.