Devouring World Dragon

Chapter 175 The Echoes of History

"For France, the greatest significance of Joan of Arc's appearance was that it transformed what was originally a war of succession that was only related to the nobility into a sacred war between France and England, which inspired the patriotic enthusiasm of the French people and led to the birth of the modern concept of nationhood."

—"Teaching You to See Interesting History"

In July 1465, outside Paris, banners fluttered wildly, and Louis XI, watching this scene from the city walls, frowned deeply.

“Bold Charlie…you have quite the nerve.”

Louis XI, known as the Spider King, stroked his chin and couldn't help but sneer.

Louis XI was the son of Charles VII. Since the miraculous appearance of Joan of Arc, French nationalism had soared. Even after Joan of Arc was captured, Charles VII continued to rule the country steadily, winning over the Burgundians, negotiating with the English, and expanding his territory.

Finally, more than a decade ago, this once-fallen crown prince reclaimed the last piece of French territory. King Henry of England admitted defeat, and France won the Hundred Years' War, bringing an end to the century-long War of the Succession. King Charles of France also used this opportunity to expand the royal domain and enhance the status of the royal family.

However, due to his inaction in the Joan of Arc affair, Charles VII has been criticized by scholars. As the king who ended the Hundred Years' War and laid the foundation for the centralized power of the French monarchy, Charles VII is only hailed by historians as the "victor"—a praise, but also a vague concept that is hard to define. The one who wins the victory is not necessarily the "great one." Whether there is any veiled sarcasm from the scholars is hard to say.

After Charles VII's death, his son succeeded to the French throne. Unlike his father's lenient attitude towards the nobility, this "Spider King," who liked to manipulate intrigue and power, vigorously promoted talented commoners after taking the throne, completely ignoring the status of the nobility. He successively deprived several nobles of their lands, leaving the nobles bewildered and ultimately triggering the rebellion of the "League of the Public Good" led by Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, this year.

“Joan of Arc…Joan of Arc…If I had someone like Joan of Arc under my command, why would I need to fear someone like Charles the Bold? It’s a pity that the saint didn’t follow me, but followed that coward. What a shame.”

Looking at the Burgundian army below the city walls, the French king said with a hint of regret.

Beside Louis XI, several ministers pretended not to hear and remained silent. Louis XI's dissatisfaction with his father, Charles VII, was well-known. When he was still the Dauphin, he had joined forces with generals to launch a rebellion against Charles, only to be suppressed by Charles.

After he became king, he was no longer restrained and became even more unscrupulous. He had always admired Joan of Arc and had often lamented that he did not have an outstanding general like Joan of Arc under his command. Now, being forced to stay in Paris by the army of the Duke of Burgundy, he could not help but complain.

Gazing at the army before him, Louis XI pondered, his mind drifting back to events from over twenty years ago…

That year, he was only seven or eight years old, placed under the protection of King Charles VII in a castle. The dark castle, the damp environment, and the endless stream of bad news constituted his entire childhood, a life lived in constant fear and anxiety. Not only was he the son of the crown prince, but even the crown prince himself didn't know his fate. Until that year, a young girl appeared out of nowhere and changed everything…

It's hard to describe what that image was like to a child; the heroine who turned the tide became an idol for the child, but tragically, this heroine was burned alive because of her father's inaction. This wasn't the core of the falling out between Louis and his father, but it undoubtedly had an impact.

"That coward," "that incompetent idiot"...

It's hard to imagine that this is a child's evaluation of his father, full of malice. It wasn't until he took over France that he understood how much France owed Joan of Arc. Even today, twenty years later, France is still deeply influenced by the deeds of that heroine.

When did the French people first realize that they were French, and not just Burgundians, Normans, or Aquitaines?

At this moment, from the palace to the countryside, all of France is swept by a strong tide, a tide called "nationalism," with a strong call for the true unity of the whole of France, rather than being divided up by various lords, large and small.

"Joan of Arc..."

The "Spider King" pondered, once again envying his "incompetent but lucky father." How could such a brilliant general favor that coward? If Joan of Arc were under his command, if that valiant figure were still here... this predicament would never have stumped the miracle-making saint.

"We must make more efforts to promote talented people, instead of letting incompetent nobles with only family backgrounds sit in high positions."

The Spider King thought again, he didn't trust those nobles, because he had seen enough of their incompetence and ugliness when he was young. Those who could save France were definitely not those opportunistic nobles.

"Let's concede for now and wait until another time..."

The Spider King glanced deeply at the Burgundian army before him, then turned and left without looking back. "Tell Charles the Bold that I will tentatively agree to his terms."

This usually cold and aloof king spoke with unusual firmness, his words carrying an unspoken, enigmatic meaning...

……

Florence, Italy, 1483 AD.

The night was deep, and the sky outside the window was filled with stars, but a middle-aged man was still bent over his desk, writing furiously by the candlelight beside the table. The tip of the quill pen kept writing beautiful cursive characters. His face was as if it had been carved by a knife and axe, especially his thin eyebrows, which were very beautiful and had a sharp, sword-like feel. His solemn pupils were like obsidian.

Sometimes, he would pause to think for a moment, and then write long articles without hesitation.

"...My brother, as I said, it's not impossible for humans to fly. In fact, I'm researching a machine that uses air to glide... God have mercy, I regret that I still live in poverty, which limits my ability to do more. For this reason, I have to serve the Duke of Milan and design those damned new weapons..."

As he finished writing, the middle-aged man seemed somewhat annoyed, as if designing new weapons had left him with considerable resentment.

His mind was filled with countless incredible imaginations and ideas that he couldn't help but want to bring to life: steel chariots, flying aircraft, instruments that could capture lightning... But he could only keep designing new weapons for the Duke, because the noble lords were not interested in his ideas at all.

As he wrote, fueled by anger, he couldn't help but stand up and pace alone in the room. After a long while, when he inadvertently caught sight of a small sculpture in the corner of the room, his resentment gradually subsided…

It was a dignified woman in armor, less than a foot tall. Her bright eyes were sculpted from gemstones, and her empty hand seemed to have once held a weapon, but the passage of time had caused it to disappear. Even by the discerning eye of a middle-aged man, it was a rare work of art, but that wasn't the key point. What truly interested the man was the secret contained within the sculpture.

The man sat down again and began to write once more.

“My brother, I’m afraid you can hardly understand how I feel right now. I told you about that sculpture before. I bought it from an antique dealer who boasted that it was the hand of the French general Gilles de Rais, the famous Bluebeard.”

"After the death of the saintly Joan of Arc, the famous French general gradually went mad, becoming obsessed with black magic. He even murdered more than a hundred children to perform a devilish ritual, and was eventually executed by King Charles VII of France and burned at the stake. After his death, his many properties were liquidated and sold, and this memorial statue, which is said to be modeled after Joan of Arc, was one of them. It later changed hands several times before ending up in my hands."

"However, I'm not interested in France, but what intrigues me is the intricate mechanism hidden within this seemingly ordinary sculpture, as if something is concealed inside. Its exceptionally sturdy metal makes it impossible for me to damage, and I disdain using such crude methods to destroy such an exquisite mechanism. But after much contemplation, I still can't crack it… I suspect that the sculpture might be missing a component, perhaps the missing object in its hand—maybe a flag, a gun, or a longsword. In any case, it must be paired with that object to successfully activate this thing…"

Just as the middle-aged man was writing furiously, he suddenly felt a chill down his spine, as if someone was watching him.

He suddenly turned his head to look, but saw nothing but the furnishings in the room and the female sculpture looking at him. The jeweled eyes of the female sculpture, even after decades, still shone brightly, making it impossible to look directly at them.

"I'm so tired."

Shaking his head, the man felt that he was probably just tired and that was why he had this strange feeling. So he prepared to finish the letter, left his final signature on it, and then lay down on the bed to rest, drifting off to sleep.

In his hazy dream, he seemed to hear that whispering voice. His brow furrowed slightly, and beads of sweat gradually appeared on his forehead as he sank into a state of inexplicable anxiety and unease...

As night deepened, a gust of wind blew through the window, lifting a corner of the letter on the table and revealing a line of cursive script.

"...My brother, may the Lord bless you, Leonardo di Piero da Vinci."

Inside the room, only the valiant female sculpture remained, but at some point... the jeweled eyes had changed angle, their cold gaze indifferently fixed on the mortal lying on the bed, trapped in a nightmare...

(End of this chapter)