Chapter 772 Dry Water

If you are lucky and the water in the Venice canal is clear enough, you can occasionally see dolphins in the canal.

Those cunning creatures have smiles on their faces, and sometimes swim to the fishermen's boats to find what they want to eat.

Pomona has heard that dolphins in some places will cooperate with humans. They drive the fish to the shore, and humans will open their nets to catch fish, and some of the fish will be returned to the dolphins. The dolphins in the Adriatic Sea will just giggle. But humans still can't help but give it a bite, it's really an advantage to be cute.

Saltwater crocodiles are not so lucky. They will be made into leather bags, leather shoes, and belts. Originally caught in moderation, it doesn’t matter if two crocodiles are killed to make leather goods.

The problem is overfishing. In the late 15th and early 16th centuries, prices did not inflate as fast as banknotes. A member of parliament earned 10 ducats a month. Veronese earned more than 300 ducats a year painting weddings in Ghana. 25 ducats a month, which is twice as high as that of a member of parliament. A mercenary earns 150 ducats a year, and a painter can raise two mercenaries, not including his painting materials and a barrel of red wine money.

The rich came up with the trick of blocking up windows and painting windows to evade taxes. The empty treasury could not continue to develop the navy. Columbus was a Genoese. He not only discovered the new continent but also opened up new sea routes, weakening Venice. Since the 15th century, recruiting sailors is a must. Difficulties, the risk at sea is so great, no one is willing to do it if the money is not enough, and the invention of the sail has replaced the paddle boat, and the navy that Venice is proud of has also disappeared.

Anything that is misused can turn good into bad. A country without its own armed forces but with great wealth will be spied on by others. Sooner or later, someone will tear off the disguise of civilization like Napoleon and do the same thing as robbers.

When the power is equal, giving money to make people die is an exchange of interests. When the power is unequal, giving money for peace is a tribute. Death and sickness, and the treasury of Venice dried up.

Diagonally opposite the Rezzonico Palace is the Grassi Palace bought by François Pinault. He bought two palaces in total, and one is in the Customs House. The Customs House is still under construction. The entrance of the Grassi Palace There is a balloon poodle sculpture on the floating platform, which looks particularly eye-catching.

They didn't stay here, but went to St. Paul's Square. This St. Paul's Square is different from the one in the Vatican. It used to be the venue for markets, bullfights, speeches, and masquerade balls. It is still used for the Venice Carnival and is also the venue for open-air concerts and screenings during the Venice Film Festival.

It is different from St. Mark's. The terrain in Venice is complex, like a maze. Some streets and covered bridges are very narrow and can only accommodate one person. If you are not careful, you will get lost in the alleys around St. Paul's Square.

Even though the climax of the carnival is over, people in medieval costumes still don't want to leave, and there are edible chocolate beak doctor masks for sale.

The Black Death has hit Italy at least 50 times, but it bypasses Venice so strangely that the locals firmly believe that they are blessed. When other cities have forgotten God, this city that first promotes pleasure is There is still faith.

The wines of the Renaissance were all produced in their own vineyards on the lagoon. Even the barren reef islands could still grow grapes. Later, with the expansion of Venice’s territory, people abandoned these islands, only San Servolo Island And Benedictine monks growing herbs.

In the 18th century, the territory of the Republic began to shrink, and people began to cultivate the islands in the lagoon. The monks also obtained licenses for the island's herbs to provide medicines for military hospitals.

Herbal medicine is also stuffed in the mask of the beak doctor. In order to save those who are suffering, the monks have also made efforts. The fat monk is also one of them, but it is beyond the scope of people's existing knowledge and needs to continue to improve to overcome it.

"There was an earthquake in 1310, and the water in the waterways dried up," Gianluca said. "In addition to floods, we sometimes have this situation. At that time, this area was still farmland."

"And you built the plaza on it?" Severus asked.

"No, we set up a bank there," Gianluca said. "Some say it's a sea monster's lair, and Philippe Amida Peruzzi said 'If there were a monster there, it would watch over it for me. Treasures', at that time their main objects of lending were the kings and nobles who were luxurious but poor in financial resources, he gave them money, and the nobles gave us convenience, which is why we can monopolize the salt industry, 1345 Bank of Peruzzi The sudden collapse, and the collapse of the entire Florentine banking sector, set off the first mass bankruptcy and global financial recession in history, just three years before the great plague."

"Why are they broke?" Pomona asked.

"Didn't you see that there are many churches in Venice? And Florence also has them. The Church of Our Lady of the Flowers was built on the site of the original Florentino Cathedral in 1295 and was not completed until 1496. It was the first building of the Renaissance. A great building and one of the most expensive churches, the church regards the dome as the form of a pagan temple, don't you wonder why the Florentines can pass?" Gianluca asked.

"Is this what you found out?" Severus asked with a smile.

"The knights have a lot of money. Of course they have to find a place to store it. The original regulation of the Holy Year amnesty is once a hundred years. In 1300, Boniface VIII's Pope's Holy Year amnesty received unexpected money. Clement VI in 1350 It was held once every year, and was later shortened to once every 33 years. The holy year later became a new trick for the Holy See to collect money. Clement VI opposed the spiritualism of Franciscan asceticism. He overhauled the palace of the Holy See and rewarded academics and art. This is why the pagan dome of the Church of Our Lady of the Flowers can pass. Queen Joanna I of Naples was suspected of murdering her husband Andre, and Andre's younger brother, King Lajos I of Hungary, led an army to attack Joanna I in 1347. Occupying Naples the following year, Joanna fled to Avignon and asked for the protection of Clement VI, because Provence, where Avignon is located, was Joanna's hereditary territory. Clement declared the queen innocent, and the queen sold Avignon to Clement VI. Reman expressed his gratitude, and since then Avignon has become the capital of seven generations of popes. When the European Black Death spread to Avignon, a quarter of Clement's staff died, and the citizens generally believed that the disaster was brought by the Jews. Yes, but Clement still welcomed the Jews to Avignon, and eventually he became the first pope who died of the Black Death. It is easy to be loved as a tolerant person, but it is difficult to be a strict person. Do you know how we ensure that the secrets of the glass are not leaked?"

"Enough wages for the craftsmen," Pomona said in Severus' place.

"No, we'll kill the glassmakers who try to escape Venice," said the oarsman.

"Human nature is greedy, I gave them a lot of money, they will want more, just like the Saracens said, people have a golden mountain, they will want a second golden mountain, in the face of greed, Only death can clear their kiln-fired minds, but that is not enough, because some people make mistakes even when they are clear."

"How do you know that sober people make mistakes?" Severus asked with a smile.

"Want to bet?" Gianluca asked.

Severus smiled even wider.

"You're a funny Muggle."

"We are good at keeping secrets, wizard, and you can deposit your property in our bank."

"How do I know if he can keep it a secret?" Severus said, pointing to the boatman behind him.

"Before being a fisherman, my ancestors were shipyard workers." Said the boatman, "I made this boat myself."

"We see the terrible darkness in the cracks, as in winter, in the Venetian arsenal, where men are boiling the sticky bitumen, some are building new ships, others are building oars, and the thick pitch boils down, turning the embankments Every part of the wall is sticky." Gianluca Dante read a line from Dante's Divine Comedy "Do you think the Venetian shipyards are hell?"

"No, we are serving the Republic." The boatman whispered. "The Republic takes care of us, and we can only give back in this way."

"The armory has high walls, and a vegetable garden. It is self-sufficient, and intermarriages are intermarried to reduce contact with the outside. When the plague spreads in the city, none of them died, and there are enough medicines. , wine and ammunition.” Gianluca said, “Foreigners, do you think the ordnance factory is hell or heaven in that environment?”

"How did you know he was from the armory?" Severus asked.

"I think we should all leave a little bit of mystery to each other." Gianluca said with a smug smile, reaching for Monica's shoulder, and was awakened by her slap.

"Your family didn't leave you any secret papers?" Severus asked.

"I left nothing but money." Gianluca said blankly, "Even if there is, it is stored in the bank."

The Talmud has said that what is abused is not necessarily useless.

The Venetians learned from the Jews, and then applied what they learned to create this pearl of the Adriatic Sea.

The church is beautiful, but it needs money to repair it. If there is no church but pigeons, who would spend 80 Euros to take pictures.

Now maybe there is no entry tax, but there is an IQ tax.

Pomona is extremely thankful that she has developed the habit of restraining material desires, otherwise she would have paid too much.

Even Hagrid knew that Hufflepuff was a fool, so she continued to be a foodie fool, she had given up trying.