Chapter 340

Chapter 340

August 1432.

A small Franciscan monastery on the outskirts of Florence.

“Brother Giovanni. A letter has arrived from Brother Angelo.”

Giovanni received the letter from his close friend who had nearly been excommunicated for studying knowledge inherited from Roger Bacon, considered a heretic. He returned to his room and examined the letter.

“Brother... You’ve arrived safely. Lord, thank you.”

Giovanni gave thanks to God while holding the letter in his hand.

***

The number of scholars and alchemists fleeing from the Eastern Roman Empire to Italy to escape the threat to their lives during the Ottoman expansion was gradually increasing.

As the economic power of the city-states in northern Italy greatly increased, wealthy individuals who had amassed great fortunes began supporting these scholars and alchemists who had taken refuge in Italy.

The foundation for the great transformation later known as the “Renaissance” was slowly beginning to take shape.

Riding this wave, Angelo actively engaged in academic activities. He sought out those who had come from the Eastern Roman Empire to debate whenever he had the chance, and also selected disciples from among the newly ordained young monks.

However, it was still premature.

It started with a bishop who had been watching Angelo’s activities giving him a first warning.

‘Exercise restraint.’

But Angelo’s activities continued, and finally, a warning letter arrived from the Vatican.

It was then that a lifeline was lowered to Angelo and his disciples, who were at a crossroads between excommunication and being burned at the stake.

“A country called Joseon in the far East is seeking mathematicians and alchemists. How about going there?”

Angelo and his disciples had no choice but to accept the suggestion from the messenger sent by Cosimo de’ Medici.

The bishop readily granted permission when he received a letter from Angelo and the abbot requesting permission to leave, citing the reason of ‘spreading the gospel to a far Eastern country.’

Thus, a letter had arrived from his friend who had set out on an indefinite journey, one that risked his life traversing an unknown sea route.

***

After saying a prayer of thanks, Giovanni composed himself and examined the envelope.

On the wax seal preventing the envelope from being opened carelessly was a flower pattern.

“So it really is the ‘Land of Flowers’?”

As Giovanni was examining the unfamiliar flower shape, he read the Latin sentence written next to it.

“Inspected to prevent confidential information leakage. This is a legal measure based on Joseon law?”

After reading the sentence, Giovanni broke the seal and opened the envelope. Inside were several sheets of paper filled with writing.

Giovanni quietly began to read the letter.

***

‘To my dear friend and spiritual brother, Giovanni.

With your prayers and the Lord’s protection, my disciples and I have safely arrived in Joseon.

Of course, pirates did swarm us on our way back to Joseon. However, when the cannons mounted on the Joseon ships spewed fire, they crumbled like the walls of Jericho falling to the sound of trumpets.

After a comfortable voyage following that, my disciples and I, along with others, were able to arrive in Joseon.

The first impression of Joseon upon arrival was...

...that it’s a very cautious country. Even though we arrived, we weren’t allowed to enter the port immediately, but had to spend five days in a quarantine facility built on a nearby island.

After that, there were several inspections and quarantine procedures, but no actions that threatened our lives.

Having thus set foot on Joseon soil, we traveled north using smaller boats.

After arriving at a trading port called ‘Jemulpo’ located west of the capital, we changed boats again and were able to reach the capital of Joseon by traveling up a large river called the Hansu.

My disciples and I were finally able to enter Hanseong – also called Hanyang or Gyeongseong – after passing through the large and beautiful city gate protecting Joseon’s capital.

Brother, don’t be surprised. Many of Joseon’s roads are paved with cementum. And unbelievably, no human or animal waste could be seen on these roads.

The oxen and horses pulling carriages loaded with people and goods all had large baskets attached to their backsides, preventing cow and horse dung from falling onto the road.

But what surprised me the most was the iron horse (Ferrum Equus) and railroad.

Oh, my brother. Have you ever seen a beast made of iron, not a living horse or ox, pulling carriages? Joseon is transporting people with such things.

To Giovanni’s question, the bishop shook his head.

“That can’t be. It came to you, after all. Instead, you should read it in front of His Holiness.”

After pondering for a moment, Giovanni nodded.

“I will do so.”

“Thank you! Truly thank you!”

***

Ten days later, in the large reception room of the Vatican.

The reception room was filled with the Pope, cardinals, archbishops, bishops, their wealthy sponsors, and finally, nobles from various European countries.

The reason for the gathering of the wealthy and nobles, besides the Pope and Catholic figures, was simple.

It was due to interest in the ‘Land of Flowers,’ which was emerging as an increasingly important trading partner.

The chandelier gifted by Cosimo de’ Medici had turned all of Europe into a crucible of excitement.

For them, the East was a mix of mystery and terror. If the various stories transmitted through the Silk Road since ancient times – the Roman Empire – represented mystery, then the Mongols, who had turned the east of Europe into a complete wasteland, represented terror.

In this process, Joseon’s culture and artifacts, which had entered through Alexandria and Italy, greatly increased economic interest in the East.

Amidst this, the crystal chandelier hung in the Vatican and Habsburg blinded the eyes of Europeans.

Venetian merchants who saw the chandelier in the Vatican urged their glassmakers, but the products that came out were far from matching Joseon’s.

“Venice was known for glass, but even Venice failed?”

“How on earth was it made?”

“What kind of country is this Joseon?”

From merchants to nobles and kings, everyone’s interest in Joseon began to boil hot.

***

In this situation, Angelo’s letter read in the Vatican’s reception room was a spark.

It was a spark thrown into oil heated to just before the ignition point.

“...That concludes the letter.”

As Giovanni finished reading, the reception room was filled with murmurs.

“Roads paved with cementum? Wouldn’t that be difficult to maintain?”

“Maintenance aside, is it even possible to lay such a large amount of cementum?”

“Carriages that move without horses or oxen?”

“How can they move with water and fire?”

The interest of those in the reception room immediately focused on the ‘iron horse’. While various opinions were being voiced about the phrase ‘moves with water and fire’, one cardinal spoke up.

“There’s a record that in ancient Greece, a man named Heron rotated an iron ball by boiling water. Wouldn’t it be similar?”

“By boiling water? Just with steam? Wouldn’t the furnace need to be as big as a house to pull a carriage with steam?”

“Well...”

As all sorts of conversations like this were taking place, the power holders and merchants all came to the same conclusion.

‘We must open a path to Joseon!’

The ‘race towards Joseon’ was slowly beginning to surface.

Unlike the nobles and merchants, scholars dreamed of going to Joseon for different reasons.

“A philosopher king...”

“A research institute where one can study mathematics...”

“It’s a land of fantasy.”

At that time, in Hanseong.

Angelo was unknowingly grumbling to himself.

“This is maddening...”