Answer: D
Assassins would be dispatched to hunt them down, even if they sought refuge in foreign lands.
Verified
This isn't just some wild tale! The Venetian Republic imposed extremely strict controls on glassmakers in Murano, as they held the cutting-edge secrets to glass production, particularly their unique mirror-making process. Historian Deborah L. Krohn, in her work "Glass of Venice," details how Venice not only prohibited artisans from leaving the Republic but also dispatched agents to hunt down those who fled abroad, ensuring the secrets wouldn't be leaked. These draconian measures kept Venetian mirrors unparalleled and astronomically expensive for centuries.
Grab the cheapest mirror you can find at home and ponder how its ancestor was once a deadly state secret, protected by assassins. It gives you a whole new appreciation for 'reflection'! Share with your history buff friend and ask them if they knew looking in a mirror was once a "deadly secret" in the Renaissance!
