Pirate Kingship.

Chapter 690: Fighting: Qiqing Syndrome, Demon Rat Gris
Ring of Fire Mountains, Empire of the Sun.

The four major Suyu in the north, east, south and west of the country: Kipchak Suyu, Antisuyu, Koliasuyu and Contisuyu have obviously expanded significantly compared to when Byron first came.

During this period, Atahualpa relied on the geocentric sealing plugs and the heavy-armored synthetic battalion sold to him by the Golden Empire to capture cities and territories on the southern continent, changing the situation in which previous kings were not aggressive enough and were trapped at home.

The pie is getting bigger and bigger, and land, population, various rare resources, minerals, geocentric nodes, etc. are continuously moved into the empire's warehouse.

This famous "Hand of Wealth" was not only rich himself, but could also lead everyone to eat meat together. Naturally, he won the support of most military nobles, and his reputation was second only to that of Manco, the eldest son of the sun god and the "founder of the country."

The only thing that puzzled the nobles was that Atahualpa had never been to the administrative center, Cusco, since his coronation.

Nor have I ever been to the Machu Picchu, the sky city built on the crown of the sacred tree "Giant Machu Picchu" next to the royal city.

Instead, he set up Cajamarca, a hot spring city in Chimcha Suyu that he had run for many years, as his permanent palace, and also brought his mother, the previous queen, Koya, over there.

The top leaders of the empire all talked about it, but in the end they had to accommodate Atahualpa and move with his family.

Under normal circumstances, there is no power vacuum. If you don't occupy it, others will naturally occupy it for you.

If this happened to a mediocre monarch, his ministers and nobles would surely celebrate and gradually erode the power that originally belonged to him as the king.

But Atahualpa not only possessed the exclusive trading rights with the Golden Empire and all the heavy-armored combined battalions, he also recently succeeded in being promoted to the fifth-rank pseudo-god [Hand of Fortune] at a speed that surpassed all his ancestors.

With money, people and strength, the administrative center of the entire empire naturally had to move to Hot Spring City.

However, Emperor Atahualpa, who should have been in high spirits, is not as comfortable as imagined.

"Your Majesty, everything has been checked out.

The strange hysteria and clear-clearing rituals began to appear in Antisuyu, which was closest to the inland of the Beast Paradise, and then spread rapidly along the entire Ring of Fire Mountains.

Wherever the prayer ceremony for clear weather was held, there would never be a drop of rain again. Winter is the dry season, and grain production was bound to decrease significantly.

The most important problem is that those civilians who do not have the blood of the ancestor Sun God are fine, but people like us, the Sons of the Sun, the Lava Giants and the lower-level clans, are the hardest hit by the disease.

Once infected, the ‘patient’ and his entire family will not survive.”

The magnificent palace inlaid with countless gems and gold was now filled with a gloomy atmosphere.

The captain of the guard, Sinchi Roca, a fourth-level mythical creature who had been bewitched and almost sucked dry by the succubus Therese, knelt on one knee in front of Atahualpa and reported all the intelligence from his adventurous investigation to his lord.

Atahualpa and the nobles and ministers present all looked very unhappy.

If this hysteria was like an ordinary disease, it would only lead to mass deaths of mortals, and no one would care about them and they would just eat and drink.

The sun never sets on the empire!

But this hysteria is obviously directed at them, the descendants of God. As the scale of infection grows, each of them may be infected.

Some ministers could not help but complain in a low voice:
“The Empire’s front line is confronting the Solomon Empire of the Old Gods, and such a big accident happened in the rear.

This time the opponent is not the ordinary mythical creatures and false gods of the past, but a real demigod.

If we hadn't repeatedly emphasized to the soldiers that the sun and storms are the mortal enemies of the deep sea, morale would have collapsed.

Why didn't the ancestors react at all? Even the kings who had become gods in the flying city of Machu Picchu didn't show up?"

"That's right. What on earth are they thinking? Are they going to abandon our Empire of the Sun?"

Some people also looked at Atahualpa eagerly:
"Your Majesty, now we can only rely on you.

As long as you give the order, the Imperial Reserve Committee and all the forces under our control will execute your orders 100 percent."

Up to now, most of the senior officials have not realized the essence of the prayer ceremony:
"They, the descendants of the gods, are just insignificant tools. The sword of the old gods is pointed at the ancestor who hangs high above their heads."

It's not certain how much sanity the half-step sixth-level Sun God has left, so how can he have the energy to care about them?

However, when Atahualpa sent the letter for help, he learned the truth about the prayer ceremony from Byron.

At this time, looking at the members of the "Imperial Reserve Committee" around him who were unaware of the situation, he felt that the situation was very difficult and panicked:
“This is a fight between demigods, what can a false god like me do?
I have just collected most of the gold in and outside the empire through the use of national bonds, just to create a financial bomb while increasing my strength.

To prevent my ancestors from using me, my wife, and my children as food for their advancement.

But once our ancestor is in danger of losing himself, even a financial bomb will not be able to stop him from using us as firewood at the critical moment of life and death.

Those old gods who only wish for chaos in the world deserve to die!"

Prior to this, he had established a private Imperial Central Reserve Bank in accordance with Catherine's plan, and formulated the Imperial Reserve Act to grant it corresponding financial and fiscal management powers.

He hid behind the scenes and absorbed powerful figures in the ruling center to build a huge community of interests, the "Imperial Reserve Committee".

Then he shared the profits with them and tied them firmly to his chariot.

They used national credit and tax guarantees to issue national bonds to the powerful, wealthy people, other city-states and tribes on the continent.

Play the game of passing the parcel, turn other people's money into your own money, and in a short period of time you only need to pay high interest to investors.

Relying on this business, Atahualpa's assets expanded rapidly, and most of them were secretly transferred and deposited in the Pioneer Bank of the Golden Empire.

Under the management of Catherine's asset management company, further investments were made in the entire British Empire, where the industrial revolution and business were booming.

This is the gold that the entire Solar Empire has mined from volcanoes, accumulated bit by bit over thousands of years. It is undoubtedly an astronomical figure!
Atahualpa just did some illegal fundraising, but he made money faster than the people of the Bay who worked hard as pirates for thousands of years.

However, when they did this, the "master and disciple" had no good intentions.

But when Atahualpa finally calculated the accounts, he unexpectedly discovered that he could easily afford the "Ponzi scheme" of only 15% annual interest rate on this deal!

Whether it was a project that Catherine helped him invest in or a project that he invested in himself, they all made a lot of money.

The secret to investing during this period of time is just one word: buy in with your eyes closed!

The First Empire on which the Sun Never Sets is now a blue ocean, and you can make money no matter what you invest in. It is a perfect opportunity that can even blow pigs away.

This wind will blow for at least several decades.

As long as the technological dividends of this wave of industrial revolution have not been fully reaped, he can continue to pay the high interest without having to worry about a broken capital chain.

Even after paying the interest, he still made a huge profit.

With this source of wealth, Atahualpa embarked on a path of immortality that was related to the realm of the sun but was clearly different from that of his ancestors, transforming himself from a "natural god" to a "personal god."

By the way, it was firmly tied to this economic system as well as the economic systems of the Empire of the Sun and the First Empire on which the Sun Never Sets, and took off rapidly.

"Alas, who could have expected that when the situation seemed so good, an accident would come so suddenly."

In this country where even brothers would be killed every time the throne changed, Atahualpa had no deep feelings for the other descendants of the sun god.

At first, when he heard that many of the dead were investors in his own projects, he felt quite happy.

Because once those nobles and descendants of gods became hysterical and held a ceremony to pray for clear weather, they would sacrifice their entire family who carried the blood of the sun god Inti.

Naturally, the interest and principal of government bonds and Ponzi schemes no longer have to be paid. This kind of "real pig killing scheme" can make money much faster than investing in business.

Atahualpa sighed deeply and feebly:

“The fewer the non-productive rentier class is, the healthier the wealth appreciation system managed by me, the Hand of Wealth, will be.

But if we ourselves are infected and become the rope that hangs our ancestor Inti, that would be terrible.

The money is still there, but the person is gone. This is the greatest sorrow in the world."

Noticing that others were still looking at him, he had to speak up to appease these loyal supporters around him:
"Everyone, I have already discussed with His Majesty the Lord of Heaven of the Holy Golden Empire, and I can arrange for your families to temporarily leave the Empire of the Sun and live in Tayapan on the Yucatan Island.

His Majesty the Lord of Heaven also promised to come and help as soon as possible for the sake of the brother country.

In the realm of law, his status as the [Emperor of Humanity] is equivalent to that of a demigod, and he will definitely be able to keep us safe.

Also.

Since our ancestors and previous kings are unable to take care of us, your next priority will be to continue to strengthen the [Golden Law] and make this law truly popular among the people!
If the law is stronger, the Lord of Heaven will be stronger when He comes."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Everyone nodded excitedly and no one raised any objections.

What is the First Empire on which the sun never sets? It is the [country on the top of the mountain, spiritual homeland].

There are countless people in the Old Continent who want to obtain citizenship of the North Sea Empire but have no way to do so.

They were able to join in through the back door thanks to Atahualpa.

After getting what he wanted, he would have to donate several huge scholarships or teaching buildings to the university and extraordinary vocational college founded by Byron.

However, no one realized at this time that their money and families were outside the country, and this group of high-ranking officials who held power in the Solar Empire had completely become "naked officials."

It is not even a question as to who one will lean towards politically in the future.

Just as a group of people were sending messages to their families living in Hot Spring City, asking them to pack up their things quickly and go abroad to seek refuge on the merchant fleet.

Suddenly, a strange nursery rhyme was heard from a palace in the royal palace:
"Sunny doll, sunny doll, I hope tomorrow will be a fine day. If so, I'll give you a golden bell.
I will give you delicious rice wine. If you don't do this, I will cut off your head."

When everyone heard this nursery rhyme, their bodies trembled violently and their faces turned pale.

Someone even screamed out loud: "Hysteria! Hysteria has spread to the palace!"

"Oh no! Run!"

Among them, Atahualpa's face suddenly changed drastically. He jumped up from his chair and, regardless of the strong infectiousness of hysteria to the Son of the Sun, turned into a golden rainbow and flew away.

Because he could tell who was singing.

"Aya! Sister!"

It flew at lightning speed and arrived at the bedroom in a blink of an eye, where it saw the beautiful figure humming a nursery rhyme.

His elder sister and main queen, Aya, was as tall and fit as ever, with pale golden eyes and long fiery red hair that looked like a blazing flame.

She was wearing a black silk dress imported from the Holy Golden Empire, her feet were wearing sparkling ruby ​​high heels, and her face was full of maternal tenderness.

The last time Byron came, she was still in the late stage of pregnancy and was struggling with how many bowls of ice cream she could eat a day to satisfy her appetite without harming the fetus. But now she is holding a very healthy and adorable baby.

This was not Atahualpa's first child, but the first legitimate son born to him and Queen Aya. He had the purest bloodline and was the best "firewood" in the solar god system!
Aya's current condition was obviously not right. While humming a nursery rhyme, she lifted her son's clothes with one hand and raised them into the air.

The other hand glowed red and transformed into a red blade emitting scorching heat, which slowly approached his son's neck.

The baby, who was only a few months old, didn't know what was happening and thought his mother was playing with him. He waved his little hands and legs and laughed.

Atahualpa was horrified when he saw this scene:
"Aya, don't!"

While exclaiming, he relied on the suppression of the fifth-level pseudo-god rank and snatched her son from her hands in a flash.

She had just handed the child to the trembling maid beside her when she saw Aya suddenly swinging her hand and chopping at her own neck after losing her target for sacrifice and obviously being unable to beat her husband and chop off his head.

The same is true for the hysterical infected people mentioned above.

After sacrificing his entire family, he would cut off his own neck and sacrifice himself as well, without any hesitation.

Atahualpa was horrified and quickly stepped forward to grab his wife's hands again, holding her tightly in his arms. He did not let go even though she bit his shoulders hard again and again and blood was gushing out.

He kept calling Aya's name anxiously, trying to awaken her mind, but it was all in vain.

He knew very well that if he relaxed even a little, his wife would surely die, and someone who really wanted to commit suicide could not be stopped at all.

Sorrow in the heart:

"Aya, please, please, don't die, wake up quickly, okay?

Aya, Aya, don't leave me alone."

This queen, who grew up with him and married him before he became successful, obviously held a special position in Atahualpa's heart.

He shouted like a helpless child, tears of despair and self-blame streaming from the corners of his eyes, burning black holes on the ground.

Sudden.

"Sunny doll, sunny doll, I hope tomorrow will be a good day"

Atahualpa heard the strange nursery rhyme again, but this time it was sung by a male voice.

The source came from his own mouth!

In close contact with his wife, he was unsurprisingly infected with hysteria.

Atahualpa's face was filled with astonishment, and then turned into boundless horror.

He was deeply afraid of death, otherwise he would not have cooperated with Byron just to seek a life-saving amulet for himself and his family, but he was more afraid of the tragic future of chopping off the heads of his wife, son, and mother with his own hands.

Aya is only a fourth-order mythical creature and cannot sacrifice their entire family, but he, a fifth-order pseudo-god, can do it. Even if his resistance is stronger, it is only a matter of time.

One day? Two days? The moment will come.

In just a moment, all the efforts and plans he had made over the past year became in vain.

In fear, he could not help but hug his beloved wife tightly again. He tried several times, but he did not have the courage to ignite the spirit and burn himself with his wife to stop the spread of hysteria.

Sadly and helplessly, I am slowly waiting for that moment to come.

However, before he could wait for death to come, he first waited for a self-talk of sudden enlightenment:
"It turns out that this hysteria is a man-made 'soul plague', which can also be called the Prayer Syndrome.

The Plague Maker is at least a demigod and has priesthood related to [Disease] and [Plague].

No wonder they only target descendants of the Sun God to infect, even mythical creatures and false gods don’t have strong resistance.”

Hearing this voice, Atahualpa, who had been ready to die, immediately perked up and shouted as if he had grabbed a life-saving straw:
"Your Majesty, Lord of Heaven, you are finally here.

You are the father of medical care. Please save Aya as soon as possible. I am willing to give you all my savings in Pioneer Bank and all my shares in major business projects!"

A stream of light fell to the ground, but waved his hands repeatedly at him, declining:
"Let's be honest, I don't have such expensive consultation fees.

Besides, we are all friends, it’s just a small favor.”

To be honest, the astronomical amount of assets in the other party's hands is indeed enough to make the gods excited.

The easiest way is not to save their family, but to let them die, so that they can legally receive the gold immediately.

But if this were really done, Byron and Catherine would no longer be human and financial queens, but would instead become slaves of money.

As human nature deviates, one of the most terrifying old gods in the world, the financial tycoon, will definitely be born on the spot.

It is difficult to learn well, but it is easy to fall into depravity.

One cannot, at least one should not.

In just a few words, Byron had walked up to the two of them.

Although plague is the professional field of [Disease Girl] Alice, his [Surgical Table] is more domineering.

With just a resection operation, the spiritual plague "Qiqing Syndrome" was extracted from the bodies of the two people.

I took it in my hand and observed this strange hysteria.

“I remember there was a similar case in the Silver Continent.

Mass mania incidents are common throughout history, and the symptom is the sudden appearance of a large number of people whose behavior looks like hysteria.

Among them, chorea is the most typical. The infected people will sing, jump, dance, and convulse constantly, dancing day and night in madness until they finally faint and die.

This, like smallpox, is a virus that originated in the Silver Continent.

With the [Human] priesthood and [Human Emperor] status, I can also collect viral sediments from the collective subconscious of humanity and create a similar spiritual plague."

After helping Atahualpa and his wife, who had recovered and were bowing and thanking them, Byron also had a new idea.

"The worst thing about poisoning is that you end up shooting yourself in the foot.

Is it true that Inti, the sun god, is the only one in this world who has followers? You old gods don't have any?

Playing biological warfare is really unethical. It is a regular occurrence that the game will end up ruining your own life, and the losses to your own people may be even greater than those to the enemy.

How does the saying go? You only lose your life, but your enemy loses his freedom.
Let me also add some spice to the Solomon Empire."

At the same time, in the deepest part of the City of Seven Hills of Solomon's Empire.

An isolated church stands alone in the corner. It looks like an ordinary Gothic building from the outside, but the interior is creepy.

It is filled with densely packed human skeletons, and every decoration and utensil inside and outside is made of human bones.

The crosses, crowns and other decorations that can be seen everywhere in churches are all made of bones from different parts of the human body.

The candlesticks and Baroque altars surrounding the church, each candle is lit on a corpse, and the green light is always on.

The most eye-catching thing is the large chandelier made of human bones in the center of the hall.

It is composed of leg bones as the main frame, the lower jaw bones as the hanging curtain, the main frame is divided into eight leg bones, and the lamp stand supports a piece of pelvic bones arranged in a circle, each of which holds a head that acts as a candlestick.

When people stand below, they feel as if they are being stared at by countless skulls, which makes their scalps tingle.

At this time, a figure wearing a bone crown and looking like a mouse was sitting on the gloomy bone throne.

But a large chunk was missing from His body from His right arm to His shoulder, and a large chunk was also missing from His left foot, left leg, and left hip. There was a big hole in His stomach, and several of His internal organs were also missing.

There are black stitches on other parts of his body. If you count carefully, you will find that his body is made up of eight pieces of limbs in total.

The whereabouts of the other four or so missing limbs are unknown.

There was a constant rustling sound in the shadows under the rat-man's feet. It turned out that countless rats had formed a thick rat carpet on the ground.

It's even more creepy than the bone church next to it.

Just as Byron was helping Atahualpa and his wife to get rid of the Prayer Syndrome, the figures on the bone throne and countless pairs of green rat eyes in the rat carpet suddenly opened.

"squeak--!"

(End of this chapter)