Hyperdimensional Player

Chapter 192 The Empire on which the Sun Never Sets

The British Isles. London.

London is now much more prosperous, thanks to increased productivity and an explosive population growth.

At that moment, in a hotel near the Thames, a burly, imposing figure who looked like a pirate entered through the open door. After surveying his surroundings, he sat down in the far right corner.

Not long after, a refined-looking man, who appeared to be a gentleman, walked over. He was probably in his forties, and what was particularly striking was that he was wearing a skirt.

Although there are a large number of Anglo-Saxons on the island of Britain, their culture did not become mainstream. The mainstream culture on the island of Britain has always been Roman-British, Celtic, Welsh, Scottish, and Irish, among others. It was not until later, after the integration of cultures, that Germanic characteristics emerged, but these were mainly found around Kent.

A British gentleman wearing a skirt?

The burly man, who looked like a pirate, couldn't help but smile, but he forced himself to suppress it, after all, the other party was his benefactor, his sugar daddy.

He stood up to greet him respectfully, saying, "Juan de la Cosa."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Sir Drester."

The British gentleman opposite was followed by several attendants, one of whom had a sharp gaze and seemed to be a retired soldier with a tattoo on his neck. His gaze swept over Juan's waist, blocked the patron's path, and he extended his palm toward Juan.

Juan was initially confused, but after following the other person's gaze, he suddenly realized what was going on and handed the flintlock pistol from his waist to the person in front of him.

This is a single-shot flintlock pistol with a retro design, similar to the one Captain Jack Sparrow used to shoot people in Pirates of the Caribbean.

These days, this thing is a rare and expensive item. Only people with a certain status can get their hands on one. Juan only managed to get one through some connections, and he uses it to save his life in critical moments.

Soon, a servant led them into a room.

Upon entering the room, Sir Drest took the seat of honor. He glanced arrogantly at Juan, who looked rather reserved, and handed him a contract, saying, "Where are the sailors you recruited?"

Juan took the document and glanced at it, his gaze lingering on a special mark at the very end.

That was the emblem of the Mystic Cult, which looked like a pentagram eye.

Juan said slowly, "They're all in the port area."

The other party is said to be a descendant of the Duke of Drest, who is quite powerful in Scotland and is one of his patrons. As for the identity of the other party, it should be a polytheistic sect in the British Isles, but it is not clear which one. As long as they are willing to sponsor him, that is enough.

Juan had studied mysticism in his early years and even knew some voodoo rituals.

His grandfather was a real pirate.

Unable to learn proper mystical knowledge, the pirates resorted to robbing African voodoo cult members, acquiring a hodgepodge of miscellaneous knowledge.

Several decades ago, Juan's family transformed themselves into seafarers.

Sir Drest carefully examined Juan before him. His intuition told him that this man was a formidable navigator, and at heart, a pirate. He pondered for a moment and asked, "Are you planning to continue exploring the New World?"

"Or should we head to Africa to explore the sea routes to the East?"

In recent years, with the support of the Kingdom of Britain, Europe has gradually begun to explore the outside world and entered the Age of Discovery. Black slaves in Africa appeared long before this, but they have not yet become widespread.

In the Kingdom of Britain, exploring the New World has always been a popular topic.

Successful navigators not only achieve fame and fortune, but may even have the opportunity to receive titles of nobility. In recent decades, many outstanding navigators have emerged.

After a moment's thought, Juan said, "I plan to travel from Africa to the New World."

"The northern route to find the New World."

South America has been discovered for some time now.

The person opposite pondered for a moment, then slowly said, "I can sponsor you three ships: the Ponce, the Cape of Good Hope, and the Kent."

Juan was somewhat surprised by the generosity of the man before him.

But just as he was about to get up to express his gratitude, Sir Drest spoke again, saying in a deep voice, "But exploring the New World is not a suitable option."

"It is said that a navigator named Columbus has set sail from Spain again."

"You might as well travel eastward along the African route."

East?

Juan remained silent for a long while after hearing this, before tentatively asking, "The East?"

"You mean India, sir?"

About six years ago, Vasco da Gama, a navigator from the Iberian Peninsula, discovered India. Since then, the Kingdom of Britain has actively developed sea routes to India. It is said that the Kingdom of Britain has already established colonies in Africa as transit points to India, and there are even rumors that the Kingdom of Britain is preparing to conquer India.

However, there is no basis for this rumor.

Sir Drest slowly shook his head and said, "No."

"It's a place even further away."

After saying that, he took out a world map on parchment, pointed to the location on it, and whispered, "This is Malacca, Ryukyu, Japan."

"I hope you can discover Japan."

Where did this map come from?
Juan instantly realized the immense value of the map before him. He looked at the eastern continental shelf and exclaimed in surprise, "Is this the land of silk?"

Who drew this map?

Sir Drest said expressionlessly, "That's none of your business."

"If you agree, sign this contract."

Although things were different from what he had expected, Juan hesitated for a moment before signing the contract.

Modern Europe is referred to by scholars as the Age of Discovery, but pirates called it the Age of Exploration.

Gold, slaves, and ivory from Africa attracted the attention of European nobles, and some were also interested in the indigenous sects of the New World. It is said that missionaries were already eager to go to the New World to spread their faith.

But no news came back after that, so it's possible that he was cooked by the natives.

The Kingdom of Britain discovered South America earlier than it discovered India. Juan's earlier mention of going to the New World actually referred to the geographical North America.

"Where is this?"

After signing the contract, Juan continued to examine the world map before him. He pointed curiously to a continent and asked, "Why don't we go here?"

Sir Drest's expression was indifferent as he said calmly, "Australia."

"A barren land."

"If you have time in the future, you can try to find the route to it."

At this point, Sir Drest stood up and said, "I will arrange for someone to accompany you to the East tomorrow."

The words fell.

The arrogant British gentleman had already risen and left, and behind him, the attendant returned the flintlock pistol to Juan.

After half an hour.

Sir Drest entered a secluded mansion in London. Gone was his initial arrogance. He respectfully removed his coat and donned a black arcane robe. Upon entering the secret chamber, he bowed and said, "Priest."

“We have secretly funded more than a dozen navigators, and we should be able to find a sea route to Japan.”

Directly in front of you is a female priestess kneeling in prayer.

She was probably in her thirties, with a peaceful expression and gentle face, like a well-off noblewoman. At this moment, the priestess slowly rose and gently pressed the mechanism, and the shrine in front of her was taken into the secret chamber. In the very center of the shrine was a statue of a goddess, whose face could not be seen at all. The goddess was wearing a gorgeous black robe, and her long skirt was like a blooming black rose. A black raven perched on her shoulder.

About fifty years ago, the folk harbinger of death was incorporated into the beliefs of the mystical sect, and the legend of the war goddess Morrigan became the raven on the shoulder of the Raven Queen Triss.

This was something we wouldn't have dared to imagine before, but times have changed, and the status of deities has changed as well.

Mystic sect.

It is a secret sect that has been passed down on the island of Britain for nearly four hundred years. Although it has a small number of members, most of them are wizarding families from the extraordinary world.

These people would also worship Emperor Duncan of the Empire.

"very good."

The priestess nodded in satisfaction and said, "Find a way to pressure the members of parliament in London to put the conquest of India on the agenda as soon as possible."

"India is the jewel in the crown of Britain!"

Upon hearing the other party's words, the knight hesitated and cautiously said, "There are also indigenous sects in India."

"If we get involved, what if..."

Upon hearing this, the priestess replied coldly, "This is not your business."

Sir Drest immediately became apprehensive and bowed his head, saying, "Yes, Your Excellency."

Not long after he left.

The priestess then secretly summoned another person and said to the servant before her, "Send someone to contact the Archbishop of the British Diocese."

"We must also contribute to conquering the Hindu Church!"

"besides."

"Have someone secretly inform Pope Patrick V not to waste missionaries on the natives of South America and the Voodoo religion in Africa, and have the Vatican send some people to India as well."

The conflict between polytheistic and monotheistic beliefs in Europe has eased somewhat in recent years.

With the advent of the Age of Discovery, the primitive religions of South America and Africa came into view, along with Hinduism, which has only recently come to be known. The mythology of this sect is indeed somewhat exaggerated, leading many Christian hermits to scoff at it.

The Kingdom of Great Britain has largely abandoned its policy of vying for European dominance, but with the development of the times and the enlightenment of thought, a new concept of empire has emerged.

—The British Empire on which the sun never sets.

The Kingdom of Britain is now a constitutional monarchy, and the current king is Queen Isabella I, a descendant of Duncan XII. She is also the Queen of Spain and a powerful sorcerer.

The queen's story is also quite legendary. It is said that she was born with ice-blue eyes, was once stranded on the Iberian Peninsula, and was later found by a polytheistic priest. She soon ascended the throne as Queen of Britain.

The Age of Exploration was initiated with her full support after she ascended the throne.

Europe is still in complete disarray.

Because of its isolated location overseas, the Kingdom of Britain did not intend to participate in the chaos in Europe, so it shifted its focus to establishing colonies. The first settlement has been established in South America, and a large number of navigators are exploring North America along the coastline.

As for India, it is not really a complete country concept, but more like a religious region.

The idea of ​​conquering India was also proposed by Queen Isabella.

However, to achieve this, Hinduism had to be conquered first. Fortunately, that land was frequently conquered, and the indigenous people were probably used to it. Among the many mythological systems, Hinduism is undoubtedly the most extravagant, but the true history is that this place has always been conquered, and even its mythology has been constantly evolving. Many of the early indigenous gods have become corrupted.

On a secular level, they are basically crushed.

But the situation is different in the supernatural world. The original All Souls cult in South America killed many colonists in its early days. It was only after the priests of the Secret Order went to the colonies that things improved slightly.

………………

(End of this chapter)