Cursed Mountains and Seas

Chapter 327 When you're successful, you conquer the world; when you're poor, you rob them (Seeking monthly votes)
With the Duke of Medinaceli's immediate death, the illustrious aura of the powerful Franco-Frankish family "Medinaceli" above his head was shattered.

The plaques for Xuanwu Gate and Xiangji Temple suddenly lit up.

Something indescribable and invisible immediately detached from his corpse and landed completely on Wang Cheng's head.

[Effect: After killing or completely defeating an opponent, you will be recognized by other key figures under the same system as the successor to the country and other forces. You will be popular and your momentum will be unstoppable.]

At the same time, he will inherit his title, widow, property, and so on.

The competitors are not limited to the crown prince; they can be any leader, high-ranking official, or heir of any faction.

Although Wang Cheng did not find the Imperial Seal of the State, his previous statement that "a ruler's word is law" was just a joke.

However, he has two pieces of the "Imperial Heir Set".

Princess Shen Yueye, a descendant of the Byzantine dynasty, is essentially the imperial seal that grants her the right to "claim" all the lands and political systems of the entire Western Continent!

At this moment, Wang Cheng had just received the titles, fiefs, property, treasures, and even the widow of the Medinaceli family in one go.

As a feudal monarch, an industrial capitalist, and a large landowner certified by Guishan Publishing House, he took the first solid step towards "unifying the world".

Yes, that's right. It's not about "benefiting" the world, but about "annexing" the world!
Since obtaining the status of "Lichun's sworn brother" as a reserve Grand Justice, Wang Cheng has been thinking about what to do if he is destined to shoulder the responsibility of the world but wants to avoid the deadlock of land annexation that leads to the historical cycle.
There was only one answer he could think of—merger.

Are you annexing land?

Why don't I just take over your businesses first!
Do you have a business monopoly?

I'd rather play my four trump cards first: Cartel, Syndicate, Trust, and Concern.

As the saying goes: When you're successful, you conquer the world; when you're poor, you rob them.

This problem can be perfectly solved by getting ahead of the big landowners and gentry, annexing all the land in the world, and then renting it out to the people to cultivate at relatively low rents.

You can call it land rent, or you can call it land tax. Once industry develops, rent exemption will be just a matter of a word.

The same applies to commercial trusts.

Even further, when it encompasses everything in the world, private property includes the entire planet, atmosphere, rivers, oceans, deserts, and all surface attachments.

This is what you call a true "treasure that can be traded all over the world".

Then he would no longer be an emperor, a king, or a business leader, but the true captain of the planet!

Of course, we must take things one step at a time, otherwise we'll easily get sidetracked. Let's take the first step well first.

Wang Cheng quickly checked the memories of the former duke, Silva Medinaceli, and seeing his family's titles and wealth, even though he wasn't poor himself, he couldn't help but gasp in astonishment:
"In addition to his title of Duke, he also holds the titles of Count of Denia, Count of Molina, and Count of Montalco, each representing a portion of economic interests and political power."

The family's territories spanned across eastern and western France, including Andalusia, Castile, and other regions, encompassing numerous manors, palaces, and ancient ruins.

Unfortunately, the Medinaceli family's core territories are all far away in the Franco mainland and the western continent, while there is not a single place in the South Seas that I can reach.

While my teacher's wife and mother-in-law could help manage those territories, this fragmented system of titles and domains was truly a headache.

Wang Cheng recalled the image of his master's wife, Cassandra Paleolog, whom he had met once during a ritual performed by his senior sister when he was working on the publication of "The Influence of Sea Power" in the Western Continent.

This fourth-rank [Bodhisattva Barbarian] is not only well-traveled and knowledgeable, but also has a mysterious background that strikes fear into people's hearts: the head of the Eagle's Nest Assassins in the Far East.

She appears to be a dignified and virtuous noblewoman, but has a hidden identity and is often active in the courts of various countries.

"Entrusting the territories corresponding to those titles to her for management is currently the best solution."

The main problem is that the Western Continent is a large 'mosaic' pieced together by a feudal system, which is completely different from the centralized and unified dynasties of the East.

The latter is based on 'destiny,' while the former is based on 'contract.'

In the Western Continent, the king's power is not absolute; their direct power is actually limited to their own "royal territory."

Other regions were ruled by feudal lords of various ranks, with the king being merely the first among many nobles.

Each title held by the king and the nobles represented an independent legal contract and a source of power.

Take Philip II, for example. His title of King of Castile and León was his primary title as ruler of the Franco-Frankian core kingdom, acquired through succession and war.

Titles such as Duke of Burgundy were inherited from the Habsburg family, for example, through the marriage of Maximilian I and Mary of Burgundy.
The royal families of the Western Continent widely used marriage alliances to merge territories, and each successful marriage alliance would grant the monarch and high-ranking nobles several new titles and territories.

These territories all maintain their own laws, parliaments, and privileges, and are never confused with the main territory.

Simply put, Philip II was not ruling a single Franco Empire, but rather dozens of different countries and territories simultaneously, all under the same ruler.

In the future, when Wang Cheng introduces himself, he can also say that he is the King of the East Sea Kingdom, Duke of Medinaceli, Count of Denia, Count of Molina, and Count of Montalco.

These places simply cannot be gathered together in a short period of time.

If he and his senior sister have children in the future, it won't be a problem for them to each receive a noble title.

At the same time as his fate shifted, Wang Cheng's bone weight also changed from five taels and three qian when he defeated Otomo Yoshiharu to five taels and seven qian, only two qian away from Mao Haifeng's innate weight of five taels and nine qian.

The fortune teller said: "You are destined to be respected by all, to leave your ancestral home and establish your own family. You will enjoy abundant blessings and prosperity in all things, and live a life of glory and happiness. Your fame and prestige will be the envy of all, and you will live a carefree life like an immortal!"

"The word 'immortal' sounds quite pleasant."

However, bone weight gain becomes increasingly difficult as time goes on. Even a fourth-rank duke, whose status far surpasses that of Otomo Yoshiteru, only gained four coins.

There's only one chance to reach the highest rank from now on. I wonder if reaching the top will guarantee me a birthright emperor's fate with a salary of seven taels and two mace?

Wang Cheng stopped worrying about it and decided to let things take their course.

With a flick of his sleeve, he concealed the royal ship hidden in the shadows, and his entire body floated lightly onto the deck of the legendary warship, the Angel of Ten Thousand Wings, as if it were a falling leaf.

"Open fire! Kill him!"

boom!boom!boom!boom!
However, the remaining Francois crew members on the ship saw Wang Cheng suddenly appear and immediately attacked him with their muskets.

Although the inscriptions on the Xuanwu Gate and Xiangji Temple plaques, signifying "the will of the people," had transferred the awe that outsiders held for Duke Medinaceli to Wang Cheng, this did not mean that the direct forces of their former mortal enemies would immediately bow down in submission.

In the eyes of others, this event was equivalent to a power struggle within the family, with Zhu Lao Si overthrowing Zhu Lao Da, Li Lao Er overthrowing Li Lao Da, and Li Lao himself taking the throne.

It doesn't matter whether there are neutral forces within the family or people outside the family; they will support whoever wins and label whoever loses as a rebel.

But the leader's die-hard loyalists must be thoroughly purged!

After Wang Cheng killed Mao Haifeng, the "Black Kirin," he also dismantled the Black Peak Banner and completely wiped out Sun Xiong, the "Mountain Bearer," and other loyal followers.

That's not a big problem.

As long as history is altered during this period after the battle using a feigned attack while secretly advancing, the people of the Western Continent will never know what really happened, except for those who died during the events.

All that is known is that Wang Cheng "legally" replaced the Duke.

"Kill him! Avenge the Duke!"

These loyal guards were indeed very hardworking, but Wang Cheng was surrounded by the Dharma Temple Mandala [Supervisory Department], which was manifested from Daoist Qi, so the small-scale lead bullets could not harm him in the slightest.

Dozens of lead bullets were either easily deflected or inexplicably missed their target.

In essence, Wang Cheng is still a mortal, but having reached this point, he has already acquired a trace of the divine abilities of a living ghost or god.

The temple's ghost soldiers and secret guards didn't reach a certain size, so they didn't even bother to give him a second glance.

With just a flick of his finger, a flash of sword light beheaded all the armed men surrounding him.

Then he stared intently at the golden figurehead at the bow of the ship—the level zero relic, [The Angel of a Thousand Wings] Saint Michael.

It is made entirely of gold and has a million faces, each with a tongue engraved with different symbols, representing the million languages ​​it speaks.

His back was covered with countless wings of all sizes, and in the center of the wings was a golden portal, each symbol representing a part of his core power.

At this moment, the angel statue was violently agitated, buzzing like a loyal, fiery steed that had changed masters, ready to teach him a lesson at any moment.

Then, Wang Cheng severed the oak deck beneath his feet and part of the "Tree of Life" clinging to it with a single sword strike, causing the statue to visibly dim.

"This clumsy method actually works!"

Wang Cheng had learned from the Duke's memories that the Tree of Life that covered the entire ship was the key medium for the fusion of the sacred relic and the warship, with an effect equivalent to the Universal Soil on the Heavenly Treasure Ship.

He's now destroying the key structures of the legendary warship; he's either gone mad or doesn't even value such a priceless treasure.

Instead, he had to face a thorny problem.

Although Duke Medinaceli was one of the most prestigious nobles in the Franco Empire and the captain of this legendary warship, it did not mean that such a treasure belonged to the Duke's family.

It didn't even belong to the Franco Empire at first; it was a valuable asset held by the Holy Cross Church.

If the Franco-German Empire's royal family hadn't always been staunch supporters of tradition and the Church's most powerful henchmen in the secular world, those high-ranking clergy wouldn't have handed over this level zero relic to them.

More importantly, Silva Medinaceli's command was not an inherent part of his title, but rather came from the king's appointment, and the position of captain would be rotated periodically.

Therefore, Wang Cheng must disable the entire legendary warship before Philip II, the true owner of the [Winged Angel], and those high-ranking clergy realize that something is wrong.

So as to prevent those higher beings from using the backdoors reserved in mysticism to retaliate against him.

"A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush."

As long as I can keep it for now, I can always find a way to dismantle it slowly later, or even bypass the restrictions imposed by heretics and directly control it to fight for me.

Since the world has talismans like the "Ode to the Goddess of the Luo River" that are specifically designed to counteract the effects of a powerful woman, why can't there be treasures that can change the fate of living relics?

However, before Wang Cheng could use the Five Emperors' Golden Coin Sword to sever all the trunks of the Tree of Life connected to the figurehead, he was caught off guard.

A powerful and dangerous aura suddenly descended.

The millions of tongues and millions of faces inscribed with different symbols on the Angel Ship figurehead suddenly turned.

First, she gave Wang Cheng a deep look, as if trying to remember his appearance, and then suddenly looked up at the "Saint White Sister" nailed to the cross.

It's as if they're dissatisfied that Wang Cheng didn't kill this "sacrifice" along with him?
At this moment, the latter seemed to have received some kind of divine revelation, his face filled with unwavering piety, and he shouted:
"Lord, I am willing to sacrifice anything for you."

The magic was activated, and a silver spear appeared out of thin air, suddenly piercing her ribs, just like the divine child of yesteryear. Hot blood fell into the figurehead's eyes.

The next moment, the Gates of Heaven were suddenly activated, and the entire ship began to blur in the blinding holy light.

clang clang clang.
The bells of heaven are ringing again.

The nun's face was deathly pale, yet she wore an incredibly pure smile; her soul seemed to have been elevated at that moment.

Clearly, in her eyes, as long as the church's property was kept from falling into the hands of infidels, her life or death was irrelevant.

Even if she dies, she can go to the heaven she firmly believes in and become a Holy Spirit who is with God!

Sadly, every Chinese person knows that there is no underworld in this world, and naturally, there is no true heaven either.

The great cause in Sister St. White's eyes was merely the last line of defense built by the church's higher-ups with her life, which would be forcibly activated when she was critically injured or killed by the enemy.

Just as this legendary warship was about to disappear, a beam of platinum sword light surged and suddenly slashed down towards the golden statue.

Bang!

As the light faded, Wang Cheng had already flashed back onto the Mirage Cloud Dragon Ship.

He opened his palm, revealing a gold nugget the size of a palm, containing a million faces and a fragment of countless wings, as well as a small corner of the gates of heaven behind it.

(End of this chapter)