Cursed Mountains and Seas

Chapter 353 Philip II: I am the King of the World, Abba Abba
The Escorial Monastery, the capital of the Eastern Franco Empire.

Contrary to what many people imagine, the palace built by Philip II, the master of the British Empire and a large part of the world, was not as magnificent as those of other emperors and kings.

As the guardian of the entire Holy Cross world and a devout believer, his residence primarily served as a monastery and royal mausoleum, with a royal palace being secondary.

The gray main tone and the absolutely symmetrical layout make the whole building appear particularly solemn, aloof and reserved, causing outsiders to subconsciously hold their breath when standing in front of it.

In Philip II’s private study, a somewhat somber royal meeting was being held.

Important news from the Far East was relayed back to the homeland one after another, and was conveyed by the Chief Administrator to Philip II and a group of high-ranking officials of the empire:
"Your Majesty, the capture of the last princess of the Paleorog royal family of the Eastern Sea Kingdom has failed, and our only priest, Amakusa Shiro, who we have trained in the Far East, has been killed in battle."

Duke Silva Medinaceli and his entire marine corps were killed in action, and according to the law of succession, his title was transferred to another.

Fortunately, Sister White's insurance worked, and our legendary warship, the "Angel of a Thousand Wings," returned safely, though the figurehead, a relic, was missing a corner.

"The Luzon massacre plan went smoothly. We seized all the wealth of the Zhao nationals and wiped out the most important core colony in the Far East."

We no longer need to worry about them colluding with that Eastern dynasty to overthrow our rule.

However, the Nanyang Affairs Committee still can't understand why the Great Zhao has a saying: "How can one allow others to snore beside one's bed?" Why do they still allow us to sleep freely in their vassal states?

"The attempt by the colonies and the East Borneo diocese to jointly occupy the Strait of Malacca and monopolize interests in Southeast Asia has failed."

We misjudged the enemy's strength in Malacca and paid the price with the death of a high-ranking bishop.

Limited by our troop deployment capabilities, this plan may never be able to be restarted.

We have no choice but to accept the status quo of coexisting with multiple forces in the long term.

"And the best news is that the Hell Gates project has been initially successful. Alchemist Leon has successfully advanced to a higher rank thanks to his invention of the Red Elixir."

Our outpost has occupied the Hellgate Rift, and we expect to have more than ten bottles of red potion available to supply the homeland this week.

Each bottle can effectively extend lifespan by at least several years or even more than ten years, strengthen the body, and cure various diseases.

The alchemy apprentices have been trained, and production will continue to increase thereafter.

Furthermore, Lord Leon requests your permission to be the first to explore the world beyond the Gates of Hell before others discover them.

"Leading a team to find more effective ingredients and a more precise formula holds great promise for curing the 'blood curse' on you and the prince."

Philip II, with the distinctive Habsburg overbite and long, narrow face, sat on the throne, listening to the chief magistrate's report with a somewhat absent-minded expression.

The Habsburg dynasty began ruling the East Franco Kingdom forty years ago, and its first king was his father, Charles I.

To ensure the purity of the royal bloodline and prevent foreign blood from affecting the Habsburgs' status, Charles I followed tradition and married his own niece.

From an ethical standpoint, Philip II could call him either "father" or "grandfather."

Although the Habsburgs were already vaguely aware that such incestuous marriages would suffer from all sorts of "blood curses," these were secondary factors in the face of power.

Even under Philip II, consanguineous marriages continued.

His first wife, Maria Manuela, was his cousin from the Kingdom of Sifrecce.

However, Maria herself died in childbirth at the young age of 18 after giving birth to her eldest son and Crown Prince Carlos.

His second wife was Mary I of Britannia. They were both descendants of the Trastamara family and distant cousins.

The main purpose was to counter the powerful northern neighbor, the Iris, and to strengthen the Old Cult's alliance.

Three years ago, Mary died childless, and it was because of her death that Elizabeth I had the opportunity to sit on the throne and turn against Philip II.

Philip II is still considering potential partners for his third marriage; he has three options:

“One is Princess Elizabeth of the Iris Valois dynasty, who can also facilitate reconciliation with hostile countries.”

"The second is his niece and cousin Anna, because this girl is both his sister's daughter and his cousin's daughter, making her a product of close kinship."

This practice of double inbreeding, intended to maintain the purity of the Habsburg bloodline, was strongly promoted within the family.

"The last one is the princess of the last generation of the Byzantine Paleologian dynasty, whom I just mentioned. She is wearing the crown of the Roman Empire."

Although Philip II didn't even know the other person's name or what he looked like, that wasn't a problem.

Unfortunately, this option, which was most advantageous to him, failed, and he suffered a crushing defeat despite being extremely well-prepared.

Even the Holy White Sister, who miraculously survived, forgot the details of the battle, leaving the true nature of the Eastern Sea Kingdom unclear.

Philip II tapped his fingers on the gold armrest, seriously considering whether to increase investment and organize a second expedition.
"But what about our domestic situation?" He had just thought of this troubling problem when someone offered advice:
"Your Majesty, your attempt to consolidate the title and supreme status of the Emperor by leveraging the princess of the last descendant of the Eastern Roman Empire has already drawn the attention of His Holiness the Pope."

Your strategic blunder led to the return of two high-ranking clergymen from the Far East to God.

If subsequent actions are no longer for the purpose of exercising the noble right of 'protection of the faith' but rather for private matters, the East Bharata Diocese may no longer provide assistance from high-ranking clergy.

The speaker was Cardinal Cardinal Granville, who served as Philip II's religious advisor and the chief judge of the Franciscan Inquisition.

His words represented the Church's opinion, and Philip II had to consider them carefully.

Another voice raised an objection:
“Your Excellency, if the Empire does not take any countermeasures, are we just going to watch the title of Duke of Medinacel fall into the hands of infidels?”

Isn't that also contrary to doctrine?

This time, it was Duke Alba who spoke, from the most prestigious ducal family outside of the royal family.

I am a veteran military commander who once served as the governor of the Netherlands. Due to my bloody suppression of the uprising, I became the number one on the list of people in the Netherlands who wanted to kill me.

Finally, Philip II's half-brother, and also a high-ranking naval admiral, the "Tide Knight" Don Juan, offered his opinion:
"Your Majesty, and gentlemen, let us not forget that we still possess enormous interests in the Far East and a source of the crucial medicine necessary for achieving immortality."

If the other side is willing to serve the Empire, it can fill the military vacuum left by the defeat of Amakusa Shiro and the colonies, and become an important fulcrum of the Far East strategy.

Its strategic value is even greater than that of Haojing, which was built within the Great Zhao Kingdom and used as a bridgehead for our attack.

Furthermore, if a legendary warship and a high-sequence cleric are almost completely wiped out, how many soldiers and superhumans will be sacrificed to take them down next time?
Now that he has won this battle, it proves that the other side has the right to sit at the table and get a share of the pie from Southeast Asia.

The Donghai Kingdom has already become valuable for our united front work!

Before the war even started, Wang Cheng was worried that if the smaller ones were attacked, the bigger ones might come along.

The decision was made to use war to achieve peace, and only by defeating the expeditionary force could negotiations be possible.

As he had expected, things were progressing as he had anticipated, with influential figures within the empire expressing their support for him.

Don Juan looked at his brother Philip II and solemnly suggested:

"Your Majesty, I think the Empire should try to win over Prince Jinghai, the author of 'The Influence of Sea Power', rather than pushing him to the opposite side of the Empire."

The duchy is ultimately within our territory. He himself cannot come here to rule, nor can he move the land away. The territory is essentially still ours.

As for your choice of wife, I think our niece Anna would be perfect.

Otherwise, risking the Pope's wrath to obtain the Crown would be a losing proposition.

After all, with the red potion in hand, your lifespan is no longer an issue, and you have plenty of time to have many children.

"At the very least, this plan should be temporarily shelved. It's not too late to plan for an eternal imperial throne after the empire's power in the Far East has developed."

Many people in the study nodded silently, agreeing with the admiral's opinion.

Philip II remained tense, though his resolve had wavered, but as a monarch he needed a way out.

That's when.

A servant hurried in and presented Philip II with a gleaming, obviously valuable [purple lacquer gold box inlaid with mother-of-pearl and fish and algae patterns].

"Your Majesty, the newly appointed Duke Medinaceli has presented you with a gift. It has been inspected and is in good condition."

Philip II's expression relaxed as he unfolded the personal letter Wang Cheng had given him, skipping over the earnest and polite words to get to the point.

"The duchy is willing to offer up the priceless treasure, the Supreme Crown, obtained from the depths of the vast ocean. Only the monarch of the British Empire is worthy of this unique treasure."
I am willing to offer this in exchange for His Majesty a cessation of hostilities and peace, as well as the normal treatment of the duchy.

Philip II believed he had seen all sorts of precious treasures, and as long as the items weren't too bad, he was willing to follow his brother's advice and, out of compassion, temporarily let him go.

Open the box.

When everyone in the study saw the silver-white crown lying in the box, they couldn't help but gasp.

[Rare Item: The Supreme Crown (A one-of-a-kind aluminum crown, far more precious than any gold or gemstone).]

Effect: As long as you wear it on your head, everyone will think you are the most noble person in the world, and gold and jewels will seem like dirt in front of you.

Monarchs and those in power are subconsciously drawn to it and crave it.

Of course, there are also side effects that are not yet known to the public:
The probability of developing Alzheimer's disease increases to 100%!

(End of this chapter)