Pirate Kingship.

Chapter 568: Thirty Years Old, Ponzi Scheme
The Sun Empire, in the northern part of the Ring of Fire Mountains on the southern continent.

The base camp of the current King of the Sun Empire [Hand of Fortune] Atahualpa is Chinchasuyu and the hot spring city of Cajamarca.

Atahualpa, who was supposed to be in the royal city of Cusco and rule the four suyu, handed over the affairs of state to his mother, Queen Coya of the previous generation.

He brought his royal carriage and a large group of queens and princesses and quietly returned to the old nest that he had run for many years when he was a prince.

However, this circular city built on the crater has changed a lot compared to when Byron came here a year ago.

“Sister Aya, you are pregnant now, so you should be moderate.

Mr. James [Eagle Eye], the official from the Ministry of Commerce sent by His Majesty the Lord in Heaven, had specifically reminded that pregnant women should not eat too many cold foods.

Even if you are a fourth-tier mythical creature [Son of the Sun], you can only eat three bowls of ice cream a day at most."

Outside the palace, by the beautiful volcanic lake, Atahualpa and his sister and queen Aya were each lying on a specially made lounge chair imported from the Holy Golden Empire.

Surrounding them were a group of graceful maids wearing all kinds of gold and gemstone jewelry, each holding a few exquisitely shaped glass vessels and standing beside them.

There are ice creams of various flavors in the containers: chocolate, milk, vanilla, matcha, strawberry, banana, cherry, coconut, durian, etc. There are at least hundreds of flavors at a glance.

Even the champagne fruit ice cream, which is in short supply and gives off a unique fragrance all over your body and even your poop is fragrant after eating it, is on the list (Chapter 325).

It covers almost all the fruits on the two known continents and one of the Bantaan Islands, as well as the raw materials suitable for making ice cream.

"Ah. Really, why is this happening?

Today we two finally get to hang out alone, can't this be considered a special case?"

Queen Aya is as tall and fit as she was last year, with pale golden eyes and long fiery red hair that looks like a blazing flame.

She had an extremely powerful aura, and just sitting there quietly she was like a hot furnace. She looked more like a mighty female general than a queen.

But at this moment, her lower abdomen is bulging, and it is obvious that she has been pregnant for quite some time.

She was no longer wearing the Sun Empire service woven with gold threads and gems, but a long dress of soft silk imported from the Holy Golden Empire.

Even her feet were wearing a pair of sparkling custom-made high heels.

The change in clothing made her look more graceful and charming, which touched the young king's heart and made him feel that the money was well spent.

After hearing the queen's complaints, Atahualpa could not bear to disappoint his beloved queen who had grown up with him. He thought for a moment and compromised:

"Then take a small spoonful from each bowl, as long as the total amount does not exceed three bowls."

Aya immediately smiled happily and kissed her husband hard on the cheek, leaving a bright lip mark of Golden Empire imported lipstick.

Then, the ice cream, which was also shipped from the Holy Golden Empire, had its price soared to two pounds per bowl, which was equivalent to more than two months' salary for a sailor. Only a small spoonful was scooped out and sent to the queen, making up a total of three bowls.

The remaining hundreds of bowls were all taken away.

This extravagant display is comparable to killing a hundred chickens just to eat them.

Fortunately, Atahualpa, who had the title "Hand of Fortune" and was destined to be surrounded by wealth and never be troubled by money for the rest of his life, was rich, very rich, extremely rich!

Especially after doing foreign trade business with the Holy Golden Empire for almost a year, he brought earth-shaking changes to the lives of the entire Sun Empire, especially the upper class dignitaries.

The recliner, ice cream, Queen Aya's silk dress, the lipstick used to touch up her makeup after eating ice cream, etc. are just the tip of the iceberg.

Although the Solar Empire had abundant production of gold, silver and various precious metals, which had been accumulated for more than a thousand years with almost no outflow, it did not mean that the material was also highly developed.

The upper and lower classes, who live a life of extravagance and decadence, are probably two completely different worlds.

Perhaps the metallurgy and forging industries of the Sons of the Sun can be on par with the Old World in terms of cutting-edge technology, but in terms of industrialization it is still at the level of a primitive society.

In terms of the most important agricultural production capacity, they are only slightly better than the Taino people in the Bantaan Islands who originally practiced slash-and-burn agriculture.

As gold is a universal equivalent used throughout the world, its value can only be reflected if it can buy enough goods. If it can’t buy anything, it is just a beautiful precious metal that will never decay.

Therefore, when the huge precious metal reserves in the hands of the Solar Empire, enough to cause a financial earthquake, were combined with the powerful industrial production capacity of the Holy Golden Empire, a terrifying force erupted instantly.

Especially with the birth of the whale oil-powered steam engine, the Golden Empire fully entered the era of the Industrial Revolution. The Sun Empire, which was a perfect match for it, and even the nearby city-states and tribes ruled by totem gods, immediately became the perfect dumping grounds for industrial products.

The Solar Empire alone has a population of over 2000 million, and there is nothing here that exceeds the production capacity of agricultural civilization.

Over the past year, the Pioneer Navigation Colonial Trade Company has provided them with agricultural technology guidance including composting, oxen domesticated by [animal trainers], and the recently invented curved plow and field ridges.
Ingredients such as pigs, cattle, sheep, chocolate, ice cream, puffs, refined candies, etc. have greatly enriched their monotonous diet mainly composed of potatoes, turkey and corn.

There were also the most luxurious silk clothes, porcelain as smooth as a beauty's skin, clocks standing in the hall, and clock towers built between the palaces. Everything that could provide enjoyment was arranged.

Not to mention the various types of military weapons.

It’s like a shoe merchant coming to a country where no one wears shoes. Even if there is no demand, he can still create it and sell high value-added goods to the wealthy dog ​​owners at a high price.

To this day, the rich material conditions that Atahualpa enjoys are no less than those of the Orthodox archbishops in the Old World who have always been known for their extravagance and debauchery, or even the Habsburg Emperor Frederick III.

With the king and queen personally promoting the products, the nobles at all levels within the Sun Empire naturally followed suit, starting a frenzy of "buying, buying, buying".

Banquets are held from time to time to compare their imported goods.

Some of the middle and lower classes also imitated it, spending huge sums of money to buy various costumes and equipment of the Golden Empire, and then showing them off in the streets, gradually forming the "Sapu culture" of the Quechua people.

To Byron, this Empire of the Sun, which could directly fish out gold from volcanoes and was richer than the countries in the Old World, was a great blue ocean.

In order to firmly grasp the market, the R&D department led by Violet also specially produced a number of "high-end special supplies" based on the biological characteristics of the "Son of the Sun".

Take the example of a specially made luxury heavy cruiser made entirely of teak that was delivered in the last batch. Such a conversation took place there.

Atahualpa blew a smoke ring from a gold-rimmed cigar between his lips:
“Your Majesty, Lord of Heaven, I see that you Tainos and the people of the Old World are always sending adventure ships and cruisers to the sea, and we Quechuas also want to explore the deep sea.

Those deep-sea clans entrenched on the east coast will come to attack us sooner or later. Although our empire is not afraid of high tides in the mountains for a short period of time, we cannot just respond passively.

Please sell me a batch of the most advanced warships."

One of Byron's seven incarnations responsible for the affairs of the southern continent was very embarrassed by his request:
"Now that the Families have taken action against us, our defense is under great pressure. We are running out of advanced weapons and heavy cruisers for our own use, and we currently have no plans to sell them to other countries."

Atahualpa pretended not to hear anything and did not even blink:
"Oh, so that's how it is? Then I have transferred the 200 million pounds I deposited into my online financial street account to you. Please check it."

Byron immediately followed suit, patting his chest vigorously and saying:
"Although this is not possible in principle, our relationship is strong. We can make special arrangements for brother countries.

I will send you a team of instructors right away, and you go back to select the first batch of crew members. I guarantee that they can be delivered before the crew training is completed!"

But a few days later, Byron went back to Atahualpa with a frown on his face and told him the bad news:

"The instructors reported that the people you selected are not good enough. It's not because of their physical fitness or learning ability, but because these [Lava Giants] are too hot.

Let them gather together and stay on the ship. Without doing anything, they have triggered Article 6 of the Pirate Code: Holding a candle without a lampshade is subject to the Law of Moses, which is forty lashes on the back of the cat of nine tails.

Atahualpa blinked his innocent eyes, indicating that he had no idea what Byron was talking about:
"Does that mean I have to pay more?"

"This is a safety issue, not a money issue. If a fire breaks out on the ship, it's all over."

"Need a million pounds? I've transferred it to you again."

At this point, Byron completely compromised.

"Well, I misread the instructors' report. They said that the Empire's navigation technology still has major flaws.

The materials for sails, cables, planks, gunpowder magazines, etc. were all unusable, but my queen had just invented a basalt spinning and weaving technology that was lightweight and had excellent fire resistance.

Wait for me to upgrade the technology and make sure to customize a set of sailing equipment for the Empire of the Sun."

Atahualpa gave Byron a thumbs up with great satisfaction and praised the conscientious merchant:

"I said that we Quechuas will definitely be fine. We are waiting for your good news."

Byron has always been a man who sticks to his bottom line, and almost nothing can shake his principles.

The problem is, he gave too much!

A first-class ship in the fully artificial era costs only 100 pounds. After deducting various raw materials in the industrial era, the cost can be reduced by almost half.

Now the heavy-duty cruiser, which is cheaper than the third-level ship, is sold to him for three million pounds. What's wrong with the customer having some special requirements?
This is really too beaver!

In short, in the face of the financial offensive, even a determined person like Byron was defeated without any resistance.

This time, a considerable portion of the wealth that Catherine used to advance to the fifth level came from the strong support of the wealthy dog ​​owners.

Of course, unilateral advantage has never been Byron's style, and he did not regard the Solar Empire, an ally that could be won over, as a mere economic colony.

Industrialization can bring down the prices of all commodities, allowing people all over the world to enjoy the benefits of "cheap" industrial products.

For example, Atahualpa's greatest achievement in the first year since he came to power was that he used the field artillery and rift sealing plugs purchased from Byron to slowly build eight "heavy armored combined battalions" with a total of 4,000 people, continuously expanding the territory of the empire.

All the Apu who occupy the land and rule the world in the Beast Park have a weakness, which is the passive ability of "drawing a circle on the ground as a prison".

As long as they haven't been promoted to the fifth-order false god, their own divine domain is not large, not connected to a network, but just isolated points. Once they leave the divine domain, their power will be greatly reduced. As long as they put down the [Fissure Sealing Bolt] and use artillery to wash the ground, directly changing the terrain, they may not even be able to escape.

Moreover, with the financial support of Atahualpa, the number of "heavy armored combined battalions" continued to increase.

Because in the tactical drill manual written by the instructors, the first battle motto can be called the annual gold medal marketing rhetoric of the arms industry:

"At thirty, one must be able to stand on one's own feet. This means that only when one has 30 heavy-armored combined battalions can one have the capital to stand firm in this dangerous era that is about to come in the Era of Luan Yan.
At forty, we are free from confusion. With 40 heavy-armored combined-armor battalions, there is nothing that can confuse us in this era.

At fifty, we know destiny. With 50 heavy combined battalions, the enemy will know that what we say is his destiny.
Sixty ears are pleasing to the ears, which means that we have 60 heavy-armored combined battalions, and everything we say will be very pleasing to the enemy's ears;
Seventy can do whatever they want without breaking the rules. When we have 70 heavy combined battalions, then whatever we do will be in line with the rules of this world."

These words were deeply engraved in Atahualpa's heart.

So I kept placing additional orders. The most common thing I did when I contacted Byron before was to send money! Send money! Send money again!

Thanks to Byron's series of support, more territory was conquered in just one year than in the previous hundred years.

Although he had become a hands-off boss early on, the war dividends he brought to the upper echelons of the entire empire made it easy for him to win the hearts of many [Sons of the Sun].

The complete set of agricultural technology that Byron packaged for him also allowed the ordinary Quechua people at the bottom to experience the benefits brought by the new king through two good harvests.

Even though the coronation lasted only one year, it successfully gathered a huge amount of popularity and strong will.

Helped Atahualpa meet the prerequisites for promotion to the fifth level.

The key point is that he also got the Ponzi scheme (pyramid scheme) from Byron, which is an immortal ladder that burns others to illuminate himself.

It was for this reason that he left his government affairs behind and returned from the royal capital of Cusco to the hot spring city of Cajamarca, which he had run for many years and was the safest base.

Atahualpa withdrew his gaze from his wife, his eyes became somewhat distant, and he said silently in his heart:

“My promotion ceremony is almost ready and can begin at any time.

But since I met my father [Civilized Firewood Gatherer] Waina, he ate all his brothers and used them as firewood.

After seeing my grandfather [Dark Sun of Death] Supay show up halfway and eat up my father and his underworld power, I no longer trust any of the extraordinary people in the Sun Path in the entire empire.

Even my mother, Queen Koya, is the same.

One sun itself can become the fuel for another sun, which is undoubtedly the most terrifying truth in the "Holy Book of the Sun".

'As long as there is firewood, the fire will not go out' has become my lifelong nightmare.

I can’t even imagine what the Machu Picchu Sky City, where the other ancestors who have been promoted to the fifth-level demigods and the ancestor [Sun God] Inti live, looks like.”

But soon the worry in his eyes turned into determination:
"The Golden Law of the Golden Empire has spread to the empire through the collective subconscious of the Taino and Quechua peoples.

I only need to issue an edict to make the Empire of the Sun accept it.

This year I have learned a series of prerequisite knowledge for [Banker], and I have made up my mind to ask His Majesty the Lord of Heaven to help me start my new career of [Ladder of Glory].

And use the [pyramid scam] to jump to a similar wealth path, gain maximum autonomy, and no longer be easily eaten up by the higher-ups.

Only Byron, my half-brother and my greatest community of interests, is truly trustworthy.

Even if we take a step back, His Majesty the Lord of Heaven is only after my money, but my relatives and family members may want my life!"

He touched the storage item on his waist, which contained what Byron wanted most now - two crystal skulls.

Now Byron has collected a total of ten crystal skulls:

"The first [Sky God] that was snatched from Tayapan was also Byron's own skull (Chapter 343); the second [Earth Mother Goddess] that was given to him by Uxmal, one of the three great city-states (347);
The first skull No. 117 [Corn God] looted from the Taiman Islands in the Earldom of Greenville ();
Number 396 [Rain God] and Number [Southern Goddess] found in the underwater city of the Rift Order ();
Number 247 [Sun God] and Number [Moon Goddess] obtained from Treasure Island ();
Number 162 [Quetzalcoatl] () given to him by Chichen Itza, one of the three major city-states;
Number 213 [North Star God] that the gourmet Alfred helped Byron snatch from the headhunters of the Great Bear Islands ();
The last time I came to the Sun Empire, I snatched No. 438 [Suicide Goddess] from the previous king ().

There are still three skulls left to collect, which are:
“Number Seven [Wind God] Urakan: The ruler of wind and thunder, the protector of warriors and wise men.

Number Nine [Death] Apuch: Takes pleasure in creating death and provoking war.

Number 11 [Battle Leader] Ekchuyah: He is a god of war. ”

The last time Byron came here, he sensed that the remaining skeletons were all in the southern continent [Beast Paradise], but he never had the time to search for them himself.

He lent the Compass of Desire to Atahualpa and asked the King of the Sun Empire to help him find it.

What Atahualpa was holding in his hands at this time were the No. 7 [Wind God] and No. 11 [Battle Leader] that he had recently found. He only needed No. 9 [God of Death] to complete the collection.

“It’s been a busy time, and there are still a few days until the trapdoor opens at the end of the month. Aya and I will relax in the hot spring city first and wait for His Majesty the Lord of Heaven to come.

He would be shocked if he knew how fast I was promoted.

It seems that he had just been promoted to the fourth level not long ago. He must be a little sad to be left behind by me this time.

But it doesn't matter. In addition to the two crystal skulls, I also have his favorite healing medicine, which is also the first stolen money obtained after the pyramid scam experiment.

Seeing this will surely make him happy again.”

The young king's face lit up, like a child who had found a fun toy and wanted to share it with a good friend.

However, at this moment, a sharp roar suddenly broke through the air.

call out--!
Atahualpa's heart trembled, and he suddenly drew out the golden scimitar at his waist, blocking it in front of him, and the tilted blade deflected a blue poisoned dart.

He suddenly looked up in the direction where the blowgun came from, and two half-human, half-rat figures quietly emerged from the lake in front of him.

Behind them, hundreds of ratmen emerged from the water like a tide and rushed towards the shore.

“Is it you, the Gold-Eating God brothers?

Aren't you supposed to be in the south of the Ring of Fire Mountains? Why did you suddenly come here?"

As Atahualpa's pupils shrank, a drop of cold sweat quietly flowed from his forehead.

Feeling upset:

"I was careless. How could I forget about them?"

He just thought that the forces in his base camp were not as complicated as those in the royal city of Cusco, so he did not bring too many royal guards when he went out to play.

However, we overlook the fact that this “creditor” can burrow into the ground and turn stones into mud.

Although he and Queen Aya were both fourth-level mythical creatures, the latter was pregnant and was definitely no match for two powerful beings of the same level.

Actually, this is all due to the "pyramid scam".

The effect of the title of [Hand of Fortune]: "You have the destiny of being surrounded by wealth throughout your life, and you will never be trapped by money.

You can pick up money when you go out, win the lottery, and make a fortune when you do business. From now on, you can live the life of a super rich man, and even if you spend all your money, you can still make it back."

Whenever Atahualpa wanted to get rich, he would find an opportunity.

Previously, he did not dare to do this deal directly within the empire, and planned to find a place to experiment with the effectiveness of the pyramid scam.

It just so happened that the brothers of the [Totem God, the Gold-Eating God] and their Burrowing Rat Kingdom in the south of the empire fell into Atahualpa's sight.

The relatively closed social structure of the underground kingdom can prevent the power of this financial bomb from spilling out infinitely and also facilitates confidentiality, making it very suitable for this kind of sociological experiment.

Moreover, this group of ratmen had long since joined the church of the old god [Prince of Gluttony Beelzebub] and often ran out of their caves to eat people. They had no sense of guilt even if all of them died.

The most important thing is that the rat people who dig holes underground all day long have money, and they can sustain themselves longer by "borrowing new and repaying old".

It is even easier to fool them. Even in the modern society with advanced information technology, there are people who are deceived, let alone a group of old-fashioned people?

then
Only Atahualpa, who was sitting at the top of the pyramid, had his mouth drooling with food.

The Rat Man couldn't even survive this New Year.

The only thing he missed was that when he sent out the heavy combined battalion to attack the ratmen, he failed to kill all of his creditors, and instead was found by the other side.

Then it evolved into what it is now.

The leading totem god waved the blowpipe made of human bones in his hand and screamed:
“Zi—! Give us back our gold and our 25% annualized return!”

Wow.
A large group of ratmen rushed to the shore of the volcanic lake like a tide, and the maids accompanying them were all frightened by these big rats.

At this moment, Atahualpa, with sweaty palms, deeply recognized the correctness of “being independent at the age of thirty”.

If he had a few more heavy-armored combined battalions, how could he have encountered such a dangerous situation today?
After sending out a distress signal, he gritted his teeth and prepared to fight with a knife.

A pleasant voice suddenly sounded in everyone's ears:

“I heard that everything in the Zoo is extra large, but I didn’t expect even the rats are this big.

Byron, if we opened a biocontrol company here, we would make a lot of money.”

(End of this chapter)