Transmigration

In 1881, inside St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna, Li Mu (now Ferdinand) admired the reliefs and oil paintings hanging on the walls. He felt a sense of disorientation once again, repeatedly comparing the current St. Stephen's Cathedral with the one he remembered from a century later to see what had changed.

Just three months ago, the original Ferdinand had suddenly collapsed inside St. Stephen's Cathedral, and Li Mu had taken over his body.

Ferdinand was born on February 26, 1861, into the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha-Koháry, with the full name: Ferdinand Maximilian Karl Leopold Maria.

His father was Prince August of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and his mother was Princess Clémentine of Orléans.

His godparents were the Emperor of Mexico, Maximilian I, and his wife, Princess Charlotte of Belgium.

Ferdinand was the grand-nephew of Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and Leopold I, the first King of the Belgians.

His mother, Princess Clémentine, was the daughter of King Louis-Philippe of France.

His father, Prince August of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, was the younger brother of King Fernando II of Portugal, and a first cousin to Prince Albert, the Empress of Mexico, Princess Charlotte of Belgium, and King Leopold II of Belgium, as well as a first cousin to Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom.

Among them, because Princess Louise—the mother of Charlotte and Leopold II—was the elder sister of Ferdinand's mother, the three of them were not only aunt/nephew and niece, but also first cousins.

To be honest, Li Mu (Ferdinand) was quite satisfied with this transmigration; his birth was noble enough. If nothing went wrong, he would still be the future King of Bulgaria.

As a loser who ran a Taobao shop—barely a merchant—and a part-time military and history enthusiast, Li Mu (Ferdinand) felt immense pressure when thinking about the original owner's historical actions.

Ferdinand's first twenty years of rule in Bulgaria were a huge success, but after the defeat in the Second Balkan War and being forced into the World War, everything vanished like smoke.

As a transmigrator, one should seemingly defy the heavens, change fate, crush the world, and dominate the universe.

Li Mu (Ferdinand) didn't think that far. Anyone with a basic understanding of Bulgaria knew it was just a small Balkan nation that was, at best, good at fighting. It lacked industry, resources, and population—a typical "three-nothing" country.

If he had transmigrated as Wilhelm II, he might have tried to defy the heavens and perhaps actually stood a chance at crushing the world.

Just after transmigrating, Li Mu (henceforth referred to as Ferdinand) set a goal to at least become a wealthy high noble, but then felt that was too passive.

Now, he had raised his expectations slightly: just keep the throne. It didn't seem too difficult, provided he didn't pick the wrong side.

However, anyone who understood the Balkan people knew that unless he won both Balkan Wars, the surging domestic nationalism would still push Bulgaria into the abyss.

When poor, one should improve oneself; when successful, one should improve the world!

For now, Ferdinand was not yet the King of Bulgaria, merely a minor officer in the Austro-Hungarian local defense force. As a noble, he only needed to report for duty every day—or, well, it didn't matter if he didn't.

From this, one could see that the Austro-Hungarian Empire was already decaying, but this actually made things convenient for Li Mu.

After more than three months of observation, Ferdinand had gained a preliminary understanding of the situation: the Koháry family was still very wealthy and had a long list of prominent relatives.

However, their greatest wealth lay in their land, possessing vast territories in Abrah and Sitno within Slovakia.

While this looked good for the moment, Ferdinand knew that these real estate holdings would shrink drastically after World War I and be confiscated by the Soviet Republic.

He felt he should do something to leave himself a backup plan; as long as he had plenty of money in his hands, he could live very comfortably no matter what happened later.

What should he do? The first thing that came to mind was "arms," but he immediately dismissed it. The arms trade was deeply intertwined with politics, and the current international market had only so many powerful buyers; the large-scale trade had long been carved up.

Should he engage in small-time deals for a hundred or so rifles? That would be too embarrassing for a noble, and the profits wouldn't even cover his pocket money.

"Drugs"—he dismissed that immediately as well. He was going to be a king; if he got involved with drug traffickers and was labeled a "Drug King," the thought of that scene was too terrifying.

Walking the streets of Vienna, Ferdinand discarded one business plan after another, until a sudden flash of inspiration struck: "Department Store Supermarket."

In fact, department stores had been born in Paris, France, as early as 1852 and had spread rapidly across the world. Vienna had department stores too, but they were different from the supermarkets of the future; they weren't nearly as convenient.

It wouldn't be until 1930 that such a store opened in New York, USA, where customers could walk in, pick items off the shelves themselves, and pay at the exit—the world's first true supermarket.

History had already proven the superiority of the supermarket, and its competition with department stores was not particularly intense.

1. Different positioning: Department stores mainly sold durable goods, focusing on mid-to-high-end products. Supermarkets mainly sold fast-moving consumer goods and daily necessities, focusing on low-to-mid-end products.

2. Different profit models: Department stores sought efficiency through management, primarily profiting from leasing space; supermarkets sought efficiency through procurement, profiting from high sales volume.

3. Different sales methods: In department stores, sales clerks were crucial, guiding consumption with professional advice and settling bills individually. Supermarkets relied on self-service, generally adopting a "non-intrusive service" unless requested, and settling bills with a single, centralized payment.

After a calm analysis, Ferdinand concluded that given the economic situation in Vienna at the time, it was already enough to make a supermarket profitable.

He acted immediately. Ferdinand began market research. After all, things were different then; the variety of goods wasn't as vast as it was now, and there was no such thing as home delivery. He had to decide for himself which products were suitable for a supermarket.

Regardless, in that era, he was the most professional talent in this field. At the very least, he had seen a supermarket, while others didn't even have the concept. Many things had to be done by himself.

Leaving early and returning late every day, after more than a month of hard work, Ferdinand finally grasped the basic situation of the international metropolis of Vienna and harvested a thick notebook.

This can be considered historical data! If people want to study the situation in Vienna during this era later, this will be the best evidence. It covers every aspect of life, and most importantly, it has annotations! It could be placed in a museum for future generations to admire! Ferdinand thought happily as he lay in bed.

Bang! The door was kicked open.

"Ferdinand, what the hell are you up to lately? Where do you go every day? You're nowhere to be seen at noble banquets, and you don't even report to the City Guard!" The person who entered was none other than Ferdinand's mother, Princess Clémentine.

"No, Clémentine, my dear mother, noble etiquette, you know? Bursting in without knocking is immoral and will affect your reputation!"

"To hell with noble etiquette! Don't try to change the subject. You know no one will find out about this—or are you going to tell them yourself?" Princess Clémentine retorted.