Ruler Across Worlds?

1834, Austrian Empire, Vienna.

The sky is azure, the river water clear; it is a livable city, yet it hardly resembles the capital of a nineteenth-century great power.

A relatively gloomy sky, accompanied by severe smog and black rivers—while not environmentally friendly, these are undoubtedly the symbols of a nation's strength in this era, such as London in the United Kingdom.

Inside a classic building with a Baroque exterior, the interior features Rococo-era design. The antique furniture on display is eclectic, ranging from Oriental porcelain to Baltic amber raw stones, with everything one could imagine.

Its master is none other than Francis II, the last monarch of the Holy Roman Empire and the first monarch of the Austrian Empire.

Francis II is currently facing a choice, a difficult one: whether to select an excellent heir or to adhere to tradition.

Perhaps due to the bond between grandparents and grandchildren, Francis II has been extremely doting on this special grandson ever since Franz was born. A healthy male infant without any intellectual disabilities is his hope, and the hope of this empire.

(That is correct; the Austrian Empire at the time was indeed facing the problem of having no qualified heir.)

But today, Francis II's eldest grandson in the nursery took out five letters and arranged a combination he could not ignore.

"A.E.I.O.U"

That was a phrase left by Frederick III at St. Stephen's Cathedral, still engraved on the shrine to this day.

At the same time, this is the only method Franz Joseph could think of to attract the old emperor's attention.

"Austria is destined," Francis II murmured to himself.

Frederick III was the last Holy Roman Emperor to be crowned in Rome by the Pope. However, he could not be considered an excellent emperor; when facing the invasion of the Hungarians, his own strength was insufficient, his subordinates were passive, and his allies stood by and watched, forcing him to flee westward in a panic.

He wanted to carry out reforms to eliminate deep-seated problems, but the results ended in nothing due to the opposition of the high nobility.

In the end, he had to live a life of seclusion, finding joy in studying astrology and alchemy.

Was Francis II any different? His grandmother, Empress Theresa, was so dazzling that the subsequent heirs seemed dim and lusterless.

Even more terrifying were the radical reforms of Joseph II (the emperor before last) and the shock therapy of Leopold II (the previous emperor), which plunged all of Austria into chaos. At the same time, Napoleon appeared in France, their arch-rival.

In that era named after "Napoleon," Francis II and the Holy Roman Empire, who stood against him, naturally became the background scenery of the times. The capital was captured twice, daughters were married off to beg for peace, and the Holy Roman Empire was dissolved.

Francis II harbored too much resentment, yet his legal heir, his eldest son Ferdinand, seemed unable to shoulder the heavy burden of reviving the empire. His second son also lacked the talent to govern the country.

However, Francis II's eldest grandson is a special child. Although Franz Joseph's behavior is somewhat strange, he has shown extremely high intelligence from a young age. It is just that Franz is too young, and the Austrian Empire has never had a precedent of the eldest grandson bypassing the eldest son to inherit the throne.

Francis II still remembers the War of the Austrian Succession caused by the Pragmatic Sanction.

But on the other hand, something deeply rooted in his soul would not let him forget: the dream of a great power. This is a dream every emperor has.

What emperor in this world does not hope for territorial expansion and national prosperity? Not to mention emperors, even commoners hope to live in a powerful nation. Who would want to live in a country torn by war, where people are destitute and gunfights break out the moment one steps outside?

But Francis II did not achieve this, and instead let the country slide toward decline step by step. He knows in his heart that he no longer has the opportunity, so he can only pin his hopes on the next generation.

The intellectually disabled eldest son, or the autistic second son? They clearly lack the ability, or at least would not do better than he did. Francis II truly does not want this declining Austria before his eyes to be the peak of this empire's future.

What Francis II does not know is that, historically, the Austrian Empire only experienced three monarchs before it became a mere shell after the Austro-Prussian War in 1866, replaced by the Austro-Hungarian Empire—a doll empire—which then completely vanished into the long river of history after World War I.

At this moment, his eldest grandson, Franz Joseph, does not know how conflicted Francis II is. His soul comes from a later age; although the nineteenth century has neither computers nor mobile phones, he was born into the royal family, so he should have been able to be a playboy.

But he soon realized that the identity he obtained through transmigration is the historically famous tragic emperor, Franz Joseph. His romance with Empress Sisi is known to all.

However, his brothers, parents, children, and wife all departed before him. His empire successively became the background for the rise of Germany and France, and later completely collapsed in World War I.

Franz Joseph's life can only be described as a tragedy, yet that is not enough to describe it. He was the last monarch of the Austrian Empire and the first monarch of the Austro-Hungarian Empire; two years after his passing, the Austro-Hungarian Empire perished, shattering into pieces.

However, at this moment, what worries Franz most is not these things, but the debt problem of this country and this family. A debt of over a billion florins is truly exaggerated.

At this time, the Austrian Empire's government has an annual fiscal revenue of about 110 million florins, while annual fiscal expenditures exceed 100 million florins. Calculated this way, even if the debt did not accrue interest, it would take the Austrian Empire over a hundred years to pay it off.

Franz could not help but feel a surge of sorrow.

Fortunately, the current Franz Joseph was born early enough, though this body seems unable to do much. All he can think of is to try his best to please the old emperor and attract his attention.

After all, the old emperor holds the real power, unlike Ferdinand, who came later and whose decrees had to be approved by the Regency Council. If the old emperor is happy and rewards him with some manors or industries, then Franz will have start-up capital. Coupled with his vision that far exceeds the era, he will definitely be able to make a fortune. At least, that is what Franz believes.

The reason Franz is so urgent is that the first time node that will change the fate of the Austrian Empire is drawing near.

In 1834, the Zollverein was established, and the Austrian Empire refused to join, sounding the death knell for the empire from that moment on.

On the other hand, the anxious Francis II decided to ask God. Of course, he was not going to heaven to ask God, but to the church to ask God's messenger.

In the East, since ancient times, when emperors were indecisive, they always liked to seek divination. Even in modern times, people look at horoscopes for no reason, ask tarot cards for small matters, and calculate gossip for major ones.

The East is like this, and the West is the same; therefore, Francis II appeared at the entrance of St. Stephen's Cathedral.

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