The Seed of the Future (An extra chapter for Yanhuo Daofan and Shenzhou Buwu Tianxia Fengdao, who is celebrating their birthday)

Vienna, Schönbrunn Palace.

Franz was lying on Thalia's lap, listening to her read the newspaper.

The price of land in the United States was becoming increasingly absurd, which was well within Franz's expectations.

What Franz had not anticipated, however, was that this land fever was spreading from the U.S. East Coast toward the west.

This caught Franz off guard, as in his plans, the United States was a pig that could be slaughtered for several harvests.

At this moment, every piece of land sold by the U.S. government was at a premium, yet even so, buyers would fill their pockets within a few days.

Fortunately, the U.S. war to expel the Indians had prevented the real estate frenzy from spreading further west.

Otherwise, Franz would have had to consider whether to purchase land in the west more than a decade in advance.

Britain had a bumper harvest of wheat, leading to them dumping it everywhere and causing prices to plummet by 40%.

Austria's wheat harvest was also bountiful; fortunately, there was the Zollverein and Italy to dump it into, while the situation in the Kingdom of Hungary was grim.

Hungarian wheat suddenly lost its market, leading a large number of landlords to switch to other crops to fill the deficit—a bitter fruit that would manifest in a few years.

The Imperial Faction, represented by Széchenyi, had gained the upper hand, whereas historically, the Royalist Faction in Hungary had always held the advantage.

However, due to the sudden downfall of Esterhazy and Austria's successful entry into the Zollverein, the strength of the original Royalist Faction had been severely damaged while the Imperial Faction had been bolstered.

Imperial Faction: Those who support Austrian rule over Hungary, hope for the complete integration of Austria and Hungary, believe that Hungary's departure from Austria is tantamount to self-destruction, and maintain that the best way to protect their own interests is to let the Empire see the value of Hungary.

These people mostly belong to Hungary's emerging nobility and capitalists, as well as high-ranking nobles who have lived in Austria for a long time and identify with Austrian culture.

Royalist Faction: Those who demand autonomy, prioritize Hungarian interests above all else, hope to rebuild the Kingdom of Hungary, and wish to draw a clear line from Austria.

These people believe that the Austrians are robbers who have stolen their property and kingdom. The power of the Hungarians must be in the hands of the Hungarians; Hungarians should not sacrifice their lives for Austria or the House of Habsburg, and should instead make Austria and the House of Habsburg repay the debts they owe to Hungary.

Some of these people are traditional landed nobles who hold vast amounts of land, many of whom live in Vienna and Paris.

They have their own territories in Hungary, where they control taxation, the judiciary, and even organize armies. These high-ranking nobles oppose Austria mostly just to seize more benefits.

The main supporters of the Royalist Faction are the so-called "Single-Garment Nobles," a term referring to those who are so poor that, aside from their noble status, they only have one set of clothes to wear.

These people are extremely impoverished, desperate to change their status quo, and wish to achieve class mobility by seizing power through violence.

Austrian explorer Costa will organize a team to explore the Amazon Rainforest in search of a mysterious kingdom hidden deep within, currently seeking sponsors; profit sharing can be discussed in detail.

This news caught Franz's attention, though it wasn't the mysterious kingdom in the rainforest that he cared about.

As far as Franz knew, there were only some indigenous tribes inside, and certainly no treasures.

What Franz wanted were the seeds of a certain plant, seeds that would change the world in the future.

"Thalia, can you get in touch with this explorer?"

"Legends are all lies. If you have too much money to spend, you might consider improving your diet," Thalia said, looking down at Franz.

"I don't want any treasure; I want the seeds of a plant."

"A plant? What plant isn't in the Royal Greenhouse? Is the one you're talking about edible?" Thalia asked.

"Ahem, no. But it is said to be a plant that weeps; don't you want to see it?" Franz tried to pique Thalia's interest.

"A plant that weeps? Wouldn't that affect one's mood? It sounds like a sad plant, and it's not even edible," Thalia retorted.

"Haven't you heard of building your own happiness on the suffering of others?" Franz said.

"Archduke Franz, you're wrong; it's that one should not build their own happiness on the suffering of others," Thalia corrected.

"Right now, I can't see that weeping plant, so I am very miserable. If I am miserable, I want to build my happiness on the suffering of others," Franz said, pinching Thalia's thigh as he spoke.

Thalia cried out in pain and begged for mercy.

"Alright, you've convinced me. Now can you tell me what you want those rubber seeds for? If you like playing billiards, ivory is better; the ones made of rubber are too soft."

Franz had bad memories of billiards; because he was too short, he had to be held by others to play.

Being treated like a throw pillow, with no autonomy at all—it didn't feel good in the slightest.

Chenla, Kampong Som.

Upon arriving at Kampong Som, Ambrosius felt he had been deceived; this was no port, but clearly a fishing village.

The surrounding Chenla people looked at Ambrosius and his party with terrified eyes.

The ancestors of these locals were not fishermen, but honest farmers, but the successive invasions by Vietnam and Siam had left the fields desolate and the people destitute.

The Chenla government, rather than resisting the Vietnamese and Siamese invasions, colluded with bandits and bullies to exploit the people even more ruthlessly.

To survive, their ancestors fled to this uninhabited beach to become fishermen.

Kuan Kim-pan still held some official authority; he immediately barked an order, scaring the local minor official so badly he sat down on the ground.

"From now on, this place is under the command of Thousand-Household An. Do not meddle, lest you lose your head."

It was the first time that local official had seen a second-rank high official, and hearing that the fifth-rank Thousand-Household was surnamed An, he naturally linked it to the royal surname.

As for why this royal relative would come to such a godforsaken place, the minor official pondered and easily concluded that this man with the royal surname looked so strange that he was likely driven out of Phnom Penh.

Having figured this out, the minor official immediately shut his mouth. Anyway, there weren't many people in his territory, so this Thousand-Household An could do whatever he wanted.

Although Ambrosius was dissatisfied, the Catholic priests were extremely happy. They hadn't expected to gain a foothold so easily; this was a major step for the Church in Southeast Asia.

You must understand, the French have been here, the Spanish have been here, and the Dutch have been here too, yet they didn't even leave behind a church, let alone a stronghold.

Furthermore, once the Austrian Empire establishes a port here, they will be able to proselytize in Chenla with peace of mind.

These Catholic priests have already told their brethren about Kampong Som along the way; it is believed that Catholics within Chenla will soon come to settle in Kampong Som.

The two officers brought by Ambrosius are also very happy, for this counts as a small colony after all, and they might be recorded in history as the first batch of colonists in the history of the Austrian Empire.

Only the diplomat Zacker is deeply worried, because he knows clearly that Austria currently has neither plans for expansion in Southeast Asia nor the strength to do so.

Bonus chapter for Yanhuo Daofan and the birthday of Shenzhou Buwu Tianxia Fengdao.