Before one wave had settled, another rose. Just as Japan was sinking into the "Rice Riots," the situation in Europe deteriorated rapidly as well, and the cries of revolution once again rang across the European Continent.
Unlike the previous great revolutions, France was no longer leading the charge this time. Perhaps the shadow left behind by the former revolutionary government was too terrifying; the people of Paris had been remarkably well-behaved lately.
Nor were Belgium and the Italian States, which Franz cared about most, the source of it. Although the crises in those countries were the most severe, the French had drawn too much hatred toward themselves!
From the government to the public, everyone blamed the outbreak of the domestic economic crisis on French invasion. This was precisely the moment when the people were most united.
Moreover, the Vienna Government had provided timely aid. With relief grain distributed by the government, ordinary people could at least fill half their stomachs, and social order had instead stabilized.
Spain, trapped in the Philippine War and unable to extricate itself, certainly could not escape. Yet it was not the source of the crisis either. The first shot of revolution was fired, unexpectedly, in Bulgaria.
When the city gate caught fire, the fish in the moat suffered.
Bulgaria was precisely one of those fish. As a raw material for high-end cosmetics, rose essential oil had always been in short supply on the international market due to limited production capacity. Bulgarian rose essential oil, the king among rose oils, was even more eagerly sought after.
It was once again the season when roses bloomed. In past years, factory output would have long since been fully booked by this time, leaving people only to lament the limited capacity.
This year was different. Affected by the economic