Chapter 831: 831
Malan Port .
Fang Yuan was like a specter as he watched a horse carriage ‘passing through’ his body .
Closeby, a few fishmonger stalls were emitting a strong fishy smell . All kinds of sounds and congregating pedestrians were creating a bustling morning market scene .
Although he could only take form as a specter while walking around the world, he was already very satisfied .
At least when compared to being an absolute observer, it was a huge improvement .
“Mmm . In summary, this place is quite similar to Europe’s Age of Discovery from my previous life, but it also possesses fundamental differences!”
Fang Yuan strolled around and arrived at the heavily guarded royal dock .
There were multiple sinister-looking giant warships that were just like quietly crouching giant beasts, giving off a dangerous and terrifying feeling .
In particular, among them were a few ‘leviathan’ warships that were fully covered with armor, having incomparable displacement tonnage and a frightening amount of cannons on its hull!
“Armored warships?”
Fang Yuan could imagine that with such fearsome ships, the average pirate ship would practically be in tatters with merely a bump on the ocean .
It was to the extent where even the octopus monster from earlier might not be able to deal with it .
However, this type of armored warship had a bizarre appearance . Not only did it have a sail, but it also had a tall chimney . It was impressively powered by a hybrid of steam engines and sails .
“Industrial Revolution!”
Fang Yuan sighed emotionally . As if he had entered an uninhabited land, he freely toured around the warship .
Even though the royal fleet was heavily guarded, and even had Extraordinaries keeping watch, they were still completely unable to discover a single trace of him .
In particular, when Fang Yuan saw a machine that was relatively more primitive, bulky, and cumbersome, he smiled as though he had met a familiar acquaintance .
“In reality, the steam warships in this era might not necessarily surpass the ultrlarge five-masted ships… but this is a trend!”
It went without saying that replacing manpower with machines was a sign of society’s progress .
No matter what, it would always be better to exploit machines over people .
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Furthermore, the most important point was that the power of steam engines could be reproduced by every family .
Otherwise, what difference would it make if it was merely a tiny amount of extraordinary forces?
“When discussing what true warships are, wooden ones are simply cannon fodder, and armored warships also only meet the basic standard . Only legendary magical warships are truly able to embark on the Golden Sea Route and cross various large oceans!”
Magical warships!
As implied by the name, they were designed to use mysterious forces as their power source, with the most famous one being the legend of the Specter Ship .
Of course, due to issues such as magic attachment, there were very few forces in the entire ocean that possessed a magical warship . However, those forces that did possess them were all at the level of an absolute overlord and dominated an entire area .
The Octopus Marauder Team was basically not even a strand of hair when compared to such existences .
“Praise you, my Lord, you are the Master of Dreams and Armaments!”
“I’m willing to believe in you with my devout heart! Please grant me permission to recite your name!”
Fang Yuan could hear multiple prayers coming through .
In fact, it was precisely because of his believers’ power of faith converging that enabled him to slightly break through the world’s limitations and transform into a specter-like image in the main world .
With a thought, he directly returned to the vicinity of Donald’s family .
After that incident, Donald had brought his wife and child to reside in the city .
Entering his view was a small two-story villa with a garden in front .
Prayers could be heard coming from the villa’s living room .
The butler was used to the strange sight and paid attention to every single guest, ready to satisfy their demands at all times .
“All right… As long as you are a devout believer of the Lord, you will eventually receive his response!”
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Donald spoke like a religious fanatic among the believers .
He was a mad believer that was absolutely convinced of Fang Yuan’s existence . Moreover, he was proactively advising his own wife and child to believe in the Dream and Armament Master .
This was because Donald was clear that he was a great and generous existence .
Those ancient rulers were all naturally very powerful and also possessed strange abilities . But when it came to generosity, they were far inferior to the Dream and Armament Master .
Relying on the pearls that he had obtained, Donald had purchased a villa and deposited the remaining gold coins in a bank . He had also hired a butler and a few servants, immediately living the blessed life of the upper class .
What sort of people were the upper class?
From the perspective of the port’s residents, only those who had nothing to do every day and merely depended on rent and interest for their livelihoods were truly dignified gentlemen .
Although society’s atmosphere for pursuing wealth was gradually intensifying, there was a large market for such a statement once .
Ettoman was formerly a country that regarded physical labor as a form of disgrace .
Not to mention, the current annual interest rates from the royal bank had reached ten percent! This was both good news and paradise for any investor who had deposited their savings .
With just a few steps, Donald instantly completed his transformation .
Almost everyone acquainted with him knew about the unfortunate voyager who, through his own efforts, had successfully entered upper-class society and became a dignified gentleman .
They were crazily envious, crowding around Donald and worshiping him .
It was with the help of this favorable start that had allowed Donald to smoothly spread his faith .
The general atmosphere in Ettoman was fairly open . As long as it was not the spread of evil cults, the government’s attitude was very open-minded .
Furthermore, Donald had not yet begun preaching properly . At most, he had started a regular salon to carry out some publicity .
Of course, if this situation developed well, it would ultimately form the fledgling stages of a religious service .
“Everyone, I have ordered some light refreshments . Please enjoy them freely!”
Donald was very relaxed among these brothers and sisters who were already believers of the Dream and Armament Master . He had the butler lead the servants to serve many delicious cakes .
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“Wow… These are top quality cakes made from refined flour with honey added on top, right?”
“Such intoxicating sweetness, it really leaves a memorable aftertaste!”
For these ordinary residents, they might not even be able to be so extravagant once a year .
Donald’s actions had gained him even more admiration and praise .
He was courteous and respectful, full of smiles while chatting with the people around him, causing every guest to feel enlightened .
However, only Donald himself knew what his weaknesses were .
My foundation is too weak… My assets have reached the threshold to join the upper class, but fundamentally, I haven’t received the acceptance of mainstream society… Currently, the people surrounding me are just a group of common residents!
Although these kinds of people are good targets for growing the Lord’s faith, they’re detrimental to the church’s future development… I can only depend on myself to make up for it . Don’t tell me… I really have to spend money to purchase a noble title? However, the expenses will definitely be much greater than the current savings that I openly own . Do I have to unearth another ‘hidden treasure at the bottom of the ocean’? That’ll truly be too conspicuous .
After waiting for all his guests to leave happily, Donald returned to his study alone . However, his melancholy continued to persist .
“My Lord… You are my guide that takes me forward, my source of light in the darkness . I hope that you can enlighten me…”
In the dead of night, Donald once again started praying .
After contemplating, Fang Yuan responded, “Donald, my agent and loyal servant, what are you perplexed with?”
“Great Dream and Armament Master, I wish to enter upper-class society as soon as possible so that I have more favorable conditions to spread your faith,” Donald said without the slightest hesitation . “But now… I have reached a bottleneck . No matter how much effort I put in, those genuine upper-class members still regard me as a parvenu and a country bumpkin . ”
As an island nation, Ettoman had the tradition of isolating itself .
Although they were faced with the impact of emerging economies and forces, those truly high-ranking nobles still held a certain amount of influence .
When it came to such matters, unless there was a coincidental opportunity, it simply could not be rushed .
Fang Yuan was aware that even if Donald spent his hard-earned capital to purchase a noble title from the king, the end result would only be further condemnation as a parvenu .
“It is all right, my servant . I have already seen your effort, and I have prepared for you a stepping stone to enter the upper class!”
Fang Yuan directly communicated with him through his thoughts .
Regarding Donald’s identity and development, he indeed had some plans .
Presently, the first thing to do was still to make Donald famous!
Sometimes, fame was the best stepping stone .
As for how to increase fame? Wealth and exploration were merely the most basic aspects, and they might even reinforce his impression as a parvenu .
Apart from this, it was to become a public figure . For instance, a well-known actor, author, writer, scholar, and so on .
In Ettoman, the status of theater actors was far inferior to eminent writers . Thus, what Fang Yuan selected for Donald was the path of copying literary works .
With Fang Yuan’s past experience and knowledge, he could readily search for some famous works and then hand them over to Donald for him to gain instant success . There would be no issues at all .
Donald was originally a cultured person . Otherwise, he could not have been a voyager nor record a ship’s log .
He only needed to be slightly repackaged and disguised as an eminent writer . Along with a handful of new and original adventure stories, he would be well-received by the upper class .
Otherwise, if he was only a lucky explorer, even if he went to the dinner parties, he would probably still be regarded as just a clown .
Moreover, Fang Yuan had his own ambitions .
He wanted to borrow Donald’s hand to make a big gamble .
The best case would be to thoroughly alter the course of this world . Only by changing the World Thread could more variables be introduced, thereby obtaining more opportunities .
Thus, the selected work should not be of literary nature . Instead, it should be along the lines of monumental works in economic sociology .
This way, Donald’s identity would change from a clown parvenu to that of a teacher in the field of economics .
After all, Ettoman had not experienced the information explosion like in his previous life . Therefore, titles such as expert, teacher, and so on were still very valuable .
“My Lord, your will is my calling . What kind of work do you want me to complete?” Donald asked, resolution in his voice .
“The Wealth of Nations!”