Hyang sighed as he analyzed why the Empire had avoided the crisis that the Spanish had faced in history before his intervention.

“Whew~ It’s good that we avoided what could have ended in tragedy, but it seems we’ll need to deal with the Central American situation sooner than expected.”

Mass human sacrifice and cannibalism.

This wasn’t something that could be covered up. Ignoring it would surely lead to a loss of imperial authority.

Even though Hyang’s intervention had almost completely erased the image of “Neo-Confucian Taliban Joseon,” this was beyond what could be managed.

“Besides, to gain control over and absorb the Central American region in the future, we need to settle the matter with these Aztecs or Mexica. Sigh~”

Sighing once more, Hyang couldn’t hide his regret.

“The problem is that time is holding us back. Every time we try to do something, time holds us back…”

By “time,” Hyang meant that the Empire was still in its growth phase.

During the extreme turmoil of the late Goryeo and early Joseon periods, compounded by consecutive years of poor harvests due to climate change, the Korean peninsula’s population had actually decreased.

It was only after King Sejong, who succeeded King Taejong, actively pursued reforms that growth resumed.

But to use a human analogy, the Empire was still an adolescent in its growth phase.

Though vitality abounded throughout the Empire and it was growing rapidly by the day, it had yet to fully mature.

“Since I can’t work for the benefit of others, I should contact Wan. Wait, that’s also a problem?”

Thinking of the current Emperor Wan, Hyang’s face showed slight perplexity.

***

In his previous letter, Wan had already informed him that the Crown Prince had taken over the operations of Area 51. Since the Crown Prince was 16 years old, there was no particular issue, but Wan, not wanting to give Hyang any excuse for criticism, had meticulously detailed the situation in his letter.

• The Crown Prince completed the required level of studies by age 14 and has spent the past two years gaining practical experience as an apprentice under Jeong In-ji.
• He married at 12 and currently has one son and one daughter. Both of legitimate birth.
• According to Jeong In-ji’s report, he is very enthusiastically managing the research institute and Area 51. He is particularly interested in developing steam-powered iron ships and warships.

So far, so good. The problem came next.

• Please provide a clear report on the progress of the loom experimental station and the artisan training program that the Emperor Emeritus said he established. It seems the results are insufficient compared to before.

In a way, this was extremely disrespectful content—a son questioning his father—but since that son was the Emperor, it was a valid point.

Even as Emperor Emeritus, Hyang was still technically the Emperor’s subject. Filial piety was a separate consideration.

In the end, Hyang had to write an apologetic letter to Wan. However, the content of the letter, filled with circuitous sentences, could be summarized as follows:

• I’m really sorry, damn it!
• But if you keep pressuring me like this, I might not return at all. Got it?

Upon receiving Hyang’s letter, Wan had to immediately send a letter of apology.

***

“Knowing his personality, as soon as he sees this, he’ll say, ‘I’m in the process of inheriting royal authority, Father,’ and take action. He’s the kind of guy whose butt was already halfway off the seat when the Emperor Emeritus mentioned creating a loom experimental station…”

Well aware of Wan’s character, who was completely obsessed with “the idea of flying,” Hyang could roughly guess what Wan would do using this situation as an excuse.

“At least I set a promise of 20 years, so there’s still 14 years of leeway, but the problem is the Emperor Emeritus’s age.”

Sejong was now 69 years old. Compared to history before Hyang’s intervention, he had already lived more than 15 years longer, but the future was the issue.

“He’ll soon be seventy… Of course, from what I hear, he should have no problems reaching ninety, but with old folks, you never know what might happen tomorrow…”

While worrying about Sejong approaching seventy, Hyang suddenly realized his own age.

“Come to think of it, I’m already over 50 myself. Hmm…”

Feeling keenly that he too had aged, Hyang suddenly broke into a smile.

“Hah! Father stayed for 10 years, I plan to stay for 20, so is it 30 years for Wan? Or will it become customary to stay until at least sixty once you arrive?”

After drifting into such imaginative territory, Hyang quickly composed himself.

“Oh! I’ve gone off track again! That’s not the issue right now!”

Having barely stopped himself from going off on a tangent, Hyang pondered the best way to handle the current situation.

“The answer is to send troops from the mainland, but the problem is that this feels like ‘credit card kiting’…”

In the current situation, the only solution was to dispatch more troops from the mainland. However, the issue was that as troops were dispatched, new recruits would need to be trained to replace them.

The problem of regular soldiers could be somewhat resolved by mobilizing reserves, but commanding officers were the real concern.

Even though they were steadily increasing the number of students at the military academy, it would take time for them to become effective.

“Hmm… how to juggle this…”

This was something that Emperor Wan and the mainland officials should worry about, but as the person who created the problem, Hyang also needed to suggest a reasonable alternative to avoid criticism.

After all, Hyang was the Emperor Emeritus.

• The Emperor Emeritus doesn’t help the country but only creates problems!

If such rumors spread, it would again cause issues for imperial authority. Moreover, considering everything Hyang had done so far, he needed to come up with a plausible alternative.

“Hmm…”

Just as Hyang was contemplating a good—or at least plausible—alternative, an official from outside rushed in.

“Your Majesty! Urgent news from the navy!”

“From the navy again?”

Taking the urgent dispatch from the official and opening it, Hyang frowned deeply and involuntarily cursed.

“Oh, damn it! Of all times!”

The content of the navy’s urgent message was as follows:

• Discovered 3 European vessels in the southeast waters of the New Frontier. Sank 2 but 1 escaped with serious damage.
• Encountered a storm while pursuing the escaped vessel and returned to port.
• All warships deployed in the operation need repairs due to storm damage.
• Unable to determine if the escaped vessel survived.

After confirming the contents of the urgent message, Hyang placed his hand on his forehead.

“When it rains, it pours…”

***

“Ughhhh…”

“Captain, are you conscious? Captain!”

Thomas, captain of the English exploration ship “Golden Mary,” struggled to open his eyes at his subordinate’s call.

“Did we escape the pursuit?”

“It seems so.”

“Help me up a bit. I need to get up.”

“Yes, Captain.”

With his subordinate’s help, Thomas rose and surveyed his surroundings.

He and his men were on a beach facing a dense jungle of palm trees, and the “Golden Mary,” more than half-destroyed, was stranded on the sandy beach right in front of them.

Looking at the “Golden Mary,” which had nearly capsized, Thomas sighed.

“Whew~ Fortunate that we survived.”

“Indeed, sir.”

Examining the wrecked ship while listening to his subordinate, Thomas cursed.

“Damn those pirates! Damn the imperials!”

***

The “spherical Earth theory” had been transmitted to Europe through students and professors who studied in Seoul.

Of course, the “spherical Earth theory” wasn’t an unfamiliar theory in Europe either. However, only a minority of intellectuals accepted it.

For religious reasons and due to the influence of superstitions passed down knowingly or unknowingly, most Europeans believed that “the Earth is flat” or “the Earth is square.”

Because of these beliefs, Henry the Navigator faced many difficulties in the early days of exploration.

-Follow the western coastline of Africa southward across the equator.

Many sailors refused to board when they heard the purpose of the exploration.

-South of the equator is an endless cliff where you’ll fall to your death!

-The sea south of the equator is filled with boiling water! If you enter, you’ll be boiled alive!

Such superstitions were prevalent among sailors, which is why they refused to board. As a result, Henry had to offer higher wages than for other voyages.

However, as Henry’s expedition safely crossed the equator and reached the east coast of Africa, these superstitions gradually disappeared. No, the superstitions vanished, and such explorations began to be seen as opportunities for instant wealth.

In fact, following these newly discovered routes, people not only acquired gold and silver but also obtained slaves, making enormous profits.

Against this backdrop, the “spherical Earth theory” began to gain prominence once again.

“Even the Empire from the East says the world is round, right? Then we don’t necessarily have to go around Africa or take a ship from Suez to reach the Empire, do we? Couldn’t we go westward instead?”

People with such thoughts began to emerge everywhere.

However, those who put these ideas into action weren’t easily found.

“Going west isn’t impossible. But we don’t know how long it will take. That’s the problem.”

The most commonly used ships in Europe at this time were carracks, galleons, and caravels.

Long-distance voyages with these ships were virtually impossible.

In reality, even for Africa, they had to use colonies and ports established along the way, and the eastern route also required intermediate ports such as cities in India, Malacca, and the southwestern islands of the Empire.

In this situation, “the latest geographical information” came in through those who had studied in the Empire.

Although it was theoretical, they learned the diameter and circumference of the Earth.

Those who saw these figures began to assess the possibilities once more.

“There might be errors when converting the Empire’s measurements to our system, but it seems possible?”

“It’s still too far.”

“What if we go north?”

When the method of using the North Atlantic was suggested, those with any knowledge of the North Atlantic and the North Sea immediately shook their heads.

“Those seas are known for being treacherous. I’ve heard that even the famous Vikings prayed sincerely before venturing into the North Sea and the North Atlantic.”

“Is it that bad?”

Those who had experienced the rough seas of the North Sea abandoned the northern route.

And among those reviewing other routes, the most promising was to depart from the entrance of the Mediterranean and head west.

“This direction is somewhat known through Portugal and Spain, so there’s a possibility, but the problem is supplies…”

“We need a big ship, and the only country that can build ships of that size is…”

“Only the Country of the Flowers. The problem is that country doesn’t sell such large ships, and even if they did, we’d have to go around Africa. We must consider the infamous triangular waves south of Africa. If we lose an expensive ship we’ve just purchased, we’d be ruined before we even start.”

While adventurers and investors were still hesitating, one country took the lead.

It was England.