Upon hearing the word "sea," the emperor displayed a look of considerable bewilderment.

    He must have truly thought that what I had done was commendable and intended to generously provide a "form of reward that leaves no trace."

    What I requested was the concept of a "world beyond the sea," which he could not comprehend.

    "Beyond the sea... when you say ''beyond the sea,'' are you referring to the two stone pillars at Gibraltar?"

    I had heard that such legends existed in ancient Greek mythology.

    Hercules set up two stone pillars at the entrance of the Strait of Gibraltar and proclaimed:

    ‘This is the end of the world. (non plus ultra)’

    And thus, countless Europeans endured the tyranny of the wicked Venetians and the Ottoman Empire, which conspired to dominate trade in spices like pepper for hundreds of years.

    They believed that venturing beyond would surely lead to death.

    But what was the reality? The ones who ventured out first ended up dominating the world for a time.

    Given that I know all the formulas for success, I can''t hesitate.@@@@

    We, too, must venture into that far-off universe beyond the sky, or rather, beyond the sea, right?

    "Yes, Your Majesty. The world beyond the sea as I envision it lies outside of Gibraltar."

    The emperor chuckled upon hearing my words.

    "How absurd. However, mentioning ''beyond the sea'' while rejecting the reward I offer must indicate you have something in mind?"

    Nothing in this world comes for free.

    To be precise, if I receive something without providing direct or indirect benefits to the other party, it could lead to my destruction.

    Violating that principle could result in becoming a victim of a proposal where the money brought by fraudsters leads to painful lessons, like being lured into investments in hotels or office buildings that promise monthly returns of a million won with only a small investment.

    The emperor gained immense honor from my achievements, but I transferred that right and merit to Duke Visconti.

    Thus, the one who must pay the price is the Duke, not the emperor.

    "Receiving something from the emperor instead of the duke is akin to saying I want to consume what is given for free."

    "There are two reasons. First, to advance the empire''s commerce, we must move beyond this narrow lake."

    The terrain of this Albanian continent is strikingly similar to that of Europe.

    What that means is, if we remain confined to the Mediterranean, we will meet the same fate as Venice.

    "After the Age of Exploration began, the decline in Mediterranean trade weakened the national power significantly."

    "The trade in the Mediterranean, the lake of the Albanian continent, is firmly held by the pagans and a few merchants. No, to be precise, the pagans dominate everything."

    "I don''t feel good about it, but I admit it. We want to believe that we are conducting fair trade with the pagans and merchants. In reality, we have no choice but to be led by their whims."

    They don''t import anything particularly special from our empire.

    Steel, perhaps some unique items or artworks from the Albanian continent.

    They purchase such things, but their absence wouldn''t cause them significant trouble.

    "In particular, the gold from West Africa was quite remarkable."

    The emperor''s eyes sparkled with interest.

    "If we understand the pagans'' trade routes, we can determine roughly which direction and how far to go to the sea. And we could purchase large quantities of gold as well. The location isn’t too far either."

    Honestly, returning to Indica would be quite challenging, even with all the knowledge of the future at my disposal.

    Unless unexpected fortune follows, it may be hard for me to sail to India in my lifetime.

    "If the terrain of the Earth I know matches the terrain of this world, the story would be different."

    But the likelihood of that is low.

    Currently, the island of Rabat, which should be located where Malta, a small island in southern Italy, is situated, is remarkably as large as Geoje Island.

    "There must be a treasure beyond that sea, untouched by any hands."

    To put it more accurately, it would be better described as "vast economic interests."

    However, saying "treasure" would resonate much more with the emperor.

    Moreover, humans are creatures that would burn their lives like straw to satisfy their desires.

    I need to start scratching those desires gently.

    "What the emperor desires is singular: a strong imperial authority."

    "Power, after all, does not come from anything but money, right? With money, you can feed, clothe, house, and make hundreds of thousands of soldiers fight. When persuading nobles, in the end, money is necessary."

    The emperor couldn''t possibly be unaware of this.

    If one couldn''t understand such a basic principle, they wouldn''t be an emperor but a person lacking in intellect.

    "God has left everything beyond the sea. While the other lords of the Albanian continent struggle over the trivial benefits before them, seize the world as quickly as you can. Why remain bound to this small part of the Albanian continent?"

    The emperor chuckled upon hearing my words.

    For the first time, he burst into hearty laughter before me.

    He seemed genuinely amused.

    "You’re mad, insane. How dare a mere baron provoke me like this. If my late father were alive, upon hearing this, he would have clutched his neck. If you, my dear, felt offended by this story, would your neck have survived?"

    Having observed your tendencies and the current needs, I was confident that such a thing would never happen.

    How firm was your faith to engage in such madness?

    "I was as certain as that water flows from high to low."

    "A person can step forward, knowing they may die. We call that courage. I merely wished to show Your Majesty ''a bit of courage'' to demonstrate my loyalty."

    "...Very well, but allowing and supporting an unlikely business is impossible for me."

    The emperor looked directly into my eyes and spoke.

    "Go prove that there is a sea beyond the Strait of Gibraltar and that there is new land. Also, verify that gold trade is possible."

    "Yes, Your Majesty."

    "If you fulfill this command, I will entrust you with the management of this vast sea."