Ming Dynasty, New Rome, and Infinite Divine Machine

"If you call the East Factory again, I'll be angry with you, believe it or not."

"Okay, okay, we won't call it the East Factory anymore. What factory is here?"

"It's not a specific factory. Our office's main task right now is to build a many-to-many information network for over a thousand Qigong practitioners across the country. And then..."

Shangluo paused. Then came the more important matter. This many-to-many communication network would establish a forerunner for the nationwide internet rollout, allowing everyone to prepare themselves mentally, and then the Pure Land would descend.

"I see," Wen Yuan nodded. "Then our mission is quite important. However, I'm afraid the step-by-step switch won't be of much help; it's still too basic. The Internet you described seems to be a 'many-to-many' connection, but a step-by-step switch is still just a one-to-one exchange, because it can't connect multiple phone lines together. It just saves the time of a dial-up call."

"Well, it seems like there's still a long way to go."

"Do you have any ready-made plans?"

"Yes, we do. But if the stepper exchange alone takes up an entire room, then nothing else will be possible. We need something that can actually increase the 'computing power'. Do you have any ideas?"

Chapter 266 Attacking the Sand

"No." Wen Yuan gave a straightforward answer. "I don't know anything. I just use it. I use whatever you give me."

"It seems we need to pool our wisdom. Well, it seems we can only push everyone a little bit."

He asked Apollonia:

"What's the most demanding game available right now?"

[Which brings us to Teapot Head. It's available now.]

"Teapot Head? Is this more troublesome than Egghead?"

[It's different, in two different directions. Although both are horizontal shooters, Egghead's graphics are pixel-heavy, saving computing power. However, Teapot Head's art style is incredibly detailed, with realistic colors and gradients, and every line is crisp and clear. This would be a considerable test for a Xuan Xiu's computing power. I think even Han Xingzhi would be mad at himself trying to play it. Well, he's fine playing it in ice water.]

"Oh my goodness, this is a graphics card, right?"

Yes, that's right. So these are two different directions. Once we break through the pixel barrier and achieve "hand-drawn-level" detail, the computing power requirements begin to skyrocket. Conversely, even with just pixels, if they all have to interact with each other, then things won't run smoothly either. So, what do you do?

"I'm thinking that if I'm the only one working on it, I might not be able to figure it out. But as long as I release a fun game, I can get everyone who wants to play games but can't to work on it with me. Find 'Teapot Head' and send a copy to Wen Yuan."

【okay. 】

As he spoke, Wen Yuan's sign vibrated.

"Hmm? You're looking for me? What can't you say right here in front of me?"

"I sent you a game. Take a look."

"Oh~~~Thank you. Do you have any new games? Let me take a look at 'Teapot Head'? Why is the style so similar to 'Tom and Jerry'?"

"You'll know after you try it."

Wen Yuan picked up the sign.

Wen Yuan fell down—with a thud, he swayed to the side as if he had lost consciousness. Then, with lightning speed, he did a "Golden Snake Dance" and "twisted" back.

He put the sign back into his pocket, his eyes still fixed on the front: "Give me some water."

Tun tun tun, Wen Yuan tilted her head back and drank a can of iced salty soda.

"I'm dying! I almost died! After I opened it, my mind went blank, and my entire memory was cut off right there. What is that thing?"

"Um, wait a minute."

Shangluo opened the image of "Teapot Head" on his own sign.

It does look a lot like Tom and Jerry, but it's playable.

"So this is what it looks like when it moves. I took a look and saw two teapot-headed cartoon characters swaying back and forth. I almost burned myself at the sight of them. Touch my forehead."

Shangluo reached out and touched it - even though he had drunk a glass of ice water, it was indeed a little hot.

"How much of this thing do you think is playable now?"

"Play? It's more like exercise, but this is just like roasting on a fire. Han Xingzhi might be able to open it, but my master... probably not. Can you play it for me?"

Shangluo played a bunch of games on the screen with the virtual joystick. Teapot Head jumped back and forth, hitting similarly styled bees and ants.

"Hmm." Wen Yuan frowned and looked at it for a while. "Is that all? Then it's not as fun as 'Alchemy Eggman'."

“Isn’t it fun?”

"Well, before I played Egghead, I might have thought it was fun. Now it's just so-so, not that great."

"If I asked you to increase your computing power just to play this game, would you be willing to do so?"

"Not at all. Even without the upgrade, I'd still play Egghead if you put the two together."

"Oh," Shangluo asked like a reporter, "What made you choose 'Egghead'?"

"Because Eggman has machine guns! Da-da-da-da!"

"Machine gun, huh?" Shangluo typed in the memo on his phone. "I see. Your opinion is important. But this is indeed a problem."

Shangluo thought that by using some program to mobilize the needs of his Qigong practitioners, he could get everyone to work with him on the project—this would be much more convenient than relying on his Daozu's prestige to issue orders. But there was a problem: it had to be fun first before anyone would be willing to upgrade the computing power.

"Hmm," he thought for a while—he had no idea. Because he didn't know what everyone liked to play.

"Hey, Wen Yuan, let me interview you." He made a microphone with his fist. "If you could choose to install a game on the Lingwang, what would you want to play?"

"Heroes' Parade! Do you even need to ask?"

"Is it so simple?" Shangluo didn't expect that he didn't even have to think about it.

"Yeah! Hero Tour is so much fun. You can fight monsters, level up, and form teams. You can interact with all kinds of characters in the world and cast magic as you please. You can also use all kinds of props and research various life skills. It's actually much more fun than 'Metallo Eggman'. And there aren't enough people. It would be more fun if there were more people! Usually there are only four or five people. What if there were four or five people, four or five hundred people? Wow, that would be amazing."

"I understand!" Shangluo clapped his hands suddenly, "Ahaha! You want to attack the desert with your brothers!"

"Attack what?"

"Oh, why didn't I think of that? The first generation of online games should be about conquering the desert. That's fun. Apollonia, is there a chance?"

[Uh] Apollonia was stunned.

"No chance?"

[No, I don't know. From a visual perspective, it's very simple, not difficult at all. But if you're trying to squeeze in the spiritual thoughts of four or five hundred people, that's a completely different problem. It's not a computing power issue, it's a network issue. In other words, it's not the user's computing power that's being tested, but the interaction of hundreds of users, which tests the server's computing power. Unless you're planning to perform local data calculations.]

"At least it has to be fun. Plus, it's more than just sand-attack. If I were to develop it, I could definitely make it a bit more modern. For example, I could allow for more freedom in player-directed item creation, increase the liquidity of equipment, and add some gaming elements. Hmm."

He thought for a moment and said, "I've got a rough idea. Developing content is indeed difficult. But when it comes to developing gameplay, it's actually quite simple. Content requires a lot of development work, but gameplay only requires a good core idea, which can then be polished over time. What I lack the least right now is ideas, so I can actually start one and have some fun."

"How is it?" Wen Yuan asked him, "Is there any game? Is there any game? I want to play Heroes' Tour."

"Wait a moment, wait for the push. Let me see, this should be queued after the forum. I'll deal with it as soon as the forum matter is settled."

Chapter 267 Server

"To deploy the server first, we need to understand how to use the Black Stone. Hmm."

Wen Yuan parted ways with him at the door of the state-owned store and happened to come here because he had something to do in the garage.

While looking at his notes, Shangluo turned a corner and walked back to his home.

"12 square meters?" Standing at the door, he recalled what Wen Yuan said about "the area of his house."

This alley is one of the countless alleys in the Wutaishan area. The west side is closer to the subway station, and the east side leads to the residential street. The entire alley has only eight residential buildings side by side - in other words, the entire alley is only 8 square meters long.

"That's really big. A building of 12 square meters, at least 6 or 7 square meters wide. Apollonia, how big is this house in Rome?"

"It's already a mansion for a senator. Woohoo~~ It's even bigger than the Oracle in Turphi."

"Is the Oracle so small?"

The oracle is small to begin with. It's an ancient Greek building that's been in disrepair for a long time, with only a few dark, small rooms inside. The room I used to stay in was about the same size as yours, so I said yours is a mansion.

"Speaking of which." He looked up at the top of his head - he saw the wires. A dense bundle of wires passed right above his head.

There were simply too many wires, as every household's electrical wiring was inside, pulled down from the poles outside. But Yujing's power supply department had mastered the art of "wire management," bundling so many wires tightly together that it didn't resemble a cave or a spider web. If these wires were hair, this lock would be jet-black, shiny, and neatly groomed.

San Francisco is much messier than here. I remember from Shangluo that outside the Acropolis, you could even see "pilled" threads—these were the tangled ends of thread cut from the main bus. Many of the threads were so tangled that it was impossible to untangle them.

But it seems quite troublesome if this thing always requires people to manage the wires.

【what's on your mind? 】

"I'm wondering how exactly we're going to build the signal. Wireless communication wouldn't be a problem for connecting a thousand people. But nationwide communication can't be done entirely in the sky, because radio waves have frequency bands. So, presumably, we're destined to have to deploy base stations. But what exactly are the base stations of the spiritual network? Do you have any idea?"

"I don't know," Apollonia replied. "You should ask the Taoist master. But you can probably guess at some of the characteristics of the spiritual network—there's a Buddhist method of thinking called 'negation and explanation,' which means that when you can't determine what it is, you can first determine what it isn't. For example, you could first consider what the spiritual network isn't."

"So, does the spiritual network have a base station?"

It's hard to say. Maybe, but maybe not. But have you noticed? You've built towers all over the world. As far away as Yangzhou, and as close as Songjiang and Baoen Temple. While they're often not the same thing, they can all be categorized as towers.

"How did the Romans do this?"

I've mentioned this before. Roman magic often relied on the burning fields of Mithraeum. This actually brings us to Mithraism. Well, before we talk about Mithra, do you have any impression of the goddess Cybele?

"I only found out after talking to Victoria. I had no idea before that."

In fact, the situation of Cybele worship and Mithraism is similar. Before the Roman Empire established a state religion, there was an era of "religious market." Mithra from Persia, Cybele from Phrygia, Isis from Egypt, and Christianity from the desert all competed within it. As mentioned earlier, the main element of Cybele worship was festivals, while the main element of Mithra worship was warfare.

"Is Mithra the god of war?"

Actually, he wasn't exactly a god of war. Mithra was a god of contracts. He stood as the sun in the heavens, witnessing everything. He promised rebirth after death, and thus was widely worshipped by the Roman army. Pompey, for example, was a follower of Mithraism. However, while Mithraism existed in Persia long ago, the main body of Mithraism developed entirely within Rome. The Romans simply invited Mithra to be their god.

"So that's how it is. But in the end, it was Christianity that won? Why did Christianity win?"

Well, I can't discuss Mithraism's strategy. But it held the hallmarks of all Persian religions: believe it or not, it requires a bit of a mental twist to accept it, but once you do, you're deeply committed. Of course, this was the Mithra of the past, not the Mithras Helios of the present, just as I am the Apollo of this era. Ultimately, Mithraism lost, and that had something to do with their sinister behavior.

"I think I've figured it out. Mithraic temples are all underground, right? There's a Mithraic temple at Lake Nemi, but I didn't see any trace of it after the battle."

Because Mithraism was sometimes literally a "secret cult." The initiation ceremony was free, but it was a waste of time. However, as mentioned earlier, Roman high-ranking figures like Pompey sought solace in Mithraism, sometimes also for connections. This led to widespread Mithraism within the Roman army and even among Roman emperors, such as Diocletian and Aurelian. Therefore, Mithraic temples were quite widespread. Oh, and I don't know if you're aware of this, but I'm here.

"Mithraism has also come to us? Where?"

The Roman Mithras is the Persian Mithra, the Vedic Mitra, and the Maitreya. Yes, Mithra is Maitreya, and they have exactly the same meaning, just with a different pronunciation.

"Maitreya??? I've been dealing with Maitreya Buddha before?"

No, Maitreya is a future thing. Maitreya has not yet been born. The present Mithra is only the present Mithra. You are not dealing with Maitreya.

"So, the White Lotus Sect's stories about the Mother of No Birth, the Vacuum Homeland, Maitreya's Descent, and the Dragon Flower Dharma Assembly are all..."

"Yes, it seems strange, doesn't it? This is actually the promise of the apocalyptic savior, the Longhua Dharma Assembly. So, you didn't expect Mithra to have been here before. So if you want to find a way to maintain the spiritual network, you can consult him. After all, he was the one who led the Roman Lantern Festival."

Chapter 268 Sweeping the Floor

"Are the symbols on this surface really related? I'm referring to Mithra and Maitreya."

Originally, there wasn't. No matter how you think about it, the White Lotus couldn't possibly have anything to do with Pompey. But when the symbolic realm truly exists, they do. Perhaps the method of the Burning Lantern Field is more suitable for you—it's basically a base station, a tower. It's just that your tower is built upwards, while the Mithraic Temple is dug underground. Essentially, both are aimed at guiding humanity into the transcendental realm.

"That makes sense. Okay, I'll make a note of it. But the final plan still needs to be determined after talking with Daozu. Speaking of which, Daozu is quite considerate of me. He knows I'm quite busy lately, so he asked me to see him again tomorrow afternoon."

After putting away the notebook, Shangluo took out the key and prepared to open the door.

[The old man is quite good. I'm tired and want to sleep.]

"It's only what time you go to bed. Don't go to bed now, I'm going to play games with them online for a while after dinner, and then go to sleep after playing."

[Oh my god! Are you all addicted to the internet? Huh? Why did you stop?]

"The door is not locked." Shangluo's key stopped in the keyhole. He found that the door was open and the door lock was not locked.

He twisted the door halfway and opened it with the key.

[Did the Jinyiwei help you sweep the floor? ]

"The Imperial Guards aren't a cleaning company. Since I haven't been back for so many years, it's only natural for them to help me clean. I've already moved back, so why would they come help with the cleaning? They're not that idle."

He put his head in the door—a beam of white light came towards him.

[Ah, so shiny! What's that? It's... the floor! Wow! The floor is so clean! As clean as a mirror! Not a speck of dust at all. Wow! The table, chairs, and benches are all polished to a shine!]

Swish, swish, swish

A figure sweeping the floor with a broom wandered past the living room.While dangling, she swept the floor one after another.

Seeing the light coming in from the door, Phaethon glanced at the door.