Ming Dynasty, New Rome, and Infinite Divine Machine

"No, no, no, that's not the case. There's no hatred between us, and we don't owe each other anything right now. I'm giving you two taels because I have no funds at the moment. Even I use my family's salary account to pay for food - but that's not my money after all, so I have to be frugal."

"Two taels isn't enough, is it?"

"Are you going to move out?"

"No, I'll just stay at your house. After all, I don't really want to go anywhere else right now. This place is great."

"Then you don't have to pay for food and shelter. Two taels is just pocket money. It's more than my pocket money. I can't spend that much every month."

"But no matter what, two taels is too little. I work for you so I can trade with you for my father's heart someday. How can two taels of silver a month be enough? Even if I work for you for 2 years, I'll only get 2 taels. Do you think my 10 years of time are worth that? Or are you going to be merciful and return my father's heart to me for a few hundred taels?"

"So my proposal also includes the other half - after our plan is successfully implemented, I will be the first to give you a raise! As long as you have faith in the future of mankind, this is a job with a bright future, isn't it? Look at the future, Miss Phaethon. White holes, a white tomorrow awaits us."

[That's it, coo coo coo. Come and eat the cake, girl.]

"Are you painting cakes for me? That's called painting cakes to appease hunger, right?"

"Tsk, you saw through me." Shangluo was a little disappointed.

"Come on, Shangluo boy, we Romans have all taken the 'Academic Aurora Language' course, which is compulsory education. Of course I know the allusion of painting a cake to appease hunger, but it's not impossible. Two taels is two taels."

"Why, would you like to eat this cake?"

"I don't have any other choice, do I? You're just like my father, always trying to trick people with irresistible excuses. I'm afraid you've got something wrong."

"I didn't consume your father's divinity directly. It was refined. The part I ate was just the power. It's harmless to me. Well, since you agreed, let me explain the job description."

“Where do we work?”

"Here, the key." Shangluo handed over the key to the office. "There's only one for now. I haven't been to see it in person yet, but it's a nice place, inside the Grand Palace. I'll go meet Daozu tomorrow morning, and then you can go clean up the office, just as if it were a new beginning."

"Is there anyone else in our office?"

"There will be a few more people, my friends and teammates. Including you, we should have five people now. Including Apollonia, it's six, quite complete. The specific plan can be finalized after I discuss it with Daozu tomorrow morning. You don't have to worry about it for now, just go and sweep the floor."

Chapter 275 Clock

"Good morning." Phaethon lifted Shangluo's quilt.

"What are you doing!!! You scared me."

"You asked me to wake you up. Is there a problem? Why aren't you awake yet?"

"Because I don't know what time it is. I can control my own sleep and sleep schedule. In theory, I can go to bed and wake up at any time. But I can only look at the clock with my eyes open, so when I wake up depends on the weather. What time is it now?

"Yujing 6:30:02. Any questions?"

"No problem." Shangluo rubbed his face to make himself more awake.

"If you're alright, get up and I'll make the bed."

This was the first time Shangluo had been kicked out of bed, at least not in quite a long time. When he lived with Lao Shang before, he got up on time every day and didn't need Lao Shang to wake him up.

"Wait a minute, I'll sleep a little longer and remember. Ah, actually I'm still a little sleepy, I need to sleep for another 10 minutes."

"Get up!" Phaethon reached out and pulled out the bed sheet. Shangluo turned around and said, "I don't know how you can sleep with such a big thing on your shoulders!"

[Ahhh! What's going on?! There's an earthquake! Why are you spinning in circles?!] This time, Apollonia was also awakened.

"Blame your little niece. She wouldn't let me sleep and pulled my sheets."

"Ah, it's so early in the morning, can't I sleep? Don't move around, and walk quietly. I still live upstairs from you."

"What do you mean by living upstairs from me?" Before he could finish his words, he heard snoring in his ears.

[Ha. Ha. Hu.] Apollonia fell asleep immediately.

“It’s great to be young”

He got out of bed and put on his slippers.

Phaethon was still standing in his room, sniffing something while he was talking to Apollonia.

"What are you doing? Sniffing around in my room."

She frowned and lowered her head to smell Shangluo's quilt.

"smell good."

"Hey! Sis, what you said is scary in every sense of the word! What do you mean by saying I smell good?!"

"It's an objective description. Actually, I felt that way yesterday, and the scent was even more pronounced when I came to your room today. It smells like the Atlantic Ocean."

"What's the metaphor for the taste of the Atlantic Ocean? Did you and Apollonia both attend a Martian language school?"

"We both had the same teacher and took classes together. So, how did you get that smell?"

"After becoming a celestial being, your body can cleanse itself, so that's probably why it has a fragrance. Speaking of which, can you please maintain a sense of boundaries with me? Why are you asking this all of a sudden?"

"I'm just a little disappointed. It's so good to be a celestial being. I can control my own schedule and clean my body. But now even my hair has returned to its mortal state. When I combed my hair just now, the ends of my hair split."

"When hair grows long, it tends to split easily. I used to have split ends too, so I have to be very careful when washing and combing my hair."

“But now it’s not forked.”

"I say," Shangluo put his hands on his hips, "you have such a big thing on your shoulders, why are you still worrying about your hair?"

"Because of my dignity, I pay close attention to my image. If I go back now, I will definitely be pitied."

"For example, Mr. Titus, right?"

"Do you know him too? He's a very kind man. We've worked together before. It's because they're so nice to me that I can't stand being pitied. I should be the one protecting them, not them protecting me."

"Well, I understand this feeling of disappointment." Shangluo wanted to reach out and pat his shoulder, but stopped herself. Firstly, she was a girl, and secondly, patting someone's shoulder was also a form of sympathy.

He withdrew his hand. "Good luck, then. Can you restore it?"

Shangluo wanted to say that Phaethon might be able to cultivate immortality now. However, before consulting Daozu, he didn't want to give Phaethon unrealistic expectations. Her pride was more fragile than he'd imagined.

"No. The opportunity to become a demigod is something you only encounter once in a while. The most controllable way is to ascend to godhood. When my father ascended to godhood, I, as the son of God, was promoted to demigod. Now, I may have to consider some plans of my own. Of course, don't worry, I won't delay my work here. After all, I have accepted your employment."

Breakfast was still instant noodles, because Phaethon only made instant noodles. Compared to yesterday, she made three cents worth of Tom Yum Goong noodles today, which were made in Siam.

Although it costs only 3 cents, it still contains noodles and powder packets.

However, the taste of the powder packet is very interesting. In this small packet of powder, some of the taste of Tom Yum Goong soup can be restored.

"Have you eaten enough?" he asked Phaethon.

"full."

"Well, let's get to work. Take your office keys and go ahead. I'll have a meeting at Daozu's and be back soon. Hand me the uniform."

He put on his school uniform over his shirt, then put on his furoshiki and hung his hunting knife at his waist.

Phaethon was also wearing a similar school uniform. He was wearing this when he came that day.

This wasn't surprising; all the middle schools in Yujing had similar uniforms, practically identical except for the insignia. Phaethon's uniform lacked an insignia, so it didn't represent any particular school.

"Hmm? Your furoshiki looks really unique. Is this popular now?"

"Uh," he was not sure how to answer. He did not want Phaethon to know that Helios' heart was inside because he did not want to "test" Phaethon's patience. As it turned out, this guy could not stand the test of time.

“It’s a popular element.”

"It's really fashionable." She couldn't help but touch her hair again

"Do you have any lotion that can nourish hair?"

"Shampoo? I usually go to the store nearby and buy a bottle for around ten or twenty coins. I just use it to wash my hair."

"Those two bottles in the bathroom you mentioned? I used them, and they made my split ends worse."

"Hmm." Shangluo hadn't cared much about his hair originally, but after putting himself in Phaethon's shoes, he understood why it was so important—it was a symbol of dignity. The most striking characteristic of someone's fall from demigod status was their hair becoming mortal. This was a huge psychological gap for her.

"There seem to be better ones." Shangluo thought about it and felt like he had seen them before. "I remember Nanyang Department Store seemed to have them. And that mail-order brochure, have you seen it? You can take a look."

"Okay." She casually tied her hair up into the high ponytail she had worn when they first met. This was Phaethon's usual style. At least it allowed her to regain some of her old self.

"Go out." Phaethon opened the door in front of her. This was the first time she faced the world under the sun with her mortal body.

Chapter 276 Honors

"You're here? You're very punctual. I remember that sometimes you would be a little late." Zhu Xianxun had just come out of Yuxi Palace - he didn't meet Shangluo every time now, because he had his own time for alchemy.

"Because I was woken up in the morning."

"Are you and Phaethon getting along well? How do you feel about having a lovely girl at home?"

"It feels like I have an extra porcelain doll and I'm afraid I'll break it."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Psychologically, I mean psychologically. The more I think about it, the more I feel like I still have a lot to do."

"Well, go ahead." Zhu Xianxun patted his shoulder. "Daozu is in a good mood. Maybe something good will happen today."

"Daozu." Shangluo stood at the foot of Danbi and bowed. This was the courtesy shown to the teacher during the morning class, and it was also the courtesy shown to the master.

"Come closer."

Shangluo walked up to the alchemy furnace.

"Come closer and talk."

"???" Shangluo glanced to the side - "Lv Fang" standing there had already made way and made a gesture of invitation.

This was the first time he was invited into the inner chamber of Yuxi Palace. Based on his previous impression, Zhu Xianxun had only been there once.

"clear."

He straightened his collar and walked into the inner chamber of Yuxi Palace from Lu Fang's side.

Zhu Xianxun mentioned that the layout inside is exactly the same as the Yuxi Palace in the Western Garden of the Shuntian Palace. If so, there should be a pavilion-like sanctuary inside where the Taoist master sits. Below is Taiji.

as predicted.

Shangluo walked in. There were no glittering decorations inside, and it even felt more like life than outside. A "recluse" stood in the center of the inner room, veiled by a curtain. The curtains were drawn, making it difficult to see inside. It seemed empty, yet its outlines were faintly visible.

The floor was spotless, and ochre-yellow curtains hung between the pillars. If anything was different, it was the four niches in the wall large enough to hold images of the Heavenly Kings, and there were indeed four of them.

Yes, there wasn't just Daozu inside; there were five of them, including Daozu. Outside the sanctuary, four shrines revealed transparent golden figures.

Shangluo recognized the first one on the left. It was the old Taoist priest Zhang Tianshi Sanfeng whom he had met in Nanyang. He was wearing the same formal attire as last time and stood there solemnly holding a cane. There were three others.

There was a person standing quietly in the empty space, with a sword hanging behind him.

There was a person sitting upright on the spiritual platform, with a faint halo appearing behind him.

There was another person leaning against a folding chair, wearing large sunglasses and holding a plate, seemingly eating shrimp dumplings. Yes, shrimp dumplings, Shangluo could see that the shrimp had also been projected golden. There was also something like a speaker next to the chair.

"Good morning, everyone." Shangluo was stunned by this scene. He didn't expect that Daozu was not the only one who wanted to see him today.

"Well, good morning." The man eating the shrimp dumplings dipped some soy sauce and ate the last shrimp dumpling on the plate. Then he put the plate outside the "screen" and wiped his hands with a piece of paper.

"Don't be nervous," he said as he wiped his hands. "I didn't call you here today to question you, but to confer honors on you. Daojun, shall we begin now?"

"Let's start." The Taoist ancestor in the middle spoke.

"Ahem." The man who had been wiping his hands stood up and patted his collar. "Well, young friend Shangluo, let me introduce you all first. Those before you, summoned by Lord Dao, are our dynasty's four Heavenly Masters who protect the nation."

"The first one is the Jade Purity Inner Prime Minister, the Great Celestial Lord Chunyang, Lv Tianshi Dongbin."

"The second one is Qingxu Xuanmiao Tianzun, Zhang Tianshi Sanfeng. You know him."

"The third one is Changchun Yandao Tianzun, Qiu Tianshi Chuji."

"Fourth place"

Daozu took over his words: "The fourth one, you probably know him, and you've probably heard of him. Xuanfeng Yongzhen Tianzun, and Sa Tianshi Shoujian."

"Ah! It's that one!" Shangluo had vaguely guessed it just now, but he didn't expect it was really that one.

"Well, have you seen my movie?" Master Sa Tianshi asked him.

"No, but I bought the tickets and just couldn't see it. I'm going to see it this week."

"Oh, it seems we are destined to be together. Thank you for your presence. I'm speaking to you from the set. The second film of Wang Lingguan's film has already started shooting. Do you have any questions? Don't panic. As I said before, I'm here to award honors, not to question you."

"Wang Lingguan, is he a real person?"