Ming Dynasty, New Rome, and Infinite Divine Machine

[Aion is the god of light who was born to fight against Archon.]

"Don't use a word I don't understand to explain something I don't understand."

Apollonia was considering her words. "I'll try to find a word that approximates this for you—Iyon is one of the many saints from the 'Emperor.' He's a true god."

"Emperor?" Shang Luo was stunned for a moment. "I still don't understand. Look, I've noticed that sometimes you don't even know what you know, so you need some techniques: Don't you like to use the method of negation? If we can't figure out the definition of something, then we need to figure out what it isn't. The opposite of Yiong is Archon, right? So what is Archon?"

If you ask that, you've already seen an Archon—Elodeasha is one of them.

"Huh? We're going to fight that thing?? That thing just showed half its face and suppressed us, forcing Roma to use all his ultimate skills and still no trace of him. Are you sure I want to fight that thing? Is Elodeasha considered strong in the sky?"

Elodeasha isn't particularly strong, it's just that her army is more capable. Trust me, the military isn't even the biggest problem. In fact, after Rome enters the infinite universe within the nutshell, they and the Archon will engage in direct conflict. With the Lighthouse system, the two sides no longer need to engage in rituals or other forms of communication; they can simply engage in battle in the spirit world.

"I see, it's a wild monster boss?"

【That's right. 】

"So, is Yakong an evil god?"

No, Archon isn't necessarily evil, just as Ion isn't necessarily good—is Helios kind? He doesn't look like a good god in any way. Elodea may be an evil god to the Romans, but to the barbarians in the Romanian mountains, Elodea is their savior. I'd even say that Helios is a heartless machine, while Elodea is a loving god.

"I..." Shangluo touched his head, "I can't seem to tell the difference. Should I really attack Yakong?"

[If I tell you to fight, you fight. If I don't, you fight.]

"What? What if I don't fight? Who won't provide food? These are just your guesses. Even if I'm ordered to fight, I won't consider it until I hear Daozu say it himself. Because Daozu sent me to work, he has already paid me. It's reasonable for me to do the work for money. As for what happened with Irodeasha, it seems to have nothing to do with me."

"Yes, indeed. However, Daozu's appointment of you as the World-Holding Envoy at this time actually has a deeper meaning. He told me to tell you, and this is what I should say—do you know why I ran away?"

"Oh yes, you seem to have an easy time every day. I almost forgot that you were in a very embarrassing situation at the beginning."

Because I oppose the Lighthouse Project. Pulling back from the various defense lines and retreating into the darkness is literally self-destructive. I'm a troublemaker. Why would I venture into the unpredictable darkness when I can live a normal life? Isn't that courting death? But I can't convince them, and I can't stop them.

"why?"

Because they don't want to die. Yes, that's the reason. The purpose of going into the night is, fundamentally, to escape death.

Victoria had mentioned this to him. She'd always said the Romans would "once again stand on equal footing with China," meaning they could achieve immortality in their own way. Seeing others achieve immortality while they themselves faced the pain of birth, aging, sickness, and death, the Romans, given the opportunity, were determined to do something. The Lighthouse Project was their solution.

In fact, I'm a beneficiary myself. I've gained divine power and immortality, and I'm currently at the very goal of the Lighthouse Project. As a beneficiary, I have no right to prevent others from achieving immortality through the same means. Furthermore, I see things progressing step by step in a positive direction, so I have even less reason to stop them. But Daozu's intention should be clear: through me, he wishes to warn you of potential enemies.

He paused. This place wasn't far from Daozu. If there were any problems, Daozu would have reminded me. If there were no problems, then there were no problems.

"So, we will face the same problem as Rome. Some Archons will hinder our immortality."

"Yes. And if we lose in the dark night of Cybernia, everything in Cybernia will be destroyed—that's what Daozu asked me to remind you. What should we do? I've racked my brains and can't figure it out. Only you, the Lord of the World, can do it. After all, you are the one who wants to maintain the world."

Shangluo looked at the empty space and thought for a while.

He raised his head. "This is... He who wears the crown must bear its weight. Wherever I expand my territory, I must conquer the barbarians there. The barbarians will not sit idly by and wait for death; they will surely rise up in resistance. To expand my territory in cyberspace, I will naturally face the cyber barbarians. To fight the technological barbarians, I need the Great Wall and cannons. To fight the cyber barbarians, I need firewalls and antivirus programs. I will build this wall, and I will respond to everyone's wishes. After all, you all treated me to a meal."

[And killing monsters will drop equipment~]

"Yes, killing monsters will also drop equipment. Doing good things and accomplishing great things at the same time—it's called resolving the dilemma of reform and revitalization. But over in Rome, that's like destroying the dikes and flooding the fields, right?"

[That can't be helped. The Romans are eager to become immortals.]

"I'm starting to understand the people of New Antioch. From various perspectives, they seem to be more righteous. Just like Archon and Elodeasha, after all, they are all guarding against Roman invasion. I don't need to understand them. Let's deal with the current situation first. They haven't treated me to a meal. They didn't even offer me a bottle of Wangzai milk."

Changchun Palace, Zhu Xianxun's office. Shangluo heard a "bang" as he opened the door.

Zhu Xianxun set off a colorful firecracker at the door. "Congratulations, Junior Brother Shangluo, you're taking up your new position today! Everything is finally settled, and I can now focus on handling the affairs of the world. I wish you a happy cooperation in advance."

Chapter 280 Yamen

"Brother, do you already know everything?"

"Yes. The Emperor told me that today he will bestow upon you the title of 'World-Holding Envoy.' Your work can now officially begin. We will fully cooperate with you on all matters related to the heavens. Also, you have chosen Master Sa to teach you, right? Do you understand what's next?"

Shangluo nodded:

"Right now, there are three main points: First, figure out how to get in. Second, figure out how to get out. Third, figure out whether the person who went in, is inside, and is coming out is the same person. Once you figure out all three, we'll be pretty much done."

"So, is there anything I can help you with?"

"I need to investigate for a while. But before I do, there's something I want to know. It's nothing big, but I just want you to fix a lightbulb for me."

"Lightbulb?" Zhu Xianxun was stunned for a few seconds. "Ah, that lightbulb you mentioned last time, right? The one on the Hercules? Honestly, I find it a little strange, too. Now that we've decided to explore this, it's not a good idea to leave this unsolved problem hanging around. Wait, I'll make a call."

He picked up the phone and shook it a few times: "Please connect me to the cabinet and let Elder Liu answer the phone."

A few minutes later, he hung up and called another number:

"Help me connect with the Nanyang Minister and let Guoxing answer the phone."

After a few minutes, he hung up the phone:

"Alright, let's let the cabinet handle it first. They'll find it strange. The six departments of Yujing and Fengjing are directly under the jurisdiction of the cabinet. Let the two capitals and Nanyang handle this matter first. If they can't handle it, we can expand the scope. We should have results in a few days. Once the Hercules is done with this flight, we'll sail to Yujing for an inspection."

"It's really convenient. Just make a phone call and it's done."

"If there were a spiritual network, it would be much faster, and we could chat face to face. Then I wouldn't have to run back and forth to the palace all the time. I could just set up a conference room at home and call the cabinet to a meeting. Actually, live broadcasting on TV wouldn't be a problem either."

"Oh? We can have a live TV call now?"

Zhu Xianxun thought for a moment:

"Well, maybe it's different from the TV you have back home? Or maybe the technology is just more primitive. Simply put, it's not a question of whether it can be 'live broadcast,' it's that you can't do anything else. If you want to show a movie, you can only point a camera at a screen. It's basically like a microphone and a speaker: the camera feeds in here, the screen outputs there, that's it."

"What about the TV picture?"

"It can project black and white images with a clarity comparable to film, but that's all it can do. It's good enough for conversations or speeches, and they'll probably be installed in many public places soon, at least for broadcasting news and emergency announcements. But for actual broadcasting, we'll probably still have to figure out how to store the images."

Apollonia provided more information: [I looked it up for you. To put it in your perspective: This was the case with early television technology. Before digital signals, there were analog signals, and there was no way to store the signals between analog signals. Analog video recording didn't mature until around the 20s, and the first experimental videotape recorder wasn't manufactured until 50.]

"So that's it."

"How is it?" Zhu Xianxun asked, "Is there a lot of room for improvement in television technology?"

"Yeah. But we're about to connect to the spiritual network. We'll probably just skip the analog and digital signals and go straight to the new stage of television signals."

"Oh~~ Very good, very good." Zhu Xianxun nodded, "I am still looking forward to the day when I can sit at home and watch TV. After all, only radio programs are relatively complete now. A few experimental TV programs can only be broadcast live, so there is nothing good to watch except news and stage performances. I also plan to watch Wang Lingguan, but..."

"Isn't that good?"

"That's not impossible. Master Sa Tianshi said that even if it can only be broadcast live, he can still broadcast Wang Lingguan: cut out all the unnecessary plots, sensational parts, and cause and effect in each episode, and just let Wang Lingguan's actor fight the villains directly. This way, each episode will only take five minutes to perform. We only need to rehearse a five-minute stage play every day, and we can also do some outdoor scenes from time to time."

"Why do I feel like this show might be a bit magical?"

"Is that so? I think it's not bad. I can watch Wang Lingguan beat up bad guys in the time it takes to eat breakfast."

"I mean, I'm just hypothetically thinking, if we cut out all the context, wouldn't it be like this? A 'bad guy' appears on the TV screen, doing nothing but strolling leisurely down the street. Suddenly, Wang Lingguan descends from the sky, indiscriminately beats him up, and sends him flying off screen."

Zhu Xianxun thought for a moment, "It seems a bit too exciting. You're going to meet with Master Sa Tianshi, right? Why don't you just ask Master Sa Tianshi himself? I think that would be quite interesting. By the way, you have a meeting over there too, right? Are you going to start investigating the Black Stone?"

"No. Actually, the first thing we did was to go see a movie with a group."

"Huh? Are you some kind of student activity club?"

"Brother!" Shangluo was waiting for them at Xiamafang. Han Xingzhi was the first to arrive. "I'm coming! I'm coming! One arrow pierces the clouds, and thousands of troops descend upon us! Is there some secret mission you want us to handle?"

"Yes." Shangluo nodded, "We have a very important confidential mission to do tomorrow afternoon."

That's true. Meeting with Master Sa Tianshi was indeed a very important and confidential mission. The key point was that Master Sa Tianshi would be guiding the club's activities and giving Shangluo guidance. It was even more confidential. Although Master Sa Tianshi was the director, he didn't reveal himself to be the Tianshi. This was a secret.

"Oh~~~ That's so cool. So, big brother, have you thought about it? What should we call our mysterious organization?"

"What kind of mysterious organization? It sounds like the White Lotus Sect. We are part of the imperial court, though no one controls us. But I personally received the 'Talisman' from the Taoist Ancestor."

"Oh!!! You're opening! So cool!"

That was true. To some extent, this was indeed the beginning of a shogunate, with Wen Yuan, Lu Liang, and Han Xingzhi all serving as staff members—although their current schedule was similar to club activities, consisting of meeting during lunch break, announcing they were going to the movies the following afternoon, and then agreeing on where to meet again.

"It does seem a bit strange. It feels like a club activity. I even gave us a really cool name."

"Brother, do we already have a great club name? Oh, or the name of the government office?"

"We can draw up our own plan. But let's not put up a sign for now. Otherwise, if we keep having dinner here all day long, people who don't know would think we're having a tea party. Well, seriously, we're going to do something big."

"So what was our department's first job?"

"I'm going to the movies tomorrow afternoon. It's business, business, not slacking off. It's business. You'll know when you get there. Ask for leave, saying it's business. I'll approve your note and stamp it with a big red 'business trip' stamp."

Chapter 281 Arrangement

"Watching a movie? Is this our first activity? Hmm. Great." Wen Yuan was a little happy, but not too happy, after learning about the schedule for tomorrow afternoon. "But I can't take a leave this afternoon."

"I can approve a leave of absence for you."

"Ah???" Now everyone was delighted. "Really? What level of leave note? Is it more effective than the Jinyiwei's leave note?"

"Yeah." Shangluo nodded.

"Great! I don't have to go to metalworking class anymore! I hate metalworking class! Sharpening hammers, sharpening hammers, sharpening hammers all day long, it's so annoying. Right, Mr. Monitor?"

"." Lu Liang glanced at the sky, then at the ground, "Well, if you don't want to go, then don't go."

"Really? I think sharpening a hammer is quite fun. I can sharpen it while daydreaming, and it will be sharpened in a while. By the way, does our school have a hammer sharpening class? I'd really like to show off my skills."

"Yes, there are," Han Xingzhi replied, "but that's an elementary school course. It's about sharpening little hammers with sandpaper, and it's said to cultivate one's character. When we were kids, we also played with firing porcelain. We'd make porcelain pieces and send them to the Imperial Kiln to be fired. The result was a riot of colour. But the most exciting thing is the car race. It's about to start, and I want to relax tomorrow afternoon. I want to recharge for the weekend competition."

"Should I go back and practice again? And Wen Yuan."

"No, no, with your driving skills, you two could have won first place even if you were driving backwards. It's called strength suppression—how does that saying go? Although success requires 99% effort, the one percent is indispensable. You two already put in 99% effort before entering the competition. I only contributed that one percent of genius."

Wen Yuan looked at him. "Why do I feel like you're just flattering yourself? You're the 99% and we're the 1% of geniuses."

"Alright, alright, we're all in the 1%, alright? The other teams are the 99%. Oh, and by the way, big brother! What's that surprise you were talking about? Did you prepare some amazing names for us?"

"Well, we'll talk about it when we get there. Oh, we're already here."

Several people stood at the door and found that the building in front of them looked very familiar.

"Why are we in the imperial kitchen?"

The massive concrete fortress-like structure jutted out like a crude block amidst the lush greenery of Purple Mountain. Food was the primary need of the people; even the ministers needed to eat. Therefore, it made perfect sense for the imperial kitchen to be located within the fortress.

"Our office is in the basement of the imperial kitchen."

"." To be on the safe side, Wen Yuan asked first, "Can I ask why?"

“Because it’s air-conditioned.”

Several people fell silent.

Indeed, this was a very good reason. Because power grid equipment was still under experimental testing nationwide, most devices requiring electricity generated their own power, rather than drawing in external lines. Yujing's power grid was relatively mature, with many areas already operating residential electricity. However, given the current uncertainty surrounding the grid, the facilities within the Grand Palace were relatively conservative and not connected to the grid.

This means that lights and the like are relatively easy to install. However, high-power appliances like air conditioners are only available in a few places. Considering the option of "must have air conditioning," there's not much choice. Even the Jinyiwei Yamen didn't have air conditioning, but used ice buckets instead.

With so few people, there was no way to split the work of carrying ice buckets, so they had to use air conditioning. That was either in the three main halls or somewhere like Changchun Palace. Besides that, the only other place was the imperial kitchen. There was central air conditioning for the food, running year-round. While there wasn't warm air in the winter, heating was easier than cooling. A simple oil heater or a foot warmer would suffice.

"As expected of you, Big Brother. You're truly foresighted. Look, Wen Yuan, how could you not have thought of this?"

"Because I have air conditioning at home. I'm used to it, and I don't have to use it outside."

"His house has everything." Lu Liang shook his head. "It's 12 square meters, with three entrances. It's almost as big as the Jinyiwei yamen. He even has a fish pond with dozens of carp. That's Wuyi Lane, right at the doorstep."

"Wait a minute." Han Xingzhi suddenly thought, "When I went to Confucius Temple, I saw a house of similar size next to the former residence of Wang and Xie. It had a high wall facing the street. That was..."

"Yes, that's his house. That's his courtyard wall, and the fish pond is inside. The carp in it all have round bellies."

"Valve! Oh no. Valve! Your house is the valve!"

"What the hell are these valves? It's just the ancestral home. Real valves are like me, with only a few sets of clothes. Why wear school uniforms all day long? I go to the Imperial College. It's all empty inside. Only my grandparents and I live there. The rest of the place is used as a warehouse. Because it's the land of the garrison, we can't rent it out as a store, so it just stays there."

"Eh?" Shangluo thought for a moment, "Then why don't we move the office to your house? It's a bit far from here, so we only need to come once a week."

"No, no, I haven't asked my grandfather yet. He likes quietness, he won't agree."

"Branch, how is the branch?"

"Forehead"

"Operation Center! Secret Base! We'll launch from there!"

"Great!" Wen Yuan suddenly became interested. "I feel it! That's the feeling! No problem, as long as you don't stay at my house all day long."

"Hey." Lu Liang asked, "Do we have to go to his house? It's very troublesome."