Ming Dynasty, New Rome, and Infinite Divine Machine

He turned around and said, "You're here to make some money, right? I figured you might know some magic. How about this, can you tell me my fortune and see how I can win the jackpot? I'm just having fun. It's the same whether I bet on the shot clock or you."

"Ahem!" Shangluo finally found his line and coughed twice. "Yin Yang, Five Elements, Ten Hexagrams, Nine out of Ten are effective. If they don't work, no money. I'll calculate it for you first, and you can pay me if it's correct."

"Hmm, interesting." The bald man thought about it for a moment and agreed. Anyway, his daily life was just playing marbles, and chatting with Shangluo could help him relieve boredom.

"Okay, I'll help you with your fortune."

He asked Apollonia: "Hey, can you tell it accurately?"

[Giving a hexagram is a piece of cake, but how you interpret it is actually more important. You interpret it yourself. I can only help you so far. Come, draw a card.]

Shangluo opened the box and didn't shuffle the cards, but just picked one at random.

In Chapter 64, the upper hexagram, with two lines connected, represents the Xun Wind. The lower hexagram, with three lines separated, represents the Kun hexagram. The upper and lower hexagrams, when combined, form the 20th of the hexagrams, the "Guan" hexagram.

"Well, this is your hexagram." Shangluo showed him the cards.

"That's it? You just pick a random card and it's the hexagram? Hey young man, even fortune-telling stalls aren't that simple!"

"Tsk, you don't understand that, do you? A true fortune teller often only needs simple divination methods. Look at the old Emperor Jiajing—the Emperor Wanshou, the True Lord Feiyuan, the Emperor Zhongxiao, he just divinated casually. Divination is about fate, and when fate arrives, any method will do."

"Yeah, that's right. So what does this hexagram say?"

"Don't worry, I'm helping you interpret the hexagram."

Shangluo pretended to recite the formula and began to ask the meaning of Apollonia's hexagram in his heart.

Next time, you should review your hexagram reading. The hexagram of Guan says, "wash but do not offer, you have faith and respect." This means that after you have observed the grand opening ritual of pouring wine on the ground, there's no need to read the subsequent offerings. Because you've already seen the Dao, there's no need to be bound by formalities.

"Guan Gua: Wash but do not offer sacrifices. You have faith and respect." Shangluo recited, shaking his head, applying what he was learning. "This means that you should see beyond the surface to see your essence. If you haven't been able to win money on the small steel ball machine, the problem isn't the machine. You need to change your thinking. Your problem lies in something more fundamental. Don't dwell on the surface."

Chapter 22 Blessed Fate

"Go on." The bald man still sat there.

"Okay, I'll tell you a change." Although Shangluo didn't know how to tell fortunes, he knew the original hexagram and the change hexagram. The original hexagram described the current situation, and the change hexagram described what to do in the future.

As he said this, he drew another one.

The new cards have three horizontal lines on the top and three breaks on the bottom.

This is the 'No' hexagram. Apollonia knew he couldn't understand it, so she told him directly, "No, no. Just take it literally. Explain it to him."

"Alas, sir, you are unlucky."

"Kid," the bald man interrupted him, "even I know that there are only a limited number of variations that can be associated with a given hexagram. You can just pick any one of the given hexagrams, but how can you pick any variation of it? What hexagram do you have in your hand?"

"Which is it?" Shangluo felt a little unconfident after hearing what he said.

When he heard this word, the bald man was stunned.

"Fei Gua. Fei Gua Fei Gua," he kept repeating the words. "The original Gua is 'Guan' Gua, and the changed Gua is 'Fei' Gua."

He was stunned for a moment, muttering to himself, "'Observe the glory of the country and make use of it to serve the king.' Is there a country in Dai Chen? If it is not here, it is in a foreign country; if it is not in oneself, it is in one's descendants. Glory is far away and shines from others."

[He is reciting Zuo Zhuan!] Apollonia was shocked:

The original hexagram is Guan, and the changing hexagram is Fei. This hexagram appears in Zuo Zhuan. When Tian Wan of Chen was born, his father divined for him and received this hexagram. This hexagram indicates that Tian Wan's royal aura lies not in Chen, but abroad, far away. His royal aura lies not in himself, but in his descendants; the "abroad" here refers to Qi. And the royal aura in his descendants refers to the Tian clan replacing Qi. After Tian Wan fled Qi, his descendants, after 122 years, finally replaced the Jiang clan of Qi and established Tian Qi.

"Ha! I get it! I get it!" The bald, tattooed man suddenly stood up. "So this hexagram means that I shouldn't be in my own casino, but should go to another casino! Light shines from afar. I should go to the Paramount Hotel, which is the farthest from here! Going there will bring good fortune! Young man." He looked at Shangluo:

"I'll be there right now, wait here. When I win, I'll give you half as my fortune-telling fee! Don't leave, take this drink voucher and sit in the restaurant on the second floor for a while. It's my treat."

After the bald man finished speaking, he turned around and was about to leave.

"Hey! Wait a minute!" Shangluo stopped him, "I...I haven't finished what I want to say yet."

"Then please speak." He just stood there and listened patiently.

"You just said you'd give me half, so your destiny is here. No matter how much you earn today, you must use it all for charity and not keep it for yourself. If you do this, good will come to you and your fate will be changed. If you keep even a little, you'll never make a penny from the gambling table again in your life."

Shangluo estimated that the bald man would not be able to win much money, so he simply created an image of an open-minded and unworldly master for himself, preparing to play the long game to catch a big fish.

The bald man was stunned for a moment, then clasped his fists and said, "Thank you for your advice. See you this afternoon."

"So, that's it?"

Shangluo picked up the iced cocoa that had just been served and took a sip.

[I don't know. This hexagram wasn't even your interpretation; it was his own. But generally speaking, it should be fine—if the interpretation is correct, then he'll definitely have great luck today. As for doing good deeds to change his luck, that's something you added yourself, not me. Are you sure you don't want the gambling money?]

"No rush. Anyway, we can play the long game and do good deeds at the same time. Look, isn't Fuyuan here? There are also drink coupons. I want to try the authentic Mayan cream cocoa."

At five o'clock in the afternoon, Shangluo was still sitting in the restaurant on the second floor. Although he still had a debt of 270 million, he was not anxious at all when he thought that more debt is better than less.

Sitting in the restaurant on the second floor, he held a newspaper in one hand and iced cocoa in the other.

There were eight large, straight cups on the table, each with traces of cocoa in it, some iced and some hot.

"Ah, as expected, Maya's cocoa is the most authentic. I finally got to drink it. It's worth it. Tons, tons, tons."

After finishing another drink, he leaned back.

He simply couldn't drink any more. Even if it tasted good, eight cups of it in one afternoon had already filled his stomach to a bulge.

"Let me see, this drink voucher looks like it can be used to order alcohol. Waiter, give me a tequila base, and the rest is up to you."

"Minors are not allowed to drink." A strong arm handed over a new can of cocoa. Shangluo looked up and saw that it was the bald man from before.

"Sir, you're back? How were the results?" Shangluo asked him hurriedly—because Shangluo himself wanted to know if Apollonia was effective. This was related to whether he should take the Foundation Establishment Pill.

"It's not convenient here, let's go upstairs and talk."

"But the cocoa isn't finished yet, we can't waste it."

"It's okay, I'll have someone pack it for you."

“Can’t I take the drink vouchers to go?”

"Someone, come and pack his food up and take it away!" the bald man shouted towards the counter.

"Yes, Your Highness! I'll be there soon!"

On the top floor of the Chichen Itza Hotel, directly beneath the Tzolkin calendar clock, the vast office, big enough to accommodate a family of three, was empty. Even the good lighting couldn't stop the chill from wafting through the marble tiles. Besides the marble desk, facing the window, there was only a shabby chair.

If you take away the chairs, this place is even cleaner than an operating room. It's spotless and spotless.

"Please take a seat. It's a bit cold here, so let's cut to the chase." The tattooed, bald man had already donned a cotton cloak. Embroidered on it was the myth of the Fifth Epoch Sun God's birth, the same scene as depicted in the relief carvings on the building's exterior.

"Well, let me introduce myself first. You might have figured it out by now. I am Palka V, the 59th Priest-King of Chichen Itza. Palka means shield in Mayan."

"Hmm. So, what's the result?"

"Let's be frank. You're a member of the Imperial Guards who's here for a secret investigation, right? I initially thought you were just here to investigate. I didn't expect that. Anyway, let me help you solve your own problem first."

"My job? What job?"

"I have some friends in Pinkerton who say a member of the Imperial Guard is on his way here. They say he's tracking down a fugitive who owes the court a huge sum of 270 million. Are you here to track him down?"

"Forehead"

"You don't have to tell me." Parka looked at him. "From a public perspective, I'll definitely help you. From a private perspective, your prophecy has earned me a whopping 540 million! The manager at the Paramount was waiting in line to count the money for an hour, otherwise I would have returned long ago. I've heard that every Jinyiwei is extraordinary, but I didn't expect that every one I met would be a 'land immortal'!"

"540 million??? Then half of it is..." Shangluo didn't pay attention to the following words.

"Yes, I should have given you 270 million. But you are indeed a member of the Imperial Guard. You knew I could earn so much, but you were still not tempted by wealth. Your state of mind is truly incomparable to us ordinary people."

"???" Shangluo was stunned for a moment. "You... Oh, forget it. Anyway, you want to donate the money, right? That way you can change your luck?"

"Change your luck?" Parka shook his head. "What kind of luck do you mean? Don't get me wrong, I'll definitely donate the money. But I'm quitting gambling—why would I gamble anymore? The art of gambling no longer exists; this is simply a battle of divination! I can win an entire afternoon with just a random fortune-teller. Why gamble without any magical skills? I'll never gamble again. By the way, wait a moment."

He picked up the phone on the table. "Hello, call the Pontianak Stock Exchange for me. I want to sell all my Chichen Itza shares. Yes, all the remaining ones. Call, call now! Why are you still running a casino? Are you waiting to use it as an ATM? I think Las Vegas will be ruined soon. I'll sell all the other properties in Las Vegas too!"

The bald man hung up the phone and continued his conversation with Shangluo: "I was wondering why I couldn't earn enough money to restore the country. It turns out it's because I don't know the immortal arts. Sorry, Brother Immortal Master, let's continue. I'm afraid the divination you gave me doesn't just tell me to make money. Is there some other deeper meaning?"

Then he stood up and bowed deeply to Shangluo. "Please help us tell the Maya another divination! Please tell me how we can take our country back from the United Fruit Company! If you can help Chichen Itza recover, you will be the Grand Master of all the Itza people! From now on, you will perform the sacrifices and divide the meat. If you can guide us, you can get half of everything in Chichen Itza!"

Chapter 23 United Fruit

[Tsk, tsk, tsk, you didn't take advantage of the chance I gave you, Mr. Reserved Grand Master.] Seeing that he had truly won the prize, Apollonia taunted him from the void, [You didn't want the blessing before, so now you'll be embarrassed to ask for it.]

"How could I have known it would be so fast? Aren't you overly accurate? How did it suddenly become a critical hit, instantly reaching the full 270 million taels?"

"You blame me? It's obviously your own fault for not trusting me. And if I'd known, would I have taken that bullet? I already told you, interpreting the hexagram is more important than divination. Let's not blame each other, okay?"

"Master Shangluo," Palka asked, lowering his voice, noticing the difficulty on his face. "Can you promise us? Can you save Chichen Itza? Can you save the Mayans? If you're truly too busy to guide us, could you please tell your master to find the great Master to come and save us?"

"Um"

Shangluo thought about it. The imperial court must have known about this. Helping the Mayan city-states restore their independence would be a piece of cake, yet the imperial court turned a blind eye. There must be some deeper meaning behind this, and he wasn't about to get involved lightly.

But out of personal affection, he still wanted to help the person who had treated him to an afternoon of creamy cocoa. After all, he had helped him verify Apollonia's reliability. It was just that Apollonia was too reliable.

The surroundings were deserted. The large office had been emptied out, and all that could be moved out had been used to pay off debts. Business at the Chichen Itza Hotel had also declined significantly, and they were not doing well.

"How about this," Shangluo raised his head. "I'd like to first ask Maya why this happened. From my perspective, the simultaneous bankruptcy of all 17 Mayan city-states is quite bizarre. What's the reason for all this?"

"Well, it's not a long story. Master Shang, have you ever eaten a banana?"

"Banana? I've eaten it."

"No, you haven't." Parka looked him in the eye. "To be more precise, you haven't tasted a real 'banana'. Do you find it strange that many banana-flavored drinks and snacks taste completely different from the 'bananas' you usually eat?"

Shangluo thought for a while and nodded.

He did have this feeling. For example, banana-flavored potato chips, banana-flavored candies, and banana-flavored soda tasted completely different from the bananas you usually eat.

"Then why is that?"

"Because 'bananas' have long been extinct. 37 years ago, a sudden epidemic swept through the global banana industry, and all the banana plantations in the 17 Mayan city-states withered in just three months. Within a year, all bananas in the world were wiped out. Now, only a few 'precious fruit orchards' remain in the Yanping County of Southeast Asia. These orchards are strictly isolated from outside pollution and retain a few genuine banana trees. The annual production is very limited, and most of it is given away as tribute and gifts."

"Why is there a global extinction so soon? Bananas are not people, and bananas can't run."

"Because bananas are different from other crops. The birth of the banana industry was based on a coincidence - because all bananas are actually copies of the same banana plant. That banana was called the 'Grocery Michel' and was discovered by a captain named Mike on a small island in Jamaica. That banana was a rare triploid seedless banana - plump, sweet and fragrant, but because it was seedless, it could not reproduce naturally. Since then, the 'Grocery Michel' has been planted in tropical regions around the world, and all bananas are cultivated through asexual reproduction."

"No wonder there's something off about those banana-flavored snacks these days. Turns out it's the flavor of the Gros Michel. Did the Gros Michel go extinct so suddenly?"

"Yes. It was truly sudden. Some say it started in Africa, some in Southeast Asia, and some in the Maya. But that doesn't matter anymore. That shock 37 years ago destroyed the world's banana industry. For four years, not a single banana was consumed globally."

"But will just one season of no harvest really make you all bankrupt?" Shangluo still couldn't understand why he went bankrupt.

The Maya, a civilization of considerable antiquity, thrived in a region ideal for agricultural production. The dense rainforest provided favorable conditions for simultaneous rainfall and heat, and thanks to modern agriculture, production has skyrocketed. It's hard to imagine the Maya collapsing due to the disappearance of a single banana variety.

"Of course it wouldn't be possible under normal circumstances. The warehouses at Chichen Itza were designed for war preparations. When we resisted the Spanish invaders, we could have held the citadel for years without leaving. But at that time, all Mayan city-states accepted United Fruit's 'New Dawn' plan. United Fruit purchased bananas at a price slightly above market price, and the purchase was almost unlimited.

"The Mayans were excellent farmers. Within five years, we had converted almost all of their land into plantations, planting Gros Michel bananas. Our yields were 5 times higher than at the start. Yet, United Fruit wasn't satisfied, and the purchase price kept rising. As a result, even the last onlookers started growing bananas."

Parka paused for a long, pregnant moment. Everything that followed was self-explanatory. The impact of the Gros Michel's rapid extinction was unimaginable.

“And you guys went bankrupt?”

"At the time, I had just returned from studying abroad at the Imperial College in Nanjing. I was eager to show my skills, and the commodity futures market was a relatively new concept. I believed this "futures trading" could bring prosperity to the agricultural industry, but meeting futures trading standards required growing high-quality bananas. So, under my leadership, the Mayan city-states and the Lan Fang Company in Southeast Asia jointly established United Fruit to coordinate banana production among the Mayan city-states. Unexpectedly, United Fruit would become the dominant force.

"After the banana extinction, we defaulted on a large scale in the commodity futures market, dragging even insurance companies into bankruptcy. The Mayan states fell into a financial crisis and were forced to sell off their territory to repay debts. You have to understand that each Mayan city-state was only about the size of a county in Kinai, and Chichen Itza was only slightly larger. Our size simply couldn't withstand the impact of history, coupled with our large population. We had no choice but to sell off our country in exchange for aid, and in the end, we avoided a major disaster. Now I'm growing a different kind of banana, discovered a few years later, but I can never go back to the way I was before."

"Why didn't you report it to the court?"

"Are you kidding? Even going bankrupt and selling out the country still managed to maintain its prosperity, and I'm still the ruler of Chichen Itza. But this matter, which weighs a thousand pounds, had it really reached Yujing, wouldn't it have been a disaster? None of our 17 city-states would have been able to escape, and all would have been stripped of their fiefdoms. Fortunately, everything was resolved peacefully in the end. The people's livelihoods are as normal, and no major incidents have alarmed the emperor."

Chapter 24: Project New Dawn

"So, that's basically the situation." Parka showed sufficient sincerity and told Shangluo everything. He hoped that Shangluo could once again use his magic to show the way forward for Chichen Itza and even the entire Maya.

"Well let me think about it."

What do you think? Apollonia asked.

"Guan Zhong's demise of Lu was an old trick. He bought up large quantities of Lu's specialty, silk cloth, a high-quality blend of silk and cotton. He induced Lu to change its economic model, converting arable land to silk fields. He then had the King of Qi issue a decree banning the use of silk cloth. Lu's overproduction of silk was left with nowhere to consume it, and with no way to buy grain, Lu starved to death within three years and was forced to submit to Qi."

[Then he should know it too, right? ]

"I'll ask him."

Shang Luo looked at Parka and said, "Your Excellency, I see you've memorized Zuo Zhuan even better than I do. So you should also be familiar with the tactics of 'Guan Zhong's destruction of Lu.' What do you think?"

"That's why I can't get over this. It's kept me awake at night for decades. Look, all my hair has fallen out." He pointed to his bald head. "It's not because of tradition that I shaved it off. When I was studying at the Imperial College in Nanjing, I still had thick hair and no facial tattoos. I never thought that decades later, I would be reduced to this state. I'm embarrassed to see my old classmates."