Ming Dynasty, New Rome, and Infinite Divine Machine

Chapter 286 Ornaments

"So the Daozu didn't call you 'Shuangmei' or anything like that. It's because he has special expectations for you. Celestial beings can be given titles when they reach the Golden Core stage. For example, there was a Linyou Zhenren from the Jinyiwei, and my master Xu Zhenren, who is generally called 'Spiritual Martial Zhenren.' Above that, the situation is different. Each has its own title, but 'Heavenly Master' is the only one that can't be used casually. This is because the Emperor Taizu Gao said before: 'Does Heaven have a Master?' Without the Daozu confirming this as the Daojun Emperor, no one can be called a Heavenly Master. Therefore, there are only four Heavenly Masters."

"What do other families usually call it above the Jindan stage?"

"That's usually done on their own. For example, a certain immortal, the Sword Immortal Dao is called a Sword Immortal, the Xuanzhen Dao is called a True Immortal, and so on - of course, if you're in the Golden Core Stage, it's okay to be called an immortal, and if you're in the Foundation Establishment Stage, you can also be called an immortal. If you're good at welding, you can be called a Welding Immortal, if you're good at alchemy, you can be called an Alchemy Immortal, it doesn't matter, there's no such thing as too many rules. If you're good at cooking, it's okay to be called a Cooking Immortal. I think Xiao Hu can be called the Perm Immortal, we all come here to get our hair permed."

"Hey hey hey, brother, please don't share your blessings. I can't handle it." Master Hu waved his hand and continued to mix his hair dye.

"Well, that's it, it's done." After a while, after dyeing the last line, he took off the barrier for Shangluo: "Are you satisfied with it?"

Look at your hair in the mirror: shiny, really shiny.The bright white light before has not weakened, but it looks more stylish when it is dyed black.He also tidied up Shangluo's hair, every strand of hair was clear and smooth like black satin.

"Wow~~This hair is really nice."

"The foundation is good, I just dye it."

"Master Hu, how much is this?"

"509 wen per session. I'll give you a membership card, and after the discount, it's 475 wen per session. You only need to dye it once a month."

"That's really worth the money." He had to admit, although it was a little pricey, the quality was definitely worth the price. He couldn't find anyone else to get his hair permed, so the fact that this place offered a "similar" price was pretty good, considering regular hair dyeing would cost about the same.

After fixing his hair, he walked out the door. It was almost dark, and the cool evening breeze made him feel more at ease. After all, his old white hair, while stylish, was too conspicuous, attracting attention wherever he went. Dyeing it black was also noticeable, but once he put on the hat, it didn't seem out of place.

At least for now, he still plans to hide in the crowd.

Wow, this hair

"what happened?"

"I want it too. When I get out, I'm going to get a perm here. It's so beautiful."

"Can you get out?"

Apollonia pondered. "Could you ask if this master is interested in opening a shop in the Pure Land? It's quite convenient for me to manifest in the Pure Land. But as for how to return to the mortal world, well, that's something only the Daoist Ancestor can handle. Phaethon's body was forged by the Daoist Ancestor in the furnace of heaven and earth. Human body refining is the ultimate in alchemy. Didn't you promise the Romans to get them out?"

"But there's no rush. I just need to come up with a practical solution, at least one that's 'acceptable'. If I have the chance, I'll ask Daozu."

As he was talking, his cell phone suddenly rang.

"Hmm?" He glanced at the letter. It was from Zhu Xianxun. After opening it and exchanging a few words, he said to Fu Yuanshan behind him:

"Senior Fu, please excuse me. I need to go to Changchun Palace."

He knocked on the office door and Zhu Xianxun came to meet him:

"Oh, I'm a little embarrassed. It's not urgent, I just asked you to come over when you're free—Oh, you're dyeing your hair? Is it the place that Senior Fu often goes to? That's right on the way. Come in."

This time, the situation was the same as last time. Zhu Xianxun wanted him to help sort out which projects could be done and which could not, and to consult Shangluo's opinions.

The office was completely different. Ever since Shangluo had "moved" the window like Jigong had moved the well, Zhu Xianxun had completely renovated the room, replacing it with items that pleased him. For example, he had a poster of Wang Lingguan on the wall, and a small statue of him in front of it—the same one he'd made for Wen Yuan and the others. Next to the statue were newer ornaments: a figurine of a panda eating hot pot, and a room-temperature superconducting gyroscope spinning in midair.

"Wait, what is that???" Shangluo was stunned. He saw a small gyroscope floating and spinning on the metal tea tray. There was no bracket, no electricity, it just floated there.

"What is this?"

"A superconducting gyroscope. Once you've made a superconductor, rivet it to a saucer, and it'll spin in mid-air. Want to try it? It's super fun, a decorative ornament I made myself."

"Is this thing a room-temperature superconductor?"

"Is it strange? Try it yourself. How about I demonstrate it to you?" He stretched out his hand and spun the gyroscope - he pressed it slightly while it was spinning, and when it bounced back, it jumped up a little, but the gyroscope steadily returned to the height at which it was previously suspended and began to spin in place.

"This thing can spin for hours without stopping. Want to try it?"

Shangluo reached out and spun the top—pressing it down, it bounced upward. Pulling it up, it retracted. The top's relative position seemed to be anchored to the saucer.

He was still a little unsure, and there was one last step: he tried to pick up the saucer and slowly turn it over:

The gyroscope hung upside down, anchored by an invisible force. It just fell slightly but did not fall.

"it is true"

"Ah, you don't have this over there?" Zhu Xianxi asked in surprise. "No way? Don't you already have a power grid? Without superconductors, how can you transmit electricity over long distances? You can't use copper wires, right? Hahahaha, what a joke."

"."

"(*Jinling Yayan*) You're transmitting electricity across thousands of kilometers of copper wire?! Why? It's fine for our experimental power grid to use copper wire, but what are you doing... Is this some kind of performance art? Can't you create a superconductor?"

"Can this thing be refined?"

"You can throw yellow lead and gray copper into a crucible, crush them up, and then throw them into the alchemy furnace to burn them, and they'll come out. As long as they meet the conditions of the Malone effect, any material can become a room-temperature superconductor."

"The Malone Effect? What is that?"

After exchanging information for a while, Shangluo was stunned. The Malone Effect—a term Shangluo had never heard of. It was unheard of, yet incredibly simple. Just throw in a few metals that met certain criteria, and they'd all exhibit the same properties, more or less. It was as simple as one sulfur, two nitrates, and three charcoal. It was the type and ratio that mattered.

"So this kind of thing can be made through alchemy? Then can it be put into production now?"

Zhu Xianxi was also shocked. "I didn't expect you guys hadn't discovered something as basic as the Malone effect. My recipe hasn't solved the production problem yet, so I can only make a small gadget. The other recipes are similar, and they all require some special conditions. The Malone effect is just a phenomenon and experience. In fact, we still don't know what exactly causes superconductivity, and no one can produce it in large quantities. It works sometimes and sometimes not."

"So what is this plan?"

"This toy is my own design. Many alchemists have their own designs, and there are all kinds of bases. I made it using the Tiandi Honglu, with yellow lead as the base. It works at room temperature, but the repeatability is not very good. I always feel like it's a problem with the vacuum level. Although it's easy to adjust the vacuum level inside the Tiandi Honglu, it's difficult to replicate outside the furnace. I was planning to take advantage of the launch of the Water Dragon to build an orbital forging furnace there. The vacuum there is enough, but I don't have anyone to help me with it. Do you have any plans? For example, if there are materials that need to be forged in a vacuum? It would be much more convenient to have a partner. What do you think?"

My head felt a little dizzy, as if I had discovered an extra integer between 2 and 3. "I just want to find a place to send a note back to my hometown. Malone effect, Malone effect..."

Chapter 287 Dragon Flame

It's impossible to stop playing. Shangluo holds the tea tray upside down, and the superconductor hangs from the bottom like a yo-yo, seemingly pulled by invisible threads. Whether moving up or down, there's a truly satisfying "damping" feeling, which is incredibly relaxing.

"It's fun, right? Here's a gift for you."

"Oh, how embarrassing." He held the tea tray in his hand.

"It's okay. I learned how to practice it when I was a kid."

"Is this easy to practice?"

"Hmm" It was a difficult question to answer. Zhu Xianxun thought for a while:

"First of all, although I came up with this plan myself, the finished product isn't my work, but rather the creation of the Heaven and Earth Furnace. Refining one in the furnace is easy, and there are actually many combinations that can produce similar products. But outside of the furnace, I've never succeeded once. In other words, I've never been able to replicate this success outside of the Heaven and Earth Furnace—of course, making one is pretty easy, and not much more difficult than the statue of Wang Lingguan next to it."

"What about other options?"

"Other people can't use the Heaven and Earth Furnace to smelt directly like I do. Therefore, their finished products are either limited by conditions, difficult to manufacture, or simply can't be considered 'room temperature'. This one in your hand is more like a miracle. It's just that the power of creation in the Heaven and Earth Furnace can create miracles again and again. Without miracles, I don't know how to reproduce it in nature."

"Like Phaethon?"

"Well, just like Phaethon. The miracle of 'human transformation,' considered the ultimate goal of alchemy, can be achieved within the Furnace of Heaven and Earth. After all, that is dragon flame."

"Dragon Flame?"

"Yes, didn't the Imperial Ancestor tell you? Dragon means cute. Dragons are the foundation of all changes. The Heaven and Earth Furnace in Yuxi Palace is the Imperial Ancestor's natal magical instrument. Yuxi Palace and the entire cave were built for that furnace. The Imperial Ancestor led the Taiyi Xuan Sect with the Dan Ding Dao, and that furnace is the manifestation of the miracle itself. If you lead the Taoist sect with the Sword Immortal Dao in the future, you will probably sacrifice other magical instruments there, perhaps your natal sword or something."

"Ah~~ No wonder Daozu wants to teach the alchemy furnace?"

"Yes. When Daozu taught me, we didn't even know where you were. In order to keep the Heaven and Earth Furnace running, I'm needed as an assistant. The Heaven and Earth Furnace has provided a great boost to my cultivation, because for the power of a dragon: possibility is certainty. Although the furnace itself can't actually burn much material, the light of the fire is bright enough."

"Unbelievable. So I need to have at least a magical weapon of the same level to prove myself?"

"Yes. That's the result. Becoming a powerful enough to command the Dao Sect will naturally lead to corresponding miracles. But I'm very curious about how Zazu will teach you. If I remember correctly, Zazu has some very powerful spells."

"What spell?"

"Let's go see a movie. I'm not very familiar with the magic of the Shenxiao Sect, but they don't use furnace fire to power their magic, but rather 'calling people'. 'Wang Lingguan' filmed by Sa Zu is actually a promotional video for Shenxiao Sect's recruitment, so those who understand will understand. But it's really good."

As he spoke, he looked at the time: "Oh, it's getting late. Is your family waiting for you to go back for dinner?"

"Why does this sound so awkward?"

"I'm back. This seems even more awkward."

As soon as Shangluo opened the door and returned, he saw a cardboard box placed at the door. The sound of dripping water came from the bathroom, and he was humming a song. The song reflected on the wet tiles, becoming much more pleasant.

Ah, Rudolph the Red-Nosed. Such a nostalgic nursery rhyme. Too bad I can't get a Christmas present. Tsk.

"Do you still celebrate Christmas there?"

Rome's state religion is Christianity—well, it's not quite the Christianity you imagine. To Rome, Christianity is no different from Buddhism or Taoism. We don't kneel at the Patriarch's feet like barbarians; the Patriarch, in turn, bows to the emperor. Christmas is similar to your Obon Festival, a folk festival. Phaethon's celebration of it is a bit odd, since Christmas is actually Helios' birthday. But he sings well.

As he was speaking, the sound of water stopped and the singing in the bathroom also stopped.

"She's probably done washing it, so we can eat."

"Ahhhhhh!" A scream came from the bathroom.

"???" Shangluo put down the instant noodles in his hand, rushed to the bathroom door, and put his hand on the door handle——

At the critical moment, he stopped.

Reason prevailed and he didn't push the door open.

【Tsk, I've already seen it.】

"You don't seem to be in a hurry?"

"Because there's nothing to do. But you, don't you want to take this opportunity to go in and take a look?"

"I am an upright person, not a beast."

【Then you don't open the door. Tsk tsk tsk.】

As he was speaking, there was a movement at the door:

"Shangluo, you're back? Come on, come and see!"

"Ah, this." Shangluo took a step back. Besides reason, a sense of crisis also prevailed.

"calm down"

"What the hell are you thinking?! You're still claiming to be 'upright'? This isn't a teen romance comedy, so how could something like that possibly make you 'upright' be included at this point? And you two don't even know each other, I don't understand where your rationality is."

"Ah, yes. Indeed." Shangluo felt somewhat relieved, yet also somewhat disappointed. But upon closer reflection, it was indeed somewhat disappointing. If something didn't exist, then of course there couldn't be a non-existent "further development." After all that had happened, the relationship between the two was now that of employer and employee.

Although "employer" and "employee" living under the same roof is a classic pairing that often happens in stories, Phaethon's current attention is clearly not here at all - so if you think about it carefully, he must have been allowed in to see the hair.

The bathroom door opened, and a thick cloud of steam drifted out. Phaethon, in her pajamas, stood in the small bathroom, before the mirror—she didn't wrap her hair in a hair drying cap, but twirled in front of it. The steam filled the room, like the air from heaven.

Her hair glowed dreamily in the mist, black and shiny, a multicolored black, comparable to the hair quality of Shangluo.

"Shangluo! Look at my hair!"

"Ah, haha. Hahahahahaha" As expected, it was about looking at the hair.

"Are you not surprised?"

"I'm not surprised. The formula for this spiritual liquid was proposed by me, and then realized by my senior brother. Drinking this stuff can make thunder, and of course using it to wash your hair can easily bring spiritual energy. Hmm, how does it feel when you use it?"

"Refreshed and filled with a fairy-like aura."

Chapter 288 Immortal Qi

Her words reminded Shangluo that this bathroom was literally filled with "celestial air." It was indeed a fairy air. And it wasn't just his hair that was being nourished; Phaethon's skin had returned to the state it had been when they first met. It was as dazzling as the Mediterranean sun.

"Did you buy the shower gel?"

"I bought shampoo, shower gel, bath soap, and facial cleanser. They're all from Lan Fang Pharmaceutical! Look, they even gave me a towel."

"."

"How is it? Is it effective?"

"How much are these in total?"

"Hey, they said the bill will be sent in the box."

"Then, have you taken a look?"

"." Phaethon was stunned for a moment, "Oh yes, buying things now costs money, and I only have you and me every month."

She walked out of the fairy air, put on slippers printed with Lan Fang Pharmaceutical, and walked out to the door.

She glanced at the bill.

"Um." Phaethon stood up slowly. "Can I get an advance on next month's salary?"

Sitting on the sofa, Shangluo looked through the long list of bills one by one. Shampoo, facial cleanser, shower gel, bath spray, face cream, toothpaste. Almost every conceivable daily necessity, a complete set. And not only slippers and towels, but also the soon-to-be-released spiritual energy drink.

At the end of the bill, the number was fixed at 3994 wen.