Ming Dynasty, New Rome, and Infinite Divine Machine

"Ah?!" the whole class shouted.

"Ah?!!" Shangluo was the loudest shouting, "I (*Jinling Yayan*) I've already memorized it and you're telling me I don't have to memorize it anymore!"

"Teacher, why?" Qi Yuan took the lead in asking. They had all memorized the exam, and it was quite painful to do so, so why was it open-book exam?

"You ask me which one, I'm asking. This is the order from the Ministry of Rites. Specifically, the difficulty of memorizing the open-book exam has been reduced, but the difficulty of essays and policy essays has been increased, and by a lot. Don't be so naive. It's best if we can get through this year smoothly. I don't know how I'm going to tutor you next year."

"But, why?" Qi Yuan asked again, "But why is it like this?"

"That's what I wanted to ask. It can't be that—ha, all of you are going to become immortals next year, and everyone can read ten lines at a glance, so memorizing books is not as useful as writing articles."

"Hahaha." All the classmates laughed, except Shangluo.

"What is this doing?"

Are they so optimistic? Will they be able to become immortals next year? Is there some kind of breakthrough?

"I don't know. But this kind of decision definitely isn't made on a whim. Maybe memorizing the Four Books and Five Classics is too much trouble, so they're changing it. But if I've already memorized them, I definitely won't change them. Why should I memorize them and you can't? It piss me off! I didn't learn anything, I just memorized a classic, and I'm a year shy of the exam. It piss me off."

He was still angry until he met Phaethon at the school gate.

"Hmm?" He glanced at Phaethon. "Why are you so angry?"

"No. Uh-huh."

"No? You look like a pufferfish. Did someone offend you?"

"No, well. Let's go eat. I want to tell you something before we eat."

Before he finished speaking——

"Hey! Big Brother!" Han Xingzhi pounced on him like a monkey and hung on his back. "Let's go, let's go, meet and greet, woo woo woo!"

Chapter 291 Request

"Ah~ Miss Phaethon, you are here too." Seeing Phaethon here, Han Xingzhi, who was hanging up, loosened his grip. After confirming that the two of them had no relationship, Phaethon was theoretically an outsider. It seemed unbecoming to hang up like a monkey in front of outsiders.

"Did you mean to say something?"

"Um, nothing."

"Okay." Shangluo didn't rush to ask her. There was plenty of time to talk anyway.

Even after sitting down in the "Lanfang Pavilion", Phaethon still didn't say what she wanted to say.

In the meantime, they waited for a while at the door of the training school next door, waiting for Wen Yuan and Lu Liang to finish school. During this time, Phaethon was hesitant to speak.

"Oh~~ Miss Phaethon," Wen Yuan asked her, "Do you like Wang Lingguan too? I see you seem very excited."

"Like? Oh no, I don't."

"Then you're in luck! This movie is sure to hook you. And there's a meet-and-greet today! There's also a meet-and-greet! Ohhhh~~ I can't wait."

He rubbed his hands like flies, and Han Xingzhi next to him did the same.

"We are where we are today because of Big Brother's face!"

"Yes, big brother!" Wen Yuan also shouted.

"Okay, I'll be the big brother for a day." After all, this was truly a remarkable event. After all, this was an unprecedented film directed by Tianshi himself, and he personally played the role of "Sa Tianshi" in the play.

If it weren’t for Master Sa Tianshi himself giving out three tickets, even the emperor wouldn’t be able to get this ticket - Zhu Xianxun really couldn’t get it, otherwise he would have come to see it wearing a mask himself.

"Huh???" He suddenly caught a glimpse of a familiar figure from the corner of his eye. Someone walked in from outside, wearing a mask and a baseball cap. Next to him was a girl who looked similar to him, a head shorter than him, wearing overalls and also a mask.

[It seems like it's him. And Zhu Ling has really come.]

"." Shangluo silently picked up his phone and sent a Fetion message to Zhu Xianxin.

"Brother, are you free now?"

The person wearing a mask immediately took out the sign, scanned it, paused for a moment, and pointed a few times with his finger.

"I am in a meeting."

"Brother, brother, brother, there are seats inside, please come in quickly."

"Wait, let me reply."

Everyone in Shangluo heard the voice, it was indeed him.

The phone vibrated, and Zhu Xianxi sent a reply:

"Is it urgent? I'll be right there."

"Ah" Shangluo was stunned for a moment. He just wanted to see if the other party was right, but now he didn't know how to respond.

"Nothing, just asking." The reply was a bit awkward.

Zhu Xianxi immediately raised his head—he had obviously noticed something. Shangluo and the others were sitting in a very conspicuous position, so he spotted Shangluo immediately, and the two of them exchanged glances.

The two raised their hands and exchanged a knowing greeting, and Zhu Xianxun was dragged away. Halfway through, he took the time to point his thumb at the beverage area.

While Lan Fang Ting also serves some high-end dishes, as a chain restaurant located on the rooftop of a department store, its service covers a wide range of price points. Besides the consistent "Number One" service of the Hercules, they also offer an all-you-can-eat set menu with complimentary soft drinks. They came with meal coupons.

Shangluo remembered that the meal coupons Zhu Xianxun had were also for "all-you-can-eat" packages, so he happened to be able to come across them.

Phaethon had just spoken a word when Shangluo stood up.

"I'll go get a drink. Um, do you have something to say?"

"Yeah." Phaethon nodded.

"Let's talk when I get back." He picked up the drink cup on the table and walked towards the self-service beverage area. Zhu Xianxun, who had just put down his bag inside, also came out.

"So you guys are here to eat too, what a coincidence." The two of them met casually in front of the beverage machine.

"Brother, do you have a ticket too?"

"Someone scalped the winning ticket and sold it. I've been refining pills for so many years, so I have some savings. Yeah, some private funds."

"Private money?"

"Anyway, it's all you need to know."

"Zhu Ling is so lucky to have such a good brother. You actually bought two."

When Zhu Xianxun heard this, his hands shook violently and the Coke spilled out.

"how?"

"She is... She got it by lottery." He squeezed out a few words through gritted teeth.

"That's really good luck."

"This girl is incredibly lucky; she never returns home empty-handed from a lottery draw. But she doesn't even watch Wang Ling Guan!" Her teeth clenched, her voice crackling. "She's just a fan of the male lead! She doesn't even watch Wang Ling Guan. I asked her to give me the ticket, but she refused. It cost me my own pocket money, the treasury, and even a meal."

"Ahh. Then she really does have a good brother."

"Don't tell anyone I'm here. If anyone knew, it would be all over the front page, and it would make Zhu Ling appear in public prematurely. Also, competition among major film companies is fierce right now, and I can't influence film reviews."

"understand."

"Have fun then." Zhu Xianxun wiped up the spilled Coke with a piece of paper, threw it into the trash can, and then returned with his own cup. He sat in a seat near the back, facing the wall, so that even the waiter who served the food could only see half of his face, making it difficult to recognize him at first glance—it was obvious that this was a skill he had developed while stalking the subway.

Shangluo returned to his seat, holding a glass of grape soda. He poured Phaethon a glass, too, because he knew she loved it. It was different from the "original grape juice," the industrial product, and she loved it. She even wanted to put two seasoning packets in her instant noodles.

"Yours." Sitting back down, he handed the grape juice to the other person.

"It's our turn." Wen Yuan also stood up, holding a drink cup. Because there was only one drink machine, if too many people went, they would have to queue, so it would be better to go one by one. Han Xingzhi followed behind, holding a drink cup.

"." Only Lu Liang was still sitting there. She glanced at Shangluo, then at Phaethon who was sitting next to her.

"I'll go get some drinks too." Without saying anything more, Lu Liang took the cup and left.

"You can go later," Shangluo advised, because there was indeed a line at the beverage machine. He and Zhu Xianxun had just waited for a while before getting in line. Lu Liang said nothing, just waved as he walked, not even looking back.

"Well, it happens that he's not here. Do you have anything to say?"

Phaethon put down his glass and nodded, "Yes. I have something important to discuss with you."

"Is it work-related? Is it hard to find a job?"

"No, it's easy to find a job. The McDonald's said I'm a perfect fit for working there."

"Is it because of something else?"

"Um"

"Nothing." Shangluo spread his hands. "If you have any requests, I will try my best to meet them. After all, Mr. Helios is a trustworthy person."

"Okay, then I'll tell you." After confirming that there was no one around, Han Xingzhi was getting a drink, and the other two were waiting in line, she took a deep breath.

"Let's get married!"

Chapter 292 Employment

"Bang!" With a sound, Han Xingzhi's cup fell down, and the whole cup of soda water spilled into the sink of the beverage machine.

"He can hear it from such a distance?" Phaethon was completely stunned.

"He's a Xuan cultivator. This entire building is within his perception range. But he seemed to be deliberately spying over here just now."

Shangluo glanced over there and met Han Xingzhi's eyes, who was peeking back. The latter avoided his gaze as if he was afraid of being silenced and continued to pour his soda water.

"Never mind, let me ask you first. Apollonia hasn't said anything for a long time. She must have lost her mind. So, there must be a reason, right?"

[I'm already confused. So why? ]

"Residence rights?" Shangluo finally realized, "You don't have residence rights, so you can't go to work, right?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Phaethon nodded repeatedly. "I applied for a job at McDonald's. They said I fully met the requirements, and the manager thought I was a perfect fit for the job. But they asked for my ID? Or at least a household registration card."

"Yes, the ID card. This is a document proving your identity, and it's carried by the individual. As for the household registration card, it's kept by the household head. Everyone's household registration card is backed up in the Yellow Book Library. It's a very important form of identification, and it's also very relevant to the Pure Land Project. Only those whose names are in the Yellow Book Library have a household registration. We'll use household registration to determine eligibility for entry into the Pure Land."

"So, you see, this is just like the Investiture of the Gods. If someone like me wants to be on the Investiture of the Gods, I can only ask you to take me in. Although naturalized people don't have ID cards, they can leave their names on household registration stickers, so they can apply for jobs with them."

"I object to this marriage! When her father was away, she should have consulted me, her elder, first. And you wouldn't agree, would you?"

"Well, I think... it's not impossible. Although I need to adjust emotionally, I want to give her a chance to start a new life. So I can overcome my personal feelings."

“Ah! I don’t care, I won’t agree!” Apollonia began to spin around and roll around.

"Okay. Um. Apollonia said she objects as your parent. Also, as a partner, I have to consider her opinion as well."

"But why?"

"Because you'll cause trouble for Shangluo." She said between rolling around. "You can't even take care of yourself. And who knows if you've truly repented? Wait until you prove yourself with your actions. Otherwise, I won't agree. Well, I'm a partner."

Shangluo relayed Apollonia's words.

"But if I want to take care of myself, I have to find a job first. If I want to find a job, I have to get residency first. And if I want residency, I have to prove that I can take care of myself? It's a vicious circle."

"Ahhh! I don't care, I don't care. If you do this again, I'll tell your dad!"

"No! Don't tell my father!"

Shangluo didn't dare to interrupt. This was a family matter between their two families, but their communication had to be conveyed through him. He was stuck in the middle and felt completely numb.

"Bang." Lu Liang came back, holding her own Coke, and the nightmare-like conversation finally ended.

"Huh" Shangluo breathed a sigh of relief.

Wen Yuan returned shortly after, but Han Xingzhi remained. He continued drinking soda until the end of the conversation, and was the last to return with his drink.

Nudge him with her elbow, Wen Yuan asked, "What were you doing there? You were drinking one soda after another, like you'd never had soda before."

Han Xingzhi shook his head like a rattle, not saying a word, fearing that he would be silenced if he said anything more.

"Hello." Shangluo gave Han Xingzhi a look.

He muttered and shook his head.

"I know nothing, nothing." A subtle "ethereal voice" came from his ears. It was Han Xingzhi conveying a message to him.

"Yes, he can already use phlogiston to speak. But he seems to be having trouble controlling it. Do you want me to activate the phlogiston transmitter for you? That way only he can hear it."

"Start it up. Ahem, Han."

"Ah!" Han Xingzhi was so frightened that he looked towards Shangluo as if he had seen a ghost.