Ming Dynasty, New Rome, and Infinite Divine Machine

"Brother, you can also transmit secret messages? The sound quality is so clear! Even clearer than uncle's."

"Don't worry about that for now. Play your part. Didn't you hear everything?"

"Oh okay, let me think about how to ask."

He took the soda and drank half of it in one gulp to calm himself down.

"Oh, by the way, second brother." He asked Wen Yuan next to him, "Do you have any plans to go out to work?"

"Don't you know? I've been working for Jinyiwei. I'm getting an internship salary."

"So what are the requirements for working?"

"You can just apply for an ID card when you turn 16. If you don't have one yet, go to the police station and get a printed copy of your household registration sticker and have them stamp it. That will have the same effect."

"But let me hypothesize that there's a person, this fictional person, who wants to work, but doesn't have an ID card and can't get a household registration. How can this person find a job?"

"Then you can't work. Your ID card means you have the capacity to act, and your household registration card means your family agrees. If you don't have either, you'd better stay home and watch TV."

"I mean, what if this person is a foreigner?"

"Foreigners? Foreigners should be arrested. How can you let barbarians walk on the streets? Would you let a hippopotamus stroll down the street? What if it scares the children?"

"Romans, I mean Romans."

"Romans?" Wen Yuan thought carefully for a moment. "I remember that international students have a household registration at the school. They will be given a temporary residence permit at the school, and they will also receive a short-term residence permit. If they want to work, they can use their residence permit to work."

"Ah, what if there's no school? For example, let's say a Roman can't go home for some reason and has to stay with us."

"Has this person been exiled? Or is he practicing some kind of spiritual cultivation? If neither of these things are true, and he's bringing this upon himself, then he might be mentally ill."

"Second brother, is there any way? Is there any way?"

"If you really have a serious illness, there are ways around it. The simplest way, without any illness, is that the person you're talking about might want to marry someone from the Jinei region. That's possible. Romans are a special case. They can obtain residency rights in the Jinei region through marriage—but of course, they don't have citizenship, which means they can't take the imperial examinations or participate in the republic. The imperial examination is the most important part of citizenship."

"What if it's this person?"

"Isn't this person's illness a bit serious?"

"Ahem," Lu Liang coughed, "There's actually a solution."

"What can I do?" Han Xingzhi finally found a savior. Although this was not his business, it was more terrifying than his own business.

"It's just about finding a job—yes, once you find one job, you'll naturally find a second job."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"This means that in addition to the Class A marriage permit, there's also a work permit available for residency. By working in Kinai, you can obtain a written Class C residence permit. This can be used for part-time work, as international students also use their residence permits for work. Marriage is Class A, studying abroad is Class B, and work is Class C."

"You're talking nonsense." Wen Yuan waved her hand. "If this person has a regular job, why would he need to work part-time? How could a Roman who can't afford to eat come to work here? If so, this person's illness is really serious. I think he should be taken to the doctor to check if there is water in his brain."

[Ah, it feels good. My mouth is yours, I'll give you a little red flower.]

Phaethon said nothing. She grabbed Lu Liang's hand and shook it violently, saying that this was a great favor that needed no thanks.

"Look, Miss Phaethon, you also think this guy has some brains."

"Indeed." Phaethon felt much better. "This guy has some water in his head, and he's probably trying to get rid of it now. Oh, by the way, Mr. Shangluo, are you planning to start a company?"

"Okay, no problem."

"I see you seem a little disappointed. What on earth are you expecting? Even if I tell her father about it, he won't agree. This house is full. I object to another person moving in."

Chapter 293: Wang Lingguan vs. Yan Puti

"Oh~~" Wen Yuan looked at Phaethon opposite her, wanting to say something but stopping herself.

Lu Liang glanced at him and said, "You want to say that she's amazing for eating three bowls of rice, but you're embarrassed to say she eats a lot. Right?"

Phaethon looked up from his bowl and said, "If you weren't here, I could eat more."

"I'm sorry, do you still remember what happened last time? But what happened last time..."

"Eat." Lu Liang pointed at him with his chopsticks - Wen Yuan was stunned and swallowed the words that were about to come out of her mouth.

[Tsk, although I really want to give Brother Wen Yuan a red flower, it's not easy for him to do this, "every word he says from the moment we meet is offensive to Phaethon."]

"Maybe it's just a mismatch of horoscopes." Shang Luo shook his head. "When I learn the art of divination, I'll just read his fortune. But Wen Yuan's horoscope is actually quite strong."

Isn't he just unlucky?

"But he's still here, and his cultivation is constantly improving. This shows he truly has a strong destiny. A strong destiny doesn't conflict with bad luck. Sometimes, when others are unlucky and encounter misfortunes, he's the only one who doesn't—it's like a slap in the face. It kills all the ants, but a nail can pierce through the slap. So, from another perspective, we've been together for so long, and we're both doing well, which shows I have a strong destiny, too."

"That's true. Your attitude seems to be always good. It's even improved mine. I'm just waiting for you to quickly build the spiritual network and render me in. Hey~ Then I can eat."

"Speaking of which, how will you appear then? Do I need to mold a body for you?"

"No, my body didn't actually disappear when I ascended to godhood; it simply sublimated into meta-bits. It was only in this state for eight months, so if I accelerate it, I can jump to fifteen. After all, in the spirit world, time without conscious participation is meaningless; only time with conscious participation can be transformed into events. From eight months to fifteen years old, my body was the same whether it existed or not, so I can skip that period."

"That's quite convenient. Do you want to give you a welcome party? Count it as a birthday party?"

My birthday is August 16th. If you build it before then, we can celebrate two things at once—of course, I'm fine with you celebrating my birthday twice.

"Let's do it once, but August 16th, right? I'll remember that. I'll give you a nice welcome party. Do you have any requests?"

"Well, there should be more people. I don't like being alone."

"Okay, I'll broadcast it to the entire server when the time comes, so everyone, whether you know me or not, can see it."

For the next 45 minutes, Shangluo could hear Apollonia humming "Rudolph the Red Nose" on repeat. It was loud at first, but by the time he reached the cinema ticket gate, it was even louder, and Apollonia's humming seemed to muffle the noise.

There was a huge crowd of people of all ages, from those in their forties to those who had just learned to walk and were holding their babies in their arms, all queuing at the ticket gate.

A blower attached to the end of the ticket gate was blasting air, cooling the entire hall. It was still half an hour before the movie started, and Shangluo and his friends were still at the end of the line, having arrived so early. The organizers seemed to have anticipated this large crowd and had already prepared cooling measures.

"Ah, actually we can use the invitation ticket to go through the staff channel, there's no need to queue."

"No, big brother, this is where you're not thinking straight—it makes the most sense to line up with everyone else."

"Hmm, hmm, hmm." Wen Yuan nodded. As if realizing something, he tried not to speak.

This seems to make sense indeed.

Shangluo saw a familiar figure in the front rows, wearing a mask and a baseball cap. His waist seemed to be in good condition because his sister was sitting on his shoulders.

"Brother, brother, brother, look! It's over there! It's over there! Yanqiu! Ah! It's Yanqiu! Brother, brother, brother, did you see it?"

The person on the street is like jade, as bright as a jade tree in the wind, and should only be seen in paintings.

Surrounded by staff, Yanqiu, dressed in a crisp pink gown, passed through. Her star-like hair swayed in the wind, its luster almost rivaling Shangluo's. Seeing the fans outside, Yanqiu bowed slightly, and a burst of cheers echoed through the crowd.

"Ahhhh!"

"Ahhh! So handsome! Brother, brother, brother, did you see that?"

"You're covering my eyes, what am I looking at? Take your hands away!"

"Eh?" Wen Yuan was suddenly stunned. "I seemed to hear someone's voice just now. It sounded so familiar. Who was it? It seemed like someone very important. I couldn't remember it right away."

"Ah," Shangluo turned around and hooked her arm around his shoulders. "That girl who just passed by was so cute. Is she the leading actress?"

"No, it's the actor who plays the male lead."

"Huh?" Shangluo was stunned. "So the male lead is played by a female actress?"

"What's so strange about this? What's so good about men? Men are made of clay. Who wants to sit in a movie theater and watch men? It would be strange to have a man as the leading actor." This was a matter of course for Wen Yuan.

"Ah, so in almost all movies, the male roles are played by female actors? Like that?"

"Yeah, you didn't know yet? Ha, do you think you missed out on a treasure?"

"All of them! All of them!"

"No, no, no, Yanqiu is a treasure, a popular young actor. Actors who can carry the young actor role are few and far between these days. After all, filming is quite intense, and many films have started using male actors. It's simply a breakdown of social etiquette! Alas, famous actors like Miss Yanqiu will probably become fewer and fewer. What a pity. I guess we can only see her in the theater troupe from now on."

"Ahhh. This is simply..."

A treasure, indeed. The person who had just passed by exuded a pure beauty that could not even conjure up a single evil thought. It was like a perfect creation that should not exist in this world, so beautiful that even Shangluo would be amazed.

"So!" Wen Yuan nodded. "There are two of our country's oldest and greatest arts! Men dressing as women, and women dressing as men. The most dazzling pure beauty is reflected in them."

"Eh???" Lu Liang suddenly realized what was going on. "Shangluo, aren't you interested in joining the troupe? I think you're more suited to the Huadan role, no, the Qingyidan role, because you have a more indifferent temperament. Do you want to try?"

"No, no, no, no. Just look at others, forget about it."

I'm really looking forward to the upcoming meet-and-greet. She'll look even more beautiful up close.

"Huh???" He picked up the movie ticket after thinking about it, "But why can't I see it on screen? Why do they have to wear a mask? It would look better without it."

"Well, I heard that the director was impressed by her professionalism and artistic accomplishments, rather than her looks. That's why the movie ticket specifically didn't show Miss Yanqiu's most beautiful face without makeup. Instead, it specifically showed her transformed appearance. After the transformation, Wang Shan is a Sheng role, and Wang E is a Jing role. The ticket shows Wang E's painted face. Well, painting a painted face itself is also very burdensome for the actors, so I really admire Miss Yanqiu. She just painted all over her face with paint."

"Why didn't you tell me earlier? If you had told me earlier, I would have come earlier."

Well, to appreciate beauty, yes.

"Tsk, you're just as superficial as that star-chasing girl before. We're attracted to Sister Yanqiu's inner qualities, not her 'jewel-like appearance'. Look at her, she's so grown up and still rides on her brother's shoulders."

“Huh???” Zhu Ling in front suddenly looked back - there were too many people behind her and she couldn’t see them for a moment.

"Ahhh!" Wen Yuan gasped. "I knew I was going to be unlucky today. I shouldn't have said anything careless. That's it, that's it."

"Did you figure it out?" Shangluo also lowered his voice.

"Isn't that the eldest princess? I see her often. The one carrying her is..."

"Would you like some popcorn?" Shangluo handed over the paper tube. Wen Yuan said nothing, grabbed a handful, turned her head to the side, and stuffed the whole thing into her mouth, blocking her own mouth.

The line went by much quicker than expected, as the fans around us kept up the fun. Some were singing in their "battle robes," others were stacking themselves up to imitate Wang Lingguan's classic poses. From time to time, actors would pass by.

A few minutes before the show, a familiar figure arrived. The staff, unprecedented in number, gathered around him. A director, wearing a short, coconut-patterned jacket and sunglasses, passed by. Everyone in the room, standing and sitting, now stood erect and applauded. Even Zhu Xianxun stood at attention: those who knew him as Master Sa and those who didn't, all expressed the same unwavering, "flooding" respect.

Master Sa took out his signature paper tube loudspeaker and greeted everyone with a thunderous voice: "Good afternoon, everyone!"

The shout rang out, like a lion's roar. The small paper speaker produced a volume comparable to that of an air raid siren, and everyone could hear it clearly.

“Hello, Director Sa!!!” There was a thunderous response in the ticket hall, and the chorus of the crowd matched the greetings from Master Sa.

"See you in two hours!"

"Goodbye, Director Sa!"

After checking the tickets and sitting in the screening room, Shangluo bought another bucket of popcorn, which was bought for him by Wen Yuan because Wen Yuan had eaten up the previous bucket.

"It turns out Director Sa is so popular."

"Director Sa is quite amazing," Wen Yuan, who was standing next to him, introduced. "His films are not only artistic, but the characters he uses are all top-tier celebrities, the scripts are well-paced, and the exhilarating story is fully realized—and that's not all; anyone can do that. Only Director Sa can do it, and what others can't is the special effects! All of Director Sa's films have explosive special effects!"

"How explosive was it?"

“It’s really exploding!”

With a loud bang, a flash of lightning exploded on the screen. The lightning of dawn opened the first scene on the screen:

The title "Wang Lingguan vs. Yama Puti" appeared on the screen.

After a title sequence, high definition, color, and explosions, the three selling points, began from the first scene.

A thunderclap thundered from the sky in broad daylight, splitting a dead tree. From the tree emerged a giant snake spewing black air. Yanqiu, playing Wang Lingguan, soared up on a sword, unleashing the Five Thunder Technique to engage the snake. The surrounding wilderness felt like it had been carpet-bombed, with a constant stream of crackling and clanging noises.

"Ah, this. Ah, this."

At this point in the scene, even Shangluo could tell something was wrong.

This is. This is.

"This is thunder magic!"

"Yes, it's thunder magic." Wen Yuan replied, "Isn't Wang Lingguan from the Shenxiao Sect? Of course he uses thunder magic."

"I mean in the movie, those things used in the movie weren't special effects at all!"

Shangluo could immediately see that these images were simply beyond the reach of current special effects technology. Because the problem of "digitizing" image content hadn't been solved, there simply wasn't any machine capable of adding special effects, other than painting directly on film. In this era without special effects rendering, every image was real, completely real—while it was possible to paint on film, it was impossible to paint all those shots one by one. These were all traces of the Heavenly Master's magic.

"Oh, I didn't expect you to have such a childish side, Shangluo." Wen Yuan waved her hand. "The special effects in the movie are all fake. They're all made in post-production."

"Ah this."

Shangluo didn't know how to answer

With this question in mind, he watched the entire film to the end. The further he watched, the more certain he became that these weren't special effects at all. Because even in 2023, these visual effects would be considered "expensive" and simply not something the fledgling film industry could produce. Just the devastating explosions, the aural, visual, and electrical power, and the battles that reached the edge of the world, obliterating even the avenues of the universe—

"Taiyi Jinhua, the unity of heaven and earth!" A thunderbolt thundered down from the sky, piercing the heavens and earth, cracking even the very space. Yan Pusi shattered into tiny fragments and shouted his lines.