Ming Dynasty, New Rome, and Infinite Divine Machine

Yanqiu went out and had a private conversation with Phaethon before leaving.

"They are really busy." Phaethon said as he entered the room. "She can't rest until 8 o'clock in the evening. Her schedule before that is full."

"This line of work is truly tough." Lu Liang took a sip of tea. "Their schedules are packed all day, whether it's rushing to a performance or training, and they have to maintain a balanced diet during their rest time. Also, the film pay isn't that high, and their income mainly comes from endorsements. So even popular actors like Yanqiu, due to their age, only earn around two or three hundred taels a month. However, those at the top of the industry can earn a thousand taels a month."

"How do you know so clearly?" Shangluo asked her.

"Because a talent scout approached me before, back when I was in the third year of junior high. My dad and I didn't reject him outright. We finally turned him down after discussing the industry's prospects. I felt like there wasn't much of a future and it would be hard to make a name for myself, so I decided to continue practicing. Compared to my sister, I'm more suited to inherit the hereditary position. My sister is too stupid."

Wen Yuan glanced at her and said, "When you say stupid, are you referring to the incident where Lu Yue, the top student in the junior high department of Jiangning No. 1 Middle School for three consecutive years, can't do a backflip?"

"Why can't she learn a backflip? I taught her for a whole summer, and she just can't do it. I learned it in three hours. I think even if I teach Taiyi Guiren to do a backflip faster than her."

As he spoke, the small box on the table shook violently.

"They seem scared." Han Xingzhi placed his hand on the box. "They also seem to have some other demands. But I don't quite understand."

"Oh, right." Wen Yuan suddenly remembered, "I remember there's a sense of energy in Shangluo. How about you listen to it?"

"I'm not Di Ting, what do you mean by 'listen to me'?" Having said that, he still put his head close to it.

"Did you hear that? Let me tell you, he can even listen to the generator. That's amazing."

Wen Yuan stood nearby, his hands on his hips. He had witnessed the miracle Shangluo had brought. He wasn't there when the generator was repaired, but he was there when the workshop was blown up.

"How is it? What's the content?"

"." Shangluo raised his head, "No, I can't hear it."

This also made him a little confused.

"So, Apollonia, why can't I hear it?"

"No, you probably heard it, but you didn't understand. With your intuition, you should be able to understand what I'm saying. Do you remember just now? That little sister Yanqiu could hear us talking because I was using this phone's function to talk to you. After I switched to my own channel, she couldn't hear it anymore. That frequency band isn't from the mortal world, but from 'light'."

"So I actually heard it, but I couldn't understand what they were saying?"

"Hmm. You can tell by the speed at which they draw. If they were speaking, it would probably be 'high-speed divine speech.' I'm speaking to you in standard Aurora, since Phaethon and I both learned it. As for what language they speak, I don't know."

"Well, if you think about it this way, the guy who's in charge of answering the phone at the Jinyiwei telephone station..."

That person might be quite impressive. Judging by the way the Tianyi Guiren work, they're probably not just speaking to you through a microphone, but rather a large group of them working together. That's at least dozens of them working in harmony, manipulating the speaker to speak to you. Their ability to reach a common goal through consensus is likely the result of long-term training.

"If they can curse each other together, then the resentment is really deep. Oh, by the way, we need to provide them with food and grass. Otherwise, they will also have resentment. Hmm."

He glanced at the square box, which contained six beans. The box's opening was projecting light, creating a blank screen on the wall.

"Everyone, you probably can't tell directly from what they're saying, because their expressions are relatively 'microscopic.' We need a relatively 'macroscopic' display like a projector to understand what they're thinking. Let's first ask them what they want to eat."

"Yeah, that makes sense." Lu Liang nodded. "Even canned food has different flavors. We have to ask them to find out what they like. Then you should ask Shangluo. After all, these six are in your care."

"Ahem." He coughed, imitating Yanqiu's behavior just now, and placed his hand on the box. "Everyone, what would you like to eat today?"

Silence. The box didn't move, no reaction at all. Just when Shangluo thought he was communicating incorrectly, a message suddenly appeared on the screen.

Canned food. And not just any canned food. It clearly indicated what the Imperial Kitchen's canned beef looked like. A typical characteristic of Imperial Kitchen's products was that they had no pictures, only words.

"So it's not impossible for you to eat that can of beef. Then I will..."

Before he finished speaking, the screen suddenly shook and jumped into another taller can.

"Chicken soup?" Lu Liang tilted his head. "I've eaten this before, but it's not from the Imperial Kitchen, it's from someone else. Hey, I'm jumping again!"

The screen began to jump wildly. Cans of chicken soup, canned beef, canned braised pork, canned mixed vegetables, canned pig's trotters, canned lychee meat. After a brief silence, the screen began to reveal a chaotic mix of canned goods, half braised pork, half mixed vegetables. The different cans jumped around like a revolving lantern, even canned cat food popped up. Each image occupied the screen for as little as two or three frames, sometimes just one, as if because they only had a single frame.

They seemed not to understand the meaning of the Chinese characters yet, so they did not write the product name, but just repeated the can image they had seen.

"Ah, this." Han Xingzhi touched his head, "Brother, are they fighting?"

"It seems. It seems to be true."

Shangluo put his hand on the can again: "Stop fighting!"

There was no pause in the picture, and the beating seemed to get even more intense.

"Wait, wait, let me ask." He had just added Yanqiu's Fetion and immediately sent a message to ask.

"A fight? They will definitely fight," Yanqiu replied. "So don't ask them what they like to eat. They won't agree. Just give them what they like."

"So how do we make them stop?"

"First, try to stop the fight. If that doesn't work, then we'll just have to force the exposure. Once the lid is lifted, pin them down and let them calm down."

Shangluo immediately opened the lid - and sure enough, all six broad beans were crowded in the drawing room, in a mess like a car accident scene, with paintbrushes flying everywhere, and three broad beans stacked on top of each other, pressing one of them underneath.

"." Shangluo pressed his forehead, "These people seem to have very unique personalities. Okay, then I'll decide."

He took out a copper coin and handed it to Phaethon: "Please go to the vending machine and buy a bottle of drink."

"buy what?"

"Whatever. I don't like canned food, but I prefer drinks from vending machines, so anything is fine. I like them all. Cans are the same as tins, right? They're all the same. So just go and buy a bottle."

"Yeah." Phaethon took the copper coin, while Shangluo kept holding the lid to keep the inside of the box "exposed" so that the Tianyi nobles could calm down.

Within a minute, Phaethon returned. She held a short, red can that looked like a Coke can and asked Shangluo, "Is this okay? It looks like a new product and it looks delicious. I've also circled it with my key."

"Okay. Put it in."

The can was put in, Shangluo covered the lid, and the exposure was lifted. It was finally quiet.

I'll take a break today, and I'll update three more tomorrow.

Chapter 299 Telephone

The Imperial Guards General Hospital, third underground floor.

nourish - nourish -

Through twelve electrodes connected to the wrists, ankles, and heart, the electrocardiogram's graph paper continuously printed the patient's vital signs. A large roll of paper accumulated nearby, and someone was constantly monitoring the patient's condition to ensure their safety.

In the stainless steel soaking pool below, milky white spiritual fluid exudes a refreshing herbal fragrance. Since the first visit, the patient has undergone 13 complete soaking treatments.

The patient's codename was "Special 95." No one here knew his name; it was classified. All they knew was that he was a distinguished personnel injured in a secret project. At most, they knew him as a researcher, and the Emperor had even visited him. Since the Ichor's creation, he'd used a total of thirteen pools, making him the heaviest user in the history of Ichor. Today was his fourteenth pool.

Aside from the testing equipment and ventilator, Patient 95 appeared relaxed. He was actually clothed, with his hands and feet poking out from his hospital gown. His skin, once nearly completely ulcerated, had largely returned to its original appearance, with only a few light red spots remaining. These remaining spots were expected to fade soon as the epidermis metabolized.

A mask covering her face pumped in a nerve anesthetic. This was added during the second treatment, as the ectoplasm needed to be thoroughly soaked, including the lungs and stomach. During the first infusion, the lungs naturally rejected the liquid, causing a spasm. Now, under anesthesia, a special circulation pump was used to pump ectoplasm into the lungs to assist with exchange.

Once the immersion is complete and the anesthesia is lifted, "Special 95" awakens in the ectoplasmic fluid and breathes on his own. The entire process takes 15 minutes. "Special 95" describes breathing suspended in the ectoplasmic fluid as a truly wonderful experience, feeling almost unrestrained by gravity and completely relaxing all the muscles. However, the ectoplasmic fluid itself is colored, making it difficult to see outside from within the bubble, which can be a bit boring.

So after the fifth treatment, the hospital installed a radio in the treatment room so that everyone would not be bored during the four-hour treatment.

"Respiratory sedation is complete. Doctor Liu, you can start." The anesthesiologist gestured to the observation room behind the glass window and confirmed it through voice.

"Yes." Wearing a mask, Doctor Liu gave a brief instruction from outside the glass window: "Soak."

The 95th immersion treatment for Patient No. 14 has begun.

"Well, has no one noticed that this anesthetic sedative causes a burning sensation?"

However, the observation room and the immersion room were very busy and no one paid any attention to him.

"Um, where's the radio? Why isn't anyone turning it on?"

As he was speaking, someone walked up to the corner and turned on the radio.

Good evening, listeners! Welcome to the program "Smooth Road Across the Road," from Yujing Traffic Radio. Attention, friends listening now: Jinjikou Weisan Road is experiencing severe congestion. Please take a detour if you need to pass through here.

"Eh? By the way, did something happen today?"

"What happened today?" Another host's voice was also heard in the show.

"Today is the roadshow for the production team of 'Wang Lingguan vs. Yan Puti.' This hit film is entering its latter stages of its run. After touring the country, the production team returned to its starting point, the 'First Hall of the First Cinema at Lan Fang Department Store,' at noon today to hold a post-screening commemorative meet-and-greet. Tickets for today's meet-and-greet are not for sale to the public, but will be drawn by lottery."

"Ah, you must be very lucky to be able to participate."

"Ah, we are so lucky to be able to participate." The same exclamation was heard both inside and outside the radio.

Despite the busy schedule, orderly operations were being carried out inside and outside the observation room—recording. Apart from the recording, there was nothing else to do. Only the anesthesiologist was still controlling the anesthetic dosage to prevent "Special 95" patient from resuming spontaneous breathing prematurely before the acclimatization was complete.

"Okay, it's time. Start recovering." This order was issued in the treatment room, not the observation room. Doctor Liu and the others were just watching from behind.

The anesthesiologist then began to adjust the valve of the drug delivery pump.

Click

The strange and abrupt sound calmed the anesthesiologist. He immediately stopped the operation and resumed the previous dosage.

"What happened?"

"Seems to be"

Click-click-click-click-click-click-click

"It's the evil spirit that's calling the police! There's evil spirit!"

The alarm's horrifying sound rattled faster and faster. A gusher of murderous energy surged from the Special 95—even through the protective wall, the radio in the observation room began to emit noise.

"Doctor Liu, it's dangerous here! Retreat quickly!" Without waiting for his reply, several people carried all the old men out of the house.

"Call the phone quickly!" Imperial Physician Liu, who was being held in mid-air, shouted, "Don't worry about me for now! Call the Imperial Guard!"

"Yes, yes, yes! Call Zhu Ye immediately!" The voice next to the radio called out Zhu Xianxun's scientific name when he was in school.

"Shangluo, your phone is ringing." In the taxi, Phaethon next to him nudged him with his elbow.

They ate their fill outside before returning. The bag contained roast duck and braised beef to take home, along with the camera, held in Phaethon's hands. Ever since the bottle of red drink was placed inside, the room had been completely quiet.

"The phone's ringing? Seriously." Normally, no one would call him at this hour. Shangluo glanced at the partition in front of him. The driver pretended not to hear, not too surprised by the mobile phone. After all, it looked like a walkie-talkie.

"Hello?" Shangluo answered the phone. A familiar voice, the Jinyiwei switchboard, came from the line.

"Are you Shangluo?"

"Ah, it's me." Knowing that the voice came from Tianyi Guiren's working group, he felt a little strange.

"What do you want from me?" he asked.

"I'm not looking for you. I'm asking you, did you give the six Tianyi nobles the spiritual liquid?"

"Huh? Is that spiritual fluid?" He felt a sudden jolt in his head. "It certainly seems to be! Is there any problem?"

"That's right, they called."

"Call??? What call? What does it mean?"

"Yes, there's a phone in their studio. They don't know your number, so they called the switchboard. I'll transfer you."

Shangluo, Phaethon, and even Apollonia were stunned.

[So fast!!! Can I call now? ]

There was a rustling sound and the phone was connected.

Shangluo swallowed his saliva and slowly put the phone to his ear:

"Hey"

"Hey hey hey!! Eh! Woo!! Ahhhh!!" Six voices like a storm came from the other end of the phone.

Chapter 300 Special 95

"Hey, hey, hey! Calm down! Just send one person to do the talking! One person! Who of you will take the receiver?"

"Woooooooooooooahhhhhh! Bang, bang, bang! Boom~~" From the other end of the conversation came the sound of gunfire, almost like that of a battlefield.

Shangluo was so scared that he quickly looked at the box, but the box didn't move at all.

"Don't ask them, just give the order!" Phaethon suddenly thought.

"Yes, yes, yes, everyone. That observer! The one in charge of observing and identifying the outside world, take the microphone. Everyone else, listen!"

The sound of gunfire gradually subsided and someone picked up the phone.

"Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey!"

"Yes, yes, yes, what do you want to say?"

"Marshal! Marshal! Marshal! We are looking for the Marshal! The Marshal is next to you!"