Ming Dynasty, New Rome, and Infinite Divine Machine

"Then what is the first one?" Shangluo asked him.

"The first one, of course, was the day someone confessed their love to me! I've always been prone to depression since I was a child, but since then, my self-esteem has never been higher—well, that was pure joy. Today, besides joy, there's also a sense of responsibility, so I don't dare to be too happy."

"You're right to think so. Although we're a makeshift team, we can't act like one; we need to do things seriously. Strictly speaking, these tasks are entrusted to us by the Dao Ancestor, so we have to be more careful."

"Oh, by the way, what about the Heavenly Soldiers?" Gao Shiyu asked, "Do I need to convince them? When we were test driving the car before, not a single one signed up."

"My place is different from yours. My soldiers are under strict military management. Military orders are as heavy as a mountain. I have the military seal in my hand. So if they are transferred there, they will be transferred there. Under military law, they will assist you in your work. So."

Before he finished speaking, Karin's footsteps were heard from a distance. She came down the stairs and headed straight for the ice cream shop:

"Mr. Shangluo, the Emperor is here and upstairs. She wants to see you about the key. Also, His Majesty Caesar is here too."

"Is he his father?"

"Not the co-emperor Caesar. The real Caesar. He's upstairs too."

Chapter 355 Caesar

On the second floor, the same conference room as last time.

"This is it." After bringing Shangluo and others to the door of the conference room, her breathing was still a little rapid.

"Victoria and Caesar, are they both in there?"

"Yes." Karin nodded. "And others. Oh my god, there are others. They are all here."

Karin's state can be described as "shocked." Although Victoria herself was inside, it was obviously not Victoria who shocked her so much, but "someone else."

"Oh, right." Although she was a little panicked, she still remembered what she had to say. "His Majesty the Emperor has instructed that the two friends from Shangluo should sit in the reception room next door for a while. She will come to see you again after we have finished discussing the confidential matters."

"Is there any ice cream?" Gao Shiyu asked.

"Yes, I'll send it up to you two directly from downstairs."

"Okay, okay. You guys talk for a while longer, I haven't eaten enough yet. Please bring me one of all three flavors."

"No problem. What about this one?" she asked Gao Qingyu again.

"Two each, thank you."

The two of them cooperated very well and went to wait in the lounge. Shangluo also anticipated that the scene that could make Karin feel "scared" was probably not something that anyone could witness.

After watching Karin walk to the corner of the stairs not far away to get her ice cream, he knocked gently on the door.

"Your Majesty Victoria, may you come in now?"

"Come in." Victoria's voice came from inside.

He turned the doorknob and the door opened. He stood at the door in a daze:

Shangluo remembered that the last time he and Victoria talked inside, it was just an ordinary meeting room. But this time...

It’s still the same room, still the same length and width.

But where the windows had been, a huge painting had taken their place: Raphael’s School of Athens.

"Ah!!!" Apollonia exclaimed in amazement. "So that's it! That's it!"

In the white marble temple, Plato and Aristotle stand at the center of the painting. Epicurus, Pythagoras, Socrates, and other Greek sages each occupy their own space, pursuing their own agendas—they are chatting.

Sages from past generations, spanning time and space, gather in this painting. This endless conversation, which began at the dawn of time, will sink into the "sea of wine" along with Rome, lasting into eternity.

Everyone in the painting "sees" that a visitor has arrived, and some of them glanced out inadvertently, and then continued their topic.More people turn a blind eye to this.

There is only one exception: Aristotle's student, Alexander the Great himself, standing beside his teacher. Wearing a golden helmet and a purple toga, while this image is a later artifact, it clearly indicates his status as "emperor." According to Greco-Roman tradition, Alexander the Great, from the Argead dynasty of the Macedonian city-state, is considered one of Rome's predecessors.

His gaze stayed on Shangluo for a while.

He bowed slightly to the teacher, walked out from the perspective point in the center of the picture, walked down the stairs, walked out of the depth of the picture, until he walked out of the frame - side by side with Victoria outside the frame.

Victoria is standing near the door, in the front of the frame. Compared to Alexander's, her toga is more constricting, more like a cape than a toga. Her golden crown is not a helmet, but a golden laurel branch.

"Welcome to Cyberneia," Victoria greeted him. She was smiling, but it wasn't natural. The events of that day were still flashing before her eyes, making her regret even now that she hadn't rushed into it and told him everything as if it were her last will.

But now, compared to personal matters, there is something more important to tell Shangluo: "Let me first introduce this Alexander III of Macedonia."

"Nice to meet you," Alexander replied in Greek. "I'm sorry, but I can't learn the Chinese language, so I can only help you within my limited ability. Emperor, please translate for me."

Victoria translated Alexander's original words to Shangluo.

"Wait, this is Silhouette?"

"Well," Victoria did not answer directly, but asked him, "Do you know what the highest achievement of alchemy is?"

"Of course it's to achieve immortality, right? I remember there are many ways, such as the Philosopher's Stone, etc., is this it?"

"That's right. As one of the six Romes, Alexandria represents the pinnacle of alchemy. The so-called pinnacle of alchemy is, of course, the Philosopher's Stone. The Philosopher's Stone embodies all Romans' desire for immortality and their fear of death. Of course, this attempt ultimately failed."

Shangluo could guess this without her saying anything. If the Philosopher's Stone route had been successful, Rome wouldn't have sunk like it did.

"But!" Victoria pointed to the painting behind her. "Although the Philosopher's Stone didn't grant us immortality, it did bring us another miracle. You just asked if they were silhouettes, and the answer is 'yes and no.' If a silhouette is a fragment of a person, just like a photograph, you can take as many photos as you like. But what is being revived before you is the collection of 'all experiences related to this person in human society.' They are—the virtual philosopher kings. They are the Palace of Muses."

"So the Palace of Muses is commanded by these resurrected philosopher kings?"

"Yes. Therefore, all the decisions made by the sages, led by Plato, were perfect. From the perspective of the ancients, they examined the moral issues facing the Romans today and examined scientific ethics. Their decisions were as binding as the consensus of the Senate and the Oracle of Delphi. The key you're going to have forged today is the result of their research on the Vulcan Core technology. They are the conscience and moral foundation of all of Rome. Without them, Rome would have collapsed over a hundred years ago. But..."

"but?"

"I asked you to come here today for two reasons. The first is that key. I can't get a copy today."

"what?"

"The second one," Victoria immediately added, "is that someone took the key."

"Can that thing be taken away by someone?"

"Because the person who took the key has the same authority as me. Yes, Caesar." She gestured to Shangluo to look behind him.

Shangluo looked back—it turned out to be far larger than it had appeared. A thin door pierced the space, opening at the end of the hall. The floor painting before him barely touched the wall, and the golden hall lay beyond. And at the farthest end of the hall, high on a throne, sat a gray-haired old man. He was emaciated, his massive toga enveloping him like a shroud. His eyes were sunken deep in their sockets, and those eyes stared back at Shangluo.

"That's it."

"Yes, that's Caesar. He borrowed the key. Do you need it urgently? If not, you can wait two weeks. But you need it urgently? Well, there's nothing we can do."

Shang Luo suppressed his voice: "Didn't he take the army to the desert over there?"

"How did you know this? Well, it seems you have an intelligence network. However, the one before you is beyond the reach of any intelligence network. The man on the throne is not a silhouette, nor is he a virtual philosopher king. He is... the real Caesar."

"He's resurrected?"

"Resurrected, but not completely. This is Caesar's true self, his consciousness uninterrupted—but this is another dead end, as you'll understand if you consider how he died. In short, this unexpectedly created another Caesar expeditionary force for us. Anyway, you're on your own. I've brought you in."

Chapter 356 Caesar

Caesar was sitting on a throne deep in the hall. The flickering candles on both sides of the throne made his face look gloomy and uncertain, making it impossible to tell what his expression was - but it was obvious that a tormented soul was bound within that old and haggard body.

He just sat there without saying a word, staring at Shangluo with his empty eyes. He kept staring.

"Caesar, what's the situation now?" he asked Victoria beside him.

"Well, we're so sorry, Caesar. I told you before that Cybele promised resurrection in the Black Stone. The key to resurrection is the continuity of consciousness. If someone's memory resets every time they sleep, then that poor person's consciousness will be interrupted every day. Sleeping is equivalent to saying goodbye to their yesterday self forever, which is no different from dying once a day in their sleep. Conversely, if the continuity of consciousness can be maintained, even the dead can be considered resurrected."

"And what about Caesar?"

"But for some, operationally, some corrections should be made. In short, Caesar's consciousness did maintain continuity; he was Caesar himself, and there's absolutely no problem with that. However, Caesar's death was tragic. He wanted to be crowned King of Rome, but the fate of 'the King of Rome must die by the sword' befell him. Every member of the Senate stabbed him to death, even his most trusted Brutus. Caesar's last words were 'And you too, Brutus, my son.' And then..."

Victoria hadn't thought of the right words, but the meaning was clear.

[Swish! It's here.] Apollonia helped her fill in the gaps.

"In short, Caesar is in great pain now."

"The knife wound on his body."

"Nothing's good, and it won't get better," Victoria replied. "I remember in Journey to the West, Monk Sha was pierced through the heart by flying swords every day, and Caesar suffered the pain of being cut by a sword every moment. Not to mention, the stab in the back from the person he trusted most took a huge toll on him physically and mentally."

"Ah, this. He was dead and fine, why drag him up in this state?"

"Because this is the decision of the Muses. The Muses are always our last line of defense. When we hesitate, the sages will make the final judgment. This place functions more like an immune system—have you seen it? Caesar's army. Between two Caesars, only one should survive."

"So, this is our decision," Alexander added. "It has nothing to do with the Oracle or the Senate."

The old man in the chair before him looked gaunt and lifeless. This was indeed completely different from the Caesar he had first met—the Caesar of that time, driving his chariot and holding a grand triumphal procession in Alexandria. That was the most glorious moment in Caesar's life, because the conquest of Alexandria meant more than just the city.

In the process, he also captured Cleopatra's heart—destroying a kingdom and capturing its ruler wasn't uncommon in Rome. But Caesar's ability to take the other monarch to his bed was truly remarkable. Regardless of Cleopatra's intentions, this achievement, born of "biological instinct," propelled Caesar to the pinnacle of his personal fame. Whenever people speak of Caesar, his time in Alexandria always looms large.

The last time Shangluo saw Caesar, it was this legendary Caesar, not this half-dead old man.

That or this, which one is the real Caesar?

It's not so easy to tell.

If it came down to Caesar's own consciousness, there was no doubt that the figure on the throne was truly him. However, from the perspective of others, the mythical Caesar was closer to the Caesar they knew, and all of Caesar's glory rested on him.

If you ask the Romans whether they want the Caesar who was stabbed by every senator to come back, or the Caesar who stabbed every senator to come back, I'm afraid not many would answer the former.

"So, you want this Caesar to take charge of everything?"

"If possible, I personally hope that Caesar himself will return," Victoria replied. "First, it would mark the arrival of the promised resurrection, allowing us to fully resurrect our historical ancestors. Secondly, in this era of impending great change, I hope for a stronger emperor to lead the empire. I'm not quite suited to this. Caesar is the best choice."

"So, is there another plan? Is it that you, like the mock philosopher king in the Palace of the Muses, adopt the advice of that godlike Caesar?"

"This is actually the root of the problem—no matter which Caesar, and indeed all of our current technologies based on the spiritual network, there is an unavoidable problem: their time is frozen. Time here is always frozen, so no matter what you eat, you won't gain weight, but it won't satisfy your hunger either."

"That's right," Alexander replied. "Even I'm just a shadow. I can't learn anything new. For example, I can't learn the Chinese language. I never could. Even if I had nearly infinite time, I still couldn't. But within my duties, I can at least provide some experience, just like a teacher. It's the same with Caesar over there. Time has also stopped for him, preventing his wounds from healing and leaving him mentally shaken."

This is why I didn't come out sooner. It's a terrible thing to end up like this.

"Then why are you learning from experience?"

[Because I'm not dead, I'm alive, just physically not here. And they, their time has ended, that's all.]

"Hey, wait a minute." Shangluo suddenly looked up. "According to this statement, all the silhouettes will remain unchanged?"

"That's generally the case," Victoria replied.

"What about that ice cream stand downstairs? How did it go from a stand to a store?"

Victoria was stunned: "How did you find out?"

“Because someone introduced me to this ice cream the first time I came here, it’s super delicious.”

"Tsk, so that's how it is. It's normal for you to find out."

"I actually wanted to ask what's going on with that currency with 1 followed by 10 zeros?"

Victoria was stunned again:

"I'm so sorry. You've caught us twice in a row. Actually, these two things are the same thing. First of all, I can assure you in advance: I wasn't the first one to print that money! It wasn't me who started it at all."

"Who is that?"

"I don't know. I do want to print money, but I don't intend to print 10 zeros at once. The real reason is that since last month, a huge amount of drachmas of unknown origin have appeared throughout Cypernia. Every one of them is a silver coin, and every one of them is real."

"Good boy, how many are there?"

"Did you notice the port expansion when you came? Yes, we dumped the excess drachmas into the sea and created new land."

"Ah, this...are you guys okay?"

"Something happened. We were all confused. The drachmas we had accumulated for hundreds of years were just a fraction of that astronomical amount. So, we had to start printing paper money. Because - paper money has numbers."

Unlike silver coins, paper money has numbers printed on it to prevent counterfeiting.

"Then do you plan to take it a step further? For example, make changes according to the Baochao Law?"

"No, not at all. I'm completely devastated. The printing presses are smoking faster than the silver coins are spitting out. We started by printing only 100-denomination notes, and the next day, the drachmas started appearing and being pushed around on carts. Even the silhouettes, which had been motionless, started fluctuating with the price of goods. Now there are more and more silver coins, and more and more silhouettes are inexplicably gaining experience. We think there must be a connection between the two. If we can find a way to make these 'silhouettes' move, then Caesar, and even the philosopher kings in the paintings, can move too. Before that..."

She sighed and said, "Let's use the Yongle Tongbao first. Fortunately, we still have the Yongle Tongbao."

Chapter 357 Huang’s Death

"Hello?"

In front of Caesar, Shangluo stretched out his hand and greeted him.

Caesar's lips moved—more like trembling—but beyond that, no further information was given. His empty eyes stared back, devoid of any light.