Ming Dynasty, New Rome, and Infinite Divine Machine

"What an impressive name. But has that gentleman ever used a hammer?" She didn't understand, but still took a step back. "Are you ready to start?"

"It's about to begin. Anyway, don't blink."

After saying that, he waved his hand, and the former young player put himself on his left hand.

"Wait, you are..."

"Look carefully, this is the art of controlling the sword and fighting with both hands!"

Chapter 359 Competition

In an instant, lightning flashed, meteors flew, sand and gravel flew, and crackling lights like frying beans appeared in the air. The sword flowers on both sides danced in dense clusters.

"Hey! Shangluo, you don't have to do this! That sword is very dangerous! Ahhh! Be careful!"

Where the swords intersected, a cold light pierced through the clouds and pierced Shangluo's wrist. Shangluo immediately did a backflip and barely avoided it.

"Good swordsmanship!" he praised.

The former young general also stopped for a moment, made a sword-holding salute with his backhand, and then the two sides fought again.

"Stop fighting! This is really dangerous!"

"Retreat!" With the order, both hands stopped at the same time.

"How about it, have you seen it?"

"It's truly amazing. He almost beat himself to death. I've never seen such a martial art before."

"Because this is a sword I control—"I control" means to control. The reason I can use it with both hands is because it exists outside my heart and body. While I can still fight with it even if it floats in the air, practicing it with both hands will help me improve my swordsmanship."

"Ah! Because you used yourself as a control group? And then studied yourself?"

"Yes. When I strike with my right hand, my left hand immediately knows how to counterattack. Conversely, when my left hand senses the sword's momentum, my right hand can also learn to block it. As for hurting each other, that's impossible. We both know how to strike."

"How many men like this do you have?"

“Probably 100,000.”

"One hundred thousand???"

"Ah, not everyone can be like him. I was the one who picked out the former young player."

[He has received the true teachings from his master.]

"Well, that's what I mean. Here, most of the Tianyi nobles can only execute single, simple commands. Floating out like this, choosing a sword, fighting with me, and so on, such complex operations can only be mastered by at least the first level of Tianjiang, which is rare."

"Unbelievable. Can I ask a question? How do you handle the issue of technological ethics? Can you guarantee that creations like these won't betray humanity?"

At this point, the former general was also stunned. Sword still in hand, he turned half a circle inexplicably. This was the first time someone asked him this question.

"My answer to this question is that this isn't about scientific ethics at all. The Tianyi nobles and their ilk aren't tools born with a purpose. Since they aren't tools, there's no question of 'scientific ethics' about them. We treat them as Daoist children, assistants, or apprentices. As for the Tianyi nobles, they're also striving to achieve enlightenment, just like the Daoists who practice talismans here, cultivating for a higher level of enlightenment. So, there's no question of betrayal. They're human beings, nothing more."

After saying this, he put the sword back in his hand:

"Okay, thank you for your hard work. I asked you to perform during the break, so we'll have an extra meal tonight. Go back and rest."

However, the former young player did not move much.

"Why? I know. You want a snack, a chicken drumstick. It must be with curry."

The former young general put the sword back, then scrolled down the menu to the page about steamed bread.

"Hey, hey, hey, what are you doing with the steamed bread?"

The former young general pointed at the steamed bread and did not move.

He said he wanted to eat this steamed bread.

"Why do you eat whatever I eat?"

He said, "That's right. He wants to eat whatever you eat."

"But this isn't tasty at all. Zhu Ling said it has no taste at all. It's not like you're not here."

He said, "Taste is a subjective experience. If you think it tastes good, then it tastes good. That's all."

"Why is this kid so persistent in this inexplicable place?"

【So they say that a good teacher produces good students! 】

"That's why I feel worried about my future. Okay, okay, you want to eat steamed bread, right? I'll try. But I'm warning you, I can't guarantee it. Don't make a fuss if you can't eat it."

Shangluo is no longer as young as he was then. He will never agree to these little idiots now, because these guys are unreasonable. If you offend them, they will really roll on the ground.

Without receiving any definite assurance, the former young player's fingers drooped a little - he looked lost and as if he was being manipulated.

He pointed quietly again.

"No. When I said I would do my best, I meant it. Did Lord Shang Tian lie to you? If I really can't do it, there's nothing I can do. I can only try my best to make it for you."

Eventually, the former youngster backed off.

[Poor kid, being manipulated by Shang Tianjun in the blink of an eye. Wow wow wow. I can really relate to him. It seems I, as your master, didn't teach you well.]

The former young general returned to his own grid and swiped the picture up - halfway through, he looked up at the steamed bread on the second floor.

He rowed up anyway.

"That's right." Shangluo stretched out his hand to close the scroll - but he suddenly found that the vertical axis of the entire picture was shaking.

As if he understood something, he swiped down suddenly:

The former young general has appeared on the second floor and is reaching out for the steamed bread.

"(*Jinling Yayan*) You actually managed to get from the third underground floor to the second underground floor! Get back here! At least learn something from her! Are you even learning to cheat when you can't win?"

Shangluo pulled the former young general out, threw him back to the third floor, then took out the steamed bread and held it in his hand.

"You can't do that! The more you don't give him food, the more he wants it. Children are always trying to be smart."

"Since he's a child, I have to be firm so that he can understand the rules. If I say no, it means no. Even if I take the steamed bread in my hand and take it back, I won't give it to him. If he asks for it, I will give it to him. But if I don't give it to him, he can't snatch it away!"

With a snap, he closed the scroll and put it back on his shoulder.

"Wow!" Victoria was stunned. "So you guys have your own troubles too."

"Of course, educating people is the greatest challenge throughout history."

"Speaking of which, is this steamed bread really that delicious? Can I have a little taste?"

"But I've already taken a small bite."

"There's still half of it left, so I didn't want to eat it. But I wanted to eat that little glove so badly that made me want to eat it too."

"." Shangluo stared at her for a while, "Okay." He pulled open the antenna of the mobile phone and cut a thin piece with a light silver thread.

"Here." He held it out. "Let me tell you, it tastes really average."

"It really tastes very ordinary." Victoria frowned. "Not only does it look a bit like the panda food at the zoo, but it tastes more like... Why are you looking at me? You haven't eaten this before when you feed pandas, have you? Isn't there anyone who doesn't steal some food when feeding pandas? Pandas eat so happily, everyone wants to have some, right? This is not just similar, it tastes just as ordinary."

"Anyway, I told you, it tasted pretty average. You insisted on eating it."

"Indeed." Victoria nodded as she continued to savor the food. "So you yourself said it tasted just 'ordinary', and you were so reluctant to let other people or other hands eat it. It must have been made for you by someone very important. Was it someone I know? Or someone I don't know? If not, could you let me get to know them?"

Chapter 360 Vika

"."

"So? Your Majesty, the King of Rome, may I meet you?"

"Wait, how did I suddenly become His Majesty?"

"Well, there might be a problem with the corresponding honorific in the Chinese language. This is a bit presumptuous, because we only learn Chinese for scientific research. But whether it's the Latin REX, the Greek 'Basilius', or other similar words, they all mean monarch. We don't have a direct correspondence with the meaning of the word 'emperor' in your language."

"So what do you usually call the Son of Heaven?"

"We use the transliteration of 'Tian Zi' directly. By the way, perhaps you haven't read Roman literature? When we write professional terms, we use Chinese characters to represent them. So the word 'Tian Zi' is not only pronounced 'Tian Zi' here, but also written as 'Tian Zi', with Latin pinyin notation above it. Sometimes we also use the Persian loanword 'Son of God' (baγpuhr)."

“So that’s how it is”

"Now, because of our dealings with Aurora, that Persian loanword is rarely used anymore. It's only occasionally used in poetry for substitution and rhyme. So, um... the closest concept is the Pythia, but the Pythia was only the 'Son of Heaven' in the Greek region. As for the entire Roman Empire, since Rome didn't have such a concept at the time, there's no native Latin word for it."

"But this word is still a bit awkward, and it's not pleasant for others to hear it."

"Is that so? There are many people here who call you Your Majesty. There are several of them in this room. Caesar is Your Majesty, Alexander is Your Majesty, I am Your Majesty, and my father and mother can both be called Your Majesty. Well, it doesn't really fit your habits. Then just call Shangluo."

"This is acceptable."

"So, Shangluo, can you let me meet the person who cooked this steamed bread for you?"

"Wait a moment." Shangluo walked over, picked up the phone, and dialed the Golden Arches' ordering number:

"Hello, this is the Peach Restaurant at the Golden Arches in Wutai Mountain. What can I help you with?" The sweet voice of the operator came from the other end of the phone.

"Please ask Phaethon to answer the phone."

"What's the matter?" Phaethon revealed his true voice.

"Huh? Can your voice be so high-pitched?"

"Open for business! This is the business voice."

"You're so busy. Why are you the operator at your restaurant?"

"Because our manager is away, I'm covering for you today. Do you need anything? Do you want me to bring you lunch?"

"I was wondering if I could tell Rome about your identity and whereabouts?"

"No, no, no! If they knew I was working odd jobs day and night, I'd be socially dead! I still have friends I care about!"

"Oh, that's it. Okay, that's what I'll say."

"Well, that's it. Who is this person, prying into other people's privacy all day long? That's it, I'm hanging up now. See you tonight?"

"See you tonight." Shangluo hung up

"Wait!" Phaethon suddenly picked up the phone again. "Who asked you that question just now? Who is that person? Can I get to know him?"

"let me see"

Can I tell her? It seems that there is nothing wrong with it. Victoria's identity is completely public.

"It's the Roman emperor." Shangluo told her truthfully.

"Ah!!! It's Vika!"

"Do you know each other?"

"Of course we do. Is she okay?"

[Hey! You know each other! Hey! You said I was your only friend! How come you have another friend?! You even lied to your own aunt. Wow, this kid is hopeless. I was wondering why you didn't come to see me for ten days or half a month, but it turns out you went out to play with new friends.]

"She..." Shangluo thought for a moment and then asked, "Why do you think she is bad?"

"Because she had been very depressed and hyperactive. She was on edge every day, and she would check the buttons of her clothes four times before getting dressed. When I left, she seemed to be getting more and more upset. I asked her many times, but she never told me the reason."

"Oh~~ She thinks that because she doesn't want to die. After they sank into the spirit world before, they didn't know if they could come back."

"So that's how it is! I was wondering, she wasn't like this when she was little, so why did she become like this after ascending the throne? No wonder she can't tell this, not even to me as a friend. Eh, that's not right, why did she tell you? Why didn't she tell me?"

"Because I was helping her solve her problem because of the Pure Land incident. As for why I didn't tell you now, it was you who chose to hide in my house. Now I'm hanging up. I'll keep it a secret for you."

"Wait. She can say it."

"Eh? Didn't you say you'd die in front of others?"

"Vika. Vika is her childhood name. She is my friend. I have very few friends, so I hope she knows."

"Okay. I'll hang up now. Could you please make some more steamed bread from last night? Thank you."

Shangluo hung up the phone and put it back on his waist.

"Ahem, Miss Vika."

"Huh? What did you call me? Who told you? Ah!!! It was Phaethon, wasn't it!"

"That's a really quick reaction."

"Because besides my parents and the head maid, she's the only one who calls me that!" She suddenly realized, "Is this Phaethon's cooking? My doubts are solved. No wonder it tastes so bad."