Ming Dynasty, New Rome, and Infinite Divine Machine

"Fetion card, I can send Fetion messages now."

"Yes." Zhu Xianxun nodded. "The first thing he did when he came in the morning was ask me for a badge. I sent someone to Jinyiwei to get him one from stock. It actually works, and it works quite smoothly. He's even more adept at using the forum. He's already posted several posts this morning."

"I love social media! I feel so connected to the world, and I can call my assistant anytime. Wow! That's so useful! But is that switchboard a little bit awkward?"

"That relay station isn't human." Zhu Xianxun waved his hand. "You'll understand later. Anyway, don't always play with the relay station. It's hard to appease them when they're angry. You need to eat delicious food to coax them back."

"I understand. Anyway, most of the people I want to contact are Qigong practitioners, or they have Qigong practitioners around them, so I don't use it very often. Shangluo Shangluo, add me on Fetion, come on, come on."

The two people added each other, and Shangluo saw his avatar and custom name.

The profile picture is a selfie he just took, with the potted plant at the entrance of Zhu Xianxun's office in the background. Its name is Guoxingzhe.

"Oh, by the way, what's your surname?"

"Zhe is my given name, and Shijie is my courtesy name. That's why my surname is Zhe on my student ID. People who are close to me usually call me Shijie. People who are even closer to me usually call me Ajie. Shangluo! Last night I wanted to set off a million firecrackers at your door, but he stopped me. How can I ever thank you for your kindness? Can I kowtow to you three times?"

"Ah this. This."

Zhu Xianxun pressed his forehead. "Why are you still the same as before? You almost scared Shangluo. Shangluo, this guy has always been this 'passionate'. His strength is that he's very decisive when it comes to persuading others, but his weakness is that he becomes shameless once you get to know him."

"Well, have you decided? Do you want to be my uncle or my elder brother?"

"No, no, no, we should just meet more often on Thunder Department matters in the future."

"Then we should at least become sworn brothers! Otherwise, I'll feel guilty!"

[This bow~~] Apollonia sang.

"Eh? Why does it seem like there's some music playing next to my ears?"

[How come there's another person who can hear this channel? It seems to be heading in the same direction as Yanqiu. I'll change the channel, ahem. This is a blessing~~ I'm so happy to meet a soulmate~~]

Now only Shangluo can hear her singing.

"The background noise is gone. But Shangluo, do you want to become sworn brothers? But if we do, we have to ask my eldest brother for his opinion."

"what?"

"Because he already worshipped me as his big brother." Zhu Xianxun held his chin, feeling exhausted this early in the morning. "Otherwise, why would I work so hard? I wouldn't help others like this. I would have told him to get out long ago."

"Well, let's do this." Shangluo thought for a moment, "There's no rush today. I'll pick a good day later."

Shangluo knew that he might be too excited now, so it would be better for him to calm down. If he didn't mention it later, Shangluo would not mention it either.

"Yes, yes, such a big thing needs to be taken seriously."

When Shangluo heard the word "solemn", his nerves twitched - he didn't know how big a commotion the solemnity of the country's surname could cause, and he seemed to have a bad premonition.

"Oh, right," Zheng Shijie suddenly asked, "Shangluo, could you please add me on a few Fetion accounts? Which one is Miss Yanqiu's? We have endorsement discussions today, and it would be much more convenient to contact her using Fetion."

Chapter 397 New Business

Add the two sides as before.

"By the way, I'm a little reluctant to ask her to be the spokesperson." Zheng Shijie muttered.

"Huh? Why?" Shangluo didn't want to ask in detail. But since it was related to Phaethon's work, he still asked.

"Because I feel like I can be the spokesperson myself! I think the effect will be better if I'm the spokesperson myself!"

Zhu Xianxun couldn't help but ask: "Take a good look at your own face. Does it make you want to buy it?"

"Well, okay. I thought I could do everything, but it seems this is still an insurmountable gap. Oh, right."

He looked at Shangluo.

"." Shangluo also looked at him, not knowing what he was going to do.

"Shangluo! Have you ever considered endorsing our products? You know, those spiritual shampoos."

"But have you decided to let Miss Yanqiu be the spokesperson?"

"Let me tell you, the reason we chose Miss Yanqiu as our spokesperson is because she has an irreplaceable advantage—she appeals to both men and women, young and old. With her as our spokesperson, all product lines, regardless of gender or age, are well-suited to her image."

"What about me?"

"I think you're more suitable as a spokesperson for children's products. Children can't understand Ms. Yanqiu's charm, but you look healthy and energetic, just like the 'healthy big brother' that children like. I think you'll be very attractive to elementary school students and preschoolers under 12 years old."

"You're right." Zhu Xianxin also glanced at him. "You really do look like the protagonist in a children's comic. You look as healthy as if you've eaten a lot of milk and spinach."

"Has he always been like this?" Zheng Shijie asked.

"No, he actually had a pretty good foundation before. But after building his foundation, it's like he's been completely transformed. He looks brand new every day, and it feels like he's glowing."

"That's it!"

"Huh?" Shangluo touched his face, which was indeed very elastic. "Am I really okay?"

"Okay. Let me tell you, even though you have a solid foundation, children don't care about that. What they care about is 'aura'—you know how difficult it is to make children's products, because it's hard for adults to understand what children like. But you're different. Your aura is naturally relatable to children! Because you and children both look 'fresh and new' at first glance—I don't know where this word came from, but it really suits you."

"Come to think of it, it's true." Zhu Xianxun thought for a moment, "He was often given food. It was okay if it was given by older people, or if it was given by his peers. When he was in Alexandria, a girl in elementary school even gave him ice cream."

"Look, look, my business sense is very keen. Shangluo, you have such a good opportunity, why don't you come over? Anyway, you can try it out first."

"Then? Try it?"

"Right! Give it a try. And your Thunder Department is also short of some funds, right? I know you wouldn't take the money for free, because those who practice Taoism believe in cause and effect. But I'm asking you to be my spokesperson, I'll pay you, and I'll also be helping the Thunder Department. This solves the dilemma, doesn't it? And I have a feeling that you would be very suitable for this position."

"You haven't noticed one thing," Zhu Xianxi reminded him. "What makes him perfect for endorsing children's products is that his face won't change, because he's already a god. No matter how many decades pass, he'll still look the same. Your brand image will be firmly established among each new batch of children, eliminating the generation gap."

"Then he's the only one I can have. Shangluo, are you free this afternoon? We've rented a studio for auditions this afternoon, and you can come along."

"Ah... this is a bit sudden. But it's okay, I'll take a leave. But it might be a little late, I have to go to the team first to deal with something - then I might as well go early and check on the team before class. I'm leaving now."

"Okay, okay." Zheng Shijie shook his arm vigorously. "I wish us a pleasant cooperation. See you this afternoon."

After seeing Shangluo off, Zhu Xianxun poured himself a cup of tea and said, "Do you have anything else to do? If not, you can leave now. I still have to review memorials in the morning, and before that I'd like to take a nap to replenish my energy."

"After the Autumn?"

"Yes." Zhu Xianxun nodded. "It's very serious. It's a memorial to the 'after autumn'. It's not the final decision yet, but I have to stay awake and read it through for the first time. During this time, I will understand the situation and make a decision after autumn. So, are you okay?"

"No, I won't bother you anymore."

"Okay, see you later. Oh, by the way." Zhu Xianxun took another sip of tea. "You asked him to endorse children's products. What children's products were they?"

"Wangzai milk."

"puff--"

"Why do I have a bad feeling?"

He was the only one in the garage, squatting in front of the car, chatting with Lele inside.

Lele couldn't speak yet, but he floated on the screen and made a question mark with his hand.

"Do you ever have this feeling? I just feel creepy all of a sudden."

Lele thought for a while and typed out a row of meaningless lines on the screen.

He was communicating with me in Elvish. Yes, that means he had seen you before, when he first met you.

"Oh, we didn't know each other back then—oh, by the way, what is Elvish?"

[This is the language these spirits, formed from the aggregation of wandering light, possess naturally. To you, it's like a 'holy book.' The Beans also know it, so it's fair to call it 'Bean Language.' They communicate this way on a daily basis.]

"Was that text just now?"

"No, those are just phonetic symbols. If you want, you can also write it in Chinese characters. These spirits are born knowing it, so they are born with this language."

"Then can I learn?"

[You can, but it's very laborious, and you might not be able to pronounce it. Speaking of which, if I remember correctly, the mushrooms probably speak this way, too. At least the principle is the same. As for what language the light in the teapot can generate, I don't know. But using the Elvish method, it should be possible to decipher it.]

"Are you keeping watch now?"

Yes, the Beans have been deployed to the tower. They haven't accelerated yet; they've all gone to their respective territories and are starting new lives. Interestingly, they're not using their own language, but rather the 'God Language,' which they saw on the forums. The older myconids are teaching those who haven't seen it, and it looks like it'll take them a while to learn the new way—it's not a change of words, it's a complete overhaul of their original way of speaking, now speaking directly in the 'God Language.'"

"What will happen to them if this continues?"

They might completely forget their origins, just as it's difficult for peas to learn to speak, because the shaping of the soul is closely related to language. While not immediately certain, within a few generations they might completely forget their fungal origins. After being gifted by the snake, they're now not much different from humans, and they can probably continue to live like humans.

"Well, once we're done with things here, let's go check on them. I've always been a little worried. When recruiting operators from outside, it seems necessary to select some of their own warriors so that they can have local support when we fight demons. You should first scout out the locations, such as the highest mountains, the deepest abysses, etc. I want to spread some gifts in their world and select some warriors."

【What is this? 】

"The Doudous are Heavenly Soldiers, so they can be considered Yue Soldiers. They're Yue Soldiers, chosen from the prison cells, who were held captive beneath the mountain. Besides the Heavenly Soldiers, they can also be of great use. At least they should be more effective than the Doudous."

Chapter 398 Cause and Effect

"Yue Bing, huh? I'll keep an eye on it for you. But, what exactly do you want to do?"

"For now, we still adhere to the principle of non-interference. We only intervene when snake disasters occur and offer wards off disasters. But that's only for now. In the long run, we must do our best to avoid any causal interactions with this small world."

"Why? I can read this after you explain your fundamental purpose."

"The most important thing is that, for now, this is a good thing for us both internally and externally. Internally, those myconids no longer cause trouble to our Tower of Babel and have gained their own lives, which is a good thing. Externally, we can gain snake pills by helping the myconids, which is also a good thing. Time is faster inside than outside, and this doesn't involve cause and effect, because it's something that would have happened anyway. I didn't speed it up, I just made it happen faster for us. But..."

He paused. "This balance is quite delicate. This could easily turn into a bad thing. To them, we are just heavenly soldiers and generals who come to help them fight monsters every few decades—but can our actions really be understood? For example, have you seen Ultraman?"

Ah, you're talking about that scenario, right? Although the Titans from the Land of Light are righteous Titans of Light who come to aid humanity, humans have their own unique perspectives and may not always understand the Titans' original intentions. They might even wonder if the monsters and disasters that appear every few decades are related to the Titans of Light. I guess every film has similar questions.

"So when we go down, we must act with extreme caution. This could be a good thing, but it could easily turn into a bad thing. We might even draw the wrath of this world upon us—and at that point, it would truly become a bad thing."

[Will the Giant of Light use force to attack humans? ]

"I can't say for sure, but I will," Shangluo replied. "After all, I'm not some superhero upholding justice throughout the universe. I still have responsibilities for my own people. The elixir is incidental, and I can try to obtain it in other ways, but the role of that world is irreplaceable. So if we and that world can't move towards each other, but are instead on a collision course on the same trajectory, then I have no choice but to take action."

[Well, when the time comes, will you take the knife? ]

"There's no conclusion yet. I'll try to observe. But one thing is inevitable: unlike the true Heavenly Dao, which remains completely aloof, we aren't selflessly providing for that world. Our original intention is to obtain the elixir. Therefore, it's inevitable that we will have to break the supremacy of the Heavenly Dao every once in a while and personally take action. And each time we take action, we have to carefully consider it. Otherwise, I'll be in a difficult situation. It's neither annihilation nor indestruction."

That's the trolley problem, right?

"Yes. When choosing either side presents problems, the best approach is to avoid that crossroads and that situation from the outset. But if I have to face that choice," he touched his forehead, "we'll discuss it later. I also need to examine whether that world is worth saving before making a decision. The snakes said they have endowed the fungi with human emotions, souls, and bodies. I wonder if they can be trusted. Or maybe they're just repeating themselves like before."

Do you have a scheduled timetable?

"Tomorrow or the afternoon of the day after tomorrow, have the doudou help me pick an observation spot and do some preliminary preparations. I'll investigate and come back. Although this may seem unfair, the cost of my time must also be taken into consideration. If it's something I can easily help with, I don't mind helping with the mushrooms. But if it's too troublesome or too tiring and doesn't yield much benefit, I'm afraid I won't do it, because I have more important people to help. After all, they haven't treated me to Wangzai milk."

[I see. Then, I'll try to find some places where you won't miss important information?]

"Yes. This will ensure that I don't make a wrong judgment. I don't want to press the pause button on this world unless it's absolutely necessary."

In the final analysis, even though it has nothing to do with him, he still wants to make that world go further.

"It feels like the swallows under my eaves. Although the swallows live in my house, we can all live our own lives. Unless it's absolutely necessary, I don't think anyone would poke the swallow's nest under the eaves."

[Of course, before that, you have to make sure that they are indeed swallows building nests, and not wasps or something like that?]

"Smart. I'll leave it to you then."

Shangluo hopes they can grow up like the little swallows in their nest. Perhaps they'll fly out of the nest and go somewhere farther, or even come back. But as long as they don't disturb people, he doesn't mind having little swallows living under the eaves.

"That's it. Boy with glasses, see you later." I came to say hello to the boy with glasses in the morning, and that was considered the completion of routine maintenance.

Compared with mechanical maintenance, emotional management among team members is also very important.

Glasses wasn't like Yan Zi or something like that. He was a key member of the Longjiang team, like the former young player and Shangluo sharing the same steamed buns. When all of this team retired, if Glasses didn't join Han Xingzhi on the new project team, he'd be the most senior member of the team.

It's OK to have someone else do the maintenance on the machine, but conversation therapy is also very important.

Someone came to visit him in the morning before work started, and the boy with glasses was quite happy - but he seemed much happier than before, and seemed a little thinner.

Glasses is quite busy right now. Many of the Tianyi nobles have taken up residence in the car. He has to train with Lele and the others every day. He has to monitor the vehicle's overall condition, which is many times more demanding than before.

"That's good. If he trains more, he should be able to develop his potential more deeply. If we communicate with him more, it shouldn't be long before he can understand the minds of the Doudous." What's also hard to compare is that the Doudous have all been to school, while the boy with glasses is only one or two years old now, so the age difference is too big.

Recalling the first time we met.

[Don't even mention the first time. You even hit him with a hammer.]

"What happens once is familiar again. That boy with glasses, you are busy, I'm going to class."

Seeing that it seemed like it was about time, he waved to the boy with glasses. On the screen, the boy with glasses waved back, and Lele and the other colorful beans also crowded over. The colorful Lele performed a strange dance, and he seemed to like this new skin very much.