Ming Dynasty, New Rome, and Infinite Divine Machine

"Ah!!!" Shangluo was frightened. He quickly covered his eyes, fearing that he would see something he shouldn't see.

"Ah!!!" Apollonia also cried out, but it was too late. It didn't matter that Phaethon was in front of her, and it didn't matter that Doudou was beside her, but Shangluo was behind him. She turned around suddenly -

But she saw nothing. The toga was so large that even when pulled up, the lower half still encased her. Her toga, lifted like a lantern, vaguely revealed the bulge of a startled human figure. The figure was encased like dumpling filling, completely encased, not a single ounce of it showing. Only a tiny sliver of her feet could be seen.

"Ahhhh~~" Shangluo breathed a sigh of relief, "Thank you, Toga."

Phaethon hurriedly helped her push Toga down again and pulled her head out of her clothes.

"You didn't see anything. Say, you didn't see anything." Apollonia looked back at Shangluo.

"Yeah, yeah, I didn't see anything. Nothing was revealed."

"I'm not talking about that! I'm talking about what happened just now..."

"You mean the lantern?"

"Forget everything! I'm not a comedian. I'm the Infinite Divine Machine, Apollonia. The Maker of Destiny, the Pioneer of the Future, the Divine Machine of Light and Prophecy, the Wisest of the Divine Machines, the Most Eternal of the Wise, the Guardian of Fate, Commander-in-Chief of the Hydra, Sphinx, Gorgon, and Argos Legions, Lord of the Delphic Oracle. You actually listened to me finish?"

"Yeah." Shangluo nodded.

"Didn't you say 'my house can't accommodate so many people'?"

"Well, because I know you. You're the only one here. There's still room for you."

"Okay. I'll forgive you for now." She adjusted her collar and slipped her arms out of her sleeves. "Help me hold up my clothes. I'm about to trip."

"Hey, how did you get down here just now?" Shangluo muttered while grabbing her collar.

"I spent ages tucking the hem in, and she ripped it apart. Come and help me, hold the other side."

Two people, one on each side, fixed her collar and cuffs, and Apollonia finally put her enormous toga back on. The excess volume extended and draped over her left arm, creating a wide sleeve. From a distance, it looked similar to the formal attire of the Ming Dynasty, and the fabric was also silk.

"Ah, thanks." Apollonia gestured for them to release their hands, and she took two steps, holding up her sleeve. It was okay, she didn't step on the clothes. But the hem of her clothes still dragged on the ground like a mop.

"I say." Shangluo looked at her, "Don't you Romans need a mop when you hold a meeting? This one just mops everything on the floor."

"You're all pretty much the same. You talk as if your volume isn't just dragging on the ground."

"By the way, where are your shoes?" Shangluo asked. "The ground is all stone slabs. Won't they get stepped on here?"

"It's okay. Greeks go barefoot. There are floors in the city and here too."

"Greece is in the Mediterranean, and they have floor heating there. This is in the clouds above the Tower of Babel, aren't you cold?"

"It's okay. We've installed floor heating before. Do you want to try it? Only by walking on it barefoot can it be worth the installation."

"You installed floor heating? There's a swimming pool upstairs? There's a sign at the door? But other than that, it's all empty." Shangluo looked around. There were indeed many heavenly soldiers flying in and out, but otherwise, there was nothing. "What on earth have you been doing these past few days?"

"Tsk, of course we have to set up the office first. We can't let everyone work outdoors. You see, the Beans are very happy too. We're just short of a few vending machines. We'll buy them later and put them up at the entrance of the South Heavenly Gate—and I haven't delayed my work. Former young general, how much phlogiston has been injected?"

【99%. 】

"Get out of here! Don't occupy her channel. I have only one person whispering in my head, so just speak for yourself." Shangluo glared in the direction of the voice. The former young general scurried over from behind a few pillars. He was now a golden glove, but still bandaged.

"Pack up and come with me later to help me take down the Spear of Apollo. It's too heavy. You two should also get ready. We can go down now. Hey, Miss Apollonia, you are not planning to go down in a mop, are you? There is no floor down there."

"Wait!" She didn't even bother to hold up her sleeves, and ran away directly pulling the hem of her clothes: "Wait for me to go upstairs and change clothes! Wait!"

Chapter 424 Inspection

Pressing down the cloud head, Shangluo looked down at the ground from the top of the cloud. "Speaking of which, if I hadn't seen the date fall with my own eyes, I really wouldn't believe that it was just a date."

The boundless land stretched out in all directions. This was already the "inland" part, with no coast in sight. The folds of the jujube trees formed a continuous mountain range, and clear springs flowed in the mountain streams between them. The earth was covered with green shade, and the mountains were covered with flowers, plants and trees. Small figures, as small as ants, could be vaguely seen moving through the mountains. Even patches of cultivated fields could be seen scattered on the flat land.

"Here... is a date?" Phaethon looked at the ground below. "Can this be grown from a date?"

"Theoretically, it's a 'Cursed Date,'" Shangluo replied. "It's not a matter of whether a white horse is a horse or not, because Cursed Dates really can't be considered dates. I remember Master Sa gave me one, and it had a meaty flavor and aroma, even the fatty texture of pork elbow—a flavor that ordinary dates can't have. Cursed Dates are a medium for fulfilling wishes, and dates are just a form, or a shape. So it's not surprising that this Date Continent has developed an ecological community on its own."

"What did you ask for in the first place?"

"That's what I said at the time—after confirming the snake pills were usable, these snakes had already proven their worth. I could have simply thrown them back onto those struggling tea islands, but they gave me three pills, and I gave them three pieces of paradise. But there wasn't any transaction involved. If anything, it was tribute and a reward. Value lies in the heart, not in the scale."

"So, they gave you something you thought was 'important,' so you gave them something they needed most? So, is that settled?"

"I'd like to clear the air. But unfortunately, this isn't a deal, it's life. From the moment the move was made, I'm afraid the threads of their fate have become entwined with mine."

"Do you want to see it? You can see it physically~~" Phaethon shook the Spear of Apollo in his hand.

"Forget it. I don't want to see myself entangled in countless sad wishes. Their wishes will not come true. I am their god, not their father. Just like the imperial court has never regarded tributary states as sons, the imperial court's sons from the beginning to the end have only been vassal states like Lan Fang. The imperial court is ruthless towards other tributary states and does not want them to cause trouble for the court - that's the theory."

"What about actually?"

"In reality, this idealization is simply impossible. Tribute doesn't lose its commercial significance because of its ritualization, nor does it lose its ritual connotations because of its essence of trade. Ultimately, accounts must be settled." This is the tribute trade as known to Shangluo, a relatively ancient, unmodernized version. Modern tribute trade is currently being organized by professionals at the Maritime Customs Office. It's not easy to understand at a glance, but the general principles remain.

He had learned about this in class. Tribute trade is currently defined as "exchange of goods and services based on the suzerain-vassal relationship." The primary form of tribute trade was "exchange of goods and services," or barter.

The essence of this trade wasn't driven by the proliferation of wealth, but rather by the need to energize each nation's own production and reproduction. This typically involved no transfer of money, but rather the direct exchange of goods. The Yongle Tongbao coins, used to measure the value of goods, rarely moved; they were merely used to calculate prices—because there was no need to actually spend them. The Ming Dynasty was the "absolute center" of tribute trade, and the essence of money was a "general equivalent." The Celestial Empire possessed everything; anyone who wanted to buy something could simply come and pick it up, without the need for a "general equivalent" to go through the motions.

So, while the Yongle Tong Bao coins exist in physical form, they're still quite rare. They're generally only allowed to be taken home if someone specifically requests them, and they're usually kept as souvenirs. While the earliest use of the Yongle Tong Bao coins is lost in history, they can be found buried in tombs across the Eastern Hemisphere, even in what could be considered "ancient tombs." That's where those souvenirs ended up.

"So dealing with the relationship between gods and humans is really complicated." Phaethon shook his head. "Is there anything you haven't figured out?"

"Yes, I do. I hear about it occasionally. I'm surprised why North Korea is so efficient and can produce so many tractors. Don't North Koreans need to sleep? Or why Japan can support so many people with only tribute and no trade. Don't Japanese need to eat? I don't even know who is cultivating immortality. We are clearly the ones who have made further progress in the immortal path, but it seems that they are all in the foundation-building stage and are all immortals. These two are hard to figure out even if they are next door, not to mention the mushroom man in the box."

"This is really... difficult to deal with."

"So, we are here to solve the problem this time." He looked down at Shedan, and the line gradually became perpendicular to the ground. They were almost there.

"Begin your descent, but don't land directly in the center of the line." Shangluo noticed that some areas on the ground had "real houses," as if there were real houses. Counting the years, it was already three years since they left the Tower of Babel.

He didn't want to descend directly on the villages; that would be like a deity descending from heaven, contradicting the purpose of their journey. Their purpose was to find a way for those within and outside the teapot to coexist. Should they maintain the relationship between gods and humans, intervene to some degree, or simply take the responsibility of establishing a relationship between parent and child civilizations—or perhaps, put an end to this world altogether? These decisions would have to be made after investigation.

"Well, here we go." Pressing the cloud, they stopped at a peak. The line seemed to extend to a lush, green area below the mountain, a forest. Along the road leading to the forest were houses and fields, and small figures moving about.

Several people stepped down from the gloves the celestial soldiers had put on them. Shangluo waved them off to the clouds and waited. The celestial soldiers flew into the clouds—a flash of light appeared, and the accompanying "heavenly dragnet" opened a corner to let them in. The light was also fleeting, hidden in the clouds, without revealing its true form.

"Okay." Shangluo stretched his muscles. "What should we do first? Should we pitch a tent?"

"Grill first!" Apollonia raised her hand. "Grill! Grill now!"

"Okay, okay, let's grill first. Let me see where the grill is."

Chapter 425 Barbecue

"Let me see where the grill is."

This was the first time he'd ever opened his bag in Huzhongtian. He'd always kept the really important things, like snake elixirs, close to him. And this was the first time he'd brought in strange things like a barbecue grill and a tent.

"Ah, I found it. The grill is here."

Suddenly, a huge suction force came from inside the bag.

"Ahhh!" Before he could scream, he was blown away and rolled into the bundle.

"Bang bang bang-"

There were a series of clanging noises, and out of the Thunder Department's portal spewed a huge mess of things: tables, chairs, benches, tents, and even a barbecue grill.

Shangluo was the first to be ejected, and the grill followed, crushing him. Phaethon's back hit him in the face.

"Cough cough cough!" he gasped, "Fortunately there is a sofa. Hey, hey, are you okay?" He touched Phaethon's hand.

"I want to throw up! Where's the toilet?"

"Turn right when you get out. I'm going to throw up soon too!"

"Don't grab it! Let me go first! I'm going to spit it out!"

"I'm going to throw up too!"

After removing the messy things from their bodies, the two men rushed into the toilet.

There were two "yue~~" sounds, followed by the sound of the faucet flushing.

When they came out again, Phaethon was still relatively normal, but Shangluo came out holding the door.

"What on earth happened just now?" Phaethon held onto the door frame, his voice a little deep.

"I seem to be carsick. No, it's airsickness? Or maybe it would be more appropriate to say teleportation sickness." He couldn't remember what had just happened. He only knew that the sky was spinning and the earth was hanging, and then he was ejected from the teleportation portal.

“I’m asking what just happened.”

"Just now. Oh right! Where's Apollonia?"

"Yes! Where is she?"

[Tsk. You two just remembered me now?] Apollonia's voice appeared on the familiar channel.

"Are you okay? Where are you?"

"I'm right here, but you two seem so relaxed. Are you squeezing a teleportation scroll or something? You two are saying 'Aaaaaaaah' as you collapse into a single point and disappear. So where's the exit?"

"Inside the gate of the Thunder Department." Shangluo straightened up, not feeling as dizzy as before.

So what did you do?

“I reached into the bag.”

Ah! I understand. This world was originally inside your bag, and you reached into your bag from within the world—just like a short circuit, a bug occurred, and you were ejected.

"That's not right. Isn't this pot in the Thunder Department now?"

[That pot is in the Thunder Department, but the space inside it was generated in the Shanhe Sheji Tu. Remember? The snake pill needs to be filled with water from the Bitter Sea, because that's how the space in that world is contained. So even if it's moved out, only the shell will be moved; the properties of the egg white and yolk inside won't change.]

"Tsk, this is troublesome. I can't carry it with me as a burden. But can I use it for an emergency escape? That makes me feel a lot more at ease."

"That's true. While it's unlikely you'll encounter something dangerous, it's always good to be safe. You can exit instantly, just like unplugging your character when they're about to die. It's really convenient. Could you please come over quickly? I've been standing here for hours! A day in heaven is a year on earth, and four minutes is a whole day. Hurry up!"

"Oh yeah, I just remembered, isn't there a 365-fold time difference?"

Because I am God~~ I am slowing myself down 365 times to talk to you~

"what?"

[Ahem, all kidding aside. Actually, I escaped back to the Tower of Babel. After seeing you guys get teleported away, I immediately went back as well. I've already sent Doudou to pick you up, come quickly.]

"Come on, more people, help move the luggage. We have tables, chairs, benches, and a barbecue grill here. Ah!" He held his forehead. "If I had known the parcel rack would become an emergency escape mechanism, I should have bought some camping gear in advance. Just move in casually today and we'll come back next time."

[How many do you want? ]

"What do you mean a few? Let's start with a hundred. There are a lot of odds and ends. Or do you want to eat grilled benches?"

[500! Arriving soon!]

(Aquatic) "Is this the place? Hayat?"

(Shui Tribe language) "Right here! Elder Uma. This is where I saw three gods descend from the sky yesterday. Two of them stayed for just a moment, then flew away with a 'whoosh whoosh' sound, angry. Another flew away with a 'whoosh whoosh' sound."

(Aquatic language) "So it flew away with a whoosh! It must have been really angry!" Everyone was talking about it, "Did we do something wrong?"

(Aquatic language) "Ahhh!" Hayat pointed to the sky. "Here it comes again! God has come again!"

(Shui Tribe language) "Quick!" Elder Uma raised his scepter high, "Quickly worship the gods!"

Everyone then held hands, formed a circle of four, and walked around in a circle while chanting:

(Aquatic language) "Gods, come quickly, Gods, come quickly."

"Have we been discovered?" Shangluo discovered those

They seemed to no longer be able to be called mushroom people. Because they no longer looked like mushrooms, they had distinct facial features, complete hands and feet, and looked completely like humans.

"Why are they so skinny?" Shangluo was stunned for a moment after taking a look through the telescope. "When we set out from the tower, those mushrooms were so round and plump and cute. Even though they've taken human form now, how come they've become so skinny all of a sudden? So pitiful."

"Are you hungry?" asked Phaethon.

"It doesn't look like it. There are fields all around. It's all fields. I think it's growing pretty well, green. It shouldn't be so thin."

“Hey, what are you going to do?” Apollonia asked.

"Why are you suddenly using this channel to talk again?"

Because opening my mouth is so tiring.

"But if you leave Phaethon alone like this, she'll be angry."

[Hey, she knows what I'm going to say as soon as I open my mouth. We know each other very well. How about this... cough, Phaethon, can you hear me?]