Ming Dynasty, New Rome, and Infinite Divine Machine

Sitting by the pool, he also began his second meal. This was leftovers from the previous meal, as a dozen people couldn't possibly finish a whole sheep and so much cake. Phaethon still had half of the meat left, having previously chilled it in the submarine's ice machine. It was still quite a large portion for two people.

The plates of meat were arranged according to type, just as Phaethon had cut them.

"Well, let me see what else we can eat. Eh? There's also lamb liver? They really don't know what it is. I think only my senior brother ate some lamb liver and didn't eat the whole one. Hey, let me grill some."

Apollonia was already roasting some mutton fat nearby. The fat was dripping with oil and sizzling on the iron plate.

"Borrow it," he said, and took a piece from Apollonia's pile.

"What are you doing???"

"Hey, borrow some mutton fat for roasting." He put the mutton fat on the iron plate, refined the oil first, and then put the fresh lamb liver on it to fry.

"Oh~~The fragrance is wafting out."

The lamb liver is only lightly fried, so eat it while it's tender. Eat it while it's still warm.

"Oh, this lamb is good. It's really delicious when it's fresh. There's not much of a strange smell."

He took another piece and slowly roasted it piece by piece:

"This way of eating should be done when there are few people around, over a low fire and slowly roasting. It would be troublesome if there are too many people around, don't you think?"

"Hmm, yes, yes." She was eating the tenderloin, with a lump of meat in her mouth, and she couldn't speak clearly.

The second stall wasn't for celebration, but for eating. While they were eating, over there, in the hot pool, a noblewoman, Tianyi, was cooking "Peaches." Tender red peaches floated past them one by one, rolling in the water as they drifted. Even the pool water was imbued with a fruity aroma.

"Oh, right." After finishing half of the lamb liver, he asked Apollonia, "How many peaches did you pick?"

"1888 peaches." Although she was eating barbecue, Apollonia still took the time to answer.

"Not bad. Does everyone have a share?"

"Not bad. There are actually a lot of beans in a can. One person can't eat a peach that big anyway, so it's enough to share it with everyone. The ones you see flying out are taking the vegetables out of the can, and the others are eating inside the can first."

Chapter 461 Mutton

"I'm thinking about setting up a peach orchard or something, and growing our own peaches. The peas have to eat, after all."

Yes, they need food. Tianyi Guiren are soldiers, but mobilizing them requires spiritual herbs. In the past, they served the imperial court, naturally receiving money and food. But inside, they were serving Shangluo. While this was indeed official business, and there was state sponsorship, it was only financial. As for how to efficiently supply food and grass, that was another matter.

"Are you planning to get some land down there?" A new batch of barbecue was still roasting, and she looked up at Shangluo.

"That's right. After switching to the identity of Thor, my identity isn't as sensitive as the Creator God, so many things become much easier to handle—because the key still lies in the Snake Pill. The Thor identity has nothing to do with the Snake Pill, and we won't be dealing with snake-related issues when we use this vest. We just want peaches, and peaches can be bought. When the time comes, you can take a detailed inventory of these peaches and pay them."

"It's a small matter. It doesn't seem very expensive. 1888 peaches that cost 5 wen each, that's 9440 wen."

"Wait, how many days' supply is this?"

"What do you mean a few days? This is the amount for one meal."

Shangluo slapped his hand on the head and said, "Hurry up, let's grow some peaches ourselves and start farming. How can we handle all the military rations? This is terrible. What did they eat before this peach feast?"

"When the Heavenly Soldiers were transferred here, they brought with them some stored food, all canned goods. Can't you see they're sitting in the cans now? They're just perfect for eating. Since they prefer peaches, they're quite cost-effective. If you grow them, even though the peach yield isn't very high, you're actually using a year's worth of harvest to provide a day's worth of food, which makes things much simpler."

"Then we need to choose a piece of land? This piece of land will be used to install the necessary facilities for the lower world, and also to manage our Peach Garden in the lower world. We also need some people to guard the Peach Garden."

"Why do I feel like the moment I mention the Peach Garden, it will be stolen by monkeys?"

"Then don't let the monkey see the Peach Garden. Letting the monkey see the peaches, I don't know if it's intentional or not. Who in their right mind would come up with such an idea?"

"But before you let them see the Peach Garden, who knew if they were monkeys?"

The two men fell into silence, only the lamb liver and lamb fat were still sizzling on the iron plate.

"Excuse me." The former young general suddenly arrived, "Would you two like a peach?"

"Thanks, one is enough." He took the peach and split it in half.

"Wait, isn't sharing peaches a bit weird?" He glanced at Apollonia. "Oh, by the way, you're a girl, so it's not a big deal."

"You still know this." She took the other half and rubbed the peach on the iron plate again, getting some burnt mutton fat on it.

"Well, it tastes pretty good." After eating half a peach, she wiped her mouth and said, "Okay, let's stop here for today. I'm quite satisfied that you can accompany me to eat a second stall. However, it's a good time to arrange things before going to bed. Do you have any instructions?"

"First, find some land. Have the Beans on night duty find some uninhabited land and fence it off. However, considering the three dates there have been given to them, these temporarily fenced-off plots of land are only for temporary use. I'll send down another piece later, but Sazu's dates have already been given, so I'm afraid mine won't be that useful. Anyway, as long as we can plant peaches, that'll be fine. Also, we're hiring people."

"Yeah, I remember that. Anything else?"

"Also, keep monitoring Insura. This is the origin of our interference in the netherworld, and all the causes of the effects will originate from here. So, no matter what, maintain full surveillance. I'll be reviewing the footage tomorrow, so please keep it at at least 30 frames per second. That's... help me calculate it."

"That translates to a scan every 12.1666 seconds of Nether time."

"Yes. A checkpoint every ten or so seconds will ensure we can keep an eye on them. We'll select warriors capable of fighting under the sun, and conduct wide-area reconnaissance to find places where peaches can be grown. We have two mid-term plans: one is to arrange for the arrival of the fourth continent, and the other is to prepare a ritual to let the Creator take the blame. And above the netherworld." He pointed to the ground, "Our game has to begin."

"So, where is the scene?"

"I think a can would be great. The can has a lid, right? So let's lay out our venue on it. Compared to them in the netherworld, the top of the can is probably considered heaven. Oh, and don't let anyone see the words 'fermented black bean dace'; it'll be distracting. We want to create an immersive game world. It'd be fun if everyone knew we were playing on a can."

"Hmm," Apollonia thought for a moment, "according to the plan, I have a suggestion. Do you know how the kingdom of God will come to this world?"

"How about it?"

"Pepin's land donation was the foundation for the establishment of the Papal States after the fall of the Western Roman Empire. As the owners of this land, they donated it to the Church. Similarly, although the three fertile plots of land were granted to them, it's not a bad idea for them to donate some of the Peach Garden. I'm afraid the belief in the god of thunder will spread among them, and temples will be built. A closer analogy is that many city-states in Greece were considered the territories of gods. For example, Athens was the city of Athena."

"You mean, the Land of Thunder God?"

"What do you think?"

"Hmm," Shangluo thought for a moment. "As the God of Thunder, I think we can do this. Because as the God of Thunder, we need to maintain contact with the underworld so we can expel enemies from outside at any time. But I don't want to force a new country into their existing political system, because that would cause legal problems. The earth and the sky belong to two different countries, right? Then it would be better for the God of Thunder's kingdom to be built on water. Don't move for now."

He instructed, "Keep observing first, and then let me decide. Establish it at the right time—oh, right."

He put down the package and looked around. The mutton was on the ice, but he still hadn't finished it.

"Do you want to eat, peas?" he asked Apollonia.

"The peas are full, and there's not enough mutton—and if you give it to only a few peas, the others will get angry."

"Then let's just do this. Former young general! Pack up this mutton and take it to the people of the lower realm, to the Insula Village where you are eating peaches. Calculate the price of mutton per pound, and if it's not enough, give them Yongle Tongbao."

Chapter 462 Experiment

Good morning! This is the morning time announcement brought to you by 16-year-old Apollonia! It is now 1: AM!

"Stop howling! It's not like I won't wake up on my own." Shangluo opened his eyes. Today, August 16th, was a school holiday, and the team had no work. While tomorrow was a holiday, the finals of the race were in two days, so he had to go to school even on a day off. But at least today was a day off.

After returning home last night, he hadn't felt any discomfort. At that time, the money and mutton hadn't been delivered yet. Karma hadn't paid off yet, and all those "immortal peaches" he'd eaten were wasted the moment Shangluo withdrew from Hutian. But just like before, his head didn't explode, his blood pressure didn't spike, and everything was normal.

[It seems that little bit of cause and effect has no effect on you.]

"I'm afraid that small things will accumulate into big ones. The sooner we solve it, the sooner the better." As he said this, he sat up straight. There seemed to be a sound of someone walking outside.

"Hey, you're awake?" Phaethon poked his head in, "Want to have breakfast?"

"Maybe in a while. I'm still quite full. Didn't you go to work this morning?"

"This morning was originally Yanqiu's appointment, but Yanqiu went home."

"Oh yeah, that's true. So she didn't have time to come last night, I almost forgot."

"Yanqiu won't be back until after the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday. But she said she'll come back to watch your race then."

"Oh~~ Very good, very good. I'll save a good spot for her."

"Are you going to go to court soon?"

"What court? Even the court is closed today. I'm just going to the palace for a visit."

"Then let's go together."

"What for? I'm going to return the bottle. That yin-yang guy is so weird. The yin-yang bottle is still in my hand. I have to return it to him. Why are you following me?"

"Even though I'm not a Qigong practitioner yet, I can get my own Feixin card~~ My master asked me to go with him today!"

"You haven't even become my disciple yet, why are you calling me Master?"

"He said that this kind of thing isn't practiced in our sect, because Danding Sect is located in the imperial palace, and that's not how it works. If I really want to become his disciple, wait until I'm admitted to his laboratory. Then I can call him Mr. Zhu. Masters and apprentices in the imperial palace are just helping each other. Although the master-disciple relationship is genuine, there aren't many formalities. After all, it's actually not proper to use such underworld etiquette in the imperial palace."

"I wouldn't have noticed if you hadn't mentioned it. Wen Yuan didn't really pay homage to Captain Lu, even though he was his master. But it's a good thing he's willing to teach you. Although he's young, he's quite knowledgeable. I think your father would be relieved to have him teach you."

"Probably. I don't know if he'd be happy to see me become a Qigong practitioner. After all, my demigod body is gone, and I have to start all over again. But my current physique seems pretty good, right?"

"It's more than good." Behind the desk, Zhu Xianfen received them alone, "Actually, your current physique is the real body for cultivating immortals."

"Why?" she asked directly.

"Because the path of cultivating immortality is not prepared for everyone. Because cultivating immortality is to transcend all things, and every cultivator is a unique miracle, and they are all 'special'. You are very special."

"What about Shangluo?"

"Shangluo. He is from another perspective. Oh, right, Shangluo." He looked at Shangluo standing next to him:

"I'm teaching one, and I'm teaching two. When he comes to my place to attend classes later, you can come along too."

"Ah? I want to come too?"

"You were supposed to learn anyway, and I have to spend time teaching you now, so why don't we both make good use of this time."

As usual, Joo Sun-eol offered some advice on time management. He was incredibly busy, his schedule packed from morning till night, with almost no wasted time. And whenever he appeared, he was always full of energy.

While other aspects may be different, his energy is certainly reminiscent of his ancestors. However, while he remains the Son of Heaven, modern government affairs are completely different from those of the Hongwu era. Back then, the perpetually moving old man had oversight of nearly every aspect of government. With the current workload being so complex, only someone as energetic as him can maintain a steady command of the military. If he slacks off even for a moment, he'll become as blind as Victoria.

This wasn't because someone was deliberately trying to sideline him, but rather because the system worked very well together, and the various functional components could compensate for each other. If he were absent for a period of time, he would probably be "compensated" for.

"I understand. Then I will come to class with her."

"So, how do you arrange the teaching for Master Sa Tian?"

"Master Sa Tianshi said he'll come back to me after I finish the car race. He's not in a hurry. But in the meantime, I have to go to Wudang."

"After the car race, Wudang, right?" Zhu Xianxun stared at him for a while. "I don't know whether I should tell you. But it seems okay to tell you. Do you understand what I mean?"

"???" Shangluo thought for a moment, "Are you saying that Wudang is very powerful?"

"Yeah, it's really amazing. More than one person has told you about it."

"But theirs looks like it's just a production car, and they haven't modified it at all."

"I've said enough. Just observe for yourself. Any more would be unfair. Look at the Wudang team, they're running around all day, observing everywhere. Even if you're not worried, I'm worried for you."

"But Gao Shiyu and his team didn't really observe."

"What kind of observational skills are you comparing to a visually impaired teenager? Besides, they're using brute force to defeat clever tricks. Just focus on adjusting their car. As for you guys, I've looked at your data. The sheer number of subsystems stacked up makes my scalp tingle. Are you sure you can handle it?"

Shangluo made an OK gesture.

"And I'm going to add peach torpedoes this afternoon!"

Zhu Xianxun pressed his forehead and said, "I think you're more capable. When we make pills, we always pay attention to the main ingredients, the auxiliary ingredients, and the guiding ingredients. You don't care about anything and just hang yourself up, like Du Shiniang's treasure chest with everything in it. But I have to remind you."

He looked at Shangluo and said, "If you don't get first place, it won't affect your admission or anything else, but the 'little gift' that the emperor promised you will be gone."

"Um, so can I ask what exactly it is?"

"I don't know either. I only know that the Emperor cherishes words like gold, and every word is important. If it's a small gift, then it must be a small gift: it won't be large, and not giving it to you won't affect your subsequent cultivation. But it is a gift from the Emperor, so it must be something you need and want. You will definitely regret it if you don't take it."

"What is that? Forget it, you will know later. I am confident that I can win, no problem. However, I would like to borrow the venue for this afternoon. Is there a place where I can try torpedoes?"

"Torpedo? Oh. It's the weapon on that submarine, right? How big is it? Let me show you how big it is."

Chapter 463 Spores

"Let me tell you about this." Phaethon told him the information about the "imprinting torpedo" -

"So, this is a Roman-made weapon that can actively pursue the enemy. It's the size of a torpedo and incredibly powerful? It can even injure Shangluo?"

"Because the charge inside isn't explosives," Phaethon replied. "When the torpedo exploded, it was the Vulcan core inside that exploded, and then collapsed inwards. So strictly speaking, it wasn't an explosion, but rather a piece 'plucked' from the mortal world and carried away."

"Is that so? What if it hits me?"

"Yes, they might even remove parts of your body and take them away. But they're not explosives after all. Even if they're damaged, they won't 'explode'. They'll only be triggered under specific conditions. So, they're not very dangerous to those who know about it."

"You're going to experiment with this kind of thing?" Zhu Xianxi looked at the two in disbelief. "Are you planning to pick something off Purple Gold Mountain?"

"No, no, no, I mean, don't make it explode, just fly. Can it not explode?"