Ming Dynasty, New Rome, and Infinite Divine Machine

"Ah, so General Bai Feng was inspecting you when he was in Lan Fang?"

"You guessed right. We finally persuaded General Bai Feng to come for an inspection, but halfway through the inspection, an emergency order suddenly came. I guess he knew something would go wrong, so he gave us a favor and left halfway."

"Do you really need a cultivator in the Foundation Establishment Stage to succeed?"

"We might not need it in the future. For example, if the orbit is longer, we won't need it. However, we need to verify the feasibility of the prototype cannon before we can proceed to the next step. There's no cash cow at home, right? We can't invest in the 'Lunar Cannon' indefinitely. So, at the very least, we need to verify its feasibility before we can continue to invest."

"It's quite scientific indeed." While Shangluo wasn't sure if "stuffing a Foundation Establishment Stage expert into a cannon barrel and launching it to the moon" was truly scientific, they were indeed making bold assumptions and carefully verifying them. This was quite scientific thinking. As for how a Foundation Establishment Stage expert could return, that seemed to be another, even more daunting problem.

"So what's the second obstacle?"

"The second issue is how to launch it. Traditional propellants are obviously not capable of reaching the moon directly, so we are seeking a more powerful, immensely powerful new explosive. I can't reveal too much about this highly classified plan, but we already have some clues. Before that, we will experiment by lengthening the barrel and detonating multiple times, which requires a huge fixed cannon."

"Is it the gate on Mount Kinabalu?"

Captain Lin glanced back at him. "You know a lot, but we can also deduce it from public intelligence. That's our testing ground. We'll use Borneo's highest peak as a gun mount, leveraging the favorable conditions at the equator to project mass eastward. Experiments will begin soon, and we'll first try projecting some solid iron into Earth orbit. Wait for our good news; it'll be in the newspapers. If you're confident, you can go to the Yingtian Stock Exchange and increase your holdings of Lan Fang Company stock. I'm already fully invested."

Chapter 55 Songjiang

"So, my friend Shangluo, what are your thoughts on Lan Fang's grand plan? We know you hold some profound reputation. Lan Fang has already reached the very edge of human civilization. To be honest, we're a bit overwhelmed, often feeling that this is a boundary beyond human reach—that's why we need your help. Now is the time for everyone to demonstrate their unique abilities. If conventional scientific methods can't break through, we'll have to resort to metaphysics."

"What do you mean?" Shangluo still didn't understand.

"Have you heard of this curse? Blessings never come in pairs. Becoming a Qigong practitioner depends on chance, but chance doesn't favor the same family twice. The aptitude for cultivation isn't actually passed down through blood. Most descendants of Qigong practitioners can't cultivate into immortals. Even if they can, they'll likely encounter various problems, like bad luck or a lack of spiritual roots, which is why the master-disciple relationship is so important. Besides that, there are many other inexplicable and bizarre problems, like the fact that our experiments often go awry in inexplicable ways. I always feel like Heaven isn't blessing us. Heaven's way takes away from the excess and gives to the deficiency. Perhaps, Heaven always wants to compromise."

"Then how can I help you?"

"We want you to talk to that cannon, have a 'friendly' conversation with it, and see under what circumstances it would be willing to send us flying. It's okay if you don't agree, that's fine.

"Let me think about it. I seem to be very busy recently." Shangluo recalled his recent schedule.

According to the arrangement, he would immediately meet with the Daozu upon his return. Unless the Daozu made any special arrangements, he would likely complete his final three months of training at the Wutai Mountain Training Institute. This was his privilege as a craftsman; he could return at any time.

After completing this, the Yingtian Tongshi exam will be held in September. In the Ming Dynasty, taking the exam for the title of scholar was very important, really important.

After that, it was university. He wasn't worried about where to go, but he probably wouldn't have much free time to go to Nanyang for his "house calls" between now and September.

He explained his situation truthfully to Captain Lin.

"I should have free time after September. Is it in time?"

"Of course there's still time. Even the ladder to heaven can't be built overnight. So it's up to you. Come back when you have time."

"But I do want to ask you something—I've been wanting to ask you this for a while. If I remember correctly, electric welding was invented less than three years ago, and I'm already impressed by the fact that you guys have a working rocket. And now you even have a moon cannon, a world wonder. How did you make the rocket? And the moon cannon? Is that a secret?"

Captain Lin and Lao Chen looked at each other, and the latter nodded.

"This isn't a secret, so I'm fine with telling you. You might already know it soon. Civilian and precision are two separate areas for us. 'Civilian' simply means Qigong practitioners have no involvement. All our technological developments are ultimately aimed at 'civilianization.' It's like when a jelly breaks, Old Chen immediately notes it down. Because in the near future, supersonic passenger aircraft technology will undoubtedly be commercialized, and we must be fully prepared to serve the public before then. Catering is very important to us. Lan Fang Airlines' hallmark is that we ensure you're fed to your heart's content, never letting anyone leave the plane hungry."

"But the field of precision engineering is a completely different matter. As I said earlier, each has its own unique capabilities. Breakthroughs on the frontiers of civilization are difficult, extremely difficult. Even with massive investments, sometimes the results are minimal. In such cases, we must try everything, including magic, cutting-edge technology, death squads, and even metaphysics. Only by achieving breakthroughs here first can civilian technology be more quickly accessible to the public."

"How did you weld this plane?"

"The answer is Thundercasting, which is something that Qigong practitioners can do. By delicately controlling the flow of electricity, we can fuse two pieces of red-hot metal together, and we can also shape metal with precision, delicacy, finesse, and accuracy. This rocket machine has a very high level of confidentiality, so every part is made by a Qigong practitioner who is a level 8 Qigong practitioner. Even without using Thundercasting, they can still manually refine the parts to within a fraction of a second."

“So that’s how it is”

Shangluo now understands why there are so many outrageous things. It turns out that there are many outrageous people doing outrageous things.

"Well, do you have anything else to ask?"

"That's all for now."

"Well, that's great. Feel free to come and consult me anytime. Lao Chen, let's switch gears. You take the helm. I'm a little hungry, so I'll have a box of clay pot rice first."

Yujing Time 16:30

Although slightly later than scheduled, Ninghe No. 2 still arrived at Songjiang Pudong Airport before dark.

"Turn off the engine and call it a day." Captain Lin took off his gloves and turned around to help Shangluo take off the helmet of his anti-gravity suit.

"How is it, how does it feel?"

"It's like traveling through time. The clock shows we arrived three hours before departure. If we sell tickets, it seems like we'll make a lot of money. Time is money, and buying three hours in one go is a huge win."

"Yes, yes, you are making huge profits, but I, the Lord, will suffer huge losses."

He pulled the sleeve and helped Shangluo take off his anti-gravity suit completely.

"Well, see you later."

"Hey, wait a minute." Captain Lin opened the folder and pulled out a small card.

"Here's your business card. When you're free, call us. We'll be waiting for you in Borneo. If you need to fly, you can also call us. We'll be there whenever you need us."

"Can I call him too? Is it really free?"

"It's free, available on call. But it won't work for you alone. You need at least 10 Jinyiwei to call a plane. If you're alone, then take a scheduled flight. The schedule is on the back of the business card."

Shangluo flipped to the back of the page—the flight schedule for Ninghe No. 1 to No. 4 was densely written in small print. Among them, Ninghe No. 2 operated exclusively with Pudong Airport as its main base, regularly connecting Pudong with Pontianak, San Francisco, and Constantinople.

"Hey, it can only be in Pudong? Why don't you go to Lukou Airport?"

"Kid, don't forget this is a rocket plane. It has to drop its boosters as soon as it takes off. Pudong Airport is by the sea, so the rocket can be dropped directly into the sea. When you take off from Lukou, are you planning to drop the boosters in Yangzhou or Suzhou?"

“That makes sense.”

"So if you need it, come to Songjiang. But even if it's a scheduled flight, it's best to call and ask before you use it. We occasionally have high-altitude test flights, so it may not be available every time."

"Can I take a train somewhere else? For example, I want to take the Ninh Hoa 1 from Pontianak to San Francisco, or Pontianak to Constantinople."

"Either is fine. If you know this phone number, you can take Ninghe No. 1 to No. 4, all for free. However, there are only four airports in the world that can fly there, because only these four airports have booster rockets in stock. It's impossible to fly anywhere else."

“How much does this cost?”

"Don't save money for Guo Xing. Lan Fang is short of everything except money and bananas. Captain Lu is outside and he seems very anxious."

As he spoke, Lu Huaiyang pushed open the cockpit door: "Shangluo! Can you leave now? If not, I'll carry you."

"I'm fine. This G-suit is quite useful. What happened out there?"

"What bad luck! I asked the people at Weili to book tickets for the Beijing-Shanghai line, and they booked them right on time! The train leaves in 45 minutes! If you miss that train, you'll have to pay for it yourself. Weili only reimburses travel expenses once per trip. Lao Lin, tell the airport not to send the shuttle bus. We still have to go through customs. Let's just show our ID and go through the small gate to the subway station."

"What about your luggage? They're still unloading. And how are you going to transport that giant stone statue with three heads and six arms?"

"There's no time to wait. Please pack everything up and send it to the Jinyiwei Yamen at 24 Zhongling Street. The shipping fee is payable on delivery, and the concierge will pay for it. Let's go to Shangluo. We still have time to run to the subway station in 4 minutes."

Chapter 56 Silver Dragon

"hehe."

Shangluo held his knees, gasping for breath. Although he was dragged here, he didn't expect that he could run so fast. The other Jinyiwei were better, but they also ran with all their strength and were also holding on to the handrails to catch their breath.

The passengers around them glanced at them and then continued to read.

The hydraulic doors slammed shut behind me, and overhead I could hear the crackling of the catenary. Metropolitan Railway Chuansha Line Train No. 1719 departed on time.

Driving into the tunnel from the platform, a familiar smell drifted into Shangluo's nose - it was the smell of coal ash, but a little lighter than when he was a child.

Until four years ago, Yujing's subway line still used steam locomotives. However, once the civil power grid came online, the state-owned Yujing Railway immediately electrified the entire line, followed shortly by the Metropolitan Railway. After all, the city's railways only transport people and seats, and don't require the high torque provided by steam engines.

Using steam locomotives to run the subway is a hilariously bad idea. Summers in the Yangtze River Delta are already scorching, and tunnels filled with steam are like giant inline steamers. Every summer, hundreds of people pass out from the heat and steam.

The smell of coal still lingers on the Metropolitan Railway's lines. As a private rail transit operator, their view on line maintenance is somewhat different from that of the state-owned railways: as long as it works, it's fine.

"Hey, this smell really makes me miss it. Captain Lu, how many stops do we have to take?"

Lu Huaiyang glanced up at the route map. "From the Airport Link Line to Chuansha Terminal, you'll pass under the Huangpu River and then get to Songjiang North Station at Wusongkou. It's about 30 minutes, and then you can transfer to the Beijing-Shanghai Main Line at the platform. Have you taken it before?"

“No. I remember when I went to San Francisco, there was no such line.”

"Then it will be an eye-opener for you."

"We've arrived at Songjiang North Station. Passengers transferring to the state-owned Beijing-Shanghai Main Line, Beijing-Shanghai Line, Suzhou-Shanghai Line, and Metropolitan Wusong Line, please alight at this station."

The train conductor made an announcement on the intercom, and Shangluo stood on the platform with a silver metal wall in front of him.

"Captain Lu, where do we transfer?"

"It's here. Look up."

Shangluo slowly raised his head—above the silvery wall, a cab appeared eight meters in the air. On the back of the cab, inscribed in standard official script were the three characters "Silver Dragon."

The track width is 3 meters, the car is 6 meters wide and 8 meters high. The massive train, shrouded in a streamlined silver fairing, sits on the platform. A faint wisp of white steam rises from the roof, a behemoth gathering its fangs. The train stretches back 200 meters, consisting of five carriages, each 8 meters high and 6 meters wide. The locomotive at the front is so large that it has to be split into two sections, connected by pipes.

This is the Silver Dragon high-speed train operating on the Beijing-Shanghai main line. Propelled by two gas-fired generator steam engines on the 3-meter-wide high-speed railway, the train can propel this 1500-ton behemoth at 223 kilometers per hour on seamless steel rails. Each rail joint is seamlessly welded using dragon-scale welding, ensuring a smooth journey for passengers in the two-story, full-height carriages. Since the opening of this line, the journey time between Beijing and Shanghai has been reduced to under two hours.

"Let's go, get in the car." Lu Huaiyang finally felt a lot more relaxed. Arriving here, he was only half a step away from home.

Everything in Yujing is in perfect order, like a train schedule. There will be no sudden engine jams, no bombs falling from the sky, and no super-powered criminals.

Life in Kinai has always been like this. While the outside world experiences its ups and downs, here every day is a peaceful one, with a bright sun and moon. Without expending too much effort, everyone can have a decent job and be a decent person.

Kinai is a place of respectability, no matter where it is. As the Empire's latest engineering masterpiece, the Silver Dragon embodies the dignity of Yujing in every way. The high platform and the carriages are level, allowing passengers to enter the carriages smoothly without climbing stairs. They bypassed the escalator and entered the carriage on the first floor.

The 6-meter-wide carriage houses three rows of seats, each of which is an independent compartment. Tickets in the middle are slightly cheaper, while the compartments on both sides have exclusive large windows.

The Imperial Guards, of course, bought the middle train tickets. Even if they were reimbursed, they'd save as much as possible, as the Guards' budget was limited. Since they were a group traveler, buying a private room was actually the cheaper option.

"We're here." Lu Huaiyang opened the door of the box and motioned Shangluo and Wen Yuan to go in.

"Everyone else, take your tickets and take your seats first. You can change if you want. We've bought a private room anyway."

He stood at the door and watched the other Jinyiwei take their seats before he entered.

"what."

Sitting in the soft seat, Lu Huaiyang finally breathed a sigh of relief. Personal comfort wasn't important to him, but the conditions along the way were atrocious. He was also exhausted in Yangzhou, and the Las Vegas investigation had come to a halt following the explosion.

But he had no intention of complaining. It was precisely because of the Jinyiwei and other responsible people who stood firm half a world away that Yujing, the center of the world, could maintain its current peace and prosperity.

"If you want some water, you can pour it yourself. We have both cold and hot water. Are you hot?"

"I'm fine. How about you?" Shangluo asked Wen Yuan next to him.

"I feel a little hot, so I turned on the air conditioner?"

"Then you can drive. But is there air conditioning on this train?" Shangluo was shocked. "I remember department stores, hotels, and cruise ships had air conditioning. How can this train have it too?"

"Forget about air conditioning, there's a cinema above your head. This car has everything." As she spoke, Wen Yuan opened a small brass shutter against the wall, and a cool breeze mixed with the scent of jasmine blew in from the window.

"Ah!!! I'm alive, I'm alive." Wen Yuan opened his collar towards the wind to let the cold air in.

This train is quite advanced, and it's already being put into commercial operation. Aurora is really quick.

"you know too?"

Constantinople has a plan for a great Eurasian railway, which in Aurora is probably called the 'Great Western Railway'. This line is probably a test line for the Eurasian railway. The cinema upstairs is designed for intercontinental travel, and the air conditioning is to accommodate different climates. Rome's equivalent is still in the garage. Alexandria and Athens have their own plans, and they're still hiring people to pass notes to the Senate. I think they'll be finished sooner or later, and they'll probably end up using Aurora products like before. Forget it, I've already come here to surrender, why should I care about them? Sit closer to the air conditioner, I want some cool air, too.

Chapter 57 Train

"There's actually a kitchen on this train?" Shangluo was stunned by the food served. These weren't boxed meals, but dishes were served directly from the kitchen, and one could even order from a menu. It was only a two-hour ride, yet they provided such a sumptuous meal.

Four dishes and one soup – this is the standard for imperial dining. Back when Emperor Taizu pacified the country and entertained his ministers, he served four dishes and one soup. While there are many theories about what the four dishes were, including some saying it was a hamburger, the soup was undoubtedly Pearl Jade White Jade Soup.

Before them now stood three bowls of Pearl, Jade, and White Jade Soup, one for each person. This was a standard state banquet dish, served at least once at every state banquet, barring any unforeseen circumstances. However, the amount of pearl, jade, and white jade in the soup would vary depending on the occasion.

Lu Huaiyang took a bite and said, "This white jade stew is very good. It's the way it's cooked at the Jinling Hotel. It must have been at a state banquet. By the way, Shangluo, your 50."

Shangluo was also drinking soup, and when he heard the 50, his mouthful of soup choked in his throat. Lu Huaiyang reached over and patted his shoulder to help him stop coughing.

"I'm sorry! Captain Lu, I will definitely return it to the court! Don't tell Lao Shang, I'll pay it back myself."

"Listen to me—you don't have to pay it back. It's yours."

"Is the imperial court really that generous?!" This made Shangluo a little scared. The imperial court was indeed generous, but when it came to specific accounts, it would definitely be very fussy. No one should even think of openly owing the imperial court money. Even if the money didn't have to be repaid, the favor still had to be repaid.

"That Mayan prince paid you back the money when he was arrested. 270 million, not a penny less." Lu Huaiyang answered while sipping the soup.

Although he shouldn't be eating while talking, he was indeed a little hungry. He hadn't eaten anything when he boarded the plane, and there were no in-flight meals on the plane, so this was his first proper meal of the day.

"Isn't it only 50?"

"We knew it was 50 yuan, but he didn't know. Also, this was public compensation, not a donation specifically for you, so we confiscated the excess."

"Tsk." Shangluo shook his head. He actually felt a little sympathetic towards the Mayans. In the end, they were still teased by fate. Phaethon did nothing for them, but he himself turned into a stone statue. And those Mayans