Ming Dynasty, New Rome, and Infinite Divine Machine

"Newton is, sage."

"I know, you call those simulated philosopher kings sages."

This is what Shangluo saw before in Alexandria. The "Simulated Philosopher King" is the foundation of the Muse Palace. Sages who have been resurrected from history make decisions on behalf of the wavering mortals.

"Of course, of course, those Greeks chose to let the sages make decisions for themselves. This was a wise choice. But it is enough for the sages to stay with them. We just want to consult the sages on some questions. We don't want the invisible sages to come. Guide our practice. As for where Newton came from - I don’t know. We don’t know much about intangible things, and we probably know even less than you do.”

"Does he really not know?" Shangluo asked Apollonia.

[Logically speaking, you shouldn’t not know. Although Newton is a bit special, his secret level has also been reached. 】

"Special? What's special about it?"

[Specially, Newton has a physical form - Sage Newton is resurrected on an automaton, so he serves in the Palace of Muses in a physical form. After he was recognized as a sage, Newton's history was fictionally added to the textbook. The Romans now generally believe that Newton was an ancient scholar who lived in Nimes, London, in the 17th century, rather than a technological barbarian from the Iron Age. 】

"Are you going to lie to your own people?"

[So this is why this room is leaking air everywhere, because there are too many patches. Newton's fourth law believes that the laws of nature are common in the world of light and the world. This inspired the lighthouse system to reversely cover the world with self-built laws. Such important laws must be recognized. 】

"Can I ask why?"

[Because if human magic does not recognize it, then elven magic will recognize it. If human magic does not define it, then the elves will. The root of many problems in Rome is that Rome was an urban civilization. Even if we cut the empire into six parts, it would not be divided, because the people in the cities are basically similar. But on the other hand, Rome, as an urban civilization, lacked control over the wilderness from beginning to end. 】

"Ah, I've felt this. So that part of the wilderness?"

[Elf. So you can see that Rome maintains a dynamic balance in every aspect. Within the empire, there was a balance of Greece and Rome. In the midst of earth and magic, Rome and the Elves balance. In the greatest sphere, in dominion over the whole world, Rome and Cathay coexisted. This is the fate of the heroic age - war will never end. Even with Cathay, the war was not a particularly distant thing. It was only after the modern era that all the confrontations stopped. 】

"You guys are so tired."

[On the other hand, this is a perfect match for Cathay. Because Cathay doesn't like to deal with barbarians - I don't mean all barbarians, I mean the unteachable ones. 】

"Then, then again." Shangluo asked a key question, "What can truly represent the Roman world? Is it your empire? It seems that you are divided into two parts, and no one has full power. Represents Rome. Another example is magic. You seem to share it with the elves?"

"Well, I think it might be a way of life. The world is in perpetual conflict: Greek and Latin, the mortal world and the spiritual world, and the two ends of the world island. This is our entire world. Perhaps one day, the balance between Cathay and Rome will be disturbed, but that's another story. But for now, Rome's existence itself saves Cathay the enormous cost of governing the world."

"Yes." Shangluo nodded. This was the truth. While the imperial court's troops were more than elite compared to the national strength, sometimes even overly so, the overall number of troops was actually not large. While the total was indeed around four million, that included several frontier troops stationed on the border.

In terms of managing the entire world, the absolute number of this army is not large, and the military expenditures are not large. This allowed the court to devote resources to domestic reproduction.

For the Romans, by comparison, life itself was a battle. Alexander's dream was only a brief moment in life. After waking up from the dream, the Romans still had to re-invest in various fronts in the form of citizen soldiers.

[And. It was precisely because of the long wars that the Roman Empire was able to function. Magic itself is also bred from it. If you want to learn magic, you may notice an interesting thing - 'Bicycle' is also a kind of magic. 】

"Huh?" Shangluo was stunned for a moment, "Isn't that also a magician?"

[Because the principle of bicycles still belongs to the wilderness. Although it is generally understood that the principle of bicycles is based on some kind of gyroscopic effect. If I'm not mistaken, I remember that there was already a sci over there that denied the gyroscopic effect of bicycles in 2011. How the bicycle stays upright is still a matter that cannot be completely deciphered - but it does not prevent people from riding bicycles, let alone you. So, on that basis. 】

She thought for a while: [Actually, there is a great magician beside us. For example, Miss Karin. She can sword. 】

"Wait a minute. Does this count? Then Wen Yuan practices swordsmanship. Isn't he also a magician?"

[No, swordsmanship is different from swordsmanship. Swordsmanship can be understood, but swords are different. As a kind of magic, the embodiment of the sword symbol is the Great Spirit of the Spring that you see, which is also your Miss Karin. 】

"I told you she is not my Karin anymore. So is she that powerful?"

[Elves are very powerful. So in the final analysis-the Romans were not the inventors of magic, just the carriers of magic. Because magic is irrational and unpredictable, magic itself belongs to the wilderness. But even so, we can apply it. Such as swords, such as bicycles. 】

"..." Shangluo thought for a moment, "I was wondering if there is a bicycle elf."

[Yes, there really is. If I have a chance, I'll recommend it to you. In this way, you can also date the bicycle elf. 】

"I told you no! No, I'm really right, why should I explain to you?"

[So you don’t want to see Karin? 】

“Not really”

[Then you still want to meet her - how about I help you? Let me help you with some business! In this case, you only need to talk about personal matters when you see Karin. 】

Chapter 725 Love with Nymph

"It seems like there's nothing personal to discuss."

[Then I will go directly to see Karin on your behalf. Wouldn’t that be great? 】

Shangluo looked in the air: "That's okay. After all, I'm not very good at responding to Karin's expectations. I know she does thank me, but I really can't repay her with anything. So, that's it. Bar."

[Woooooo~~~Is this stock going to be suspended at this point? 】

"What kind of suspension! This is not stock trading. And nothing happened, okay? Nothing."

[Woooooo~ How heartless you are~]

"I am doing this for Karin's own good. Sometimes, people may forget many things in a day, so why not forget about me too. I am just a passing brave man, and I took action to solve the problems in the village. But This does not mean that everyone in the village must repay me wholeheartedly, because I have already received the reward from the village chief. It is better to take away the daughter too. She should have her own life and should not be I’m tied up.”

"Tsk." In the car behind, Phaethon shook his head, "He is really a good person. And he actually guessed something right. Do you want to tell him?"

[It’s not necessary, it’s not bad to leave him some residual warmth. Elves are companions of magic, or in other words, elves are the magic itself. Falling in love with an elf will never end well. After all, another name for an elf is 'nymph'. Tree nymphs, spring nymphs, and underworld nymphs. The stories of falling in love with nymphs and missing each other are all tragedies. Because nymphs belong to the wilderness and will always be so. 】

"So, are we going to tell Karin? She grew up as a human and doesn't seem to know any of this."

[It’s hard to tell her. That Roman woman has a clear stupidity, so stupid that it’s enviable. I don't want to shatter her dream, but it's better to keep distance as much as possible. Maybe she will forget. 】

"So." Phaethon said seriously, "Should we make decisions for them?"

【I don’t think it should be. From a logical point of view, we should tell these two people the truth. 】

"Then it should be said." Phaethon nodded, "But not now. This is not a place to drink tea, it is very dangerous. Before the operation is over, I don't think we should use thoughts to confuse this operation. So... it really should be Let’s go see Karin and reject her for now.”

[And you can’t be too harsh. 】

"Yeah, you can't be harsh, but you have to help her mentally prepare herself - but I'm thinking, what if they are really ready to overcome difficulties?"

[Then we have to treat her as a Roman woman. 】

"but not now."

[Hmm~ Yes, not now. 】The two reached a consensus again, 【So, an eternal battle is not bad. Look, we have also reached a dynamic balance. 】

"King." Little Pompeo got off the car in front of the Metropolis Metro Station, "This is where the [Aotearoa] is buried."

"It seems pretty ordinary?"

Shangluo raised his head and looked - this building is not small. Metropolitan Metro Station, the largest metro station in the Western Hemisphere, and that’s it. Because Ming Dynasty liked to pile stones, buildings of this size are not so unusual.

"It's a very densely populated area. When we laid the [Aotearoa] railway, we chose transport hubs throughout the city so we could reach as many people as possible at once."

"Come to think of it," Shangluo changed the subject. "Are you really not aware of Newton's situation?"

"Well" he hesitated, "Yes, I really don't know. If you are familiar with me, you should know that I will not lie."

[What kind of guarantee is this? He is not even willing to swear it by a whole family. Tsk, unreliable Latins. 】

"That's true. You don't need to help me with the 'dynamic balancing', I have my own brain."

[Okay, I’ll try my best to analyze it from an objective perspective. 】

Apollonia's voice rose a little. But Shangluo knew that she was actually a little angry. Because if she wasn't angry, she should have cursed again.

"By the way, Mr. Pompeo," Shangluo asked, "Is it okay if we just go in like this?"

People are all people. New Antioch is a large city with a population of millions, and a huge population is also gathered here at the metropolitan metro station. Many of them do not have dark hair and light skin like Cathay-Rome. There are also Germanic barbarians with blond skin like sunburned monkeys, and there are also Celts with red hair.

"This is your first time seeing so many barbarians!"

"Well" Shangluo thought for a moment, this situation is a bit strange - just can't see it. He is actually not used to treating the modern people who already exist in front of him, walking around and taking the subway, as "barbarians". But the Romans seemed to be able to distinguish normally.

"How do you differentiate?" Shangluo asked, "Do you have any segregation policies? For example, separate seats on buses."

"Bus? Differentiated seats?" Little Pompeo was stunned for a moment, "Is this necessary? This is too much."

Using cannonballs to blow up didn't feel too much, but distinguishing the seats on the bus was too much. Shangluo couldn't understand the thinking circuit of the person in front of him.

"Are there any specific measures?"

"There is one and the most fundamental distinction - barbarians are not allowed to enter the Roman baths."

"Huh? Is this necessary?"

"It is very necessary." Little Pompeo nodded, "You know, the bathhouse was the most important public place in Roman life, more important than the temple. Because you can't stay in the temple all day long, but you do have You might stay in the bathhouse all day long. Romans usually negotiated many things in the bathhouse. If you couldn't enter the bathhouse, it would be impossible to conduct any business or other dealings with the Romans on an equal footing - oh, of course. "

He added: "We regard all guests from Cathay as equal to Roman citizens, so any Cathay citizen can bathe with Romans without any hindrance. In fact, we are very Any Cathayans are welcome to settle in Roman cities, but few of you are willing to leave your homeland."

"This. Maybe it's because you can't take part in the imperial examination." Shangluo looked at the front, "So let me use 'can you enter the bathhouse' to distinguish it? It's really not clear. In short, I will try my best to do things well. ’s. Best, no one gets hurt in this whole thing.”

"Including barbarians?"

"Even barbarians."

Chapter 726 Elevator

After getting off the car, a few people entered the metropolitan subway hub as if nothing had happened. The door is open, and citizens come and go from here. Although the appearance of several people is quite conspicuous, it does not cause panic. After all, none of them were wearing formal uniforms, just military uniforms. Pompey the Younger wore civilian uniform, while the others wore combat uniforms.

"You can get there by taking the elevator in front." Phaethon chatted with him privately in the channel.

"Which one? There are many elevators ahead."

"It's not a public elevator. The way to the bomb level is in the freight elevator at the back. You can't use an ordinary elevator to get to that level. After all, it leads to a deeper place."

People taking the subway came and went around. It's already dark, but the subway will remain open. The light shines on the smooth marble floor, so bright that it can illuminate the shadows of people passing by.

Although it can be seen from many places that the Romans deliberately created a sense of authority - for example, all slogans are in Latin, for example, all corners are right angles, for example, there is no chair around for people to rest, all The landscape is actually on the ceiling, and there’s a whole lot more

Although this is indeed a modern temple, there are quite a lot of people here. People who take the subway actually include Romans, and occasionally you can see some black-haired Romans passing by in Shangluo. And Rome buried the bomb under the truth, which is somewhat of a bad taste.

[It wouldn't be much better if you dropped bombs in Las Vegas. 】

"You understand, no one lives there at all. It is just a gambling den that has not been developed for more than ten years. There are more hotels than bus stations. And New Antioch not only lives in millions of people, but also It’s still your own city. It’s okay if you just bomb the barbarians. I can think that the Romans are bad people. But you also bombed yourself, and you bombed yourself first. How can I put it? I think it is very powerful. What kind of night battle with hidden swords in all directions? Mode."

[That’s why the Romans have so few talents.]

"But I'm really interested in how the Romans planned to blow themselves up. Before I came here I thought it would look like a crystal chandelier."

Shangluo looked up - there was indeed a huge crystal chandelier in the center of the hall, and it made a clanging sound when the wind blew. This is indeed the dignity that a metropolis should have. But if it's a bomb hanging overhead, that's too much.

[Ah, you guessed it right. 】

"Is it really the one on the top of your head?"

[Not that one, it’s another one. You'll find out when you get down there - as far as I know that's how it should be. 】

"She's right." Phaethon replied in the channel, "That bomb has many names. After all, it's too scary, and 'Mianmian Baiyunxiang' is too funny. We usually don't call it by its name. They are all replaced by aliases. The most commonly used one is 'crystal chandelier'. You will know it when you see it. It really looks like a crystal chandelier."

After walking through the crowded hall and reaching a corner freight elevator, little Pompeo sped up a few steps.

"Please wait a moment." Little Pompeo bowed slightly, and then pressed his hand on the elevator button - Shangluo could notice that when he pressed it, a red light flashed rapidly, which seemed to be detecting the call of the elevator. person's identity.

When the elevator was idle, little Pompey looked back: "This elevator can't accommodate too many people. So my King of Rome, your guards may have to stop here. But don't worry, there is Your Excellency Phaethon, and you. Under the protection of this personal 'alchemist', you will be absolutely safe there."

"Yes." Shangluo turned around and said hello, asking those who followed him to wait at the door.

Soon, with a creaking sound, the elevator began to move upward from the lower floor.

Ding

The elevator ascended from below and opened. The interior was deep, like a freight elevator. However, the floor was covered with a shiny red carpet, each hair clean and dust-free. The sides were also made of mirror-polished stainless steel, and the area directly opposite the main door was a mirror.

Interestingly, not only were the floors carpeted, there were also decorative rugs on the ceiling, and they were spotless as well. The entire elevator is extremely symmetrical, as demanding as a spherical chicken in a vacuum.

Someone had already been standing in the elevator. This "person" may be more suitable to be put in quotation marks.

An automaton stands in an elevator. The parts creaked a little when it first started, as if it hadn't been started for a long time, but it soon returned to normal.

Appearing to be made of ceramic, the automaton's casing glowed with a soft white light. The structure of the joints fits together so cleverly that no seams are visible. The wrists and knees are hidden by the top and skirt of the dress, and the face is as dignified and calm as a dancer. Liuli's eyes trembled behind the mask-like stiff face, observing, and the mechanical mandible that could only open to a limited angle played a long-recorded voice:

"Welcome. Which floor do you want to go to?"

"Go to the first floor," replied Pompey the Younger.

"Understood. Please stand firm." The upper body rotated at an exaggerated angle, and the automaton turned around and pressed the mechanical dial next to it, which was the elevator control panel. Interestingly, there are two rows of buttons on it. It is currently on the 1st floor, but going down are the 2nd floor, the 3rd floor, the 4th floor, and then the -4, -3, -2 floors, with the -1 floor at the bottom.

Shangluo vaguely noticed something. It wasn't until the elevator started and descended to the junction of the "4th floor" and the "-4th floor" that his suspicion was confirmed - the elevator began to flip over. Although the direction of gravity in the elevator was still vertically downward, he could still detect from the perception of inertia that the elevator was flipping up and down until it was completely reversed from its original direction.

The others didn't think there was any surprise, but little Pompeo looked over and said, "You seem to have noticed it?"

"Is it upside down?"

"Because we are heading to the mirror layer, this is the special design of this [Aotearoa]. Depending on the purpose of the mission, each [Aotearoa] needs to be designed individually. And the one in front of you , although it has been demolished, its excellent design can be seen from its remains."