Ming Dynasty, New Rome, and Infinite Divine Machine

Pulling open the tray under the silk, Shangluo saw a branch.

"Did you bring the Golden Bough?"

"Actually, after the order is restored in Lake Nemi, it is quite easy to get the golden branches." Alexander twisted the golden branches on the plate with his hands. "Let me remind you, as the king of Rome, it is easy for you to be challenged. As long as you He can just hold the golden branch, and you can't refuse. I don't bother to attack like a slave, because this is a duel between kings, so I challenge you with the golden branch."

Shangluo knew what he meant. Whether Alexander is really unwilling to "sneak attack" is secondary. The main thing is that Alexander wants to be not just the shadow king in the forest, he wants to be the king of Rome. In fact, the King of the Forest is not exactly the same as the King of Rome. This must be recognized at least to a certain extent, otherwise the era of kingship itself will not end. Only with the approval of Shangluo could the King of Rome transfer it legitimately.

"What if I win? Help Apollonia come out?"

"Everything!" He spread his hands, "My bet is everything in Thebes. This is the king of the Greek world, a challenge to the king of Rome, the challenge of the Achaeans to Troy, and a reenactment of the Battle of Troy. . As long as you win, everything in Thebes is yours, and the whole world is yours. Let Apollonia come out, just a small part of it."

"Is this the hook you used to lure me to the table?"

"I'm just showing you a small part of the bet in advance. At best, it's just to induce consumption. Even the gashapon machine has to clearly mark the prize pool, right? Of course I have to explain our respective gains and losses clearly."

"."

"So, do you agree? Your world, or my world."

【Hey Hey hey! I was wrong! I am afraid! Think clearly! You really have to think clearly! How about we ask Phaethon again]

"No need." Shangluo stretched out his hand and took the golden branch. The moment it touched him, the golden branch withered and shattered, and the ceremony began.

"Although I've never been a fan of drinking. But if I can get something at the wine table that I can't get anywhere else, I'm happy to end up there."

"Very good, very good." Alexander applauded, "I have a hunch that I will lose. Your sober madness is exactly what is necessary to win the drinking game. I think you are going to win."

"Don't talk about it yet. There are no rules, right? No matter what, just drink it."

"Of course, that's how it should be." Alexander replied, "Besides, you don't have to worry about other issues. The establishment of the contract means that I am indeed qualified to challenge the King of Rome. The prerequisite for me to challenge is that I am really fighting with You are on the same page. As you saw just now, I can really drink, and it is really possible to get drunk. I am not a ghost who will be exposed when I drink, and the secret wine Ambrosia is not allowed to be drunk like this. "

"I still have to observe what it is."

"Of course, of course." Alexander nodded, "Of course you should be fully prepared. According to the rules, we should compete at the home court of the Forest King. So, it is up to you to decide when to start. You can make any requests. Build your home court.”

"Ambrosia, give me a bucket first, and I'll see what this is all about. How many have you prepared?"

"As much as you want. Ambrosia is as endless as the fountain of youth. It can never be finished. It is enough for the two of us to compete until the end of time - provided that the two of us can really drink that much."

Chapter 802 Lord of Thebes

Enough food and wine.

What was placed in front of Shangluo was a "water bottle", just like the water bottle of Aquarius. The bottle body is round, the neck is long and thin, and the mouth is wide. This is the shape of an ancient Greek wine vessel, and it is still commonly used today. Because when the Romans held banquets today, they still had attendants holding bottles of wine to serve them, and they never poured wine for themselves.

But unlike common cultural relics, this wine vessel is golden. Not the gold of gold, but the gold of bronze. Compared with gold, the golden color of bronze is more stable and more difficult to show - after all, bronze is more prone to rust. But like the endless flow of wine in the bottle, the liquid level in this bottle will not drop no matter how much it is poured.

The lounge has two rows of sofas facing each other and a fireplace on the wall. The Dragon Tooth Soldier holding the wine bottle stood in the physical center of the room, standing in the most convenient position to pour wine for the guests - of course, Shangluo didn't plan to start pouring wine into his mouth immediately before he investigated clearly.

"Speaking of which, is this really reliable?" Phaethon asked. "I still feel that there is something wrong with this wine? I always feel that there is a big problem with this matter."

"Apolonia, please explain to me."

[Okay. I think it can be understood this way - if there is a problem, there must be a problem. I don't believe that Alexander has been preparing for so long and came to us to change the cup. Just because he wants to solve the problem through peaceful means does not mean that the method itself will favor us. However, this can at least show one thing: if it is a duel, if he is willing to duel in this way and accept supervision, it can at least show that it is fair. 】

"Eh?" Shangluo said in surprise, "There is such a reason?"

At first, he just felt that as long as Alexander dared to compete on the same field, he would be prepared. Regardless of what was wrong with the wine, as long as Alexander drank the same amount, there would be no problem for him to drink it.

[Well, it does happen, you didn’t even realize it, right? In fact, the host-guest relationship is also a kind of magic. You are now under his roof, and everything he does must conform to the basic principles of being a host, and I don't think he has 'evolved' enough to ignore this taboo and hurt you. He said he wanted to drink, so at least when it came to alcohol, you both were put through the same test. 】

"Then do they really have the same reaction to wine?" Phaethon asked, "Ambrosia, I haven't drunk it either. Even if he really didn't intend to cheat, but just wanted to drink with Shangluo seriously, So does Ambrosia really have the same impact on both?"

[About this. I really don’t know what Alexander is thinking. Logically speaking, the physiques of the two sides are different, and the impact of drinking ambrosia is hard to estimate - the first thing we know is that in principle, Shangluo cannot get drunk. 】

"Yes," Shangluo nodded. "In principle, I can't get drunk. Forget about Tianyi Guiren catching my wine. Even without Tianyi Guiren, this celestial being's body isn't just for show. Ordinary drunkenness won't affect me at all. I doubt Alexander has even investigated this."

Yes, we should assume he's prepared. After all, we can't just pin everything on Alexander's "misstep."

"But what if?" Phaethon still considered Shangluo's personal safety. "This is very risky. Is this risk really controllable?"

"To be honest, no." Shangluo himself replied, "I don't know how far Alexander has prepared, but I think Alexander is unlikely to see through me. This matter is not 'absolutely safe' from beginning to end - But on the other hand, if it was absolutely safe, how could Alexander make enough bets?"

Alexander has studded. Shangluo took a fancy to his bet, just as he took a fancy to Shangluo's bet.

If Alexander obtains the position of King of Rome, then he will become a god-king in the earthly and spiritual worlds, above and below, commanding Rome, Greece and Egypt. This is the state that Alexander's mother Olympias pursued throughout her life. Except for the King of Rome, everything else merged into the throne of "Lord of Thebes".

Lord of Thebes, a fusion of Greek and Egyptian kings. If the Roman king himself could allow Shangluo to exercise transcendent power within the Roman Empire, then if the kings of Greece and Egypt were also added, then the importance of this position would directly surpass that of the Roman emperor. Because even the Roman emperor was only consistent with the Roman king. The true god-king has transcended this level and plays the role of "king" in the fields of supernaturalism, alchemy and astrology at the same time.

For Alexander, all this could be accomplished by merging with the King of Rome.

But on the other hand, all this is only one "Lord of Thebes" away from Shangluo. This is a treasure that Alexander herself and her mother have gone through countless heroic tours. Under normal circumstances, it would be difficult to even show this treasure to others, let alone bring it to the gambling table. After all, Alexander would not wander around telling everyone he met that he was only one step away from the success of his big plan.

"Indeed." Phaethon nodded, "This temptation is really hard to resist. Although the weight of the Roman king is greater than that of the Greek king and the Egyptian king, there is a problem - these two are actually very troublesome. Because even the title of King of Rome has been destroyed. If it were not obtained through the Golden Bough, we would not know that we could become the King of Rome. The King of Greece and the King of Egypt are almost a fantasy. What is a king? What is the king of Egypt? Especially the former. Apart from Alexander, there is no other person in the whole of Greece who can be regarded as the 'King of Greece'."

She paused for a moment: "The King of Greece and the King of Egypt, no matter whether they are taken individually, they are not as good as the King of Rome. However, except Alexander, no one can take it out. There really is no shop like this after passing this village. Because if Alexander doesn't take the initiative to bring these two to the negotiation table, I really don't know how to bring it forward. This means that the Alexander family has a clue to advance, and no one else knows - not to mention, although it is not as good as Rome alone. King, but the two together are definitely greater than the King of Rome.”

"How do you say, I made a profit?" Shangluo replied. At least a rough calculation shows that I have indeed made a profit here, and there is no store like this after passing this village.

Chapter 803 Lord of Macedonia

"Objectively speaking, you have indeed made a profit. The position of the King of Rome is very dangerous. He also reminded you just now that anyone can challenge you as long as he has a golden branch. Although it may not be completely, it can at least be taken over to a certain extent. And Greece and Greece King of Egypt, if Alexander hadn't offered you these two things, there would be no place to buy them anywhere else - that's all. It would be a pity if you didn't join the gambling game! This will make you sigh."

[He just wanted us to think so, so he offered such a price, because it was an offer we couldn't refuse. On the other hand, the King of Rome was an irresistible temptation for him. The two of us are just each other. But Phaethon was right - we did make money. 】

"Whether you make money or not, you have to win first." The secret wine is still ahead. The dragon tooth soldier serving the wine was still holding the wine bottle. As long as you drink from the bottle, as long as you drink enough, all problems will be solved here. After becoming the king of Rome, Egypt and Greece, this position itself could not only solve many current problems, but even the way out for the Romans.

"I said." Shangluo shook his head, "Since we can solve the problem by joining forces, why didn't Alexander and I cooperate earlier?"

[No, this is completely different. The kings of Rome, Greece, and Egypt are completely different from the kings of Rome, Greece, and Egypt. It is indeed completely different to have three reagents in three bottles and all three reagents mixed together. Let me give you an example - King of Egypt, what does King of Egypt mean? 】

"Yes." Shangluo also replied, "I thought from the beginning that there was something wrong with the title King of Egypt. Doesn't Egypt traditionally have the crown of Upper and Lower Egypt? So is this King of Egypt Upper Egypt or Lower Egypt? "

[Look, here’s the problem. The throne of Egypt, to the Egyptians themselves, was indeed Upper and Lower Egypt in two bottles. But after Alexander conquered Egypt, during the Ptolemaic dynasty, the distinction between Upper and Lower Egypt had been replaced by the Greek-Egyptian dual system. Here, the two original bottles of Upper and Lower Egypt have now been blended into the same bottle. The appearance of Alexander himself blended Upper and Lower Egypt, which had been blended into the King of Egypt, with the 'King of Greece' again. Not to mention the latter, which incorporates a lot of suzerainty from Athens, Sparta and the like. 】

"Including Delphi"

[Yes, this is what I am most worried about - the Greek king also included Delphi. This position in Alexander combines the common characteristics of all Greeks. The Delian League and the Peloponnesian League eventually bowed under the Macedonian framework, and the Greek king here was actually the Macedonian king. And this framework was mixed with all of Upper and Lower Egypt, and it became the Lord of Thebes. 】

"This recipe is too big!"

[The big compound formula is like this. I don’t even know how to move it. Compared with the priest kings who had simple origins like the Roman kings, these two positions did not even originate from a single civilization. The fact that they can be blended together is thanks to the foundation of the empire established by Caesar - the force of Rome, which was like a catalyst in the process. But only when they are truly blended together can all this take effect. So, will you stand with Alexander? 】

"How is this possible?"

"Victoria can only think about it, right?"

"That's true!" Shangluo replied, "Isn't it right? If it were Victoria, you would be willing to cooperate, right?"

"Can I be the same as you?"

"Then at least we all have the same view of Victoria - Victoria, good. Alexander, bad."

"Okay. You have the final say."

[In short, there is no possibility of reconciliation between you. ] Apollonia replied, [The only possibility for you to stand together is to achieve the final integration: you, or him, hand over everything in your hands and let it all be held by one person. Because Alexander is not Victoria, and you are not Roxana, you two can't get along anyway. 】

"I don't know why, but I suddenly feel that this is something to be grateful for. All of this can be obtained by just drinking. It's so convenient, it's too convenient."

[So, drink. The imperial court needs your stomach, and the whole world needs your stomach. 】

"I'm not sure yet whether it's my stomach that's responsible for drinking."

Shangluo raised his hand and signaled the waiter to put the bottle in front of him.

Although guests should never touch wine bottles, Shangluo, as a guest, had more power, so the dragon tooth soldier who was serving the wine let go and let Shangluo investigate himself.

Holding the wine bottle, Shangluo took a look inside - it was cherry-like pink, and no matter how many times he looked at it, it looked like blood.

"This is actually blood! Blood in the true sense has not turned blood red yet."

[Wine and blood come from the same source here, so you don’t need to worry about which one it is. I'm curious if this thing is really endless. 】

"Let me do it."

Phaethon took the wine bottle from Shangluo and poured it into the gold cup that had been prepared.

The bright red ambrosia flowed into the gold cup, and the liquid level didn't seem to drop any lower. However, because the capacity of the golden cup itself is not large, it is not easy to see.

Phaethon confirmed again.

"Indeed, it has not become less. I think even if you pour down the bottle, the wine in the bottle will not become less."

"Is there only one wine bottle?" he asked the Dragon Tooth Soldier over there.

"Yes, Your Majesty the King of Rome. In a moment, both the King of Rome and the Two-Horned King will pour wine from this bottle."

[How did you feel after you drank it just now? 】

"I just tasted a little bit, just a small sip. What Alexander gave me was a croissant cup. The first half he drank was the big end, and the back part looked like half, but the tip of the croissant was much smaller."

[Then you want to try it again? 】

"Of course. Before the competition, I still have to take a sip."

The capacity of the golden cup is much larger than the half cup just now. Shangluo put the bright red ambrosia to his mouth, thought for a while, and then drank it in one gulp.

There was a trace of bright red liquid remaining at the corner of his mouth, slowly flowing down from the side of his lips. He wiped his mouth with a napkin.

"How is it?" Phaethon asked quickly, "Are you okay?"

"The power has been restored. The power of the gods is back. I recovered as soon as I drank it. There is pure power here. Such a strong power. I feel that if I keep drinking it, I might not be able to achieve enlightenment. This is simply... simply It’s the wine you should drink at the Peach Festival. Do you want a drink too?”

Chapter 804 Secret Wine

"Did you take it to him?" Standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, Alexander stared at the statue of Amon Zeus in the distance.

"Yes. The vase has been sent over, and the King of Rome is trying to drink Ambrosia. He should be about to take the bait."

"Well, as long as he drinks, I'm not afraid that he won't take the bait. I didn't use any tricks. This is not my style. All the problems caused by this are only caused by him." Alexander said nothing and continued to watch. Distant scenery.

Shangluo was surprised by the effect of the first sip of the immortal food and secret wine. His power has actually been suppressed since the previous level, because "using spiritual power" is not accepted in this world. Originally this was nothing to others, but Shangluo stuffed too many functional components into the Eight Extraordinary Meridians, which made him even more tired than ordinary people after "power outage".

However, it was just fatigue. His defense system itself is passive, and it does not become brittle just because of fatigue. But if you want to do anything proactively, you’re out of battery.

Defense is easier than attack because it is a conceptual difference. Defense is just to prevent others from affecting you, while attack requires affecting others. After the power outage, only the former young general living in the divine chrome glove can move. The glove and the Spear of the Sun God are not affected by this.

But after just taking a sip of the immortal food and secret wine, everything came back. The first thing that came back was his physical strength. The fatigue that had invaded him all-pervasively from just now had now been swept away. His energy and concentration were restored again, and the complete state of the human body was returned to his body.

"Are you okay?"

The dragon tooth soldier who was serving the wine said in surprise: "You have drunk a lot. Are you really okay?"

"What do you think will happen to me?"

"Oh no. It's nothing. Are you ready to start the competition?"

"You can do it at any time." Shangluo waved his hand, "Alexander, is he ready?"

Alexander was a little surprised to see Shangluo back in front of him.

"You seem quite surprised?" Shangluo asked, "What do you think will happen to me? Or do you think there will be some problems with the immortal food and secret wine?"

"Your behavior really surprised me, but I tell you the truth, there is really nothing wrong with the Immortal Secret Wine, and I will drink it soon. What I just drank is exactly the same as the Immortal Secret Wine you are drinking now. I Isn’t it surprising that you don’t feel any changes?”

"I want to ask first, what is this made of?"

"Technically, it's dew and nectar."

"That's right." Shangluo replied, "For us, this is exactly the food that immortals should eat. I don't think there is any surprise at all. From my perspective, the taste is actually quite good. Let I can eat it every day.”

"Now that you've finished eating, don't you have any ideas?"

"Idea? What idea?"

"Do you think you still want to drink? Don't you plan to give some to others?"

"Others? You mean Phaethon?"

Alexander nodded. "I thought you would give Phaethon some. After all, this is Ambrosia, the wine of immortality. There's a whole bottle of this stuff, so aren't you planning on giving her some too?"

"Eh? Don't tell me, I really haven't thought about it."

【What are you thinking about? In his eyes, Phaethon was not a mortal in particular need of help. On the contrary, she was quite powerful. Phaethon's strength requires no explanation or any extra care, she is herself. 】

"But hasn't Phaethon lost the power of a demigod?" He asked Phaethon directly, "You didn't intend to drink it yourself?"