Ming Dynasty, New Rome, and Infinite Divine Machine

[Okay! Apollonia, let's go!]

The flip-up sign at the front of the train flipped through a series of common Chinese characters and jumped to the section with phonetic symbols. The "water sign" that originally displayed the train number now displayed the train number "Apollonia."

[Left platform, close left door. Correct instructions, correct credentials, departure at the appointed time.]

I told you to drive on time, so please cooperate and pull up the handle! Can you understand the feelings of a railway fan? Do you know how beautiful trains are? Ah, the mechanical beauty of mankind. This tiny locomotive drives the entire world towards civilization. Being a train driver is such a noble and fascinating profession. I've been waiting for this day for so long.

"Okay, okay, I'll cooperate with you. Let's drive on time!" Shangluo turned the speed control handle clockwise and shifted to first gear.

[Okay, start accelerating now. I'll handle the rest. You shift up a gear every three seconds. Up gear, up gear!]

Ten minutes seemed like a century to Shangluo. Drivers were truly professional jobs; simply manipulating the speed control lever kept him on the train for ten minutes without stopping. This was also somewhat surprising, as it was the first time Apollonia had shown such a keen interest in something. She truly loved trains.

Ah, the happy time is so short, it only lasts for one stop.

This train could only go one stop. Beyond that was the main line to Xiamafang subway station, but going any further would be troublesome. Because this train wasn't in any dispatch room records, no one knew it was just across the wall from the main line.

At 6:30 in the morning, the early morning tram was about to arrive at the station. Just across the wall, passengers were already entering Xiamafang subway station.

Shangluo also got off here - if he had driven a little further, other passengers in the subway station would have been able to see the mini train entering the station.

Opposite the train door, there was a small door that looked like an employee passage. According to Zhu Xianxun, he had gotten off the train here before, then entered the station through the employee passage to catch the main line train.

"Wait." Standing on the platform, Shangluo realized a serious problem: "It's over! I entered the station without a ticket. What should I do when I get off the train? I can't evade the fare on my first day of school! And there's no way to escape. There are people cutting the corners of tickets at every ticket gate. I can't leave without a ticket."

"It's okay. Your acting is pretty good, right? Just say you lost your ticket and need to buy a new one."

"But I can't always say I lost the ticket, right? It's not like I'm only using it once."

[Well, now it's time to test your acting skills. ]

"Uncle~" Shangluo stood outside the ticket window with his schoolbag on his back.

"Is there anything wrong?" The old man at the ticket window pushed up his glasses and glanced at him.

"I think I lost my ticket."

The old man inside suddenly had a bright idea:

"You bought a ticket when you entered the station, but then lost it on the platform, so you came up to buy a new ticket? From Xiamafang to Confucius Temple, right? Why are you here again?"

"No, no, no, from Xiamafang to Mount Wutai. Was there the same thing before?"

"When I first started working here, there was a kid about your age who kept coming to me every few days to buy a ticket, always wearing a mask. I guess it's been quite a while now, and you still see him going to Mount Wutai now and then, right? Show me your student ID, and I'll give you a half-price student ticket. Okay, it's done, 5 cents is perfect. Here you go."

Chapter 84 Backdoor

Chapter 84 Tai Su asks Xuan

"Oh my god, I forgot to ask him to buy a monthly pass." Zhu Xianxun muttered as he walked down the stairs. When he came out of the stairs, he saw Lao Wu at the back door still lying on the recliner with his face up, studying Latin, with the dictionary on the back of his head.

"Han Wu, did you tell him to buy a monthly ticket? If he buys a monthly ticket, he won't have to check the ticket. Otherwise, he will have to buy a new ticket every time, and it will be easy for the ticket seller to recognize him."

"Monthly ticket?" Han Wu opened his eyes, was stunned for a few seconds, and then stood up again:

"Oh, I forgot. Your Majesty, when did you buy the ticket? That was when you were a child, and the gatekeeper here was still Liu Wu."

"Never mind, it's not a big deal. Let's talk about it next time."

"Why don't you send him a Feixin?"

"I'm so busy that I forget about time. It's already class time, and I can't send him a Fetion message during class. Why don't you send him one later?"

"Okay." Han Wu nodded.

"By the way, how's your Latin going?"

He raised his head and flipped open the Latin dictionary under his pillow. The handwriting on the last page was still clear, but it became increasingly blurred as he moved up the page, the ink gradually fading into the background. However, at its lowest transparency, only 50%, some of the handwriting could still be vaguely seen.

"About half and half."

"Why do you only learn half of everything?"

"No, I can only learn half of it by using the Tai Su Wen Xuan Jing. I need to balance the ink in the book with the ink in my head. Zhou Gong was too stingy to teach me everything at once. I have to learn the remaining half by myself when I am awake."

"It's really convenient to learn the technique of spiritual consciousness."

"That's right. If I didn't have some skills, I wouldn't come here to look at the 'back door'."

"Oh, the back door. I hope this back door will never be used." He sighed.

Zhu Xianxun stood there with his hands behind his back—his gaze fixed on the end of the corridor. The small train that had been parked there drove away, revealing a faded slogan on the wall:

"Keep in line and watch your step."

"Don't worry, there's a seat for everyone."

"Hold your family and hold your children."

On the top, a few vigorous and ancient seal characters were pasted on yellow paper: Home and Country Forever Peace

On both sides of the railway line are pedestrian walkways, much wider than typical tunnels. Such slogans stretch from the distance all the way here, extending into the tunnel. At the end of the tunnel lies the Grand Palace's underground fortress—while the above-ground portion of the Grand Palace is magnificent, it's only the tip of the iceberg; an even more massive undertaking lies beneath. This is where the people will be evacuated. Those nearby can walk directly through this passage, while those farther away can reach it by rail. As a precaution, these slogans were posted long in advance.

The fortress's diamond gate was locked, and even Zhu Xianxun had never entered. However, the fortress's entrances were distributed throughout the Grand Palace, and some of the peripheral structures were always in use, such as the Imperial Prison.

Zhu Xianxun looked at the slogans.

He recalled the first time he saw these slogans, when he was still a prince. Yujing, the world's capital, embodied all the splendor of the world. This "City of Light" served as the template for all other metropolises, the ideal city of humanity. Yet, at the Xiamafang subway station, where hundreds of thousands of people commuted, just a wall away from the thronged platform, someone always remembered: Death is never far away.

From that moment on, his childhood was over forever.

"I hope that the King Kong Gate will never need to be opened." Zhu Xianxun murmured. He said the same thing when he saw these on the first day.

Han Wu also looked there: "Every day before going to work, I would look at those slogans to remind myself. Otherwise, I would not be able to sleep at all."

“Why do I feel like you’re making excuses for yourself?”

"But Your Majesty, what exactly are we defending against? Under what circumstances would we need to use Yujing's dozens of underground fortresses?"

"I don't know, and I don't really want to know. I only know that if the sky falls, there will always be tall people like us to hold it up. That's why I dare not rest for a single day. The Royal Ancestor said that I have a talent for alchemy, so I should do something. You continue to look after this place and go out more often. I heard that some children want to come here to explore recently. Don't let the children see this."

9:10, Wutaishan Teaching Institute, Grade , Gengzi Class

There was a half-hour break between classes. Shangluo, having pushed through the entire class, could no longer hold on. He was already sleepy, and the first math class was even more soporific. His stomach was full of food, and his elevated blood sugar made him even more drowsy. If he hadn't wanted to make a good impression on his long-forgotten classmates and teacher during that first class, he would have fallen asleep on his desk.

My whole face was pressed against the desk, but even the hard surface couldn't stop me from falling asleep.

However, I had only fallen asleep for less than five minutes when the mumbling sound came to my mind.

"Wherever there is auspiciousness, the imperial guards will be able to reach the target."

"Wherever there is auspiciousness, the imperial guards will be able to reach the target."

"Xiangruiyumenxiangruiyumenxiangruiyumen."

Shangluo looked up, dazed, and saw a gaping maw staring straight at him. He shuddered, and upon closer inspection, he realized it was a green can of Wangzai Milk. The little figure in the bellyband on the bottle had the same expression and gaping mouth that had remained the same for decades.

There was not one bottle of milk, but three. Three female classmates stood before him, clasping their hands together and muttering something, not noticing that he had woken up.

"You...what are you doing?" Shangluo squinted his eyes. He was so sleepy that he couldn't open his eyes.

"Ah! Xiangrui, Xiangrui is awake! Xiangrui Yumian."

"Xiangrui Yumen! Xiangrui Yumen!"

The three of them were talking faster and faster, and Shangluo was becoming more and more confused.

"You three, don't disturb his sleep! He has to pass his own exams. What's the point of praying at this time?"

A sudden shout erupted from the podium. The short-haired girl held up a blackboard eraser—still covered in dust. The math teacher had just left, and she hadn't finished wiping the blackboard. If she hadn't been afraid of accidentally hurting someone, she would have thrown the eraser at them.

"Captain Qi? No, no, no, we didn't. We just wanted to treat him to some Wangzai milk. Right?"

"Yes, yes, yes." The three of them looked at each other and nodded repeatedly. They also handed the milk to Shangluo:

"Please! Please! Please drink it!" The three men bowed to Shangluo again, dropped the milk and left.

"Ah, what are you doing?" Shangluo, who was in a daze, looked blankly at the three cans of milk in front of him.

"They're afraid they won't pass the exam, so they come to pay their respects. After all, you're the legendary auspicious sign. Oh, by the way, you probably don't remember me. I'm Qi Yuan, the monitor of this class. I'll talk to you later—but go to sleep first, I'll talk to you this afternoon. You look so dazed, it's hard to tell them anything. Just drink the milk, or they'll bother you again."

"Oh, thank you." Shangluo put the milk into the drawer.

"Wait!" He suddenly remembered, "Squad Leader Qi, do you know how to get to Class A, Grade 8?"

"In the next building. What, are you busy?"

"Someone asked me to take something there." The cardboard box that Zhu Xianxun asked him to deliver was still in his bag.

"Then let's do it at noon. After class, I'll take you to deliver your things, and then we'll go to the team. I forgot to mention that I'm the team's agent, and I'm in charge of the Longjiang team's affairs. You should get some rest, as we'll be busy this afternoon."

Chapter 85 Lunch

What happened in the morning?

Shangluo looked up from his desk, wide awake. There were only ten minutes left until the end of get out of class. His memory was cut off from the break until now; it seemed as if he hadn't woken up when the bell rang.

"Are you awake? Have you slept enough?" The teacher's voice suddenly appeared behind him.

Mr. Song, 55, is the full-time teacher, or homeroom teacher, of the 10th-grade class. He has been teaching Chinese and has been with these students for over 10 years.

Shangluo remembered seeing him as a child. Back then, he still had some hair, not as bald as he is now. It was only because he was transferred to Yangzhou that he didn't finish his studies in the Gengzi class.

"Mr. Song Song? Sorry."

"It's okay. You haven't had a proper class in years, so this one class of mine won't bother you. You're dealing with jet lag, and if I force you to wake up and hold on, you won't be able to attend any other classes that day."

"Ah, this." Shangluo felt a little embarrassed when he said this.

"Are you embarrassed? Well, that's good. If you think it's natural, then it means you've been going astray over the years. However, after all, you're all older students now, and objectively speaking, you're all capable professionals. The school values your creativity more. As for discipline, the bottom line is 'attendance' and 'not causing trouble for others'. It's okay to sleep in occasionally. But don't do it again, okay? Sleeping in once won't affect others, but you can't sleep in every day."

"sure!"

Shangluo began to think that if he had gone to school here, it might have been a good choice. Although they hadn't seen each other for a long time, he could sense a certain "aura" in Teacher Song. It seemed like a good teacher should be like this—maintaining trust with students and maintaining confidence in his work. And his hair was so sparse on top of his head that even a net scarf couldn't hold it together.

While all schools in Yujing offer excellent teaching quality, the Wutaishan Training Institute is particularly well-funded. Because the several garrisons here are relatively wealthy, the training is naturally better run. Both the teachers and the students are professionals.

The school's sponsors were also quite wealthy. Besides the garrison, the main sponsor was the neighboring Longjiang Shipyard. That's how the Longjiang team got its name.

Shangluo didn't want to betray the precious trust of others. Even though it was only ten minutes, he still wanted to act like a good student - even if it was just a pretense, he had to make good connections.

The bell rang, and the teachers and students bowed to each other, concluding the morning's class. Mr. Song placed a small stamp on the last few questions in Shangluo's textbook, marking him as having completed a small portion of the lesson's content. Not a big deal.

"How are you? Are you awake?" Qi Yuan leaned against the table, waiting beside him.

"I'm awake, I'm awake now. I'm sorry I didn't greet everyone properly when I came in this morning. I was just too sleepy."

"I understand. We can talk about it later. Everyone likes you. Those people were planning to come and talk to you, but I just kicked them out. You'd better not indulge them. The exam is your own business. What's the point of using metaphysics?"

"You don't really think I'm a good omen and can bless you at will, do you?"

"How would I know? After all, you could talk to dogs when you were little, and you've watched gorillas baring their teeth in Yangzhou these years. You must have gained some skills."

"Where the hell do you think I was? There are only big turnips in San Francisco. There are turnips everywhere, all over the hills."

"There are radishes all around? Where does the gorilla live?"

"Why are you so against gorillas? Gorillas live in zoos, okay? San Francisco has a zoo too. What's your impression of San Francisco?"

"Ah, this." Qi Yuan looked at the ceiling. "It always feels so far away, a place I really don't want to go to. I feel like there are either giant crocodiles or gorillas there. Those of us who were born in Jinei don't want to go anywhere else. The farthest we've been is Guangzhou, and I don't even want to go to Lan Fang. But being able to come back from there seems to be something impressive, and you've had some kind of mysterious reputation since you were a child."

So they didn't actually know what happened on the plane?

Shangluo thought they had heard some gossip, that he had pressed the Baihui acupoint with a hammer and smashed the generator. Their feelings were still from their childhood.

"So you guys think I'm an old shaman, right?"

"It's not like that's not a factor. Ah, graduation, understand. Not everyone can graduate peacefully, and everyone is under a lot of pressure. Although we won't leave the capital, everyone still wants to stay. Going to Guangzhou isn't impossible; the food there is delicious, but the refrigeration costs are a bit high. But let's not talk about that for now. It's time for dinner, so let's go eat. Did you bring your cafeteria meal ticket?"

"Does anyone have a meal ticket?"

"Okay, I didn't bring it." Qi Yuan took out a round ladybug-shaped wallet and searched inside.

"I'll treat you to lunch. It's probably too late to buy a meal ticket now. The cafeteria is still quite crowded."

"Wait, what about the delivery?"

"Eat, eat, eat first. Where are you going to find people to deliver the goods at this time? They are all in the cafeteria. Let me introduce you to the people first. I'll ask the team to save a seat for you."

Shangluo wanted to say he wasn't hungry. He'd had a "royal meal" at Zhu Xianxun's that morning, and his belly was still full. But today was his first day at school, and he felt strange enough that he felt he should at least go to the cafeteria like a normal student.