Ming Dynasty, New Rome, and Infinite Divine Machine

Zhu Xianxun tightened his cloak and considered his words.

He asked first: "Have you replied to the normal communication?"

"No. The global electromagnetic waves are still in a disordered state. They have not recovered since the aurora appeared. We have been using the spiritual network to communicate with the outside world. Only the spiritual network has not been affected."

"Then the answer is obvious. Aura is not air in essence, but reason! Aura is actually reason! Reason exists!"

"The Muses speculate that what we call ether and you call aura is actually the idea. Ether is actually the idea! The idea exists!"

"Did you make this inference because you saw the aurora?" Shangluo repeated Victoria's words. Putting the question aside for the moment, he wanted to know how this judgment was made.

Chapter 908: Principle and Principle Type

"Yes, I think the key to all this may be the aurora." Victoria replied, "The overflow of magic caused the aurora to appear. Then by analyzing the reasons, perhaps we can figure out what the origin of magic is. We used to have too many guesses, but now this guess seems to have been verified."

"So, ether is actually the ideal form. What does this mean?" Shangluo asked the most crucial question.

"We need to go back a bit. Do you remember that when we started the lighthouse system, we mentioned that the lighthouse system used something called 'spirit particles'. Also, the 'transmitter particles' and 'co-oscillators' used in the submarine's communication system. Because we had many conjectures and theories before, and we implemented them from different perspectives. Now, the correct path is clear:

"Plato said: Everything in the material world must be made of some kind of material. The existence of this material will be eroded by time, but the ideas that make these things will not disappear. Horses have their own ideas, stones have their own ideas, and people have their own ideas. Behind every thing in the material world, there must be a corresponding idea. And magic is not the skill of manipulating matter, but the way to question the 'idea'. So here..."

She paused:

"In theory, if we call the basic elements that make up matter 'atoms', then the basic elements that make up its ideal form are 'spirits'. Magic can affect the corresponding atoms by influencing the spirit particles, and the two form a pair of 'vibrators' and 'co-vibrators'. Once an object is formed, a strong sympathetic link is established between its atoms and spirit particles. Even if they are physically separated, the two can still affect each other."

"Then how do you use this theory to explain the aurora in the sky?"

"Because the properties of light are between the atom and the spirit particle, it exhibits both material and ideal properties. The physical properties of light are extremely easily affected by the interference of its spirit particles. The 'Heaven and Earth Harmony' detonated in New Antioch probably not only released a shock wave, but also released a large amount of spirit particles into the atmosphere."

"Isn't the sympathetic link between these two very strong?"

"That was originally the case, but your magic seemed to be able to tear apart the unbreakable sympathetic link, and then release an unstoppable force of creation, which was able to wipe out Amon Zeus and the entire New Antioch, completely annihilating the city's form. It was simply terrifying. I only realized afterwards that if Longlong hadn't led the way, I would have been annihilated along with the entire city."

"Is that what it is?"

"So what's the principle? There are indeed some magics that can dismember atoms and spirits at the microscopic level. How did you shatter so many sympathetic links at once at the macroscopic level? It makes absolutely no sense. Although I know it's against the rules, I really want to know."

"Ah," Shangluo shook his head, "It's no use asking me. I don't know the principle either. I suggest you ask Tianzi, he is one of the main developers, I will just ask Huo Tongzi."

Zhu Xianxun kicked the ball towards him, and he kicked the ball back.

"Let me try and give him a call. Why can't I get through? I'm calling the elf number, so it should be able to go through."

"He's in seclusion and is away for the time being. I'll be in charge of things here now. Everything else is easy to deal with, but the technical issues are his personal affairs. I suggest you wait until he comes back before asking."

"Okay." Although she felt a little disappointed, Victoria had to suppress her curiosity because she couldn't find anyone to ask. "Then... ah!"

She was about to say something, but was suddenly startled.

"what's the situation?"

"It's over! Plato the Sage and Aristotle the Sage are fighting!"

"why?"

"Because the theory of forms was proposed by Plato. But Aristotle said it was problematic. Aristotle believed that it could only prove the existence of spirit particles, not the existence of forms. Wow! Aren't they master and apprentice? Why are they fighting?"

"Have they officially started fighting?"

"A fight really broke out! One side was shouting 'I love my teacher, but I love the truth more,' while the other side was shouting 'Little donkey, you sucked your mother's milk dry and then kicked her.' Wow! The wise man Plato threw the wise man Aristotle out the window!"

"Where's his apprentice? Save him!"

"Isn't Alexander Aristotle's disciple? You beat him to death a long time ago."

[Great! The Supreme Saint is killing the Sub-Saint! Let’s fight! ]

"." Shangluo understood. He understood why Wen Ge Lao's expression changed drastically when he heard that Confucius and Meng Fu were to stand up. It turned out that when the Supreme Sage and the Second Sage met, they would really fight, and one of them would be thrown out of the window.

"Well, I'll go and stop the fight first! See you later!" Victoria quickly hung up the phone.

[Tsk, tsk, tsk. 】

Shangluo put down the phone and was silent for a while.

Looking up at the Talos Colossus, the construction was almost completed and there was nothing for Fu Yuanshan to do here.

"I say, Senior Fu." He walked over and said, "Can I ask you a philosophical question? Have you studied Greek philosophy?"

"Yes, I learned Greek philosophy when I was studying comparative science. You middle school students definitely didn't learn it. It's not taught until college."

"Then let me ask you - from our perspective, can we interpret the relationship between aura and matter as the relationship between form and matter?"

"No." Fu Yuanshan shook his head and said, "According to our theory, it should be explained as the relationship between reason and qi. So if we analyze it from this perspective, spiritual energy should be closer to reason."

"Isn't reason different from rationale?"

"Completely different. Li is the metaphysical way and the basis of living things; Qi is the physical tool and the tool of living things. Although Li and Lixing here both refer to metaphysical things behind matter, Lixing emphasizes the existence of such a 'world of ideas' that is higher than our material world. The Romans liked to talk about the 'world of light', which was the pursuit of this world of ideas. If you count it that way."

He pondered for a moment: "Compared to Plato, it seems that Aristotle's ideas are closer to our views. We believe that 'there is no air without reason, and there is no reason without air'. The metaphysical and the physical together constitute our world.

"The Way of Heaven does exist, but the Tai Chi of every thing is exactly the same as the Tai Chi of the universe, just like 'the moon reflects the myriad rivers' and 'the unity of heaven and man'. The Romans seemed to generally believe that there was a supreme realm of light, so they wanted to sublimate it instead of wanting to live forever in the world as immortals. You can ask Aristotle himself about this. Isn't he in the Palace of Muses?"

"He was there before. But now he has been beaten to death."

Chapter 909 Sympathetic Key

"Beaten to death? I heard those Greeks are good at wrestling, so it's normal to be beaten to death."

"So, if we distinguish along the lines of reason and form, is there any fundamental difference between us and Rome?"

"That's a big difference." Fu Yuanshan replied, "The most important thing is that it's not just a debate of name and reality like reason-qi, form-matter. The key is that we believe that reason and qi are inseparable. The essence of Roman alchemy is to separate form from matter. And the intersection of the contradictions is probably in the Taoist ancestor."

"Daozu?"

"Yes. If the Romans had a god in Daozu's position, he would probably choose to ascend to the godhood without hesitation and go to the light. But Daozu would not do that, because ascending to the godhood means the separation of reason and qi. If Daozu were to join the ranks of emperors, I'm afraid we would really become the Shang Dynasty - Huangdi's number is five, and Dayu's number is three, and the world is very auspicious. By then, the number of great auspiciousness will probably increase by another seven."

As he said this, he glanced at Shangluo:

"Do you want to be 9?"

"Then I definitely don't want to. In The Investiture of the Gods, the ultimate reward for Jiang Ziya is wealth and a divine whip, not becoming a god. What's more, if he becomes a god in The Investiture of the Gods, he will have no chance of becoming an immortal - is this the state of Daozu now?"

Fu Yuanshan shook his head: "Only Daozu knows this. It is difficult for us, the younger generation, to make an accurate judgment without standing in Daozu's position. Perhaps when we reach his position, there will be many paths in front of us. But at least, leaving the world collectively like the Romans did, this is obviously not what we want."

“In fact, the Romans themselves didn’t want that.”

As far as he knew of the Romans, none of them had any hope of an "infinite universe in a nutshell," and only those who had no choice were grateful that they could still retain consciousness.

"Let me give you an analogy," he explained to Fu Yuanshan, "the general idea of ​​the Romans is that they want to go to the Pure Land first and then practice. Although going to the Pure Land is a good thing, it is of course better to stay alive. Going to the Pure Land is just a last resort."

"That doesn't sound wrong in itself. But from what I saw just now, although there's only one word difference between 理 and 理形, it seems to mean that our understanding of 'mystery' is completely opposite. We believe more in human potential, and we are more willing to realize human potential; while the Romans seem to hope to slowly approach the eternal principles of heaven through learning."

"Does this mean that we will eventually go our separate ways?"

"Not necessarily. It's just another dispute between reason and qi, and the differences are not that big. To be honest, Confucius and Mencius are actually very different, but we still recite both sides together. As long as Confucius and Mencius don't meet, there is no need to worry about them fighting. In this respect, we are very similar to Rome - ideals are ideals, and neither of us will have any barriers because of illusory ideals. Unless we have a conflict in reality."

After saying that, he pondered for a moment: "So what Emperor Victoria meant was that the spiritual evil explosion we launched directly pushed Rome a big step towards destruction?"

"That's exactly what she meant, but she didn't blame us."

"Her personal opinion doesn't represent Rome—I think the fundamental reason Rome was affected is that they're too weak, or perhaps they're not smart enough. On the contrary, I believe that this spiritual energy spreading across the globe is an opportunity for Rome."

"Is there still such a thing?"

"From our understanding, first of all, spiritual energy cannot be used directly by us, because spiritual energy is a discrete principle. Spiritual energy must be attached to tangible objects before it can be used, such as fairy grass, fairy medicine, and the torch fuel we are using now. Torch fuel is fuel attached with spiritual energy. Do you know the principle of torch fuel?"

"I really don't know. What is the principle of Torch Fuel? How is the spiritual energy attached to it?"

"Because the sympathetic bond between reason and qi in fossil fuels has been interrupted by time and has become a blank, we can use spiritual energy to fill it. You see, although we do believe that reason and qi are inseparable and this is the law of nature, our cultivation of immortality goes against the will of heaven. We must concentrate the spiritual elements of other substances on ourselves and use the immortal herbs, elixirs, and fuel for our own use. But what the Romans wanted to observe was this natural law. Now the world is full of shattered spiritual energy, and they have no way to observe it."

"Then how can this be called an opportunity for them?"

"Because a broken clock can be correct at least twice a day. The Romans had no chance to wait for the right moment before, but now we've given them a big push, maybe they'll just happen to find the right path. The Romans are going to die anyway, so we might as well give it a try."

【Then I really appreciate your kindness! You are such a kind person! 】

Shangluo relayed Apollonia's words:

"Hey, Envoy Huiming's words are too biased. You can't be so biased towards your own people." Fu Yuanshan waved his hand, "You have to learn to believe, believe in good fortune, good fortune will always come. Now the diffuse spiritual energy all over the world makes it easier for magical phenomena to appear. Although it is a bit messy, there are more opportunities for observation, right?"

"After all, this is of the greatest use to us, right?"

"This is quite complicated. Now that things have come to this, Shangluo, you should have discovered some phenomena: For a long time, only cultivators like us who have reached the foundation-building stage can release spiritual energy and affect the outside world - in principle, this is true, but not entirely. For example, the wind control spell I practiced is an entry-level spell. There are also many thunder spells and mysterious spells that can actually emit some light."

"Because the spiritual elements attached to gas and light are easier to control?"

"Yes, that's right. However, the truly meaningful control of the wind can only be cultivated at my level. The control of the wind in the Qi training stage can only perform magic tricks, which are similar to the magic of luminescence. In the final analysis, for us, spiritual energy must be attached to our body or magic tools to be useful. The amount of spiritual energy has indeed increased, but whether it is useful or not, we still have to wait for the test of time - but then again, I do see some technical prospects. Shangluo, I think you have the same idea, right?"

Shang Luo looked up at the sky and asked, "Senior Fu, are you talking about these things in the sky?"

The bright clouds in the sky are now a testament to our strength.

Chapter 910: Spiritual Mechanical Revolution

"These lights were born because of the heavenly tribulation. Just now Victoria wanted to ask, 'What exactly interrupted the connection between Qi and Li?' Right? Of course it was the heavenly tribulation, which is why the unity of heaven and earth can cleanse the universe. Under the heavenly tribulation, nothing can survive. Of course, the one that can destroy the sympathetic link is the heavenly tribulation - and now, Shangluo, the heavenly tribulation is in your hands."

"In fact, I have the same idea. If we can continuously and orderly interrupt these 'sympathetic links', we might be able to create some interesting magical instruments."

"Then this is epoch-making." Fu Yuanshan replied, "Because so far, we have no way to make 'spiritual machinery', because there is no equipment that can utilize spiritual energy. Just like whether it is a reciprocating steam engine, a steam turbine, or a steam engine driven by nuclear power, no matter what method is used, our greatest, most permanent, and most common technology is boiling water. After all, it is still boiling water. But if you can directly utilize spiritual energy, then all old technologies will be eclipsed overnight."

[Wow, even though you know this yourself, he is really not afraid of losing by reminding you. You two are still fighting.]

"How is it?" Fu Yuanshan looked at Shangluo, "Are you sure?"

"I think we can try it. But there is a problem - this technology will obviously 'drain' the spiritual energy, or should we say the spiritual particles? In short, this may cause huge interference to the surrounding electromagnetic waves, just like what happened above our heads. By then, I am afraid that not only will the communication be interrupted, but even the light will be distorted."

"As long as we can run, who cares what the problem is, right? Cultivating immortals is to go against the will of heaven! It's okay to go against the will of heaven for a while."

"Also," Shangluo thought for a moment, "After all, this is spiritual energy technology, and it may be deeply bound to the monks. Therefore, its versatility may be relatively poor, and it will be difficult to make a 'prime mover' like a steam engine or a gasoline engine."

"What's the big deal? Just give it to the monks. As long as it can run, it's fine. Do you have any reservations?"

"Is it gone?"

[It will also make Rome's research environment worse and worse! There are dismembered ideas everywhere, and there is diffuse power everywhere. The Romans are going crazy. ]

"That's all." Shangluo waved his hand. "This is truly a wonderful technique. I'm beginning to admire myself."

"Yeah." Fu Yuanshan nodded and said, "If you are fast enough, why not use me as a target and shoot me."

"Senior Fu, are you serious?"

Fu Yuanshan took a step back. "To be honest, I was going to show some mercy. After all, I don't want to ruin your plan. But since you have the potential to show this level of power, I have to take it seriously. Believe in your own luck. You are the son of Qilin. Your luck is greater than mine. Luck is like water in a sponge. If you squeeze it, there will always be some."

After saying this, he took out his cap from his pocket, which was what he wore when he was going out. He came back to help Shangluo solve some important issues, and it was time to start the competition again.

"Hey! Wait a minute!" Shang Luo waved his hand, "Senior Fu, when you go up to the sky, please help me observe the aurora!"

Fu Yuanshan then flew into the sky, his voice still echoing in Shangluo's ears:

"You're so annoying! Little brat, where are the summer homeworks you assigned to me? Should I write a 500-word book review for you?"

"Thank you very much! 500 words will be enough!"

Fu Yuanshan didn't reply, he just soared up and disappeared.

[What a nice guy. He is really nice to this junior. Although your current cultivation level is already higher than his, right? ]

"I am closer to the Golden Core Stage than he is. But I still have a lot to learn. Even if I really reach the Golden Core Stage, I still have to call you senior. Hmm."

He looked ahead. There was still a lot of work going on inside the giant statue, but it was almost finished.

"Since we have decided to give a little 'spiritual machine' shock and create some revolutionary magic tools, we must indeed borrow more power from the court. Therefore, our performance of 'Kua'e Carrying the Mountain' is very necessary. This play must be performed well and beautifully. Most importantly, we must make this Kua'e statue look more like one of our own."

[However, this is Talos. He is not one of your people. He is a gatekeeper of Rhodes Island.]

"It's mine here. And the Four Heavenly Kings were originally the four generals of the Demon Family. It doesn't matter if their origins are not normal. As long as they are big and cool enough, it's fine."

The construction of the Colossus is still in progress and will be completed in a few hours. However, how to operate it after it is built still needs to be planned.

Because the elf craftsmen worked too fast, there was no time to complete the plan that should have been completed earlier, so it had to be carried out together with the construction of the colossus. Now, Elder Wen has made a preliminary plan.

"First, we need to knock out the stele." Holding a stack of papers, Wen Zhong introduced in front of Shangluo, "Because the Yangshan stele is not yet completed. If we have enough time, we can do some preliminary construction. But now time is too tight, so we have to start the construction of the colossus directly and cut out the Yangshan stele neatly. So I want to ask, is the precision of this colossus enough?"

[Not enough.] Apollonia answered Shangluo's question, [Taros is a defense tower, not an engineering robot. Its own precision can only be used to throw stones, and it can't do too delicate work. So Shangluo, if there is some delicate processing to be done, you might as well sit on it and operate it yourself. If you rely on Taros to come, you might break the Yangshan Stele into pieces.]