Ming Dynasty, New Rome, and Infinite Divine Machine

"So fast?!"

"Because the first batch of people sent up are Qigong practitioners, the establishment of the living environment will be quite simple. All we need to do is replenish the spiritual energy, and the Qigong practitioners will figure out other problems themselves. The immigration of civilians is expected to begin within 20 years - of course, based on the progress you make, we will adjust the plan accordingly.

"If you can debug the moon cannon this time, we will start assembling the moon landing spacecraft in orbit this year. Spiritual power gives us unlimited possibilities and prevents me from making mistakes. As long as there is a little bit of feasibility in the engineering, we can use spiritual power to make it perfect. At the fastest, in a few months, we will be able to plant a flag on the moon. But..."

He thought for a moment and said, "We still have to be very cautious when it comes to mortal immigration. So we can only put the expectation on 20 years - there is actually no way to predict it, because this date may continue to be extended as 20 years approach."

"But if everyone becomes a Qigong practitioner, then everyone can carry out the plan according to the first standard, right?"

"That's true." Zheng Shijie nodded and said, "After taking the elixir you gave me, I can feel that the realm that was previously blocking me is loosening, and my cultivation is increasing every day. Although the growth rate is very slow, I will be able to reach the realm of a Qigong practitioner sooner or later. I am also increasingly able to understand the greatness of Qigong practitioners - we were too conservative before. Going to heaven this year is the decision that a Qigong practitioner should make."

"Good fellow, have you chosen the first batch of people?"

"I've chosen my uncle, the one in the foundation-building stage."

"General Zheng from the Imperial Guard, right?"

"Yes. If I don't let my family members go up first, then others might not dare to sit down. I will also go up to join in the fun, but my realm is too low, and it will consume too much spiritual energy. I may just go there for show and come back. Shangluo, do you want to go with me? Just shoot a commercial, just like what we are going to do later."

"Filming a commercial on the moon? Isn't that too outrageous?"

"Yes." Zheng Shijie said as if it was a matter of course. "Since we want to promote the colonization of the moon, we have to shoot an advertisement. You have to shoot an advertisement to sell a house anyway."

"Well, do you think it's possible that we could build a studio and film the moon landing in the studio?"

【???】Apollonia was shocked.

"????" Zheng Shijie was shocked. "Shooting a commercial in a studio?! Isn't this too outrageous!!!"

"Aren't we going to the studio soon? We're going to shoot a commercial for Wangzai."

"How can it be the same on the moon?! This is an advertisement for the moon landing."

"Wangzai can shoot in a studio, Yanqiu and I can pretend to be in love, so there's no reason why we can't pretend on the moon."

"But... Eh? It's not impossible. Anyway, my uncle can go up there. I don't have to go up there myself, right? So how do you think we should shoot it?"

"That's it. You get a studio, and you wear a space suit, and you ride in a cannon from the moon, and then you jump off the cannonball."

"Wait, let me remind you that we are not going to the moon directly on a cannonball. We are using cannons to launch building materials into Earth orbit, and then assemble them into a spacecraft to go to the moon. We have to change the orbit anyway! How can we launch directly to the moon?"

"Advertisement! Promotional effect, right? This is called 'using exaggerated performance techniques'. Assembling a spacecraft and flying over slowly is still too slow. Advertisements only last a dozen seconds, or even a few seconds. So why don't you just ride a cannonball to the moon?"

"Well, what next?" Zheng Shijie looked at him, waiting to see Shangluo's teaching.

"Then it's up to you to come up with your own ideas. You can also combine reality with fiction, like asking your uncle to take a camera to the moon, and then editing your own images on Earth into the film. You can also plan a small plot, like planting a flag yourself, or shoveling a bag of dirt or something."

"Ah." Zheng Shijie understood. "You mean, it's not completely fictional, but half true and half false, right?"

"Right. First of all, this thing has to be true, but in terms of the way it is spread, you can make it up - you don't have to really go to the moon. That would be too much trouble, right? From my level, I can tell you that it would be more resource-saving for me to land on the moon in the foundation-building stage. You haven't even reached the Qi training stage, and your Qi won't be very consolidated by the end of the year, so you'd better not go."

"Wait!" Zheng Shijie slapped his thigh, "Then you go! How about it?! You go for me, and then edit me in."

"???" Shangluo was stunned for a moment, "Why me?"

"Then why don't you go for the plan you proposed. Besides, we're about to schedule a commercial for Wangzai - ah, I've got an idea, we can make a sequel. Then strike while the iron is hot and launch your Yanqiu as well. I'll just appear briefly in the studio and plant a flag, that's all."

"Uh, you"

"Shangluo! Please, this is for everyone! And for the Heavenly Court? Shang Tianjun, are you interested?"

"Okay, it's not impossible, but the opposite role must be with Yanqiu, no one else can be replaced. I don't want to shoot a drama commercial on the moon with your uncle, it has to be Yanqiu."

"No problem, he won't be on camera. I'll let him carry the camera. As long as there's no Jade Rabbit making mooncakes on the moon, there will only be the two of you in the camera, no one else - ahaha, just kidding, how can there be a Jade Rabbit on the moon."

Chapter 1056 Post-Processing

"Okay, today's goal is ahead - Lan Fang Radio and Television Building."

A nearly square building appeared at the end of the road. This is Lan Fang's media center, which mainly provides audio-visual services for Pontianak, Sin Chew, Sunda, and other scattered settlements. This building is much thicker than ordinary skyscrapers because there is a theater on the first floor and many indoor studios above.

"Wait, do you have a TV here?"

"Yes." Zheng Shijie nodded. "We don't sell TVs now, but we have TV programs being broadcast, mainly in public places. But they are mainly singing and dancing programs, music programs, and news broadcasts, and sometimes movies. But the current TVs can only play black and white pictures, and you still have to go to the cinema to see high-definition color pictures. Oh, by the way."

Zheng Shijie pointed to the floor below and said, "The rendering room that Master Sa uses for post-processing of films is in the basement of this building. You will also use it for rendering after you finish shooting the commercial upstairs."

“Wait, don’t we actually build the set?”

"That's too expensive. We usually perform on a green screen, and then have Tianyi Guiren replace the green part with images generated according to the theme. The commercial you're going to shoot with Yanqiu will be shot in the green screen studio above."

"What is the principle behind this? How does Tianyi know what kind of image to generate?"

"The method is actually very simple. First, we will draw the original key frame, and then draw the image directly onto the film in the darkroom. The image on the film is just magnified by light, so the special effects can be changed by directly modifying the film. We will use manpower to modify the key frame, and then let Tianyi Guiren complete the content of the key frame according to the storyboard submitted separately and the actual image taken."

"So that's how it is?! That's so convenient."

"It's a bit expensive. We need to hire a lot of Tianyi nobles to do this. Because we have to process 24 frames of images per second, that is, 24 pictures. One minute is more than a thousand pictures. We will decide the frequency of key frames according to needs. Sometimes we manually match pictures every second, and sometimes every 5 seconds. The labor cost and the cost of Tianyi nobles need to be weighed."

"Oh, right." Shangluo suddenly thought, "What would it look like if you didn't add keyframes?"

"If you don't provide guidance and constraints, the image created by Tianyi Guiren will only be related to the 'previous frame', and will not take into account the overall logic - because the beans that process the images of this second and the previous second are not the same batch. So at first glance it looks coherent, but as time goes on, the content of the picture will become more and more outrageous. For example, two people may suddenly be submerged in the sea, or take out two bowls of noodles from outside the picture and feed each other. Even more outrageous, they may suddenly hug each other and start kissing."

[Ahhhh!!! This is so scary! ]

"How terrible. So why is this happening?"

"Artificial intelligence is stupid, there's nothing I can do about it." Zheng Shijie shook his head. "If possible, we would like to rely on a more orderly and reliable automatic processing system."

"No, no, your way of handling things is also very fashionable in our place."

"Is that so?" Zheng Shijie was stunned for a moment, "It turns out we are quite powerful."

"It's just a bit too much. In the absence of ordinary computers, they directly started to apply strong artificial intelligence."

"Are they very smart? I always feel that many Tianyi nobles just eat and do nothing all day long."

"Don't even mention Tianyi Guiren. Even among humans, there are some who only eat and don't work."

"Alas, if possible, I still want some machines that can replace humans. Tianyi Guiren can only amplify our creativity, but cannot replace the creativity itself."

"It is not good?"

"Ah, I still want some machines that can work stably as long as they consume electricity, just like light bulbs. The Tianyi nobles are still too noisy and sometimes hard to coax. Can you imagine that our current plan for the moon landing does not actually include an automatic control system?"

"Huh? No automatic control?"

"Yes. Because Tianyi Guiren needs to receive enough information to handle the problem, and we can't place so many sensors on the spacecraft to collect image information. Besides, Tianyi Guiren will make mistakes. The longer it works, the more likely it is to go to a strange place. So in the scheduled moon landing operation, the moon landing spacecraft will be manually driven by the pilot."

“That must require very thick arms.”

"That's true. Pulling the cables is quite strenuous."

"Wait, are moon rockets also driven by cables?"

"Ahaha! No matter how good the electric motor is, it can't compare to the time-tested arms and steel cables! Believe in the strength of the Qigong practitioners, they can do it - no, it's you who can do it. After all, you will be on the spaceship by then."

[Mom! I want to go home! I don’t want to go to the moon on a manual spaceship! It’s ok to manually operate a supersonic passenger plane, but why do we have to manually operate the moon landing? No wonder he was so happy when he heard that he didn’t have to do it! ]

"Ah, this." Shangluo thought for a moment, "Guoxing, do you think we should consider this? Do you really use your hands to land on the moon?"

"Of course, we are in a hurry. We can spend a long time training Tianyi Guiren, but training also requires teaching materials. If humans can't demonstrate, then Tianyi Guiren can't do it either. They can't replace the role of humans."

"Okay." Shang Luo pressed his forehead, "When the time comes, do I have to train as well?"

"Yes. Although I have asked my uncle to train you in advance for the main driving work, as a backup, I think you'd better train as well - and Miss Yanqiu. Although the possibility of using the backup is not very high, it is better to be prepared than not to be prepared."

"Yanqiu, do you know about this?"

"She doesn't know. Didn't we just decide to have you go to the moon to shoot the sequel?"

"Okay. Then I'll tell her later?"

"That's what I've been waiting for. Oh, Miss Yanqiu and I are not very familiar with each other, and I'm a little embarrassed to ask for this kind of task all of a sudden."

"You also know that this is unreliable, right?!"

"I believe in the power of Taoism! I believe that you have strong arms and can use cables to manipulate the thrusters to change the trajectory. I believe in the strength of the Qigong practitioner."

Chapter 1057 Shooting Plan

"So, this is the situation." In the lounge, Shangluo took a sip of soda, "According to Guoxing's request, I came here to ask, ask Yanqiu if you are willing to participate in this filming plan."

"???" Yan Qiu grabbed the script and was stunned. "You mean, you want to put me in a cannon and launch me to the moon, and then use a manual control cable to operate the controller to land on the moon, shoot a commercial after landing, and then manually drive the spacecraft back?!"

"Oh yes, that's what happened."

"I want to find my master, my grandmaster! He bullied me!" Yan Qiu put down the script, "What's going on? I only get a few dollars a month, why are you risking your life for this?"

"Actually, I'm going along too."

"Eh?" Yanqiu picked up the script again, "It's okay then, it's okay then."

"So you'll feel relieved if I go, right?!"

She reached out and patted Shangluo's leg: "If the sky falls, there are tall people to hold it up. Shangluo, you are the best, you are my idol! Come on, don't let me down."

"Hey, hey, hey, I think it would be better if you trained too."

"I will definitely train. But I think Guoxing asked me to train just to build momentum for this photo shoot."

"Huh? Is that so?"

"I don't think you know much about Guoxing. Since he arranged it this way, he certainly didn't expect me, a mere Qi training cultivator, to play any practical role in the moon landing process. I can't do it even if I want to. I still have to rely on you celestial beings to take over. You are one realm higher than me, right?"

[To be honest, he is about to reach the Golden Core stage.] Apollonia interrupted.

"Really? No wonder I feel different every time I see Shangluo. This time is even better than last time! Come on, come on." She put the script down. "How about we go out for dinner later? Let's talk about the script for next time."

"Uh" Shangluo was stunned for two seconds, "Okay."

[You should think about it for three seconds. Every time a beautiful girl asks you for something, you never refuse, right? ]

"Work, we are talking about work, right?"

"By the way, Shangluo." Yanqiu suddenly said, "I wonder if you have time outside of work. Do you have time to do something with me alone?"

【? ? ? 】

"Ah what's the matter?"

"I want to take a picture! I want your picture!"

"You want a picture?"

"No, no, no." Yan Qiu waved her hands repeatedly, "I don't want to take a photo with you. Because the distance is too close, too real. I just want a photo with you alone. Ah~~ I really want a photo like that."

"Photos?" Shang Luo asked, "Don't you have some? Didn't you ask Phaethon to take two photos for you last time? You also said that they had to look especially 'boyfriend-like.'"

"She told me that she couldn't film it, and then she didn't film it."

"Ah? She took the photo. Wait, didn't she give it to you?"

[Ah! Indeed! I checked and it turns out that Phaethon did not send the photo to Yanqiu. It is still with her.]

Shangluo drank a sip of water. Yanqiu also drank a sip of water.

In the end, it was Yanqiu who spoke.

"Shangluo, what kind of photos did you take? And the 'boyfriend feeling'? I did ask for that, but what did the photos turn out like?"

Shangluo looked at the door and muttered softly.

"Hey!" Yanqiu said in surprise, "When I was brushing my teeth..."

"Keep your voice down, people outside can hear you."

"Wow! This is so exciting! Why didn't she give it to me? I told her I would pay her 500 yuan to get it from her."

"So she sold me out for 500 yuan? No, I feel like I was sold out and I was robbed." Shangluo thought again:

"How about this? Give me 500 yuan and you can just shoot me."

"That won't work. If I take the photos directly and then pay you, then I won't feel like a star chaser anymore. I'll be too close to you. I still want to buy your photos from someone else."

"What a twisted mind you have! Miss Yanqiu, think about what you are talking about!"

"A sense of distance, a sense of distance." Yanqiu held the script in her hands and buried her face behind it. "It is this sense of distance that is the most exciting."

[This child has been in the entertainment industry since he was too young, and seems to be addicted to this kind of situational role-playing.]