Ming Dynasty, New Rome, and Infinite Divine Machine

Zheng Shijie put down the phone: "Uncle San, what do you think?"

"Great, that's great." Zheng Yin, who was leaning on the sofa, put down the newspaper. "Flying rockets gives me a headache. If someone can fly rockets for me, I can focus on your father's affairs. I will also be part of the expedition against Xu Fu this time - please say hello to Shangluo, and we will meet at Fenfeng Mountain tomorrow."

"That's fine." Zheng Shijie said on the phone, "My third uncle said thank you for not killing me."

"I didn't say that."

"I know what you mean. You just can't stand our space program."

"Because I can't stand everything your father does! It's fine if he sends people to the moon, but he also practices the Dragon Transformation Technique. Transform into a dragon, transform into a dragon, that's all. I've received the true teachings of the Red Dragon King, but I'm still very cautious. How can a mere mortal like him practice this?"

"Uncle San is right." If it were someone else, Zheng Shijie would definitely make a few rebuttals.

But the person who said this was his third uncle. So he had no choice.

His uncle's comments on his brother were a matter between brothers, and as a nephew, he had no choice but to say "right, right, right".

"Anyway, your father's affairs have been handled by us elders for so many years, and finally there is news. Even if I have to go to the Crystal Palace to find the Dragon King, I will still bring your father back - he doesn't want to be a good national surname, but insists on being a dragon. I have told him that the Qilin son is coming soon, and the world is about to change. There is really no need to rush. This is inside information. Doesn't he like inside information the most? Why don't you believe it now?"

"Maybe he has some other inside information or something."

"What do you know?" Zheng Yin looked up suddenly with a sharp look in his eyes.

"No, no, no, I don't know anything. If I knew, how could I not tell you, Third Uncle?"

"really do not know?"

Zheng Shijie shook his head violently: "I don't know at all."

"Okay, okay, I'll trust you for now. Tsk, I finally got a chance to go back to Nanyang for a vacation, but I didn't expect all of you to keep me from having a good time." He stood up and picked up the magazine on the sofa. "I'll take this magazine and read it first. I'll return it to you tomorrow."

There was a flash of lightning, the lights in the room flickered, the curtains moved automatically without wind - Zheng Yin's figure disappeared.

"Ah, it's really good to be a celestial being. You can just walk away without saying anything."

Suddenly, the TV next to him lit up suddenly—Zheng Yin’s figure appeared on the TV:

"Has anyone told you, kid, that Tianren has very good ears too!"

"Uncle San! You haven't left yet!"

"If you dare to say that again, I will turn off the power for a day and stop all electrical appliances around you, including the elevator."

"No, no, no! Uncle San, really! We live on the 28th floor, how can we live without an elevator?"

"Now that you know you are wrong, quickly gather your troops and prepare to attack Xu Fu. Also, send Shangluo here tomorrow morning."

"Yes, I understand."

"Your attitude is not bad. Then, Third Uncle, I will punish you a little."

With a beep, the air conditioner stopped.

"Ah?" Zheng Shijie was stunned for a moment, "Uncle San! The air conditioner can't be turned off! It's 30 degrees tonight, Uncle San! 30 degrees! Uncle San!"

"Ah~ The hospitality here is pretty good." Waking up from the soft big bed, Shangluo stood on the 16th floor of the hotel and looked out the window. The day in Pontianak had begun, with trams and cars running under the building and early morning flights passing by the skyline.

There were more people walking on the streets. This was the coolest time of the day, so those who wanted to do morning exercises would go out now before the sun rose completely.

"Hey, Shangluo. Good morning."

Yanqiu's voice came from the door next door: "Open the door quickly! I'm here to bring you breakfast."

[Wow, how come she gets up earlier than Phaethon? ]

"Needless to say, maybe he is here to observe me again."

Shangluo went to open the door and saw Yanqiu wearing a waiter's uniform, with his hair neatly combed back and a red bow tie on his chest.

"Mr. Shangluo, this is the breakfast we provide for you."

She was pushing a food cart with a dozen steamers of various sizes on it, and a large pot of pearl milk tea in a glass jug.

"What are you going to do?"

"Well, let me experience life. Can you let me in and deliver the food?"

"Okay." Shangluo gave up his seat and sat down next to the dining table.

"This is our specialty Lan Fang steamed dumplings. This is our specialty Lan Fang shrimp dumplings. This is our specialty Lan Fang tiger skin chicken feet." As she spoke, she served the dishes to Shangluo one steamer at a time.

"Wait, why are they all called Lan Fang? Is there any difference between this and ordinary steamed dumplings?"

"Wait a minute." Yan Qiu was stunned for two seconds. "My fault. I didn't even know this question. It seems I need to practice more."

"By the way, what are you doing? Why are you the one delivering the food?"

"I'm experiencing life. As an entertainer, you can't learn by just reading textbooks. You need a lot of observation and practice to grasp every detail. A good actor has a sense of life when standing in front of the camera, and even if he sits there and doesn't move, it's all acting. Well, today I'm playing the role of a waiter at the Lan Fang Club. Do you think I look like one?"

[I see. Do you want to answer "similar" or "not similar"? ]

"No, not at all." Shangluo replied, "There is a flaw in your look."

"Ah? What's the flaw?"

"The scent you use is too expensive. Waiter scents shouldn't be that expensive."

"Ah!!! How could I have forgotten this! What should I have then?"

"The scent of the soap is fine. Just keep it soothing and the right vibe."

"I've learned a lesson. Actually, I don't know how much the fragrance I use costs. My parents bought them for me. So it's really expensive?"

"It's very expensive. I wanted to buy Phaethon a birthday present or something, and I asked her about it, so I found out the prices of these things. She said she didn't need them."

"Wow~ so sweet. I love hearing this. Ah..." She was stunned, "Sorry, I'm a waiter now, I shouldn't say this. Come on, I'll continue serving the dishes, this is today's main course."

She handed a porcelain bowl to Shangluo: "Lan Fang Assorted Bak Kut Teh."

"So what's the difference between this and other Bak Kut Teh?"

"Ah, now I know this. Our Bak Kut Teh is the Fujian style, with a stronger flavor and a sauce soup instead of a clear soup. If you look at the menu, we also have 'Dry Bak Kut Teh', which is a sauce-roasted version of the pork ribs with less soup. There are many choices of pork ribs, including large bones, small bones, ribs, pork belly and cartilage. This bowl of mixed Bak Kut Teh has a piece of each."

Chapter 1064 Breakfast

“You know what, this tastes really good.”

The black sauce soup has a strong sauce flavor and looks black, but it is not greasy to drink. The taste of the soup is mainly garlic, mixed with a refreshing medicinal flavor. Eating it in the morning can make the whole person energetic.

Big bones, small bones, ribs, streaky bones and cartilage, each one is different. Especially the cartilage, which melts in your mouth when stewed, and when you bite it and mix it with the meat, it has a distinct taste. The big bones are full of meat, and the streaky bones have the aroma of fat. Each one has its own flavor.

"By the way, how much does this one cost?"

"288."

"Wow! I can eat steamed bread for a month for less than 288!"

"Oh, this is Lan Fang Guild Hall. The one across from the Grand Palace in the capital is a branch of the main restaurant in Pontianak. The dishes here are indeed more expensive. Guild Hall is a place for people to hold meetings. People who hold meetings here usually don't care much about how much the dish costs."

"It can usually be reimbursed anyway, right? Then I'll drink one more mouthful of soup. The remaining mouthful will save me 20 yuan."

He also ate the rest of the shrimp dumplings, steamed buns, etc.

This was the largest breakfast he had eaten recently, and it was also the most satisfying. Normally, he would not eat so much.

I have to say, there are indeed quite a few dishes here.

【expensive?】

"I can tell that the food here is very expensive, because each siu mai is topped with a little crab roe. You can't really tell when you eat it, but the price is definitely driven up by the crab roe."

"That's correct." Yanqiu replied, "This plate of siu mai is 88."

"22 in one mouthful!"

"There is crab roe." Yanqiu replied, "Just think about it, it is not easy to eat the crab roe of the hairy crabs from Jiangnan in Southeast Asia."

"But I just came from the place where hairy crabs are produced! In our place, hairy crabs are kept in vending machines!"

"Well, when in Rome, do as the Romans do. The hairy crabs here are flown in, so you have to spend some money on the airfare."

"Good fellow," he looked at the remaining piece of steamed dumpling, "I won't ask what this steamed dumpling is."

"This is steamed Spanish mackerel dumplings! Authentic Qingdao Spanish mackerel!"

"No. Can't Spanish mackerel be caught everywhere? Is there any difference between the Spanish mackerel caught in Qingdao and those caught elsewhere?"

"Well, I don't know. I'm from Fujian, so I can't tell the difference. And I've definitely never eaten dumplings stuffed with Spanish mackerel."

"Would you like to try one?" Shangluo handed over the plate.

"No, no, no, I'm a waiter, how can I eat?"

"Hey, why bother with so much? Just sit down and eat."

"No, I really can't." Yan Qiu shook her head vigorously, "I have professional ethics. The actor who plays Guan Gong can't speak carelessly, and I have to maintain proper manners when playing a waiter. If I say I don't want to eat, then I won't eat."

"Okay. Then, waiter? Can you tell me my schedule for today?"

"No, I'm a waiter, not your butler, so I don't know that part. I only know what dishes you're having today."

"Ah, then what should I eat today?"

"You will have lunch at the cafeteria in Foehn Mountain at 12 noon today."

"Fengfeng Mountain? What is that?"

"The local dialect calls it Mount Chendan Baru, the highest peak in Borneo. The lunar cannon is placed on top of it. It is called Mount Foehn because the most typical climate in Borneo is the foehn wind. You rarely see it elsewhere, but the foehn wind that causes extreme high temperatures is often seen. This place can sometimes be as hot as Mount Flame, so you can see that there is a wall outside Pontianak, which is mainly used to prevent forest fires that may spread from the rainforest."

"Why don't you go somewhere else?"

"Because the Pontianak River is here." Yanqiu replied, "Pontianak is a port city, but it also needs to be close to the river to grow crops. However, the foehn wind raises the temperature, making it very suitable for growing some economic crops, such as fruits. The jackfruits here ripen faster than elsewhere."

"It looks like if the debugging fails today, we'll have to stay there tonight, right?"

"There's air conditioning anyway." Yanqiu replied, "The mountain there has been developed for many years, and the living facilities are already quite complete."

"By the way, how long has the mountain been developed?"

"I really can't remember that. I remember that the mountain was developed before I became his disciple. Although I heard a little bit about it from my master, I don't know the details. However, it seems that the foundation of this wonder was laid by the previous generation of Guoxing, and it was finally completed by the hands of the current generation of Guoxing."

"The surname of the country in the past? Ah. How much do you know about the surname of the country in the past?"

"He is the father of the contemporary national surname."

"I know that, for sure. What else?"

"I don't know. After all, this is their family affair, and it's hard for me to say anything."

"Hmm," Shangluo thought for a moment, "In fact, what you don't know is actually some information."

"Eh? Why?"

"This is a big deal." Shangluo replied, "You are the disciple of Master Sa Tianshi. Since even someone as close to the inside story as you are unaware of this news, it means that Guoxing's family is not in a hurry. I wonder if Guoxing himself knows something. After all, when I told him, he seemed quite calm."

[He did seem to have gotten the most crucial information from you at the time. But to be honest, I don't think he was completely clueless about it.]

"Oh, right." Shangluo asked, "Yanqiu, do you know what the Dragon Transformation Technique is? This seems to be beyond the scope of a waiter, right?"

"I'm a Qigong waiter, so I can say that the Dragon Transformation Art is a spell passed down by the True Man Chi Jing. Generally speaking, it is a type of thunder magic. But compared to ordinary thunder magic, it requires more body training. This technique is too difficult. You have to practice everything, including elixirs, talismans, etc."

"Is it so complicated? I see that among the Jinyiwei, which is full of talented people, no one seems to have practiced this? Except for his uncle Guoxing?"

"Because, the situation is like this." Yan Qiu replied, "The Art of Dragon Transformation is a technique of the immortals on the islands, not a spell passed down by the immortals on land. So it's normal that no one has learned it."

"Wait, the island immortal? That Xu Fu?"

"Theoretically, Xu Fu went out to sea to find the immortals on the islands." Yan Qiu nodded, "But why did Xu Fu find Japan? I don't know. As a waiter, I shouldn't express my opinion."

"Well, so it makes sense that Xu Fu should come to you to look for him, right? What are the special qualities of the island immortal?"

"It seems like they can live very long." Yan Qiu replied, "The island immortals seem to live very long, but the Guoxing people don't seem to live very long. Tsk, I don't know where the longevity of these island immortals comes from. But it is precisely because they can't get it that they are willing to invest. It's hard to understand, but my master said that they are not destined to get it yet and can't force it. Look, didn't the contemporary Guoxing get the real elixir from you? It's his destiny."

Chapter 1065 Small Theater

Phaethon pushed the door open and walked in.

"Hey, Shangluo, you got up pretty well today."

After entering the door, he saw the waiter sitting and eating with Shangluo. The waiter with a ponytail was staring at Shangluo's face.