Ming Dynasty, New Rome, and Infinite Divine Machine

Across the table, Ao Zang looked calm, as if this was his own home—

But this is indeed his home.

This is the top floor of the Iluhua Department Store headquarters building, and it is also Ao Zang's private residence. Living in a skyscraper is a fashion these days, and the same is true for Iluhua Department Store. The meeting place is the dining room. Ao Zang has already instructed someone to prepare today's meal, and tea was delivered before the meal.

There was also a small plate of snacks in front of each person. The snacks were arranged in the five colors of red, yellow, green, white and black, including red bean milk crisps, pumpkin milk crisps, winter melon and black plum candied fruit crisps, rice crisps and sesame crisps, as well as five-colored crispy candies, cakes and pastries.

"Well, let's get started. Koxinga."

Zheng Shijie didn't hesitate to pick up a cake and started eating it.

Seeing a person who looks exactly like his own father talking to his father in a strange tone, Zheng Shijie felt

He felt quite used to it.

[He doesn't seem to feel uncomfortable at all.] Apollonia muttered softly.

"Maybe, it's because they don't look alike at all."

[Don’t they look exactly the same? ]

"If it were an outsider, they would probably really think they were the same person. But he is his son, and of course he understands his parents' demeanor. If there is even a slight difference, it is easy to tell them apart. And if you take this layer away, the chairman of Iluhua Department Store is just a subordinate to him. It's nothing for him to eat a plate of snacks in front of his subordinates."

[I understand the reasoning, but looking at this scene, I always feel that it is a bit contrary to the Tiangang.]

"Let me ask you something first." Zheng Shijie leaned back, "In what capacity are you talking to me?"

"Interesting. Guoxing, why don't you just speak directly."

"Are you the chairman of the board of directors of Yiluhua Department Store, or the Dragon King of Donghai? If you are the chairman of this department store, then I am the largest shareholder of Yiluhua Department Store, and you are just acting as my director, and you should report to me. If you are the Dragon King of Donghai, then we are ministers in the same court." He raised his hand, "If that's the case, then you can have a piece too. There's no need to be nervous in front of me."

"Ha." Ao Zang suddenly laughed. "Interesting. You don't consider yourself a mortal in front of the dragons of the East China Sea, and you don't consider yourself a descendant in front of this face. Why?"

"Because the relationship between us is only about 'owning' and 'being owned'. Lan Fang holds 48% of the shares of Yiluhua Department Store. Even if you are really my father, you have to speak to me politely here."

"Hahaha." Ao Zang laughed a few times. "It is true that a tiger father will have a dog son. You and your son are indeed the ones who are closest to the 'Invisible Hand'. If your father knew that you are so outstanding, he would definitely be proud of you."

"Excellent."

"Now that we have come to this, I think I should show some sincerity so that our conversation can proceed smoothly. I think the best way to express my sincerity is to provide information about your father."

"Didn't you say that it would be better for me not to know?"

"That's because I'm not familiar with you. Now I think you need to know some things you should know - but there's not much I can say. After all, your father doesn't let me tell you everything."

"I just want to know one thing: why are you in his face? You're being offensive to me."

"I can't do anything about that. It's not just a face. I'm borrowing your father's true spirit - or to put it more directly, the dragon balls. I'm not using my own dragon balls, but your father's. So I can't change into my own human form, I can only use your father's appearance."

"What about your own Dragon Balls?"

"This is a commercial secret. I will not tell you unless you ask Shang Tianjun to order me to do so. Because these are two different things. My dragon ball is not on me, which is my business. And your father's true spirit was borrowed by me, which is what I need to tell you. You just need to know that I have a good relationship with your father. He lent me his dragon ball to help me obtain a human body, that's all."

Ao Zang separated the matter into its logical parts - Zheng Shijie also nodded. He was right, it was indeed irrelevant. Ao Zang's dragon ball was his own business, and had little to do with their father and son. Ao Zang also spoke frankly about the matter involving their father and son.

"However." Ao Zang took a bite of the snack, "If you really want to know the details, you can investigate it yourself. There is no wall that is impenetrable in this world. As long as something happens, it can be investigated. I can give you a hint: this is related to the replacement of the Dragon Palace. Your father played a major role in it."

"You mean, my father already knew about the existence of the Dragon Palace???"

"He just didn't have time to tell you. I think it was because it happened so suddenly, or he wanted you to stop imagining things or something."

"In fact, there is some truth to that." Zheng Shijie nodded. "Not knowing anything can actually help me calm down. If I knew there was such a direction, I wouldn't be able to calm down."

"So your father really understands you - so come on, you might as well call me uncle. Your father and I are sworn brothers, and we have a life-long friendship, otherwise he wouldn't have lent me the Dragon Ball."

"No." Zheng Shijie refused flatly, "At work, you have to use your position, there is no such thing as uncle or nephew."

"Okay, okay, you are indeed very similar to him in this respect. Then, I will call you Guoxing."

"So you want to deal with me as Dragon Palace?"

"Today is like this. In the future, Ryukyu's business may still rely on the national surname - but today, we have to expose our identities for the sake of war. Our fight with Xu Fu must end here, even if it means exposing the existence of the Dragon Palace."

"why?"

"Because the treasure is there." Ao Zang said, "If you don't take what God gives you, you will suffer the consequences; if you don't welcome the opportunity, you will suffer the consequences. This is a great change that has never happened in the history. Even the old man Xu Fu has revealed his true colors, so of course we have to follow suit. This time, the accounts between us and Xu Fu will be completely settled. He and his illegitimate children will all be weighed."

Zheng Shijie glanced at Shangluo and got a nod from him. Then he asked:

"Then, let me ask on behalf of Shangluo: What do you want to get from Xu Fu and his Wa Kingdom?"

"Their souls. Or more accurately, the destination of their souls. As creditors, we demand the priority to purchase the souls of all the Japanese. If they want to sell their souls, they should sell them to the Dragon Palace first. Only if the Dragon Palace doesn't want them can they sell them to others."

Chapter 1085 Dragon's Changes

"So if they're not going to sell their souls, then nothing will happen?"

"They will sell out. The Dragon Palace will offer them a price they cannot refuse. All of them will be the future contractors of the Dragon Palace. When they return to the Dragon Palace, they will receive brand new armor and start a new life with a brand new identity."

“Why do I feel this is so familiar?”

Shangluo asked quietly, "Why do you look so familiar?"

"Because Lan Fang did exactly the same thing. Lan Fang would also sign such a contract with the natives, using a price they could not refuse to buy their lives and their future." Then he asked Ao Zang, "So where did this plan come from?"

"This is your father's plan. He designed it based on Lan Fang's experience and tailored it for the Dragon Palace."

"I knew it. I was wondering why this move looked so familiar. It seems like he has quite a say in your place."

"His words are equal to mine," Ao Zang replied. "You should know that your father is not in a hurry to go back because he is not treated unfairly here. Every minute he spends in the Dragon Palace is worth it. He will go back when he fulfills his wish."

"Okay, okay." Zheng Shijie shook his head. "Then the rest are just some details. Shangluo, do you have any questions?"

"I am actually very interested in one thing." Shangluo asked, "You dragons always say 'a dragon can be big or small, can rise or hide; when big it can create clouds and mist, when small it can hide its shape; when rising it can soar in the universe, when hiding it can lurk in the waves' - then how do you dragons change?"

Ao Zang spread his hands and said, "I can't say anything casually. But since this is your question, Lord Shang Tian, ​​I will tell you everything I know. But where should I start?" He thought about it and asked a question first:

"Shang Tianjun, you have read Journey to the West, right?"

“How could I not have seen it?”

"That's easy - the dragon's transformation is actually the thirty-six and seventy-two transformations of the Heavenly Gang and Earthly Fiends."

“So that’s it?!”

"It can't be said that it is completely this. If you have the same magical power as Sun Wukong, then you can naturally become whatever you want. But dragons can't change at will. Because dragons change with the times and follow the flow of all things. Dragons need to get the "token" of the other party before they can change into the other party's appearance. For example, this is how I borrowed the appearance of Guoxing's father."

"Good boy, can I learn this?"

"I can't really teach you the real 36 transformations, but this level of transformation is very simple - you just need to learn the Dragon Transformation Technique. The key is to transform into a dragon, because a dragon has eagle claws, fish scales, a snake body, and the appearance of all living beings. From the perspective of all living beings, all things are aspects of a dragon. From this perspective, as long as they are spiritual creatures born and raised by nature, or other cultivators with extraordinary talents, they can have the foundation for this transformation. If a good teacher teaches the true spirit required for 72 or transformations, then this great magical power will be cultivated."

"Wait, so I still need to find some materials for transformation, right?"

"That's right. Although our East Sea Dragon Palace is vast, we don't have that many profound Dharma lineages. All we can teach is the basics of great supernatural powers like the 72 Transformations. In terms of advanced mathematics, we only teach addition, subtraction, multiplication and division."

"Good guy, if you learn that, won't you become very powerful?"

"That depends on your perspective," Ao Zang replied. "The Seventy-Two Transformations are essentially a spell to avoid the Three Calamities. Just like the essence of a dragon, they are all for hiding. For a dragon, hiding is instinctive. For a cultivator, learning to avoid the Three Calamities is also a way to achieve longevity - it is indeed very powerful if you look at it that way. But if you want to make a fireball, the Seventy-Two Transformations won't help you, and may even bring some danger."

"why?"

"Let me give you an analogy - why does Sun Wukong, who has great magical powers, always leave a tail when he transforms into something? Yang Jian is also powerful, with 72 transformations, so why do all the things he transforms into have three eyes?"

"If you didn't have three eyes, who would know you were Yang Jian?"

"Here lies the crux of the matter. The 72 transformations are not just 'transformations', but 'transformations' that are enough to deceive the laws of nature. Not just transformations, but also transformations. When transforming, Sun Wukong must keep a tail, and Yang Jian must keep three eyes, so that they can distinguish between their true self and their incarnation. If they completely transform into something else, until there is no difference between the two, then they really cannot be separated."

"Um"

"So, Lord Shang, if you want to fight and have fun, you might as well learn the thirty-six transformations. The thirty-six transformations are not very similar, for example, Zhu Bajie always has a pig's body and pig's trotters no matter what he transforms into, but this is safe, fast, and more powerful. The seventy-two transformations are more profound, and I think among those present, Miss Phaethon should know some key information."

"Hmm?" Shangluo looked at Phaethon.

"You know what? I seem to know something." Phaethon nodded. "As far as I know, there are some druids among the Celts. These druids also practice the art of transformation, but when they transform, they do not leave behind a 'monkey tail' or 'three eyes'. There are often cases where they transform into animals and eventually become addicted to them. In fact, all druids will eventually achieve such a destination, truly blending into nature and becoming no different from wild animals. If you think about it carefully, compared to being completely addicted, leaving behind a monkey tail is not a big deal."

Then she looked at Shangluo and said, "Don't turn into a bear. Bears stink."

"What are you thinking? I haven't said I want to change yet."

"In short, if you really want to learn this kind of transformation technique, you must find a stable hint. Sun Wukong has the hint of a monkey, and Yang Jian has the hint of three eyes. I can say that Guanyin Bodhisattva has thousands of incarnations, and she also left hints about her original body. If you also want to practice the art of transformation, I'm afraid you have to find a hint. This is the most basic safety measure. After all, you don't want to turn into a bear like a druid, right?"

"I'm only interested in turning into a dragon, and I don't want to be unable to turn back after turning into a dragon."

"Eh?" Ao Zang asked in surprise, "Shang Tianjun, why do you want to turn into a dragon?"

"It's not that I thought. Actually, I ate a dragon ball, and I thought I might turn into a dragon. I was thinking about how to protect myself from turning into a dragon. But what characteristics do I have? I don't have three eyes, and I'm not a monkey. I'm a human. I can't poke my own eyes out like Odin did."

Chapter 1086 Dragon Clan

"Guoxing, you said we should talk about how to fight later - I don't think we need to talk. Everything on the battlefield is a big show, and neither of us wants to smash all the bottles and jars, don't you think?"

"You can't say that. I think even if it's acting, we have to act accordingly."

"We can talk about the drama separately." Ao Zang spread his hands, "I think the key to the problem lies in Yu Xu Fu, and Xu Fu needs Shang Tianjun to lead people to capture him."

"I agree with this." Zheng Shijie nodded. "If Xu Fu cannot be caught, then there is no point in protecting the 'bottles and jars'."

"Well, actually, the reason I invited you all in today is not just to treat you to a meal." Ao Zang looked at Shangluo, "I read a lot of stories. The protagonists in the stories always wanted to rob a batch of treasures from the Dragon Palace before they started their careers, or kill a few dragon sons and skin them and take out their tendons to use as belts for their pants."

The Dragon Palace has treasures, which has become a famous classic that almost all literary works must check in. Not only the Monkey King and Nezha in "Journey to the West" and "Investiture of the Gods", but even Lü Dongbin in "Journey to the East" has to go to the Dragon Palace for a walk.

Fortunately, "Journey to the East" did not mess with the East China Sea again, but mainly focused on the Dragon King and his family in the South China Sea.

In the final analysis, the impression of the Dragon Palace and the Dragon King is not very good. In the final analysis, in mythology, the main reason for the creation of clouds and rain is the will of the Jade Emperor, and the role played by the dragon in this process is equivalent to the water tank of a fire truck. If there are storms on the sea, it is definitely not a punishment from the Jade Emperor, but an evil dragon is causing the storm. In addition, since there have been so many things thrown into the sea that cannot be fished out throughout history, the Dragon Palace has become an image of a rich bully.

"So," Ao Zang said, "After analyzing the stories from ancient times to the present, the Dragon Palace summed up the lessons learned - instead of waiting for Nezha to come and skin the reward, it is better to give the treasure directly to Sun Wukong. I mean, why don't I take the initiative to send it to you, Shang Tianjun. Shang Tianjun wants to learn transformation, so I will prepare the token for you."

"Oh my, you are so polite, sir. I haven't even gone to get it yet." The other party was so proactive that it was Shangluo's turn to feel embarrassed.

"Oh my, oh my, Lord Shang Tian, ​​you are too polite. How can I wait for you to speak?"

"This isn't a good idea~~ Let's talk about it later."

"But I have already sent it. The Dragon Palace just happens to have an extra dragon ball now."

"How can there be extra? I remember that each person has one dragon ball, and only real dragons have dragon balls. Only a powerful person like Chi Jing Zhenren from the South China Sea can prepare a few extra dragon balls. So what are the extra dragon balls in the Dragon Palace?"

Ao Zang shook his head: "There are no extra dragon balls in this world. But as long as you are willing to squeeze, you can always squeeze one out of a dragon. Now we have a dragon who is not suitable to show up. I have already sent her to you, Lord Shang Tian. Didn't you personally lock her up in the imperial prison and confiscate the dragon ball?"

Yi Ji is still in prison. Shangluo brought her food once, and she was quite obedient. But she couldn't get out until the matter was over.

"Good fellow! So you were ready at that time? Then why didn't you tell me?"

"I can't tell anyone about this. I can only let things take their own course and let her be imprisoned without her noticing. This is all my painstaking effort as a father. Her case is too deeply involved. I'm afraid she'll cause trouble for the court, and my family rules can't hold her back, so I have no choice but to put her in a place where the court can see her and supervise her. I know that there are magic weapons in the imperial prison that are specifically used to suppress dragons."

"Where is the dragon ball?" Shangluo asked Wen Yuan beside him.

"The Dragon Ball is in the Imperial Prison." Wen Yuan replied, "I was there at the time. I saw that the Dragon Ball was kept properly and was going to be returned to her when she was released from prison."

"Then there's no need to return it." Ao Zang said, "This dragon ball will be given to Shang Tianjun. She came here just to give the dragon ball away."

"Wait a minute," Shangluo asked. "Actually, I had a conversation with Princess Otohime at the time. I personally feel that confiscating her Dragon Ball and confining her to human form is rather cruel."

"Trapped in human form?" Ao Zang asked in surprise, "What nonsense is she talking about with you? She is obviously past the age of that child, but she is still dreaming. She is originally in human form, so how can she be 'trapped' in human form?"

"Isn't she a Jiaolong? She is just a dragon, not a real dragon."

"Yes." Ao Zang nodded, "But no one stipulates that the dragons must have a dragon form. Because she is a dragon, the nine sons of the dragon are all different. Among the dragon sons, there are turtles, dogs, lions, birds, and everything else. Dragons have a myriad of different appearances, so as sub-dragons, the dragons can show any appearance. Xiaoyi's true form is human, but she is embarrassed to say it. On the contrary, she can only display the myriad changes of dragon appearances when she gets the dragon ball."

"Forehead"

"So, Lord Shang Tian, ​​you don't have to worry about her. Just tell her to stay in the Imperial Prison. You can use the dragon ball. Sooner or later, she will get used to her human form."

Shangluo here politely accepted the dragon ball - but Zheng Shijie next to him couldn't help but feel sad.

Sympathy for one's own kind. This Otohime, who was unwilling to be confined to her true form, was really very similar to him. They both wanted to borrow power that did not belong to them because they could not get it.

Although he has temporarily entered the Qi training stage, that is only the first step. He has only temporarily achieved his cultivation. Who knows if he will enter the stage of "not being able to achieve" again in the future? Who will he turn to for help then?

When he thought of this, he began to sympathize with "Yi" who was imprisoned in the imperial prison by his own father.

"I say, Lord Ao Zang."

"Hmm? What's the matter with Guoxing?"

"If it's okay, can I bring food to Princess Otohime?"

"She's picky about food. I heard that she asked Shang Tianjun to bring her food before? Then she's probably only willing to eat the food Shang Tianjun brings her."