Ming Dynasty, New Rome, and Infinite Divine Machine

[Wait. Ah! We saw that before! That flying saucer!]

"what?"

[Victoria, you probably haven't seen it. Dragon Palace has a kind of disc-shaped aircraft! So far, only one has been seen. There is no power system on the outside of that disc-shaped aircraft. It can fly into the sky while rotating. It can even jump! It can jump from the sky above Yujing to the East China Sea in an instant, just like being thrown over there! ]

"Wait, I know the Vulcan Core has this potential, as long as the energy level is higher. But can it really be that big?! The one sent as a state gift had this energy level, but it was only the size of a palm. How can it be as big as a flying saucer?!"

Ao Zang secretly thought that something was wrong when Shangluo called him. Long Gong's underwear was pulled down again.

"Yes, you are right, Lord Tian." Ao Zang replied, "The flying saucer you saw before did use the technology from the West Sea. The West Sea gave us a very small sample, the size of a vinyl record. We enlarged it with mirage gas."

Shangluo turned around and relayed to Victoria: "The Dragon Palace said that they enlarged the 'creature of the West Sea'. And because it is naturally refrigerated, the mirage can remain stable under such conditions and will not collapse due to high temperatures."

"Can this thing be 'enlarged'?" Things have entered a realm that Victoria cannot understand. "This thing can only be forged in Vulcan's furnace! How can it be enlarged?!"

"Perhaps this is the power of the water god. Maybe there is a special channel for technological exchange between the East Sea and the West Sea - that is, Atlantis."

"Why are we the only ones who can't use it?" Victoria looked up at the sky. "Why is Rome the only one that has to starve to death while guarding the gold bricks? But if your description is true, then Shangluo, there may be a very powerful technology waiting for us to discover, and it's not far ahead. Shangluo, you also realized it, right?"

"Don't mention me, Apollonia has realized it."

[It can eject, which means it can jump? Since the manhole cover "jumped" into the sky and threw itself out, then our flying saucer can also throw itself out! ]

Chapter 1241: Weaponization of the Vulcan Device

"There is such a strange thing." Zhu Xianxi was shocked on the other end of the phone. "I have always thought that the perpetual motion machine in Rome is useless. But I didn't expect that a truly useful perpetual motion machine is right next to us - bring one here for me to see."

"Wait!" Shangluo didn't say the second half, "In fact, if the ship stops running, it will..."

Briefly, he told Zhu Xianxun about the manhole cover in Syracuse and matters related to it.

"You mean to say that if this thing doesn't operate normally, it might suddenly heat up to the temperature of the sun's surface, or rotate at a speed that breaks the celestial pole, or even jump into outer space?"

"Two of the three could happen at once. It could spiral up into the sky, or spin madly at the heat of the sun, or shoot a scorching, destructive death beam in a random direction."

"Wait. I knew it. This is what the Romans do."

[That's not what he said when he was halfway through listening.]

"So, Senior Brother, do you want to bring back one?"

"Of course I want it. This is a usable perpetual motion machine, so of course I want to study it. But no matter what, safety comes first. Such a dangerous thing cannot be placed in the capital. I want to think about where to put it." He pondered for a few seconds:

"That's not right. It doesn't fit anywhere. It can't be placed anywhere. But I want to study it, and it can't be placed too far away. What should I do?" Zhu Xianxi was so conflicted that he was about to go into mitosis.

"Hey, Brother, I have a compromise plan. I wonder if it will work. Since we can't move here directly, why don't we bring the mirage gas that we discussed with the Dragon Palace before, and then use it to conduct simulation experiments."

“Can indirect simulation guarantee realism?”

"Not only can we, but if we don't simulate it, even if we break through the limits of technological ethics, we can only build a bread boat. But with the 'little' help of the mirage, we can immediately build a flying saucer."

"Wait, what's the price?"

"The price is that it may disappear while flying, because the mirage will start to disintegrate at around 50 degrees, which is a hot temperature - but it should not be difficult to simulate a stable temperature below 50 degrees in the laboratory. And this is also a self-limiting mechanism. When it gets out of control, the steady state will be broken, and the part above 50 degrees will immediately disintegrate, and the experiment will terminate on its own."

"That's good." Zhu Xianxi immediately gave instructions, "Wait for me, I'll have someone prepare it now. You two, help me draft an edict, I'll make a phone call. Shangluo, wait for me for a few minutes."

There was a sound of writing on the other side of the room. Zhu Xianxin also called the call center and waited for the cabinet to call back.

"Brother, you are not going to let the other two..."

"Well, it's all my own business, so there shouldn't be any problem with me directing myself. And I don't need to keep secrets to myself, so my work efficiency has gone up immediately. A document that used to take me an hour to review can now be finished in half an hour. It's so convenient."

"They both signed for you?"

"No, I'm the one who signs everything. But they both help me highlight key points based on my thinking patterns. After all, no one knows me better than myself. After marking the key points, my reading efficiency has doubled. I'm also planning to have them help me read the book. I can write down my reading notes first and then read them. It's so convenient! Um, the cabinet has been connected here."

After saying that, he temporarily disconnected from Shangluo.

[Why do I feel that he is not in the foundation building stage, but more like the Nascent Soul stage? He is making too much money by splitting out two incarnations to help him with his work. This is all thanks to you helping him out at the critical moment. He must love you to death.]

"I'm grateful that he doesn't always tie me to his Zhu family. It's not that I think Zhu Ling is bad, I just don't like people forcing me. We can have a good conversation, and it can be sweet, but if we force it, it won't be sweet anymore."

[Because he thinks you have a lot of choices. After all, from his perspective, you seem to be very popular. In every sense of the word. You even have a good relationship with robots. So, you have a lot of choices.]

"I obviously don't have any choice!"

[He is not me, how can he know. So please understand him. ]

"Do you seem to respect him?"

[Because my respect for him has risen to admiration. He was so determined to sacrifice himself for the entire empire - Victoria probably couldn't do that. He really realized where his destiny was, and he fulfilled his destiny with his own actions. He had already gotten what he wanted, but you just saved him. It's a pity for Rome, it's a pity that Victoria didn't meet you before Rome went into an irreversible spiral. But then again, she was still too precious. ]

"I'm sorry for not being able to risk my life," Victoria murmured, "but Rome has its own national conditions. I'm not a benevolent king who loves people, I'm the master of Rome. It was only after you educated me that I realized I could actually do more - but then again, I wouldn't be wrong if I did nothing. Because no one can define me as 'wrong'."

"So what is your biggest regret?"

"What I regret most is that I didn't weaponize the Vulcan device earlier and blow up Pompey and his followers across the earth! Otherwise, these iron heads wouldn't have the chance to teach me about bread and circuses. I should have been the one who made all this happen. Wait, it doesn't seem too late now. Excuse me, I have to make a phone call."

2 minutes later

"So, is this what Victoria said?" Zhu Xianxun thought for a moment, "Is it okay for you to tell me this?"

"No problem, I am the King of Rome, I can decide this."

"If they had made up their minds to start the weaponization of the Vulcan device earlier, instead of waiting until someone showed the promise of the technology, their situation would not have become like this. However, I think the two sides can have a deeper collaboration on the research of the Vulcan device. You can convey my proposal. After all, without the mirage, they seem to have no way to carry out full-scale experiments - so, how do they plan to experiment?"

"They are still discussing it. But I heard that their initial plan is to launch a scaled-down experimental satellite into orbit. Because the mechanical environment in space seems to be more stable, and even if it explodes, it won't blow a hole in the earth."

"Very good, I think we can do both at the same time, which would be a very good start. We can accomplish such a miracle together, just follow the current experimental framework."

"Brother, even if you didn't tell me, I would still be watching them. I'm afraid Victoria will be forced into a corner and deploy Vulcan devices over Berlin, Paris, or London Nimes. That would be really fun."

Chapter 1242 Perpetual Motion Machine and Northwest Wind

Like Zhu Xianxun, Shangluo returned with the Jinyiwei on the same day. However, the mission of the royal division was not over yet. After discovering that the entire Japanese country had been torn apart by Xu Fu, the court decided -

Continue Xu Fu's unfinished work, complete all that Xu Fu didn't have time to finish, train Japan with the Qin system, and supervise its completion of the imperial examination republic transformation. After all, Xu Fu had almost completely isolated and destroyed the ruling class of Japan, and there was no reason for the court not to remove a vassal state.

"So you want to remove a tributary state and not remove it at the same time."

"It's not a matter of country, actually." Fu Yuanshan answered in the cabin, "According to etiquette, the court will maintain a consistent policy and maintain the existence of vassal states - because reviving the country and continuing the extinct is the court's most basic foreign policy. Since the three ancient dynasties, we have emphasized that 'those who govern the world with filial piety will not cut off their relatives, and those who spread benevolence throughout the world will not lack people's sacrifices.' What we actually protect is not these countries, but their ancestral temples and altars. But ah -"

"but?"

"But Zhou Li also says 'Destroy another country, but do not end its sacrifices' - this means that worshipping the ancestral temple does not require the power of a country at all. We can completely destroy his country and then preserve their ancestral temple. So amputating his body below the head is feasible, and it is also our final disposal solution for vassal states in a general sense. After such disposal, it will not cause trouble to the court, and the people of the vassal state can be properly taken care of. This is a self-resolved dilemma. The court likes this kind of self-resolved dilemma."

"So Xu Fu has done a great job this time?"

"From a cause and effect perspective, he did make a great contribution. After all, the imperial court would not reform the tributary states unless it was necessary, because the costs and benefits were unpredictable. But if there was an opportunity like this, it would be done."

[So you can’t throw away the dog, but you can eat it, right?]

"Oh, by the way, how did North Korea submit to China?" Shangluo asked, "was it also because of an unexpected incident?"

"Joseon annexed the country in the 12th year of Gyeongdeok—more than a hundred years ago. At that time, there was a succession crisis in Joseon, and in order to ensure that the throne remained in his line, the Joseon king chose to directly request annexation from the court. The court did not want to intervene in this matter, but the civil and military officials of Joseon decided that it seemed like it might work."

"why?"

"Because after sending the King of Joseon to the capital, Joseon could govern itself. To put it in a way that is easier for you to understand, the imperial examination aristocrats of Joseon were 'international'. They had long wanted to sideline the King of Joseon and establish a true imperial examination republic. The actions of the King of Joseon at that time might have been instigated by certain people."

“Politics is really complicated.”

"As long as more than two people are involved, the complexity of the matter will soar. After all, human hearts are chaotic. To coordinate chaotic human hearts is a bigger problem than any other problem."

"So, that's why we need to ascend, right?"

"You're right." Fu Yuanshan nodded, "Only by ascending can we free ourselves from worldly affairs. In fact, it's not just Rome. Even though we have long been invincible, we still need to be tied up by worldly affairs. This applies to both China and abroad. Just the matter of 'eating' can go unnoticed, or it can become a disaster bigger than the sky. But these automata you brought back this time may be able to solve the problem of eating.

"As long as the food problem can be solved, those people in the capital who work to 'feed everyone' can be freed up to do more profitable things. For example, farmers who used to grow staple food can now grow other cash crops. The court no longer needs to issue huge subsidies every year to stabilize the price of staple food, and all the farmland set up for staple food can be moved to other places - those breads, although they are just bread, are simply the puzzle pieces of ascension. As long as we use ascension to solve all our current problems and liberate our land and people, then true ascension will be achieved."

After saying that, he remembered something: "Oh, by the way, Shangluo, I have a question - can we only make bread? Our people don't seem to be used to eating bread. If we can only make bread, I'm afraid we can only replace 20% of the food."

"Then can we make all of them into pancakes? Or, can we make all of them into flour?"

"If it's flour, it can only account for 4%. Unless you use starch."

"Is starch enough? Can starch be eaten directly?"

"Starch alone is of course not enough - but Shangluo, have you ever been to the second floor of the imperial kitchen? It's above the office you borrowed. There is a rice workshop there, which makes synthetic rice from crushed rice and starch. Not only are the dishes in the imperial kitchen canned, but the rice is also canned rice."

"Ah! It's no-cook rice, right?"

"You know? This is high-tech tribute rice. Not everyone can eat it. Only the civil and military officials who eat boxed lunches every day, and His Majesty the Holy Son of Heaven Emperor himself, can eat this special supply of technology!"

[It reminds me of your country, where Napoleon considered aluminum a luxury item, but the nature of the situation here should be different.]

"I say, Senior Fu." Shangluo asked, "Is it really delicious? I have never eaten a box lunch before."

"To be honest, it's not delicious. It's really not delicious."

"Then why are these only eaten in the palace?"

"Because no one eats outside the palace. There is only food prepared by the Guanglu Temple in the Imperial Kitchen. You can eat it if you want. This food is expensive and tastes bad. No one would eat it if they have a choice. The Imperial Kitchen maintains this production line mainly to produce canned rice for military supplies. Those canned rice can be eaten as long as they are soaked in hot water."

"Oh, I remember now." Not long ago, Shangluo remembered that the Jinyiwei were at the foot of the mountain in Xiongye, and they used cans to turn a table of dishes, including rice. Shangluo also ate the rice, and the Roman Titus ate it with great enthusiasm.

"That doesn't seem that bad. How come I didn't notice it when I tasted it?"

"Because we have learned from experience. It is indeed not very delicious to eat it dry, but if it is paired with broth, the rice will be softened because it absorbs the broth, and the taste will immediately become much better. So if you cook it properly like we do, it is not impossible to eat it."

"So what's the ratio of rice to starch in this?"

“2% rice grains mixed with 8% starch. Because it uses broken rice, it is very cheap.”

"That's it! I think the Heavenly Court should start an experiment to see if everyone can accept synthetic rice. Let's start with the leaders."

"The leaders are already eating. They are not allowed to order takeout in the palace, so they can only eat this."

"Now that the leaders have finished eating, it's time for the college students to eat. Come on, let's try it out at the Imperial College. It just so happens that we are about to start school, so I'll do a small-scale trial. Don't stop the original rice, but provide synthetic rice for free. Eat as much as you can. Try it out for a month first, and if you can eat it, make protein-rich meat and vegetables synthetic, and make them all free."

"Is it free?" Fu Yuanshan asked, "If it's free, will we not be able to recover the cost?"

"If you want to ascend, these basic living supplies should all be free. Anyway, they are perpetual motion machines and northwest winds, and they are free, so just eat as much as you can. As long as you can eat, I guarantee that everyone can eat until they are plump and white."

Chapter 1243 On the Northwest Wind

3 days later.

Shangluo woke up in his bed. He hadn't been home for a while.

The bed was still a little small like before, but he still had to live here for a while - the Imperial College did ask him if he wanted to live in the dormitory. Like the tuition, the dormitory of the Imperial College was free.

In fact, except for the symbolic fee for the canteen, the Imperial College is almost completely free. All the funds come from the "school property" of the Imperial College, many of which are quite classical school fields, that is, school fields inherited from the "school field system" before modern times. These fields are fixed assets of the school. They have not been moved since they were allocated, and can only be increased but not reduced. Together with the assets purchased by the school itself and donated by students, the scale of the industry owned by the Imperial College is quite large.

[By the way, why do so many people like to donate to schools? ]

"How would I know? Anyway, I met with Elder Wen today, so I came to ask him."

His study schedule has officially entered the transition stage from secondary school to college, which is different from the school system Shangluo had experienced before.

In the past, students would take the college entrance examination in the summer, and then the school would be fine after the examination, and then they would start school in the fall. However, in the Ming Dynasty, it seems that the imperial examination system has influenced the college entrance examination. The college entrance examination is in the fall, and the school enrollment is in the spring. There is still 4 months between the examination and the start of school.

During these four months, although the student's enrollment is still in high school, the university has already started "pre-school education" in advance. This includes registration, student transfer, textbook collection, and the introduction to the school system, which will all be completed before the official start of school.

The main reason why this can be done is that most people do not actually leave home to go to college. Because as an unprecedented world empire in human history, every prefecture-level administrative region in Kinai has at least one national university, and there are also several public universities affiliated with provinces or prefectures, and even some counties have county universities. And there are also cities between provinces and prefectures.

Unlike the cities that Shangluo knew in the past, the cities here do not cover all administrative districts, nor do they govern counties. They are often established for special purposes. For example, Nanzhili has several famous industrial cities directly under the Ministry of Industry, such as Kunshan, Digang, and Xiaguan. The jurisdiction of these cities is much smaller than that of prefectures. Generally speaking, the one with a county below is a prefecture, and the one without a county is a city. And this city often has more than one national university. For example, these industrial cities in Nanzhili have national industrial universities in addition to comprehensive national universities.

All of these national universities are at a "first-class" level. In other words, most people can receive the best education the planet has to offer within 2.5 hours of their home.

This makes most people tend to go to the national universities and public universities closest to home, and there are not many schools worth traveling thousands of miles to attend. If we refer to the restaurant guide-style classification, although all universities are excellent, there are better ones among the best, and there are always some places that are worth spending part of your life journey there.

“The good thing about the Imperial College is that the cafeteria is big.”

[The good thing about the Imperial College is that the cafeteria is large and has a wide variety of food. Even if you can't learn anything, at least you can eat well and get fat - I saw this on the forum.]

"Oh, I'm choosing a school, not a restaurant, and it's not a Michelin three-star hotel."

[You seem to be troubled since a while ago. What are you worried about? Going to school? ]

"The number of classes a week doesn't bother me. It's because, with my ascension just around the corner, I suddenly realized that this Golden Kingdom is not something I can arbitrarily control."

[Now that I understand your senior brother's feelings - in his position, he always feels sorry for everyone if he doesn't do something. But if he does something, it's fine if it's useless, but if he makes a mistake, he will feel even more sorry for everyone. He has been struggling between the two, and perhaps he realized that he could upgrade himself by making contributions from this struggle. ]

"Perhaps that is true. His decisions are never accidental, but inevitable. He will inevitably embark on the path of seeking to establish achievements like Shennong."