Ming Dynasty, New Rome, and Infinite Divine Machine

"So, have you looked up the reasons?"

"After we repeatedly appealed to the Legion, Mr. Titus came to our home. After examining Karin's eyes, he told us about the changeling."

"But that's a Celtic myth, why does it appear here?"

"No, it's not just a Celtic myth, and it doesn't just appear on the British Isles. The same myth also appears in Iberian, Germanic, and Slavic mythology. Similar myths appear in all places conquered by Rome. Mr. Titus didn't hide the truth from us: this is the karma of the Romans as invaders, and it really happened. The myth stems from the indigenous people's resistance to the invaders. The barbarians across Europe were displaced and hid because of the Roman conquest. They once swapped their dying children with the healthy children of the Roman invaders."

"Like the golden bough at Lake Nemi?"

"Yes. Mythology is history presented through stories, the eternal continuation of history—that's what Mr. Titus said. The myth of the Changeling is the karma of the Romans as invaders. But no matter how hard I tried, I never thought that this retribution shouldn't happen to me, let alone my daughter. I didn't invade anyone, and this is Rome. Where are the barbarians? There are only those in the Sacred Grove."

The rest of the story is self-explanatory. If there was any karmic malpractice on his part, it was that, as a local, he had become an accomplice of the Internal Guard, thus offending the Holy Forest. To the Holy Forest, he was truly a "Roman invader."

"So, you thought of me?"

"Yes. I wonder if I have offended the king of the forest. You are going to perform the Golden Bough ceremony, right? If you become the new King of the Forest, can you release my daughter? It would be a simple favor for the King. In return, I am willing to truly practice the history continued by the Golden Bough myth and make you the secular lord of this place, the 'true' priest-king - yes, the reward the Romans promised you is precious, but not complete. The true King of the Forest should also serve as the lord of this place, because the mythical king requires a secular coronation. The Romans fear that the true power of the King of the Forest will fall into the hands of outsiders. But as long as you are willing to rescue my daughter, the power will be yours."

He paused and said seriously:

"In other words—the hidden quest I'm giving you here is the real main quest! This is a father's request, and this is my final request as the lord of this place. When this is over, everything here will be yours."

Chapter 154 "Karin" in quotation marks

At daybreak, the scent of water lilies wafted from the small pond in the garden outside the window, and a row of robins were jumping on the telephone pole outside the window.

Someone knocked on the door outside the bedroom: "Good morning, Mr. Traveler from a foreign land. I'm here to bring you breakfast."

This sound was the song that had continued until 12 o'clock after Mayor Kesuo left. Shangluo, who was originally drowsy, woke up immediately.

"Mr. Traveler, are you there?"

"Here." Shangluo, who was wearing pajamas, quickly put on his school uniform and went to open the door.

Karin stood in the doorway holding a breakfast tray of cream of mushroom soup and toast.

Karin changed her hairstyle today, tying a blue headband on her head and letting her hair hang down on both sides.

"Thank you," Shangluo accepted the tray. After Mayor Kessel's story last night, he felt a bit complicated. He didn't know how to view the "Karin" in front of him.

However, to his surprise, Karin also stood there after taking the tray, as if she wanted to say something.

Her eyes were so close that Shangluo confirmed her identity—they were the same eyes he had seen when he saw Caesar in the Night of Alexandria, with a faint light flickering in his pupils.

"Sorry." Karin's eyes avoided, "I"

"Is there anything you want to say?"

Karin wanted to say something, but after a moment's hesitation, she shook her head. "I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. Anyway, please enjoy your breakfast. Don't worry, this is Karin's mother's. Her soup is delicious, really delicious."

After saying that, Karin turned and left, walking to the other end of the corridor.

[Now, when I mention Karin, I might need to put quotation marks.]

Shangluo nodded. He had originally thought that only Mayor Kessel knew about this, but now it seemed that "Kalin" herself knew about it as well.

“She was hesitant.”

I recognized her expression, and it was 89% apologetic.

"What is she apologizing for?"

[Perhaps she was apologizing for her own birth. After all, she was Karin's replacement. I just don't know when she first knew this.]

"I'm afraid she knew it from the beginning. The mayor said she studied very hard and often helped with housework. She was as perfect as a treasure given to her by God. I'm afraid from the beginning, she was driven by apology, but what did she have to apologize for? She didn't have the power to choose."

[No. Changelings are also brand new lives. They have no say in when or where they are born. They are simply born into someone else's body, which is truly tragic.]

"But ultimately, this home belongs to Karin." Shangluo placed the tray on the dining table. The soup and bread reminded him of soy milk and fried dough sticks, and the flavor was familiar. And, as Karin had said, it was indeed delicious.

"Anyway, I don't want to put Karin in quotation marks for now. It's a difficult question, but ultimately, the biggest victims are Karin herself and her family. Even this... this 'Karin' in quotation marks is a victim. This is truly a tragic story, and everyone has been toyed with by the power of the forest."

This is the inevitable karma of the Romans. Anyway, what are you going to do?

"Karin, I have to prioritize Karin's own interests. This is all I can do. After ensuring Karin's protection, I'll consider others. I'm not an angel. I can't guarantee a happy ending for everyone. I can only help those who need it most. Tsk, why is this problem so difficult? It's like I have the switch in my hands and I have to decide whether to kill one person or a group of people."

【Well, what would you choose? 】

"The premise of this question is that I'm going to kill someone no matter what, right? So I can only count it. Since I'm going to kill someone no matter what, then I can only kill the one with the fewest people killed. This is certainly not a perfect ending, and it also makes my sympathy suffer. But - my sympathy has limits. My sympathy will not overflow, it will eventually stop at the boundaries of etiquette. But I will try my best."

He sighed. "Besides, it's not like I don't have a choice, right? Who came up with this ridiculous question? Why should I answer it according to his thinking? I still have a chance. I should overturn that tram!"

[Don't say bad things about trams! Trams are so cute, why are you scolding them?]

"How does that even connect? Why do you always seem to empathize with strange things, like folders and stuff... Yeah, you're strange anyway. But this is just a metaphor, a metaphor."

The metaphor doesn't work either. The tram is the most innocent. It knows nothing, yet someone's holding it hostage and splashing blood all over its face. Ugh, ugh! The tram is the most pitiful.

"Okay, okay, I'll change the metaphor when I think of it."

He continued eating. The soup was indeed delicious.

"Good morning, strangers from Aurora." Titus looked much more energetic. "Did you all sleep well last night? It's time for class."

"It sounded like someone was playing a broken record." Wen Yuan held up her head. "I didn't hear it clearly, but it must be more painful for the person sleeping next to her."

"Really?" Han Xingzhi was stunned for a moment. "I can fall asleep as soon as I lie down, so I don't feel anything."

"Xuan Xiu is really good, but I think I consumed too much Qi Hai. I played games for a while and used up all my Qi before I could fall asleep." Lu Liang yawned, "But I seemed to hear it too. But I was playing games at the time, so I didn't seem to hear it very clearly. That place is closest to Shangluo, right?"

"Oh, yes. A broken record."

In a sense, it was indeed a broken record. Unlike the myth, the one sent from the forest wasn't an ugly little monster, but a daughter made "perfect" by guilt. Yet, she was still flawed. Born from the forest, she couldn't escape the wear and tear of time; she was broken. Even she knew it.

Titus gave him a meaningful look, then tapped the blackboard:

"Well, everyone, this Introduction to Mysticism class is divided into two parts. Before we move on to the theory in the second half, we'll spend the first half studying the objects of this mission: the Golden Bough and the Forest King. Mythology is history presented through stories, the eternal continuation of history."

He said the exact same thing Mayor Kelso said - which didn't surprise Shangluo, because that was what he had told the mayor.

"The Forest King we're about to face has origins far older than written history. He's the 'Witch King.' This doesn't refer to the magical kings in games; the Witch King here is an anthropological term. It refers to the early shamans and chiefs who combined divine and human rulers in the early days of human civilization. They were one of the earliest forms of human power. Many Witch Kings retained their power until quite recently, such as the Forest King before you. Yes, it's true that he can still be the secular ruler of Lake Nemi. However..."

He said seriously: "I don't want anyone who still has a choice to go down this bloody road... It's a terrible road."

Chapter 155 Bacchus

In the reception room of Mayor Cassel's house, several people sat in a circle on the sofa. Titus stood in front of them with a blackboard behind him.

"I repeat, I don't want anyone who still has a choice to take this bloody path." Titus emphasized the word "bloody".

After saying that, he looked at Shangluo.

"Do you mean."

"Karma. I don't mean karma in the mystical sense, but physical karma. The King of the Forest must die by the blade. Every King of the Forest must die in the same way, because that is the essence of the branch-breaking ceremony. Break the branch, then stab the previous King with the blade, and you will become the new King. I wonder if Mayor Kelso has said something to you? He will definitely tell you."

The reason was self-evident. Karin had broken down, and it seemed even more severely damaged than before. This strange phenomenon couldn't help but worry Mayor Kelso.

Shangluo nodded, confirming it.

"I understand his difficulties, but I still have to tell you that the current plan has been optimized. We have tried to let trusted inner guards bear the Golden Bough's karma, but without exception, they all died in untimely deaths. Some were even killed by their teammates. The temptation of becoming the Forest King is simply too great. He is one of the few remaining wizard kings in human history, and he possesses mysterious powers from ancient times. He is the true master of this land, and even the earth obeys his orders."

"Now this one is..."

"It's a silhouette. We bound the golden branch to the silhouette of a forest king from the classical era, only breaking the branch each time without crowning him. This ensures that the Forest King's authority will not leak out, and will not bring karma and disaster to the operators who bear the kingship. The Forest King will die by the blade; it's only a matter of time. After all, everyone is mortal. Unless... Wait, you are a Qigong practitioner from Zhendan, right?"

"Well, in principle, it can be counted."

"So, you have the hope of immortality? Oh, that's truly enviable." He shook his head. "That's something the Romans wouldn't even dare to dream of. If you can't die, will you age?"

"No. It's easier to not age than to be immortal. In fact, we're pretty close."

"Alright," Titus sighed. "The immortal Aurora monks are indeed the most suitable to bear the Golden Bough's karmic burden. But let me be clear: our agreement never mentioned crowning you the Forest King. However, the coronation itself is a simple task, and you can be crowned directly after you seize the Golden Bough. So this is entirely a political issue. According to Aurora proverb, you've 'got what you pay for.' I invited you to dinner, and you took the restaurant with you."

"Does this conform to Zhou Li?"

"Uh," Titus sighed again. "That's right. That's why I said this is just a secular political issue, not a magical one. But I'm also going to talk to you from a secular perspective: crowning yourself the Forest King is a very poor choice for you. You don't practice magic; you're a Zhendan monk. Taking the Golden Branch to refine the medicine is the best option for you. Carrying on those extra karma is more trouble than good. You're sowing a bad karma, and it's not auspicious."

"Yes." Shangluo nodded. "I will consider your opinion. I will make my own decision on whether to crown him or not."

Shangluo decided he had to wait and see what the situation actually was—primarily because he didn't know what he would gain from being crowned Forest King. If he had to stay and watch the forest, wouldn't that mean he'd have come all this way to apply for a security guard position?

"Okay, I respect your opinion. It's not a bad thing for us to let you bear the burden. Just think it over carefully." Titus turned around and began to write on the blackboard.

"So, in order for you to make a more comprehensive judgment, the first half of this Introduction to Occult Studies class will focus on the history of the occult."

His pen stopped and two symbols appeared on the blackboard.

The sun, and the wine glass.

"Apollo and Dionysus are the starting points of all Roman magic. Just like Roman culture itself, they both originated in Greece. And the origin of that origin is a prophecy: the king of the Olympian gods will die at the hands of the son of God. The first generation of kings, Uranus, the second generation, Kronos, and the third generation, Zeus, all passed down through regicide and patricide. So what about the fourth generation? Who was the fourth generation of kings? The mythology diverged once again. Herein, the binary opposition between Apollo and Dionysus was born."

He first pointed to the sun: "Apollo refers to the sun god Apollo, who symbolizes the beautiful fantasy of the dream world. Dionysus refers to Dionysus, representing pain and vitality, in other words, the desire for immortality. The branch-breaking ceremony you saw belongs to the power of Dionysus. Just as the rituals of the sun god include prophecies, revelations, and dreams, the rituals of Dionysus all have one thing in common: blood. Wine is blood in the cup, and blood is wine rushing through the veins. Dionysus's rituals require the presence of blood."

"In other words, assassinating the Forest King?"

"That's right. But it actually has nothing to do with Dionysian mythology. The sacred grove of Lake Nemi, in mythology, actually has its origins in the moon goddess Diana. But if we divide it into two categories, the sun god and the wine god, then the moon god, as the opposite of the sun god, naturally belongs to the Dionysian mythology. Diana's mythology is often also inseparable from bloody killing, but it is more peaceful than the true Dionysian worship."

"Is there still any restlessness?"

"True Dionysus worship doesn't involve killing with a knife. Ancient texts record that in some rituals, a person was torn alive. This is because Dionysus, the god of wine, was born three times, and true immortality was born from this. Of course, in modern rituals, we don't tear people apart anymore. Now we tear bulls apart with our mouths."

"Huh?" Shangluo hadn't expected such an exciting project to exist in modern Rome. This was truly thrilling.

"Ah, but don't worry, none of the bulls feel any pain during the ritual, because they're anesthetized. And considering modern human physiques, I doubt Dionysus could be performed properly without anesthesia. I'm afraid the bulls would gore several to death before they could tear the bull apart with their mouths. In some places, bullfighting took place in the arena, a popular sport. This belief also extended to the military, coexisting with Apollo worship. For example, although the Roman legions worshipped Mithras Helios, their rallying cry was still "Io Triumphe" (For Victory). We sing the glory of Dionysus in his name and shed his blood. Therefore, this branch-breaking ceremony will have many allusions to red blood, such as the red apples you ate last night and the red blood you're about to shed from the forest king. I wish you good luck, because Dionysus doesn't care whose blood is sacrificed."

Chapter 156 Ancient Malice

"However, the story of Dionysus isn't over yet." Titus took a sip of water. "Dionysus's faith isn't just about bloodletting. Tearing is only the means, rebirth is the goal—because there are actually three Dionysus. The Dionysus of the past, the Dionysus of the present, and the Dionysus of the future. The first Dionysus was Zagreus, the son of Zeus and the Queen of the Underworld. He was torn into pieces by the Titans, but he was 'on the verge of death,' and Zeus found Zagreus's heart and reborn him in the womb of his lover, Princess Semele. However, Princess Semele was killed by Hera's thunderbolt, and the child in her womb was 'on the verge of birth, but not yet born': this is the Dionysus of today. The original meaning of the word Dionysus is 'rebirth.'"

“I feel like something big is going to happen.”

About to die but not yet dead, about to be born but not yet born. This series of symbols gives Shangluo a premonition of impending storm.

"Yes, something big will happen. The Dionysus we see now was never actually born. He was killed by thunder in his mother's womb. He was not given a complete human nature. Zeus sewed him into his thigh to give him a body. Near death, yet near life, the divinity from Hades has been passed down here. When he is born for the third time, Dionysus will truly descend upon the world."

"Is Dionysus's faith a hope for the coming of Dionysus?"

"No, no, no. The core of Roman Dionysus worship is the opposite—we fear the true coming of Dionysus. Unlike Apollo, the sun god, Apollo is a child god whose divinity comes from Zeus himself. Dionysus, the god of wine, is far more terrifying. His divinity is essentially that of an ancient god! The ancient god exists in a different time than we do. He needs a 'birth' to lock his time into ours."

"Could it be that assassinating the Forest King and tearing a bull apart with bare hands are all the characteristics of the Ancient God?"

"Yes, that's why Dionysus can be considered on par with Apollo. Apollo symbolizes humanity's beautiful dreams, while Dionysus symbolizes humanity's bloody past in ancient times. Although he often appears as a fragile youth, he always inadvertently reveals the tyranny and cruelty of the ancient god. You can't tell whether the wine swaying in his cup is blood or blood, nor can you tell whether it's blood or wine dripping from the corner of his mouth. The madness of the god of wine is just a cover-up for the ancient god's true nature. If Dionysus were to be born a third time, it would be all blood, no wine."

"So which ancient god is this?"

"The Hunting God! He's the ancient hunting god, on par with Gaia, the ancient earth goddess. He's the supreme god, the eternal duality of mythology. The Hunting God repeats himself in cycles, sprouting in summer, reaching his peak in autumn, dying in winter, and being reborn in spring. The Earth Goddess does the same, joyfully welcoming the Hunting God's return in the long summer, then wandering alone in winter. Therefore, within the worship of Dionysus, there's a division between the Dionysian and Hunting Gods. The rites in Rome were performed by the Orphic Cult, who venerated Dionysus's Dionysian side and primarily held Dionysian carnival celebrations. However, there was also a sect called the Eleusinian Mysteries, who emphasized the tearing of a bull to symbolize the ancient god's disintegration and rebirth. Apart from them, no one wanted such a violent ancient god to become the next God-King."

He looked up at the sky. "Personally, I would rather see our young god Apollo return than such a violent old god."

【Hey~ I'll give you a little red flower. 】

"The Hunting God will become the God King, so is this a confirmed thing? I mean, has it been verified?" Shangluo asked

"It's a very rigorous inquiry. But it's clear from the theogony that each time Dionysus was reborn, he was accompanied by the Earth Mother, or the goddess of the valley. The first time he was born, Persephone, the Queen of the Underworld, was the daughter of the Earth Mother. The second time he was born, Semele was the more obscure Earth Mother. The third time, in mythology, it refers directly to the Earth Mother Gaia herself."

"Wait, is this a partner or a child?"

"Don't use secular ethics to measure the genealogy of God. The husband and wife, brothers, and parents and children in mythology are just metaphors of relative positions, not true ethical relationships. The metaphor of husband and wife is the dual gods, the metaphor of parents and children is the overflow of divinity, the metaphor of brothers is the division of divinity, the metaphor of intercourse is the fusion and reorganization of divinity, and the metaphor of the girl is the purity and indivisibility of divinity. So..."

He looked at the ceiling again:

"So if the young goddess Apollo returns, I personally hope she returns as a young girl. The pure and indivisible Apollo, what a wonderful being! And isn't a young girl even cuter? It's not just me; many people think so now. After all, Dionysus is such a troublemaker, and that teenage brat is prone to going crazy at the drop of a hat."

【Hey hey hey~ I give you a big red flower. 】

"Tsk" Shangluo felt as if he had heard something extraordinary.

"Forget it, forget it. I'm probably just dreaming. It would be great if Apollo could actually return as a female goddess. Her feminine name would probably be Apollonia. I would be forever loyal to Apollonia. Anyway, let's continue. We were talking about metaphors, weren't we? So, whenever Zeus, the king of gods, needed to emphasize his supreme divinity, he would be pulled in for intercourse. That's why it became such a mess when compiling the pantheon. Actually, you can treat every interaction between gods as an independent occurrence, because gods are eternal and self-existent, and time has no meaning for them."

"Why do I feel like a tool stud?"

"Yes," Titus nodded. "From a mythological perspective, Zeus's wandering around for breeding is essentially no different from a stallion at a horse farm, brought in when needed—these are all actions in the symbolic realm, myths. Myths, on the other hand, are history presented through stories, the eternal continuation of history. The older the history, the more resilient it is, and the greater its power. Or, in other words, it's a 'meme.'"

He drew a double helix on the blackboard:

"Just as humans in the material world use genes to record hereditary information, the symbolic world uses memes for inheritance. Memes from the ancient Hunter God have been entangled in the Dionysus pantheon, and even reveal themselves inadvertently. Generation after generation, the Hunter God's memes have been inextricably linked to the Earth Mother, and mixed in with the memes of the God King Zeus, our God King. Therefore, the power of the Forest King is terrifying, because it points directly to the foundation of the symbolic world and to the most obscure part of human history. We were all born in the dark sea of blood, and the return of the Hunter God will return us to the blood sea. It is an ancient god, but it can be—and perhaps will be—our king."