Ming Dynasty, New Rome, and Infinite Divine Machine

"It's okay, I'm fine. I just failed to successfully sneak attack the elf just now. It seems that the threat level of the Qigong practitioner was too high, so I had to force it. You be careful and wait, Mr. Fox wants to talk to me about something. Oh, I understand, turn left in front. Do you hear me? Turn left, and be careful not to crush the cypress tree!" He shouted, as if giving orders to something.

Everything seemed to be going smoothly on the other side. It seemed the only problem left was the one at hand.

"Okay, get ready."

He first turned around and glanced at Karin: "You know how to fight next, right?"

"I see. It's the moon. I was listening next door when Mr. Titus was explaining the strategy to you guys."

The most important thing in conquering the Great Elf of the Spring is the moon - even now, the Great Elf is staring at the moon in the water, lost in thought.

The battle with the Great Spring Spirit is simple. Just make her look up at the moon and she will freeze. Then you can take advantage of the opportunity to cut off her finger.

Shangluo spotted his target: the fingers of the Great Elf of Yongquan. Unlike humans, the 2.5-meter-tall Lothian elves possessed the "elven hands" often mentioned in legend. Each of those hands had six fingers.

There are no deformities or defects, but six flawless fingers, as natural as the five fingers of a human form. With these six fingers, the Lothian elves can play the "elven songs" on the harp, which are difficult for humans to play. The elves' sword dance is also based on six fingers. But the most important difference is magic.

They could manage to learn the elven song and sword dance. But the elves used six fingers to cast spells, and six-finger gestures couldn't be performed with five, so they could only imitate them as best they could. As for the sign language used by the elves to communicate, it was the language of the wind, which the Romans could never grasp.

That finger not only has practical uses, it also holds symbolic significance. It's a symbol of the Elves themselves: prehistoric humans once used ochre as pigment to create murals in caves, leaving their handprints on the cave walls, where they remain today. Those with five fingers are Homo sapiens, while those with six are the Elves of Lothian.

According to the strategy compiled by the Romans, if one finger is cut off, the human will will be slightly awakened. If two are cut off, the command seals placed on this body by the elves will be invalidated.

In addition, after the cut, the elves will not use sword dance to fight - with the blessing of anger, even if they use random slashing, they will be three times stronger.

"The extra finger is between my ring finger and pinky finger," Karin replied. "Actually, I can feel it sometimes. I even get phantom pain in both hands because it's missing."

"Very good. Are you armed?"

"No." Karin shook her head, "But I will help you hold her hand. I have a feeling that I should be able to hold her hand. But I don't want to see blood, it's scary. And there's a knife. So after I help you hold it, I'll ask you to deal with it." She didn't even dare to say words like "cut" or "slice".

"Okay. Then, who's going to kill the monster?"

The Great Spring Spirit would not attack. She was there to protect the Forest King, even protecting lost humans. If they didn't attack, the Great Spring Spirit wouldn't block their passage, only summoning them when the Forest King needed her.

Karin didn't answer. She was a little scared.

Apollonia pretended to look at the scenery.

"You go ahead." Shangluo pulled Jinjia's arm.

"Okay, I'll do it." Apollonia took a step forward.

Suddenly, the big elf's head turned stiffly.

"Oh, it's really not possible. This armor is too threatening. You're the only one left."

The Great Spring Spirit wasn't simply defensive; it only looked harmless. Han Xingzhi had been like this before, and it was no surprise the other two were also like this. Even the Golden Armor couldn't get close. Only Shangluo could attack the monster.

"Okay, I'll do it."

He slowly walked behind the Great Spring Elf and walked over slowly.

The moon made the place as bright as day, and he could see the road clearly without any additional lighting.

Although he knew that the other party would not react, Shangluo was still a little nervous.

He used his toes to peel away the clumps of parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme on the ground, and slowly walked behind the Great Spring Fairy, whose cascading golden hair flowed down her back to her waist.

"I'm sorry!" Shangluo flung open the flap, ignited the blade, and stabbed the elf's right hand fiercely. The "sixth finger" flew out, but the wound did not bleed, but was burned and sealed. The great elf shuddered violently, his entire body collapsing, half-kneeling beside the spring, but he shielded his only remaining left hand to his chest.

There was no time to aim for the hidden finger. Cutting off the hand was futile; he had to precisely sever the sixth finger. Unable to catch the sixth finger, he retracted his sword and, before the great elf could rise and strike back, thrust forward. The blade pierced the elf's heavy armor like a hot knife through butter, piercing through its chest.

This is the standard opening sequence. Slashing off a finger from behind will allow you to enter the second stage. Of course, if you're quick enough, such as recruiting an invisible assassin to simultaneously sever both six fingers, the sequence ends immediately.

The big elf fell silently towards the spring, but turned over in the air, fell face down into the spring, and disappeared in the clear moonlight.

"Prepare for defense! The monster is coming!" He ran back to the team.

The next one will be released around 12 noon, and there will be other ones in the afternoon.

Chapter 168 Golden Armor

Shangluo slipped back into the group. The standard monster-opening process had already pushed the Spring Elf to its second stage, requiring only a single attack.

There is also a standard procedure for fighting against the Spring Elf: you have to fight back to back.

"Let me repeat myself." Shangluo held the sword, "The Great Spring Spirit may emerge from any mirror of suitable size, so be careful."

In stark contrast to their massive statures, these spring-spring spirits possessed unusual "escape techniques," even bearing similarities to the "escape light" of Taoist magic. According to Roman observations, the spring-spring spirits' escape techniques were based on mirrors, allowing them to emerge from within the mirrored world at any moment. Even if the two mirrors were physically connected, the spring-spring spirits could slip through the "mirror's horizon."

The only thing that limited them was the size of the mirror itself. Their immense size made it impossible for them to reveal their entire bodies within a small vanity mirror—but their swords could, allowing them to penetrate even a mirror-sized area. Therefore, the correct tactical move at this point was back-to-back, as no one knew what constituted a "mirror." Even a puddle of water in their field of vision could become a window for attack. Furthermore, this was near a fountain, where mirrors were commonplace.

The Great Spirit of the Spring was also a unique adversary for the Romans. They had seen many creatures that could use mirrors to hide, but only here could they find one that could leap out of a mirror at any moment and strike down someone with a two-meter-long sword.

Shangluo scanned the mirror in his field of vision. His phone screen was actually a flat mirror, but since it was closed when he drew his sword, it wasn't a big deal.

Besides that, the largest mirror in his field of vision was the lake—

Suddenly, the lake water surged into the sky, and the silver swordsman leaped into the air like a cannonball. The water that was sent flying didn't fall, but was instead reduced to mist. Using the water's air as a force, the Great Spring Spirit, having soared into the air, returned at a sharp angle, still at the speed of a cannonball.

"Apollonia!" Before she could finish her words, Apollonia was already blocking the way.

The Great Spring Spirit slammed directly into the golden armor. The sword tip sparked against the armor, but failed to leave a scratch. Then came the shoulder. The impact caused the base of the armor to sink into the ground, but it remained standing.

Shangluo He had already retreated several steps, and the Yongquan Great Elf had already launched his attack. The swift sword struck from every blind spot in the front, and sparks exploded like firecrackers.

Apollonia couldn't block it at all. She just stiffly used her spear to parry a few times, and after each parry, the Great Spring Spirit would immediately slash from the opposite direction.

[Ahhh! I can't stop it! The keyboard is smoking! APM can't keep up!]

Even so, after so many blows from the sword, not a single scratch was left on the armor, nothing was done at all.

Shangluo could vaguely hear the sound of keyboard tapping, as fast as shuffling mahjong cards. Apollonia seemed very serious.

With a "click", Apollonia's hands left the keyboard.

[I'm so angry! I won't fight anymore!]

There was a heavy slap from the other side, the sound of which was even louder than the sound of the flying cannon and chess pieces on the board. She put all her strength into this "slap".

The golden-armored wrist began to spin, faster and faster, and the Apollo Spear in his hand began to follow suit. It spun faster and faster, forming a disc-shaped afterimage. The Great Spring Spirit tried several times to block it with his sword, but was completely unable to do so.

[Eat my windmill!] Apollonia lifted the windmill and began to push it forward. The tip of the Apollo Spear swept through the mist, plowing dents into the ground and sending sand and rocks flying. The tip of the spear grazed the armor of the Great Spring Spirit, colliding with it in a fiery flash, tearing off a large piece of armor attached to the arm armor and hurling it dozens of meters away.

The Great Spring Elf was also stunned. Even an elf who only knew how to follow orders needed time to think about the situation.

In less than a second, the Great Spring Spirit made her decision—she leaped backwards and plunged back into the spring. This was recorded as a standard tactical move for the Great Spring Spirit. Whenever a tactical adjustment was necessary, the Great Spring Spirit would return to the spring to prepare.

"Are you done?" Karin asked.

"Not yet. She won't leave. She must still be nearby. Once the Great Spring Spirit begins attacking, she will pursue us until we leave the forest. Furthermore, if we don't cut off her finger and transform her back into a human, our mission will be considered a failure. She will definitely return. The Great Spring Spirit has no record of fearing a fight."

"Wait, behind you!"

Karin pointed behind Shangluo, in the direction of Apollonia. A piece of Apollonia's golden armor was changing color to silver.

The tip of the sword pierced through the golden armor, followed by the blade, the arm, the armored head, and the cascading hair. The Great Spring Spirit burst out from the mirrored surface of the armor.

"Huh? Ah!" Shangluo suddenly remembered that Titus had never mentioned this before, because it was impossible to bring such a large suit of armor. However, the golden armor was about the same height as the Great Spring Elf, and the mirror on the golden armor was just enough to accommodate the Great Spring Elf's "escape light".

However, this wasn't a big deal; it was exactly what he wanted. His active close proximity made it easier for Jin Jia to suppress her.

[Ahhhhh! What the hell! So disgusting! So disgusting!] Apollo slapped his body like a cockroach had gotten into his neck, and the Great Spring Spirit's divinity burst out from all directions. Any smooth surface on the golden armor could become a path for her to "escape."

"Hold her down! Quick! Hold her hands down!"

[I can't hold her down! She's running around like a mole! Ahhhh! So disgusting! So disgusting! She's running all over me, even through the screen, my scalp is tingling! Ahhhh!]

"Just press it once!" Shangluo raised the lightsaber, ready to wait for Apollonia to press it once and then seize the opportunity to cut off the elf's sixth finger.

[No, no, no, no, no!] Apollonia panicked. [It'll explode! That sword will explode if it hits the armor, and then we and this entire forest will be blown up! Ahhh! She's out again, so disgusting! Why can't elves fight in a more elegant way? How disgusting!]

Shangluo held his sword, his eyes following the swirling Apollonia. However, the two figures were now superimposed. The elf tried to thrust his sword out several times to attack Shangluo, but Apollonia held him back and then retracted it. Apollonia tried to move, but the elf's outstretched leg caught her. It was as if the two units were stuck at the same coordinates due to a bug.

【Ahhh! Please think of a solution!】

"Don't move, let me do it!"

[Huh?] Apollonia looked to the side. It was Karin who spoke.

Karin rushed forward with her eyes closed, rushing to Apollonia's side. Apollonia was about to reach out to block her out of the danger zone, but the Great Spring Spirit had already stabbed Karin with its sword.

Karin reached out and grabbed the Spring Elf's wrist:

"Get out of here!!!" With a swift tug, like pulling a carrot, she yanked the two-meter-tall elf from Apollonia's body into the air. He swung it around in the air before slamming it down onto the shaft of the Apollo's Spear. The helmet cracked in two.

The Great Spring Spirit fell silent. The mist continued to fall slowly, and the wind blew quietly.

Chapter 169 Navigation

Shangluo and Apollonia were both stunned.

The Great Spring Elf, who had been dragged out, had already fallen to the ground, his helmet split in two like a cracked walnut. A trace of elven blood stained the Spear of the Apollo, running down the shaft.

The Great Spring Spirit fell to the ground and remained motionless—but suddenly, she moved again. She stretched out her right hand and gave a thumbs-up:

"Well done. Well done."

Shangluo didn't intend to talk to her, he just came up and pushed her to the ground.

"No, I can do it myself!" The big elf waved his hand and knelt on the ground.

Apollonia looked up at the sky, then at the elf in front of her. "She seems to have regained consciousness? The connection to her body is broken."

"Is there a string?"

Apollonia pointed to the top of the elf's head. "Actually, there was a line pointing straight up, extending into the air. It was probably a sympathetic connection between her and a distant being. But after the helmet was removed, the connection disappeared."

"Don't kids these days take occult classes?" the elf looked up. "Wearing a helmet to cover your eyes symbolizes a temporary departure for the individual and the advent of the gods. So next time, if there is a next time, please simply remove the helmet. What year is it? Is Emperor Valentinian III still around?"

"That was 72 years ago," Karin replied. "Now, during the reign of Her Majesty Queen Victoria III of the Palaiologos-Isaurian dynasty."

The elf grasped the sword: "I seem to have slept for a long time, but I am also very awake. I am awake all the time, and I am also in dreams all the time. I have done many things. I have killed many people."

The hand holding the sword gradually tightened, blood flowed down, and she gradually woke up.

"Ha!" She exerted force, sinking her sword-grip deeper and deeper until the golden finger was severed—the extra finger on her left hand. The sixth finger, a symbol of the elf's power and identity, was soaked in blood and slowly sank, seeping into the ground along with the elven blood, as if it had never existed in this world.

"I'll give it back to you. I'll give it back to you. I'll give it all back to you." Holding onto the sword, she slowly stood up. She didn't seem to be in any pain at all. The "wound" on her left hand had completely healed after her finger had sunk into the ground, as if it had never existed in the world.

"Disappeared" Shangluo only then realized that the finger was no longer in its original place.

"Don't look at it, that's not my finger at all, it's the symbol of the elf."

"What is your name then?"

"My name is no longer important." The former elf shook her head. "After all, I am no longer from this era. Let's go, we have some unfinished business. Are you performing the branch-breaking ceremony? While I still have strength, I will help you take the golden branch away. Tell the others to come back in 10 years and take off their helmets."

"After 10 years, it won't come back."

"Is it finally time to be crowned?" She suddenly stood up. "Finally! Those cowards finally figured it out. Which brave man will become the new King of the Forest?"

Apollonia pointed to the side, and Karin also pointed to the side. Shangluo was standing between them.

"It's you? But you're not Roman. Could it be that Rome can't find anyone who can perform the Golden Bough ceremony?"

"Yes." Shangluo nodded, "But not entirely. This is the Guardian's decision. The Romans have lost the watchful eye of the Temple of Diana, so this time I will bear the crown of the Forest King."

"Is it Diana's doe? Well, I hope she made the right decision, and I hope you can carry it longer than anyone else. King of the Forest, are you still here?"

"Wait a minute, let me take a look."

Shangluo closed the lightsaber and opened his phone to look.

"No problem, the other three are already in place and waiting for us."

"The other three? You defeated Lin Lian? The one guarding the West Wind Gate."

"It should be the one who looks very much like her." Shangluo pulled Karin over.

"No, I can't recognize it. All the Great Spring Elves have the same body. The only difference between us is our souls. If this is Lin's original body, it's no wonder she's so powerful. Of course, you who can defeat her are also very powerful."

"I'll pass on your kindness. By the way, do you know where the Forest King is?"

"How would I know where the Forest King is? He's not the Elf King. According to the rules, you can follow the cypress trees, because the temple is surrounded by cypresses. Or you can ask Karin. I heard you call this venerable Karin before."

"Your Majesty?"

"Indeed, Karin is a saint, born with divine power—there's a saying that the gods are eternally present. It's precisely because she ranks among the gods, above countless numbers, that Karin is now a Venerable. Of course, not necessarily now. If every Venerable was destined to become a god, then there would be more gods in this world than Roman citizens. As a Venerable, Karin possesses some of the gods' power. For example, she may see things we can't. So, you should be able to see them, right?"