Ming Dynasty, New Rome, and Infinite Divine Machine

Shangluo was stunned.

The welding rod melted into molten iron, as expected. However, the shell of the magic machine did not melt at all, showing no signs of sintering with the welding rod, and even no signs of heat or redness.

Like nothing happened.

[How is it? Is it fixed?]

Shangluo didn't answer her, but silently turned the knob of the soldering station one notch to the right.

【Are you ready? 】

【Is it okay this time? 】

【What now? 】

The welding rod in his hand was like a half-burned candle, half of the rod was burnt red. On the welding table, a layer of molten metal droplets had accumulated. The strong light and smoke blurred his vision. When the smoke dissipated,

【Alas, it’s still the same.】

"Wait! It's red!" Shangluo put down his welding tongs and took a closer look—there was indeed a dark red mark the size of a mung bean on the outer shell of the divine machine. The dark red was fleeting, but it showed that the outer shell of the divine machine had indeed been penetrated.

"good very good."

His excitement was hard to conceal. Until just now, Apollonia had only verbally acknowledged some "weaknesses." While she displayed considerable sincerity, it was more like a natural extension of politeness born of upbringing. And that tiny red dot revealed the divine machine's inherent nature—it wasn't indestructible; it could be destroyed by human power.

By this calculation, the human era may not come to an end so easily.

"You are saved, prepare to be discharged from the hospital."

He adjusted the output to maximum, aimed the welding rod at the outer shell of the Shenji, and stepped on the pedal.

"boom!"

There was a loud bang, a fireball, a blazing white light and a gust of air, and Shangluo was knocked to the ground.

The fireball died down in an instant, but when I opened my eyes again, the soldering station a few steps away had already turned black.

"What's going on?"

【Yeah, as expected.】

"Did you know this would happen from the beginning?"

No, I also want to confirm it. Otherwise, I could just keep hiding myself in boxes or wrapping paper, though that would be a bit awkward. I just want to test the limits of this power. Remember my name? Infinite Divine Machine. As the name suggests, the Divine Machine is, in a sense, 'infinite.' This world won't allow infinity to be glimpsed, and any attempt to break through the critical point will be censored by this world. In other words, the Divine Machine's shell is indestructible, and breaking through it is simply impossible.

"Then what's going on with your current situation? If it's impossible, why did you get a breach?"

【Let’s get to know each other again. 】

Apollonia seemed to relax a lot.

[Young God Machine 'Apollonia' greets you. Although I was unable to help me solve the problem, please accept my gratitude. You have helped me so much, so you have the right to know the source of the current situation.]

She paused for a few seconds:

This gunshot wound came from my brother, the Rhodes Island Divine Machine 'Helios'. He's not the most powerful of all the Divine Machines, but he's no match for me either. In other words, this wound was inflicted by another Divine Machine. Only a Divine Machine can harm a Divine Machine. If his first strike hadn't been so clumsy, I'm afraid I wouldn't have suffered more than just a bullet hole.

"What about the Foundation Establishment Pill?"

"I'm sorry. You haven't fully healed me, and a treasure like the Foundation Establishment Pill is too precious. I won't give it to you lightly. Furthermore, I don't know why it's in the corpus. Its very existence is a mystery, and handing over such an important item carelessly could lead to further unpredictable consequences. But, regardless, I still want to thank you."

"Wait. If that's the case." Shangluo stood up on his own.

"If you ask me another question, I'll do it. Hey! Wait! What's that in your hand?!"

"Only a divine machine can harm a divine machine, right? Then this shrapnel must have come from the Rhodes Island divine machine 'Helios'. Right, Miss Apollonia."

"That's probably right. Wait, what are you doing?! Why are you holding a hammer?! What are you going to do?!"

Seeing Shangluo's posture, Apollonia had already guessed his intention. Invisible ripples trembled in the air, and the thread of fate was shivering. But it had no effect on Shangluo.

"Don't move, I'll heal you. I absolutely must have the Foundation Establishment Pill!"

The heart, seemingly made of brass, was still fixed to the fixture of the welding table. The surroundings had been blasted into a pitch-black darkness, and Apollonia's 'heart' gleamed in the darkness. Meanwhile, Shangluo's right hand held the red shrapnel.

[Wait! You don't have to do this! Let's discuss this! I can't make the Foundation Establishment Pill, but I can teach you how to boil eggs! Boiled eggs! Boiled eggs are delicious! Put down the hammer first.]

"It's no use shouting at the top of your lungs. My greatest strength is my trustworthiness! I will definitely be responsible to my customers to the end!"

He picked up a piece of brass he had prepared long ago. If the previous welding had been successful, he would have used it as a patch to weld the outer shell of the divine machine closed. Since welding wouldn't work now, he could use it as a wedge to drive it in. He decided to use this fragment from Helios to seal Apollonia's shell. It was a simple yet effective method, fighting fire with fire.

The copper sheet covered the hole. He held down the shrapnel with one hand and raised the hammer with the other, bringing it down suddenly.

boom------

it's dark.

The sound of the radio gradually became louder and was gradually tuned to a clear frequency band.

"This is San Francisco Radio. Breaking news: At 12:27 PM today, multiple safety incidents occurred simultaneously and consecutively at the Acropolis in San Francisco. Tram lines 1 and 2 were shut down for 15 minutes, multiple radios exploded, and elevators 1 through 14 in the Golden Gate Building ceased operation, trapping 19 people, including His Excellency the Grand Commander of Yangzhou, for two hours. Furthermore, 2 arc welding stations, from Tianzi to Huangzi, caught fire and exploded in the Workshop District, resulting in direct economic losses of 68 million yuan. The Imperial Guard has already begun investigating."

Chapter 14 IOU

The radio continued with the next paragraph: "An unnamed Jinyiwei captain stated that this is likely a terrorist attack targeting important production facilities in the empire. Starting at 6:5000 today, the San Francisco Police Department will set up checkpoints in the area from Tianhou Temple Street to the Golden Gate Bridge. The police have publicly solicited clues from all over the city, hoping that all Chinese, foreigners, naturalized immigrants, and foreigners will actively report and expose the truth. If the clues are verified to be true, the informant will receive a huge reward of taels."

The sound of the radio woke Shangluo. When he opened his eyes, he was hunched over his workbench. The parts of the writing clock were scattered around him, and he was clutching a small copper hammer. Everything was the same as before, yet something was different. The hammer itself seemed to be slightly red, which was rarely the case before.

The music box was on the table, but it has now been restored to its original state.

"Huh? What's going on? I remember before... No, why am I here? I'm not in the Acropolis?"

"Are you awake?" A familiar voice came from my ear, seeming more real than before. "Ah, what a pity. If it had been any later, I would have called the police. Oh no, I should have called the police. 5000 taels, that's enough to buy a plane ticket from Constantinople to Nanjing."

"Then why don't you leave?"

"The deal between us isn't done yet," Apollonia replied. "You've helped me so much, I can't just walk away, can I?"

"You, are you back to normal?"

"It's still a mess inside, but at least you sealed the wound and bandaged it for me. I'm generally fine, and the internal injuries can be repaired slowly - but compared to me, I'm afraid your current situation is not as good."

"Huh? What's wrong?"

Apollonia described the situation to him -

"The whole studio exploded?!"

"Yes. It wasn't just the workshop you were in; the entire workshop was ripped through by the back-flowing current. Every single appliance was destroyed, from those dollar-a-dozen light bulbs to the soldering stations that cost I don't know how much. The news said the direct economic losses were as high as 270 million yuan."

Shangluo subconsciously glanced out the window. It was afternoon, and everything outside looked exactly the same as it had been every day. But he also realized that his life might be heading down a path of no return from today. Was all this really worth it?

It's worth it! For the Foundation Establishment Pill, everything is worth it.

"How about you tell fortunes? Use that deck of cards." Apollonia suggested.

"No need for divination. I issued a work ticket. They must know it was me who did it. They might be here soon!"

【Feel sorry. 】

Apollonia returned to "broadcast mode," which seemed more serious.

"This is my fault! I didn't expect this to happen. I've prepared the formula for the Foundation Establishment Pill and can give it to you anytime. But I suggest you move as soon as possible. Run!"

"Run away? I won't run away, but I do need to stay out of the spotlight. Cultivating immortals is against the will of heaven, and it's too busy here... I need to find a place to make the elixir, a hidden place where I won't be discovered by the Jinyiwei." He picked up a pen and paper, left a note, and prepared to slip away.

"Once I succeed in building my foundation, I will definitely come back and pay you back!"

"You're still thinking about paying me back? I don't know how long it'll take you to pay back 270 million taels. Honestly, I'm responsible for a portion of that 270 million. But I suggest you move as soon as possible, otherwise you'll end up refining elixirs in the Imperial Prison. The Imperial Guards are on their way."

With a loud bang, the door flew open and was pushed against the wall, with even the bell stuck in the gap.

"Jinyiwei is investigating the case! Everyone, stay where you are!"

The Jinyiwei quickly occupied every corner of the watch shop, pointing at the empty space. Wherever there was no one, they pointed there.

Every inch of the room was being watched intently, without exception. Three people were even simultaneously focused on the teapot. Each one looked as if they were facing a formidable enemy, as if something terrifying might suddenly appear from the room, especially the teapot.

"Where are the people?" Lu Huaiyang walked into the store, still wearing his Feiyu suit.

"Report to Qianhu, the person is gone, but the phlogiston concentration is still high!"

Lu Huaiyang looked around. Everything was normal. There was a pot of boiling water on the stove.

He walked to the stove and turned off the fire.

"He's gone ahead. Very good. It seems I made no mistake. The problem lies with him. He hasn't gotten very far, and he can't get very far. The phlogiston gap is impossible to fill. We just need to follow the phlogiston trail and we'll catch him."

"Yes!"

"We need to get him back here quickly. He has no idea how dangerous he's touching. Clean up and restore this place to its original state."

"Yes, Qianhu. Do you want to put up a seal?"

"No need." Lu Huaiyang waved his hand. "Print out a closing notice and put it behind the window. Lock the door and don't touch anything else."

"Master!" Suddenly, Wen Yuan came in quickly from outside. "Master, there is a new situation."

He whispered a few words into Lu Huaiyang's ear.

"What? Phlogiston can't be found?"

"Yes. The intelligence clearly stated that the divine machine had been leaking phlogiston since it was damaged, but now..."

"What a mistake! We were a step too slow." Lu Huaiyang's face darkened. "If we had discovered it in time the first time, we might have been able to save his life. Now, he's probably in great danger. No one can come back after being swept away by the divine machine. Wen Yuan, help me get through to him on the phone. Okay?"

Suddenly, he glanced at Shangluo's desk, where there seemed to be a note left.

When he entered, no Jinyiwei was watching there, because Shangluo, who lived there, was not an enemy at all, so no one paid attention to his seat first. It was not until just now that Lu Huaiyang saw the note.

He walked forward, picked up the note and glanced at it.

"IOU? 'I am Shangluo, and I owe the imperial court 270 million taels. I hereby give this as a receipt.'"

Lu Huaiyang read the IOU again.

Lu Huaiyang was stunned. "He's still thinking about paying back the money at this time. This guy is really interesting. But paying back the money is not my responsibility. I want to track down the spiritual energy in you. Wen Yuan!"

"Here!" Wen Yuan, who was standing outside the door, trotted in and took the note from Lu Huaiyang.

"Master, he ran away?"

"He ran away, but not completely." Lu Huaiyang shook his head. "He has a badge on him. You know what to do, right?"

"Yes." Wen Yuan leaned over and stretched out her hands.

"Don't say anything." He then removed the jade pendant from his waist. The lightning flashed again from his fingertips, but this time it disappeared into the pendant. "Take this and keep quiet. Be careful, there are ears."

Wen Yuan took the sign, was stunned for a moment, and then nodded vigorously.

"Feel it? Very good." Lu Huaiyang patted his shoulder. "Where is the direction?"

"South of due north?"

"East or West?"

"East."

"Then he should be heading towards Las Vegas now—that's right, he has the treasure in his hand, there's no way he wouldn't go to Las Vegas. Wen Yuan, I leave this matter to you. Drive after him immediately and don't lose the license plate."

Chapter 15 Hammer

Across the street, Shangluo, wearing a large hat, peeked out from behind a newspaper. Apollonia, as before, relayed the conversation between the Jinyiwei in real time. The Jinyiwei had already set up a cordon, and the crowd of onlookers was already piled three or four layers high.

"I thought I heard something, and I saw them using some magical tool to find me. So they're going to Las Vegas to chase me? But why?"

Shangluo thought about it over and over again but couldn't figure it out. He clearly hadn't decided anything yet, so why did the Jinyiwei have to predict it in advance?

"I'm guessing the Imperial Guards are heading to Las Vegas. After all, those Britons made such a fuss, they've noticed some 'weird' possibilities. So, where are you going?"

"I don't know. But physical distance can't stop the Jinyiwei at all. There's no point running into the wild. But I can't really go to Las Vegas, can I? They're clearly chasing me. So the question is whether I should run or not. I feel like I can actually trust the Jinyiwei. How about I say hello to them?"

[If you're undecided, I suggest you consult a fortune teller. Come on, draw a card first. You agree? Then let's begin.]

Apollonia paused and began to ask questions:

Let's eliminate the most unlikely option first. Akashic Records, should we go to Las Vegas? Give me a definite answer!

At the station, a long-distance bus bound for Las Vegas had already started its engine.

"In the end, we actually went to Las Vegas. And it seems the Royal Guards were one step ahead of us. I say, are you really reliable?"