Ming Dynasty, New Rome, and Infinite Divine Machine

【What, are you soft-hearted? 】

"If it was a beautiful girl, I might actually be soft-hearted. Tsk, tsk, tsk, what a pity. Can you conjure one up on the spot?"

[It's already crowded here, what else do you want? No changes allowed!]

It’s a pity that the Forest King did not respond to any party’s reasonable demands and did not change at all.

Seeing that the Forest King was so ungrateful, he had no choice but to proceed with the procedure directly.

The Golden Bough was just ahead—honestly, it didn't look anything special, just an ordinary laurel tree with ordinary laurel branches. If the Forest King wasn't guarding it, he wouldn't have been able to see any special purpose for the branch itself.

The Dragon Tooth soldiers who had been squeezed in earlier were already prepared under the tree. They followed the Roman legionary's standard siege formation, stacking three layers of Arhats under the tree. Each layer carried a shield on their backs, forming a staircase.

The golden branch was just above the third layer of shields. After climbing the three steps, Shangluo reached out his hand and plucked the golden branch that symbolized the king.

Deep in the forest, the white deer held its head high and looked towards the golden branch. The fox, the unicorn, the owl, the wolf, and other spirits of the forest were also looking there.

As the golden branch was plucked down, they all felt the vibration of the completion of the ritual.

"Finally," White Deer said slowly, "they finally succeeded. They covered the unknown with the known, conquered the wilderness with numbers, and conquered the pre-modern with the modern—this is a great feat accomplished by the pioneers of all mankind. Humanity has reached a higher level, and this is a great story worthy of being recorded in history. Cheer up! Friends of the forest! Sing a hymn to the greatness of mankind!"

"Woo~~"

"Night~~"

"The great Chu rises, Chen Sheng is king!"

"Ouch~~"

"Coo, coo, coo~~" The spirits sang beautiful hymns for their human friends.

The white deer raised its head. The night was dispelled, and the vast Milky Way stretched across the sky. The brilliant stars were in full view, reflected in the white deer's eyes.

He closed his eyes slightly, and a scarlet tongue suddenly appeared at his lips, revealing a moment that belonged to the Ancient God:

"Finally, humanity has become greater. And its story has become more delicious. 'Aether Wars', right? It's a good story. But now, it's my story too."

Without hesitation, it took the initiative to become part of the story. When it opened its eyes again, a golden health bar had appeared above its head:

[LV? ? ?: Diana's Doe·Ancient Guardian Bathed in Moonlight]

"I've been looking forward to you going to higher places. So, before we end, as the host, I must give you a gift worthy of a brave man. Well, it seems that the child will like this, so this is it. My brave friend, please accept the moonlight's gift and prepare for the next hunt. We will see you next time."

The white deer stepped into the moonlight.

【The Guardian left behind His gift.】

The moment Shangluo touched the golden branch, a prompt sound from the lighthouse system rang in his ears.

The golden bough turned into true gold. The laurel tree revealed its divine essence before its true master - the eternal moonlight, and every leaf swayed in the moonlight.

He didn't use any force, and the golden branch fell away the moment he touched it, as if it were fate. The moment the golden branch fell, the entire tree was illuminated by the moonlight, sublimated, merged into the moonlight, and finally gathered within the golden branch.

Shangluo suddenly realized something was wrong and his right hand sank down suddenly.

"(*Jinling Yayan*) How heavy it is!"

The weight of the weapon was so heavy that he let it slip, and the golden light plummeted to the ground, instantly smashing through an entire row of Dragon Tooth Soldiers. The Dragon Tooth Soldiers, their skulls shattered, instantly turned to dust, vanishing without a trace in the moonlight. The entire stacked formation collapsed with a bang. Fortunately, Shangluo was standing on top, so he only fell on the Dragon Tooth Soldiers.

"Ah, it hurts! These stones are so hard." He struggled to stretch out his hands, letting the other Dragon Tooth soldiers help him up. His eyes were immediately attracted by the light falling to the ground:

It was a golden light that looked so tempting that people couldn't help but want to reach out and put it into their backpack.

A line of words appeared in his vision: [Mythology: Moon Goddess’ Hunting Knife]

[Ahhh! Auntie Deer is so generous! Equipment exploded! Pick it up quickly!]

"I know that without you telling me. Ah, this golden name has a slightly reddish, orange-red glow. Just looking at it makes me want to pick it up."

The surrounding Dragon Tooth soldiers all made way. That was Shangluo's property, and no one else could take it.

He reached out and grasped the light—and it vanished, revealing a simple hunting knife. This was one of humanity's most ancient weapons, used since ancient times, used to kill prey directly and also to carve flesh from hides. Killing prey was sacred, and so was separating it. This was the sacred hunting knife belonging to the Moon God herself.

"But it's so heavy! Why is it so heavy?" The small hunting knife is about the same size as a dagger, but Shangluo has to use both hands to lift it.

[Um, maybe it's because I'm not at the right level? Equipment, it seems, has levels, but it doesn't seem like it can't be used if it's not at the right level. I'll look into it later and put it in my backpack for now.]

Chapter 184 Artifact

"Then finally, there is still this one who has not been dealt with." Shangluo glanced above his head: the health bar of the Forest King was still there, and the last bit of health bar was still locked in gold.

This is what the Romans had always done. After taking the golden bough, they would leave, leaving the felled Forest King hanging there. However, the bough-breaking ceremony was originally intended to crown the Forest King, so wanting the golden bough without the throne was an absurd act.

To complete the ritual, the Forest King himself must be replaced. The Forest King was pinned to the ground, his body prostrated in a wide, drawn-out "H" position. At least five Dragon Tooth Soldiers pinned his hands and feet, and several more stood on top of him, like a pyramid. Dragon Tooth Soldiers piled upon Dragon Tooth Soldiers, each one pinned to the ground. If the Dragon Tooth Soldiers didn't need to breathe, they would have been the first to be crushed to death.

He dragged the ridiculously heavy hunting knife, step by step, towards the Forest King. Sensing the end was near, the Forest King's roar became increasingly inhuman. However, the Dragon Tooth Soldier was made of stone in the physical sense; he couldn't move at all.

Seeing Shangluo coming, the Dragon Tooth Soldiers moved aside a little, letting the "head" of the Forest King out - but several pairs of big hands still held down its head, leaving only the neck exposed.

Shangluo also knew what to do. The hunting knife in his hand was used to perform sacrificial rituals. While it was called a hunting knife, it was actually also a sacrificial knife. The power to distribute sacrifices was one of the earliest royal powers, and slaughtering the sacrifice symbolized dominance over everything.

This hunting knife is obviously used to slaughter the forest king itself.

Holding the hunting knife, he walked up to the Forest King, and the exposed pale neck was just waiting for him to "cut it".

He half-knelt in front of the Forest King, who was like a pinned bulldog, struggling even with his head pressed into the soil.

"I'm sorry." Seeing the Forest King become like this, he still felt a little bit reluctant. He raised his hunting knife, ready to give the Forest King a quick death.

With a bang, the hunting knife slipped out of his hand, and the handle hit the Forest King's head hard, smashing his head another three inches into the ground. The Forest King screamed even more miserably.

"Oh!" He quickly picked up the knife. "Sorry! Sorry! I really didn't mean to do that! This knife is too heavy!"

It wasn't that he deliberately refused to take it. Rather, this ancient hunting knife had no guard; it was just a smooth piece of bronze. If anything, it resembled a Warring States knife coin. It was so small that he couldn't hold it with his whole hand, and it was indeed easy to slip out of his hand.

"I'm going to give you a quick death this time. Sorry for the offense!"

He raised his hunting knife and stabbed it into the forest king's neck.

"I will definitely come back!" The voice filled with hatred and resentment gradually faded away, and everything was quiet.

The formation dispersed, and Shangluo walked out from among the retreating Dragon Tooth soldiers.

"Is it finished?" Titus asked. His biggest concern now was whether the ceremony could be completed on time.

Shangluo pointed backward—the laurel tree was gone, and so was the Forest King. Where the laurel tree had vanished, there was no trace, and where the Forest King had vanished, there was a human-shaped pit. The head was deeply embedded in the soil, and the death looked anything but peaceful.

"Finally, it's done. What's that in your hand? Hunting knife???"

"you know?"

"On the statue, this is Diana's hunting knife. Did you just use it to kill the Forest King? That's something you've never done before. It seems you performed the branch-breaking ritual correctly. But why isn't it over yet?" He looked up. The health bar vanished, the Forest King was gone, even the tree was gone. But the Lighthouse system hadn't yet logged them out.

【Please claim your clearance rewards. 】

"Hmm?" Shang Luo looked back. "Are there any rewards left? He even took the hunting knife. Is there anything left?"

Looking closely, there was indeed a beam of light shining in the grass in the distance.

"Ah, that's it." Titus pointed at the bushes. "That's the Forest King's sword. Remember what I said at the beginning? The Forest King is also the Sword King, so the original reward should have been that sword. I'm not sure where this hunting knife came from, but since you got it when breaking the branches, it should be the super double hidden reward. But you still have to get the normal clearance rewards to complete this ceremony."

"So that's how it is." Shangluo had almost forgotten, because he hadn't seen the Forest King fight back with his sword. Although the old man had good swordsmanship, he was pinned to the ground the entire time, and his sword was scattered beside him.

Shangluo went back to pick up the sword. As he got closer, he could also distinguish the color of the sword - it was purple.

There is also a purple item name displayed on that sword:

[Epic·Sword of the Forest King.]

He reached out and weighed it. The size of a one-handed sword, the weight of a two-handed sword. While heavy, it was still within the range of ordinary weapons. If it weren't for the Moon Goddess's hunting knife, he might have considered this sword a good reward. Now, it felt a bit useless. He already had a spear, a longsword, and a short sword, so he didn't need a useless weapon like this. Although the reward for completing the game was a bit disappointing, he really didn't need it.

As he picked up the sword, invisible waves vibrated around him. Birdsong and insects chirped, springs flowed, and the wind rustled—the sounds of nature returned, and the moon grew brighter and clearer. The ceremony was over.

He walked back again, carrying the hunting knife in one hand and the sword in the other. He first stuck the sword in the ground beside him and asked the hunting knife:

Holding the knife in both hands, he asked Titus, "Is this reasonable?"

"Reasonable? What's the problem?"

"Touch it yourself."

Titus stretched out two fingers to twist the knife - sure enough, the knife didn't budge. He used his whole hand again before he could barely lift the knife.

"Wow!" He carefully put the hunting knife back into Shangluo's hand. "Is this a divine weapon? It's so heavy?"

"Is there any way you can put it away?"

"Wait a minute." He pressed the transmitter and asked, "There's no way. We've never seen this before. So you have to figure it out on your own."

"Okay," he asked Apollonia, "so do you have a solution?"

"Why don't you just pack your gear in your backpack? It doesn't weigh anything in the backpack anyway. It only weighs after you put the gear in it."

"Do I have a backpack? This isn't a real game!"

"Ah, that's true. Let me think, how about you check it in first?"

"No, this thing is too important. It's a divine artifact made from the golden branch. I can't let anyone else take it."

"Then carry it. It's the only way. Or ask them for a holster to carry the gun on your shoulder to share the weight. I'll go back and research it. If we can find a way to inject phlogiston, we should be able to make it yours. That deer is so inconsiderate! Why didn't he also write a user agreement?"

"I already said it's the Moon Goddess's hunting knife, not mine. Tsk, fine, I'll carry it like this for now and we'll talk about it later. Just think of it as exercise. After all, I'm also a martial artist."

Chapter 185 King

Standing under the golden bough tree, Shangluo looked back the way he had come. This distance seemed much shorter than he had expected. From here he could even see the edge of the forest and the car they had taken.

"Woohoo!" Titus breathed a sigh of relief. Although the expenses here were outrageous and he didn't know if his wages would be deducted after returning, at least the mission here was completed.

"Well, then, respected Lord Shangluo," he pointed outside, "we can now return the same way we came."

"Why did you suddenly call me Your Excellency?"

"Well, let Mr. Marcus tell you."

Marcus lowered his head slightly. Shangluo was slightly shorter than him, and he didn't want to confront this important figure. "Here's the reason. I was informed by the Senate when I arrived. They thought it was perfect for you to carry the Golden Bough. We're tied up everywhere in the world, and while the Golden Bough isn't always difficult, it attracts the most attention. You've seen the impact this has had. This time, even the Wild Hunt showed up. We don't know what will happen next time, so we'll simply not break the branch and let you be crowned the Witch-King of Nemi according to the traditional process."

"I see. So I am now..."

"Yes, you are now one of the most distinguished people in the empire. Because you are not even a senator, because senators do not necessarily have the title of feudal lords. Your current identity is actually the King of Rome."

"King? What king?"

"Wait a moment," he asked Titus first. "Have you told him about Lake Nemi?"

"Most of it was mentioned, but the origin of the temple was not mentioned. It was not related to the mission at the time."

"Okay." Marcus took a breath. "This goes back to extremely ancient history. 570 BC, during the Spring and Autumn Period in China. For Rome, that was the era of the Roman monarchy, the earliest period in history before the Roman Republic even existed. At the time, the sixth Roman King, Servius Tullius, reigned. He was a virtuous king who established the 'Council of Centuriae', based on citizenship rather than tribal bloodlines. During his reign, he also took another crucial step: at that time, on the outskirts of Lake Nemi, there were still many Latin tribes that had not yet joined the Roman Kingdom. And their common deity was Diana."

"So, they joined the Roman Pantheon?"

"From a later perspective, this was the period when the Roman Pantheon was being formed—so you can see that while the Roman gods were completely incarnations of Greek gods, there were subtle differences. We Romans could actually distinguish them. For example, Ares and Mars were both gods of war, but their positions on the two sides were different. The Romans worshipped the god of war far more than the Greeks did. These differences were caused by the different status of the tribes when they were incorporated into the pantheon.

"Diana was crucial in this, as she was worshipped by almost all the Latin tribes, and her status in the pantheon far surpassed that of the Greek Artemis. For this reason, Servius Tullius built a temple for Diana and accepted the title of Forest King, becoming the goddess's companion. Like other forest kings, he died by the sword. Therefore, you inherited the throne of Servius Tullius."

"Huh? Is this how the Forest King was passed down? What happened next?"

"The next part is the most difficult. The one who murdered him and became King of the Forest was his son-in-law, Superbus, the seventh Roman King. The Roman monarchy ended during his reign. As the last king, he was driven out of Rome and exiled to the wilderness. So by now you probably understand: the one you killed earlier was the 'Shadow of Lake Nemi' that we brought back to take the blame, the wandering last Roman King Superbus. You murdered him, so according to the rules, you are now the King of Rome. As an aside, the first Roman king also ascended to the throne through murder, and the murder curse later spread to the Roman emperor. Tsk, it's all fate, fate."

"Ah this."

He was silent, and Marcus just looked at him.

"So, what practical significance does the identity of the King of Rome have now?"

"You've hit the nail on the head. In reality, after a series of changes, the Roman monarchy has seen most of its divinity transferred to the Second Rome, commonly known as 'Constantinople', to the east. So, if we were to describe your current royal authority specifically, the most accurate term would be 'King of the Romans.' Honestly, we don't know what to do with this position. Logically, you should at least be given the title of High Priest of Rome, but the High Priest's divine authority has been appropriated by the Patriarch of Rome. Tsk tsk tsk tsk tsk."

He clicked his tongue and shook his head because he didn't know what to do.

"So, what are you discussing now?"

"We're waiting for the Senate to convene." He shook his head. "As you know, Rome is divided into six parts, so no matter what we do, half of the people will generally oppose it. It will probably take some time for the Senate to discuss and reach a conclusion. We might arrange a meeting with your Majesty to finalize the matter. Let me ask you first, are you engaged?"

"Uh no."

"Have you ever considered a political marriage?"

"Huh??? What the hell?" Shangluo was completely stunned.

"Hypothetically, I'm assuming. Considering the overflow of divinity, unless you are murdered, the divinity of the Roman King will be tied to you. And you may not know that the Forest King himself is the side god of the Moon God. The six generations of kings were also worshipped in this capacity. So if you can accept our arrangement, it would naturally be the best - ah, of course, it's modern times now, right? We can't force modern people to marry for these reasons, right? Not to mention that Her Majesty's own wishes are also very important."