Ming Dynasty, New Rome, and Infinite Divine Machine

I think we can trust the Akashic Records. Yeah, it should be possible. The Akashic Records gave the answer based on all past experiences—they think we should go. So what are your plans now? Or do you still plan to go back?

"Never mind, going to Las Vegas isn't such a bad idea. I can't escape anywhere anyway. This limited route actually gave me some ideas. If I absolutely must go to Las Vegas, I might have a way. And maybe I can kill two birds with one stone and get both the money and the pill. As for now, I'm going to get some rest. I'm afraid I'll be busy tomorrow."

He looked out the window. The long-distance bus seat was so narrow that his knees had to rest against the seat in front of him. The hardwood seat had no cushioning and was so slippery that he always felt like falling off.

This is not a car prepared for the common people of the Ming Dynasty, because anyone can get on this car as long as they buy a ticket. There are two or three buses running back and forth from San Francisco to Las Vegas every day to pick up passengers.

The bus wasn't crowded, but there was a passenger in every row, which was a pretty good occupancy rate considering it was a weekday and not a holiday.

[By the way? When do you want the recipe for the Foundation Establishment Pill?]

Apollonia asked. This was the agreement between them, and she always remembered it.

"Let's get off the bus. We can't start refining the elixir right now. Let me get some sleep first. I'm afraid I won't be able to sleep after hearing all this. Let's do the big one tomorrow."

"Ahem." A conductor, wider than the corridor, boarded the train. He was a red man, his pale skin tanned red, his nose and neck red. His waist bag wrapped around his waist, wedging against his short-sleeved shirt. Inside was his ticket and a ticket-checking clip.

With a thick Texas accent, the conductor shouted to the inside of the car:

"Who wants to buy a ticket?" He just shouted and prepared to leave.

"This." Shangluo raised his hand weakly.

The conductor stood on tiptoe and took a quick look—Shangluo was sitting in the back row. The corridor was already narrow, and he had to hold his stomach in to squeeze in.

"Oh." He was a little impatient, but this was work.

With his stomach tucked in, he squeezed in through the narrow aisle.

"Where do I get off?" he asked, his tone devoid of emotion. As a conductor, he repeated this question hundreds of times every day. Even if he only had elementary school education, he could still memorize the fares of every station along the way.

“Get off in Las Vegas.”

"90 wen." The ticket seller quoted the price as if it was a conditioned reflex.

"It's okay, not expensive." Shangluo didn't actually know how much the ticket cost. He figured he had enough. He pulled out a coin and handed it to the ticket seller.

The ticket seller was stunned when he took the heavy silver dollar in his hand.

Wow, such a big one.

He looked towards Shangluo——

"It's Master Aurora. Sorry, sorry, I didn't notice."

The conductor's spirits immediately lifted. It might be ten days or half a month before a single "Aurora person" boarded this train.

"Aurora" was the name used by Europeans for the Ming Dynasty, as simply calling it "Ming" was vague. Since the entire hemisphere belonged to the king, it was politically incorrect to refer to the people within the royal borders as "Ming people."

Therefore, they usually referred to the Han people in the imperial capital, namely the two capitals and thirteen provinces, as "Zhendan people", a name derived from Rome. Some also called them "Mahazhendan", which was a polite name, but not formal.

Correspondingly, the people of the Ming Dynasty called the "Two Capitals and Thirteen Provinces" "Jinei" because it was the royal capital directly ruled by His Majesty the Holy Emperor.

"You want to check my ID?"

"No, no, no, how dare we check Master Zhendan's ID? No one here is qualified. Wait a minute, I'll get you some new notes. These are too dirty."

"Don't bother, just give it to me."

"Well, I'm sorry." The ticket seller had a professional smile, and his attitude was between "flattering" and "attentive". No reason, just because all the "Aurora people" here are on business trips, and there are almost no real civilians. This time I am going to Las Vegas again, obviously with some

Some indescribable reasons.

He didn't intend to ask any more questions. After obtaining Shangluo's consent, he gave Shangluo the change in his bag.

As soon as he got his hands on the notes, Shangluo knew why he had to exchange them: they weren't just notes from the Ministry of Revenue, but also from the Roman central bank, the Banca di San Marco. The exchange rate between the two currencies was very stable, and they could be used interchangeably most of the time.

However, the quality of these Roman banknotes was not good. This was because they were too far from the Great Lakes region, the heart of Rome in the New World. It was unknown how many times these banknotes had circulated before they reached Shangluo.

"That's a good thing, actually," Apollonia said from her pocket. "Carrying a lot of 'Aurora Currency' into the Neutral Zone makes it easy to be targeted. And the currency you have is too new."

"I can't help it. This is a new coin minted directly in Nanjing and sent overseas as military pay. It has never circulated in the capital."

I suggest you try to make the change. Find a vending machine after you get off the bus.

"Where's a vending machine that accepts one or two taels of silver?"

[Yes, there are small steel ball machines. Last time I went to Las Vegas, I could buy small steel ball machines there. You could just put in a tael of silver and get a large bowl of steel balls. You go to Las Vegas and try those machines, right? It's definitely safer without having to face each other.]

"Tsk, how uncreative." Shangluo shook his head. "How much money can you make from gambling? If we're going to do this, let's do it big. Also, you have to put in a lot of effort. We were all responsible for the explosion, so you have to take responsibility."

"Let me make this clear! I can't help you rob a bank! And don't try to pass the buck! I told you to stop, but you were the one who insisted on hitting me with that hammer!"

"That hammer is still with me. Strangely enough, after hitting you once, that little hammer gave me a peculiar feeling—as if it could crack you open again. It's so confident now, always eager to try. Since fixing you wasn't your thing, how about I restore you? I'll 'remove' the nails that were stuck in there."

[No, no, no, forget it. Forget it.]

"So this hammer can really knock you open? Then let me try it?" Shangluo picked up the small hammer.

[Tsk, you tricked me. Your intuition is spot on. That hammer has touched the divine machine's body and is now 'consecrated.' It injured the divine machine once, so it can injure it a second time—just like the Spear of Longinus, which is also stained with the blood of the gods.]

"So what is this of mine? Apollonia's Hammer?"

The name Shangluo's Hammer is more appropriate, since Longinus was a soldier's name. Screw you, what was I saying? You've got me in trouble. I'm not dead yet, and that hammer won't kill me, just injure me. It could probably injure other divine machines, too. Theoretically, it could. I have a feeling it can penetrate the outer shell of a divine machine and injure it directly. Ouch! You're really good at hitting!

Shangluo picked up the hammer and knocked it gently again.

[You keep knocking! You keep knocking! My whole world is shaking, you know that!]

"Sorry, sorry, I'm just impatient, please bear with it." He said this, but he didn't mean to apologize at all.

"Do you think this hammer can be used to rob a bank?"

"No, this hammer only attacks the Divine Machine. To anything else, it's still just a small hammer. Are you really planning on robbing a bank? Going straight for the gambling money is definitely faster than going to the gambling table."

"Maybe I should go. But there's a way that's faster than robbing money. If I robbed money, I'd have to do it myself, but if I knew everything, someone would naturally bring the money to me."

He nodded secretly and put the hammer into his waist bag so that he could take it out at any time.

Next time you're in a critical situation, this little hammer might come in handy.

Chapter 16 Ticket Check

It's time to drive.

The wood gas generator supplied combustible gas, and the engine first surged a few times before gradually accelerating.

With a click, the driver roughly shifted gears. This old bus, which had been in service for more than 20 years, slowly pulled out of the parking space, drove out of the station, and headed along the highway towards Las Vegas.

Just like yesterday, only the roads in the city of San Francisco had been extensively repaired, as the rest of the area was not under the jurisdiction of the Sanitation Office. Within ten minutes of driving, the road conditions suddenly deteriorated.

With a creaking sound from the frame, the bus officially drove out of the jurisdiction of the Acropolis of San Francisco and into the wild.

The imperial court attached great importance to the maintenance of official roads, but this was no official road—the Las Vegas at the end of this road did not exist in either the Ming or Roman records. It was a city that rose from the desert, constantly struggling to survive against the desert's encroachments.

But it is also a lawless place that both sides tacitly agree on, and this alone is enough.

The car was so bumpy that Shangluo couldn't even hold the map steady. According to the map, Las Vegas was not too far from San Francisco.

"You say those Las Vegas casinos make so much money, why don't they repair the roads here? Many tourists come to the New World just for Las Vegas."

Tourists arrive by airship. Who would take a slow, long-distance bus? And they don't even get off in San Francisco; this is the garrison.

"That's true. Gambling has been banned in the capital since the Hongwu era. The Ming Dynasty law clearly states that gambling will result in hand amputation—although they won't actually amputate it now, but it will inevitably result in a six-month prison sentence. What about Rome?"

Ban gambling? Huh? If that emperor dared to ban gambling, the racing hooligans at the racetrack would have smashed down the palace gates the next day. Constantinople always has the moon hanging high above it. It's a wonderful place to visit, a city that never sleeps.

"By the way, what's the current situation in Rome?"

"I don't think the situation is optimistic." Apollonia replied negatively. "The unrest in London and Paris is growing louder, and the Britons and Franks are increasingly unwilling to exist as vassal states. After all, they once had a great civilization, and they too can have their own modern age."

"Yes, that's right. And here, shaping the modern Ming Dynasty and Rome—so, should I call you a Roman?"

"I'm glad you finally started treating me like a Roman, not some Monkey King from Xi Niu He Zhou."

"The Monkey King is a mirror; he can become whatever he wants to be."

I wish I could be that free, but unfortunately my baggage is much heavier than the unfettered Monkey King of Flower-Fruit Mountain. Look, here comes the troublemaker!

"what's the situation?"

【Wait, it's just ahead. 】

"Bus ahead, stop immediately!" a high-frequency loudspeaker shouted from behind, the sound amplified by the megaphone creating a deafening roar. The driver slammed on the brakes, fearing they'd be shot if they stopped even a little slower. They were truly terrified.

Because, these are not the police here. The Ming Dynasty's constables would not come to such a wilderness to do their work.

An unmarked police car drove up in front of the bus. Two men in windbreakers—also red-skinned—got out, each holding a law enforcement shotgun.

They wore two medals, a dragon and an eagle, on their chests, representing that they served both the Ming Dynasty and Rome.

Pinkerton Detective Agency, the largest vigilante agency in Yangzhou. Their law enforcement is much more powerful than those escort agencies in San Francisco, because Pinkerton Detective Agency only operates in Yangzhou, and their main source of income is vigilantes.

This income came from outsourcing law enforcement. After all, neither the Ming nor the Roman Empire wanted to deploy law enforcement forces in the neutral zone; it was too expensive. By outsourcing law enforcement work through bounties, vigilantes like the Pinkerton Detective Agency could earn a good head fee.

No one dared to refuse a Pinkerton interception. Because where there were vigilantes, there were no real police. In the wilderness, killing a few people wouldn't matter; no one cared. Even if a carload of people was missing, it was the same.

One of the two climbed onto the bus, a Furong brand cigarette between his lips. The smell of cigarette smoke filled the crowded carriage, and the driver didn't dare open the window. He couldn't move now, because the vigilante could shatter him into pieces with just one pull of the trigger.

"Is there a Zhendan person in the car?"

"Forehead"

"Yes or no! I'm warning you once, this target is very important! This is a direct order from the Aurora Army. You know the rules of Pinkerton, you have two more chances. If you warn me more than three times, I will shoot!"

"Yes! Yes!" The driver pointed back in the direction of Shangluo. "There's one. He bought a ticket and got on the bus."

The Pinkerton vigilante looked over. Shangluo's face was whiter than anyone else present, and so uniformly white that no comparison was necessary.

"Oh, respected Mr. Aurora. Oh no, Mr. Ming Dynasty." He shouldered the gun, pointed it backward, and walked over step by step. The others in the car did not dare to make a sound.

"I regret to inform you that your court has hired the Pinkerton Detective Agency to 'invite' you back. Relax, as a Ming Dynasty craftsman, we cannot harm you under any circumstances. We can't even arrest you with ropes or handcuffs. But this doesn't mean we can't 'invite' you back."

Shangluo looked out the window without saying anything.

"Sir from Aurora. Oh, you don't have your hair tied up, that's a child." The volunteer police officer took another step forward. "Your family is looking for you. Please cooperate and don't cause trouble for me. I have my own job and family to support. If I can't take you back, I will be fired."

The gun was still loaded. Although the muzzle was pointed skyward, it would point forward again in less than a second.

"Alas." Shangluo sighed and took out the token from his pocket. "Look for yourself."

"Here is..." The vigilante held out his non-gun hand, ready to take the token.

With a "pop" sound, Shangluo swung his hand and knocked the token on his wrist:

"Take your hands off me! Who told you to touch me? Use your eyes!"

"Yes, yes." The vigilante tightened his grip on the gun, but ultimately did not dare to lower the muzzle.

He held onto the back of his chair and stuck his head out to confirm—

"Jin Jin Yi Wei! Lord Jin Yi Wei!" The words on the badge were clear.

"Don't call me sir! Where did you learn that? I'm not your father, and I don't have a son like you. Since you're also working for the court, I won't make things difficult for you. You know the rules, right?"

"Yes, yes. Then I'll leave now! Leave right now! I will definitely not delay your important business! I will definitely not delay you!" The volunteer police turned around and left. Everyone knew that the Jinyiwei who did not wear the Feiyu uniform was more dangerous than the one who wore it, and much more dangerous.

Without even a second's pause, the vigilante quickly got out of the car, got in, stepped on the accelerator, and sped off.

The bus fell into an eerie silence.

"Drive, what are you waiting for?" Shangluo shouted to the front.

There were a series of clangs and bangs as the driver engaged the car in forward gear, without hesitation, yet he dared not utter a single word, as if a weapon of mass destruction were sitting in the back of the car.

It literally means "a great killer weapon." After all, many people have seen the flashes of fire emitted by the Jinyiwei when they were plowing the courtyard and sweeping the holes.

No one spoke in the car until we arrived in Las Vegas.

Chapter 17 Las Vegas

The car stopped on the outskirts of Las Vegas, under the sign that said "Las Vegas" in Spanish.

This is a city that bloomed from the desert. Even the area close to the city is still pristine desert. If it loses maintenance for a few years, the city will inevitably be swallowed up by the desert again.

"Ah, what a nice day today."

It was already early in the morning. Shangluo had taken a night bus that left in the evening and arrived the next morning, so it was now seven in the morning.

"It's my first time to spend the night on a bus, and it feels pretty good. As expected, everyone's quality has been very good after the bathing king transformation. Thank you." After getting off the bus, he turned around and nodded to the driver.