Ming Dynasty, New Rome, and Infinite Divine Machine

"The lion is the form of the diamond. One must have great power and virtue to transform into the form of a lion."

【ha? 】

"Daozu means you're too weak. Your transformed form is definitely not as powerful as a lion. That lion is indeed very powerful, its strength is unfathomable. If it hadn't violated the contract and been punished by its own spear, like an Achilles' heel, I have no idea how to defeat it."

[Ahh. Ababa Ababa, Alibaba.] Apollonia was so embarrassed that she started to talk nonsense.

"So vegetables have their benefits, too." Shang Luo stroked his chin. "At least she won't cause me any trouble. But then again, I've also seen Diana's doe. What do these beasts, transformed or transfigured by divine power, have in common?"

"They are dragons."

"Dragon? Are lions and deer both dragons?"

"A dragon can be large or small, can rise or hide. When large, it raises clouds and mist; when small, it hides itself. When it rises, it soars through the universe; when it hides, it lurks within the waves. A dragon has tiger paws, eagle claws, fish scales, and a snake body. It is a dragon that can adapt to the changing times. It is a dragon that can transform in countless ways. A deer is a dragon, and so can a white lion. If you ask Wen Zhong, the Minister of Rites who studied exegesis, he'll tell you that the Yu Pian says: 'Dragon means cute.'"

"Wait. Dragons, cute? They are the basis of transformation. Are dragons born from eggs? Oh no." He blinked. "Dragons are, Nascent Souls?"

"Hmm?" Daozu was stunned for a moment. "Good understanding. Good understanding. So now you understand, right? In the realm of cultivation, a dragon can only manifest its 'cuteness' at the Nascent Soul stage. The Sunlight Envoy's divine power manifests as the form of a diamond lion."

"Ah, then I'm relieved. Even if Apollonia is externalized, it's probably just a sloth or something."

【Woo woo woo~ I can't refute that.】

"I'm relieved now. I'm relieved. Daozu, I'll go run errands now."

"Don't forget to bring your magic weapon."

"Which one? Ah!" Shangluo suddenly remembered, "The flagpole, the flagpole is still in the office."

[Tsk, I think you're about the same. You'll probably only be able to transform into something like a raccoon or a raccoon dog.]

Chapter 245 Refined Magical Weapon

"Oh, I see. Just go get it. I'll talk to the guards."

——After receiving Zhu Xianxun’s assurance, Shangluo went to his house and entered the office by himself.

On the table, as always, were two boxes filled with memorials stacked like tofu. Soon, someone from the Ministry of Civil Affairs would come and take the memorials away, to be printed into the banknotes Shangluo had seen last time.

Just as he was about to enter, a man from the Ministry of Civil Affairs came trotting up the stairs. He looked like a college student, with the Ministry of Civil Affairs badge and his own name badge hanging on his chest:

"It's over, it's over. You've only just come to get it now. Let me borrow it for a moment. By the way, you are a Jinyiwei, right?"

"Uh, I can be."

"Is the memorial still on the table? It's over, it's over, the printing house is waiting."

"I was just here. Please come in first." He pushed open the door and let the people from the Ministry of Public Security come in first.

"Thanks!"

The people from the Ministry of Public Administration rushed in and carried out both boxes in just three seconds, running down the stairs with a "bang bang bang" sound.

[Sure enough, there are still quite a few people busy. ]

"It's probably because of the breaking news this morning that delayed things. I remember that the Ministry of Public Security is responsible for public statements. Well, it's because someone is busy that others can have something to eat."

[What he does is quite similar to what you do. But since everyone's wages are similar, why would anyone be willing to do such troublesome and tiring work as the Tongzhengsi or Jinyiwei?]

"Come on, this is super cool, okay? It feels just like Wang Lingguan."

[You clearly haven't seen Wang Lingguan yet.]

"I've actually started to want to watch it. And if I'm right, at least Master Sa is played by himself."

"Oh~~ Now that you mention it, I remember that Master Sa has white hair just like you. So, is Wang Lingguan the real one?"

"I don't know. I'll probably find out when I go and take a look. Hmm, a magical weapon, a magical weapon."

The Sun God's Spear remained standing as before, behind Zhu Xianxun's chair, serving as the flagpole for the royal banner. The royal banner, known as the Taichang Banner, featured a sun, a full moon, and the Big Dipper, parallel to the pole, representing the three stars. Above them was a "Hushi," or bow and arrow, symbolizing the Emperor Xuanyuan's Wuhao bow and the Heaven-shaking Arrow. Legend has it there were three Heaven-shaking Arrows, but only one was depicted on the flag. The main elements of the banner were the five primary colors and a five-colored dragon, representing the mountains, rivers, and land.

There are more patterns woven secretly on the flag, including mountain patterns, sea patterns, and flowing water patterns, all of which emit a faint golden glow under the patterns.

This flag was sometimes used as the national flag, and was flown alongside the Roman double-headed eagle at technical assemblies in Alexandria.

He planned to take down the Taichang flag and fold it up.

"Hmm?" He realized the knot was quite intricate and impossible to untie. The Taichang Banner was bound to the Spear of the Sun God with a golden rope. It was a rope, but at first it was only as thin as a gossamer thread, and Shangluo couldn't even find the end of it.

【Can you please cut the rope? 】

"This rope seems very valuable. Besides, it's the Taichang flag. It wouldn't be good if it was cut. Wait."

He put the flag back where it belonged and made a phone call. Now he could just call whenever he had something to do; it was very convenient.

"Can't untie the rope?"

"Ah yes, although it's a small matter, I think it's better to ask. After all, it's the Taichang Banner."

"If I can't untie it, it's no small matter—because I didn't hang the flag, and I didn't tie the rope."

"Huh?" Shangluo was stunned for a moment, "Where did that come from?"

"After I took the pill that day, the Emperor asked me to keep it for you temporarily and give it to you when you woke up. When he gave it to me, the Taichang flag was already on it. I didn't know where to keep it, so I used it to replace the flagpole in my office and stuck it there. If you can't untie it, then it's probably impossible to untie it. It's no longer a spear. The Dao Ancestor helped you refine it into a flag."

"Oh~~ So I need to add ingredients after refining." Thinking about it this way, it was indeed true. If it kept its appearance, it would still look like the Spear of the Sun God. But if you used the Spear of the Sun God as a "pole" and hung a flag on it, then the main body of this magic weapon would become the "flag."

"How wonderful!" Apollonia couldn't help but exclaim. "This way, this magical weapon is symbolically considered a flag, with the Spear of the Apollo taking a secondary role and having no connection to Helios. It's been 'refined' in every sense. Experience always proves its worth."

"Tsk, why doesn't the Taoist give me any magic weapon? Is it because I can't use it?" Zhu Xianxun felt something was wrong the more he thought about it.

"Well, the alchemy furnace you usually use is the greatest magic weapon, right?"

Zhu Xianxun was silent for a moment. "It seems so. Perhaps you've been using it since you were a child, so you've gotten so used to it that you don't think it's that powerful anymore. Since it's a complete magic weapon, you can just carry it along with the flagpole. However, since the flag is the main component, the Taoist must have added a more powerful magic weapon to it, otherwise it wouldn't be able to suppress the divine power of the flagpole. You should study it. I also want to know what the Taoist will give you as his first gift."

Even so, Shangluo took one look at the flag. The spear, already over two meters long, now had a massive flag hanging from it, making it even larger than before, almost ridiculously so. Carrying such a massive flag wherever he went would make him look like a mobile billboard.

"Hmm" He pulled the flagpole from its base and swung it around in the air, causing the flag to dance in the air as well.

"This is the only way to put it away. Let's go first." He rolled up the big flag carefully, carried the flagpole on his back and was about to go out.

Suddenly, the air above his shoulders felt lighter.

“Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!” Apollonia shouted, “It’s in! The flagpole is in!”

"Huh?" Shangluo thought the flagpole had slipped down.

He looked down and saw that the rolled-up flag was lying on the ground like a piece of silk, rolled into a long strip, and the flagpole was gone.

"you saw it?"

[Hmmmm! When you roll up the flagpole, it glows, and then 'whoosh!' it goes away.]

"What's 'Swoosh!'?"

【Try it yourself and you will know.】

Shangluo grabbed a corner of the flag and gave it a violent shake. The flag unfurled with a whoosh, and the flagpole snapped out of the ground, clattering to the ground.

"So it's for storage?!" Zhu Xianxun hadn't expected this, and he figured it out within seconds of hanging up the phone. "That's really amazing! I've only heard of the magic of the hidden world, and there's the 'Mary Poppins handbag' in Rome. But the hidden world is a spell only powerful people can use, and the volume of that handbag is limited. Yours seems super powerful. It reminds me of another magic weapon."

Chapter 246 Leopard Skin Bag

"Which one?"

"When Nezha came down the mountain, he brought eight weapons. Besides the Fire Spear, he also had the Universe Ring, the Chaos Silk, the Nine Dragon Cover, the Gold Brick, the Yin-Yang Swords, and so on. It was a mess and he couldn't carry it all, so Taiyi Zhenren gave him a 'leopard skin bag' to store his magic weapons. It's actually the same kind of bag used by immortals. The magic weapons you have are almost as many as Nezha's, so you really need something to store them."

"Oh~~yes, yes, yes. The current shape does look a lot like a furoshiki. But how do you carry this thing? I've never carried one before."

"Many gods in the Investiture of the Gods use it, and Taiyi Zhenren himself uses it too. This thing can be carried the same way as a baggage bag. If you want to look more ethereal, you can hang it diagonally like a ribbon. Wang Lingguan also has one, and he wears it like a belt. There are also ones you hold in your hand, like when you're shopping. This is so cool, I want one too, it's very convenient for carrying goods. I'm hanging up now, I'll go ask the emperor if he has any more."

Shangluo carried the flag across his body like a ribbon. The flag itself was a five-colored brocade, and paired with his pure black school uniform, it looked a very "trendy" combination. Since the Hongwu era, clothing has emphasized layering, with a harmonious interplay of solid and floral colors. When wearing a plain robe, the lining can be more ornate, revealing the collar and cuffs. Conversely, when wearing a more exaggerated robe like a dragon robe or a flying fish robe, a plainer lining is used. Neither all-flowers nor all-plain is appropriate.

Shangluo has always worn a school uniform, which is pure black with some gold accessories. Now he is wearing a brocade belt, which looks like...

I think I've seen this outfit somewhere before! It's the top scholar and the Jinshi. Before they were appointed officials, the top scholar and the Jinshi wore the plain robes of a student, with a red silk ribbon draped diagonally over them. But yours is a narrow robe, and the ribbon over it is a bit like a Roman military uniform. Not bad, pretty cool.

"It doesn't matter if it's cool or not. On the contrary, I think it's a bit eye-catching, especially since the functionality of this hair is very important. Wait, let me try it."

He looked around to see if there was anything he could try.

This is Zhu Xianxi's office, everything is useful, but one thing seems useless.

He opened the transparent cabinet in its usual place and took out the dog food bowl from underneath. The bowl had been split open before, then repaired and used to feed "Lolo", and now it was put back in its original place.

Shangluo grabbed the dog food bowl and stuffed it into the bag he was carrying.

The dog bowl is missing.

[It actually can be stored, which is quite fun. I'll try it again.]

At 4:30, Zhu Xianxun returned to his office, with guards following behind him, helping him carry two large boxes of memorials.

"Hmm?" Zhu Xianxun felt that the table was empty as soon as he entered the door.

"It seems that something is missing. Where is the memorial?"

"The Tongzhengsi people took it away this afternoon."

"I told you not to take them all. I think it's the intern supervisors who are working and are in a hurry. Have them print the stack on the right and send it back. I need to take a look at it again."

"Got it." The guard responded and followed Zhu Xianxi into the room. After Zhu Xianxi sat down, he placed the two boxes on his desk.

He started his second day's work. He sat down and picked up the pen on the table.

"Hey, that's not right. Where's my pen? Where's my ink bottle? Where's my teapot? And why are the copper coins I used as paperweights on the table gone? Has the cleaning lady been here?"

"Today is indeed a cleaning day."

"Hey, tell her not to mess with my table. Every time I come here, there are many things I can't find. Okay, you go first, I have some spare ones here, it won't be a problem." There are many spare ones for these things, so they won't be a problem.

The guard went out, and he himself took it from the stationery cabinet.

"Eh??? Where did this huge cabinet go??? Wait, where's the window??? I felt like something was missing the moment I walked in. No wonder the room was so dark. Where did the window go? Who sealed my window?!"

Shangluo left the subway station and walked quickly toward Baoen Temple with his head lowered, feeling as guilty as a thief. As he walked, he felt in his arms, but he couldn't find anything.

【It’s over, it’s over, it’s over.】

"It's all your fault. You made me pretend to be this and that."

How did I know this 'furoshiki' could carry the window? I only wanted to carry the cabinet because it was exactly the same size as the furoshiki. But then your hand slipped and you carried the window away too.

"Is this reasonable?"

I don't think there's anything unreasonable about that. Didn't Jigong move the Yuanzhao Well from Lingyin Temple to Jingci Temple? You're just moving a window, no big deal.

"The problem is, this pocket is filled with a lot of bits and pieces, and it's making a noise!"

The bag hadn't gotten any bulgier, it was still the same size as before. But for some reason, everything inside it made the same noise as the sand in a maracas. The dog bowl was especially loud. He had to slow down his pace when he walked.

[You're quite the jeweler. So, what are you planning to tell him?]

"I'll tell him when he asks me. I'll first think about how to get the thing out. It's strange. Even a four-dimensional pocket can be reached into, so why can't this be reached into? Do I have to go in and get it myself?"

"So this is the mantra that Daozu told you to learn when it comes to collecting things. If there's something you absolutely must take, I'll go in and get it."

What is certain is that the only freely accessible part of the furoshiki is the flagpole. This is because it is securely connected to the flag by some kind of golden thread, keeping it in a corner and positioned accordingly. Therefore, as soon as the furoshiki is unfolded, the flagpole will naturally appear in the corner. Therefore, holding onto the flagpole should be safe.

Theoretically, if he unfolded the bundle completely, everything inside would fall out. But after installing the window, he didn't dare open it casually, for fear that something strange would happen.

"No way, go back and ask Daozu. By the way, can you call him? Now that something is going on, it's best to call him and ask."

[I can't get in touch with him. Daozu always communicates one-way. Who knows, the old man might be somewhere watching us having fun. He didn't say anything, which means it's nothing serious.]

"Hey, hey, aren't you afraid that the old man will hear you calling him?"

The term "old man" has a story behind it. "Longevity" is "lao," "the Supreme" is "tou," and "father heaven and mother earth" is "son." So, we can call him "old man"—see, he really enjoys it, doesn't he? He didn't say a word.

"What the hell are you reading? I advise you to take a closer look at who this joke is about, you clever little bastard."

Chapter 247 Lighthouse

"Ah~ Captain Lu." Shangluo greeted him.

He knew immediately that the person picking him up here must be Lu Huaiyang. Because there were hardly any people in North Town, they were all stationed in fixed places, and only South Town had outbound errands.