The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 808 Painter of the Floating World
The mountain breeze blew the lush old pines in front of the Crane Release Pavilion, causing waves to ripple, as if the old trees had become spirits. The falling pine needles danced in the wind, spreading out a piece of small words.

Time: The fourth year of the Ming Dynasty (1635)
Coordinates: Xuzhou·Fangheting, 37 degrees north latitude, 117·2 degrees east longitude

【task bar】

1. Persuade Zhu Youjian to abandon his evil ways and join the anti-vine army;

2. Kill at least one T-103 Tyrant (Super Tyrant);

3. Gather the materials for channel energy:

Dalang God Statue Paint (0/1)

Bricks and stones of Gudui Shrine (0/1)

Wakamu branches (0/1)

The source of the Huo River is Dalangshen, Guangsheng Temple, 38 miles east of Zhao County, and flows west to Hongdong County.

——"Taiping Huanyu Ji" Song Dynasty
There is a shrine to the god Duishu, probably because it is a water-like structure with yin and moisture. Its merit in moistening the earth is beyond compare among the ancient sages and wise men. It is natural for the people to have a temple there. Why should we rely on the queen of Yao and the concubine of Shun before we can worship it?

——"Record of Gudui Spring" by Sima Guang of the Song Dynasty

In the wilderness, there is a mountain called Dongye. On it grows a red tree with green leaves and red flowers, and its name is Ruomu.

——"The Great Wilderness Northern Classic"

Progress: None
Time remaining: 1 month and 4 days
Supplement: Generous rewards

It seems that Qi Meng is completing a very new task.

"Don't lie to me, I'm not well-educated. What's with 'Taiping Huanyu Ji' and 'Dahuang Jing'? They're all so weird. Is this history, fantasy, science fiction, immortal heroes, or martial arts? And, is this mission serious?"

"Gather all the paint, stones, and wood. Do you want me to make a figurine? Do I look anything like the figurine master Zhu Youxiao?"

While muttering to himself, he had already memorized the obscure task in his mind. After a while, the pine needles scattered and the Fanghe Pavilion returned to peace.

He knew it was the steward who was causing the trouble, so he said angrily:
"Damn it! I haven't been rewarded for killing Huang Taiji last time? We agreed on four energy blocks and leaving the Eastern World. Can the Senate show some trust? Where's the trust between people?"

Zhu Youjian, who was sitting opposite, looked at the King of Liao who was talking to himself with strange eyes.

At first, the time traveler thought that the King of Liao was wearing a Bluetooth headset - a common equipment for time travelers - and was talking to someone, but later he realized it was the system.

An inexplicable feeling of jealousy filled my heart.

There was a dinging sound in my ears, and the housekeeper who had been offline for two months finally came online.

"Sorry, No. 00001. There's a time difference in the outer galaxies, so I came across half the galaxy to see you. But the Titan monsters were rioting, so I'm late. Don't be angry, brother."

Qi Meng jumped three feet high and landed on the stone table. Zhu Youjian retreated repeatedly.

"Damn it! You're late! I thought all the elders in the Senate were dead!"

"I'm sorry, I wasn't talking about you." Qi Meng explained to Zhu Youjian while continuing to curse:
"I was nearly run over to death by Huang Taiji! The wild boar was roaring like it was in heat, and it smashed my embroidered spring sword into a knot. If I hadn't been lucky, I would have returned to my post in Shenyang!"

"I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. Don't be angry. As compensation, I will ask the Senate to give you an ancient divine weapon to replace the twisted knife."

"It's an Embroidered Spring Knife, not a Mahua Knife! And there's also Mahua Vine!"

Qi Meng asked angrily, "What else?"

"Five energy blocks, the extra one is considered compensation..."

Qi Meng suppressed his inner ecstasy and said proudly:
"Who the hell cares about energy blocks? I want to leave here! Leave this Caodan world! Right now!"

The butler was silent.

"No. 00001, five units of energy blocks have been deposited into your account. The key to the gate to the Eastern World is also in front of you. You must pick it up yourself."

"Who are you trying to fool? Don't think you can't commit fraud just because you're a scoundrel!"

"Number 00001, you haven't forgotten all the new tasks I just assigned you, have you?"

Qi Meng said with disdain: "I have a photographic memory."

"Okay, the key is right here. Complete the mission, I'll be waiting for you in the new world."

After saying the last sentence "I'll wait for you in the new world", the butler went offline again.

Qi Meng punched and kicked the air. The butler had already walked away from him. Two seconds later, he accepted the reality.

He turned to look at Zhu Youjian, who had a complicated expression, and said earnestly in the tone of a caring sister:

"Why did you voluntarily come to the Eastern World? Besides killing me and upholding so-called justice, what other reasons do you have? I really want to know."

The Chongzhen Emperor standing in front of him had a haggard face, gray hair at the temples, and wrinkles on his face when he smiled. He didn't look like he was in his thirties at all.

Zhu Youjian's throat moved, as if he had something to hide. He wanted to say something, but swallowed it back when it reached his lips.

"Go ahead, don't worry. The drones within a thirty-mile radius have been shielded by energy blocks. The Vine Company can't hear our conversation."

Zhu Youjian asked cautiously, "How many energy blocks do you have?"

"A few hundred."

"What? Hundreds?" Zhu Youjian's eyes widened. "That's enough to destroy the Eastern World many times over."

Zhu Youjian felt incredible. He didn't know why Qi Meng had so many energy blocks.

"Don't forget I used to be an employee of Vine Company. It's not illegal for a programmer to exploit a system bug to increase his own benefits."

Zhu Youjian reminded him: "As far as I know, you are wanted worldwide. If this is not considered a crime, then Wu Sangui is also a loyal minister."

Qi Meng grinned: "A programmer exploits a bug to modify game parameters. Can this be considered stealing?"

·····
"Why did you come to Eastworld? For world peace?"

"Of course not," Zhu Youjian said in a trembling voice, "They kidnapped my wife and son and threatened me."
"Only paranoid time travelers would believe that so-called force can solve all problems, like Liu Zhaosun before him... I hope to turn hostility into friendship and restore peace to the Eastern World. I want to resolve disputes in a completely new way. Together, you and I can destroy the vines. Or, you continue to be an NPC, and your wife and son could die at the hands of robots at any time."

Qi Meng spoke in a soft tone and with a sincere attitude.

However, Emperor Chongzhen had not yet recovered from his shock, so he did not immediately respond to the olive branch extended by the King of Liao.

"You mean, you and I should join forces to fight the vines?" Zhu Youjian's voice trembled.

"Yes, you know Taoist Zhang? The Taoist who can summon meteorites."

Zhu Youjian nodded: "Of course I know. Before I traveled through time, Tengman Company introduced him to you... but you killed him."

Since Qi Meng could easily get rid of Zhang and his group, it shouldn't be a problem for him to deal with himself.

"Then why don't you cooperate with the Taoist priest, but find me instead?"

Qi Meng shrugged his shoulders. "Zhang Yixing is a self-righteous time traveler. He thinks he is a god. He thinks he can kill Liu Zhaosun, kill Liu Kan... He thinks he can control everything. In fact, he is just an NPC."

Qi Meng stared into Zhu Youjian's eyes: "But you, unlike him, are a normal person."

Although the orientation is not normal.

Zhu Youjian was speechless.

"I read a book before I traveled through time."

Zhu Youjian was strong and calm: "I know that before you joined Tengman Company, you were also a part-time writer. It's normal for people who write novels to read a lot of books."

Qi Meng took this as a compliment from Zhu Youjian and nodded with a smile.

"That book is called 'An Artist of the Floating World.' It's set in Nagasaki between 1948 and 1950, and it chronicles the transformation of the elderly painter Ono Masuji in the s from depicting the glitz and glamour of the world (the glamorous life of geishas) to championing militarism..."

Zhu Youjian was not interested in pure literature, especially Japanese literature, but to express his respect for the King of Liao, he listened patiently.

"In the novel, an elderly painter explains why he has dedicated his life to depicting the 'vanity world', capturing the beauty of geisha houses after dark. Nothing in life can be grasped. You must recognize that the pleasures of this world will vanish the next day, vanished by morning."

"Like the painter Ono, we too will eventually become disillusioned, and Vine Company, like the unpredictable fate, controls life and death."

Qi Meng suddenly remembered something: "Did I tell you about Xiao Ye's ending?"

Zhu Youjian shook his head.

"He wholeheartedly supported the rise of militarism and nationalism in Japan in the 1930s, creating propaganda posters for the war of aggression against China and the Pacific War. He even denounced his own students as rebels (opposing the war) to the military, thereby gaining the favor of a war criminal and becoming a huge star... Later, when the war was lost and the reckoning with militarism came, everything Ono had done was undone."

As the sun set, dusk fell before they knew it. A crow, returning to its nest, landed on a pine tree beside the pavilion and began cawing. Qi Meng raised his musket and, without aiming, pulled the trigger. The crow flew down to the ground, leaving the surrounding guards dumbfounded.

"Auto-aiming system, the crow's cry is unlucky." Qi Meng explained.

In an instant, Zhu Youjian's heart was once again filled with loss and dissatisfaction, and of course more jealousy.

We were both time travelers, so why did Qi Meng have such a smooth journey thanks to the system's blessing, while I had nothing? Was it simply because I was an NPC? This wasn't fair.

"Brother, would you rather live in seclusion in Jiangnan, walking on thin ice for the rest of your life, and eventually be wiped out by the finger of an emotionless robot? Or would you rather join me and venture into the wider world, destroy the Vine Company, become the true savior, and continue human civilization?"

Compared with saving the universe and all mankind, themes such as saving the Ming Dynasty, continuing the Ming Dynasty, restoring the Ming Dynasty, rebelling and usurping power are too small in scope.

I believe that any time traveler with a little bit of blood in his veins would know what choice to make.

"Zhu Youjian, do you want the tragedy of Liu Zhaosun to happen again in the Eastern World? Only by destroying the vines can all planes return to normal!"

Zhu Youjian hesitated.

He knew very well that the vines were invincible. They were pervasive and omnipresent. They were powerful and could control everything behind the scenes.

As long as the artificial intelligence hiding deep in the Milky Way issues an order, the entire Eastern world will be destroyed in an instant. For the people living here, this is a complete dimensionality reduction attack.

Qi Meng clicked on the mind reading skill and instantly understood what Zhu Youjian was thinking.

"The Vine Company was built by humans. Humans can create it, and of course they can destroy it."

It was getting dark, the boundary between day and night was blurring, and the world was becoming unreal.

"Just do as I say, and I can guarantee your family will be safe!"

"Oh!"

Another unlucky owl was shot down.

"The cry of an owl at night is also unlucky." Qi Meng put away his musket and looked around: "You must make a decision quickly, otherwise mutant creatures may appear later..."

Zhu Youjian said stubbornly, "I know they have an energy transmission channel in the Eastern World. If we climb up along the channel, we can theoretically escape."

Qi Meng grabbed Zhu Youjian's shoulders and shook him hard.

"Where is the passage? Tell me!"

"In Paris, France, or Vienna, in the heart of some European capital, before entering the Eastern World, I accidentally saw the server data."

Mind reading showed that Zhu Youjian was not lying.

"OK! Let's go to Europe without further delay."

"Now?" Zhu Youjian hesitated.

"Of course not now. Let's go back to our respective homes and sort out our own messes first, and then meet up in Quanzhou."

Qi Meng pointed at the dark sky and said, "The Eastern World is collapsing. We must escape as soon as possible, find the Vine Company headquarters, blow it up, and put an end to all this."

~~~~
Abandoning everything and risking one's life to run to Europe in search of the so-called energy pipeline sounds too absurd. However, the reality is that Qi Meng's time is running out.

Before heading to Europe, he has to complete new tasks, collect materials for channel energy, and kill at least one super tyrant.

A long way to go.

(End of this chapter)