Ming Dynasty, New Rome, and Infinite Divine Machine

Communication is a tool for communication. Although it can only connect with one person, for a moment, Phaethon felt as if everything had returned to normal. As long as...

Suddenly, Fu Fu stood up.

She looked back at Yanqiu, then at Phaethon, walked up to it, and sat down on the table.

"This is??"

"Phone call. If Fufu is looking for you, the call is for you. Hey, that's strange. It's obviously my number, why is it for you? Ah, it's Mr. Shangluo. Please answer it."

Phaethon picked up the toy panda and placed it against her ear. She felt like she had done this as a child, using strange dolls, building blocks, or other things as telephones.

It was dinner time, and there were a lot of other people around, so holding the teddy bear felt a bit socially awkward.

"Hello?" She asked in a low voice, "Shangluo? What can I do for you?"

Phaethon hung up the phone.

"Ms. Yanqiu! Please help me order some food! Something happened!"

"Huh?" Yanqiu didn't understand what was happening, but immediately called the waiter.

A waiter in a formal suit stood by, holding a clipboard. "What would you like to order, ladies?"

"I want a chicken drumstick. It has to be ready in 15 minutes, no, 10 minutes." Phaethon spoke faster. "And most importantly! It has to be made in a tin can! It has to be made in a tin can."

"Ah, this." The waiter blinked. Could this be someone coming to challenge the master? If restaurants were like martial arts schools, the Jinling Hotel would be a prestigious sect like Wudang Mountain, with five signs outside advertising Sichuan, Shandong, Guangdong, Huaihai, and Nanyang cuisine. They can cook anything.

"Can you do it?" Yanqiu also asked.

"I can do it, but..." the waiter hesitated. With such a strange request, he wasn't sure if they were truly here to challenge him, or just to cook. It was logically impossible for someone to challenge Jinling Hotel, just as it was unlikely for someone to challenge Wudang Mountain.

"Here." Yanqiu flipped his hand and slapped three large coins on the table. "If you can make it, take this."

"Three big coins? Wait a minute! Wait a minute! I'll call the chef right away!" This guy is here to challenge the chef, that's for sure. All challengers do this: first make a strange request, then pay out three big coins.

"I can do it!" He came back in less than a minute. "Please wait. The chicken legs in the tin will be ready in 10 minutes. The chef knows what you want. The head chef will come and serve the dishes himself. Please wait."

Chapter 312 Chicken Legs

"Where's the chicken? Is the tin can chicken ready?" Shangluo trotted up to the second floor, still panting.

"Right away, just one minute. Sit down first." Yanqiu poured him a glass of water. "I knew it was about Tianyi Nobleman the moment I heard it. You promised them chicken legs, right?"

"Right, right, right." With a professional like Yanqiu by his side, Shangluo felt more at ease. "What if they can't eat?"

"Oh, actually, there's no need to worry. At most, they'll just resign. As long as they haven't been promoted from heavenly soldiers to heavenly generals, they won't jump out and beat us up, okay?"

Suddenly, she glanced at the camera. Even though it was not powered on, the light on the camera was still on.

"How can you light up the lights by yourself? How did you become a heavenly general? You were fine just now! Did they beat you up?"

"No."

"The tempers of this room are quite good. Unlike the Heavenly Generals and Heavenly Soldiers, they can already make concrete impacts on a macro level—just like spellcasting before the Foundation Establishment stage is only known to Heaven, Earth, you, and me, and not necessarily visible on a macro level. Only after the Foundation Establishment stage can you cast fireballs or something like that. They're so eager to eat the chicken legs. Did you offend them in some way?"

"Will they really jump out and beat people?"

"Well, it depends. The generals are our own people, so they usually won't lose their temper unless you've offended them enough. What on earth did you ask them to do?"

Shangluo roughly recounted what had happened before.

"You had them form a phase from noon to night? You even took them on a hypersonic aircraft, infiltrated the Pot of Heaven, and encountered a giant snake? Ah, they've been holding their tempers up until now. No, besides the spiritual fluid, did you give them anything else? Otherwise, they would have taken action long ago."

"For example," Shangluo asked tentatively, "Do they have any superiors?"

"Yes. The chief commander of all the Heavenly Generals is the Marshal of the Central Altar, commanding the five battalions of divine soldiers in front, back, left, right, and center. However, the position of Marshal of the Central Altar is still vacant."

"Vacant? Wait," he thought for a moment, "You mean, the positions of heavenly soldiers and generals can be filled?"

"Otherwise, why do you think we should practice Heavenly Dao Shadow Puppetry? Heavenly Dao Shadow Puppetry can cultivate the Primordial Spirit into a Dharmakaya. Even when the end comes, it can continue to exist with the Dharmakaya, and can also be summoned back as a Heavenly General - but unlike the Heavenly Nobleman, the Heavenly Nobleman is the Primordial Spirit of Heavenly Father and Earthly Mother. So they start as Heavenly Soldiers, and only after practicing well can they be promoted to Heavenly Generals."

"So I can still summon those seniors back as heavenly generals?"

"It's not about inviting them back, it's about using their talismans. Because you're no longer mobilizing their own power, but the talismans of the 'Temple of Heaven Jade'."

"Wait." Shangluo suddenly thought that he seemed to have seen a similar scene.

"Is Senior Wen Yan considered one of the Heavenly Generals?"

"Senior Wen Yan?" Yan Qiu thought for a moment, "Which Wen Yan are you talking about?"

"A Thunder Cultivator who failed in his foundation building more than ten years ago. Even Daozu felt very sorry for him."

"I haven't heard of him. I guess he didn't become a general. Do you know him?"

"The one next to me this morning is his son."

"So that person is the Jinyiwei? I thought he was your follower."

"No, no, we're friends."

"Ah," she thought about it carefully again, "although it's a pity, it seems that there really isn't such a Heavenly General - but logically speaking, his cultivation is sufficient. It's just that not everyone with sufficient cultivation can become a Heavenly General. But that person, 'Fellow Daoist Wu' you just mentioned, has the potential to become a Heavenly General, or even a higher-level Heavenly Official. It's possible that he could be appointed a Marshal. Although he hasn't practiced Taoism, it's not too late for him to cultivate talismans now."

"What about the 'Marshal of the Central Altar'?"

"Marshal of the Central Altar? That's a high-ranking marshal, the leader of all the heavenly troops. While the 'Thunder Masters' of the Thunder Department are the main force of the heavenly soldiers and generals, the Fighting Department, Water Department, Fire Department and the like also have their own troops. The Marshal of the Central Altar's status is higher than that of the marshals of other departments - why are you asking this? Has anyone verified it now? No one has such high magical powers now, right?"

"What if there is?"

"If there is, that's truly amazing. But I haven't thought of anyone who can attain the status of Zhongtan Yuanshuai—unless they're like Nezha. After Nezha's body was born in the lotus, he became one with his primordial spirit, just like a 'Tianyi Nobleman' who has reached the pinnacle of cultivation. Well, if you can really connect with him, you could certainly make the Tianyi Noblemen listen to you. You don't really know him, do you?"

"Ah~~ well," Shang Luo changed the subject. "Um... Yue Jiang's talisman seems to be much more troublesome than inviting Tian Yi Guiren?"

"Yes, after all, they're different from the Yuan Lings who were born and raised by nature. They're human, and they can't just eat canned food like Tianyi Guiren. In Journey to the West, the Heavenly Palace also has 100,000 heavenly soldiers and 80,000 naval forces, and Sun Wukong can transform into 84,000 monkey soldiers. Although these are all sentient beings, they are all transformed from Yuan Lings - after all, you haven't heard of any Taoist priests cultivating the status of heavenly soldiers. But as for Tianyi Guiren, you have to learn how to manage a team, which is another kind of trouble."

There was a bustling sound at the other end of the lobby. A food delivery cart came over, but with it came a chef wearing a dunce cap.

"Ah, here they come. It's true that professional teams are different. If it weren't for them this time, we would probably have to fight the Heavenly General for a while."

I glanced at my watch and saw that there were still 5 minutes left before the deadline. It was incredibly fast and I would still have time even if I ordered a second one.

The head chef was in his forties or fifties. As a chef, he was different from other respectable people. He didn't have a beard, but instead had a clean-cut face. As a chef, a neat and tidy appearance was a very important part of his image.

He followed the food delivery cart all the way here, trying to guess who ordered the dish.

However, when he reached Shangluo's table, he was a little surprised. These kids didn't look like they were here to challenge him, and they certainly looked hungry.

He placed three small tin cans with lids from the food cart in front of the three people one by one and asked, "Who of you ordered 'Chicken Drumsticks in a Tin Can in Ten Minutes'?"

"It's me." Shangluo replied.

"It's you?" He stared at Shangluo for a while, "Do you know what you're ordering?"

Shangluo shook his head. "I don't know either. I just really need to eat the canned chicken thighs within 10 minutes. If I don't, I'll starve to death."

"Then why did you pay three large coins?"

"Because we want to eat it as soon as possible." Yanqiu replied, "I'm sorry to trouble you."

"Hey, you scared me!" the head chef shook his head. He'd actually thought someone was here to challenge him. While Jinling Hotel didn't have a custom of serving dishes to guests, head chefs rarely cooked directly, focusing more on the kitchen's production. He'd heard someone was coming to challenge him, so he took charge of the entire process himself, completing this "chicken drumstick in a tin in under ten minutes" with the skill of a master chef.

"Since this is a normal order, please take back the three large coins worth 3000 yuan. I'll make a bill for you later and you can pay as usual. Three orders total 60 wen. Thank you for your patronage."

"So cheap?" Shangluo was stunned for a moment, "What is this?"

"This is what you ordered—chicken legs in a tin can, ready in ten minutes. There's only one dish on our menu that meets this requirement: the Nanyang cuisine dish, Javanese Coconut Milk Curry Chicken. This dish, according to tradition, is served in a tin can. It's chicken, and it's definitely ready in ten minutes, because you just have to scoop it out of the curry pot and serve it on a plate. But I gave it a three-dollar latte. Okay, try it."

He opened the small tin cans for the three of them. Inside, a rich pot of curry shone a vibrant green, a color achieved with basil, green chilies, coriander, cloves, cinnamon, and plenty of fresh nutmeg, imbued with the distinctive botanical aroma of Southeast Asian curry. On top, a layer of white coconut milk was latte art created in the style of "Moonlight on Pine Cranes." The three cans featured three different styles: Watching Cranes, Startled Cranes, and Flying Cranes. The chicken pieces floated perfectly, and the latte art followed the mountain's contours, creating a cliff-like shape.

Although the taste is no different, this is the presentation of "Three Big Dollars".

The light on the box came on.

They...they didn't know what to say anymore. They'd forgotten the timer. They said, "Don't touch the latte art. Bring it in all at once." Ah, they said, "Just looking at it makes them full. This is the spirit of craftsmanship. This is what they've always wanted to eat." They were so full just looking at it, they wanted to take it home to share with everyone.

There is one more update before 1 o'clock.

Chapter 313 It’s so delicious

"What do you think?" Yan Qiu asked him after the chefs had left, "Are you satisfied with the food in the box?"

"They said they were very satisfied and there was too much to finish. They wanted to take some home to share with everyone."

"Yes, that's exactly what happens." Yanqiu nodded. "Tianyi Guiren is a 'Yin God' in the classification of Yin and Yang Gods. Their food is actually Qi. They want to eat canned food because Sa Zu uses iron cans according to the rules. They eat the sincerity and care in the cans. This latte art curry is full of sincerity, so much so that it's about to overflow. Although it's only a small can, the six of them can't finish it, so they have to pack it up and eat it together. Ah, then I'm going to start eating. How do I use the spoon?"

This was the first time she had seen latte art on curry. Compared to tea latte art, curry had to consider the position of the chicken, so it seemed more "at your fingertips" and interesting. She also wanted to eat it.

"Wait. Oh yes, wait a minute!" Shangluo raised his hand while holding the mobile phone.

"what's up?"

"Wait, they have something to say"

They said, and I'm paraphrasing: "This is so delicious! It's heavenly! Please, please, we want more. Can you give us the other two portions too? We all want more after we take away, and one isn't enough."

".That's what they said." Shangluo also relayed the words.

"Isn't this wording wrong?" Phaethon asked, "Is the word 'heavenly music' used to describe food?"

"Well," Yanqiu, a professional, thought for a moment and said, "Theoretically, not. But the cultural level of a Tianyi Guiren follows that of their master, so just ignore what I said. There's another reason, too. Tianyi Guiren appreciates exquisite gifts, which, to some extent, can truly be considered 'heavenly music,' a kind of 'synaesthesia.' Well, although it doesn't sound right, it's actually the saying 'great wisdom appears foolish.' It's a sign of great wisdom."

I'm trying to decide whether to give her a red flower or a black flower. Never mind, she's not my responsibility. But it sounds awkward.

Shangluo wanted to hold back his laughter, but as a non-professional, he couldn't.

"What are you laughing at? I'm serious," Yanqiu replied. "This means those Tianyi nobles want to owe you something."

"Is there such a thing?"

"Yes. Tianyi Guiren is very particular about cause and effect. They are very angry if you don't let them leave work on time, right? Because you owe them karma, and they must get it back - so don't underestimate this little kid, they have very strict rules. But they actually want to owe you money and want to buy you food on credit. This is very powerful."

"Eh? How awesome is that?"

"Do you know why pandas are national treasures?" Yanqiu looked at him. "Because of their supreme benevolence, they possess the strength of bears, yet they don't actively hunt or kill living creatures. They only eat meat they stumble upon, independent of karmic consequences. Of course, we now know that pandas eat bamboo rats, but the above is a myth. This myth implies the principle of 'begging for alms.' Pandas are born to beg for alms. If pandas could cultivate immortality, they would all be hermit immortals in the bamboo forest."

"So if they take the initiative to eat, it means they want to take the initiative to owe karma? Why?"

"Maybe it's because it's so delicious. Tianyi Guiren is a small-time celestial soldier, after all, so it's reasonable that he couldn't resist because it's so delicious. However, they are all celestial generals, and they still couldn't resist. Maybe it's because this curry is so delicious. After all, the chefs at the Jinling Hotel are national treasures. This latte art is also made according to state banquet standards. Let me ask you, do you really want to eat it?"

"I can't bear to eat it, it's so beautiful."

"You see, that's why. You give them food that you yourself wouldn't eat. So they feel really sorry for you. But they can't help themselves and want to ask for more to bring back for everyone to eat. I have no objection. Tianyi Guiren rarely ask for anything, so since they have asked, why not fulfill their wish?"

"What about you?" he asked Phaethon again.

"I'm not a child anymore." Phaethon pushed the curry aside.

"okay."

Shangluo also put the lids on the other two curries, drew two circles on the lids with his key, and put them into the camera box. The box was a bit heavy at first, but it felt light as soon as the lids were closed.

They said thank you! Thank you so much! They packed up their chicken curry and sent it back. See you tomorrow!

"Well, say hello for me too. See you tomorrow."

After greeting them, the box felt lighter. He opened a corner of the box and took a look: the six beans inside were all gone, and all the lights in the room were turned off. In the entrance hall were several pairs of sesame-sized slippers. They were the slippers they wore in the studio and wore their original shoes when they left work.

"Okay, it's our turn now." Yanqiu asked him, "Shangluo, have you had dinner tonight? Why don't we eat together?"

"Well, thank you. But even if you give me a meal, the most I can do is treat you back. I won't help you draw a picture."

"No need to ask, I just want to ask you something: although borrowing is a bit too much, I would like to borrow Miss Phaethon's working time, is that okay?"

"Sure." As the employer and the most likely future creditor, Shangluo agreed immediately. "What do you like about her?"

"Her discernment and taste for beauty are at the master level, and I'm not as good as her. So I want her to teach me as an agent."

"Do you agree?" he asked Phaethon again, and the latter nodded.

"Okay, go ahead. But if possible, could you sign a formal employment agreement with her?"

"Of course it will be signed."

With this said, the issue of Phaethon’s “right of residence” was resolved.

"Great!" Phaethon's heart was finally at ease. "Eat, eat! I'm hungry. I've been lifting machines all afternoon."

"We haven't ordered Shangluo's dishes yet. Wait, waiter, please bring the menu. Also, I'm packing these three curries back to your room and will return the jars to you tomorrow."