Ming Dynasty, New Rome, and Infinite Divine Machine

[This is news from the Imperial Prison. Their efficiency is really high. As expected, the interrogation will be completed within a day. If the Great Memory Recovery Technique was not used throughout the whole process, the efficiency would be much higher.]

"It's good to have a result. I'm not in a hurry to determine the sentence, but I have to give an explanation to classmate Lei."

【Who? 】

"That classmate who was cheated! The chubby one."

[Ah? Him? Do you still remember him?]

"Come on, he is my compatriot after all, of course I remember him. But you, your memory is not that bad, right?"

[The main thing is that I only have eyes for you. ]

"???"

[To be honest, it's really the truth. I'm still adapting to the optical vision, but the phlogiston vision is more in line with my instincts that I've developed since I was a child. Especially you, not everyone is like you, as conspicuous as a torch in the phlogiston vision. From the first time I saw you, my whole world was lit up by you. ]

Shangluo was silent for a while. "Why do I feel like you are trying to please me? Is it because Victoria is here that you feel a sense of crisis?"

【Tsk, you can listen to it if you want.】

"Actually, it's mainly my elder sister." Phaethon suddenly added.

[Wow! I forgot you were in the channel. Will you come back for dinner tonight?]

"I'll be back after I finish my work here. I'm packing my things in the employee lounge. I'm going to say goodbye today. I won't be working at McDonald's anymore."

"Are you finally taking a break?"

"No, it was your senior who paid me, the teaching assistant, twice as much! Twice! Their research lab has a lot of funding. I heard that a lot of it was paid out of his own pocket."

"Ah, indeed." Shangluo replied, "I remember that he did have a lot of money in his own treasury. However, I still don't know what your laboratory is researching."

“A Practical Study on Improving Interaction Logic Based on ‘Creationism in Social Engineering’ and ‘Ethics in Benevolence’. Awesome! The research object, research content, and research methods are all well written. Even if he doesn’t invest, this research project will definitely be able to apply for a lot of funding.”

"Huh? So, what does that mean?"

"It is about studying the ethics between the Creator and the creatures, the relationship between the ruler and his subjects, and between father and son. As a Creator, how can we build a sustainable and lasting relationship with the creatures, and allow both sides to achieve substantial progress and development from it?"

"This does seem like something he would do, and he has practical experience. But obviously, this isn't just for dealing with the relationship between the monarch and his subjects, right?"

"Hmm. It seems that he is conducting theoretical research for large-scale intervention in the 'created world'. He was also concerned about your creation of that cave, and the history and development there. Maybe he just wanted to observe something from you."

"I don't know how he will deal with the current situation in Japan." Shang Luo shook his head. "If he were here, I wonder if his decision would be different from mine."

"Ah? What do you think?"

"A new official has three things to do when he takes office. It's not a good idea to start these three things in the capital, right? Someone just happened to be caught in the crossfire, so of course I will hold him accountable to the utmost."

Chapter 995 Miss Sugar

[Excuse me. Shangluo, if you think so, then you should be very satisfied with the result of this inquiry.]

"is it?"

[Yes.] Apollonia gave a positive answer, [If you want to pursue unlimited responsibility, it would be better to say that this also happens to meet the wishes of Miss Sato.]

"What's going on? Is she here just to cause trouble?"

[She wanted to attract the attention of the heavenly court. Stealing the elixir was just her improvisation. What she wanted to do was to let the imperial court directly intervene in the political situation of Japan and enforce justice, so that the Tokugawa family could regain control of the shogunate.]

"Is it authentic?"

[These are what she had in mind. She asked all the questions she should ask, and explained them very quickly. The rest is unclear. But one thing is certain - Miss Sato is serious about that little fat boy, Mr. Lei.]

"Does he know?"

【He had no idea. He was kept in the dark from beginning to end.】

"This is a good result. But in this case, I have to give him an explanation. It doesn't matter what happens to others, or how Miss Sato is dealt with. What I care about is that as a party involved and a victim, and also as my classmate, we have to inform him of the result. He needs to have some peace of mind."

[Wow, I discovered that you are sometimes kind. To your own people.]

"This is natural. I don't think it's a personal trait of mine. Caring for one's companions is an innate virtue of human beings."

[So are you going to tell her now? ]

"Well, please send me the information. I'm quite busy right now, but I can make the call myself."

[Your service is quite considerate. The information has been sent to you.]

"Please go ahead, Shangluo." On the other end of the phone, Lei Fu had already prepared himself mentally, "At this point, no matter what the facts are, I will accept them."

"Shiruzo, this is her code name. We will call her Shiruzo now."

"Did she lie to me? Isn't her last name Teng? I thought she was from Ryukyu. I thought her last name was Teng."

"She didn't lie to you. Her real name is Sugar. Sugar sounds the same as Sato in Japanese. She told you her real name. Her family runs a small sugar-making workshop and there are five brothers and sisters in the family. Sugar is their family's best-selling product. As the eldest daughter, she was named Sugar."

"What's her last name?"

"The Japanese don't have surnames like we do. The Japanese surnames represent the class they belong to. Other feudal lords use their own manors as surnames to distinguish each other, such as the Ashikaga clan in Ashikaga Manor. I don't know what you call her now, so I'll call her Miss Shiruzo. As an ordinary civilian, she doesn't have her own surname or clan name."

"Then how did Shiliu come up with this name?"

"That's her stage name. Or, it's a code name. After being promoted to a ninja by the Tokugawa family, she was trained in the Hattori Ninja Army, which has a tradition of serving the Tokugawa. This group of ninjas has been serving the Tokugawa family since the civil war in Japan. And she was chosen for only one reason."

"What is it?"

"She is very white. Her eyebrows are very thin, and her lips are very thin. She looks like someone from Kinai."

"Ah... Is this her sin, or her fate? What did she do?"

"As the case is still under investigation, I can't reveal the details right now. But I can say this: while she was instructed by the Tokugawa family, her actions were entirely of her own free will and not under duress. In fact, the Tokugawa family treated her quite well, training her as a spy to infiltrate Kinai. Therefore, from a young age, she received a literary education that was sufficiently convincing to be mistaken for real."

"Yes! That's right! She has read all the textbooks I have read. She has also read all the comics I have read. I thought we got along very well but I didn't expect that..."

"There's something I want to ask. It has nothing to do with the final outcome, but I want to hear your opinion."

"I am guilty, can you arrest me as well?"

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that." Shangluo replied, "Think carefully about your parents."

Shangluo reminded him with brief words.

"." He was silent for a while, and then woke up immediately, in less than 5 seconds, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that just now. I can't live only for myself. I was too impulsive just now."

"I understand." Shang Luo nodded on the phone. "If it were anyone else, I'm afraid they wouldn't be able to calm down in such a short time. I just want to tell you not to do anything stupid. If you have anything to say to her, we can help pass it on. If you have anything to say to us, please tell us now."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"You should have heard of the methods used by the Imperial Prison. If possible, we don't want to use too many technical means, which will inevitably cause damage. For the time being, we just used ordinary conversations to get a lot of valuable information from her. But there is one thing we are not sure of: she may not even know what she has forgotten."

"Is that possible?"

"Yes. From my experience, I have seen many people who can do it. So for her and for your own sake, I suggest you recall it - of course, it doesn't matter if you can't remember it, because this matter has nothing to do with you anymore."

"Wait! I think I can still recall it!"

"Time waits for no one." Shang Luo looked at his watch. "I suggest you make plans early. If you really can't remember, don't force it. Because no matter what she confesses, no matter what you do, I'm afraid it won't shake her guilt in the slightest. Do you understand?"

"Wait, I remember she gave me a coin!"

"coin?"

"Yes! I have a coin here! She gave it to me on my birthday. I saw she was very serious about it. I just remembered it too."

[Indeed, he did just remember it. Did you help him restore his memory? How did you do that?]

"Sincerity. After all, he is one of us, so it's enough as long as he is sincere enough. Of course, I am prepared for his uncooperativeness, but I don't want to make a big deal out of it. After all, the Heavenly Court only cares about the Heavenly Court's affairs."

Then he said to Lei Fu: "The Royal Guards will come to you to get the coins in a while. What do you say? Do you have any other requests? For example, you want to see her?"

"I still... I still can't do it." He replied, "I know the seriousness of this matter. I have a family and my parents. I am not a very smart child. I took a long time to pass the exam for the Chinese Academy. I want to be a historian in the future. As a historian, I separate my life and work. I think this is the most basic quality."

"Thank you for your help with the case. I'll give you a few words of advice. You won't be implicated in this case. You can trust your own people. I'll get it myself later. Just give it to me."

He hung up the phone and said to Phaethon:

"You heard it, too, right? I'm going out for a while. The house is too messy, so let's go out for dinner tonight. Where to go? Let's go to Songlin Pavilion to check it out. It seems like someone wants to order some special dishes there."

Chapter 996 Going out

The sun sets, but the seven-colored glow is still hanging in the sky.

After the initial shock, everyone had begun to turn a blind eye to this wonder - this was also thanks to the monument of divine merit and saintly virtue erected by Shangluo that attracted everyone's attention. The court has not yet issued a complete explanation, but the answer is already obvious.

Shang Luo sat in the back seat of Grani's car, the street lights outside the window slowly receded. He half leaned against the window and looked at the pedestrians on the roadside.

Everyone really acted as if nothing had happened.

[So, you won't punish him for colluding with the Japanese? ]

"You mean Xiao Lei? He can be cured, and the Royal Guards can find a reason to arrest him, but there's no need. Ascension is imminent, there's no need for us to fight ourselves, just turn a blind eye."

[Well, we should focus on the deeds instead of the heart, right? ]

Shang Luo nodded: "Everyone has their own little thoughts, and Senior Fu has hidden a trick up his sleeve. I am not interested in investigating what others are thinking one by one. As long as he behaves in a restrained, controlled, and rational manner, does not break the rules, and does not cause trouble for the court, I will just pretend that I didn't see it."

[I just don't know if the coins he gave me can provide any valuable information.]

"Oh, by the way, where is this navigation heading to? After we go to the school to get the coins, where is the restaurant that Phaethon chose?"

[The navigation target is Jinling Hotel. ]

"Wow, she's quite extravagant."

"Wow!!!" A voice of amazement suddenly came from the seat next to me, "Shangluo! That! That! Isn't that Talos?!"

Victoria, who was sitting next to her, was startled by the scene outside the window. Through the gap between the buildings, she saw a familiar figure - the colossus Talos, who had stood guard in Rhodes, was now standing guard here. Although he was dressed in a different outfit, it was no surprise that Victoria could recognize his identity at a glance. It was Talos.

"Oh, by the way, I almost forgot. You don't know what happened here yet. Anyway, for various reasons, Talos is standing there just for show."

"For what reason? Did Phaethon promise to give it to you? That's the most important asset of Rhodes Island! Why did she start moving things here before she even got married?"

"Don't tell her this when you see her later. By the way, why did you have to come here? Can't you eat in the palace?"

"Isn't it rude to leave the guests alone? So to fulfill your courtesy, I have no choice but to come and eat with you."

"Thank you very much. But I am surprised that Ms. Agatha didn't come with me."

"She doesn't follow me around 24 hours a day. She's a Spartan, not a fussy Athenian. In principle, she won't pursue every detail if she can."

【What's wrong with the Athenians? Are you dissatisfied? 】

"Oh, you two, you start quarreling after being together for only five minutes. I don't know how you have managed to survive for thousands of years."

"So we split up," Victoria replied. "After the division into the Eastern and Western Empires, the Latins and Greeks no longer met each other, so they just divided up everything. But now Athens and Sparta do not refer to the city-states of birth, but to the ethnic groups. Because Athens and Sparta show completely different national styles."

"Which side are you on, then?"

"Me? I'm neither. I'm a Corinthian by ethnicity. The ancestors of the Palaiologos-Isaurian dynasty originated from Corinth."

The Corinthians are a symbol of Pan-Latinism because the original Corinth was destroyed by the Romans, who rebuilt the Greek capital of Corinth on its ruins. They are the Roman lackeys.

"I am the Roman emperor! What Roman running dog? Is there anyone who is both an emperor and a running dog? Besides, ethnicity is just a label. All Romans in the world are my subjects. So this matter about Phaethon."

She glanced at Shangluo.

"Ah," Victoria covered her forehead, "If it were someone else, I would immediately ask them to withdraw their decision if they gave away the empire's property. But if you give it to them, the empire's legacy will be entrusted to you. It's something that was originally meant for you. But."

"but?"

"But can't we wait until Rome is dead before taking it away? If we take it away now, there will always be a sense of loss as power falls from our hands."

"Uh," Shangluo thought for a moment, "Actually, I just put on a piece of clothing. If you mind, you can drive back."

"Forget it. Her decision is also the Empire's decision."

[But in other words, if you don't know it yourself, it means that this matter has nothing to do with you, right? ]

"Ah? Wuu?" Victoria was choked by the sudden critical hit.

That's true. As a genuine "child emperor" who was ruled by her father, she really didn't know a lot of things. The precious war machine of Talos was sent here, which triggered her instinctive sense of crisis as a monarch. But after thinking about it carefully, it seemed that there was really nothing to worry about. And Apollonia's words directly hit her pain point - she didn't know about this matter, precisely because she didn't need to be informed of this matter.

Sending Talos here was not decided by Phaethon alone. At least it was agreed by Rhodes Island, and her father, co-emperor Agathocles, could not have been unaware of it. In the end, she, the legitimate emperor, was the last to know, and she even saw it from the scene, from a casual glance outside the car window.

Victoria's mood dropped at a speed visible to the naked eye.