Ming Dynasty, New Rome, and Infinite Divine Machine

Finally, it's time to put it on the shelves.

The most important thing is the book, so I would like to take this opportunity to talk to you about its contents.

You may have noticed that the theme and style of this book are somewhat different from other books on the market. For example, why is building a foundation so difficult? For example, why are the Qigong practitioners here worldly instead of otherworldly?

The framework of this book is based on Gnosticism, a field that's rarely discussed in modern pop culture (though it seems to be surging again). The most famous examples are the video game "The Elder Scrolls" and the tabletop game "World of Darkness." Loosely speaking, Gnostics are the opposite of Cthulhu. Cthulhu's themes are cold, while Gnostics' themes are fiery.

While rarely mentioned, Gnosticism has long permeated popular culture through fields like alchemy, and it shares many similarities with traditional Chinese practices of cultivating immortality, cultivating the mystical, and cultivating the true. The idea for this book was born from the fusion of the two. However, as a nod to the original Gnosticism, the concept of the "Roman Empire" was incorporated. As a counterpoint to the "Taiyi Jinhua" of taoist cultivation, Rome draws on the "Golden Bough" (an 1890 anthropological work by James Frazer) as its core concept.

Jinhua (Flowers) and Golden Branches can also be the subtitle of this book.

But all of the above are just settings. Settings ultimately need to be integrated into the story, otherwise they're just castles in the air. I'll list below what you can and won't see:

What you won't see:

The King of the Mountain Who Changed His Skin for Thousands of Years and Whose Ending Is Unknown?

The resentment of "those who follow me will prosper, those who oppose me will perish"

Kill monsters to level up and change maps. Use a stick to hit small crayfish, a staff to hit mutant lobsters, and a strengthened staff to hit strengthened lobsters.

Data-based Immortal Cultivation × (I actually really like data-based immortal cultivation, but it’s been written about many times before, so I won’t write about it.)

What you'll see:

A fictional history based on "bounded rationality (rather than pure rationality)"

A familiar yet unfamiliar world, and all the sights and sounds in it√

"When the Stars of Humanity Shine" √

Early space exploration based on supernatural powers√

Jingluo ecstasy√

The daily food of Lao Zhu's family√

It looks like steampunk elements, but it's actually a cyberpunk story√

It looks like a cyberpunk story, but it actually has a steampunk core√

Finally, a word about updates. While it's been a while since I started writing this, this is actually my second book. Readers familiar with me know that I can write a book up to 800 million words without breaking down, and I can consistently update it with high quality and quantity from the start. My main goal is companionship. When you visit Qidian every day, there are always updates waiting for you.

Of course, this book probably won’t be as long as 800 million words. The second part will be published at about the same time, and the second part is expected to be a continuation of this book.

至于每天更多少：三更四更五更都有可能，晚上12点到中午12点之前会更完。晚上12：01至少会更出来一章，今天的更新量或者其他事都会在12：01的那一章里面说明。

So please keep me company from now on. There's a long, long story to tell.

Chapter 97 Chariot

"Everyone, great news! We've got a great deal! We've got the continuously variable transmission!"

Shangluo opened the door in front, and Qi Yuan walked in waving a memo, as if to bring back the victory of an era - but there was no one in the activity room, instead they were all at the garage door, leaving Qi Yuan with only a row of backs.

It seemed that someone heard a sound behind him, and turned around to see him:

"Squad leader, do you want to stop them?"

"What are they doing?"

"Look for yourself." Several people made way to let Qi Yuan pass.

She put the memo in the filing cabinet for safekeeping before exiting the garage door. She saw Han Xingzhi digging at the base of the wall at the edge of the test track with a shovel. There was a crack in the wall, through which bushes peeped. She could also see Wen Yuan digging on the opposite side with a shovel.

"Hey! What are you two doing?!"

"They're going to dig through the wall between the training center and the instruction center so they can get our tanks through," a strange voice came from beside her. It belonged to someone she didn't recognize. He was wearing the training center's military-style black uniform, a soft-topped military cap, and a golden plum blossom on his collar, symbolizing a trainee officer.

"Who is your Excellency?"

"Next door." She pointed across the wall. "My name is Lu Liang. I'm the squad leader and driver of your new driver."

"Ah! Hello, Lu Liang." The two people maintained a formal smile. They were not familiar with each other at all and didn't know what the other was going to do.

"Hello. Oh, Shangluo is here too. I knew you were here. Did you poach him?"

"Uh, is this considered poaching?"

"Yeah, but he also dug you over, so the good and the bad cancel each other out. Now the problem is this wall: you guys want to help repair the tank, and I'm very grateful. But if only people come over, the tank can't get through. Even if we file a report, we won't be allowed to drive onto the road. So these two guys are going to dig out this middle wall. They say they want to bring the tank over to do some repairs."

"Can this wall be dug?" Shangluo was stunned. "Why didn't you stop them?"

"Because I also want to see how this car can be modified."

Shangluo was about to say something when he heard two people over there cheering "Wuhu" and the wall collapsed.

A crack was dug in the 3-meter-high wall, and Wen Yuan turned around and jumped into the car.

The "brush" moved. A large clump of shrubs roared past the brick ruins and sneaked its way into the front half of the car. Wen Yuan's head emerged from the "brush." He looked around and then retracted his head. Then he stepped on the accelerator and the "brush" came over.

Everyone present sighed in agreement. Even though this was Yujing, it wasn't every day you saw a real chariot.

After crossing over, Wen Yuan got out of the car and removed the camouflage bushes around him, throwing them into a pile at the small gap in the wall.

The vehicle's true form was revealed: a Type 3 Cavalry Tank, or Type 5 Light Tank. Shangluo had seen it in the newspapers. It seemed a very "new" tank. Unlike previous tanks with three or even five turrets, these newly developed cavalry tanks were much more "modest." They had only one turret and a crew of no more than four, and the Type 1 Light Tank had a crew of only three. The image of the platoon of light tanks charging in formation with the cavalry made headlines. It was a refreshing and shocking sight.

Before this, the royal army was organized according to the "Cheng" system—the same system described in the Zhou Li. The chariots of a thousand or ten thousand chariots. A gentleman's chariot is ridden by a villain.

The military organization closely resembled that of the Zhou Li, with a single chariot leading the way, followed by 50 to 70 infantrymen. The infantry would not leave the chariot's protection, and the chariot would not leave the infantry's support. The infantry was organized into three ranks: the emperor's Yulin Army, the guards' Huben Army, and the tributary states' armored troops.

During the golden age of chariot warfare, the imperial court commanded a massive army of 27000 Yulin chariots, Hu Ben chariots, and armored soldiers. Rome employed a similar organizational structure, mobilizing approximately knightly chariots, though the exact figures are less precise than those of the Ming Dynasty. Because Europe was the birthplace of technological barbarism, Rome faced significantly greater pressure.

"So, the imperial court has always fought wars according to the Zhou rituals?" he asked Lu Liang beside him.

"The Zhou rituals are perfectly adequate here. They are tactics specifically designed to combat the barbarians, and are well-suited to the prevailing battlefield conditions. Furthermore, using chariot warfare as a key strategy can induce the barbarians to invest their limited resources in endless military upgrades. Those technologically advanced barbarians love to ponder these ideas, but they will never be able to defeat two world empires simultaneously."

"Then why has the court changed its mind recently?

"Because it won't last forever. Chariots, as massive as they are, require a massive logistical support force and artillery firepower to hold them in place. Even in major battles, only 800 chariots can be deployed at a time, as the battlefield's width and supply lines simply can't sustain them. Meanwhile, those technologically advanced barbarians are becoming increasingly resilient. They've developed trenches that even 400 chariots can't break through. Twelve years earlier, the Roman army encountered a similar situation during the Rhine Wars. Ultimately, the Romans dismounted their chariots, charged into the trenches, and only then repelled the Germans with close combat. The imperial court and Rome have discussed this matter specifically."

She thought for a moment. "If I'm not mistaken, your father went to Alexandria to attend the 'Technology Synchronization and Science and Technology Ethics Conference' that we hold regularly with Rome. We both sides regularly synchronize and exchange research and development progress to avoid wasting Earth's resources due to duplication of research. Future research and judgment are also included in the meetings. This year's meeting in Alexandria saw a number of professionals from both sides. My father accompanied the plane for part of the trip and returned five days before leaving for Yangzhou on a business trip. This world is truly getting faster and faster."

“Why do I feel like so many things are changing so quickly lately?”

"Yeah, the last ten years. My dad always says that the changes in the last ten years have been so fast that he can't keep up. For example, this wall here has been there for decades. It's just a thin wall separating our garages. But for decades, we've had almost no cooperation. I didn't expect that in just a few hours today, those two guys would even tear down the wall."

"Has it never happened before? But since you're so close, why don't you communicate?"

"Hmm" Lu Liang thought for a while.

I thought about it for a while.

The others in the convoy had already rushed over to touch the tank. Although it was a training vehicle for cadets, it was also a serious heavy weapon under firearms control and a symbol of "great gift".

Chapter 98 Heavenly Man

Only Qi Yuan was still standing in the distance, shaking his head as he looked at the team members who had started to go crazy.

"Captain Qi, why is it that we have no contact before, even though we are separated by a wall?"

"Well, we engineers have a saying: If it can be used, don't touch it. Since there's no precedent, no one will mess with it. I think the various Yujing teams haven't joined together for similar reasons."

"I heard you got the Wuhu team's aviation engine?"

"Huh???" Qi Yuan was stunned. "How did you know?"

"Because we have collected it. So how did it come from?"

"Because of transfer students. The only way for us students to communicate with each other is through transfer students. There was a transfer student in our class whose military status was transferred along with his father. After that, I went to the Army Aviation several times to get the version they used last year."

"Is he really a transfer student? It's said that many urban legends also come from transfer students. Speaking of which, Shangluo can be considered a transfer student. It was really after his arrival that we both got things moving. So from now on, both of us..."

She winked at the breach in the wall. "Can we exchange supplies? For example, do you need fuel?"

"Gasoline? What grade?"

"It's not a specific grade. It's military aviation fuel. Do you want it? The No. 2 light truck uses aviation fuel. I can give you some. We need it for our own driving practice anyway, so I'll just take some extra."

"Very good." Qi Yuan also lowered his voice. "We will also maintain the tank to the best condition and give you some extra fuel. How much does your tank weigh?"

"7.9 metric tons, five pairs of road wheels."

"The weight isn't a problem. How about I help you get a hydro-pneumatic suspension? The suspension stiffness is adjustable, and it's very responsive. With a few minor modifications, I think your light vehicle can run without tracks, and it'll be even faster than before."

"Okay, okay! It's a deal then. Happy cooperation!"

"Happy cooperation!"

The two people held hands together and shook each other's hands violently.

An entire afternoon passed, and still no one noticed the 1-meter-wide hole in the kilometer-wide wall. Wen Yuan backed the tank back into the building, blocking the hole with brush as before, as if nothing had happened. The only difference was that the garage had been filled with spare parts from other tanks, and he had reloaded it with more stuff. When he backed out again, the vehicle's responsiveness had noticeably improved.

It was time to leave school. Although the room was filled with incredibly professional people, they were still middle school students after all. They toasted each other with Coke, celebrating the best day in months, and then they each carried their schoolbags and walked out the door.

"You did a great job," Apollonia praised sincerely. "In just one day of school, you not only secured the shipyard deal, but also facilitated some small 'technical exchange' and 'resource swapping' between the two medical schools in Mount Wutai, providing significant benefits to both sides. That's quite impressive."

"But I didn't do anything. I just followed them around."

This is the light. The light is there, and those around it will naturally feel it. Peach and plum trees, without words, create their own path; peach lovers will naturally find their way under the peach tree. However, today's events were merely children's play—though to those outside the royal domain, you all may seem like 'Aurora Supermen.' Ultimately, you are all children, and therefore deserve the acceptance and blessings of this world and society. The adult world is far more cruel than this. You will soon experience it.

"Really? You mean you're going to have dinner later? But if we want to discuss something important, we wouldn't go to a teahouse, would we?"

40 minutes later, Confucius Temple, Kuiguangge Teahouse

"Here are today's memorials, take a look." General Fu Yuanshan, also known as Bai Feng, took out a few memorials from his handbag and placed them casually on the table.

"Memorial??? Is it the kind of memorial I'm thinking of?"

"Yes, that kind. His Majesty the Emperor hasn't given his approval yet, but you can take a look."

"Is it really a memorial??? But General, it's inappropriate to leave it here like this, right? Shouldn't we choose a more formal occasion?"

"Formal? Is there any place more formal than the teahouse on the Qinhuai River? There is, but you can't go." He pointed out the window. "Right now, the Prime Minister and half of the cabinet ministers are in the teahouse in the building across the street. The memorial in your hand was drafted by them. If you feel it's not formal enough, we can go to the other side. They're also interested in you."

"Then forget it."

"Heh." Fu Yuanshan took a sip of tea. "The court has been like this since I was managing the general affairs. Outside the court, there is also teahouse politics. In fact, more things are finalized in teahouses than in the cabinet."

"But why are you telling me this?"

"I don't know. But this was chosen by His Majesty the Emperor himself for you. He hopes you'll give him some 'opinions' after reading it. Yes, I'd really like to hear your opinion. You can think about it first. Refreshments will be served soon. This place's lychee and water chestnut ice cream is a specialty. Try some later. Besides, the most important thing tonight is to talk to you about foundation building. Let's talk while we eat."

"Excuse me." Shang Luo received the memorial but didn't read it first. He asked Fu Yuanshan, "Can I ask you some questions about the heavens and the human beings?"

Fu Yuanshan lowered his head and took a sip of tea. "Okay, go ahead. I want to have a face-to-face meeting tonight because I want you to ask the questions you care about. After all, if you want to build a foundation, you must at least know what it is and the state after building a foundation."

"After ascending to heaven, do you still need food?"

"You still need to eat, but you must avoid certain foods. Grains are the essence of the five grains, so you can eat them. As for other things, as long as they don't harm your innate Dao body, you should eat when you're hungry. The three stages of acquired mortals, innate Qi cultivators, and foundation building are just about refining essence into Qi. They cultivate acquired people into 'celestial beings', but celestial beings are still human, and as humans, they need to eat."

"What is the lifespan of the celestial beings?"

"In theory, there's no limit to the lifespan of celestial beings, but when they reach the Five Decays of Celestial Beings, they're forced to leave the mortal world. According to the roster, the lifespan of celestial beings is approximately 230 years. The longer they live, the weaker their connection to the world, and the more likely they are to fall into the Five Decays of Celestial Beings. Therefore, those like me who have just established their foundation will maintain their original lifestyle."

Chapter 99 Foundation Building

He held up his teacup. "I used to love the tea here, and I still do. It hasn't changed much. You can come by when you're free, you might run into me. I also read comics. Is the story of Wang Lingguan popular among kids these days?"

"Yes, it seems so."

"Haven't you seen it? Yeah, it was a great story back then. These trends are making a comeback now. Wang Lingguan was originally a popular story during the Yongle and Hongxi reigns, but I didn't expect it to be revived in recent comics, making it popular with today's children too. Perhaps the lifespans of celestial beings can also blossom in new ways like this—immortality is about longevity, but longevity is also a path to immortality. Unfortunately, time waits for no one, and not everyone has the opportunity to slowly experiment and make mistakes. When their lifespans draw to a close, even celestial beings worry about further cultivation. Even two hundred years seems but a fleeting moment in retrospect."

"What about 200 years later? What about after the gods?"

"After reaching the Celestial Realm, one leaves the stage of refining essence into qi and begins refining qi into spirit, beginning the journey from Celestial Realm to the Immortal Path. The first hurdle is breaking through to the Golden Core Stage, though even I don't know if anyone has actually done so. Once you reach the Golden Core Stage, the constraints of the Five Decays of Celestial Realm will vanish. As long as the Golden Core is stable, lifespan is no longer a problem; the only thing that can limit you is the Heavenly Tribulation. I occasionally see tribulation thunder descending within the capital, but those elusive Golden Core Immortals are ultimately not that easy to find."

"Then..." Shangluo hesitated for a moment, but still asked, "Then what about Daozu?"

"I don't know. Daozu's realm is unfathomable. No thunder tribulation has ever befallen him. Daozu himself has never said what realm he is in. Perhaps he has already broken through the Spiritualization Stage and reached an unimaginable height. But no matter what level he is at, he is as powerful as a god to us. The Dao energy that slips from his fingers is enough to benefit an entire era."

"What about the strength of the Jinyiwei?"

"As far as I know, there are only four Heavenly Guards in charge. Among them, General Dongshou and General Ziying have been retired for a long time. Although they haven't told us explicitly, they should be able to sense that their 'day of destiny' is approaching. Currently, the only Heavenly Guards serving the court are 'Bai Feng' and 'Wan Guan'. We are responsible for the affairs of the northern and southern towns respectively. Oh, by the way, add him on Fetion. Ah Zheng is not available tonight, but he gave me his verification number, so you can add him too."

"A Zheng?"

"Wan Guan's original surname is Zheng Yin. He's from the Guo family and the uncle of the current Marquis of Yanping. It's a blessing to work with him, because he doesn't use any tricks, he just relies on money. He knows how to give the 'right money' to the 'right people,' and his efficiency in solving cases is incredibly high. And since he's paying the court out of his own pocket to solve cases, I can't say anything about him. We four will share our foundation-building plans with you when the time comes, and you can decide which path suits you best."