Ming Dynasty, New Rome, and Infinite Divine Machine

"Io Triumphe, friend of Aurora. Welcome to Rome. We are gathering the rest of the team, do you need them to assemble here?"

He used Mandarin to communicate with Lu Huaiyang directly. Since there were only two world languages that needed to be learned, and if you learned them, you could travel around the world, so there were actually quite a lot of people who "spoke Mandarin in Rome" and "spoke Latin in the Ming Dynasty."

"Io Triumphe, friend of Daqin. Yes, bring the others to meet me."

Lu Huaiyang didn't want to say much, but those inexperienced students seemed to have jumped a little crookedly, even crookeder than the luggage. But they were all friendly troops here, so it didn't matter if they were crooked.

"Alright," the Roman technical officer confirmed the order. "I know you're here on a very important mission. I can't speak for the Roman people, so I want to thank you on behalf of my family. The people of Aurora have come all the way to help, and the problems here are truly shameful. Now, according to the Senate's instructions, we can only gather you and cannot go any further. We will then evacuate to a safe area for observation, and the Internal Guard will accompany you on your mission. Take care."

"Ah."

"Also," he pointed south, "we'll be stationed there. There's a division-level artillery group deployed there, and the First Legion stationed in Rome, ten kilometers away, can come to support us at any time. Please send a signal if needed."

The assembly took a full half hour. Titus 123 arrived first, followed by 456, who parachuted in groups of three. Shangluo and Luliang arrived later, with Wen Yuan and Han Xingzhi arriving last.

"Why are you so slow?" Lu Huaiyang looked up at the time. "Although you are not paratroopers, you have exceeded the time limit."

He subconsciously looked at Wen Yuan, as this kind of thing was usually his fault.

"No, no, no, it's really not my fault this time. This guy is the one hanging in the tree."

"I asked you to look after the luggage, not him."

"That's even less my fault! Who can say for sure about skydiving? We shouldn't use a parachute next time. We should just glide down and land with a rocket. Just like Wang Lingguan, we'll hit the ground with a bang."

"You can design this kind of movement yourself when you take on a disciple. Okay, is everything ready?"

He took a quick visual inventory and found everyone present. The luggage was loaded onto the truck and followed not far behind.

"Okay, then, put on your cloak first. Wear it over your armor. Cover your head with the hood, like the inner guards."

Titus explained, "Cloaks and windproof hoods are the attire of strangers, and they are required for many ceremonies. So please don't take off your hoods until the welcome ceremony is over."

Shangluo and the others nodded.

"Well, although the branch-breaking part begins tomorrow, the ceremony actually begins today. We will soon enter the town of Arikia, where the local elders will come out to greet us and arrange accommodations for us. The town will treat you to a sumptuous dinner, so please enjoy it. But even if you have no appetite, you must still eat something. This is why."

He pointed to the sacred forest in the north:

"According to ancient sacrificial rituals, we need to offer 'strangers' to the Forest King as sacrifices, and only sacrifices are qualified to fight the Forest King. The 'strangers' here are you, and before that, the others from Delphi. In short, only strangers can complete the ritual; that's the rule. But even strangers can't be sacrificed without permission; you must first accumulate some karma."

"Is it that meal?" Shangluo asked.

"Yes, that meal. Just as Persephone ate the Vermilion Fruit from the Underworld and was unable to return, you must eat 'foreign food' at tonight's dinner to incur the karmic debts of this meal, and these karmic debts are the key to activating the branch-breaking ceremony. Although it's part of the ceremony, this meal is funded by the Internal Security and features many high-quality ingredients. The ceremony also features red apples, symbolizing the 'Vermilion Fruit.' Each person is requested to eat at least one. They're from the Royal Orchard of Slovenia and are delicious."

"Why does it feel like we are being fed a full meal before being sent to the execution ground?" Wen Yuan muttered.

"Well, theoretically, the prison provides a final meal to prisoners on their way to execution, also to eliminate some of their karma during the ritual. After all, the sentence and sin have nothing to do with the prison itself; the prison is merely the executor. If you're well-versed in the mysticism, you should have discovered this in advance."

"About this." Lu Huaiyang came over and said a few words to him.

"Oh, so that's how it is. So you were supposed to have an Introduction to Mysticism class on Saturday morning? That's perfect, let's combine that class with the mission briefing. Today's schedule is dinner, then rest. Tomorrow morning there will be breakfast and a mission briefing—and the combined Introduction to Mysticism class. You'll have free time until dinner, and after dinner the ceremony will begin. Someone in town will hold a lantern to lead the way and take you to the Sacred Forest. We can only stop here, as there will be another team of internal guards inside the Sacred Forest to meet you. You should have seen Shangluo? It's the team that gave you the Old Branch."

"The ones dressed like extras?"

"No, you were dreaming. They were dressed the same as me, but because they were disguised as sympathetic, you couldn't tell in your dream. Anyway, relax before the ceremony begins. This Lake Nemi in front of you is called the 'Mirror of Diana'. It is actually a famous resort in Rome. The dinner you are being treated to is actually catered by a nearby resort hotel. Eat plenty. I remember they have Belon oysters from the Bordeaux coast."

Chapter 149 Arikia Town

Aricia, an ordinary yet extraordinary Roman town. Rome itself was sparsely populated, even in the heart of the city. Like other Roman towns, it had only about 200 permanent residents and a few crossroads.

The city's basic amenities are readily available. A grocery store, gas station, bakery, Orthodox church, and bank face each other at the central intersection. A dedicated cheese shop sells nearly 100 varieties of cheese, including Italian Parmesan, mozzarella, and ricotta, with varieties ranging from Ireland to the Caucasus. The butcher shop offers not only fresh meats but also sausages from around the Western Hemisphere, such as Parma ham and salami.

Every small shop boasts a dazzling array of goods. Whether it's a cheese shop, a ham shop, or a hotel, the selection is as rich as a dedicated museum. Even the wine cellar of the Alemanni Emirates, one of the technological barbarians, in Berlin is no match for this.

This is Rome, one of the six capitals of the Western Hemisphere. Unlike the orderly tributary system of the Eastern Hemisphere, the ethnic composition of Rome is as complex as a palette.

The town of Aricia, nestled in the heart of Rome, offers access to half a world's worth of prosperity. They carefully sift through the past, retaining only those most suited to the local service industry, displaying them in small, unassuming street vendors. With just a daily stroll, the townspeople can enjoy a culinary experience comparable to that of the UAE president.

But now, the town has been cleared of all tourists, leaving only the locals. This is an operation that is carried out every ten years or so, and it is not so hasty in reality. The town simply stops accepting outside visitors for a long time in advance.

Despite the absence of tourists, almost everyone in the town carried on with their lives as normal. Their "job" during this period was to continue their lives as normal, and their identity in this ceremony was as "locals." This was crucial.

When the jeep Shangluo and his group arrived at the edge of town, a small truck was parked there. There wouldn't be any tourists at this hour; the people who came were likely the ones who were supposed to be there.

The mayor, dressed in a narrow formal suit, stepped down from the van, his eyes wandering among the crowd, searching for the person he was supposed to meet.

"Here." Titus, who was parking the car, waved outside and confirmed his identity to the other party in the ceremony.

"This time they are really strangers." Looking at these unfamiliar Chinese people, the mayor straightened his collar.

"Welcome to the pearl of Lake Nemi, the town of Arikia. Dear guests, please find a seat and sit down." He pointed to the small truck behind and motioned Shangluo and his group to get in.

This was a prepared line, practiced for a long time. This wasn't his first time coordinating a ceremony; every mayor was told to do so upon taking office. While most were only told to perform, not to know the full story, this one knew.

Because this ceremony was different from previous ones. Even at the risk of leaking the secret, there couldn't be a single mistake in the process. Both the foreigners and the locals had to play their roles perfectly.

Titus, who had gotten out of the car, also extended his hand to introduce the person in front of him:

"This is Mr. Caelus Caesar, the current mayor of Arikia. He is the only person in the town who knows the situation."

"What about the other people in town?" Shangluo asked.

"The rest of the town will receive special subsidies from the Senate during this period, so they just need to live their lives as normal. We've announced that we're conducting military exercises, so we've implemented personnel restrictions. There's indeed an artillery group deployed to the south, so no one can enter here casually. We're not deceiving the citizens here at all."

“What if we don’t succeed?”

"Well, this is what I'm going to emphasize. Although your lives are important, and although we have a last resort of destroying ourselves and ourselves, such as physically razing the Sacred Forest, for the sake of the equipment that has been discovered, and for the sake of Roman order, please do your utmost."

Before officially entering, Titus bowed to Shangluo. If he could go it alone, he would have challenged the Forest King without hesitation. But now, his only hope lay in the students before him.

"Then, I would like to ask what kind of losses will be caused by the last resort?" Shangluo asked.

"If you fail, we will be forced to mobilize our artillery to bombard the Sacred Grove for 72 hours, completely razing it to the ground, including Diana's temple. Firing near the city of Rome will inevitably draw the Senate's call for the Interior Guard to take responsibility—but that's unimportant. What matters is that a crucial foundation will be removed from the edifice of magic, and the entire world order will inevitably be shaken. Of course, as an adult, I still hope that you will take care of yourselves. But on the premise of taking care of yourselves, please work harder. Our thank-you gift will definitely not be limited to golden branches. You will all receive Rome's sincere gratitude and rewards commensurate with your achievements. And..."

He looked north and said slowly, "Actually, we can also provide backup for you. The information alone is very rich. This mission is not very dangerous, otherwise Captain Lu would not have agreed to let you come. Therefore, although the artillery bombardment is a last resort, we will also activate some backup plans before things get out of control."

"Then why not give it to us now?"

"The backup plan is called a backup plan because, of course, it falls under the category of 'unconventional measures.' For example, we have prepared Dragon Fang Soldiers as a backup, and you can request them if you need them. However, recovering the Dragon Fang Soldiers is quite troublesome and even more dangerous than the Golden Bough Ceremony itself, so it's best not to use them unless it's a critical moment. The difficulty of this mission, well, is generally not great."

He thought for a moment and nodded in confirmation:

"The danger isn't great. Although I haven't personally participated, the branch-breaking ceremony has always been performed by apprentices of your age. This time, we've prepared a series of backup plans to ensure that nothing goes wrong. I can also tell you that the historical casualty rate of the Golden Bough Ceremony is less than 0.5%, making it a very safe ritual."

"He wasn't lying. The Golden Branch Ceremony is indeed very safe, but you're the only one who qualified this time. I have a feeling it was prepared for you. Hmm, it seems too coincidental," Apollonia reminded.

Similar to Apollonia's reminder, Titus also made a rigorous statement at the end that was almost like a "disclaimer":

"Of course, while it's historically safe, anything can happen in the dark, and unexpected events are possible. If you are all sure, please get in the car. Once you've boarded the Arikia Town car, the ceremony will begin."

Chapter 150 Little Maruko

The small truck drove slowly on the country road, reminding Shangluo of the classic prison van scene in the history of video games, as if the Stormcloaks were next to him and the Imperial Army was in front of him, ready to chop off his head - but the roads in Rome were paved neatly, so this car did not have the shaking feeling of the classic prison van, and it was still not as immersive.

[Ah~~ They really look alike. Very similar.]

"like what?"

"That video game you played. Ah, that one was so fun. Real-time graphics are definitely more exciting than board games. It's a shame you didn't complete it, or I could try copying one to play. And since you bought so many games, can't you complete a few? Your game library is overflowing. I've never even opened half of them since I bought them. Tsk, now I can only copy small games to play."

"Can you also copy mini-games? For example?"

[Snake, Tetris, I've played them myself. Only these gameplay-oriented games without a storyline can be quickly copied. Games with a storyline are harder to copy; the more branches, the more troublesome it becomes.]

"Eh? Then can you install one for me too?"

"Actually, I've installed it, and I can't play anywhere else. You have no idea how boring it is to be a ball without arms and legs. My only interaction with the world right now is through this phone. I was afraid you'd be upset if I installed the program casually, so I kept it to myself. After all, this phone is a gift from the Dao Ancestor. I'm just a little ball staying in it, woo woo woo."

"Well, actually, since you live here, you're a guest. Although this phone is indeed mine, we can discuss anything. Right?"

[Hehe~ So you agree to let me play the game? Then I'll play the game. It's actually on the desktop, but I hid it. Wait a moment.]

Shangluo suddenly felt a little hot in his pocket - when he opened his mobile phone, he found that the number of pages on the desktop was soaring like a rocket.

"I'm *Jinling Yayan*! How many games did you install?"

【I have put in everything you have played once! 】

"Tidy it up, thanks! My desktop is like a container terminal, a colorful mess. Can you sort out the playable and the unplayable? Create two folders and categorize them."

"Hey, only two? They'll feel crowded."

"3, no more."

[Okay, three is three. Don't blame me if the Machine Spirit is upset. Okay, here we go. The first one has games like Snake and Tetris. The second one has some story-based games, like Red Hat and Green Hat, but they're quite scattered. The third one is completely unplayable. When you want to play it someday, talk to me and I'll see if I can fix it.]

"I have a question. What is the function that supports this game?"

"That's me. So don't play games with too many possibilities; the higher the entropy, the more troublesome it is. For example, Tetris only requires randomizing one block type, which isn't a big deal. Snake only requires randomizing the location of one food item, which isn't a big deal either. Red Hat Plumber is actually easier, because everything on the map is fixed. But those with physics effects, like wobbly jelly-like effects, are too much trouble. Don't play Crab Crab; it's too brain-intensive. Pick a simple game we can both have fun with, like Snowman Brothers and Sisters or Metal Egghead. We can play them together."

"Hmm" He looked around and felt a little bored on the bus, so he decided to have some fun.

He decided to play Tetris. The rules of Tetris were incredibly simple: just stack the falling blocks to fill them up. This certainly didn't create much "entropy." And filling a row eliminated a row, eliminating a lot of uncertainty, which Apollonia liked.

He clicked on the Tetris icon.

"Ding ding ding ding ding ding ~ ding ding ding ~ ding ding ding ~"

The strange Russian-style music coming from the phone startled Shangluo. Han Xingzhi, who was sitting next to him, also saw it.

"Brother, what's going on?" He looked at the screen on Shangluo's phone. He saw a fancy castle appear on Shangluo's phone, and fancy parts fell one by one. They formed a row and disappeared.

"Oh!!! Brother, this is actually a game on Fetion! Why didn't I think of playing games?"

"Do you want to play? Hmm." He didn't mind letting Han Xingzhi play with it. But Apollonia was in his phone, and it seemed inappropriate to just hand her over to someone else.

"Can you pass me one?"

"Pass it on?" Shangluo was stunned. "Can I pass this on to you?"

"Fetion can transmit text and graphics, so this should be able to do the same. Big brother! Please! I knew there would always be fun things to do with you! Send me one!"

[Hey, it can be transmitted. Do you want to transmit it?]

"Okay, I'll send it to you." Shangluo opened Han Xingzhi's profile picture—and he suddenly realized that Han Xingzhi's profile picture had been changed to the photo he had given him, the 'Shaoping First Year Summer Limited Edition 'Invincible Wang Lingguan' collaboration Nendoroid Wang Shan Wang E combination hidden edition', and it was surprisingly high resolution.

"Hmm??? What's this photo of you?"

"I took a picture of it." Han Xingzhi waved his sign.

"Does your brand have a camera function? I remember Wen Yuan's brand didn't have one."

"I'm a Xuan Xiu, so adding some features is a piece of cake. My spiritual sense is much stronger than his, and I wouldn't get tired even after three hours of browsing the Fetion group. If you use the Fetion cards as magical tools, taking photos isn't a difficult task, it just takes a little longer to draw. This is a hidden version of the clay figurine, and it took me half an hour to draw it accurately. Um, big brother, you probably don't know this, but these Fetion cards are usually maintained by the Xuan Xiu. If there are any new features, we edit and package them, and then share them with everyone in the group. But this game... Hey, I hadn't thought of playing it this way. Here's the window to transfer the program, I'm ready to continue."

Shangluo opened Han Xingzhi's chat thread and transferred Tetris to his Fetion card.

It seemed that because Han Xingzhi's "internet speed" was particularly fast, the Tetris block was transmitted in just 3 seconds.

"Ding ding ding ding ding ding ~ ding ding ding ~ ding ding ding ~"

Han Xingzhi couldn't help but start humming that magical Russian tune.

"Oh, so that's how it is. That's right. This is so fun! And you can focus on practicing your spiritual sense. It's really educational and entertaining. Big Brother, you're so thoughtful!"

"What are you two doing?" Lu Liang poked his head over.

Shangluo silently turned the phone towards him, and pointed at Han Xingzhi who was grinning foolishly with his head down.

"Let me play with it too." After saying that, she tilted her head back and drank a bottle of Qi Hai.

Lu Huaiyang looked up from his nap. The three guys in front of him were concentrating on rubbing the glass of their Fetion cards. Shangluo was clacking away at the keys, occasionally tapping the glass.

"What are you four doing?"

"Playing Tetris online." Lu Liang muttered, "Don't bother me, I'm almost winning. Wait, Dad! Qi Hai, pass me a bottle! I'm almost out of air, hurry up!"

Chapter 151 God Refining

Lu Huaiyang looked down and saw three empty bottles on the ground.

"What the hell are you doing? The centrifuge isn't installed yet, and these bottles of Qi Hai are all made by hand bit by bit. Don't use your Qi Hai for frivolous things."

"." Lu Liang didn't say anything, still lowering his head and concentrating on rubbing the glass.

He didn't know why, but he felt a chasm had built up between him and his daughter. That was until he saw a little light leaking from Shangluo's phone screen.