Ming Dynasty, New Rome, and Infinite Divine Machine

"I see." Lu Huaiyang held up the sign. Crossing the chasm seemed like quite a lot of fun.

"It's definitely not a waste. It's a very good way to exercise." He put the sign back. "Then go ahead and play. It's not a big deal. Warming up is the right thing to do. But how did you connect to the network? This isn't in China."

Shangluo had discovered this before. When Wen Yuan was in Las Vegas, even though they were only a few dozen kilometers from the border, the use of Fetion cards seemed to end abruptly, like imperial law, without any transition.

This doesn't look like a "signal tower" at all, because signal towers don't care about the size of legal borders, and signals will be transmitted according to the rules of electromagnetic waves.

This seems to be similar to the fact that the Romans could not "add fuel to the fire" in Yujing, and were restricted by some rules.

Although the inability to connect to the spiritual network centered on Yujing had caused all the groups to turn gray, one group remained lit—the one created by Han Xingzhi, where several others were present. In the absence of a spiritual network, a few people had established a small local area network, connecting through Han Xingzhi, a Xuan cultivator. This was a compromise, allowing Xuan cultivators to establish their own networks in areas without a spiritual network.

"So, how did you guys connect?"

Shangluo, the only one with a free hand, pointed at Han Xingzhi. Of the three empty bottles on the ground, two were placed in front of him. It seemed that Lu Liang wasn't a big gas consumer; Han Xingzhi, the "main engine," was the one that was smoking.

"Huh" Han Xingzhi sighed, and the other three all looked up at the same time.

"Hey, hey, hey." Wen Yuan slapped her thigh, "Why is there no signal? Quickly connect to the internet, I'm about to win."

"Not a single bit left. If it weren't for the bottled Qi Hai, I could only play host for a few minutes. Ah, supporting a few people playing such a small game in such a small area consumes so much spiritual consciousness. It's hard to imagine how vast the Daozu's spiritual consciousness is. He can actually support countless people using the spiritual network across half the world. I just don't know if I can use the spiritual network to play games after I go back. Will the Daozu be angry? If he is angry, he will probably cut off our network."

"Probably not." Lu Huaiyang shook his head, "Daozu even lets you use the calculator."

"Wait, the calculator can't be used here?" Shangluo asked.

"Of course. It's just like when you can't get the result from pressing a calculator in a dream. Your own Feixin card is always running with your own spiritual consciousness. If you can't calculate something yourself, your spiritual consciousness certainly can't calculate it either. But theoretically, can a Xuanxiu celestial being do it?" He turned to Han Xingzhi, who was more familiar with Xuanxiu's affairs.

"Yes. After reaching the Celestial Realm, there's no need to rely on one's consciousness to sort out thoughts one by one. Simple calculations can be performed at will, allowing calculators to be used. Celestial Realms who have cultivated the Mystical Cultivation technique can also use Feixin cards to do more things, such as demonstrating three-dimensional, colliding images. I can't do this with my brain, even if it smokes. It's a pity that there are no Mystical Cultivators in this generation, so I won't be able to see what Feixin cards look like for Celestial Realms who have cultivated the Mystical Cultivation technique."

"Have you ever practiced like this before?" Lu Huaiyang asked.

"Really not. When I practiced before, I used to do boring Sudoku puzzles and play blackjack. But that was boring, nothing like the fun of virtual games. If my Qi Sea was strong enough, I could play here all day—I won't say more, you guys can play by yourselves, I won't be the host, I can play alone for a long time. It's because there are so many people and the information is so complicated, and the spiritual consciousness required for each interaction is doubled. I can play for most of the day myself, but you guys will use it up in ten minutes."

"Tsk." Lu Liang gritted his teeth in disdain, picking up the Fetion cards again. Because Tetris only had one random variable that changed, even Lu Liang, who needed to consume his Qi Hai to function, could play for a long time.

"Dad, give me a few more bottles. If I don't play online with them, one bottle can last me 12 hours."

"Hmm." Lu Huaiyang thought for a moment and handed over a bottle of Qi Hai. "In theory, the consumed spiritual energy will 'sediment'. Have you ever consumed it so quickly before?"

"No." Lu Liang shook his head. "When I was training my body in the past, I would have to pound wooden stakes for dozens of minutes after eating a little carrot soup. But now, even when I'm offline, it's very slow, but when I'm online, the energy consumption increases dramatically. It's all used up in an instant."

"Then do you feel anything?"

"Well, hitting the wooden stakes is to cultivate the meridians. I've been practicing it since I was a child. But it consumes spiritual consciousness. What is being cultivated here is probably the Dantian Qi Sea. I always feel like I'm about to grow a Qi Sea. Give me a few more bottles and I should be able to test it out."

Lu Huaiyang opened a box directly. "Since it's for practice, it's okay to use more. Everyone should take a few bottles. It's good to warm up before the action. But don't go online anymore. Play by yourself. It's not good to burn too much. Practicing Qi is a long-term and delicate work. High-intensity training like online should only be done occasionally. After practice, you need to slowly consolidate it."

"Okay~" Lu Liang took the box, took a bottle for himself, and then gave the others to the other three.

"By the way, are there any other games?" she asked Shangluo.

"Wait, let me look for it. There seems to be a harder one here, Snake. Want to try it? I've sent it to you, and I've also sent a copy to the group."

"Wait, the gas consumption for downloading is a bit high, many times higher. It should be enough." She took a sip and pressed the sign against her forehead.

It took her a full minute to load the "model" of "Snake" into herself.

"So it's a random position on a plane. Oh, this is too difficult, I don't want to play it anymore." She shook the sign, which was a little hot.

"I'm fine, I can probably play for a long time." Han Xingzhi looked up and asked, "Is there anything more fun... Ugh, is there anything more difficult? For me, I have to increase the amount of training. Well, it's all for training."

"How about I send you Pac-Man? There are lots of little people running around on it, and you need to randomly select each one."

"Let me see, this is good, I've practiced it."

Titus glanced over and saw four people concentrating on polishing the glass, their foreheads beaded with sweat. Although it was unclear what they were doing, their concentration looked like they were practicing martial arts.

"They're so professional that they don't even waste such a small amount of time. In comparison, the future of Rome is getting bleaker and bleaker."

Chapter 152: Roman Banquet

The banquet was held at the mayor's house. As a respectable Roman, the mayor's home was well-equipped for a proper banquet. There was a large semicircular table, and as the ceremonial and physical host, the mayor sat in the center. Shangluo and the other guests sat in a row to the right, while the rest of the town sat to the left. In addition to Titus, the mayor's daughter, Karin Caesar, also attended the banquet, sitting closest to the mayor.

Like many Roman girls, Karin had long, silky black hair, a noble trait that could only be seen in the Chinese and Romans, and a common point among the rulers of the world.

Wearing the same traditional loose robe, Karin bowed before taking her seat, as politely as any other Roman.

However, Lu Huaiyang also sat on the other side, making the other side seem a bit crowded - because there were 6 Titus. But Lu Huaiyang was not a participant in this ceremony, so he could only attend as a "local" and could not sit with the outsiders.

"Dear strangers, welcome to the town of Arikia on the shores of Lake Nemi!"

Mayor Calus Caesar practiced this line for a long time. Like many other Romans, he had learned Chinese, and after practicing for a while, he was able to recall some of it.

The table was laid out in Roman style, a feast of feasting proportions. On a linen tablecloth scented with flower petals, all the dishes for the meal were laid out in order, the table piled high like a flower basket. Before each guest, from farthest to nearer, were appetizers, small stews, large stews, savory stews, roasted meats, roasted poultry, roasted fish, and the finale to round out the feast. Today's finale was Bordeaux lamprey stewed in wine, a whole one for each guest.

Ending with this cyclostomes lamprey, the table is complete with birds, mammals, cartilaginous fishes, and bony fishes. Representatives from each of the seven classes of vertebrates are neatly presented, forming a family portrait.

This wasn't even the most luxurious banquet. The opulence of a Roman banquet often lay not in the cooking but in the abundance of ingredients. Sausages had to be complete, cheeses had to be complete, and every creature that flew or swam had to be included. A complete collection of Chordata was only considered average, and when necessary, representatives of Arthropoda and Mollusca were also included, creating a feast like a Noah's Ark.

However, thanks to the extra food provided by the internal security, the banquet still included Belon oysters from the mollusk family and Brittany blue lobsters from the arthropod family, making this meal worthy of being called a "superior banquet."

———That’s how Mayor Kelso introduced it.

Shangluo glanced up at the dishes, then at Wen Yuan beside him, both of them with puzzled eyes. Honestly, the stewed fish and grilled meats were quite appetizing. It takes skill to describe something as delicious, but it also takes skill to make a table full of top-notch delicacies seem unappetizing.

"Hey, is this guy trying to make us sick by wanting to eat it all for himself?" Wen Yuan muttered softly. "What the hell are cartilaginous fish and bony fish? This isn't anatomy class. Are we just going to kill the sharks and cod?"

"Maybe it's a Roman custom."

"Are you still eating?"

"Probably, just something to eat." The dishes were placed in front of him, and the one closest to him was a plate of barbecue, which looked pretty good.

"How about we connect first?"

"Someone get a room."

Han Xingzhi on the other side responded, "It's on. It's still Tetris, but at double the speed."

"Five times the speed." Lu Liang lowered his voice.

The five-speed Tetris game started up. The four of them lowered their heads and concentrated on polishing the glass.

Mayor Kelso looked at them for a while, and then looked at them again.

Suddenly, a tear fell from the corner of his eye: "Practicing so hard during meal time, this is what a professional should do, a professional."

"Yeah." Titus, sitting next to them, nodded. "Ashamed. It really does shame us. When I was their age, I could stand in line for an hour for an ice cream cone. Well, that seems to be why Mystique abandoned us. Let's eat."

"Everyone, everyone. Please take some time out from your practice to enjoy the offerings given to you. Please."

Wen Yuan muttered again, "Why do I feel like I'm about to be offered to Chen Guanbao, the King of Inspiration?"

"Tsk." Shangluo shook his head. "Three Chen Guanbaos and one Chengjin, this King of Inspiration has quite the appetite. Well, have a bite, at least a bite of the apple."

He made the offer, but no one reached for the table.

"You're trying to trick me into putting down the sign first. It's not that easy." Lu Liang's forehead was covered with sweat, and the other two were similarly bewildered. However, Shang Luo had been pressing the number keys from the beginning, and he didn't have the suffocating feeling that the other three had.

"This is... This is the dignity of a Qigong practitioner," Wen Yuan said through gritted teeth, "Whoever loses is simply lacking in skill."

"Is it that important?" He pressed the keyboard with one hand while reaching for an apple. According to the ritual requirements, at least one apple must be eaten.

It was only then that Wen Yuan discovered that Shangluo was actually fighting them with one hand.

"Is this the strength of the Great Inner Sword Master? You can actually beat three of us with one hand?"

"Ahem" Shangluo also felt that it was too pretentious, so he put down the Apple and continued to press the keyboard with both hands.

[Eat, keep eating, and let me continue playing for you.]

"Are you hurting them a little by doing this?"

"I'm doing this for their own good, helping them train. Oh~~ Han Xingzhi can't hold on any longer, the points will be counted soon. Apollonia is way ahead with 116 million points! 3, 2, 1, power out~"

With a "bang", Wen Yuan's sign fell on the table:

"I actually lost to you, a Lei Xiu, and I actually lost to you in hand speed."

"I'm still a Xuan Xiu. I used 1.5x speed locally, but still lost."

"I took a bottle of Qi Hai, but still lost"

Mayor Kelso's eyes suddenly lit up: "Everyone, have you decided the winner?"

"He won." Lu Liang pointed at Shangluo. "He scored higher than all of us combined."

"So this guy is the most professional!" The mayor turned around and shook Shangluo's hand, shaking it vigorously. "Great, great, this hero, this adventurer from a foreign land, I..."

He wanted to speak, but seemed to have realized that there were six Titus sitting next to him, so he swallowed his words back:

"You eat first, eat first. I'll give you the largest room, next to my daughter Karin's room. Please enjoy the midnight snack in the room."

"Could it be a side quest?"

"Yes, yes, from the perspective of the game "Heroes Tour", I have a side quest for you. Please don't go to bed too early, please."

Chapter 153 Hidden Main Mission

Two hours after dinner, Shangluo lay in his room.

The meal was actually quite good, using top-quality ingredients from all over the Western Hemisphere. Aricia is a small town, but because it is just outside Rome, it is able to collect such a rich variety of ingredients.

If it weren't for the real Mayor Kelso's speech in the autopsy room, he could have eaten twice as much. He had also confirmed during the meal: tomorrow morning and night would be the same standard. He was now looking forward to tomorrow's breakfast - if no one was singing next door.

The singing had begun two hours earlier, and it came from Mayor Caesar's daughter, Karin Caesar, the Roman girl with long black hair. Shangluo still remembered her voice then, just as it does now:

"Beautiful Diana, goddess of the moon. You drive your silver chariot across the night sky. You let farmers see their crops, and you let lovers—they—they—they—."

The song stopped abruptly. It was like a record had stopped, stuck on the last syllable. After a pause, the song started again:

"Beautiful Diana, goddess of the moon."

As the song played, Mayor Kelso walked in from the doorway:

"This stranger, please forgive me for having to call you this. I know that you are a professional, far more professional than that internal security guard. I once asked for help from the internal security guards, but they..."

"Can't the inner guards help you?"

"Of course they can help. But they're unwilling to go too far, as their tactics are too crude. They fear the power of myth and dare not make any changes. They also don't care about the opinions of a small figure like me—as you can see, although I'm the mayor here, I'm nothing but a nobody in front of the empire that rules the entire Western Hemisphere. So, stranger from Cathay, I want to plead with you as a father to help my daughter."

"So your daughter, she just keeps singing over and over here?"

"No, no, no," Mayor Kelso shook his head. "If the problem were that simple, even the Internal Guard would help me. The key is that it wasn't Karin at all. It was just a silhouette, an afterimage. Or as they say, it was just a replica, a replacement for Karin."

"They, who are you referring to?"

"Have you played the Hero's Quest - Elf Hill Expansion Pack?"

"Uh, no." Shangluo shook his head. Although he knew that the Hero's Tour sold by the Romans was very popular, he was always busy in Yangzhou and didn't have much time to play it.

"If you've played it, you'll know it's an expansion pack themed around Celtic mythology. It adds a class called the 'Changeling.' The Grimm's Fairy Tales, published by the technological barbarians, also features a bizarre story called 'The Stolen Child,' which deals with the same theme. I used to think it was just the ravings of barbarians, but I never expected it to happen to me. That legend goes like this."

He sighed. "Legend has it that a kind of fairies inhabits the British Isles, a kind that cannot judge good and evil according to human standards. They are beautiful and noble, and often protect travelers who get lost in the forest, but they can be extremely cruel. They are called the Issin, or in their own language, the Loyansu. These forest elves will replace human children with a 'replica' and kidnap the real child to make him one of the fairies. This child will learn the magic of the Issin fairies, grow up like a fairy, and forget that they are human. The replica they leave behind often has many flaws, because it is not a true human, but a replica."

As we were talking, the singing from next door stopped again.

"Beautiful Diana, goddess of the moon."

After a pause, the song, which was destined to be incomplete, rang out again.

Shangluo looked at the wall and thought for a while.

"When did this happen?"

Mayor Caesar looked at the ceiling. "That was when she was seven years old. Yes, I'm sure it was that day. I remember that afternoon, I asked her to go shopping for some ingredients, but the store didn't sell her favorite white mushrooms—the kind called button mushrooms. Karin, like other Roman children, probably thought that goods grew on the shelves. It was the first time she discovered that she couldn't buy her favorite food in the store. Later, after asking, I learned that she went to the library and borrowed a book about mushrooms. Only then did she realize that mushrooms grow in the woods. So, she walked into the Sacred Grove on the shores of Lake Nemi, and the person who walked out was no longer herself."

"When did you first know about this? On the same day?"

"I didn't find out until much later. But from that day on, Karin somehow suddenly became much more well-behaved. She studied hard in class and came home early every day to help the maid with chores and her mother with the garden. She became increasingly diligent and perfect, completely unlike the lazy Karin she used to be. I used to think she was a treasure God had given me, until now."

The song was repeated again, still stuck at the same position without any change.

"She has been stuck like this since three months ago. She has to sing until 3 o'clock sharp, and then she goes to bed after the new day begins."

"."

Shangluo listened quietly to the singing from next door.

Each time the song was performed, it was impeccable, except that it got stuck at the end. The song was stuck there, unable to move forward.