Ming Dynasty, New Rome, and Infinite Divine Machine

Karin nodded.

"Um, I won't ask why Elodeasha is also on holiday. Is there anything I can do to help you?"

"Here." Karina pulled out a small pouch. "This is... my finger. It's also Karin's finger. Please use your authority as the King of the Forest to help us reattach it. One for me, one for Karin. This way we can always stay connected, and I can regain some of my strength and memories. And for Karin, accepting part of her identity as an elf will make her more complete, allowing her to regain her lost senses of taste, smell, and so on. This will make both of us more complete."

"Alright." Shangluo breathed a sigh of relief. "As the King of the Forest, I should be able to help you with this. So, is this your final decision? Karina, and Miss Karin."

"Yeah." Both of them nodded.

"Then please extend your hands."

There was no "light effect." Shangluo attached the fingers to each of their hands. Karina, who wanted to wield the sword, chose to complete her right hand, while Karin chose her left. As the fingers were attached, they instantly merged with the palms, as if they had always been there.

Karina picked up the sword with her right hand and swung it in the air:

"Yeah, no problem. Everything's fine."

Karin stared blankly at the ground - there was a scent of grass near the ground.

"Fortunately, I've fulfilled my promise." Shangluo breathed a sigh of relief. "It feels good to be a good person. So, do you want me to take you home?"

"No thanks." Karina shook her head. "You guys still have things to do, right? I want to go home first and spend some time with my parents before leaving. The next time I come back is next time. Oh, and your Excellency the Forest King, this time it all depends on you. Please come closer, closer, I have a small gift for you."

Chapter 189 Small Gift

When she came to her senses, Karina had already walked out. She dragged Karin, who kept looking back, all the way outside, leaving Shangluo there.

Shangluo's face turned a little red.

"Hey, Apollonia. What was that guy called?"

【Tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk. 】

"Don't make such a fuss. Why does it feel so weird to me? It's like... it's so fuzzy, yet so real. It's like..."

[It's like being touched on the cheek by a rose, isn't it?]

"Yeah, what is that?"

That's a blessing called the Elf's Kiss. It's not a physical kiss, but rather has a special meaning. It signifies good luck—of course, I don't know if Karina is blessing you with an elf's mindset or something else entirely. Tsk tsk tsk tsk tsk, your face is blushing again. How adorable.

Shangluo was the last one to appear outside the forest.

"Tsk tsk. Tsk tsk tsk tsk." Lu Liang crossed his arms and looked at Shang Luo who was walking out. "Look at him, he's been alone for so long, and he's been grinning like an idiot since he came out. Look, look, he's still grinning like an idiot."

"And then?" Wen Yuan asked, "What does this mean?"

"You still don't understand this? Tsk, how stupid."

"Of course I do! I know better than you do. But I'm just wondering, how did you figure that out? They were only there for three minutes."

"Women's intuition."

"Oh! So you're a woman! Don't hit people when you're talking! I haven't used up my last bottle of Qi Hai yet. If you hit someone, something bad will happen!"

As he spoke, Lu Liang kicked at him from above, middle, and below. Wen Yuan knew she couldn't block it, so she dodged to the side.

"Hey, why are you so fast again?"

"I learned it from Karin. I practiced Ki-do, and when we sparred, I broke her moves. Well, we even planned to go out for a walk later. It seems she's fine—oh, and I'm warning you, don't ask him why he's grinning, okay? It won't be fun if you tell him."

"Okay, okay." The other two nodded repeatedly.

Karin and Karina had come out from another direction earlier, and they went straight to Mayor Kelso's car - Mayor Kelso's car was parked in another place, the same car they came in.

As for Shangluo and his group, there was no need to take the town's vehicles as required by the ceremony when they returned. Titus prepared a larger convoy on the other side to take them away.

"Alas." Titus felt a little sad at the scene of the father-daughter reunion. He turned his head and looked at Shangluo who had already walked up to him.

"You seem very happy?"

"Huh? Do I look happy?"

"How does that Aurora word say 'like a spring breeze'? It's just like you. Did anything happy happen to you?"

"Well, I just feel like I've done something good, so I'm pretty happy. So what are we going to do next? Go to the town and get officially crowned?"

"That's not necessary," Titus shook his head. "Although it was Mayor Caesar who previously proposed that he recognize you, the Forest King and the King of Rome are two sides of the same coin, the Priest King. Therefore, either bottom-up or top-down recognition is acceptable. The recognition granted by the Nemi region was bottom-up. But now that the Senate has decided that you will bear the Golden Bough, Her Majesty will personally appoint you. Since we intend to cooperate, I suggest you accept the top-down appointment."

"Yeah, that's fine. What about the Golden Bough Tree? What will become of it after I'm gone? Will another one immediately grow up, and then someone will break off a branch and fly over to cut me down?"

"That's not the case. To put it in an analogy, the Golden Bough ceremony is actually similar to that of the Lion King of the grasslands. Both are designed to keep the male lion sitting on the throne of the Lion King with sufficient 'youthful vitality'. The male lion who wins the fight will be worshipped as the Lion King and enjoy the lion group's offerings, but the price of being king is that he can be overthrown at any time by other younger and stronger lions. The same is true for the Forest King. You have to make sure you are the strongest, but the rules are not so rigid. You don't have to stay there all the time; there will be a period of intermission."

"Oh~~ I was so scared. I thought I would have to stay here like that old man and not be able to leave. How long will this take?"

"I don't know." Titus spread his hands. "But it should be at least a year. It's happened in history. It's been a little over nine years since the last one, and there have been some longer and shorter ones, but there won't be a gap. However, this ceremony requires 'escaped strangers' to participate. If the local mayor is unwilling to cooperate, the ceremony cannot be carried out at all. Considering your relationship with the Kelso family, you are very safe. Of course, the Moon God is moody, so I can't predict it."

"Ha!" Shangluo thought of the White Deer Lady. According to her, the gods wanted better stories, not the same old rituals—they just wanted to see rivers of blood.

But she wasn't some "evil deity" who went out of her way to torture people for her own amusement. Ultimately, it was the Romans who violated the rules first; Shangluo's own ritual was the correct method. In response, Lady White Deer seemed to offer a hidden reward, doubling the golden branch. And honestly, the scene wasn't just a river of blood; hundreds if not hundreds of elves lay dead, and the ground was practically soaked with blood. This, in turn, made her very satisfied.

In this case, Shangluo felt that she should not "deliberately" torture herself, and at least wait normally until the halftime break is over.

"That's right. In reality, divine beings like them don't lend themselves to being described as 'good' or 'evil', but they certainly follow the rules. It's wilderness gods like Elodeasha who often don't play by the rules."

"That's easy." Shangluo confirmed the schedule - it was time to go home.

"Well, now that everyone else's problems are solved, it's my turn. But, Mr. Titus, I have one question before we go home. You should know that the elixirs we make over there need to be taken, right?"

"I have heard of it. And I am sorry that the Romans will never be able to take the elixir."

Shangluo took out a hunting knife from behind his back and said, "Press this thing? How do you eat it?"

In fact, Shangluo was confused at the time. If he didn't give the knife to others, did he have to swallow the knife himself?

"Ah, this." Titus was also stunned. "Actually, it wasn't like this last time. You also took the golden branch last time. At that time, it was just a normal branch. I don't know what it looked like after you took it back, but it was obviously edible. I don't know about this. We don't make elixirs, so I suggest you ask a professional. If you can't help, I will contact the Palace of Muse."

Chapter 190 Return

"Tsk, that's all we can do." Shangluo took out his cell phone to make a call, but there was no signal.

"Han!" Before he could finish shouting the word "Han", Han Xingzhi on the opposite side raised his hand:

"Yes! Be there soon!"

Han Xingzhi ran over in a flash: "Brother, do you have any instructions?"

"Turn on the hotspot. I want to make a call."

"Understood!" Han Xingzhi took out his badge and pressed it for a while, "Okay."

Shangluo took out the sign, the signal was full and the effect was very good.

But how to fight?

【What are you hesitating about?】

"I'm trying to figure out what to say. What should I do? This is my first time taking a pill, how can I act like I take it all the time?"

"Why do you always try to save face in such a strange place? Who do you plan to call?"

"In theory, it would be best to call Daozu. However, this question is too vague and might cause trouble for Daozu. I plan to call him when I really can't solve it, so for this kind of question, it's better to call Tianzi. Yeah, forget it, there's no need to be so formal. He's an alchemist who has tasted everything, and he can't pretend anymore."

I dialed Zhu Xianxin's number. It was just dawn here, and noon there.

"Hello, Shangluo, is there anything wrong? Is everything going well over there?" Zhu Xianxun answered the phone.

"Everything is going well. But there is a problem, this is it—"

Shangluo relayed the question.

"Well, wait a minute." Zhu Xianxun was eating on the other end of the phone. Shangluo could hear the sound of him putting down his chopsticks and walking to a more secluded place.

"So, you broke off the golden bough, but it was 'super-doubled,' turning it into a divine weapon? What kind of divine weapon is it?"

"It's a knife. So I'm not going to eat it, am I?"

"Not really. Although it is true that the golden branch was put into the alchemy furnace to make the elixir 10 years ago, there are many methods of making the elixir. For example, the bottled Qi Hai as the elixir has never actually been put into the alchemy furnace, right? For example, the stone statue is a furnace tripod, but its shape is not a furnace, right? Since the furnace tripod is not a regular one, it makes sense that the medicine guide is not a regular one. Well, that's about it." Zhu Xianxun said, and took another sip of something like tea, with some rice still in his mouth.

"Anyway, think about it yourself on your way back, and I'll think about it here too. If neither of us can figure it out, then we can ask Daozu. Daozu is there to help, so don't worry. An elder in the family is like a treasure. If you can't figure it out, ask him again, he won't refuse."

"Ah, that's easy."

"Then I'll prepare something here. No matter how you refine it, I'll light the furnace first. I've also asked the Jinyiwei to prepare to move the statue to Yuxi Palace. Prepare everything before you come back. When will you be back?"

"Here, we haven't decided how to get back yet."

"Then send a quick message to let me know. I'll go eat first, and then I'll go to Shenyu Pavilion to look through some books this afternoon. If neither of us can figure it out, we can go ask Daozu on the day you return to Yujing. There's no need to make an appointment. I have the key anyway, so I can go anytime."

"Okay." Shangluo nodded, exchanged a few words with both sides, and then hung up.

Shangluo felt that this was probably the outcome. While Daozu could help with any problem, he was usually quite busy. It would be best if he could solve it himself, and he didn't want to constantly trouble the old man for help. But if he couldn't solve it himself, then asking him was a reasonable option.

"Are you done asking?" Han Xingzhi asked Shangluo after he hung up the phone.

"No problem, it's done."

"By the way, big brother, have you asked me if we can still play online games freely after we return to China?"

"Ah, this." Shangluo also remembered it. This is very important because it is quite interesting.

"I didn't ask."

"Then you, ask?" Han Xingzhi suggested in a low voice, "You can see Daozu, right? Then why don't you ask him? If Daozu doesn't mind, then we can have fun."

"Okay." This was a small matter, just a casual question. After all, the Fetion network was built by Daozu, so it wasn't appropriate to tamper with it before greeting him.

After agreeing, he walked up to Titus.

"How's it going? Have you made the contact yet? Do you need the Palace of Muse to help you solve the problem?"

"Thank you, but that's not necessary for now. My family said they would help me solve it."

"I knew you didn't need any help with the alchemy. Oh, and by the way, how are you planning on getting back? Have you booked your tickets? You're honored guests of Rome, and your hospitality includes your return trip. You can return normally, or experience the lighthouse again, or do you still want to take the Lanfang Company's rocket?"

"Have you prepared all the transportation options? Is it still possible to book tickets now?"

"How can we book tickets now? It's definitely too late. We've already booked all the tickets for all possible routes. We'll give you tickets for whatever route you choose, and we'll refund the rest. The Oracle isn't financially well-off, but we do have money for entertaining guests. So, you can choose whatever you want. There's no need to save money; everything's already booked."

"Wait, I need to discuss this." Shangluo was already terrified at the mention of a rocket launcher—it was truly a test of his physiology. He'd have to wear a gravity suit and feel the sensation of being slammed against a wall. While the second time was much better than the first, if there were another option, he'd still prefer a more "normal" approach.

He brought the question back to the group.

"Hey? Where is Captain Lu?" Shangluo asked.

"My dad's napping, so we should just decide for ourselves. Don't ask him. If you ask him, he'll definitely choose the cheaper option."

"Don't spend any money this time. The Romans will reimburse you."

"Ah!!!" Wen Yuan slapped her thigh. "The most expensive one! Choose the most expensive one! I don't want to ride that rocket plane anymore! It's shaking my head so much. And I'm so sleepy now. We haven't slept all night, and now it's daybreak. I want to rest. Let's take a regular plane back."

"I agree!" Han Xingzhi raised his hand. "To be honest, that rocket machine is a bit too much for me."

"Besides," Wen Yuan lowered her voice, "If we take the rocket back now, I'm afraid we'll have to catch classes on Monday. Wouldn't it be nice to catch fish for another day? If we arrive at noon on Tuesday, we can even get through Tuesday's classes~"

"Ahem!" Lu Liang, the squad leader, coughed. "I don't object. I'm tired, too, and I want to take a bath first."

"Okay!" Shangluo raised his hand, "Then choose the most expensive one! The most expensive one!"

Chapter 191 The Most Expensive

The signal from the short-haul transport aircraft was not very good. Shangluo kept twisting Han Xingzhi's hand to get a better signal.

"We'll go back on the Hercules." He finished typing and sent a Feixin message to Zhu Xianxun.

He didn't know what the Hercules was, but according to the requirements, it was the "most expensive." Titus himself said that he highly recommended it, as it would allow him to rest well along the way - and of course, take a good shower.

The Hercules departed Constantinople promptly at 12 noon, but there was still time to arrive. The airport near Lake Nemi, used by Roman senators for their vacations, was a ten-minute drive away. They were currently boarding a medium-sized transport aircraft for Constantinople, and with about two hours until departure, they weren't in a rush. Military aircraft like these didn't have to queue at Constantinople Airport; they were cleared by air traffic control upon entering the airspace.

But what is the Hercules? He had asked Titus before, but he said it was a secret, and that keeping it secret would make it more worthwhile. As for Lu Huaiyang, the middle-aged man couldn't stay up all night, and he slept until now without closing his eyes. He was still sleeping in the front.

However, Zhu Xianxi on the other side seemed to know. After more than ten seconds, he replied:

"Then you'll probably be back Tuesday afternoon. See you later."

"See you later." Shangluo also knocked "See you later".