Ming Dynasty, New Rome, and Infinite Divine Machine

"So you understand how we have to run?" He nodded thoughtfully.

He opened the accelerator, and the Tiandao Shadow Puppet rushed out. He accelerated to 195 kilometers per hour before the first corner, then stepped on the accelerator with the help of the downforce fan to blast through the corner, and then used the active suspension to corner in the five consecutive hairpins. Returning to the pit, he stopped steadily in his previous position, still following the tire tracks left from the previous start.

[Copying! It's copying my abilities! It's also learned to record previous routes and then tell you how to run.]

Yes, that's how Shangluo had just run. Like an instinctive "parry," he followed the car's instructions. It was vague, unwritten, but the car's functions were all integrated into buttons; he just had to know when to press them.

"How's it going?" he asked Qi Yuan, who was timing the time next to him, "What's my speed?"

"It's unbelievable that you're only 0.2 seconds slower than Wen Yuan!"

[Of course! He's following the same tricks that Wen did before, even learning the invalid tricks! This car is cheating with him!]

"Wow~" Wen Yuan sighed, "Is this the power of heaven? What does it feel like?"

Shangluo smiled and waved for him to come closer and listen - Wen Yuan was stunned when he heard it.

"What? This car memorized my movements and told you how to do them? No wonder you chose the same route as me. Was this the same route you took last time?"

【It was me last time! I am the authentic one! 】

"Well, last time I gained information from a different perspective. This time, from the perspective of a celestial being, I seem to have become much more perceptive, and communication is much easier. The most significant difference is that before, I only had my hands trained, so I could use them to follow the Qi. After ascending to celestial being status, I can now perform more complex operations, such as driving. I can use both hands and feet while driving and still follow the Qi."

"It's quite valuable for reference. You should be able to analyze it in detail when you go see Master Zhang later. Ah, but now I feel relieved. If anything happens to me, you can fill in and your performance will not be worse than mine. As long as I run a lap ahead, it's a good thing. Ah, I feel much better."

"You were quite worried, weren't you?"

"Oh, I certainly don't worry about my own affairs. But this concerns others. If it causes us to lose, I'd feel bad." Although he didn't say it often, Wen Yuan knew he was often unlucky. Having someone to cover for him at a critical moment made him feel much more at ease.

"Ah." He breathed a sigh of relief. "Come on, let's go eat."

The morning training was almost over. They had originally planned to go find Shangluo at this time, but unexpectedly, Shangluo not only arrived early, but also brought a surprise. Everyone felt a lot more relaxed, and even their stomachs were hungry.

Ten minutes later, they walked out of Jinjikou subway station two stops away.

Tall buildings, skyscrapers, bright shop windows, and a traffic-clogged intersection. Everything was the same as before, yet somehow different. A tram dinged past, carrying scores of students, backpacks on their way home, rushing to lunch.

"Have you been here before?" Qi Yuan asked him.

"No."

"Then why do you look so nostalgic?"

"Have you seen all this?"

"Because I sometimes see this look in my dad's eyes. The buildings around our house weren't this tall a few decades ago. He feels a little emotional when he sees more and more buildings around us. By the way, where are we going to eat?"

"Brother, let's go to a department store with a cinema to eat so we can watch a movie. There's a very good cinema in Nanyang Department Store!" Han Xingzhi suggested.

"Don't worry, don't worry. We have to go there anyway." He took out a meal coupon from his pocket. "Someone gave me some meal coupons. Let's go to Nanyang Department Store for dinner today."

Although there might not be enough meal coupons because of one extra meal, he could still treat the extra meal himself.

He pulled out his meal voucher and checked the location. It was only valid at Lan Fang Ting, the observation deck atop Nanyang Department Store. It seemed quite expensive. But since it only cost one person, it wasn't a big deal.

"Huh?" Just as he was about to put the meal ticket away, he suddenly realized something was wrong.

"One, two, three, four, five? Why is there an extra one?" He looked at Qi Yuan. Qi Yuan was the fifth person. The extra one seemed to be prepared just for her.

"Did you take too much? Never mind, we've already eaten it, it's not a big deal. Everyone, let's take the elevator to the top floor. You don't have to limit yourself to the set meal included in the meal voucher, the extra ones are on me, so order whatever you want."

Chapter 238 Lan Fang Pavilion

Nanyang Department Store, located in the heart of Jinjikou, is a department store owned by the Lan Fang Company. As a sovereign colonial company headquartered in Pontianak, Borneo, Lan Fang boasted remarkable achievements. This prime location served as a showcase for the company's achievements.

As soon as I walked in, the air conditioner, running at full power, lowered the temperature to a perfect 24°C. The air-conditioning curtain hung down from the doorway, making my back feel a bit cold.

"Oh~~" Shangluo noticed something interesting: the first floor of the department store was as dazzling as a temple. However, temples are usually decorated in a sacred golden color, while department stores are decorated in a warm yellow.

The warm yellow color comes from the sun. No effort has been made to block the sun, and intense sunlight streams in through the glass dome above, illuminating the center of the first-floor lobby. It's a greenhouse, where coconut trees, palm trees, and other Southeast Asian plants grow in the stifling heat. The greenhouse is spotless, and even through the framed glass, you can see the lush green leaves swaying in the artificial breeze.

The entire atrium is open, and the glass greenhouse is the same height as the entire building. Layers of Southeast Asian plants create viewing platforms on each floor, offering a breathtaking view of the greenery. Specialty stores for various franchises are tiered by category, connected by escalators. This wasn't the first department store, but it was one of the first.

Although the era of department stores in Shangluo has passed, at the very beginning, department stores were one of the starting points of the entire consumer era.

Like other department stores, Nanyang Department Store participated in a major revolution in consumer goods. Unprecedented, department stores brought together high-quality merchandise. Fashionably dressed figures in glass display cases, illuminated by warm lights, created a simulated fairyland. The merchandise was displayed on shelves, inviting everyone to touch and feel it, imagining what it would feel like to own it.

The first floor sells the most gorgeous furs and folding fans, the second floor is the silk counter and also the place where custom clothes are made. The third floor sells sparkling jewelry and watches, the fourth floor is ready-to-wear clothes, the fifth floor is perfume and other daily necessities, and the sixth floor is the catering department.

This whole system is complemented by professional and attractive saleswomen, dressed in fashionable, narrow-legged gowns and small, curled-brimmed hats, who offer expert advice to customers. This service remains a hallmark of department stores, and there are several different schools of thought. The Shangluo style, as I saw in the newspaper, is represented by the Nanyang department store, which is a more modern style.

A common sight in newspapers is salesgirls holding thick catalogs, introducing products to customers and using their expertise to recommend them. But here, merchandise is displayed on shelves wherever possible, within easy reach. There's no "counter"; salesgirls and customers interact directly face-to-face.

This actually aligns more with Shangluo's habits. He's familiar with the business model of supermarkets, online shopping, and specialty stores, not this kind of department store system. Outside of specialty stores, he sometimes just wants to browse and isn't interested in receiving overly professional advice.

"The worst thing here is winter," Qi Yuan said, looking inside. "I wasn't born then, but my dad remembers that Nanyang Department Store opened in winter. He was still a child then, and even though it was snowing heavily outside, the heating inside was turned up to 24°C, and there were lush green Nanyang plants in the greenhouse in the atrium. Well, there was even an Araucaria tree right in the middle, reaching up to the sixth floor. Later, it was removed because it wasn't safe, and replaced with vines and metal mesh cages."

"Oh~~" Shangluo looked up. Layers of golden escalators and glass corridors stretched upward like the heavens depicted in churches. Araucaria trees that tall were indeed quite dangerous.

"Lan Fang Ting is on the top floor, right? Is it an escalator or an elevator?"

"Let's take the elevator. We don't need to buy anything else. Let's go this way." Qi Yuan led the way - she spent more time shopping in the department store than the others, and Shangluo felt that it was a good decision to invite her along.

Several people sat in the observation elevator, and the scenery of the glass greenhouse passed by them layer by layer. When the elevator door opened, the Lan Fang Ting sign was directly opposite.

He presented the meal coupon at the front desk, and the waiter at the front desk took them directly to a booth by the window and brought them a menu.

The waiter flipped the menu from back to front and turned to the last page of the set menu.

"You can specify a main course, two main dishes, four side dishes, drinks, and snacks from these menus. Soft drinks can be refilled as often as you like. For more information on the dishes, please refer to the menu at the front."

"Yeah." Shangluo nodded. This was the way of ordering food he was familiar with.

However, as soon as he saw the main course, he had a sense of déjà vu:

Steamed crab

Shark fin purse

Eight Treasure Yellow Croaker

Steamed Donghai Abalone with Huadiao Wine

This is a classic, high-end Nanyang cuisine: a culinary masterpiece crammed with the most luxurious ingredients hauled from the sea. There's no elaborate names or methods like "Nine-Turn Large Intestine" or "Fried Crispy Crisps," but rather a simple, pure assault of ingredients. While it might not benefit from favorable relationships, this "geographical advantage" allows for a single, universally successful dish.

"Huh?" Lu Liang, standing opposite, raised his head first. "Is it this high-end?! How come it's similar to the menu on the Hercules? It seems even more luxurious."

Qi Yuan was stunned. "What have you been doing for the past month? How did you suddenly become rich? No, I didn't know how rich you were. Maybe you were already rich from the beginning."

"Ah, you are worthy of being the big brother. I want to eat this, this, and this." Han Xingzhi started ordering dishes directly.

After the dishes were ordered and the menus were taken away, everyone felt a sense of surrealism. How could such an expensive meal be eaten for free? Shangluo himself found it strange. When he received the meal voucher, Zhu Xianxun had indeed been nonchalant, not considering it a big deal.

Suddenly, the jade token in his hand vibrated. It was a call from Zhu Xianxin.

"Hello?" He answered.

"Shangluo, why didn't you take the meal coupon with you? Your meal coupon is still on the bedside. I just found it when I was making the bed."

"Huh? But I'm already eating."

"Did you pay for it yourself?"

"No, I have a stack of meal coupons in my bag. Oh, they seem to be different from the ones you gave me before."

"What did you eat?"

"It says 'Special Selection Tianzi Set Meal'. What did you give me, Senior Brother?"

"Good boy! All I gave you was an all-you-can-eat meal, just to make sure you were full. That's just employee benefits. Where can I get this kind of meal? That thing costs at least a few dollars per person. If there was something better, I would have gone out to eat on my own a long time ago."

There's another chapter. Wait a minute.

Chapter 239: Three Years as a Scholar and Five Years as an Imperial Exam

"Ah, well, I've already started eating."

"Who was so kind as to give you so many meal coupons?" Suddenly, his voice paused. "(*Jinling Yayan*) You slept at my house last night. Who could have slipped the meal coupons into your bag without anyone noticing? Anyway, eat first. If we have any problems here, the Taoist Master will tell us in advance. If the Taoist Master doesn't say anything, then it's okay. It's better to eat than not. You eat yours, and I'll investigate. See you later."

Zhu Xianxun hung up the phone.

【Tsk】

"Do you feel anything?"

"No. Big brother, I need to sleep. I'm not Qin Qiong or Yuchi Gong, standing guard for you like a door god."

"Ah~~What use do I have for you?"

"I'm already very useful when I'm awake. Can't I sleep a little longer? I'm still growing."

"Tsk, forget it. Anyway, Daozu didn't say anything, so it's okay. Let's eat."

He put the jade token down.

"Are you okay?" Wen Yuan asked him. Although he could tell from his expression that he was fine, he still asked.

"No problem, everyone continue eating. Well, someone's treating us today."

Lu Liang on the opposite side glanced out the window - the scenery here was also very good. Not only could he see Mount Wutai, but he could also see the Yuejiang Tower, the Longjiang Navy anchorage in Xiaguan, and the container ships coming in and out of the Pukou Port across the river.

"Oh~~ You're suddenly treating me to such a good meal! I'm a little embarrassed." Qi Yuan was feeling a bit embarrassed. She had originally thought it was just a classmate's dinner, even if it was at Lan Fang Ting, it wouldn't cost much. She hadn't expected it to be so high up in the world of popular dining—though it wasn't quite at the top of the heap compared to business receptions or official cuisine, it was still quite outrageous. It was so outrageous that she didn't know how to respond.

"Oh, just eat it, don't worry about it." Shangluo didn't know who invited him. Whatever, it was just a meal, and eating was always good.

"Okay." Qi Yuan could only nod. Since they were already here, they might as well eat first.

The dishes had not yet arrived. Shangluo was drinking tea when he suddenly remembered something.

"By the way, what's our schedule after the game?"

"After the competition? Of course I'll go back to school until the end of the year."

"So the semester isn't over yet?"

"Of course. The new semester starts in spring, not autumn. We still have to be classmates for half a year, and the results of the imperial examination won't be available until the winter solstice."

“Why the winter solstice?”

"Because the winter solstice is based on the solar calendar, not the imperial calendar. The imperial court, and many businesses today, calculate their fiscal year based on the winter solstice. That's why in ancient times, the winter solstice was called the beginning of the year. It's an old custom. Because solar terms are calculated based on the solar year, there must be 365 days between two winter solstices. The imperial calendar is a combined lunar and solar calendar, so not all years have 365 days. Well, considering you've been spending so much time in that place with the giant baboon baring its teeth, I'd like to help you with some common sense."

"I told you there were gorillas from Yangzhou there too. How did they become baboons again? I told you there aren't many wild animals there. But I really don't know."

"." Hearing this, Qi Yuan was stunned for a moment, "I've actually been worried about one thing: Can you pass the scholar exam?"

"Yes, I think so."

"Wait a minute." Qi Yuan opened his messenger bag and took out a booklet:

"Three Years to Become a Scholar and Five Years to Pass the Imperial Examination" has a dark blue cover, and this is the mathematics volume.

Qi Yuan flipped through the booklet, only turning to the first few pages, and handed it to Shangluo to look at the example questions.

"Look here. The scholar exam is the National Standard Academic Proficiency Test. It's quite simple, and even the question types rarely change. It's only at the junior high school level. This high school booklet only briefly mentions it, and the main part is about the five-year imperial examination. But you should still take a look. Do you know how to do this math problem?"

Shangluo glanced at it:

There are 49 chickens and rabbits in total, with a total of 100 legs. How many chickens and rabbits are there?

[There are 48 chickens and 1 rabbit.] Apollonia gave the answer.

"I don't need you to remind me! Are you looking down on me? This is something everyone in elementary school learns, right?"

[Huh? So you can do it? I thought you couldn't. Wow, that's amazing.]

"Why are you being so sarcastic?" He put the booklet down on the table. "Don't worry, squad leader. You'll know the answer at a glance."

"Yeah." Qi Yuan nodded. "As long as you think it's easy, that's fine. After all, it's just a 'national benchmark' test, it can't be that difficult. It's just solving a system of linear equations with two variables."

She took out a pencil and said, "Solve it."

"Here?"

"It's okay to wait for the food to be served, so I'll help you take a look."

"Tsk, I think this is a disrespect to me. You are such an adult and still have to solve this kind of problem."

"Then solve it. Write the steps clearly, and try to make it as long as possible to keep the paper neat. Although you can solve it with one or two variables, both are correct. But the syllabus is about a system of linear equations with two variables, so just solve it with two variables."

Shangluo took the pencil and started solving the problem.