Ming Dynasty, New Rome, and Infinite Divine Machine

"Are you wondering why it's always me? Because I'm now specifically responsible for your affairs, ensuring continuity. If someone else suddenly doesn't know your situation, communication would be quite troublesome. But occasionally when you need leave, someone else might be replaced. Well, are you ready now? We're all ready on our end."

"Should I take a sip of that EITR potion?"

"Don't inhale that anymore." Lu Huaiyang shook his head. "Do you know what that is?"

Shangluo caught his "what is it" - this meant that the court had figured out the specific definition of the "EITR" medicine here.

"Is it something that already exists?"

"South of the West Sea, on the shores of the Flowing Sands, behind the Red Waters and before the Black Waters, stands a great mountain called Kunlun Hill. Beneath it lies the Weak Water Abyss—this is the Weak Water. The Weak Water isn't the water of the Yellow Springs in the ordinary sense. It's weak because it can't even surpass a mustard seed, yet it's incredibly strong because it carries Mount Kunlun. The Weak Water carries all things, but Qigong practitioners ultimately seek to transcend all things. Therefore, to Qigong practitioners, the Weak Water is like poison; even a glance at it will suck them into the abyss. Hence the saying, 'Eight hundred realms of Flowing Sand, three thousand miles of Weak Water. Goose feathers can't float, reed catkins sink to the bottom.'"

"Weak Water? It's actually Weak Water? Where did they find it from?"

This name is so familiar.

"Weak water isn't a rare thing; it's everywhere, but it's also not very common. It's like hot spring water, which is groundwater, but it flows in invisible places. Only in places with fragile geological structures, such as Tangshan, will hot spring water gush out of the ground to form hot springs. The Romans had a habit of digging holes everywhere to build Mithraic temples, so they often dug out 'groundwater'.

"Any water that seeps up from the Great Ying Ocean, the ocean that holds the world, could be Weak Water. But we never imagined the Romans would actually draw it up and inhale it. At first, I didn't even think the 'cylinder' contained Weak Water, because Weak Water itself cannot be contained by any container. It's softer than a mustard seed, the softest substance. It's so 'soft' that it doesn't even exist."

"what?"

"It's strange, isn't it? It exists, and it doesn't exist. This is Weak Water. Weak Water can't be contained by a container, can't support a feather, and is colorless and odorless. If something doesn't appear to exist, doesn't feel like it exists, and can't be sensed by the human body, then it simply doesn't exist—we only realized it was Weak Water afterward."

"But isn't the weak water in the 'gas cylinder'?"

"Let me put it another way—do genes exist?"

"Yes." For Shangluo, genes certainly exist. They can be observed, edited, and studied.

"Oh, you may have observed it. But here, we haven't observed genes. But this doesn't prevent us from understanding the working principles of genetic factors, because we have observed the existence of genes. Just observe peas and fruit flies to know. Similarly, before the fairy root radish, we only observed the existence of spiritual energy, and there was no such thing as a specific spiritual liquid."

"Ah! So that's it."

Shangluo understood: Does spiritual energy really exist? Before the immortal root radish existed, people did use spiritual energy to cultivate immortality, but no one had ever seen actual spiritual energy. Weak water also existed, and its various properties had been documented and observed, but there simply wasn't an entity called "weak water."

It was not until the advent of EITR medicine that the power of "weak water" was finally put to good use.

"By the way, what did the Romans call the Weak Water? They didn't call it the Weak Water, did they?"

"They call it Ether. Through the EITR potion, they truly gave Ether a 'form', just like the form of spiritual energy in spiritual fluid. From this point of view, the Romans were only seventy or eighty years behind us. It sounds like a lot, but they were already on the right path. It's a pity that just as they embarked on the right path, the heavenly tribulation came. Time did not give them the opportunity to realize their ideals. I have to say, as a fellow Taoist, I do feel sorry for them. The Taoist Ancestor asked you to go to Rome as an envoy to wish them a safe journey."

Shang Luo nodded. "The Daoist Ancestor, the Emperor, and the Cabinet all agree. A fellow Daoist would rather die than let me die. Rome's fate is entirely the Romans' own business and has nothing to do with us."

"That's what I thought. Then we'll all be waiting for your news. In fact, you are the first group of diplomats to contact Rome."

"Huh?" Shang Luo was stunned. He thought he was just asking on behalf of Daozu, but no one else moved. "Don't we have any other diplomatic mechanisms?"

"Surprised, huh? Actually, there isn't. Aside from the mutual exchange of envoys, we have virtually no diplomatic relations. We only collaborate on specific projects. In other words, we stick to the facts and ignore everything else. We'll ask a few questions at most. Other inquiries will take some time to initiate. You were sent directly by the Dao Ancestor, so you were among the first to arrive at the scene to investigate. Yes, that's right."

He put his hand in his pocket: "Open your mouth."

"Ah? Awu!" Before he noticed, Lu Huaiyang stuffed a crystal bead the size of a steamed bun into his mouth with lightning speed.

"Ah? Ah? Ah???"

"Stop it, this is a Night Pearl, very valuable. Since we can't just spray Weak Water casually these days, we're using Night Pearls instead. They both work the same. Spit it out when you get to Alexandria, and be careful along the way. Also, remember to return it after use, disinfect it, and give it to the next person. There aren't many of them."

"Ah, ah, ah." Shangluo nodded.

"Okay, then let's go early and come back early." Lu Huaiyang opened the door of the glazed tower for him and let him go down along the same route as last time.

As soon as he entered, Lu Huaiyang suddenly remembered:

"Oh, by the way, His Majesty the Emperor just called to ask about the missing window in his house. Do you have any idea?"

"Woo woo!" Shangluo ran down the stairs and could no longer be seen.

[Oh~~ Your cheeks are glowing, so cool, like fireflies. Does it smell good?]

"It smells like disinfectant. And it's coated in sugar. I thought it was a candy at first, like it was just for packaging. Then the coating melted and I realized it was a bead. Why do I feel like the Dragon King, with a glowing bead in my mouth?"

But I have to say, the effect was really good. This time, he didn't use the EITR potion that made him uncomfortable, and everything went smoothly during the short journey. He didn't even feel cold.

Before he opened the door at the other end, he had already heard the sound outside the door—it was the sound of neat footsteps, but they were not at the door.

Chapter 248 Cybele

I opened the door and a cold sea breeze blew in, carrying the salty smell of the sea. It was already dawn in Alexandria, but it wasn't the sun or the moon that lit up the night sky, but another sky.

Mechanical gears, levers, cycloids, oscillators—a magnificent golden monolith filled the sky, replacing the sun, moon, and all the stars. The vast gears turned silently, like the laws of nature itself, with a faint, almost imperceptible sound. Everything was just as he had seen it in the sacred grove at Lake Nemi.

Yet it wasn't the light of the structure itself that illuminated it all, but the Lighthouse of Alexandria. Its beams pointed toward the heavens, toward the crystal at the center of the magnificent structure, illuminating it golden and, in turn, illuminating the entire world.

Mechanical gears, levers, cycloids, oscillators, and the brass clockwork filled the sky. In the center of the ceiling, a crystal shone brilliantly like the sun. Unlike Apollonia's red crystal, this one was golden.

The clockwork started, and the gears began to spin. First, the smaller ones scattered around the edges, then the larger ones began to rotate visibly. The meshing of the gears drove the levers, cycloids, and oscillators, which converged into a low roar.

"Make way! Make way!" Shangluo hadn't stood at the door for three seconds when a whole team of inner guards came running out of the tower. They didn't stop by Shangluo, but ran straight along the seawall towards the city.

"Huh?" Shangluo was stunned for a moment. He saw the health bar. There was a health bar on everyone's head:

[Roman Guard - Hydra Crow Warrior (LV6)]

[Roman Interior Guard - Hydra Lion Warrior (LV7)]

A whole bunch of names are on top of their heads, and there are even blood bars.At this point their names are all green.There is also a line of small characters attached to the inner guard's name: [Faction: Oracle]

If you look closely, you will find many such nameplates around. There are a lot of names around the lighthouse alone, some of which are very long.

Senior Lighthouse Operator—Publius Cornelius Scipio Aemilianus (Commoner)

[Faction: Muse Palace]

Unlike the Roman Guards, the lighthouse operator wasn't a combatant, so his name wasn't displayed. Instead, he was shown as a civilian in white. Some people didn't have their names displayed above their heads, only their job titles, seemingly optional.

Besides the operators from the Palace of Muses, other people from the Oracle and the Senate could be seen wandering around the lighthouse or gathering in large numbers atop it. Compared to last time, this place was clearly much busier.

"Could it be." He looked up at the top of his head.

【Shangluo（LV：???）】

[Faction: Ming]

"Why do I even have blood bars?"

He reached out and touched it.His health bar and name tag are all hung above.When reaching out to touch those characters, golden light overflowed from them, and the pixels of the characters were also disturbed due to disturbance.When he took his hand back, the name tag returned to normal.

"Good guy, let's do this for real"

[It seems that the lighthouse system has been fully activated]

"What exactly is the Lighthouse System?"

[I don't know. The current lighthouse system is completely different from what I've seen. Do you know what that is in the sky?]

"Is it Helios?"

【Yes.Look again at the beam of light at the top of the lighthouse: the crystal that the beam reaches is glowing, but the crystal itself is dimmed.For that is the heart of Helios in your hand.Sure enough, Shen Wuxin would not die, and everything here seemed to be going on as usual.I try to adjust the access rights.]

Waited two or three seconds.

[No, I'm denied access. The Lighthouse system is closed to me; they haven't programmed my permissions into it. Well, come to think of it, I didn't sign any contract with them.]

"Is this still Alexandria?"

【Look at the sea.】

—The sea, that's where the sound Shangluo had just heard originated. Rows of troop-carrying landing craft, each adorned with the Roman Empire's double-headed eagle flag, were parked on the shore. Legionnaires, arrayed in phalanxes, were forming their ranks. Though their armor had been changed to a military green for easier concealment in battle, they still carried the iconic Roman shields and one-handed swords, their primary weapons now rifles.

As square as chocolate. Legionnaires from various landing craft were disembarking in an orderly fashion. Character names were displayed densely above their heads, though the distance made it difficult to discern what they were. These legionnaires seemed to be experiencing this for the first time, and the health bars above their heads surprised them slightly, but they quickly regained their composure.

It's the citizen militia.

"They are all... ordinary Roman citizens?"

[Yes, there aren't that many nobles listed in the Golden Book. Emperor Victoria has already begun mobilizing citizen militias to Alexandria, so a larger-scale transfer may be just around the corner.]

"What is this going to do?"

[Moving the capital. Just like the capital moved from Rome to Constantinople, Emperor Victoria might also be moving the capital. Perhaps the Muses have chosen to side with the emperor and the Senate, and the Oracle's inner guard is also here. Fortunately, at least half of them can reach a consensus.]

"Well, I said before that Queen Victoria would be waiting for me here. Are you familiar with her?"

"We did meet, but I was still young then, so I don't remember much. I just remember that she looked cute as a child, but also very serious. She seemed completely different from your emperors; she was always on edge. It seems the different national conditions necessitated different upbringing. She was an emperor born in times of crisis, and her sense of crisis was intense."

"Well, if that's the case, I can just ask him straight away. But why is no one answering me?"

As he was speaking, a man with a golden exclamation mark on his head walked over from a distance. He had seen this man before; it was the silhouette of a Roman soldier who had stood guard here before.

He walked straight up to Shangluo and saluted him:

"Mr. Shangluo, welcome to the Third New Rome—Cybernia. This is Cybernia City 0, developed by Alexander, under the protection of the goddess Cybele, the goddess of fertile soil. Please follow me to the Great Library, where His Majesty the Emperor and His Majesty the Vice-Emperor await your arrival."

Smooth, incredibly smooth. The communication flowed much more smoothly than before. At first glance, the silhouettes barely discernible differences, save for a slight difference in the pupils. Under the fully expanded light of the beacon, their own unique radiance seemed to have returned.

Chapter 249 Technological Barbarians

"Grandfather, Grandfather." Zhu Xianxun, fortuitously, knocked on the door of Yuxi Palace at five in the afternoon. "The window in my room is gone. Do you think it's a big deal?"

"nothing."

"Oh, that's good." Zhu Xianxun turned around and was about to go back, but his steps were a little hesitant.

"You came here to ask about more than just your window, right?"

"Ah, right, right. I was actually wondering if anyone still has that bag from Shangluo? It's amazing, it can hold anything."

“Yes,” Daozu replied, “but also no.”

"Eh? Why?"

"That bundle is just an ordinary Taixu Cave Heaven, nothing surprising. Any cave heaven needs a support. Innate things can be the support of the cave heaven, for example, the cave opened up in the mountain is a cave dwelling, because the cave dwelling has an opening. If there is no support, Taixu can appear anywhere, which is equivalent to non-existence."

"Oh, indeed." Zhu Xianxun understood. "If there's no support, the bundle will just roll itself up, like a difference engine dividing 1 by 0, which loops endlessly. So which pole is the support for the Shangluo flag?"

"That spear is a true divine weapon, so it can fix one side of the Taixu Cave Heaven. All cave heavens must be like this."

"Then I have to find a magic weapon. Hmm. What a pity, I really want it. Then, Royal Ancestor, see you tomorrow morning."

Zhu Xianxin turned around and walked a few steps.

"You haven't finished speaking yet."

".Sure enough, I can't hide it from you, my Royal Ancestor."

"You grew up in front of me from such a small child, how could you possibly hide it? What do you want to ask?"

Zhu Xianxi turned back and looked in the direction of the alchemy furnace:

"I want to ask, what exactly are barbarians? After Rome leaves, we will have to deal with the world's barbarians on our own. But what exactly are barbarians? Our attitude towards barbarians is so different from Rome's. Is this the reason for Rome's downfall? If barbarians gain technology and become technological barbarians, are they still true barbarians?"

"What's the difference, in your opinion?"

"It's completely different. Rome levied tithes on its vassal states, and as long as they paid the tithe, Rome didn't care what they did. But we don't care how much tribute the tributary states paid. We don't care at all. We require the tributary states to practice good governance and not cause trouble for the court. If they cause trouble for the court, no matter how much tribute they pay, they will be held accountable, and even stripped of their fiefdom or expelled from the country."

"The means are different, but the goal is the same. We all want to curb the evil of technological barbarism."

"Evil? What evil?"

Daozu replied, "I enjoy reading scriptures, including those of the Romans, just as I read the Confucian, Taoist, and Buddhist schools, and the Mingjiao. I once read a collection of Roman texts entitled 'On Good and Evil,' and he put it very succinctly: He said that the evil of technological barbarians is 'the unrestrained evil of young souls.'"

"The unrestrained evil of young souls." Zhu Xianxun repeated, "Please explain in detail, Grandpa."

"It means that it's not the evil of a cunning old soul like Yan Song, but the evil of Yan Shifan: his love of fine houses, beautiful maids, fine clothes, delicious food, fine horses, bright lights, fireworks, opera, music, antiques, and flowers and birds. There are also people whose evil is far greater than his. Only when he is old and frail, seriously ill and unable to face the world, do he realize that his life's hard work has all been a dream. After all, the three flowers gathering at the top of the head are an illusion, and the clouds under his feet are not real."

Zhu Xianxun was stunned for a moment, "Grandpa Emperor, who are you talking about?"

"An evil man is the greatest evil man in the world; a sinner is the greatest sinner in the world."

"There's someone who even Daozu holds such a grudge against? Do I know this person?"

"You don't know this person, so there's no need to ask about him or look for him. So, do you have an idea of what a technological barbarian is?"

"I understand." Zhu Xianxun nodded. "The technological barbarian is Lü Bu. He's insatiable and lacks self-control. He's fickle and capricious. Even with his unrivaled martial arts, no one respects him. Lü Bu complained he was tied too tightly, and Cao Cao said, 'To tie a tiger, you must tie it tight,' because Lü Bu is a beast. Technological barbarians are those who can't overcome their bestiality and don't know what 'propriety' means. They lack self-control because they don't know how to stop at the boundaries of propriety."

"good."

Shangluo walked along the familiar road to the square in front of the Library of Alexandria. Everything here was the same as before, but also very different.

The clockwork's dome didn't stretch infinitely. From the library, some distance from the lighthouse, one could vaguely see the clockwork culminating in the distant sky. Yet beneath the clockwork's sky, a new order was quietly being established.