Ming Dynasty and New Rome and Infinite Magic Machine

Chapter 1596 Panoramic Photography
"That's pretty much it." Shangluo gave the panoramic studio a 9 out of 10; it was excellent. Aside from the possibility that the actors' performances might encounter some issues due to the absence of cameras and audience members, which hadn't been present before, it was almost perfect.

The remaining part isn't a problem with the studio, it's a problem with the people.

As time goes on, a new generation of actors will eventually adapt to this performance style. To put it bluntly, it's like performing stand-up comedy in an empty theater, performing to thin air. It's a kind of torture, because before, at least there was a production crew observing, people watching, and plays had a real audience. Now, all of that is gone.

Although this performance style seemed to have caused some psychological impact on Han Xingzhi, it was just right for a professional like Yan Qiu.

However, just as Shangluo was about to draw a conclusion, Faetong strode in from outside.

"Shangluo, there's some news. There's something they forgot to mention when they rented this photography studio to you."

"I knew this wasn't over!"

"There is one rule in this panoramic studio—you can't point one mirror at another."

"why?"

"Because mirrors upon mirrors, and mirrors upon mirrors, will generate an infinite number of images, which will directly crash the system. Yes, you can easily destroy the simulation system here, just by aligning two mirrors together."

"Such a thing happens? Does it happen in Cybernia outside too?"

"No, only here. Because this is the 'panoramic studio,' which is equivalent to opening 'creative mode,' so all the rules here are lifted. The outside world of Cybernia is loaded with general physical constants, and the light there does not superimpose infinitely—it has the speed of light. Mirrors rely on the reflection of light to form an image, and the rate at which light reflects back and forth between two mirrors to form an image is also limited by the speed of light."

Shangluo blinked: "Now that you mention it, it makes me think that there's a sandbox in the outside universe that limits image loading speed or something."

"Who knows? There's a 'watchdog hypothesis' that goes something like this—humans can't see the singularity inside a black hole because any singularity would be enclosed by the event horizon. The universe doesn't allow a naked singularity to exist because it would be logically inconsistent. Perhaps the speed of light is a similar constraint here. A universe without the speed of light constraint simply doesn't exist."

"Is it authentic?"

"As I said, it's just speculation—but the Divine Machine does utilize similar technology. Divine beings like Apollonia also don't expose their true forms; instead, they're encased in a sphere. We're not sure if the principles behind these two are the same, but the outer shell encasing the Divine Machine is indeed impenetrable."

[Sob... But this person is an exception; he broke through.]

“Yes,” Phaethon shook his head. “It seems our quest is far from over. And the one most worthy of our 'quest' is this guy.”

"What? Are you going to tie me up and use me for experiments?"

"I think if we could really do that, the world's technological level could be improved by 100 years."

"Then I'll work hard here and make the world progress by more than 100 years, hey."

"Nobody said they had to cut you up. If they really wanted to, we demigods would have been cut up long ago. A true god like Apollonia couldn't be cut up, but a demigod could. It's just that Rome was powerless before it died and had to rely on demigods to maintain its structure, so it couldn't do anything too outrageous. Now, everything's gone, and they have to rent out some filming equipment to you to make a living. They're afraid you'll break the equipment, so they specifically reminded you not to use mirrors to look at yourself."

"So, could I turn this feature off? We don't seem to need features that exceed physical constants. A speed of light shouldn't be a problem, right?"

“It seems we can’t control it that precisely,” Fahrenheit shook his head. “This thing can’t just be turned off. This creative mode can be fully enabled or fully disabled depending on the permissions you have. If this ‘creative mode’ isn’t enabled, the panoramic photography technology can’t be loaded.”

"But then again, what would happen if we really got caught up in it?"

Fahrenheit was silent for a moment: "Something terrible might happen. Although it's a place of great value for exploration, it's best not to ask. It's like how dissecting you would be very valuable, but we would never dissect you."

"So, you'll see something really amazing, right?"

"I reckon we'll be able to see it, but whether we can come back is another matter, unless..."

Before he finished speaking, the surroundings suddenly went dark as if the power had gone out.

It wasn't just ordinary blackness; the entire space seemed to be utterly silent, without a single ray of light.

The darkness lasted for several seconds before the lights came back on, and the world began to function again.

[This area just experienced a partial breakdown; the center wasn't here, it was elsewhere. Our area only turned black, but other areas appear to have collapsed.]

"Tsk." Shang Luo stood up. "Apollonia, who else is in this room besides us?"

[And there's Yanqiu and the siblings. Yanqiu was with Gao Xingsi; they came to ask what happened.]

"That's Xiao Han. I should have told him sooner. Where is he?"

[In the restroom. Wait, something seems wrong with him. He seems... he's not moving?]

Shangluo strode over and pushed open the bathroom door—

5 minute later.

When Han Xingsi arrived, Han Xingzhi was lying on the ground, and it looked like he had been dead for a while.

"Shangluo, what happened to him?!"

"It's alright. I just checked him, and all his vital signs are normal. At least for now." Shang Luo squatted down next to him, using a gold thread to take his pulse and monitor his physical condition.

"Is he that afraid of the dark?" Yanqiu asked. "He doesn't seem that way."

“It’s not a matter of being afraid of the dark,” Fahrenheit said in a deep voice. “This is a big problem. The rules of this panoramic studio are different from those of the outside world. It has removed many of the protective measures that should exist in the outside world. The power went out here just now, and he may have seen something terrible.”

"what?"

“The desert.” Phaethon looked up. “He may have seen that desert.”

"Desert? What desert?"

"The vast desert of reality. He may have seen the vast desert of reality."

Cybernia was built on a desert, a desert itself devoid of anything. The reason Cybernia exists here is because of the Great Library. The Great Library is an oasis of knowledge, a land in this desert where life can be sustained.

Just as Las Vegas, which Shangluo once visited, exists because of its casinos, Las Vegas naturally loses its meaning when the casinos cease to exist. Similarly, in Cyprus, once the rules written by the Romans are stripped away, this vast desert reveals its true nature—

There was nothing there, absolutely nothing. It was the ultimate nothingness, utterly devoid of anything. Compared to this ultimate nothingness, performing a solo act in an empty room was nothing at all.

Han Xingzhi couldn't even stand that one-man show, let alone this vast desert.

[Actually, it just fell into an undefined area where there was no model.]

The direct manifestation of all this was his utter dejection. His physical condition was perfectly normal, but his spirit seemed lost in that gray, desolate desert.

"It's over." Han Xingsi's heart sank. "What do we do? Shang Luo, we have to save him!"

"I know I've already contacted professionals, and they'll be here soon."

"What should we do? What should we do? If Shangluo doesn't come back, can I go to him?"

"Don't worry. You don't need to go. If there's any problem, I should be the one going to him."

Five minutes later, the professionals arrived.

As soon as Titus entered, he saw several people with gloomy faces.

"Gentlemen, I understand the situation."

"You're a professional?! Is there any hope for my brother?!" Han Xingsi grabbed Titus's shoulder.

"Hey! Miss, calm down!"

"My brother is lost in the desert! How can I stay calm?!"

“Desert? What desert?” Titus was taken aback. “You mean, the desert of the real world?”

“Isn’t it?” Phaethon asked. “Isn’t the land beneath Cybernia a desert?”

“Hey!” Titus shook his head violently. “Don’t worry, don’t worry. Although it is theoretically a desert, we’re not crazy. If we built Cybernia directly on the desert, people would probably get lost here every now and then. We wouldn’t have to do anything else but retrieve the missing people every day.”

"Isn't that it?" Phaethon asked in surprise. "Then what is it?"

In the magical world, places that are not defined are considered deserts. Logically speaking, there should be nothing here except desert.

“Yes, Yaru. Yaru is beneath Cybernia, and below Yaru is that desert—in other words, there is a layer between them.”

"Ah!!!" Phaethon suddenly realized, "It's alright, it's alright, you scared me."

"What is Yalu?" Han Xingsi asked hurriedly.

"Aru is heaven—the heaven of ancient Egyptian mythology. I knew it! So that's why there's only wheat outside of Sebernia."

Just as Shangluo knew—Yaru was the paradise of ancient Egypt, the place where good people would eventually go. There, an endless expanse of reeds stretched between heaven and earth, with endless golden waves of wheat spreading across the land.

There are no natural disasters or human calamities there; as long as one cultivates the land, there will always be a harvest. The pharaohs' sun boats sail among the wheat fields, enjoying their peace in eternal abundance.

"So if something goes wrong here and you fall out of Cybernia, you'll fall into Aru, right?" Phaethon asked.

“Yes, that’s it,” Titus replied. “So rest assured, he should be quite pleased now.”

"It really is true," Shangluo was sensing Han Xingzhi's condition through the golden thread. He hadn't noticed it before Titus mentioned it, but now he realized that Han Xingzhi's mindset seemed very stable, not at all like someone who had been lost and frightened in the desert. It was as if he had seen a beautiful landscape, enjoying the natural scenery amidst the wheat fields.

"So, Shangluo, you're worrying too much. Do you really have no faith in Roman technology?"

Shangluo nodded.

"Hey, Your Majesty, you're underestimating us. We might be a bit unreliable sometimes, but we're afraid of dying. If Cybernia is this dangerous, if this film studio is really dangerous, then who would dare use it?"

"I was speechless." In terms of their fear of death, the Romans were indeed terrified. Even if there were profits to be made, the Romans wouldn't go to places that were too dangerous.

"So, how do we bring him back?"

"Just send someone to Aru to bring him back. If you're not in a hurry, you can wait a few days; he should be able to return by ship. There are ships from Aru to Seberonia that sail regularly. Many tourists travel between the two places by those ships. But if you're in a real rush..."

"It's urgent!" Han Xingsi emphasized. Although the other party repeatedly stressed that the place was safe, it was still a problem that he wasn't with them.

“If it’s really urgent, we can go and bring him back right away. Miss, you don’t need to worry. Yaru is a peaceful place; no one has ever fallen in and never gotten out. It’s as easy as falling into the shallow end of a swimming pool. Of course, our little boy might not be able to swim yet, so we’ll go and rescue him right away. Just a moment.”

Titus went outside to make a phone call. He didn't want to leave a bad impression on Shangluo—after all, it was only the first day the studio was rented out, and it was a buyer's market. If he offended Shangluo, he wouldn't be able to pay rent afterwards.

However, the message on the other end of the phone meant he could only return empty-handed.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, the inner guards in charge of the rescue mission have gone out on field missions. Things have been quite complicated with the elves lately, and everyone who could go has gone."

“Then I’ll go.” Shang Luo stood up. “It’s such a simple thing, there’s no need for you to do it.”

"Hey! Please don't! Please let me try to contact them again! Let me see if I can find another team!"

"Don't worry, even if I go, I'll still pay the rent."

Titus had seen through his plan and had no choice but to say, "Then please allow me to prepare supplies for you all. Actually, you can treat this as a short trip. Aru is a very beautiful place, where the golden wheat fields are a magnificent sight rarely seen in the world. Many people from Sauron love the scenery there."

"What supplies should we bring?" Shangluo asked.

"There are two main things. One is gold coins, which are given to the guards of the underworld, since you are here on official business. The other is food. Although wheat is everywhere in Aru, it is best not to eat it. Please prepare your own food and water before going in. If you can do these things, I assure you that this will be an easy and pleasant journey."

(End of this chapter)