Ming Dynasty and New Rome and Infinite Magic Machine

Dialogue in Chapter 1673
So, that's the story of King Agamemnon. A hero who died a pathetic death, murdered in his bathtub by his wife and lover. So, what do you two think? What does this mean?

Victoria took a step back and looked at Shang Luo: "Do you have a lover outside? Is that why you wanted to murder me in the bathtub?"

"What utter nonsense?! Is this how you interpret a prophecy?!"

"What does he mean? My Chinese isn't very good. What is a prophecy?"

It is true that her Aurora language skills are not very good. Victoria studied academic Aurora, which, as the name suggests, does not include any general knowledge or common sense; it is used only as a tool.

"Sigh, the kid's strong, but not very bright. Let me explain what a prophecy is. Do you know about Shi Hu from the Eastern Jin and Sixteen Kingdoms period?"

"I wonder who Shi Hu is?"

[You don't know? Although it's academic Aurora language, you've actually read Aurora history books, haven't you? Ah, I know—Shi Jilong, you must know him now, right?]

Victoria nodded vigorously.

She knew Shi Jilong but not Shi Hu because the Book of Jin was edited by Fang Xuanling, and to avoid using the name Li Hu, the character Hu was written as Jilong here.

[So, as before, if you don't understand what you read, let me teach you—Shi Hu was Shi Le's nephew. After inheriting the throne, Shi Hu was irresponsible and idle. A fortune teller told him, "Your Majesty, you will eventually become a pillar of the emperor." People at the time didn't understand what was going on until after Shi Hu's death, when his body was thrown into the Zhang River and landed perfectly under a bridge pillar. People at the time believed that "a pillar of the emperor" referred to this. Therefore, the meaning of prophecies is usually only known after the fact.]

“Ah!” Victoria understood. “Isn’t this exactly what the Oracle of Delphi did?”

During the Greco-Persian Wars, the Greek allied forces consulted the Pythagorean oracle at Delphi, seeking advice on how to defeat the Persians. The oracle replied, "Wooden wall." The Greeks were puzzled, but most assumed it referred to building fortified walls for defense. However, the Athenian navy ultimately defeated the Persian fleet, marking a crucial turning point in the war. On the battlefield, the Athenian naval formation resembled a curtain wall. People at the time believed this "wooden wall" referred to this formation.

"So, this is telling me I need to pay attention to the details of the prophecy?"

No. This is to tell you that prophecies have no practical significance, because if you can only know the truth of things afterward, then they are of no value whatsoever. Their only ultimate purpose is to give the prophet a sense of satisfaction from accurate predictions—if they had any practical significance, they wouldn't be prophecies, they would be magic.

Victoria was furious: "So our Mr. Alexander only says these things to amuse himself, right!"

[It's understandable that he'd say something to you now that you've offended him like this. Rather, it's a misinterpretation of the situation that you dragged Shangluo over and called him Roxana. Roxana first suffered a miscarriage, and after finally becoming pregnant again, Alexander died young. After giving birth to Alexander's posthumous child, both mother and child were poisoned in the dungeon.]

Shangluo covered his forehead: "Using inappropriate metaphors is also very much like the style of the Northern and Southern Dynasties."

"But I'm just worried. What if you die? It wouldn't be good if I died either."

"There's no need for such talk." Shang Luo grabbed her hand in return. "You won't die, and neither will I. I hold supreme power over the world; who dares to kill me?"

[Your analogy is also misused. Isn't this a reference to Cao Shuang? Aren't you afraid of being mistaken for Cao Shuang?]

"That's called two negatives making a positive. I reckon Alexander does know something we don't. But there's no point in saying that now. After all, the trial is just around the corner."

"Shangluo, I'm scared. What if something happens?"

"Don't worry, relax." He patted Victoria's head. "No problem is important to me. I'll deal with whatever comes my way. It's just Amon Zeus, right? If it really appears out of nowhere, I'll send it flying into the sky with my relativistic kinetic energy weapon!"

That evening, the Muses sent a message: As per custom, the Muses, as the organizers of this trial, had been shouting outside Amun-Zeus's house for three consecutive days, summoning him to appear in court.

This is the principle of Roman law—a principle that has been carried over from the city-state era. This law presupposes that all citizens reside in Rome and have a clearly identifiable address. In reality, even as the Roman Empire expanded, it was difficult to knock on the doors of Roman colonies throughout the Mediterranean.

But now, everything is back to normal. Everyone has returned to Cyprus, just as everyone started from Rome in the first place. The law continues to be enforced: calling someone to one's door for three trading days is considered "notification served." If the person fails to appear after being notified, the judge can issue a trial in absentia.

Now, the proceedings are over. The trial of Amun-Zeus is about to begin.

—The trial began three days later.

In a meeting room at the Library of Alexandria, Han Xingzhi and others were waiting for the court hearing to begin.

"I'm hungry, I'm hungry, I'm hungry!" Han Xingzhi said, pacing back and forth while reciting his lines.

"Could you please stop shaking me? It's giving me a headache," Wen Yuan said, tilting her head to the side.

"I'm really hungry! I can't eat. If you were in my shoes, you'd probably be even more anxious than I am!"

"Aren't we trying to get justice for you?"

"But it seems that my elder brother wants to use this opportunity to achieve his own goals."

"That's right. He's the Heavenly Emperor. If you want to acknowledge him as your elder brother, you'd better be prepared."

"What, are you saying you're not convinced?"

“I never acknowledged him as my elder brother,” Wen Yuan said, arms crossed. “I don’t like addressing people as brothers. At work, we address people by their titles.”

"Isn't it just because you're taller than him that you're embarrassed?"

"???" Wen Yuan stood up. "What do you mean?"

"What are you doing? What are you going to do! I'm hungry and can't fight back! What are you going to do! Are you going to beat up the wounded?!"

Wen Yuan stepped forward and snatched the notebook from Han Xingzhi's hand.

“I need to quiz you on your lines.” He turned to the second page. “Describe what you ate for three consecutive days last week? What harm did it cause you?”

"I ate myself. Oh! I forgot!"

"What have you been memorizing for all this time?!"

(End of this chapter)