Ming Dynasty and New Rome and Infinite Magic Machine

Chapter 1719 Spear

"I never expected that I would be the one dragging everyone down." Shangluo was so worried that he didn't eat a proper dinner, only managing to eat five pancakes.

Zhu Xianxi, sitting opposite him, was stunned: "Shangluo, are you hungry? I asked you to bring me some pancakes, and I only ate one. Is something on your mind?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, it is a bit."

"Tell me, wasn't the mission going very smoothly?"

At least judging from the battle reports, things went very smoothly.

After completing the phase of work, Shangluo returned to Yingtian to report to Zhu Xianxi in person. As before, it was just the two of them, so they had a meal together, and Shangluo also gave Zhu Xianxi some Egyptian flatbread to take back with him.

Because the call was made, the pancake was still warm when it was delivered to Zhu Xianxi.

Hot pancakes and cold pancakes are not the same. During the great uprising at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, Emperor Taizu collapsed from hunger in his prison cell. Empress Ma brought him a hot pancake, holding it to her chest. Emperor Taizu ate it and praised it highly, and in one fell swoop, he defeated the Yuan army—this story is also recorded in elementary school textbooks.

[Hey, everything else is nonsense, this is official confirmation from the founding emperor.]

But as Shangluo ate the steaming hot pancakes, he became somewhat absent-minded.

Zhu Xianxi recalled the battle report he had sent—everything in Egypt was progressing smoothly. Alexander had gained complete control, and the various armies were advancing steadily. The Roman troops forced to withdraw from their territories were declaring their allegiance: obedience or annihilation.

The work in Thebes is also progressing smoothly. The local temples are very cooperative, as the royal army has decided to embark on a massive project that will benefit the present and future generations, accomplishing a miracle that no Egyptian pharaoh had ever achieved, and bringing lasting blessings to the Egyptian people. The temples in Thebes are being led by genuine Egyptians, who are all willing to cooperate with Shangluo's work.

Incidentally, this also solved Egypt's employment problem. Egypt's free pie policy had created a large number of unemployed troublemakers who could have been organized for major projects, something the Romans couldn't do. Now, the court planned to utilize them, starting to conscript laborers in Egypt like the Pharaohs, to organize the construction of wonders.

This time, however, the project wasn't to build a tomb for the pharaoh, but rather to construct dams and canals.

All of the above went quite smoothly.

According to Shangluo, there seems to be a slight hiccup in the next step, but it only requires solving one problem.

"So the problem lies with you?" Zhu Xianxi asked.

Shangluo nodded: "Is that so? Maybe it's me."

"Agasocles is pressuring you to marry his daughter?"

"No, no, that's not true."

"What's on your mind?" Zhu Xianxi asked, puzzled. "You're a celestial being, what are you afraid of?"

He was eating a pork knuckle, with lettuce and garlic placed next to it.

Using chopsticks, he separated the tender, boneless pork knuckle, wrapped it in a vegetable leaf, and added a slice of garlic.
"Come on, don't be so gloomy, try this new way of eating. It's a new dish from Jinling Hotel: braised pork knuckle - Liaodong style. The weather is getting cooler, so eat more pork knuckle to nourish your body."

"Thanks." Shang Luo took the pork knuckle and took a bite.

He would have felt guilty taking a bite of the fatty pork knuckle, but the lettuce made up for it. The accompanying garlic further enhanced the umami flavor, elevating the entire dish to a new level. Although garlic has a strong odor, he's a natural at it, so it didn't bother him.

"Now, tell me, what's on your mind?"

Shangluo explained the reason for the matter— "The Spear of Dionysus?" Zhu Xianxi was stunned for a moment. "What is that? I've never heard of it before?"

Shangluo shook his head: "I don't know what the Spear of Dionysus is either."

"Don't you have Phaethon's Spear of the Sun in your hand?"

“That’s different. That was some kind of ‘natal artifact,’ prepared by Lord Helios for his daughter. But the ‘Spear of Dionysus’ that I’m preparing doesn’t even exist; at least, nobody knows where it is right now.”

"Hmm," Zhu Xianxi thought for a moment, "You've confirmed this news, haven't you?"

Shangluo finished the vegetable-wrapped pork knuckle in one bite: "Yes, I've confirmed with relevant sources. The problem is indeed with me."

"So, if you could find or forge this spear, what could you do?"

“It seems that I can combine the three powers of Rome into one in a certain sense, and then obtain a powerful artifact that is enough to support the foundation of the Roman Empire.”

According to Victoria, it was a magic staff that granted immortality to anyone who held it, called the "Three Golden Staff." One staff was the main branch, while the other two coiled around its sides.

This is an ancient artifact rooted in mythology, possessing immense power. When it is divided into three parts, each part can support a powerful force, and when combined, its power is boundless.

"Such good stuff?" Zhu Xianxi took another piece before he finished his pancake. This time he tore the crust open and stuffed the pork knuckle inside—he glanced at the lettuce next to him, hesitated for a moment, and then handed it to Shang Luo.

"Senior brother, you eat first. I'll make my own if I want to eat."

"To be honest, I have something on my mind too," Zhu Xianxi said in a low voice. "Someone insisted that I eat this plate of lettuce, but I figured I'd be doing a good job eating the garlic. Since you're here, why don't you wrap this plate of lettuce for me?"

No wonder he always packed for you. Turns out he didn't want to eat it himself. I thought he'd changed his mind and started eating vegetarian.

Shangluo had no choice but to order the meat-filled sesame flatbread as well. He was in a really bad mood today, and his appetite had improved.

“Then, continue,” Zhu Xianxi pondered. “Since this scepter can grant immortality, there must be some price to pay, right?”

"Perhaps, senior brother, is there a reason why you asked this?"

"It's just a way of thinking—if you're not sure what something is, at least you can try to figure out what it isn't."

"Ah, that makes sense." Shang Luo nodded. "Now that you mention it, if this thing came from me, then I should definitely know about it, right?"

“Yes.” Zhu Xianxi nodded in agreement. “If it’s your natal magic weapon—or something else you’re familiar with—then first of all, it has to be something you know about yourself. It must have appeared in your past experiences, and it won’t appear out of thin air.”

"That narrows down the scope considerably."

"And then?" Zhu Xianxi asked again, "What are the functions of this thing?"

"He can make thunder."

"Thunder? Why?" Zhu Xianxi asked in surprise. "Isn't this the Spear of Dionysus? It's not the Spear of Thor."

(End of this chapter)