Ming Dynasty and New Rome and Infinite Magic Machine

Chapter 1731 Land
"I see. I see!" With the plan clear, Victoria suddenly understood. "So it's not that the three are stronger when they're separate, but rather that they're stronger when they're together! Why didn't anyone think of that before!"

Even if you had thought of it, would you really do it?

Victoria was speechless.

[It's impossible to do. Everyone knows this: whatever decision Rome makes, at least half the population opposes it. A three-way coalition would be even more problematic; it's estimated that two-thirds would oppose it.]

This is the current situation facing Rome. It's not that no one recognizes the problem, or that no one realizes the problem needs to be solved; rather, the solution cannot be convinced by the other half of the group, and therefore cannot be implemented.

As for the Roman Emperor Victoria, she was completely uninvolved, and he had no control over the matter. As for Agassiz, who truly held power, his inner thoughts remained unknown. All that was known was that he was preparing for a pessimistic future.

The pessimistic scenarios have been prepared for, while the hope for the future is actually the responsibility of Shangluo. After all, as the King of Rome, he is qualified to handle these matters.

"Sigh." Shangluo shook his head. "I never thought that all of this would ultimately have to be handled by me, an outsider."

“Actually, in Shangluo, it’s more reasonable for outsiders to handle these kinds of things,” Victoria suddenly replied.

"You mean the Golden Bough incident?"

"That's part of it. In Shangluo, it was actually reasonable for the Roman king to have a foreigner do it, which is why the Golden Bough ceremony required a foreigner to perform it."

"Eh? Why is that?"

“Because the Romans were originally strangers in this land,” Victoria replied. “As you know, the founding myth of Rome began with the wandering brothers Romulus. The newly arrived Romans lacked women, so in the founding myth of Rome, the brothers Romulus, as strangers, attacked the local Sabines and abducted their women as wives.”

After saying that, Victoria looked at Shangluo with a knowing look.

"What do you mean? Are you implying that I took you away from Father's house?"

"uh-huh."

"I didn't steal it! Didn't we agree on this beforehand?"

"Oh, they're the same in nature."

From a mythological perspective, there is indeed no difference.

If the purpose of mythology is to establish the legitimacy of ruling this land, then there are two paths.

One is the myth of the earth-born people. Various Greek city-states claimed to be earth-born people, growing out of the earth—since they all grew out of the earth, they naturally had an inseparable connection with this land.

Another option was to marry a local woman, thus assimilating into the local population through blood. Because the Romans were clearly outsiders, they opted for the latter.

"What happened after this myth?"

“Hmm,” Victoria recalled, “After the marriage, the Sabine daughter sided with Romulus. Eventually, through her mediation, the Roman king and the local Sabines established a joint rule. The Romans then gained the upper hand and took control. However, when the Senate was formed, the Sabines also held a third of the seats. In other words, the Sabines had a third of the original Roman shares.” [Doesn't this sound more and more like co-rule with the father-in-law?]

"Won't this myth ultimately come to a bad end?"

No, not at all. This isn't Norse mythology, which always has a tragic undertone. What follows is the history of the Romans' conquests and expansions—a period of great adventure. The entire course of Roman civilization was progressive, hence the more positive mythology.

“That’s alright.” Shangluo didn’t have any objections. “So Rome was founded because of foreigners, and it ended because of foreigners. It’s a cycle. I have no objections, as long as you, Victoria, don’t have any either.”

"Of course I have no objection. Besides, I've already asked you to co-govern with my father, and I hope you can further gain the upper hand."

They are doing just that now. Just as Romanus gained dominance in the union, Victoria's elbow began to turn outward, hoping that Shangluo would rule the Romans.

"Speaking of which, Victoria, when we first met, you didn't have all of this planned out, did you?"

"What, are you lacking in confidence?"

"Suddenly seeing that this had happened before, so I..."

“Tsk tsk tsk.” Victoria shook her head. “You’re being too modest. When I first met you, I was so tormented by my own power that I was losing my sense of self. But you, you’re a celestial being, you just appeared before me like that. You were so amazing to me back then. I always felt like you were glowing.”

This was indeed related to Victoria's situation at the time. Wen Yuan was also with Shang Luo, but it was as if Victoria couldn't see Wen Yuan at all. Conversely, Shang Luo was as conspicuous to her as a lighthouse.

"But my thoughts back then were different from now. After all, I only saw you as an ally back then. Our relationship now is the result of us gradually getting to know each other. If you ask me exactly when things started to change, I can't say for sure. But maybe that's just how people are."

Many questions cannot be explained in words. This is a wonderful feeling that arises spontaneously from within.

"Alright." Shang Luo nodded. "In short, I won't let you down."

“Ah~~~” Yanqiu screamed into the speaker, “So sweet, I’m swooning over the sweetness~~ Hiss, hiss.”

"You're having a good time watching the show, aren't you, my partner?" Shang Luo looked up in the direction of the director's room. "Would you like me to get you a glass of water? If you're feeling a bit nauseous, drink some more water."

"No need, no need, just watching from afar is the best, hehehehe."

"My God." Fahrenheit pressed his forehead. "If her fans saw her like this, her reputation would probably plummet."

"Oh no! Shangluo, you won't dislike me because of this, will you? I... I didn't mean to!"

"No, no, not at all." Shangluo waved his hand. "On the contrary, I really like you this way—you are always in a state of observation, which is the self-cultivation of a creator. Master Sa praised you as a promising talent on this path. I think if you didn't have any outstanding qualities, Master Sa wouldn't value you as his personal disciple so much."

(End of this chapter)