Ming Dynasty and New Rome and Infinite Magic Machine

Chapter 1741 Big deal
"Hmm," Shangluo looked around. Based on what he had just heard, he could basically confirm:
The world is consciously maintaining the safety of the Tower of Babel.

It seems they did heed the advice; they listened to what Shangluo said and didn't allow idlers to wander around the Tower of Babel and interfere with its operation.

[But for this message to have circulated for so long, they must have carved the words into stone.]

"you mean"

I think this might be very important in their culture. After all, we're not giving these people anything in return, so their voluntary efforts to maintain order around the Tower of Babel are completely unrewarded. And this immense dedication, which is practically impossible to receive a reward for, can only be found in faith. Because faith itself is the reward.

In other words, loyalty itself is a reward.

This kind of faith without reward can certainly generate positive incentives—there are plenty of places in the world that sell luxury goods as a form of faith.

A thousand acres of fertile land yield only a pint of rice a day. A thousand mansions provide only seven feet of space for sleep at night. The clothes we wear are merely one or two layers of fabric. If clothing were only for covering the body and keeping warm, many garments—and many other consumer goods—would never be priced so high. These things that transcend basic needs exist because human needs extend beyond these fundamental physiological requirements; humans also pursue deeper, more profound needs.

The desire for food, safety, belonging, respect, and self-actualization deepens step by step.

However, when it comes to faith, the level to which faith belongs becomes more complex.

Some beliefs are about food—giving alms is...
Some beliefs are for safety—if you don't believe, you'll be beaten to death.

Some beliefs are about belonging—for example, a group of people joining a club.

Some beliefs are for the sake of respect—such as becoming a volunteer to provide public service.

Some beliefs are for self-actualization—realizing one's personal potential and becoming whatever one is capable of, such as becoming an immortal.

"So, which type of people do you think they are?"

"It may be complicated, but I think there seems to be an example right next to you—North Korea."

North Korea adheres to the principle of acting with great power, not out of some vague loyalty, but out of an urgent and real need. This need can be seen from North Korea's history:
Joseon Korea has existed alongside the Ming Dynasty for centuries. It was founded around the same time as the Ming Dynasty and has continued as a tributary state ever since. Its existence is long enough to outlive an elm tree.

The world is in constant flux, and to have lived this long is already a blessing.

This blessing did not only come from the court's protection of its security—although such protection did exist and saved Joseon from the brink of destruction at critical times such as the Imjin War.

But more often than not, in those peaceful years, the principle of serving the great powers was not about protecting North Korea militarily, but about something on a higher level.

In terms of affiliation, Korea was part of the tributary system, which was the foundation of the world order in everyone's eyes. Just as people need food and vegetables need fertilizer, it was a matter of course, and people could not imagine a society after the collapse of the world order.

In terms of respect, Korea held a unique position in the tributary world. They were the court's henchmen, the head of the tributary system, and paragons of loyalty. All of this converged into the ideology of "serving the great"—serving the great was Korea's best way to achieve self-realization. As long as they served the great, Korea had endless extravagance, untapped power, inexhaustible delicacies, boundless wealth, and endless celebrations. This wasn't just a pipe dream, because the court even granted Korea a promotion, conveniently bestowing upon them inexhaustible worldly riches.

The essence of subservience is to erase North Korea's own identity. Nothing about North Korea matters, nor is independence necessary. The most important thing is for North Korea to play its role in the world order well, not to cause trouble for the ruling party, and to respectfully submit to the great power.

As long as the matter is significant, the Joseon Dynasty's regime will not be overthrown, whether from within or without. Change will only occur if the court itself undergoes internal transformation. For example, after the Yonggyeong Reforms, the court transitioned to the current civil service examination system. Although true reforms in Joseon were delayed for decades, Joseon did indeed abolish the nominal civil and military rank system almost simultaneously with the imperial court.

So I think the same principle applies to the rest of the world.

"Hmm," Shangluo nodded.

Let alone North Korea, which has everything it needs in the end—even if it ends up with nothing, a truly ethereal faith, many people still rush to make offerings.

This kind of thing happens far too often to humans, so it wouldn't be surprising if it happened here again.

Judging from the situation here, protecting the Tower of Babel is a pipe dream.

Protecting this place will neither bring rewards from the "heavenly realm" nor punishment from the "heavenly realm"—neither of which has occurred, since the Tower of Babel simply does not have that function.

Even so, they still expended enormous human, material, and financial resources to enclose the Tower of Babel, which could only be due to their faith. Or rather, in their social order, only those who could protect the Tower of Babel possessed the legitimacy to rule.

Just like North Korea, which adheres to the principle of serving the great powers, only those who "maintain world order" have the legitimacy to rule.

"I think that's probably why they changed their personnel."

Shangluo remembered that when he first arrived, the dominant group he encountered was a wind elementalist.

But now, the fire elementals seem to have taken a dominant position. They are also the ones who maintain the Tower of Babel.

"Let their leader come and meet me. I can wait for them here." Shangluo glanced at the time. Since time flowed 365 times faster here, taking a break wouldn't interfere with things outside. Victoria might not have finished her phone call yet.

Upon hearing this sacred command, the garrison remaining on the perimeter immediately sprang into action. Shangluo noticed that they appeared to be using psychic energy to send a shockwave towards the center of the world.

"Not bad." Shangluo nodded. "It seems they are developing in an orderly manner, but it seems a bit slow."

On a small island, eating the food offered to him, Shangluo enjoyed his rare leisure time with a clear conscience.

The warships were anchored at a distance, not daring to disturb their dinner.

(End of this chapter)