Ming Dynasty and New Rome and Infinite Magic Machine

Chapter 1742 Meeting
"Their cooking skills are pretty good, the food is quite delicious. Especially the roasted mushrooms. Want to try some?"

"I just tasted it." Considering that they are essentially sublimated mushrooms, this is actually a somewhat hellish joke.

But then again, humans are mammals too, but humans also eat other mammals, so it's not a big deal. Besides, they've now been given human bodies, and apart from the mental link, they're completely different from the mushrooms of the past. Compared to mushrooms, they're more like some kind of intelligent life form with telepathic potential.

"Next, we just need to wait for them to send someone to report on their work."

Shangluo was quite satisfied with the surrounding situation. Because if the world was orderly and unified, they could be more efficient in serving the Heavenly Court.

Their efficiency surprised Shangluo, and the negotiating representatives arrived the next day.

What surprised Shangluo even more was that the negotiator was actually an acquaintance.

"King Ao Zang? What are you doing here?" The person who came to see him was none other than the Dragon King of the East Sea himself. "Why aren't you in the Crystal Palace? What are you doing here?"

“Business, it’s all business.” He gestured for Shangluo to go to a quieter place to talk. “I have some business to do here.”

"How can you even do business in a place like this?! Isn't this some kind of celestial paradise?"

“Hey~” Ao Zang waved his hand, “There’s a Sea Dragon King in the sea, a River Dragon King in the river, a Well Dragon King in the well, so why can’t there be a Pot Dragon King in the pot?”

"Alright, that makes sense," Shang Luo said helplessly. "Then why are you here?"

“I have to conduct some employee training. After all, they are the agents of the East Sea Dragon Palace, and I have to keep an eye on them and make them behave like the Dragon Palace.”

"So what do you sell to them?"

"Nothing much, just firearms and such. And some recipes for making fried foods, like fried vegetables and fried chicken. Oh, by the way, they don't recognize the Dragon King's identity; they just think of him as a mysterious barbarian from the south."

"Then why did they send you?"

"Because I do hold a position in their court—a position like an envoy. In short, I was sent here to communicate with you."

"I'm not surprised that you're appearing in all these strange places anymore. But I have a question: Where did the wind-attribute race I met before go? Were they wiped out?"

“No,” Ao Zang shook his head. “They are alive and well. It’s the water-attribute races that are now basically extinct. They only survive in a few areas of the polar regions.”

"why?"

"Because the water dragon escaped. The magic of the water elemental race became completely ineffective, leaving them as the only people who could not use magic, so they gradually disappeared over a long period of time."

“Tsk.” Shang Luo shook his head. “So, their world order changed, but they didn’t eliminate the wind-attribute race?” “Actually, their current status is quite high because the wind-attribute race—the Atmospheric Shepherds—was the first to make contact with us, so they gained a special status in later history. Their leader is revered by the world as the ‘Holy Son,’ a hereditary title. The Holy Son is usually a woman, typically chosen from the sisters or daughters of a king. The Holy Son is the nominal supreme leader of this world.”

"This sounds a bit like my title," Apollonia asked. "If it's nominal, then they don't actually rule this world?"

“No,” Aozang replied. “This transformation occurred approximately 200 years ago. In the early part of their history, the Atmospheric Herdsmen used cloud whales to establish trade and tribute networks around the world, and revered the Holy Son at the center of the world as their de facto leader. However, with the increase in population and the expansion of settlements, trade relying on cloud whales could no longer meet their development needs. Thus, the warrior class among them—the Fire Clan—seized power.”

Is this legal?

"It's actually illegal, but the rule of the Atmospheric Shepherd Clan has always been flawed—because they believe that the Holy Son is the wife of the gods, and only young girls are in line with the gods' preferences. But they don't want the Holy Son to hold actual power, so the Holy Son's power has always been in the hands of the priesthood."

Look at what you've done!

"What does this have to do with me! They're just spouting nonsense. When did I ever say that anyone I'd have to be a young woman?"

“In short,” Aozang explained, “the Fire Clan did not usurp the position of the Holy Son, but rather usurped the power of the priesthood. The Fire Clan’s leader calls himself the Phoenix King, and he has established his rule on a land called Vajra Continent. What you see are the fleet and soldiers from Vajra Continent. They are also the ones I do business with.”

"Isn't this history actually more complex than it seems?"

“Yes, I’ll put it in the simplest way,” Ao Zang replied. “Actually, the Earth Tribe and the Water Tribe also have their own roles in this, and even the name of the Vajra Continent is not so simple—for example, the Earth Tribe [Tairun] is actually the mainstream population that makes up the vast majority of the world’s population, and the Water Tribe [Taiya] once established another world order that was enough to rival the Holy Son.”

“I need to know some details—like how the Air Race, which I believe in, declined. I just need to know this crucial turning point.” This would help him determine exactly what the world had become.

"Well, the reason is simple: they chose a male Holy Son."

"Huh? What the hell?"

[Tsk tsk tsk.]

"Let me emphasize first, they don't think your tastes have changed, but this person is indeed very powerful—I don't know much about this person because he was already dead when I came to do business with him. He was known to later generations as the Witch King, and he possessed incredibly powerful psionic talent. According to historical records, at his peak, he should have had strength comparable to the Elemental Serpent, because he personally killed the Earth Elemental Serpent [Terror Earth]."

Upon hearing this, the number two ball in his pocket trembled. This power, capable of slaying the Elemental Serpent, meant it could also kill him.

"Then how was he defeated?"

"He attempted to build another Tower of Babel, to stand alongside ours. However, his construction of the Tower of Babel exhausted the world's power, and he was thus condemned by the world. It was during this process that the Fire Clan [Kongo Continent] rose to power. After accepting the sacrifice of the Fire Serpent, they conceived the vision of unifying all humanity into the Kongo Clan—for them, the world's order must be respected, and the four major clans must fulfill their duties. The responsibility of guarding the Tower of Babel and governing the world's order fell to them. The world was unified, and unified with extreme stability, because the Fire Serpent bestowed upon them immense power without reservation; each of them was an embodiment of the Fire Serpent's power."

“Very good.” Shangluo nodded. “I agree with their vision. Now, I wonder if they are willing to make greater contributions for me. By the way, I am also very interested in that Witch King. Such a powerful being shouldn’t die so easily.”

(End of this chapter)