Chapter 548 Is it Yuan Li who is to be overthrown this time?
In the room, Zhao Duan faced the empress's sharp gaze with an expressionless face, and a long string of alpacas ran through his heart.
It was not that he was unable or unwilling to hand over the methods of firearms research to Xu Zhenguan.
It's not suitable for high-tech ones, but some ordinary ones, whether it's paper books in the library or searching in online databases, are fine.
but……
With the current industrial level of the State of Yu, the new firearms he designed himself are already the optimal solution. If he wants more powerful thermal weapons, he needs the entire industrial chain, which cannot be improved in a short period of time.
"Those things are highly confidential, and I can't access them with my ability." Zhao Duan thought about it and gave a reasonable explanation.
The empress was stunned for a moment, and then the heat in her heart cooled down a lot.
She didn't doubt it because it was logical based on common sense.
But she was a little unwilling to give up. After watching so many film and television clips, she always had a frustrating feeling of entering a treasure trove but getting nothing.
"I saw in those movies and TV shows that you also had poetry here. You should be able to get in touch with it." The empress thought for a moment and made a new request.
Although this is useless in the battle, but... it can be used to show off to the young imperial guard who has a talent for poetry.
"..." Zhao Duan was extremely grateful at this moment. The number of poems he copied in Yu State was very limited. He thought about it and did not refuse. He nodded and said:
“That’s true.”
He planned to search for a few songs that he had not copied before to fool people.
However, at this moment, the Empress' figure suddenly wavered and trembled. She was stunned for a moment, then sighed softly and whispered to herself:
"Is it time?"
Even if she is in the realm of heaven and man, the time she can stay here is limited.
This time, it was unexpectedly long.
As the words fell, her figure was erased inch by inch and disappeared in the living room, leaving only a gap in the air.
Zhao Duan watched the empress disappear and suddenly felt a sense of relief.
At this time, there was a knock on the door. The takeaway had arrived.
Zhao Duan went to open the door, took back two takeouts, sat on the sofa, and muttered:
"It's a pity that you left a step too early..."
He simply opened one of the portions and handed it to Qingyun.
He opened the remaining portion, but lost his appetite. He sat on the sofa in the living room, frowning and thinking.
"Why are there still no clues this time? Was my previous guess wrong? Old Xu didn't leave any traces in my house? But this is already the most likely place."
Zhao Duan didn't understand.
As he expected, if this painting was indeed closely related to him, then there was no reason why he had not discovered it after coming in several times.
"Calm down, there may be other possibilities."
"Perhaps, the key to this painting is not in me, nor in Zhen Bao. The real clue has not yet appeared. Perhaps the timing of the trigger is wrong. For example, if I were to ascend to a celestial being, perhaps things would be different."
“Before I traveled through time, there was no modern city in the Human World, and other than Zhen Bao, no one else saw this city.
Therefore, it can be inferred that this painting was left by Old Xu to this generation of emperors, and I am the key factor that triggered its appearance. My ability to successfully visualize this painting in the 'worldly' state also proves this point."
"'The Human World' is a legacy passed down from the Celestial Realm, so this painting should have helped Celestials advance to the Human Immortal realm. But Old Xu six hundred years ago probably hadn't even reached the Human Immortal realm.
Therefore, perhaps this painting doesn't contain any so-called spiritual inheritance at all, but is simply a treasure trove he left for future generations... Although there are many flaws, the knowledge contained in this city is undoubtedly a treasure for Dayu...
This also explains why Zhenbao and I haven't met a 'guide', because there is no path of cultivation here at all."
"But even if there's no path to spiritual cultivation here, Old Xu went to great lengths to hide this urban landscape within the mural. It's impossible that he wouldn't leave any additional information for future generations.
So... logically speaking, there should be some information left behind, but Zhenbao and I haven't discovered it yet."
Zhao Duan sank into the sofa, frowning and thinking hard.
He knew that it might be information about the truth behind his time travel.
He had to find it.
"Maybe I should take some time to explore this place by myself." Zhao Duan thought.
He wanted to find out his origins before telling the empress.
Otherwise, in this world where gods exist, he was not sure what the empress would think of him, who was almost an "extraterritorial demon".
At this time, Zhao Duan felt that it was difficult for him to stay here any longer.
He did not return to Linfeng, but walked straight ahead and stepped out of the crack in the living room.
…
…
On the fourth floor of the old building.
The sunlight near noon poured in through the crack in the door.
When Zhao Duan walked out of the stone wall, he saw Xu Zhenguan sitting on a cushion, seemingly thinking about something.
"Your Majesty?" He feigned curiosity. "Did you succeed just now?"
Xu Zhenguan came back to his senses and saw him. His eyes lit up and he looked very excited.
He pointed forward, his usually graceful and dignified face becoming particularly lively, like a child who had discovered an interesting toy and was eager to share it with others:
"Sit down! You can never imagine how many bizarre things I saw this time!"
Then, Xu Zhenguan shared his experiences in "The World" with great enthusiasm and vivid descriptions.
It starts with the chapter about meeting the person in the painting, then goes on to inspect the mortal mansions and watch the TV dramas and movies of the mortals in that world.
I want to explain every detail in detail.
At this moment, the female emperor finally showed the innocence and liveliness that a young woman should have.
It also seemed that she would only show this expression in front of Zhao Duan.
Zhao Duan listened attentively, his face showing expressions of shock, astonishment, and curiosity from time to time, and he asked questions, his emotional value reaching its maximum.
Finally, he said: "It is such a wonderful world."
Xu Zhenguan nodded with a hint of satisfaction.
"Unfortunately, I wanted to bring back some poems from that world to show you, but my stay there has expired. But it's okay. After you have rested, we can experiment again."
"..." Zhao Duan fell silent, secretly making up his mind that in the next experiment, he would not enter the painting and let the empress's expectations go unfulfilled. This was because not every time the two of them practiced at the same time, they would be able to see the symbol of the chapter.
This will reduce the frequency of the Empress entering to explore.
However, Zhao Duan has already decided that he will go in more frequently. Once he makes some discoveries and confirms some things, he will confront her and no longer exist as a chapter.
After all, he had no intention of keeping it secret for long.
"However, I haven't gained nothing. I suspect that this painting of the human world might have been left behind intentionally by Emperor Taizu. Combined with the last time the calamity star passed through the sky, I have some speculation that perhaps this world in the painting itself is the treasure that Emperor Taizu left for me to deal with disasters."
Xu Zhenguan said after calming down.
Disaster star... Zhao Duan's heart moved, this is indeed a possibility.
"Well, there won't be any progress on this matter anytime soon. The human fairyland is far away, so the most urgent task is to put down the rebellion."
Xu Zhenguan knew the severity of the situation and said:
"Now that you're back, I have something to discuss with you."
"What's the matter?" Zhao Duan asked puzzledly.
Xu Zhen looked around and said, "Let's go back to the imperial study and talk."
…
The emperor and his ministers left the Wugong Palace and returned to the Yangxin Palace.
As soon as Xu Zhenguan entered the courtyard, an elderly female official came forward and bowed, saying:
"Your Majesty, Gongshu Tianyuan from the Tianshi Mansion requests an audience. I have asked him to wait at the door of the study."
Gongshu Tianyuan?
Zhao Duan, floating in the air in the form of a spirit, was stunned for a moment, and something in his mind moved:
Last night, Zhang Yan promised to get him a body. Has it been delivered yet?
Xu Zhenguan's eyes also lit up, he nodded slightly, and walked forward. The three of them turned around the corridor and saw a female official standing outside the study with her head bowed.
A little fat man in a wrinkled priest robe was squatting at the door, bored and dazed.
Next to him was a wooden box the size of a coffin, with a sealed lid, and no one knew what was inside.
"His Majesty?"
Gongshu Tianyuan stood up and saluted politely. Then, when he caught a glimpse of Zhao Duan floating behind the empress, a faint glow flashed in the little fat man's eyes. He was excited and his face showed joy: "Zhao..."
Zhao Duan waved his hands quickly, signaling him not to say anything.
Gongshu Tianyuan shuddered, quickly suppressed his strange expression, and said with his head down:
"Your Majesty, Gongshu is here on the orders of the Heavenly Master to deliver what Your Majesty needs."
Xu Zhenguan said softly, "Yes," and said with a cold expression, "Come in and talk."
Immediately, he stepped over the threshold of the study.
Soon, the three of them entered the study. Gongshu Tianyuan slyly closed the door, then smiled brightly and bowed to Zhao Duan:
"Brother Zhao, I haven't seen you for a long time. I knew back in Beijing that you had won a victory up there. But I never expected you to return using the secret technique of spiritual travel. If Master hadn't sent me to give you an object to possess, I would still be in the dark."
Zhao Duan also smiled eagerly: "Thank you again, Brother Gongshu."
The two of them were old acquaintances. As a sorcerer, Gongshu Tianyuan was accustomed to seeing spirit travel, so he did not ask how it was done. He just guessed that it was a secret method of the royal family - there were some things he shouldn't ask, so he wouldn't ask.
Xu Zhenguan's brows turned cold, and he regained his majestic demeanor: "Whatever the Heavenly Master has sent, please present it immediately."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Gongshu Tianyuan was very afraid of the empress, so he immediately stopped smiling and solemnly slammed the "coffin" behind him to the ground.
He bent down and squatted, and his fat little hands deftly opened the lock.
With the sound of "click".
The "coffin"-sized box was opened, Zhao Duan stretched his neck to look inside, and then was stunned.
Inside the box, there lay a "person" wearing a light blue robe, who seemed to be sleeping!
Xu Zhenguan's expression suddenly became strange: "This is..."
Gongshu Tianyuan proudly introduced:
"Your Majesty, Brother Zhao, don't be surprised. This thing is not a living person, but a bionic puppet that I made after years of dedicated research using the mysterious art of craftsmanship.
Unlike traditional wooden, stone, or metal puppets, this puppet looks and feels just like a real person, and can even talk and eat... It's engraved with a formation inside, connected to a sunstone, and can gather magical power simply by being placed in the sun..."
"This is still a test piece. It's the first body I created. I hadn't determined its appearance yet. When I learned that Brother Zhao wanted to use it, I molded it into Brother Zhao's appearance overnight..."
After saying that, the little fat boy looked over with eager eyes, as if seeking praise.
Zhao Duan stared silently at the puppet's mismatched features: uneven eyes, sunken nose, and red lips.
"...You pinched it very well. Don't pinch it next time."
He turned to Xu Zhenguan and said:
"Your Majesty, I think it's quite nice to float like this."
Xu Zhenguan looked at the puppet's scribbled face with disdain and said carefully:
"Although it is unique, it is a bit too..."
Gongshu Tianyuan smiled awkwardly and explained:
"This puppet's appearance is just the initial version. Once Brother Zhao possesses it, it will be able to adapt to the spirit's appearance."
Zhao Duan was skeptical and tried to lie down in it.
As he possessed the body, light beams from the formation flowed on the brand new puppet skin in the box, and then, the sloppy facial features slowly changed. After about dozens of breaths, they were almost identical to Zhao Duan's.
The tightly closed eyelids suddenly opened, and the gray-white eyeballs gradually became bright.
Zhao Duan slowly sat up from the "coffin", controlling the substitute puppet somewhat clumsily, opened his mouth and said:
“This…thing…”
Gongshu Tianyuan smiled and reminded:
"It's inevitable that you'll feel a bit uncomfortable the first time you possess someone, but it'll take about a cup of tea for you to get used to it."
Sure enough, after a cup of tea, Zhao Duan walked out of the coffin completely. He felt that this body had become more flexible. Although it was not as good as his real body, it also surprised him.
"Your Majesty, this puppet body is indeed quite good."
Zhao Duan was a little surprised and amazed at the methods of the sorcerers in this world.
But when I think about how the old bald donkey Xuanyin could train a "half-step celestial being" "god of magic" substitute.
It's not surprising that the Tianshi Mansion created a puppet shell that resembles a human body.
Xu Zhenguan was also quite satisfied, a smile appeared on his face: "This way, it will be much easier for you to travel around the capital and do things."
Zhao Duan was also surprised. Although his soul could not leave the mural too far, so this puppet god could only move around the inner city of the capital, but it was enough:
"With this body, I can move around in and outside the capital at the same time..."
Gongshu Tianyuan admired his own work, grinning from ear to ear. Suddenly, he pulled out a piece of paper from his sleeve and thrust it into the other person, saying earnestly:
"Brother Zhao, this paper contains the various aspects of the puppet's body... well, 'data'. If you have any insights during your daily use, you can write them down in the corresponding boxes on the paper. I will check and adjust them regularly, striving for further progress in the future..."
What’s the feeling behind this evaluation report... Zhao Duan had no choice but to accept it.
Gongshu Tianyuan was a man with a keen eye. After completing the task, he immediately said goodbye and left.
…
Wait until the people leave.
Zhao Duan walked around the study twice and found that the empress was staring at him thoughtfully.
"Your Majesty just said that you have something to discuss with me?" he asked curiously.
Xu Zhenguan came back to his senses, nodded slightly, and said with interest:
"There is indeed something going on in the court. Originally, I just wanted to hear your opinion, but now that you have a walking stand-in, perhaps you can do more than just offer advice."
Zhao Duan's heart moved, he pulled a chair and sat down, wondering:
"What happened?"
At court, Li Yanfu had fallen, and the empress was taking the opportunity to promote a large number of young officials and expand the imperial party. Logically, this should be a time of great vitality and development.
Xu Zhenguan pulled out a letter from the desk and handed it to him:
"This is what Ma Yan sent last time. You'll know when you see it."
Sent by the Governor?
Zhao Duan took it doubtfully, opened it, and scanned the secret letter. Gradually, his expression changed.
When he raised his head again, he stared at the empress's fair eyes and eyebrows and said in a deep voice:
"Lord Yuan...colluded with the rebel king?!"
——
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(End of this chapter)
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