"We're here." Shangluo stopped in front of the city gate.
The shadows of the high walls covered the streets, and the gate towers blocked the sunlight. The world inside the gate is far more lively than outside, but there are several roadblocks blocking the city entrance.
A plaque with the word "Acropolis" hangs on the city gate tower, and a yellow sun flag with a red background hangs on the flagpole behind the gate tower. This is not a national flag, but a "duty flag", which means that the city gate is open. This is a very classical approach, but not everywhere is classical.
There is a layer of white cement on the outside of the city wall. The city wall bricks that are hundreds of years old are wrapped in cement, and the gate tower has been replaced by reinforced concrete from wood, but the cornices are still symbolically retained on the outside as a decoration.
There are barricade poles blocking the way at both ends of the doorway, and the barricades have been lowered. A guard wearing a hard-topped helmet stood at the door. The word "brave" in the center of the helmet represented his status as a guard. He is from Master Wang.
"Ah, it's Mr. Xiao Shang. But please show me your ID." The guard did not take off his rifle to intercept him because he was familiar with him. He was the one who invited Shangluo in to "cast a spell" yesterday. It was just a routine matter for him to check whether the visitor was qualified to enter the city.
"Wait a moment." Shangluo took out a red ID card from his pocket. Each page of the ID card was bound with rice paper. The front shell is printed with the four characters "Nanjing Hubu" in nine-fold gold-gilded seal script.
Shangluo had no intention of taking out the token Lu Qianhu gave him yesterday. Because Jin Yiwei's token was too ostentatious, he could also enter with his own ID. That token needs to be used when entering the library.
The guard took the ID card, turned to the page of identity information, and compared the portrait with Shangluo's own appearance.
After handing back the certificate, the guard picked up the phone hanging on the wall and called inside.
The gate slowly opened and he hung up the phone: "Okay, no problem, come in. But I have to accompany you in."
The two people stood at the door and watched, watching the gate slowly move upward.
"By the way, it's not time for you guardsmen to go back yet?"
"No, our Zhendong guard is still waiting for the Henghai left guard to change defense. It seems that something happened on the east coast. Just in case, they are temporarily installing some equipment - or so the rumors say. Recently It’s really not peaceful, you know? Don’t tell others, someone was kidnapped yesterday!”
"Oh, I heard that, I was scared to death. How is that person doing?"
"Tsk, it seems like he was scared out of his wits. But the kidnapper was swept away by Jinyiwei Liting last night. I really don't know how to write the word "death". This kind of thing happened when Jinyiwei arrived, and the governor was so angry that he smashed the ashtray. .”
"By the way, what are Jin Yiwei here for?" Shangluo had no intention of continuing to discuss with him the matter of his soul being scared away.
"Who knows, I heard that they are here to investigate a case. In this broad daylight, apart from a few short-sighted thieves, is there any case to investigate? I guess the governor was impeached, so the imperial court sent the royal guards here. Arrest people. Tsk, if you make such a fuss, our service period will be extended."
"Ah..." Shangluo suddenly felt a little regretful. Although he can't be blamed for this, it was his own fault after all. He did feel a little sorry for keeping others outside for so long.
"Oh, it's nothing." The guard shook his head, "I'm not in a hurry anyway. Working overtime counts as service, and if you work overtime for a while, you can get a few more years of rest. Okay, there's no problem with the gate, let's go in."
The Acropolis of San Francisco is a square area of only 4 square kilometers, where 30% of the population of San Francisco is concentrated. Three parapets made of cement isolate the two worlds inside and outside. The Ming Law is enforced within the parapets and ignored outside the walls. There is no protective wall on the side facing the sea, which is the anchorage of Yangzhou Navy.
The San Francisco Guard, far away from the mainland, is a real military base. 80% of the permanent population in the city are military households and craftsmen households. The 41-story Golden Gate Building stands at the north entrance of the Acropolis. It was built by the Construction Bureau 4 of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce. Its facade is made of red bricks, glass curtain walls and blue glazed tiles. The 14-story podium below is the Golden Gate Hotel, and the 27-story tower above is rented by the Yangzhou Governor's Palace.
"By the way, what's for lunch today?" After entering the door, the entire Golden Gate Hotel appeared in front of him. As soon as he saw the building, Shangluo felt a little hungry, but thinking about the carrots he ate every time, he felt less hungry.
"As usual, radish stewed meat and radish steamed buns are the same as when radish is in a meeting. And I don't recommend you to eat at this time. Jin Yiwei is eating at this time."
"I'm just going to find them. There's a pocket watch over there that's been repaired here."
"Ah...ah, that's right." The guard smiled with him and stopped talking.
[Why didn’t he speak? 】
"Because he thinks I might be a spy of Jin Yiwei, looking for dirt on the governor, and he doesn't want to cause trouble. Forget it, it doesn't matter, I know this place better than he does."
[So, you can eat here for free? 】
"Military households and craftsmen households are both fine. Because we are here in Yangzhou on official business, the court is in charge of the food. The civilian households have to spend money to eat, because they come by themselves, and the court does not care about the food. The dining hall is in Kinmen. On the second floor of the hotel, you can eat here just by showing your ID. I remember when I was a kid... well, I guess I used to eat here often. When I was a kid, I would call this place the Carrot House."
【It is indeed very similar. The facade is red, but the top is covered with blue glazed tiles, like a carrot. 】
"What I mean is that the food here always eats radishes, because in the farm outside, besides wheat fields, there are also radish fields." He sniffed the smell in the air, "Well... sure enough. I eat radishes again. I'm on the first floor. You can smell the braised radish. That’s what I ate as a kid.”
The faint smell of radish is getting closer and closer, and the rice is ready. Downstairs in the Golden Gate Building, the people who went in to eat had not yet arrived, and the revolving door was also stopped there.
Considering that there was a security check at the door, Shangluo handed the small bag containing Apollonia to the guard for safekeeping, walked up to the two-story Xumizuo of the Foundation Building, and walked in through the revolving door.
Time passed by minute by minute.
[I wonder how they are doing now...Father, did I do the right thing? 】
Apollonia cast her sights to the sky - but reality soon forced her to withdraw her attention.
A strong sense of crisis woke her up. I don't know where this sense of crisis comes from, because there doesn't seem to be any threatening target around. Only a group of people wearing short shirts and leggings came out of the Golden Gate Building. These people did not carry any weapons. They seemed to have just finished eating, and there was even a taste of radish in their mouths.
The person walking in front of him turned out to be Lu Huaiyang, whom he had met yesterday. He had just come out from lunch.
These people came out of the door, walked down the two steps of Xumizuo, and passed by Apollonia.
"Huh?" Suddenly, Lu Huaiyang stopped.
"Huh? Master, what's the matter?"
"It's nothing. I ate too much radish stew and I'm a little bloated. Where is your pocket watch? The merchant hasn't sent it yet?"
