The Sun - Lord of Mysteries (fanfiction)

Chapter 67: Era of Steam

Northern Continent.

A month had passed.

Historians went on consider the harsh times that followed the war and plague to be among the darkest in history. This calamity is remembered as the second most devastation disaster in recorded history, trailing only the "Cataclysm" and preceding the "Blood Night."

As the saying goes, disaster brings with it the change. Even though the repercussions were severe, it also provided an opportunity for humanity's most prosperous era to emerge, since the fall of modern civilization.

Future historians will extol this era as the beginning of the great change. This era was given numerous names, but it was widely known and accepted by all as,

The Era of Steam.

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The light of dawn shone through the clouds, illuminating the northern continent.

A clear spectacle can be seen in the blue sky.

As the clouds parted, it revealed a slew of airships gliding through the sky.

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The airship's design was heavily steampunk, with the burning engines at the top of the passenger cabin being powered by steam, and the cabin being elegant and grand, made of gleaming and polished wood, with the front of the cabin inlaid with glass, providing passengers with an observation area.

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Aucuses was present at a restaurant table in one of those airships. There was a dozen of newspapers in front of him, each with a different headline.

The headlines read:

"The Miracle of Steam: Man Conquers the Sky."

It showed a picture of the airship being launched from the station right below, and there was a large emblem at the station's entrance.

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The emblems represented by a solid triangle which were filled with symbols such as steam, gears, and levers.

It was the Sacred Emblem of the God of Steam and Machinery.

Underneath these headlines, there was news of steam engine revolutionising the stagnant industrial sector, as well as a sharp increase in the number of available jobs, which was attributed to the revolution.

On the same newspaper, there were also images and information about the various inventions introduced in the previous month.

Steam ships, steam trains, and many other inventions were among them...

Everything on the front page was about the miracles and magnificence of steam.

"Your order is here, sir." A waitress placed a silver cup in front of Aucuses. "A Fermo Coffee."

Aucuses nodded and handed the waitress a gold coin with the sun emblem as a tip. When the waitress saw the tip, she became brisk. Then, she bowed and left with a smile.

Aucuses drank the coffee from his cup while turning to look to the side. His table was located on the side of the glass windows, which replaced the walls and provided a clear view of the gliding clouds and rising sun. One could also look down to see the construction of the railway tracks and vast mountains in front of them.

It was a picturesque view that could completely immerse oneself in it, while forgetting about time.

Aucuses waved his hands, and the bright sun on the horizon dimmed slightly, making the view before him even more beautiful and mesmerising.

'Perfect...' He thought contentedly.

He can finally rest and travel around, witnessing the dawn of a new era. Even though he knew that, there were still mountains of issues that required his attention, and his angels were still bombarding his ears with prayers to check about the coronation.

But, right now, he didn't care about anything except reading the newspapers and drinking coffee while taking in the scenery.

The sunlight illuminated his figure, he was dressed in a vintage black suit and trousers.

Honestly, despite being the god of light, he still prefers dark-coloured clothing because it matches well his white hair. His hair though remained unkempt, and his irises were golden.

While, he was sitting in a restaurant inside the airship, which had been flying for two days.

The restaurant was packed with people, not just ordinary people, but also beyonders, mostly low- and mid-sequence.

The airship was one of the first to enter service, travelling from Trier to Backlund, and the route was finalised and monitored by both the Church of Steam and the Church of Storms.

Aucuses finally put down the coffee, which had been reduced to half, and sighed as he looked at the newspapers on the table.

'Steam...' He looked at the eye-catching headline on one of the newspapers. 'The future has changed completely now...'

He thought as he rubbed his temples, closed his eyes, and tried to divine the future.

After a few moments, he opened his eyes and gazed out the window at the steampunk-styled airships.

His eyes were filled with emotion, and his heart was surreal.

Even if he is god, it was too shocking to see how a small change caused by him changed the entire course of human civilization.

'Holy crap!' Aucuses thought with joy, as the initial surprise wore off. 'It's going to be steampunk. I can't believe I'm going to witness that in the future!!"

Yes, Steampunk. The Civilization is now developing in that manner due to the manipulation of Artisan.

And, Aucuses can already guess what factors caused such a significant shift.

Roselle introduced the steam engine in the original timeline, sparking the first industrial revolution. Even so, civilization's progress stalled after that.

Yet, even with the steam engine, such inventions as airships did not exist in the original timeline.

What has caused such a shift now?

Aucuses knew, it was all because of Artisan.

Roselle was simply plagiarising from Modern Civilization in the start. Despite the fact that the Paragon pathway in the higher sequence would grant him innovative abilities, Roselle is nowhere near Artisan, who actually managed to build a floating continent in this era.

In the original timeline, Artisan promoted without digesting his sequence-1 potion, which had serious consequences, including the loss of most of one's humanity and the constant risk being on the verge of losing control.

As a result, Artisan should have spent almost all of his time struggling to maintain his sanity, with little to no time to devote to the advancement of civilization, which is critical for the god of the paragon pathway.

He should have improved as a result of the revolution brought about by Roselle, but it is undeniable that his reckless promotion affected him for the rest of his life, given the civilization's stagnation following Roselle's fall.

However, Artisan will not face any of these issues right now.

He has begun fully implementing his ideas for the empire in preparation for his apotheosis ritual.

Why, Aucuses reasoned, would it be Steampunk? It's simple: there's no crude oil to kick-start a second industrial revolution, but this won't stop Artisan, whose innovative talent was unrivalled.

'Well, that was something I didn't expect... ' Aucuses reflected, as this realisation had only come to him, during this month.

To be honest, despite this change that may affect everything, he still can't wait to see the future with his own eyes.

His gaze was finally drawn to the tile that read, 'Man conquered the Sky.'

'Well, Leodero won't be happy if he sees that.' He thought with amusement, as he put that newspaper away and looked at another with different headlines,

"The Coronation of Alitsa Tudor and Trunsoest."

His attention was drawn to the details below the title.

"The Coronation will be broadcast live across the Empire under the divine miracle of the Eternal Blazing Sun."

Today is the Coronation Day, and he must say that the angels planned the entire event magnificently.

How magnificent? The colossal statues of the six of them were erected directly in front of the royal palace, where the coronation will take place. While, this was just only one part of the coronation.

After a brief glance, Aucuses turned the pages of the newspaper and took a sip of his coffee.

He began browsing the other news while enjoying his alone time, until someone decided to ruin it....

"Aucuses, what a surprise?"

Aucuses sighed and looked up at the man standing before him, his eyes clearly irked.

The man had black curly hair and black eyes. His forehead was rather broad in contrast to his thin face. He was wearing a black suit and a long overcoat. There was a golden pocket watch, which hung on the edge of the overcoat.

What was most noticeable about him, however, was a crystal monocle he wore over his right eye, which glistened with light.

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A/N: When I wrote the previous chapter, I didn't fully consider the change that Artisan could bring about until I read a comment.

So, yes, under the influence of Artisan, civilization will develop in a completely different way.

But, to be honest, I was still unsure whether to proceed with this change or not, because by the fifth epoch, it won't be a Victorian era like the original story. I'm not sure if you all will like it, as this is a significant change.

But, after some thought, I decided to go ahead with it; if you want to share your thoughts on this, I would welcome it.

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Finally, this is what Aucuses saw in his divination.