All Chapters of The Least Common Denominator: Chapter 341 - Chapter 350
499 chapters
LXVII.V Quadratic Equation
"Fucking shit!" Looking at the broken piece of lever in my hand, I couldn't help but brace myself for disaster as I felt the locomotive lurch at the loss of the brakes. Surely enough, the hunk of metal began accelerating again just from the force of gravity acting upon it. "C-crimson?! What was that?!" I winced as I slowly turned to my other passenger; the broken lever hovering in front of me as I showed it to her, "Something just broke!" Ruby's eyes widened at the sight of the piece of metal in my hand. She probably didn't know what it did, but the fact that I was on the verge of panicking probably clued her in on our currently fucked up situation. "C-can you fix it?!" I nervously shook my head, "Not right now! We have to stop this thing first!" 
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LXVIII.I Intersecting Lines
Right... In a world where the locomotive was nothing but a prototype in the hands of Imperial rebels, one might ask: Why even bother when you don't even have enough men to capitalize on the advancement? Well, the answer for it is quite simple. First off, there was always recruitment for the lack of manpower. And second, why not? After all, the power of the steam engine wasn't just for making trains run. We could make a lot of things run with it so long as we did the proper retrofitting and fabrication. And so long as that was an option, I'll abuse it to its wildest extent. "Sis!" I smiled as I saw Livia return from her trip recruiting her former apprentices into the fold. Giving her a warm hug, I let her nuzzle her face into my body as I gave her entourage a small once over. To be honest, I expected far more than just two teenagers and an adult. Bu
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LXVIII.II Intersecting Lines
The silence was deafening. "Err..." Why was nobody responding to my speech? Did I do say something wrong or something? "Uhh... Sis?" Livia? "Yes?" My sister fidgeted from where she stood. I didn't know why, but it looked like she was trying to hide something from me. Huh.... Now I'm suspicious... "It's kind of.... can we get inside yet?" Eh? "What's wrong?" I mean, sure, we were still exposed to the elements, but it's not like it was too cold right now. Besides... wait... My eyes wandered across the crowd, my stupid brain taking a few seconds to buffer before a stark realization hit me. They were all shivering with shit clothing for the winter. Yikes! "Oh! Let's get everybody warm inside, yeah?"Read more
LXVIII.III Intersecting Lines
"étonnante..." I heard Anne mumble something French under her breath again as we made our way to my workshop. I suppose that the running pipes throughout the cave were something to look at, but it wasn't really that great when compared to the stuff that I really wanted to build. I mean seriously, who looks at the heating pipes and says, 'that's so good'? "Enter." Leading her inside, I closed the door behind me before grabbing a chair and giving it to my guest. She just stood in front of me as I offered her a seat, her hands still folded neatly on her lap like a dutiful servant. "Take a seat." It took another second before she finally took the chair into her hands. Letting out a sigh, I grabbed my own tall stool and sat beside my chalkboard. I'm sure I'm gonna have to use this thing li
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LXVIII.IV Intersecting Lines
"Madame?"   No... Calm down, Crimson... The Empire might be fucked in terms of classism, but it still boasted the more powerful army between the two. Then again, even old world history favored small countries in terms of being somehow more advanced in terms of social structure and overall acceptance... Maybe this was just a mirror of that?   "S-sorry, Anne," I waved her off with a slight cough. "I was just thinking about how to continue your education."   I couldn't help but shiver as her eyes lit up upon understanding my words. For some reason, it felt like I had unleashed a monster that I wouldn't be able to contain...   "E-éducation?"   Why did I feel like I was stepping on a landmine? "Yes. If you're going to work with me, you'll need to know a few concept
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Interlude XXVIII: Bennie II
It was certainly a surprise. When her old mentor approached her all of a sudden on a usual scorching day back in her stall, Bennie thought that she had been hallucinating. There was no way that Olivia even remembered her, right? And she was under orders from Crimson, herself? Surely the heat must've gotten to her! It's been a long time since she saw both of the women that changed her life for the better. Years even. And to think that they actually wanted her back? Of course, she'll pack her bags and follow them! It had been a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Olivia said that they were up in the North? She was sick of the heat anyway. The fact they might not have enough supplies for everyone at times? Just another challenge for her to hone her cooking skills. The fact that they were about to run an honest-to-gods rebellion? Read more
Interlude XXIX: Isaac
Isaac had never seen such bullshit in his life. To think that he even entertained the possibility of Big Sis Olivia being weaker than her supposed older sister? What a joke. This Crimson lady didn't even look like Olivia! "Are you sure she's stronger?" The young man had always admired strength. It was his dream to become a soldier at a young age. Unfortunately, his short stature made it impossible for him to enlist in any sort of garrison that might even want to have him. He trained and trained for years since his childhood, and yet he got shafted because he didn't reach the height requirements? It made him seethe at the others that were clearly only accepted due to status or lineage. "I'm absolutely sure, Isaac," his mentor nodded at him. "Sis was the one that taught me everything I know. I wouldn't be here today
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Interlude XXX: Descartes
"Do you understand?" Descartes had never thought that she'll be living a life away from her Reine, but circumstances had led her to such a fate. She could only count her lucky stars that she somehow found herself a willing mentor to support her during the lowest point of her life. Perhaps if Madame Olivia had not found her during her travels, the disgraced maid would've been forced to sell herself in order to simply survive the chaos that was the front lines. Such a duty would not be out of her expertise, but servicing anyone other than her liege would have been a shame that she could never erase from her very being. At best, if she would ever be reunited with her proper station, she would never trust herself with her Reine's safety. After all, she had already sold her services for her own well-being. What were the chances that she won't do so again? Read more
LXIX.I Parallelogram
Ahh... The glories of teaching... In retrospect, I probably should've pivoted my career options back in the old world to become a professor or something. My old professors and some of my classmates usually complimented my ability to simplify even the most ridiculous topics using my weird lexicon of internet, gamer, and street speak that seemed to be sorely lacking in the medical field. I suppose I was the insane one that somehow still found time to play games despite being on a field that's notorious for its brain-melting difficulty. Then again, that was because I barely studied at all and just skirted my way through until graduation. Still, I guess I was more cut out as a teacher. Imagining a life where I ended up as that one kooky biology professor kind of made me giggle a bit. To think about the random bullshit I'd subject my prospective students; random bonus questions abo
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LXIX.II Parallelogram
Once again, I regret ever even thinking that things were that simple. "Come again?" I didn't understand a single thing that came out of Anne's mouth. The thick accent didn't help either. She was so animated that what little fluency she had in pronunciation was going down the drain really damn fast. It would've been pretty cute if it wasn't so fucking annoying just trying to parse through her Frenchness. "I said, une telle chose ne devrait pas être possible." My brain was on the verge of melting just trying to understand her. I guess I understand now just why she was so averse to learning English. If this was how she felt every time I spoke, then I shudder to think what it felt like when I was teaching her... I took a deep breath. There's no need to blow up today, Crimson. Have some pat
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