"Are you sure this'll work?"The question presented to me wasn't the first time I have heard such a thing being asked of me. It was an entirely valid worry for any sort of new re-invented modern machinery I spewed out, and I wouldn't have it any other way for my colleagues to doubt my every move. We didn't want to explode while we're already on it, after all."It should," I answered neutrally as I stared at the beautiful sight in front of us. "Theoretically, it should be able to lug around a few tons of earth and minerals without too much effort. The fuel cost will be directly proportional to the weight it's pulling though, so that's something."Behold, New World, for the steam engine has finally been spawned into this world. While it wasn't a fully-fledged train locomotive yet, the fact that I had a small-scale railway for this thing to go on mean
"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!" 
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
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?"
"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
"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
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?
Isaac had never seen such bullshit in his life. Tothink 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