The Mechanical Era

12th of Procidens, 5018.

The Imperial Queen of the Aceaton Empire could be found sitting on her fancy wooden chair, inside of her office. Holding her head with her arm on the desk, she looked onward at the map of her empire, that she had commissioned and placed on her wall.

It featured all the cities, and towns of her empire, big and small. It also featured her puppet states, which she had managed to take over with the help of Salvator Humat, which was now more of a fractured organization.

Though, that doesn't matter anymore. She has no use for it now. It really feels as if she had made it. She is on top of the world, and there is nothing that can bring her down, for now at least.

There was a knock on the door. Rose immediately sat straighter and focused her head on the door. After coughing a few times, she gave her permission for whoever was on the other side of the door to enter.

"Come in."

Nathan, carrying a heavy stack of files, entered the room. He placed the files down on her desk, before bowing and greeting her a good morning.

"Good Morning, your Imperial Majesty. I have brought in the reports that you have ordered. Is there anything else you wish for me to do?" Nathan asks.

"Yes, there is. Get a maid to grab me tea while I read through all this. I feel as if it would help me... relax."

"As you wish, your majesty." with that, Nathan leaves the room, in search of a maid to get the imperial queen her tea. Rose picks up the first report and skims through it. It was an immigration report, informing her of the strange migration pattern that had been occurring in her empire.

Apparently, there seems to be a rather small, but significant influx of people from the northern parts of the continent. Hoverdam itself has about a couple hundred left, while the kingdoms surrounding it is also experiencing something similar.

This group includes small artisans, weavers, and smiths. Contradictory, there seem to be a great influx of her empire's merchants, extremely skilled craftsman, and peasants to the north, all of whom go towards the kingdom of Hoverdam, one way or another.

"Hm... I wonder what is going on over there..." she remarked.

It had been a while since she had visited Hoverdam. Rose had no idea of the revolutionary new inventions that have taken hold in the city of Hoverdam. Though she knew she should send someone to see how things have been, it was rather something low on her priority list. She keeps the immigration report on the side of her desk and moves on to the next report.

When she turned to the first page and read the title, she was a little confused as to why a report from the astronomers had arrived. To get an idea of what is for, she read out the summary, to see whether she should bother with the file.

"Due to the discoveries made by Demonologist Mr. Jonus Hull and his team, we at the Astronomer's Association had decided to conduct an investigation and a debate to determine whether the following scientific theories are incorrect..." she read out before stopping. It was just then, that Rose remembered what it was, and how it was relevant to her.

"Ah. This must be because of the model and drawings they found there. I wonder what it says."

Rose continues to read the file. It detailed the investigation and experiments that had been conducted, to see whether the theories such as 'heliocentrism' had any base to it. Though it was an ongoing discussion, Rose burst out laughing at the debate section.

Though it did feature a proper scientific discussion, it also had some witty remarks against the opponents, to try to discredit them of their credibility. Once it was over, she place the file gown and move on to the next one.

She grabs the next file and opens up the first page to read the title. Upon seeing the contents, her face made a smile. It was the report on what the Demonologists thought of Jonus's findings.

"Ah! Here it is! The one that I have been waiting for!" she remarked. She quickly flipped the pages and started reading through the file's pages. It mostly contained information about what they found after deciphering everything, and what it could mean.

The report confirms many of Jonus's claims. The way they communicate, how the memories of Demons work, and so on. She made sure to read it all of it through, till she reached the point about the permanent portal thing.

"Though the information and theory do hold some ground to it, as of the evidence we had gathered from the tests, we cannot be so certain about the reliability and accuracy of the texts. This also goes for the theories above.

In order to confirm the information that we found is indeed reliable, it requires gathering more evidence of the reliability of the texts and drawings, as well as the credibility of the creatures and their friendliness.

We already have an idea of where we can find these abandoned fortresses thanks to the texts. If we indeed manage to find a few thanks to their help, it could increase the credibility of the texts.

If your imperial majesty does have a great desire to know, then please provide us the proper resources, to help us confirm the information and the theories once and for all..." it said.

Rose keeps the file down and leans back on her chair. She thinks through what the report had just said, and whether she should fund them to find more fortresses. As she was in the middle of this mental debate, she hears a knock on her door.

"Come in". In comes through the door, is a maid, holding her tea. She places it down on the table and bows.

"I am extremely sorry for coming in so late, your imperial majesty. I promise to never do it again!" the maid apologizes.

"That is fine. In fact, you came just in time." Rose replies.

"Oh?"

"Yes. Now, I have a request to make of you. Bring me my assistant minister, Nathan. I want to speak to him."

"Alright, your imperial majesty! I will." the maid rushes out of the room and contacts Nathan. Upon hearing the queen requested his presence, he quickly made his way through the palace, and into her office.

"Is there something you need, your imperial majesty?" he asks.

"Yes. I want you to provide funding and protection for more expeditions. Can you do that, Minister Nathan?"

"Yes, I can. Your imperial majesty. Consider it done." he replies, before leaving the room. Rose picks up her tea, takes a sip, and start reading the debates of the Astronomer's once again.

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