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    Valkyrie ? Chapter XXIV ? Tharanas


    The rumored "industrial revolution" had found its way to Thessia. A world beyond magic, powered by technology, awaited. Tharanas, the great northern city, became the main hub of this revolution. Thanks to its huge harbor and convenient location to the other continents, it was often referred to as the "Gateway to the World", and therefore it automatically acted as the entry point for many clever inventors and shrewd businessmen from Chaldia into Thessia. In the past, the Union Palace was the first place they would have sought. But the Emperor already registered his first defeat here. Only a few inventors and businessmen strayed into his court. Most of them stayed in Tharanas or went to other large cities. If the Emperor wants to see the industrial revolution in full, he is forced to visit an exhibition there.


    Tharanas greeted the Emperor with thunderous applause. "All hail Konrad the Sixth!" and "Long live the Emperor!", the people cheered as he rode through the city gate, arriving in a sea of flowers and fanfares. It was good that people had forgotten the civil war and were once again well-disposed towards him. Most of them, at least. The security precautions were enormous, and it was much more difficult for the Valkyries to keep an eye on the Emperor in the great city than they could in the Union Palace.


    It was truly a special time for the people of Tharanas. The industrial revolution had arrived, and now so had the Emperor. Many people had never seen him before, just as they never had seen the Valkyries. Many only knew of them by hearsay, but all the legends were true. It was a spectacle, especially for the young men, to see these angelic and untouchable women clad in steel with their own eyes. The Valkyries radiated tremendous elegance and discipline, their blue-golden capes fluttering majestically behind them. It was graceful to look at them.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    The machines were also clad in metal, but in contrast to the Valkyries, their appearance was rather dull. They polluted the air with dark clouds of steam, and the noise they produced was deafening. What they produced in return, however, was unimaginable. These machines, called "Automatons", would create a force that was capable of replacing workers, soldiers... even the Valkyries. That''s how powerful they were. At the touch of a button, they roared and generated a strength that everyone thought impossible. They could take on a whole army of bulls with ease. They could lift extremely heavy stones, smash diamonds, generate fire as hot as a volcano. These machines could be used for any purpose. Anyone could use them. Like the Valkyries, they would never complain, never disobey orders, never run the risk of betraying their master. But on top of it, they could also run all day, and never age. All they needed was energy.


    The Emperor, his men, and the Valkyries couldn''t believe their eyes. Although the inventors repeatedly emphasized that these machines could only be used for peaceful purposes, everyone knew that it would only be a matter of time before they would be used in war. They could conquer the land, the sea, even the sky. They rendered everything that had preceded them completely obsolete. This was a true revolution, indeed.


    A scary thought. A world where even the Valkyries would be powerless. A world where they and their sacrifice will not be required anymore … perhaps wouldn''t even matter anymore. Will it be a better world? Will it be worse? Who knows?


    One thing was certain. There was no going back. These machines were there to stay—to change everything. Thessia''s clear blue sky will become shrouded in black clouds. Steel giants will rise. Humanity will be immortal. The man in possession of the most powerful machines will be a god.


    Not everyone will approve of this progress. But the Emperor had to play this game. Circumstances reminded him why. The ''War of the Cloaks'' was still going on. If the Emperor does not emerge as the strongest force, others will, and who knows what they plan to do with the future?


    In the years to come, the Emperor would travel to Tharanas often. It became a habit that his enemies tried to ambush him there. The Valkyries fended off every attack, and while this was great, the last few years in particular have shown that there were simply forces that even they couldn''t stop. The Emperor was getting old, and more and more of them, too, were reaching a certain age—with Ascension awaiting them. Time was melting away. A thing that weakened the Emperor. A thing unknown to the machines.