Chapter 1064: Chapter 934: Ever-Changing Times and a Tail

Saint Aiven City, central district.

At the gate of the Duchy’s higher education institution, "Saint White Women’s Academy," a group of beautiful young girls wearing the academy’s uniform walked out like birds chirping.

Their upper bodies were dressed in form-fitting olive green uniforms, matched with light gray knee-length skirts, and their long, slender legs were clad in delicate stockings of black, white, nude, purple... colours.

With the Duchy’s "petroleum industry" rapidly developing, the production capacity of nylon stockings has significantly increased, no longer the scarce luxury of the past.

Women all over the world have praised them highly, with remarks like: "As fine as spider silk, as strong as steel wire, as beautiful as silk," even if exaggerated, aren’t entirely out of line.

However, even logical fallacies like "warm in winter, cooler in summer" couldn’t stop them from flocking to them year-round, driven by their love of beauty.

Beep!

Although the extended school bus with the "Gem Emblem" badge, powered by an internal combustion engine, had already started, the girls flocked to the street opposite the school gate.

Heads pressed against one another, they swarmed around a coin-operated cigarette and perfume vending machine, ubiquitous throughout the Duchy.

As they dropped a copper plate, a burst of colourless fragrance sprayed from the silver-plated nozzle.

"Top notes: Tea leaves, mugwort, orange blossom; middle notes: Pepper, cardamom, moss; base notes: Hibiscus, rose, jasmine.

That’s right, it’s indeed the ’Fragrant White Tea Series’ we prepared, and the vending machine company has already begun comprehensive distribution!"

"It’s fantastic, with this achievement, after graduation, we can directly join Sekhmet Biomedical Company."

"Hahaha..."

With the beautiful girls clapping in celebration.

Pop! Pop! Pop!...

A group of little flower elf girls flapped their wings, leaping out from the uniform leather bags on their shoulders, fluttering delightfully around them.

It was evident that on their heads were tea leaves, mugwort, orange blossom, hibiscus, rose, jasmine...

The ingredients of the "Fragrant White Tea."

In fact, each of these girls had a thick tome in their leather satchels — "Magic Book: Great Encyclopedia of Demons."

This group of unquestionably Extraordinary, employed as the "Extraordinary Profession: Demon Scholar" created by Angie, who is well on the path of the [Goddess of Harvest], a [Divine Creature].

By meticulously studying various demon habits, including temperament, abilities, talents, living environment... they cultivate specific "demons," most importantly learning how to form contracts to borrow their power.

Naturally, some excelled in combat, while others were better at production, like these girls of well-off families dreaming of joining the world’s largest pharmaceutical company.

At this moment.

The Steam Industrial Revolution had already been declared complete for over ten years, substantially enhancing the production power of many nations, radically transforming the world’s social structure.

This was something everyone could see and personally experience.

The development of productive forces, the complexity of product structures, the upgrading, and replacement of equipment, and the endless demand for capital required an expansion of production scales and concentration of equipment and funds.

Just as Aiven initially predicted, under these special requirements, both Free Capitalism countries under the [Monarch’s Shield] and those in the [International Democratic Alliance].

All began gradually transitioning towards monopoly capitalism, namely "imperialism," leading to the emergence of monopoly organizations.

Especially with the large-scale exploitation of the "Broken Star Sea," abundant materials continuously flowed into the Civilized Countries, ushering the human world into an unprecedented era of tech innovation!

During this time, old ideas were gradually revised, and new consciousness began establishing.

From steam engines to internal combustion engines to electric motors, from civilian steamships to the tungsten filaments of light bulbs, from difference engines to wireless power transmission... all these magnificent scenes became possible.

This was an era unrestrained by thought limitations, yet filled with geniuses.

However. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

In the era of steam industry, science had no significant impact on industry.

Thus far, the myriad inventions in textile, mining, metallurgy, and transportation sectors were, except for those led by the Alchemy School, rarely made by scientists.

On the contrary, they were mostly achieved by talented craftsmen driven naturally by strong economic stimuli.

But, after the Steam Industrial Revolution completed, science began playing an increasingly important role.

Industrial research laboratories equipped with costly instruments and well-trained scientists replaced the solitary inventor’s attics and workshops.

The systematic scientific technology from these laboratories started to substantially impact industry, considerably improving and applying production techniques in numerous industrial fields.

Scientific geniuses studying high-tech revolution brought countless new novelties into this world.

They themselves also became greatly admired, and the combination of invention and commerce earned these pioneers of the age considerable profits.

Airships, battleships, penicillin, "Evolution Theory," "Modern Medicine," the "Periodic Table of Elements"... rapid development in science and technology.

It broadened not only people’s material world but also the depth and breadth of their understanding of the world.

In fact, at this time, it was also the prime moment for related Extraordinary paths, Demon Gods, and Wizards to showcase brilliance, pushing the "weakening compensation" trend to an unprecedented height.

With both the mundane and Extraordinary worlds combining forces, several decades of technological accumulation reached a breakthrough phase.

Therefore.

Not only in scientific and technological aspects, but after the complete removal of barriers between the mundane and the Extraordinary, the entire world has become completely different.

Wireless telegraphs across the Black Sea, radio broadcasts, phonographs, gramophones, cameras, telephones... these miraculous creations swept through the material world.

Nonetheless, due to intrinsic laws of technological advancement and existing industrial structure limitations, the "Electric Industrial Revolution" led by Aiven and Olivia hasn’t yet replaced steam technology as the mainstream.

But Aiven believes that day shouldn’t be far off.

What’s more noteworthy.

In this scientific and technological competition, the main arenas of [Monarch’s Shield] and [International Democratic Alliance] are quietly shifting toward the two major powers in the New Continent’s north and south stance.

Even though Galliot Duchy firmly maintained control over the "Golden Palm Federation" opposite, which gathered an indeterminate amount of rogue Extraordinaries and Demon Gods, remaining formidable.

In the Sea Origin Calendar year 205, September, the passenger steamships "Sirius" and "Great Western," belonging to both sides, respectively crossed the "Black Sea" in just 13 and 15 days.

Time only halved that of the fastest sailing ship, the "Flying Clipper."

And because wind and current weren’t considered, it almost marked the complete realization of fast year-round navigation.

This landmark achievement was enough to declare all traditional sailing battleships, including clippers, entirely obsolete.

In November, Galliot Duchy pioneered a new subject in the "food chemical industry" by using abundant grain from that year’s harvest to ferment MSG, resulting in significant profits once again.

The following year, in March of the Sea Origin Calendar year 206, the Golden Palm Federation unveiled a miraculous creation named the "Nipkow Disk."

This mechanical device for scanning images could separate the light and dark signals of an image and recombine them again.

As the disk rotated, each small hole successively intercepted the light signals from each point on an image, which were recorded and transmitted by the light sensor, allowing an identical black and white image to be replicated on the receiving disk.

Based on the Duchy’s invention of wireless communication, using the "Nipkow Disk," they could achieve instant transmission of visual information.

There were many similar inventions like artificial hearts, underwater respirators, parachutes, refrigerators...

If those reclusive Extraordinaries staying behind closed doors for several years came out, they’d be effortlessly overwhelmed by the ever-changing world.

...

Of course.

The competition in scientific technology certainly couldn’t be limited to just civilian areas, or to say, all various civilian inventions were merely by-products of the military industry and arms race.

And such a competition couldn’t remain indefinitely on paper.

In May of the Sea Origin Calendar year 206, the Eritrean Sea between the Southern Continent and the Peacock Islands.

Toot——!

The Duchy’s strongest battleship, [Super Dreadnought: Crown Prince], just completed its colonial inspection mission of the "Peacock Islands," preparing to sail back for a friendly visit to Phaletis.

"Report to the Captain, sonar feedback, something unknown is following us underwater!"