[Mechanical Calendar Year 40, thanks to the efforts of the monks of the Mechanical Church, the newly formed Winter Empire smoothly passed its first decade, as various tribes gradually moved towards integration because of shared faith. The power of steam machinery also reached thousands of households, heralding the arrival of the grand mechanical era.]

The towering stream of steam consumed coal and emitted white smoke. The scorching heat melted the frozen earth of the Northern Territory and delivered warmth through the crisscrossing pipes to every citizen of the Empire.

In various greenhouse farms, under the guidance of mechanical monks, farmers learned mechanized farming, planting many delicious crops on the steam-melted frozen soil, which were previously unheard of.

On the level roads that could accommodate more than a dozen carts, besides traditional animal-driven carts such as horse-drawn carriages, donkey carts, and ox carts, novel steam locomotives gradually appeared. These trendsetting vehicle owners of the new era enjoyed the attention of pedestrians, marveling at the mechanical power within.

Outside the cities, workers were busy constructing railways. Even the fierce cold winds could not extinguish the enthusiasm of the laborers. Their robust bodies emitted scorching steam in the cold temperatures, but when the steam automobile, sounding its whistle like a Great Dragon, passed by them, as they watched the silhouette of the steel beast gradually fade away, the workers revealed proud smiles.

At the outskirts of the city, within the barracks, mechanical monks were tuning the latest steam tanks and steam naval guns, while soldiers holding steam firearms curiously looked at these imposing new equipment.

Meanwhile, at the center of Winter City, beside the God Descending Square, opposite the majestic Royal Palace, the towering Iron Cathedral stood tall, aiming to spread the oracle from the great Master of All Machines and the Goddess of the Moon and Fire to every Empire citizen yearning for mechanical power.

However, today within the Iron Cathedral, there was a group of foreigners who had traveled from afar to witness this.

They were not people of the Northern Territory, but envoys from the southern nations.

In the distant past, the Northern Territory symbolized poverty and barbarism, while the southern nations were the cradle of prosperity and civilization. But this entrenched impression has now been shattered.

All because of the efforts of those trade caravans sent south by Her Majesty the Empress. Within the decade, these merchants fiercely challenged the worldview of these arrogant Southerners with affordable and high-quality goods from steam factories. Their once-proud farms and ranches were utterly defeated by the mighty force of mechanics.

Nevertheless, there were still stubborn Southerners who refused to accept the truth. Hence, benevolent Her Majesty the Empress allowed them to come here for a visit. And once these foreigners truly faced the cold winds and blizzards and saw this mechanical kingdom hidden beneath endless snow, their mouths never closed, emitting various strange sounds like groundhogs all along the way.

Nowadays, it was not only the Empire General but also His Excellency the Bishop at the Mechanical Church, Akate, who, witnessing the astonished appearance of these southern nobles as if their worldview was reshaped, also smiled.

She knew that once these foreigners returned, the faith in the great Master of All Machines would usher in a new expansion.

Sadly, she was old now, uncertain whether she could wait for that day.

Now at over fifty years of age, Akate thought so. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

Even though her knightly body was very strong and replenished with Magic Power, allowing her aging to be very slow, yet now the once heroic expression on her face had begun to etch wrinkles with time.

Thinking about this, she couldn’t help but envy His Majesty for that eternally youthful Divine Grace. Elsa remained at her peak beauty of thirty for so many years.

But this was not necessarily a good thing. After all, that fellow always liked to act youthful due to the god-given youth, working overtime here and there. Without her frequent reminders, she truly would not know how to rest.

Yet she also did not know how many more years she could accompany His Majesty.

His Excellency the Bishop sighed, shook her head, and no longer pondered these unsolvable matters.

Furthermore, at this moment, a young mechanical monk hurriedly approached, face full of ecstatic joy.

"Your Excellency the Bishop, I’ve succeeded. Electric power can also serve as a new energy source for driving mechanical operations."

The young Miss Trass said thus.

.....

[Mechanical Calendar Year 50, under the mighty force of Winter Empire’s steel warships and tank clusters, people in the southern nations felt endangered. They realized the power of the great Master of All Machines and voluntarily converted in a rush. The benevolent Empress of Ice and Snow accepted their conversion and shared this Divine Grace from the great Goddess with the world. Mechanical Academies began to be established everywhere. Meanwhile, electric power started to replace part of steam use, becoming a new energy source for machinery, as electrified mechanics began to gradually spread.]

....

[Mechanical Calendar Year 60, once the greatest magician of the southern nations, Meteor Sage Isaac proposed the theory of gravity under the guidance of the Master of All Machines and innovatively presented the anti-gravity formula. Mechanics started designing great machinery to conquer the skies based on this.]

...

[Mechanical Calendar Year 70, Winter City ascended into the sky, the Floating City concept was entirely fulfilled. This epoch-making great spectacle was proof of humanity’s conquest of the skies, as various sky warships began to be designed and constructed.]

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[Mechanical Calendar Year 80, Quantum Philosopher Miss Albert Einstein proposed quantum theory. She, mortal-bodied, usurped the authority of the Sun God, with what was named nuclear energy, becoming a new energy to drive machinery, allowing mankind to no longer worry about energy. The Mechanical Church ushered in a brand new era.]