Eve of War

Thick smoke billowed through the sky as a steam airship, like a giant whale drifting through the clouds, slowly cruised along.

General George sat in his command room as a featureless black projection emerged from the mirror hanging on the wall, pulled out a chair, and sat down opposite him.

"Sir George, Her Majesty the Queen requires an explanation for the expeditionary force's failure."

The construction costs and daily maintenance expenses of every steam airship were staggering.

Losing so many at once would have sent any general without powerful backing straight to a court-martial.

As the world's hegemon, Great Britain could never compete with Europe's three great powers in terms of land power.

Therefore, aside from its unshakable naval supremacy, Great Britain also had to keep a firm grip on the newly emerged domain of air power if it wished to remain the hegemon. This was not for empty prestige, but for very real benefits.

After all, merely bearing the title of "world hegemon" allowed Britain to seize substantial profits every year. Many small nations went weak at the knees the moment they heard the English were involved. Opening ports, trade agreements, unequal treaties—colonial civilian groups could get them signed simply through bluff and intimidation.

"It was merely an accident. No one could have expected us to encounter an ancient dragon, and such an exceptionally cunning one at that."

General George felt somewhat tense. Although there had been no major flaw in his decisions, any senior commander would have struggled to respond effectively against such a crafty dragon, one that specifically targeted ammunition depots.

But it had still been a crushing defeat under his command.

The projection nodded slightly. "According to the accounts of Colonel Brown, Colonel Norrington, and other frontline officers and soldiers, there is no major issue with