Chloe put her hands on her hips and widened her eyes.
"What, do you think we shouldn't steal it either? Should we just let them lock knowledge away on high shelves?"
No, I just felt that you people were far too good at secretly stirring up trouble. You even secretly summoned an evil god before.
Theus thought carefully before speaking seriously. "I don't think stealing knowledge is a real solution to the problem."
"Then what do you think we should do?"
"Reason with them."
"They won't listen."
"Then we'll give them a lesson in physics."
"Physics? What physics? Those physics classes you teach?" Chloe looked puzzled.
"That's right. They still live in this world and follow its physical laws. Perhaps we can't convince them with ideas, but we can at least destroy them physically."
"But... how could that be possible? That's the Empire, the Candlelight Society. You haven't seen their power—"
>
"You haven't seen the power of industry either. What do you think the knowledge in your hands is? A hobby? Some amusing little things?"
Theus shook his head and pointed at the steam engine some distance away.
"That steel machine took me three days to make. You probably know how much power it produces, don't you? You're a Transcendent—can you stand against that machine?"
"Once my factory is built, machines like that will fill warehouse after warehouse. Once my steel mill is built, its output will only be limited by the number of skilled workers. How many Transcendents does your order have?"
"You've seen muskets, right? They're not much of a threat to Transcendents, but what if I triple the powder charge and increase the size of the bullet by the same amount? Even the strongest armor wouldn't withstand its power. What if I increased it thirtyfold?"
"It