The Steam Age

Several years passed.

Chaos first erupted within the Free City-State Alliance.

It was not only due to the impact of the Death Holy See, but also because an entirely new class had emerged.

Represented by factory owners and great merchants, they controlled the prices and trade channels of bulk commodities. They urgently needed greater profits, to break down the barriers between nations, and to abolish the various customs posts, road checkpoints, and crushing taxes.

The ancient feudal system no longer possessed any progressive value.

The rebellion first arose in coastal cities. The upper ranks of the Free City-State Alliance hurriedly mobilized troops to suppress it, including quite a few Transcendents.

But "Steam Light" stepped into the spotlight and began increasing its support for the rebels.

New weapons of war were developed.

They were high-pressure steam rifles, high-powered howitzers, and fully enclosed steam-powered mechs that ordinary people could operate!

The new-style army armed with rifles and cannons utterly routed the federal army.

The fully enclosed steam-powered mechs, in particular, gave ordinary people the strength to contend with Transcendents.

These mechs, created by Jenny using a combination of ancient Mage technology, possessed thick armor and powerful steam engines. Against low-level physical-type Saints, they were simply a massacre.

Even when facing Saints specializing in the mind and spirit, the imprints within the armor plating could still protect the operators' lives quite effectively.

Moreover, such Saints were exceedingly rare, while "Steam Light" likewise possessed true "Saints."

Once the battle entered a war of attrition, the Federation's disadvantage gradually became apparent.

Every Transcendent they lost was one fewer, and training replacements required great effort and time.

The rebels, however, had no such concern. As long as the factories remained in operation, they could assemble components into machines and send them to the battlefield by steam