Floating Continent

10 Years Later, Northern Continent.

Artisan knew it was time. The most important moment in his life had finally arrived.

He stood before the window of his bronze tower, quietly gazing at the miracle that he had built. Depsite the blood, sweat, and tears that were shed in the process, he never wavered in that path. He kept going, just to reach the ultimate "Truth".

His miracle, the Floating Continent, was a wonder in and of itself. The Continent was about 1/3 the size of the Northern Continent. The continent floated in between the provinces of Trier and Backlund.

Despite the steam and machinery, the continent appeared to be no different than a natural paradise. The steam still didn't change the tone of the continent. It would not at all give the first impression that it was created artificially by someone.

The continent had a self-sustaining environment that could easily support millions. It can also travel into astral world safely while protecting its inhabitants, as it is covered in a thin protective layer that can withstand the authorities of the astral world.

It took Artisan tens of years and thousands of experiments to finally invent the protective cover that could protect the continent from the attacks of other gods and authorities of astral world without needing his support for a long time.

The continent was enormous. It was covered in green and blue. The huge forests and vast seas covered most of the continent. It was vibrant, teeming with life.

In the middle of it all was a city. It was a strange city, even by the standards of the new era. There were towering skyscrapers. There were huge airships coursing through the air, going and returning from different parts of continent.

Suddenly, a steam train whizzed through the skyscrapers. There were no rails in its path, indicating that the train was floating in the air while traveling. The advent of the train also rattled the windows of skyscrapers; it looked as though it might break at any moment.

However, the families that lived in the skyscrapers were still eating their breakfast leisurely, not caring about the condition of the window at all.

The architecture of the skyscrapers was heavily steampunk. It seemed made of metal and gears, with bridges connecting various skyscrapers together. People could be seen walking towards their daily work through this bridge.

There were also floating structures in the clouds, which were mostly towers reserved for esteemed researchers and innovators.

In the middle of this utopian city was a towering cathedral. The cathedral's entrance was adorned with the emblem of the God of Steam and Machinery. It was depicted in a solid triangle filled with symbols of steam, gears, and levers.

The entrance was packed with people who were entering with pious eyes. Their eyes even became zealous and frenzied at the sight of the sacred emblem.

The cathedral shimmered in brass light, holding immense power within it. It was the heart of the city, no, civilization. This was civilization in and of itself.

It was a 'miracle'. Even the Gods themselves cannot deny this fact.

Gong!

The holy bell in the spire of the cathedral rang, echoing throughout the floating continent, signifying the beginning of the apotheosis ritual.

Artisan gazed out from his tower, filled with a plethora of emotions, at his miraculous continent.

"Let's begin." He said, with anticipation. He made his voice heard across the world.

Sequence 0 – Paragon : The apotheosis ritual for paragon is to construct a miracle of civilization that should be far ahead of the current era and drink the potion for advancement under the reveal of this said miracle to the world.

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Northern Continent.

The United Empire was filled with jubilation. Crowds began to gather in public areas across the empire. They are gathering to witness the miracle, the miracle of a god.

The cities of Backlund, Feynapotter, St. Millon, and Trier were packed with people who came from across the empire to get a chance to witness the miracle up close.

In the city square of Backlund, people packed together around a curtain that shimmered in the light of the sun.

Diana, Lucas, and Blaise walked into the square through the arched entrance, looking around.

"Where did the lord say we should gather?" Lucas asked with doubt.

"A bench at the edge of the square." Blaise answered, while letting his marionettes search through the crowds. "He told us to gather there."

"Which edge?" Lucas asked, pointing at the four edges of the square.

"I am trying to find out, Lucas." Blaise said, glaring, "Give me some time."

"Calm down, Lucas…" Diana smiled. "Nothing is going to happen to me. You don't have to be so concerned over this."

Lucas snorted at that. However, his tense expression relaxed with her reassuring words.

Diana chuckled, her heart warming. She knew that the idiot was so concerned about her, which resulted in him getting all worked up.

This was all due to the Apotheosis of Artisan. The influence of Artisan was also growing exponentially day by day, making Lucas worry even more.

The religion of the God of Steam and Machinery was now the second largest in the United Empire. On the seventh year after the formation of the empire, it was recognised by the "Golden Order" and became Orthodox.

Since then, the influence of Artisan has begun to skyrocket. The inventions and revolution that followed were all rolled out in the name of Artisan. He wasn't anonymous at all. This resulted in the entire new era being dedicated to Artisan. It was named the "era of steam" in his honour.

This will all result in Artisan becoming one of the strongest gods immediately after his ascension. This fact is what should have made Lucas so worried.

To be honest, Diana was afraid and nervous, despite her previous confidence. She was going to face Artisan, her idol, in the future. If she wants to win, she must surpass him in every possible way. This is what stumbled her. She was really not sure whether she could achieve that in the end. To surpass her idol…

"You will do it." Lucas said, as if noticing her self-doubt and inner struggle. "You will surpass him. I believe you will do it."

Diana sighed, hearing his reassuring words and feeling the weight of expectation on her shoulders.

"I needed to hear that, Lucas.." Diana smiled, her tone low, almost a whisper. "Thank you…"

"Anything for my love.." Lucas said with a quirky smile. But, he didn't press on this subject, and asked about the big news. "How did the royal court let angel of time get off that easily?"

They were standing near the arch, while Blaise was searching for their lord with closed eyes.

"Amon." Diana grumbled while rubbing her brows. "Amon literally switched the facts, making the truth the falsehood. He just got away like that. Honestly, I wasn't surprised. After all, Amon is known as the god of deceit and trickery. Those titles aren't there for nothing. However, I made sure that his nickname "Blasphemer" was known to all. It made him pretty infamous around th..."

"I found them…" Blaise interrupted, opening his eyes and looking at them.

"Let's go.." Diana said, hearing him. "The ritual is about to start soon."

"I will tell you the rest afterwards, Lucas." She continued, to which Lucas gave a patient nod.

Then, they made their way into the crowds, going towards the left edge of the city square.

"Them?" Diana finally asked, while pushing through the crowd. "Is the Lord not alone?"

Blaise's expression became subtle. "There is Earth Mother as well."

"Earth Mother.." Lucas repeated, with an upturned eyebrow. He lowered his voice and looked around twice before whispering, "Do you think Our Lord and Earth Mother…"

"Lucas!" Diana pressed her hand over his mouth, glaring at him. "Don't pry into the affairs of God. Our lord may be benevolent and partial to us, but we can't say the same about Earth Mother."

"I was just curious.." Lucas said, taking her hand away from his mouth with force, which spoke of his mood clearly.

"Don't be!" Diana snarled, making Lucas glare back at her.

"Guys." Blaise walked towards them and pulled them apart from each other. "Stop with your bickering. We are almost there. It's better if we don't leave a bad impression to Earth Mother."

Lucas and Diana snorted, looking away from each other. However, they managed to remain quiet for the rest of the way to the left edge.

They soon saw a wooden table in the shade of a building. It was present in a place that would give the best and most perfect view of the curtain in the middle of the square. Their Lord and Earth Mother sat on a long wooden bench, with cups of coffee placed before them on the table.

"Come on…" Aucuses said, waving his hands at them. "Its about to start in a few seconds."

They immediately made their way towards the table and took seats opposite of Earth Mother and their Lord.

Just as they sat, a deep voice thundered across the sky and earth.

"Let's begin.."

The voice immediately drew all of their attention to the curtain, as cries of shock and wonder began to reverberate around them.

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