A World of Steam and Copper
The Queen's Voyage
In-universe date: Era Nova, September--October, Year 2
Real World date: 20 August 2026
Author: Semet
After the banquet, it wasn't long before I fell asleep. Admittedly, my apprehension was high. A year and a half after my Daybreak, I was about to leave my subjects again. That's why I had taken the time to admire them and pray for each of them, that nothing would happen to them during my absence. Despite the excitement of the journey, my heart was heavy. I had also made sure to leave precise instructions for each of the Advisors, of course, and to set concrete objectives for them. Upon my return, Kedet had to be even more flourishing.
From then on, everything happened very quickly. My host finally revealed our first destination, and it was none other than his native land, Koperdam, which I was eager to set foot in.
The journey with Sir Percival wasn't very long as we spent most of our time sharing our knowledge of each other's continents, nations, and customs, although I sensed that Percival was careful not to spoil some of the surprises he wanted me to discover for myself. And so, the hundreds, or perhaps thousands of kilometers over the water flew by.
Upon entering Koperdam, I was particularly intrigued and amazed. Gone were the sandstone buildings, the vines climbing the walls, and the slaves hauling enormous stones across the desert! All of that had been replaced by parallel and perpendicular streets, and tall buildings of stone, metal, and wood from which emerged copper pipes belching white smoke. In these orderly streets, people hurried about, each seemingly with a specific task to accomplish, acutely aware of the time slipping through their fingers as the immense tower counted down the seconds one by one. That said, these same people, perhaps noticing my unusual appearance, often paused for a moment to greet me politely - though I suspected that the presence of their leader might have been what had truly drawn them there - before resuming their tasks.
"What kind of machinery is that?" I thought as I approached the main street, facing the enormous clock.
Just as Percival was about to explain, another man, important despite his unassuming appearance, approached us. It was, of course, Henry Westcroft, the renowned second leader of the Technate. He greeted me with a few reserved but warm words before returning to his work. "We'll certainly meet again" I thought, watching him direct his people as they built a kind of metal road. He looked a bit tired, and something felt wrong with his arm... A fascinating detail, however, was that the men weren't the only ones working, and the women weren't the only ones in charge. Here, the roles were mixed, and it seemed to work surprisingly well, at least on the surface.
Throughout the day, Percival continued his lengthy explanations about how Koperdam worked, its institutions, and even every single machine we encountered. This went on, perhaps far longer than necessary. Fatigue and hunger began to set in, so I finally suggested something else:
"Tell me, Percival, where are your operational headquarters? Perhaps we could spend some time there. It would also be an opportunity to get to know each other a little bit better. What do you think?"