And a few centuries, a few retaliatory sessions of prisoner torture, and a failure of Venetian Arsenal later, humanity steps out into Modernity. Books are printed, shares are traded, guns are shot and sails are set to shores unknown.

"I have full faith in his expedition, sire! It will most definitely pay off."

Planets revolve around the Sun! In ellipses!

"Told ya so. Wait, ellipses?"

Yeah!

Here's a coordinate grid!

Here's a logarithm table!

Here's New Organon and Discourse on the Method!

How very interesting.

"Printmaster, please, a few more of those books. I have read them twice and found them most fascinating, and will compensate you for each that fails to sell."

The laws of Motion embodied in equations of infinitesimal calculus may in fact govern everything in the universe. No place for random chance; no need to feign hypotheses of God.

Hearing that right after dispatching a cult to plague and rot via calling down lightning upon it's members by sheer force of will causes a very interesting emotion.

There's a century with quieter progress in sciences, but a vigorous advance in technology and social progress. Some people are planning revolutionary change of society - even though everyone knows from history that those never succeed.

"If there is to be a cult, perhaps it should be a cult of reason itself?"

...well that didn't work

Meanwhile, water-powered factory complexes are really taking off in Britain.

Oh, fuck it, I guess I am actually playing along with this stupid race