Industrial Cthulhu: Starting as an Island Lord

Hughes felt as if he had been struck by a giant hammer, his vision darkening.

He spat out a mouthful of blood, his whole body aching—he feared he was done for.

The human body was simply too fragile.

But just as he vaguely sensed death approaching, a warm current suddenly flowed through the Symbiotic Contract, rapidly repairing his internal organs.

”This is…”

”The Symbiotic Contract is absolutely equal. Earlier, when I was severely injured, it drew upon your life force to heal me. Now, this is my repayment to you.”

Ash’s voice came from the side.

It seemed significantly weaker—just now, the contract must have drained its life force to heal Hughes.

”As long as the contract doesn’t drain either party completely in an instant, it will gradually distribute the injuries between both sides.”

Tsk, so the reason he had passed out before was simply because he was too weak. Otherwise, this Symbiotic Contract would actually be more beneficial to him—after all, Ash’s vitality was far superior to his own.

Hughes steadied himself before raising his head to look around.

Fragments of Ash’s tribemen’s corpses rained down from above.

They had sacrificed their lives to cause a massive explosion, perishing together with the Ghost Ship.

The fishmen indeed feared the Abyssal Trench.

After releasing the Ghost Ship, they did not continue their attack.

The Cursed Ones silently gathered together.

They looked toward Ash, waiting for an explanation.

Ash nodded at Hughes before beginning to explain the principles of water pressure.

As it spoke, the eyes of these Cursed Ones gradually widened.

”Water pressure? Our curse is actually water pressure?”

”Incredible… Impossible… But now that I think about it, none of our people have ever attempted to enter the Abyssal Trench.”

”Who would come here? Entering the Abyssal Trench would drive one insane!”

A thought suddenly stirred in Hughes’ mind.

He had heard them mention more than once that entering the Abyssal Trench would cause madness.

He could understand that it was dangerous—no matter how powerful a being was, death was always a possibility—but what did they mean by ”going mad”?

Could the waters here contain certain chemicals that induce mental illness?

One of the Cursed Ones stepped forward, bowing slightly toward Hughes.

”You are indeed a most learned sage. Regardless of whether your speculation is correct, you have earned our respect and friendship.”

Then, it turned to Ash.

”Ash, we are willing to believe you. When we linked minds just now, we saw your sincerity and determination. We trust your judgment, but we also need you to tell us—why are you so certain that he is a god?”

The Cursed Ones grew somewhat restless.

Hughes noticed many hopeful gazes cast his way.

This race had suffered under curses and enslavement for too long.

They both yearned for salvation and found it hard to believe it could be real.

Deep down, they truly wanted Hughes to be a god.

Unfortunately, they were bound to be disappointed.

Hughes smiled bitterly.

He was nothing more than an ordinary man, relying on a bit of cleverness and luck. If he could help these poor creatures, that was already fortunate—how could he possibly be a god?

Moreover, Hughes frowned.

He felt an instinctive aversion to the term ”god.”

As a transmigrator, he hoped to see mortals take control of their own fates rather than be ruled by some divine being.

Ash stepped forward.

Having shared much of its life force with Hughes through the Symbiotic Contract, it now appeared visibly weakened, but its gaze remained resolute.

”I have formed a Symbiotic Contract with him, as you all know.” Ash looked around. ”But there is one crucial detail—the contract was signed instantly.”

The sea fell into silence.

”Instantly… What do you mean?” a young clansman asked curiously.

”Exactly what it sounds like. I proposed the contract, and it was immediately signed—without discussion, without communication. At the moment of signing, through my contract perception, I realized that he was unaware of the specifics of the Symbiotic Contract.”

”Contract perception does not lie. In that instant, I glimpsed into his heart.”

”He truly did not know about the Symbiotic Contract.”

They froze, taking a moment to process Ash’s words before turning to Hughes with shocked expressions.

Only the Cursed Ones understood the true significance of this.

They exchanged glances, and when they looked at Hughes again, their eyes were filled with reverence.

Ash scanned the surroundings, realizing that no one would doubt Hughes’ identity anymore.

”An instant contract—this is a contract from God!”

”A god… He truly is a god…”

”Were the legends real?”

”There really exists a contract that forms instantly!”

Hughes was stunned.

Why had these Cursed Ones suddenly changed their attitude?

”Wait a moment, I still don’t understand—why does the fact that I accepted instantly mean that I am a god?”

He asked in confusion.

Silence fell around him.

Ash turned to him.

”Master, the contract is absolutely equal. For it to take effect before I even explained it can only mean one thing—you accepted everything about the contract.”

”This has never happened before. To accept a contract unconditionally means to be utterly unafraid of any risks it might entail.”

Hughes opened his mouth but couldn’t refute it.

He truly had no fear of the contract’s risks—at worst, he would die.

He had already died once before.

But he couldn’t exactly tell these Cursed Ones that he could reincarnate at will, that would make him sound even more like a god.

A small voice spoke up.

”I still don’t understand. If he were just a madman completely unafraid of death, wouldn’t he also be able to sign the contract instantly?”

The tribemens turned their gazes toward the speaker.

”Monica, you are still young and have little experience with the Symbiotic Contract,” a nearby clansman said gently, patting her back.

”The contract is the embodiment of reason. Those who have fallen into madness cannot form it. As for fearlessness of death…”

”No matter how courageous a person is, there will always be a trace of hesitation in their subconscious. Even the slightest hesitation cannot escape the contract’s absolute equality.”

”Besides, at the moment of signing, both parties glimpse into each other’s hearts.”

”And most importantly—our prophecy clearly states that the newly emerged god will sign the contract instantly, just as in the past.”

Ash nodded.

”Yes, everything aligns perfectly. Not a single detail is off.”

An instantly formed contract—this was something the Cursed Ones had only ever heard of in ancient legends.

The tales spoke of how, when the gods signed contracts with their people before they lost their homeland, the contracts would form instantly.

According to legend, this was how their first ancestor, the first Symbiotic Contract, came into being.

To the Cursed Ones, only a god could make a Symbiotic Contract form instantly.

A god knew everything.

A god cared not for the cost.

But later, their race lost their homeland, lost their god, lost their normal bodies—they had lost too much.

They had sunk into endless suffering for countless ages.

And now…

Ash turned to look at Hughes, feeling his blood boil within him.

This man was the Cursed Ones’ new god, the one who had revealed the truth of their curse to him.

He lowered his gaze to the Abyssal Trench.

The deep sea—perhaps that was the promised land of the Cursed Ones.

Hope, salvation, divinity—this man was everything to the Cursed Ones.

They could not lose their god again.

A resolute and fearless will surged in Ash’s heart.

From the moment the Symbiotic Contract took effect, Ash had known its destiny.

It would protect its god.

No matter the cost.