Industrial Cthulhu: Starting as an Island Lord

Chloe returned to the church, her face full of complex emotions.

Carefully moving aside the somewhat decayed door, she pushed open the trapdoor and entered the underground secret base.

The Moths Chasing Fire were best at concealment and disguise, even able to use certain ritual spells to achieve astonishing effects.

For example, this trapdoor, when Chloe entered, the space inside was the gathering point of the cult, but when others opened it, it was merely a storage cellar for the Candlelight Church.

And it was not some illusion that could only be seen but not touched; both spaces truly existed, merely superimposed onto the same door using special techniques.

Extraordinary Ability: Cocooning.

This was why the Moths Chasing Fire dared to hide within the Candlelight Church’s church. It was well known that heretics were even more hated than cultists, and the ones who loathed the Moths Chasing Fire the most were the Candlelight Church, their former brothers and sisters.

”How did it go, Chief?”

”What did that lord say?”

The cult members gathered around, looking at Chloe with worried expressions.To them, Hughes’ banquet was nothing less than a dragon’s lair or a tiger’s den.

The last encounter with those Sirens had left a deep impression on them.

A silent encirclement, flawless coordination, and decisive execution, those supernatural beings were born warriors.

If not for the fact that the Moths were skilled at escaping, they might have never made it out.

Not to mention, there were many of those Sirens.

”It went fairly well. That lord is not quite what we imagined. He seems to have had no prior contact with the Church of the Sea God and has never summoned an evil god.”

Chloe revealed a somewhat tired smile.

”In fact, I have some good news, he is also very interested in knowledge. He has promised to share knowledge with us!”

The room fell silent.

The cultists of the Moths Chasing Fire widened their eyes as if they had misheard Chloe’s words.

What did she mean by ’willing to share knowledge with us’?

”You mean, he doesn’t plan to hunt us down, doesn’t plan to drive us away, and even—”

”Yes, he allows us to conduct research on his land and is even willing to share knowledge with us.”

Chloe repeated herself.

The cultists exchanged glances, their expressions still carrying traces of confusion.

They, who were always hunted and chased away, had actually been granted permission to stay here?

Did sharing knowledge mean they had even gained some degree of recognition?

”From now on, we can stay here. We don’t have to keep running and hiding. We can walk in the sunlight.”

Of course, it wasn’t completely out in the open, the Candlelight Church was still after them.

But at the very least, a lord was willing to shelter them for now.

No one knew how long it had been since the Moths Chasing Fire had lived without fear of immediate flight upon being discovered.

This wasn’t Chloe’s first negotiation with a lord, but it was the first time her followers saw her return with a smile.

Hughes had no idea.

To him, this was just a cautious exchange of information.

But to the Moths Chasing Fire, it already felt like an almost unreal blessing.

Being able to stay in one place, without having to prepare for a desperate escape at any moment, it sounded almost like… home.

When Chloe had heard Hughes’ promise at the manor, she had felt a tremor in her heart, something she had barely suppressed with all her willpower.

She patted her own face.

She was the Chief of the Moths Chasing Fire.

She had to lead the cult forward, she couldn’t afford to be weak.

”We’ve only reached a verbal agreement, and our cooperation is built on a very fragile foundation. Future interactions must remain cautious.”

The cultists nodded in agreement, though their eyes still sparkled with joy.

Many of them had already packed their belongings, ready to flee at a moment’s notice.

But now, it seems unnecessary.

At last, they could settle down and devote time to their research.

”And there’s another piece of good news, this!”

Chloe lifted the box she had been holding.

”This is soap, a cleaning product, provided to us by Lord Hughes. It’s a recent creation from Castel!”

”They say it’s a new invention. That lord even mentioned that it’s made from olive oil, perhaps in the future, we might get a chance to see how it’s made.”

Chloe distributed the soap among the cultists.

The Moths Chasing Fire had heard of this new item before and had even secretly acquired a few bars, but receiving a whole box as a gift from the lord made it feel entirely different.

The cultists carefully took the soap and held it up for a closer look.

”No matter how many times I see it, it still amazes me. This is actually made from olive oil, can you eat it?”

”Try it, just take a bite and see—wait, you’re really eating it?!”

”What does it taste like?”

”Ugh, awful… really bad.”

”Hahaha!”

Watching the group noisily pass the soap around, Chloe couldn’t help but smile.

They were lucky.

This lord was very interested in them, in their secrets, and, most importantly, in knowledge.

Perhaps there could be more cooperation in the future.

Perhaps their experiments and research might even receive funding.

This was an isolated island, far from the Empire.

The meddlesome Candlelight Church investigators wouldn’t be able to reach them here.

The thought was almost intoxicating.

She shook her head.

She couldn’t indulge in fantasies—there was still work to do.

”Isaac, come with me.”

Chloe looked at a silent man in the distance, walked over, and patted his shoulder, speaking softly.

The man nodded and followed her without a word.

The crowd was still noisy, their long-repressed emotions making them almost hysterical.

It was hard to tell whether they were venting or simply happy.

The two of them walked into an inner room.

Chloe shut the door behind them and lowered her voice.

”Isaac, I need your help.”

”Go ahead.”

”I suspect there’s a traitor among us.”

Isaac slowly lifted his head.

A cloth band covered his eyes, yet it seemed as if he was looking straight at Chloe.

”Did you find something?”

”The lord knows too much about us.”

Chloe’s eyes darkened.

The Moths Chasing Fire were experts in concealment, yet Hughes had still managed to uncover her identity.

She was certain she had left no clues.

Just last night, when Hughes and Ash were digging up the corpse of the Lord of Moths, he still hadn’t realized who she was.

But by this morning, the invitation had already been delivered to her table.

There was only one explanation, someone had betrayed them.

”It has been a long time since we last had a traitor among us, hmm?”

Isaac suddenly raised a hand, and Chloe immediately stopped talking.

The man gestured toward the door.

Chloe nodded, pulled out a dagger, and silently approached.

Then, in one swift motion, she yanked the door open and pressed the blade to the neck of the person standing outside.

Then—

”Lina?”