Industrial Cthulhu: Starting as an Island Lord

Hughes fell silent.

After a while, he spoke in a low voice, “This should be immortality, right? I thought eternal life just meant unlimited lifespan.”

Chloe’s description of eternal life and immortality shook him deeply.

Recalling Nora’s words at the time, he only now realized the immense storm hidden beneath her calm tone.

No wonder Nora called it a supernatural curse.

“There’s no strict distinction between eternal life and immortality. In fact, this world is quite generous. If you want to grow stronger, it’s incredibly simple,various abilities will be crammed into you all at once.”

“It’s just that when it comes time to pay the price, it’s not so simple.”

Chloe spoke softly.

Hughes thought about it carefully.

It did seem to be the case.Cognitive interference was the simplest example.

Want the world to become the way you wish?

No problem at all.

If you think soap is delicious, then it is.

But it wouldn’t take long before this world, twisted by one’s will, would reveal its cruelty.

Pollution poured down from the sky, then surged toward all living things.

With the Sirens’ help, Hughes could easily cleanse it.

But what if he couldn’t?

Monica had been polluted that day.

If such monsters were everywhere, Castel Island would become a living hell.

Suddenly, Hughes had an epiphany.

This world was not just idealistic.

It seemed to harbor a certain malice.

It was fulfilling mortals’ wishes in a twisted manner.

Like eternal life, after a brief moment of joy, an eternity of suffering followed.

Hughes pondered quietly, not noticing that Chloe had fallen silent at some point.

Before he could recover from his thoughts, a sudden change occurred.

Chloe’s hand had merely been resting on his wrist.

Now, she suddenly clenched it tightly.

Hughes felt his wrist being locked in an iron grip.

He even heard the sound of his bones fracturing.

Ignoring the pain, Hughes immediately tried to pull his hand away.

But Chloe had completely changed.

She was no longer relaxed like during their conversation.

Her face was expressionless, like a puppet.

The hand gripping Hughes’ wrist was like steel, utterly immovable.

It hurt!!

Fortunately, the Symbiotic Contract hadn’t failed this time.

A surge of vitality rushed in, quickly healing his broken wrist.

But Chloe’s grip only tightened.

At this rate, his hand would be torn off!

“Chloe?! Chloe, what’s wrong?!! Damn it, what’s happening?!!!”

Hughes gritted his teeth against the pain, slapping Chloe’s shoulder and face.

But the girl showed no reaction, like a puppet.

His vision darkened from the pain.

He even considered returning to the Golden Throne and staying there until Chloe recovered.

But seeing the eerie state she was in, Hughes gritted his teeth and stopped himself.

He didn’t want to abandon her like this.

Besides, if he left now, he would lose control over the situation entirely.

What if something happened and this body died?

What was going on!?

Hughes felt like he was about to pass out from the pain.

He clenched his teeth, forcing himself to think.

Why did this sudden change happen?

All he had been doing was purifying the pollution inside her.

Could purification harm her?

It was possible.

If spirit and flesh were truly one, then purification shouldn’t be so difficult.

It was highly likely...

Highly likely that the pollution had already fused with her spirit and flesh.

Purifying her meant harming her!

Hughes’ eyes lit up.

His intuition told him this guess was correct!

But even if he knew the cause, he had no way to treat her.

The Symbiotic Contract couldn’t heal others.

Wait?

Hughes suddenly remembered,when she drank his blood earlier, the Symbiotic Contract didn’t activate.

Could it be that some kind of connection existed between him and Chloe, causing the contract to misjudge?

When he placed his finger in her mouth, did the Symbiotic Contract treat them as one entity and thus not activate?

Was there a way to guide the Symbiotic Contract to heal her?

He didn’t know why this was happening or when the connection between them began.

But that didn’t stop him from using it.

The only question was,how?

Hughes’ rational mind wavered.

He gave up thinking and decided to trust his instincts.

Pulling out a dagger, Hughes held the blade with his trembling hand and stabbed his own palm.

Blood and flesh split open, and blood gushed out.

At the same time, the Symbiotic Contract detected his wound.

A massive surge of vitality rushed to his hand.

Chloe suddenly let out a sharp, piercing scream.

The life force from the Symbiotic Contract surged toward Hughes’ wound.

It hesitated for a moment but didn’t heal his flesh.

Instead, it flowed out from the wound and into Chloe’s body.

Blood and vitality poured out together.

The Symbiotic Contract regarded them as one entity.

He had succeeded.

Hughes could sense everything inside Chloe’s body.

She seemed to lack internal organs.

Her mouth, nose, and other openings were merely for show.

Her lips and tongue were normal, but below her throat was an entirely different digestive system.

She wasn’t human.

Perhaps all extraordinary beings were no longer human, just wrapped in a familiar shell.

Hughes furrowed his brow.

His rational mind told him this should be a horrifying revelation.

But emotionally, he felt something completely different.

He felt an inexplicable closeness to the nun before him.

This had happened before.

When Ash first signed the Symbiotic Contract with him, while still a Bloated Monster, he had felt this same closeness.

It must be the influence of the Symbiotic Contract.

Inside her skull, Hughes discovered a massive buildup of pollution.

No wonder she suffered from headaches,it had all accumulated there.

At that moment, the life force from the Symbiotic Contract spread through her limbs and body.

Normally, this life force would coexist peacefully with her.

But because it came from Hughes, it carried his purification ability.

Thus, the pollution within Chloe writhed like burning worms, convulsing violently.

Countless wounds appeared across her body, only to be instantly healed by the Symbiotic Contract.

The mass of pollution in her head rapidly shrank.

It didn’t take long before all the pollution in her body was completely purified.

“Hah... is it over?”

Hughes gasped for breath.

The excruciating pain made him feel as if he had died once.

Now, he was barely holding himself upright.

Chloe lay motionless on the table.

Her hand gradually loosened.

Everything from before felt like an illusion.

Now, she seemed to be sleeping peacefully,not even breathing.

If Hughes hadn’t seen inside her body and known she had no lungs, he would have been worried.

After resting for a while, Hughes felt much better.

He decided to pull his hand away,his wrist had already been healed by the Symbiotic Contract.

But before he could move, his perception suddenly changed again.

His vision became extremely poor, as if he were severely nearsighted.

Everything in front of him was a blur.

But when he turned his head, he could seemingly see through walls.

Though blurry, he could still perceive beyond them.

And his head-turning motion felt unnecessary.

He could see not just ahead but also to the sides and behind him, as if his whole body had become an eye.

No...

Not just him.

Hughes could even see through Chloe’s body to the outside.

Right now, he could see her toes curling inside her shoes.

He could see her lips and tongue inside her mouth.

And he could see a fleeting reflection of himself outside.

Suddenly, he recalled Chloe’s words:

“I am a [Chrysalis]. My sensory abilities are quite strong.”

A realization dawned on Hughes.

This might be Chloe’s ability,[Chrysalis]’s unique sensory vision.