Industrial Cthulhu: Starting as an Island Lord

Constructing a zeppelin was quite troublesome. It wasted time, and the payload capacity was limited. However, it was relatively safer—at worst, a failed operation meant losing only a zeppelin. In times of war, industrial products could all be considered consumables.

In contrast, if the Holy Guard advanced in a full frontal push, there would be many unpredictable variables. Unknown risks might arise, and the polluted serpents in the sea weren’t necessarily easy to handle either. Still, this approach would create a real and tangible advantage.

Right now, time was actually the most precious resource. Although Monica had come in to help, the Pirate King was also close to having absorbed enough pollution to undergo his next transformation. Therefore, once Hughes confirmed that the seawater could recede, he decisively chose to execute both plans simultaneously.

Zeppelins flying in the sky wouldn’t interfere with the Holy Guard’s advance on the ground.

After finalizing the plan, Alexei immediately went out to carry it out. Hughes looked at his retreating figure and sighed.

As a clerk overseeing operations, he wasn’t a bad commander—but he did feel the plan might be a little extreme.

Whenever it came to attacking, the choices were either overwhelming firepower or overwhelming force. All the meticulous arrangements of firepower networks and designated kill zones from defensive tactics were completely thrown out.

Could it be that he was actually better at defense?

Looking at this tall Northlander, Hughes rubbed his chin and fell into thought.

The zeppelin bombing plan was carried out very quickly. The researchers from the Moths Chasing Fire group promptly dismantled all the weapons on the airship and replaced them with straightforward and brutal bombs.These bombs were specially made—what made them special was the extra-long fuse. Given the explosive yield of these bombs, if the fuse was even slightly shorter, the zeppelin might not be able to escape the blast radius in time.

In addition to the timed fuse, the bombs also contained Nini’s sea serpents as a backup trigger mechanism for early detonation.

This time, no personnel were sent to pilot the zeppelins. Once enough fuel was loaded, Nini’s sea serpents controlled them remotely. Normally, the banshees’ mind link range wasn’t enough for such long-distance control—but now Monica was here.

She moved through the sea without being detected by the monsters, which made perfect sense—after all, those creatures were technically the Sea God’s flesh. Why would they fight with the Sea God’s soul?

With Monica acting as a relay, the zeppelin soon wobbled into motion and took off.

This bomb had a hand-crafted shell. Nini used Fossil to Mud to create a giant iron barrel—this was a bomb weighing nearly six tons, containing more than five tons of explosives. It had completely emptied the entire stockpile of the explosives factory.

To put things in perspective, a standard aerial bomb only had a TNT equivalent of about 500 kilograms.

Everyone kept a safe distance from the zeppelin. If this thing exploded, even the walls of the cathedral might not be able to withstand it.

The workers loading the explosives moved softly and cautiously. Once the work was done, Nini controlled the sea serpents to activate the already-fueled steam engine. As the tethers were released, the massive zeppelin slowly rose into the air.

Only after it became a tiny dot in the sky did people gather around again, watching its ascent with lingering fear.

“Can this thing take out the Pirate King?”

“As long as it’s still a carbon-based lifeform, it can.” Hughes couldn’t help wiping the cold sweat from his forehead. With the crude technology of this era, building a bomb of this size was already the limit. If they went even bigger, a random breeze on the road might cause it to blow up.

If this explosive yield wasn’t enough to defeat the enemy, adding more might not help either. The Pirate King was just that troublesome. Once this was over...

Hughes froze suddenly. Given the current level of organization in Castel, along with the equipment and combat strength of the Holy Guard—wouldn’t releasing them into the outside world be like unleashing rabid dogs?

The Empress was dead, wasn’t she? As her vassal, wouldn’t it be inappropriate for him not to go to Rhine and pay his respects? He could take along some of the Holy Guard and a zeppelin escort, in case of bandits on the road or something.

Also, with the pirates in Gem Bay wiped out, shouldn’t Castel send troops to provide disaster relief?

Thinking this far made him feel exhausted. Better to finish off this Pirate King quickly.

The zeppelin wasn’t slow; a few hours later, it arrived over the Pirate King’s court.

Nini was already drenched in sweat. This zeppelin was far more complex than the ones used in previous tests. She was fumbling to keep up with the controls. If she weren’t a Banshee, born with six arms and the innate ability to multitask, she might not even have managed to get the zeppelin airborne.

Now, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.

『How is it? Are we in the right position?』

『A little to the left, Nini-jie.』

『Ugh.』

『What’s wrong?』

『Nothing.』

Seeing Nini’s awkward expression, Hughes couldn’t help but sigh.

They had really forgotten about Monica.

He had explained Monica’s situation to the Banshees. Though surprised, they had expressed their understanding.

Putting themselves in her shoes, the Banshees tried to act familiar with Monica. But some things were hard to fake.

Moreover, Banshees were a race of the mind. Monica must have seen through their pretense instantly. Yet she didn’t mention it, and continued acting as if everything was normal.

Maybe Monica had truly grown up.

Thinking of Monica’s tall and graceful figure, Hughes suddenly felt a pang in his heart, as if the little girl from years ago had vanished.

Hughes quickly shook his head. What was he daydreaming about?

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Soon, under Monica’s guidance, Nini adjusted the zeppelin’s position, then triggered the mechanism and dropped the bomb.

The next step was to pull the zeppelin out and detonate—

In the darkness, a sudden flash of light bloomed in the distance. It began as a small flare, then lit up half the night sky. The orange-red mushroom cloud could be seen all the way from Castel.

In an instant, night turned as bright as day.

『My Lord, we lost one zeppelin.』

『What happened?』

『The bomb’s reliability still wasn’t enough. The violent impact caused it to detonate on contact, saving us the trouble of triggering it ourselves.』

Hughes clicked his tongue. Good thing they hadn’t sent anyone to operate the zeppelin. It was already a miracle that no accidents occurred during loading.

After exchanging a few words with Nini, the explosion finally reached them. The loud blast startled many people, who stepped outside to see what was going on.

『Notify the surrounding residents about the explosion. Reassure them—don’t let things get out of hand.』

Soon, after the Banshees’ explanation, the people learned what the explosion was. This only made them more restless, discussing eagerly whether the bomb could truly kill the Pirate King.

『Monica, how is it?』

『I’m still some distance away, but from what I can sense... that Pirate King seems to still be alive.』

Still alive? It didn’t kill him?

That went beyond Hughes’ comprehension. Was the Pirate King made of stone? Even if he were, being at the center of a blast of this yield should’ve vaporized him.

『More than that, my Lord... from what I can feel, the Pirate King seems completely unscathed.』