Industrial Cthulhu: Starting as an Island Lord

After chatting for a while, the few of them fell into silence, each lost in their own thoughts.  

Hughes took the opportunity to sever the link and chose to return.  

The information provided by Beatrice left him with an increasingly baffling feeling. What exactly was the Church up to?  

From the prince’s assassination to the Church’s response to Tis’ independence, anyone could see they were playing a long game.  

What could possibly be so significant that it justified splitting the Empire? Was it merely a conflict with the Empress?  

Indeed, the royal family was on the rise, but the Church had entrenched itself within the Empire for a millennium. Logically, they should have had more means to deal with this strong-willed Empress, yet the Church still chose such a path.  

Then there was the Principality of Tis. Hughes always felt that something was off with the prince. His escape after the assassination was far too smooth. Even with the Church’s covert assistance, was it truly that easy to flee back to Tis and restore the kingdom?  

He hoped Zoe’s investigation would go smoothly.  

Zoe suddenly sat up in bed, her face full of barely suppressed excitement.  

She had benefited the most from this link. Thanks to her efforts, the group had discussed quite a lot about the situation in Blood Harbor.  The most important piece of information was that there were cultists active in Blood Harbor—likely with numerous extraordinary individuals among them. According to Church propaganda, cultists in her impression were not only evil but also formidable fighters.  

She had to warn Lord Hughes immediately!  

Zoe burst out of her room and jogged all the way to Hughes’ office. Just as she was about to knock on the door, she abruptly stopped.  

How should she explain this? Should she just say she suddenly acquired intel on Blood Harbor?  

Lord Hughes had even started building ships to go out and gather intel. If she claimed to have gained it out of nowhere, who wouldn’t suspect her? Maybe she’d end up like those characters in novels—secretly taken away, dissected in some lab or something. She had heard Mr. Richard loved dissecting corpses...  

Her hand froze midair just as it was about to knock.  

But while Zoe stopped, Hughes inside the room didn’t. Almost in the next moment, Hughes opened the door, looking surprised when he saw her.  

“Come in quickly. You’ve been waiting out here forever, haven’t you?”  

“Uh...?”  

Hughes pointed to the wooden sign hanging by the door. “I was feeling a bit tired and took a short nap. You must have been too considerate to wake me and just stood there waiting, right?”  

“...Yes, that’s right!”  

“Come in then.”  

Zoe walked into the room in a daze. She hadn’t even figured out what to say yet.  

“You must be here for something important. We’re setting off tomorrow—does it have to do with the journey?”  

“Yes.”  

“What’s wrong? The new ship was hastily assembled, but it’s still sturdy. Even in a storm, it won’t sink. You should know that... Or is this about Blood Harbor—have you had some new insight?”  

“Is... is that so?” Zoe was still a bit out of it, then suddenly perked up. “Yes, right, it’s Blood Harbor! I think this trip... is dangerous!”  

“How could Blood Harbor be dangerous? You’re heading there with several squads of Holy Guard, and they’re all armed. Unless... it’s related to extraordinary powers?”  

Zoe quickly nodded, then froze again, realizing something felt off.  

But Hughes acted as though he didn’t notice, stroking his chin as he continued, “Still, why would hostile extraordinaries show up in Blood Harbor? Oh, right. With the sea recently dried up, a lot of cultists spreading twisted beliefs must be using the opportunity to stir up trouble.”  

Zoe’s eyes widened.  

“So that’s it. Zoe, you’re so attentive—picking up even on those details. Sending you was definitely the right choice!” Hughes clapped his hands. “Don’t worry, I’ll assign two squads of Banshees to support you. There’ll be extraordinaries traveling with you too.”  

As he spoke, Hughes opened the door and gently pushed Zoe out. “No time to waste. Go get ready. The list of newly added team members will be sent to you soon.”  

*Bang.*  

The door shut behind her.  

Zoe stood in front of it, mouth hanging open, utterly confused.  

That was it?  

Was it over?  

Seemed like it. She had said everything she needed to say, hadn’t been found out, and even got praised by Lord Hughes.  

Well... that went pretty smoothly?  

*Bang!* The door opened again. Hughes flipped the wooden sign from “Resting” to the other side, looking puzzled at Zoe, who was still standing there with her mouth agape.  

“Something else?”  

“N-no, nothing.”  

The door shut again, the sign now swaying slightly with the words: “Working. Knock if necessary.”  

Zoe scratched her head and wandered off, still dazed.  

An odd, indescribable feeling filled her chest—something she just couldn’t quite put into words.  

If Hughes were to describe it, he’d say it was the feeling of an NPC constantly skipped over in dialogue and left speechless.  

In any case, everything went smoothly.  

As long as Zoe followed the path laid out for her, all would be fine. Hughes, on the other hand, had much more to consider.  

The link this time had revealed quite a lot. Beyond what was going on in Blood Harbor, Beatrice had also mentioned that she had “run into trouble.”  

She was in Rhine, and she was part of the Church of Candlelight. Her trouble might very well be connected to the Church.  

Was the Church of Candlelight planning something again?  

That warranted precaution.  

Besides that, there was also Kenn and Jeremiah on the *Black Pearl*.  

They had completed their repairs and even took the time to gather information about the sea area near Blood Harbor.  

If Hughes guessed right, they were likely preparing to return to Castel for a look.  

Zoe knew about the seas here, but she had cautiously avoided mentioning anything related to Castel, only saying that the sea had returned to normal.  

So, the question now was: where was the *Black Pearl*?  

Only one day had passed between the two links. Kenn had asked about Blood Harbor last time, which meant he had considered heading there.  

At that time, Kenn mentioned they’d head north. Given that they had previously spoken of exploring the Corridor of Despair, the *Black Pearl* was likely somewhere north of Blood Harbor now.  

That matched the rough direction Hughes’ silk-thread workers had noted.  

Kenn had been persuaded to leave before, and today he said they’d found a port to stop at, so he must’ve picked the closest one.  

Heading north from the Corridor of Despair, not too far from Blood Harbor, and anchoring within a day’s journey to the north...  

With that, Hughes could narrow down the possible range.  

He pulled out a nautical chart from the cabinet, made a few rough comparisons, and quickly circled a port.  

“Finally found you—*Black Pearl*,” Hughes muttered. Kenn and Jeremiah surely held a wealth of external information, which was especially valuable right now.  

He immediately activated the Mind Link attached to the Symbiotic Contract.  

『Ash, send a Banshee to a location—I found where the *Black Pearl* is.』  

『Got it. Where to?』  

Hughes studied the map carefully. 『Rift City. Check the harbor there. They should’ve just docked yesterday.』