Industrial Cthulhu: Starting as an Island Lord

“Shocking! The Lord did *this* in front of everyone!”  

“Reported by Nini of this newspaper.”  

“On the 29th of this month, the ignition ceremony officially commenced. But at the start of the ceremony, instead of delivering a speech, Lord Hughes unexpectedly raised both hands under everyone’s gaze and made a hugging gesture.”  

“Hughes explained the gesture as a ‘Hug for Castel’, but according to this reporter’s exclusive information, there’s more to this story than meets the eye.”  

“This incident can be traced back to the Deep Sea War.”  

“During the war, the Banshee Monica returned to Castel while carrying a fragment of the Sea God and later participated in the bombing operation against the Pirate King’s Court.”  

“Due to the influence of the Sea God fragment, she transformed into something else.”  

“And it was during that time that Lord Hughes fell in love with Monica—the version of her that housed the Sea God’s fragment.”  

“What a forbidden romance! They once vowed to love each other until the sea turned to mulberry fields.”  

“Alas, the sea really did dry up one day.”  “When the furnace was finally completed, Monica (Sea God version) resolved to seal the Pirate King’s Court’s monster with her own soul. Hughes desperately tried to stop her but was still a step too late. He could only watch as the furnace ignited before his eyes, and the Sea God’s soul burned together with the flesh of the monster inside.”  

“No—”  

“He shouted, but no cry could call back his beloved.”  

“With the war over and peace restored, everyone was celebrating—no one knew the sorrow that weighed on Lord Hughes’s heart.”  

“When Monica awoke from her coma, Hughes brought a carefully crafted cake and a romantic *Stargazy Pie*, but what he saw was only a short-tempered, short-statured banshee. The gentle face of old was gone forever.”  

“It’s said that when gods die, they become stars in the sky.”  

“Every deep night, Hughes would gaze up at the starry sky alone. The sea breeze would carry his longing, drifting and swirling upward into the heavens.”  

“Meteors streaking across the sky were said to be his former lover’s tears.”  

“On the day the furnace was completed, Hughes stood in the crowd and suddenly dazed.”  

‘I gained everything, except you—my love.’  

“At that moment, a faint silhouette rose from the furnace and drifted toward Hughes.”  

“It was the lover he had longed for day and night.”  

“She reached out her arms to him. Hughes lifted his arms to embrace her, only to hold nothing but himself.”  

“Her soul had already dispersed, leaving behind only the ever-burning furnace.”  

“Hughes lifted his head to face the sun, and tears streamed down his cheeks.”  

“——To be continued. Next chapter: ‘Chloe Saw It All from Above’”  

**Editorial Board Opinion, Castel Daily:**  

Can’t sleep, hurry up with the next chapter!  

**Editor-in-Chief of Castel Daily (Nini)’s Opinion:**  

Please publish this immediately on the front page.  

**Guest Reviewer (Monica)’s Opinion:**  

“Huh?”  

**Lord of Castel (Hughes)’s Opinion:**  

Well written. Don’t write another one.  

**Manuscript Rejected. Not Accepted for Publication.**  

——  

**“Completion Ceremony Successfully Held; Monica Broke Down in Tears; Furnace Named [Stellar Furnace]”**  

“Reported by Feniel of this newspaper.”  

“On the morning of the 29th, the furnace beneath Castel’s main cathedral was successfully sealed, marking its full completion.”  

“The furnace’s construction spanned twenty-seven days in total. The ignition was originally scheduled for today but was moved up due to strong resistance from the Machine Soul.”  

“After the sealing was completed today, a pressure test on the steam pipes was conducted. It successfully powered factory equipment, and Castel’s distributed steam engines will now gradually transition to a centralized steam supply system.”  

“Attending the ceremony, aside from Castel’s Lord Hughes, was the furnace’s chief designer, Tata. Originally a researcher, Tata proposed the furnace concept and led the project after it was approved.”  

“Following the ignition ceremony, a naming vote was held. Nini’s submitted entry, ‘Banshee Sea God Miao Miao Furnace’, received the highest number of votes, but was vetoed by Lord Hughes.”  

“After a re-vote, ‘Stellar Furnace’ narrowly defeated ‘Sea God Furnace’ and was officially adopted as the name.”  

“The successful operation of the Stellar Furnace signifies the end of the Deep Sea War and the beginning of a new chapter for Castel.”  

“After the ceremony, Monica attempted to summon the Machine Soul but received no response. Lord Hughes, however, successfully established communication with it.”  

“Monica broke down crying and threatened to jump into the furnace and blow herself up, but was restrained by others.”  

**Below are excerpts from interviews:**  

“Nini, what do you think about the results of the voting?”  

“Corruption! Absolute corruption! I hereby propose to abolish Hughes’s veto power!”  

**A short while later**  

“Nini, what are your thoughts on your proposal to abolish the Lord’s veto being vetoed by the Lord?”  

“I’m going to write a report and seriously slander Hughes!”  

“Can you even say that? Won’t the Lord veto it again?”  

“Why not? What does Hughes know about journalism? I’m the editor-in-chief!”  

——  

**Interview with Chloe:**  

“Miss Chloe, what are your thoughts on this ceremony?”  

〖Can you let me down first? I’ve been hanging here for a whole day.〗  

“Apologies, that proposal was also vetoed by Lord Hughes.”  

〖.〗  

“As the designated ‘sacrificial representative’ of this event, do you have any words for the audience?”  

〖Regret. Lots of regret.〗  

“Huh?”  

〖I mean, cherish life. Nothing is more important than living. You’ll understand once you’re dead.〗  

“...Any blessings or words of encouragement for everyone?”  

〖I wish everyone long life and immortality.〗  

——  

**Interview with Monica:**  

“Monica, how do you feel about the fact that the Machine Soul you summoned is ignoring you and only responding to Hughes?”  

“Wuuuuuuuuu!”  

“Monica?”  

“Monica, please pull yourself together! This kind of thing has happened so many times before—shouldn’t you be used to it by now?”  

“WAAAHHHHHHHH!”  

**Due to the interviewee’s overly emotional response and attempts to attack the reporter, the interview was forcibly terminated.**  

**Editorial Board Opinion, Castel Daily:**  

Still want to see a love triangle between Hughes and Monica—just the two of them.  

**Editor-in-Chief of Castel Daily (Nini)’s Opinion:**  

Not as well-written as mine, but the interview section did an excellent job exposing the newspaper’s internal corruption. Where’s freedom of speech? Where’s fairness? What’s the point of journalism? Should we be targeted just for speaking the truth?  

**Guest Reviewer (Monica)’s Opinion:**  

This line has been blacked out.  

**Lord of Castel (Hughes)’s Opinion:**  

You’re the most professional one in this batch.  

The rest are absolute nonsense.  

Also, you can remove the interview section next time.  

Approved. Publish it as is.