Industrial Cthulhu: Starting as an Island Lord

While Josh and the others were still in discussion, Gwen in the next room suddenly furrowed her brow.

She turned to look out the window and perked up her ears, as if listening for something.

Her expression quickly turned grave. She set down the half-finished bowl of porridge, stood up, and rushed toward Josh’s side.

“High Priest, High Priest sir! Something’s happened!” Gwen shouted as she ran, dashing past rows of dilapidated houses. As doors opened, the believers who heard her cries stepped outside.

Some were still holding bowls of porridge, others had already picked up wooden sticks and stones from the ruins.

Inside the house, Josh had already been somewhat moved by his companions’ persuasion. He had made up his mind— even if it meant being expelled by the Lord, he wanted to return to Castel and take one last look. No matter what, that remote island was his home.

Just as he was about to make his decision, he suddenly heard Gwen shouting outside.

The few of them exchanged glances and immediately stood up, opening the door.

The small girl came running up with an anxious look. As soon as she saw Josh, she opened her mouth and said, “High Priest, there are cultists outside! There’s been a rebellion in Blood Harbor— it’s the people from the Church of the Mother God!”

Josh was startled and had no time to ask where Gwen got the information. He looked at the believers pouring out from all the houses and shouted loudly, “Inform all brothers and sisters who are still outside to return immediately! Those who can wield weapons, come with me to hold the street entrance. The rest, go and move the supplies! Hurry!”Blood Harbor hadn’t been peaceful for a long time. Josh and the others had made many preparations. He led a group of believers out, while the remaining companions each took charge of a team, issuing orders in an orderly fashion and gathering everyone.

The Church of the Mother God—this heretical organization—was no smaller in number than them and had deep roots in the slums. If they were planning a rebellion, then the entire Blood Harbor would be dragged into the chaos.

“Damn it, what’s wrong with these people, going mad all of a sudden? Do they really think they can take on the Harbor Guard? Even with our help, I doubt it!”

The Prince hadn’t secured his footing in the chaos of Blood Harbor by luck. The Harbor Guard he personally trained had already carved out a secure and orderly upper district within Blood Harbor. Any organization that dared to challenge him would have to seriously consider the power of the musket squads.

Those soldiers, who were a ragtag bunch just a few months ago, had become battle-ready through training by him and Galahad.

That being said, if the Church of the Mother God was truly dead-set on rebellion, it was hard to say whether the Prince could suppress it.

No one knew how much evil was hidden in the alleyways of Blood Harbor anymore. All the powers were entangled—pull one thread, and the whole web moved. It was highly likely that the entire Blood Harbor would be pulled into the abyss.

Right now, Josh only hoped to protect the believers of the Mystery Cult. There wasn’t much he could do for them—besides a bowl of hot porridge—but since the believers were willing to follow him, he didn’t want to betray that trust.

At this moment, the street was packed with a black mass of people.

Hooded priests of the Mother God, followers filled with burning rage in their eyes—silently walking toward the upper district of Blood Harbor.

Josh stood with a group of believers at a street corner they had hastily barricaded with wood and stone, warily watching the cultists pass before them.

Several priests of the Mother God turned their heads and took off their hoods.

Gasps came from the believers behind Josh.

“Aunt Gali?! Little Brendan!?”

“What are you doing here?”

“Damn it, do you even know what you’re doing? Come back! You’ll get yourselves killed!”

“Do you know how terrifying those Harbor Guard muskets are? One *bang* and you’ll be a corpse!”

The believers of the Mystery Cult anxiously tried to dissuade them.

“I know.” A young priest of the Mother God suddenly spoke. “My father was killed by them. He had a hole blasted in his stomach and bled for a long time before he died. They just stood there and watched.”

“He only stole half a sack of grain—horse beans meant to feed horses. A horse eats two sacks a day. Just half a sack would have kept my mother and sister from starving to death.”

“When he died, I was hiding nearby, too scared to move, too afraid to come out.”

He quietly looked over, sweeping his gaze across everyone’s face, then gently shook his head and put his hood back on.

“Now, I’m going to find him.”

The Mother God’s procession passed silently in front of them, and no one else spoke.

Granny’s figure darted swiftly through narrow alleys.

Groups upon groups of cultists from the Church of the Mother God passed nearby, but not a single one noticed her.

In her hand, she held a scrap of paper. A line of somewhat childish handwriting had written down an address, followed by the name “Josh” circled at the end.

That note had mysteriously appeared inside the house where a few of them were staying.

Granny had learned of the Blood Harbor rebellion almost instantly. Just as they were considering sending someone to inform the Prince, that paper appeared in the house.

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Though it was all very suspicious, Granny had decided to check it out first.

Josh, after all, was from Castel. Though no one knew why he hadn’t contacted them in so long, Zoe and the others actually cared a lot.

And as an Extraordinary of the Moths Chasing Fire, Granny was most skilled in stealth and escape. Even if it was a trap, she was confident in getting out unharmed.

So she came, and soon spotted the group gathered together and discussing countermeasures.

“Josh?”

“What is it? Do you need something?” Josh turned his head toward the voice, somewhat surprised to see a stranger.

He blinked, puzzled. “You are…?”

“You can call me Granny. I work for Lord Hughes. I’m an Extraordinary.”

Time was tight, so Granny straightforwardly revealed her identity.

The few people inside finally stood up in shock. They were in the very heart of the Mystery Cult, and they hadn’t expected anyone to slip past the many vigilant believers outside and sneak in. They had assumed Granny was just another follower.

“You say you were sent by the Lord. How can you prove it?”

“You owe Lord Hughes eighty-five boxes of soap. Thirty boxes are berry-scented, thirty are grass-scented, twenty-five are floral. You also secretly stashed away fifteen bars, all floral. And there are seven bars—”

“Alright, alright! We believe you!” Josh quickly stood up and interrupted Granny’s words. “Esteemed Extraordinary, are you… are you here to punish us?”

Granny glanced around. She had felt something was off as soon as she came in. She had also caught a few lines of the believers’ chants earlier. Seeing Josh so tense, she naturally understood what he was afraid of.

“No. Punishment is the Lord’s business. I’m here… to take you home.”