Industrial Cthulhu: Starting as an Island Lord

Isaac let out a cold laugh.

”The Four Northern Territories have always been ruled by the Three Grand Dukes. That hasn’t changed for decades. The reason Earl Bazel can be compared to them is because his cavalry defeated all three of their armies.”

”So that’s how it is... That’s how he gained a foothold here.” Gwen finally formed a complete picture of the situation in the Northlands.

”So running is useless. We must defeat them head-on.”

”But as you said, we probably... can’t win, right?” Gwen’s voice carried a hint of bitterness. The more she understood the enemy, the more she grasped the dire situation. Did the Resistance Army really stand a chance?

Isaac, on the other hand, laughed. His tone was rather odd.

”Miss Gwen, you still don’t know my background, do you?”

”You’re with the Ashen Alliance, aren’t you?”

”That’s my current identity. Before that... I served another organization—”

”The Moths Chasing Fire Cult. Those who pursue knowledge without regard for their lives.”

Moths Chasing Fire—just uttering that name could lead to inquisitions by the Church. The Church regarded them as a threat even more terrifying than the plague.

Even in the White Raven Principality, Gwen had heard of their infamous name.

It wasn’t because they constantly caused incidents and summoned heretical gods—all cults caused chaos. The Life Mother Church had summoned the Compassionate Mother far more frequently than the Moths Chasing Fire. Yet in terms of threat level, the Moths were consistently ranked above.

That was mainly because—

”We’re best at rebellion,” Isaac said proudly, lifting his head high.

Back in Rhine, the Moths Chasing Fire rebelled against the Empire; in the Northlands, they rebelled against the Sanctum; in the Southern Continent, they rebelled against the Sleepless; and in Castel...

Oh, that didn’t count. The Moths Chasing Fire had always been loyal there.

The Life Mother Church also stirred rebellion, even managing to rally the entire Lower District.

But the Moths Chasing Fire were different. They could even win over nobles from the Upper District. Nobles weren’t short on food, but they were often obsessed with the pursuit of knowledge.

Take Richard, for example—he held a noble title and was a doctor. If he hadn’t secretly been dissecting corpses, he probably would still be under the radar.

And then there was Tata. He had held a distinguished status in the Southern Continent. But after one of his experiments sent half a city sky-high, he had no choice but to flee.

The pursuit of knowledge often drove people to recklessness. The longer one thought, the more they craved understanding. The more one knew, the deeper the desire to contemplate. The Sea of Unawareness never trapped inquisitive souls—but humans had limits. Under its influence, they often ended up... like moths to flame.

”I’ve got people in nearby towns. Once these Winter Wolves move out, who gets the town is anyone’s guess.”

Gwen’s eyes lit up.

”So... you’re saying, lure them out?”

Isaac smiled and nodded.

He couldn’t help but glance to the south, toward Castel.

Ever since they arrived in Castel, they’d indulged in the pursuit of knowledge and embraced industrialization—nearly forgetting their old specialty: rebellion.

Thankfully, he hadn’t gotten rusty. With his Ashen Alliance, he’d stirred up a few moderate disturbances within the Empire. And now, he had arrived in the Northlands.

The Lord had sent him here to gather intelligence—his area of expertise. As long as he could turn the entire city’s populace into followers of the Moths Chasing Fire, information would flood in naturally.

Preaching had always been the fastest way to gather intelligence.

With the plan now clear, the two quickly began their discussion.

Meanwhile, Reid rode his horse in boredom, trudging along the muddy road with his comrades.

The horse’s hooves splashed through snow and slush, dirtying the boots he had just cleaned. This irritated Reid to no end.

”Captain, are we really going to investigate those beggars in the forest?”

”No need to go into the woods. We just need to check if there are any traces of them coming and going. As long as we confirm they’re still around, that’s enough,” the captain said lazily from up front.

”But they have an Extraordinary...”

”Shut your mouth. That person is already dead. The Earl himself confirmed it!” The captain glared at Reid.

”I didn’t even say who it was...”

”I was part of the team that killed them. You think I wouldn’t know?” the captain shouted.

”If you mention that again, I’ll shove your tongue straight up your ass!”

Reid pouted. The captain hadn’t looked nearly as tough when he came back terrified during that ambush.

”So we’re really going to clash with those refugees, huh? I still don’t get why Lord Bazel is so fixated on them.”

They were just a bunch of refugees. Left alone, at most they’d cause a little trouble in the towns—when did such things ever require mobilizing the army?

”Who knows? Maybe they’re carrying some kind of treasure.”

The moment the captain said this, everyone’s eyes lit up.

”Treasure?”

”What kind? Gold?”

”Idiot. If they had treasure, they would’ve sold it off already!”

”The White Raven Principality is gone. There must be some good stuff left behind, right?”

Smack!

The captain cracked his whip suddenly, startling everyone.

”Shut up! Look over there!!”

Reid followed his gaze—and his eyes widened.

”A pack of Coyotes... What are they digging for?”

They were still far away, only able to make out the blurry shapes of the coyotes digging in the snow.

”Coyotes are common... but why would they dig in the snow? Dogs have sharp noses. Could it be...?”

The group exchanged glances.

”Should we go take a look?”

Coyotes weren’t big and weren’t fast. They mostly hunted small animals and posed no threat to cavalry.

The soldiers circled around and found a hole in the ground. Something seemed to be buried there... a box?

Their eyes lit up with greed. They dismounted quickly, shouting to scare off the coyotes, and gathered around.

No one noticed that the nearby snow piles seemed to shift slightly.

The box was fairly large, surrounded by muddy ground. As the soldiers waded closer, a sharp shout rang out:

”Open fire!”

Bang!

Darkness fell before Reid’s eyes.

Gwen emerged from the snow, holding a still-smoking musket, her expression dazed.

”Was it really that easy?”

”Just a few soldiers. Recon squads like this trade their lives for intel.”

”Alright then. So what do we do next—”

”Next is my specialty. The bait’s been cast. Now we’ll see how the Winter Wolves react.”

The resistance fighters rose from the snow. They’d been lying in wait here. Around the woods, they had laid several such traps. One of them was bound to snare the Winter Wolves’ guards.

They scavenged the armor and weapons, took the horses, and dragged the bullet-riddled bodies to the roadside, leaving them there.

Isaac had arrived on foot, but now he rode a horse. As for Gwen, she had barely seen a horse in her life, let alone ridden one—she simply led it by the reins.

”By the way, Miss Gwen, may I preach within the Resistance?”

Gwen instinctively took a step back, eyeing Isaac warily.

”No. Absolutely not. We citizens of the White Raven would never betray the Bone-White Raven!”

”But the Silent Sanctum already betrayed you...” The emblem of the Silent Sanctum was the Bone-White Raven. The White Raven Principality was a theocracy, and the Sanctum held judicial power.

”Still no!” Gwen placed her hands on her hips.

”You Moths Chasing Fire people sound dangerous! We already have our faith—from birth to death, we live under the White Raven’s protection!”

Isaac shrugged, looking unconcerned.

”Alright, your choice. By the way, the principles behind firearms—”

Isaac hadn’t just trained the soldiers in how to use the weapons. He also explained the mechanics and structure behind firearms.

”Please tell me more! I’m really interested in this!”

The girl crossed her fingers in front of her chest, her eyes practically glowing.