Industrial Cthulhu: Starting as an Island Lord

“The Eastern Front has seen several small-scale skirmishes. The Prince’s forces have been provoking us frequently as of late — it seems they have begun large-scale deployment of new weapons.”

“The White Calamity has started spreading across the sea again. This time, its scale is unprecedented. The borders of reality are once more in turmoil — the White Raven Principality has been completely swallowed.”

“The investigation in the Northlands remains fruitless. We have once again lost track of the 【Named One】. Occasionally, people from the Moths Chasing Fire appear, and after a few encounters, both sides have suffered losses.”

“All right, stop talking about such boring matters.” The young girl impatiently pushed the stack of documents aside. “Hela, when can I go to the Restricted Section again?”

The woman veiled in black silk halted her chanting. The gears on her face turned slightly, and the glass lenses over her eyes reflected the girl’s shadow standing before her.

“Your Holiness the Pope, please be patient. The Council of Keepers will reopen the Restricted Section to you at the proper time.”

“Ah— and when will that be?” Beatrice looked displeased, resting her head on her hand. Her eyes shifted suddenly. “Hela, do you have anything fun? I’m so terribly bored. Surely the Mechanical Sanctum must have some interesting things?”

Hela shook her head. “Firstly, I am not from the Mechanical Sanctum. Secondly, Lady Joanne, approving documents is the Pope’s duty. Please fulfill it.”

“All right, all right, I’ll sign them!” Beatrice puffed her cheeks in mock anger, picked up the papers again, and deliberately avoided looking at the veiled woman.

Hela nodded slightly, turned, and left the room, closing the heavy door behind her.

Bang.

Only Beatrice remained inside. Slowly, she raised her head from the documents, her face cold as frost.

Ever since the incident at Blood Harbor, that strange connection had never appeared again. It had simply, inexplicably, ceased — and now, more than half a year had passed.

Beatrice had placed great hope in it, seeing it as her chance to escape her predicament. She had entered the Restricted Section multiple times because of it, which only brought tighter restrictions from the Church.

Yet the link broke without warning, shattering all her hopes.

Silently, Beatrice stared at the papers in her hand. Her tightly clenched fingers left deep creases on the page.

The Church had survived its period of turmoil and now completely ruled the Empire. The Empire had become a union of faith and state. The former Royal Academy had been dismantled, replaced with rows of churches.

The power of the Papacy was now stronger than ever — and her time was running out.

Others could not be relied upon. She would have to take risks herself.

There weren’t many paths to choose from. For instance — becoming a 【Named One】.

Hughes waved off the Mystics’ guards behind him, refusing their escort. He climbed the spiral staircase alone.

Today marked the day the Expeditionary Army’s railway reached the Northlands. According to the planned ceremony, the army would take a handful of soil from the Northlands and send it back to Blood Harbor by steam locomotive.

This symbolized Castel’s formal declaration of vengeance upon the Northlands.

Hughes wanted to see that train as soon as possible, so he climbed the newly built Lighthouse alone.

The staircase was steep, though handrails lined both sides. Halfway up, Hughes paused to rest before continuing his ascent.

Round after round, he climbed in endless spirals, until even he grew numb from the motion. Then, at last, a door appeared before him.

He took a key from his pocket, inserted it into the lock, turned it, and hesitated a moment before pulling the handle.

Bright sunlight flooded in. In the distance, massive gantry cranes at the docks unloaded cargo from freighters, loading them onto waiting trains nearby.

Steam engines whistled as they exhaled white plumes. The trains clattered in long iron lines, carrying raw materials to the factories and hauling finished goods out.

Chimneys rose everywhere, breathing in fuel and ore, exhaling productivity.

The expedition to the Northlands had forever changed Blood Harbor’s fate. The once-ruined, once-glorious city had now sprouted a forest of steel.

“What do you think?”

“Magnificent. Cold. Fearsome. Powerful.” Nora’s voice remained calm, though faint emotion rippled through her tone.

“I wish the Resistance could see this too.”

“The Resistance…” Hughes’s voice dimmed. He held Nora’s head gently, his eyes drifting through the haze of smoke rising from the chimneys, toward the distant North.

For over half a year, he had kept sending banshees northward in search of the Resistance — yet not a trace had been found. The forests along the riverbanks had been searched almost completely.

To think positively, perhaps they had found a new refuge. But more likely, they had vanished into the cold winds of the Northlands.

Hughes had also dispatched extraordinary individuals. Granny had gone several times, and Eksha had volunteered many more, but all efforts had failed.

Somehow, the Church had turned its gaze upon that region. Since Granny’s battle with the 【Investigator】, many more extraordinary beings had appeared there.

Even though Granny and Isaac wielding the Dragon’s Breath Cannon were terrifying in open combat, the Church had simply sent too many. Faced with several times their number of transcendents, even Isaac could only retreat temporarily.

Thus, the true situation in the Northlands was known only through fragmented rumors.

It was said that Earl Bazel’s forces had been severely crippled and had since fallen into decline. Octavia had openly declared war against him, while the other two Grand Dukes watched hungrily. Now, the entire Northlands were a boiling cauldron.

The Prince had wanted to send scouts, but having already broken with the Grand Dukes, no reliable information had come back. The Resistance’s fate remained lost in silence.

But now — everything had changed.

The Expeditionary Army had finally laid the railway to the Northlands. Castel had now officially taken its seat at the northern table.

“Do you think…” Hughes hesitated to finish.

As if knowing his thoughts, Nora interrupted softly,

“My Lord, you have already done much for the Resistance. You have fulfilled your promise.”

Her gaze was solemn as she looked at Hughes.

“I no longer have ties with the Silent Sanctum. You are my lord now, and I pledge my loyalty to you. As for the Resistance…”

Her eyes dimmed a little. “You have done your duty as a lord. There is no need to burden yourself further.”

A gentle breeze passed, bringing a hint of coolness. Hughes suddenly raised his hand and pointed to the distance.

Nora looked up. On the rail stretching toward the horizon, a tiny black speck appeared.

Soon, with a rising whistle, the black speck grew rapidly larger, sprouting jagged steel edges.

Cold iron armor, rail-clearing blades hugging the track, rows of spikes jutting from its surface, and gun barrels extending from the fortress mounted atop its roof.

It was the Expeditionary Army’s heavy steam locomotive — the armored train.

Today, it had set foot in the Northlands. From this moment forth, Blood Harbor and the Northlands were no longer separated by a thousand miles — they were neighbors.

In Blood Harbor, countless factories answered with their own whistles, as if the entire city was awakening. The long-slumbering industrial behemoth began to sharpen its claws once more.

Northlands — prepare to face the strongest Castel.