Industrial Cthulhu: Starting as an Island Lord

Countless points of light illuminated Blood Harbor’s night, and they continued to increase.

The lamplighters carried ladders, walked to each streetlamp, climbed up step by step, then took out a key from their bosoms, unlocked the lamp cover, and lifted a tiny flame into the lamp. At once, another star joined the night.

The brightness of nighttime lights had once been used to measure a region’s level of development. Although this indicator had many problems, in this era it truly could reflect the degree of industrialization.

Alvare was not unfamiliar with gas lamps. He had already seen such novelties in Rhine. The bright flame had greatly amazed him; he had even considered installing a few at home. But the complexity of the pipe system made him give up on the idea, so he only kept a few hand lamps.

These fixed gas lamps relied on underground pipelines supplying gas. The cast-iron pipes not only required regular maintenance but also needed pressure control. Otherwise, the lamps would either fail to ignite or flicker endlessly.

All of this required a systematic industrial foundation—something the Northlands could not possibly have.

But Rhine did. Although it was a very basic form of industrialization and its coverage was small, it was still industrialization. Because of that, Rhine became the jewel atop the Empire’s crown.

Alvare had once yearned deeply for Rhine—yearned for those scattered points of nightlight. If not restricted by his status, he would certainly have bought an estate in Rhine to properly witness the Empire’s splendor.

But all these ideals and desires shattered at this moment, melting like thin snow under the scorching noon sun.

Yes—Blood Harbor was that blazing sun.

No longer the hazy, faint firelight of the past, but streets and factories bright as daytime.

Workers finishing their shifts, exhausted, went to stalls to pack two portions of fried fish. Not far away, young people laughed and shoved each other on their way to night school. Hooded patrols of the Mystics wore long robes with obscured faces, the short-barreled shotguns at their waists occasionally glinting darkly.

The distant humming of factories, the trains endlessly coming and going at the station, and the dots of lamplight all stitched together the vibrant night of Blood Harbor.

Alvare rubbed his eyes, his face full of confusion and shock.

People of this era had never witnessed such a dazzling nightscape. Even he, as a Duke, could only imagine dimly lit salons and dances when thinking of nighttime.

But before him was an illuminated city—an ever-bright city that dispelled darkness.

Alvare stood frozen in place, his plump body blocking the entrance. The Expeditionary Army soldiers escorting him had to use considerable effort to push him out.

“Oh—sorry, I just—I mean… my heavens, this truly is a miracle.”

The gasping Expeditionary Army soldier beside him replied irritably, “It is a miracle. I was begging on the streets just a year ago. Who could’ve imagined today? But you can’t just block the doorway!”

Alvare looked the soldier up and down, somewhat unsure whether he was joking. Such a magnificent city—surely it would take decades to build?

Just repairing a wall at his ducal estate took half a year.

“My apologies, my apologies. My uncle is a countryman, he hasn’t seen much.”

Hunter hurried forward to apologize, dragging Alvare ahead and taking the chance to jab at him verbally.

Alvare was directly brought into the Tribunal, which was not far from the station—yes, even though it was already dark, the Tribunal had not closed.

The guards glanced at the paperwork and waved him in.

Alvare completed some registration, submitted his case files, and was allowed to leave. His crimes were not severe enough to require an overnight trial, and as one of the Grand Dukes of the Northlands, he was deeply entangled with many affairs. The stack of documents was thick enough that even if Chloe worked overtime, it would take a long while.

After exiting the Tribunal, he saw that the Expeditionary Army soldiers escorting them had already left. Their duty was only to deliver the person to the Tribunal; once handed over, their task was done.

Outside the Tribunal, Alvare looked left and right in confusion—the guards who sent him out clearly had no intention of following.

“You… uh, I mean, where am I supposed to go next?”

“You’re currently under a light-crime charge. You don’t need to be detained. You’ll be tried in three days. During this period, you’re free to move around inside Blood Harbor, but you may not leave. If you have nowhere to stay, you can temporarily lodge in our holding rooms, though the conditions there are rather basic. Personally, I don’t recommend it.”

Alvare was slightly stunned. Hunter had already answered for him: “It’s fine, we’re not staying in the holding room. Where’s the inn?”

“Go straight down this street, turn right at the front. There’s a night school there; the lodging is right across from it.”

“Alright, thank you.”

Only then did Alvare react. He casually took two small pouches out of his pocket and handed them over.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

“Not hard at all.”

The two guards accepted the pouches with broad smiles, opened them, and counted the Rios inside. “Wow, that’s quite a lot.”

“Of course. Alvare is never stingy.”

The Duke straightened his chest proudly.

The two guards set the money aside, then took out handcuffs from their waists. “You now have an additional charge—bribery. You can’t go anymore. Follow us to the holding room.”

Alvare stared blankly, still frozen mid-chest-puff as the cuffs snapped onto him.

“First time I’ve seen anyone try to bribe someone at the Tribunal entrance.”

After a series of twists and turns, Alvare was finally locked up. Hunter hesitated a moment, then decided to abandon his uncle and go find lodging alone.

His uncle’s actions had been far too practiced; Hunter didn’t even have time to stop him. He could only watch as his uncle sent himself inside with his own hands.

Normally, a Duke would not personally perform such small acts. But Alvare often traveled around his territory with a few attendants, tossing money to guards out of habit.

But this was the first time giving out money had caused trouble. Feeling wronged, he was escorted to the holding room. As the guard had said, the environment was indeed poor. He and two others were locked together in a large room.

Alvare looked the two men over—they both had Northlander features. They too seemed to have been delivered by train.

What puzzled him was that the two seemed to dislike each other, glaring intensely at one another.

“How did you two end up here?”

“I am a vassal of the Grand Duke Alvare’s vassal. To defend the Duke’s land, I fought with the Expeditionary Army and got sent here.”

“I opposed Grand Duke Alvare’s cowardly surrender and broke off independently with my men. Then I was arrested and thrown in here.”

Both turned to stare at Alvare. “And you? How did you get in?”

“…”

Sweat began to form on Alvare’s forehead.