Industrial Cthulhu: Starting as an Island Lord

“What use was money? He had just disrupted my fishing. Such a big lump of meat fell down and scared all the fish away, causing me to catch nothing at all. He ought to be thrown down to feed the Devil Fish!”

Nini pursed her lips and made a motion to throw him back into the sea, scaring Hunter so badly he jumped up at once.

“Don’t! Don’t! He—he was very good at making fried fish!”

Nini froze for a moment, then her eyes gradually brightened.

“Really?”

“Of course it was true. Uncle was the best fried-fish expert in the Westernmost Northlands,” Hunter bragged wildly.

While the two of them spoke, Alvare’s eyes gradually cleared. After being soaked in seawater, he seemed to have figured out many things.

“I—I want to stay here.” He murmured softly.

Hunter and Nini were both stunned for a moment and turned to look at him.

“I want to stay here, truly, truly. I could donate all my money, and my land. I could do anything, even sell fried fish, as long as I could stay.”

Feeling Hunter’s and Nini’s astonished gazes, a trace of sorrow appeared in his eyes. “In the Northlands, I could not even install a gas lamp at home. Every time I opened my eyes I faced famine, war, and Lords crushing each other. Clearly the only thing I was good at… was surrendering.”

Hunter leaned close to Nini and lowered his voice. “Did he see some indescribable Monster in the sea? Was he so scared he lost his soul?”

Nini whispered back, “There are no Monsters in the sea. Blood Harbor is far scarier, isn’t it?”

“Huh? What’s scary about it?”

“Heh. You weren’t like this when you first arrived. Besides, what’s wrong with him wanting such a thing?”

Hunter’s eyes widened. “You don’t know how rich he is! Archbishop Alexei gave me a whole pile of stuff—food and supplies. I was overjoyed, but compared to his wealth, that was nothing!”

“Oh? Then if he gave you all his money, and you could never set foot in Castel or Blood Harbor again, would you agree?”

Hunter froze. He thought of Yami, of the endless knowledge he could not finish studying, and of calculus.

His eyes firmed at once. “I still have many familiar nobles in the Northlands. Once I list their names, the Expeditionary Army should hurry and build up the Northlands.”

Nini’s mouth twitched.

“All right, I truly don’t want to leave Castel either. As long as I could eat my fill, I wouldn’t even need wages. Detention or overtime—if it let me stay in Castel, I was willing.” Hunter scratched his head awkwardly and whispered, “Actually… even if I couldn’t eat my fill, I could still accept it.”

“Stop, stop, stop—don’t say another word! If Lord heard you, your life would be over!” Nini tapped his forehead angrily. “You like Castel—so he can’t like it too? You’re just a scholar, but he had been a proper Grand Duke for decades. You think he wouldn’t know which place was better?”

After speaking, she turned her head toward Alvare. “Why exactly did you want to stay? Just to escape your duties as a Grand Duke?”

“Not entirely.” Alvare looked almost fully recovered now, no longer hysterical.

“I felt something here that the Northlands never had. No—no, not those gas lamps!” He shot an annoyed look at Hunter.

“When I arrived here, I felt that the people here were different. I could never figure out what the difference was. But just now, I understood. That difference should be… hope.”

“No matter whether they were commonfolk or nobles, people of the Northlands had never possessed that hope.”

“We struggled in a swamp. Some climbed higher, some lower, but everyone was entangled together, and no one knew what lay beyond the swamp.”

“The Northlands had no hope.”

When he finished speaking, he turned to look behind him toward Blood Harbor.

Steel giants of ships docked at the port. Gantry cranes moved crates onto the Railway. The Train rumbled toward the Factory District, and people stepped out with smiles.

Commonfolk in coarse clothing walked into the School, carefully flipping through textbooks with calloused hands. Young Soldiers walked while discussing the Holy Text.

Chimneys belched smoke. Building after building formed a forest of Steel.

Alvare’s eyes could not hide his affection.

“If I had not been a Grand Duke or a Lord, I would simply long for this prosperity. But I managed too much land in the Northlands, and I had seen too many cities. The entire Northlands was sinking. Damn it—you don’t know how much I loved this place filled with hope.” His voice grew low.

“Speaking of which, the Prince seemed to be here too. He should like this place very much as well, right?”

Nini nodded lightly.

Ever since Blood Harbor’s construction began, the Prince had practically taken anything he wanted from Castel Island.

At first they thought this was merely him trying to show goodwill. But thinking about it now… perhaps he truly loved this ever-changing land.

“You don’t understand how irresistible such a city is to a Lord.” Alvare’s eyes even held a touch of fanaticism and devotion.

Nini’s gaze flickered and she leaned toward Hunter. “He still hasn’t gone to Castel, right?”

“Right. He hasn’t gone through judgment yet. But it’s probably a minor offense, so he likely won’t be forced to Castel.”

“In that case, after his judgment ends, you persuade him to visit Castel for a stroll. Then his fifty-thousand Rio debt is wiped clean. How’s that?”

“Deal!”

The two whispered for a while, then Hunter led Alvare away. Nini reluctantly waved all three of her right hands at them.

A small head popped out of the sea—Monica looked puzzled. “Nini, why did you want Alvare to go to Castel?”

“Don’t you think it’s fun? He reacted like that just from seeing Blood Harbor. When he reaches Castel, won’t he cling to the Sea God’s legs and refuse to leave?”

Nini licked her lips. “And I had a feeling—writing his experience as a report would be amazing. I must follow him for a full Interview!”

Three days passed in a flash. Hunter took Alvare around Blood Harbor several times. He himself actually didn’t know much about Blood Harbor either—many places he had only heard about. Seeing them with his own eyes this time broadened his horizons.

Alvare even took time to meet the Prince. The two stayed locked in a room for a long time. No one knew what they discussed, but when they came out, both wore smiles.

Besides sightseeing, Alvare also visited many shops. Now his suitcase held a full dozen bars of soap.

After spending a few days exploring all of Blood Harbor, finally—Alvare stood nervously before the doors of the Tribunal.

He took a deep breath and walked inside.