Industrial Cthulhu: Starting as an Island Lord

A gas lamp, small and delicate, its flame looking like a candle that might go out at any moment.

As the lamplighter twisted the valve, the light steadied, and the pale, bright glow illuminated an entire stretch of dark street.

Gwen felt her heart stir for a moment. She turned her head back, only to find that the whole street was already lit. Farther away, within the buildings and factory workshops, scattered points of light spread across the land like a Milky Way laid flat upon the earth.

“So beautiful.”

She had raised her head to gaze at the starry sky countless times, but this was the first time she stood among the lights themselves. In the night of Blood Harbor, light surrounded her on all sides.

People chatted leisurely as they walked along the street. Workers just off their shifts left the factories with tired yet content smiles. Young people clutching books laughed and jostled as they headed toward night school. Night Patrol members in long coats stood quietly at the boundary between light and shadow.

Gwen looked at everything around her and felt her nose sting.

She had never doubted the meaning of leading refugees in resistance, but seeing such a peaceful and beautiful Blood Harbor still left her heart unable to calm down for a long time.

“Nora, do you think… can we really live in a place this wonderful? No cold winds, no White Calamity, no endless wars?”

Nora rubbed lightly against Gwen’s chest and said nothing.

The two of them leaned against each other on the streets of Blood Harbor, standing there for a very, very long time.

“Castel really is a good place,” Gwen sighed.

“.This is Blood Harbor, not Castel.”

“Nora, back in the Northlands, even in my most beautiful fantasies, I never imagined living in a city like this. To be honest, I still find it a little hard to believe. I’ve actually arrived in Castel, the second home of the White Raven People.”

“Blood Harbor, not Castel.”

“I don’t even know if I can stay in Castel. I’m pretty good at fighting, but it seems you don’t even need to fight to survive here. As for studying… well, I seem to lack some talent. Those words give me a headache. Nora, what do you think I’d be suited to do?”

“Blood Harbor… hmm?” Nora paused, lifted her head to look at Gwen, and narrowed her eyes as she thought.

“It really does seem like there’s something suitable for you to do.”

The next day.

Gwen jolted upright as soon as she woke, brushing her hand over the iron frame beneath the mattress and smiling.

An iron-framed bed—only Castel would have such a strange combination. This kind of simple bed made purely for convenience looked, to outsiders, like a display of wealth and prosperity.

To be honest, a steel bed was not any more comfortable than a wooden one, but it was easy to transport and manufacture. With a bit of assembly-line processing, it could be done without even needing a factory; a small workshop would suffice.

Wood was cheaper, but it had to be dried and required skilled carpentry, consuming far more labor.

And labor was exactly what Blood Harbor lacked the most right now.

After savoring this distinctly Blood Harbor experience at close range, Gwen threw back the blanket and lifted Nora, who was bundled into a ball within it.

“Nora? Nora!”

Gwen shook Nora several times, then gave her a vigorous swing. Only then did Nora barely pry her eyelids open to a slit, glance at Gwen, mutter a few words, and close them again.

“Wake up already, Nora! We’re going to Castel today!”

Seeing that Nora had no intention of getting up, Gwen decisively started the “big windmill.”

Some time later, a dizzy Nora slowly regained consciousness, only to find herself already walking along the streets of Blood Harbor with Gwen.

“We’ll be boarding the ship soon. The Lord sent someone with a message just now. We’re taking the morning boat. Once we get there, we can go to the hospital to check on the people from the Silent Sanctum. And if Nora goes crazy, we can admit her nearby.”

Nora nodded groggily, then after a moment felt something was off.

“Wait, why am I the one going crazy? You’re the newcomer! I’m not getting Castel Syndrome!”

Gwen jogged through the streets and alleys, carrying two large suitcases in one hand and holding Nora in the other, drawing quite a bit of attention.

“Stop here, wait!”

Gwen slammed on the brakes. With the two heavy suitcases, her whole body swayed, and an ominous sound came from the soles of her shoes. She carefully checked them first, and only after finding no problem did she let out a sigh of relief and look at Nora.

“What is it, Nora?”

“Um, let’s buy some fried fish at this shop. I promised to bring some for Gaia.”

“Who’s Gaia?”

“A very gentle girl. She never grabs me and swings me around, and she never sticks me out the window!”

“Oh.”

Gwen, a bit embarrassed, walked to the storefront. Only after stepping inside did she realize the shop’s walls were also made of Concrete. Taking a step back, she noticed that this was a ground-floor unit of a large building.

A square sign hung at the entrance:

“Yami Fried Fish & Fries”

“Two jin—huh? Where is everyone?”

Gwen glanced at the counter in confusion but saw no one. After a moment, a small head popped up from behind the counter.

“Wel—come~ What would you like?”

Bettys stood on a box used as a footstool and looked at Gwen. The next second, both of them froze.

“You…”

“Have we met before?”

“Uh, probably… not?” Gwen scratched her head. She also felt something strange. The girl in front of her looked completely unfamiliar, yet a sense of familiarity kept churning inexplicably in her heart.

Had they met before?

But no matter how she searched her memories, there was nothing.

After another moment of silence, Bettys broke it first.

“Cus—customer… do you want fried fish?”

“Um, yes, yes,” Gwen said, glancing up at the sign. “And some… fries too.”

Bettys nodded and got busy. This time, though, she seemed distracted, and without realizing it, she poured half a pot of fries into the fryer.

“Ah! Th-this—” She looked anxiously at the fryer.

“It’s fine, just fry them. Nora can eat a lot. I’ll buy all of it!”

“I don’t—mmph!” Gwen forced a smile while covering Nora’s mouth.

Soon, sizzling sounds rose from the fryer, and a fragrant aroma spread out.

Gwen swallowed unconsciously, and Nora in her arms stopped struggling.

Human fondness for fried food seemed etched into the genes, transcending regions and cultures. Very few people truly disliked fried things.

“What flavor do you want on the fries? We have chili, tomato, Castel-style.”

“A bit of everything!” Gwen said boldly. She had ordered an extra-large portion of fries—there was room for every sauce.

“All right, here you go.”

Gwen took the fries and fried fish in her hands, glanced at Nora beside her, hesitated, then whispered:

“How about we board the ship a bit later and eat a few bites first?”