Industrial Cthulhu: Starting as an Island Lord

Chapter 584: Network Path Project 2.0

Nora screamed as she streaked through the air—upon closer observation, it could be noticed that her trajectory was actually slightly off. If this continued, she would probably end up falling into the sea.

The Banshees in the sea had already been eagerly preparing to receive her, but Gwen in midair sensed that something was wrong. The muscles across her body tightened, and then she suddenly twisted her waist, using inertia to “throw” herself in midair. Her entire aerial trajectory changed, and she caught up to Nora, grabbing her by the hair in a single motion.

The Banshees below were completely stunned, and the Banshees watching the live broadcast in the group chat also fell into total silence.

A moment later, chat messages flooded the screen again.

『???』

『What just happened?』

『That works? That works too?』

『How did she do that? Is Ash around? Hurry up and try it!』

『Why does it have to be Ash? My Nini might work too! I’ll go try first.』

『If you twist your waist later, remember not to scream in the group.』

『That’s impossible—shouldn’t the Symbiotic Contract be able to heal that?』

『Wait, am I seeing things? She changed direction in midair? Stepping on her left foot with her right? Double jump?』

『Wow, Lord, you’re watching the live broadcast too? And what’s a “double jump”?』

『Lord, can you double jump too? Could you demonstrate?』

『Spread the word, the Lord can fly—where’s Nini? Time to perform.』

『Nini just went to try it. She’s probably already twisted herself into two pieces by now.』

Hughes sighed and blocked the Mind Link. These Banshees were far too noisy, and their thoughts jumped around so much that sometimes even he could not keep up.

Still, Gwen truly was somewhat different. If this world seemed to show a certain favoritism toward Transcendents, then it appeared to be especially fond of Gwen.

Granny also liked the Dragon’s Breath Cannon, and no changes had ever been observed with it, but Gwen’s Heavy Machine Gun had truly broken the laws of physics.

Including her own strength—this was clearly beyond the limits of a Mortal. According to reports from Granny and Isaac, Gwen was even stronger than many Transcendents.

That term surfaced in Hughes’s mind once more—【Named One】.

He still did not know exactly what a 【Named One】 was, but he always had a vague feeling.

Even beings as powerful as Transcendents were more like Mortals when faced with a 【Named One】.

One reason for having Gwen come to Castel this time was to see whether the priests of the Silent Sanctum could be awakened. The other reason, well—

was to have Richard conduct a comprehensive test of her abilities and see just how strong she really was.

Recalling Gwen’s midair redirection just now… perhaps she would give him a pleasant surprise.

Hughes shook the bell on the table, anticipation beginning to rise in his heart.

After a moment, Ash opened the door at the side.

“Lord, you called for me?”

Ash was now basically inseparable from Hughes. The last assassination attempt had been too dangerous, and until the investigation was fully concluded, Hughes’s security level would remain at a higher standard.

“How did the interrogation on Bazel’s side go?”

“He confessed to quite a lot. There’s nothing new to extract anymore.”

Hughes nodded, resting his elbows on the table and interlacing his fingers beneath his chin. “Do you think what he said was true?”

This was not a casual question. The mind was an area in which the Banshees excelled. Although most of it was focused within their own kind—such as Mind Resonance, Mind Link, and so on—they also possessed extremely sharp perception when it came to whether others were sincere or lying.

The reason Hughes had been able to quickly gain their recognition back then was, to a large extent, because they had sensed the blazing sincerity within his heart.

That kind of genuineness could not deceive anyone.

Hughes looked into Ash’s silver-white eyes. Her answer, as always, was decisive and resolute.

“I feel that he was telling the truth.”

“Take me there.”

Ash silently turned around and led the way for her Lord.

Soon, the group passed through the underground passage and arrived at the dungeon beneath Blood Harbor.

After Castel’s Network Path Project had basically been completed, the Banshees participating in the reconstruction of Blood Harbor quite naturally proposed building a network path beneath Blood Harbor as well.

Hughes approved the plan and made certain modifications to it.

Blood Harbor was different from Castel and did not require such a high degree of fortress-like militarization. The underground network paths could include more functional facilities serving the entire city.

For example, the current drainage system for rainwater and sewage in Blood Harbor was one extension of the underground network paths.

More functions had also been added, such as a steam pipeline system that reached the entire city. If not for concerns about the severity of potential accidents, Hughes had even considered moving the coal gas pipelines covering all of Blood Harbor underground as well.

Moreover, this network path system had reserved many pipelines that were not yet in use. Others did not know the purpose behind this, but Hughes did—this was preparation for future electrification.

If electrical equipment could be successfully rolled out in the future, these reserved pipelines could be directly used as cable trays, saving a great deal of trouble.

As for heating—Castel and Blood Harbor did not really need it. The climate here was relatively mild, and extreme cold weather was rare in winter. Heating was not necessary to survive the season.

Relevant designs would instead be implemented in the Northlands in the future.

All these underground facilities were collectively referred to as Network Path Project 2.0. What others did not know was that within this more function-oriented network system, certain militarized requirements were still retained.

Such as several dungeons—more precisely, the underground detention chambers of the Tribunal.

After leaving the office, Hughes followed Ash all the way toward the Banshees’ Duty Room. In the administrative building where Castel was stationed in Blood Harbor, the only passage leading down into the underground network paths was accessed through the Banshees’ Duty Room. This was also for security reasons—after all, the Banshees were the strongest combat force here.

The Banshees’ Duty Room was not sparsely furnished at all; on the contrary, it was very warm and cozy. Although it was called a Duty Room, it actually felt more like the common area of an apartment.

No matter how good the Banshees’ relationship with the local residents was, their physical size alone made it impossible for them to live in buildings designed for humans. The floor height of this office building generally exceeded six meters, precisely to facilitate the Banshees’ movement in and out.

Thus, during the day, the Banshees could naturally play freely throughout Blood Harbor, but there were not many places where they could stay at night.

On Hughes’s side, the Banshees’ Duty Room, Nini’s Press, and the Hospital Knights’ building all had beds specially prepared for Banshees to sleep on. Most Banshees would choose one of these places to rest.

Of course, there were also some from the more old-fashioned faction who liked to sleep in the sea while hugging sharks. At night, they would be carried along by the sharks, enjoying the thrill of waking up on unfamiliar waters at dawn.

Ash led Hughes past several shark-themed dormitories, walked by the scale maintenance room, casually patted a Coyote that wagged its tail and came over, and only then arrived at the innermost part of the Duty Room, where she pushed open a heavy steel door.