Industrial Cthulhu: Starting as an Island Lord

Alexei, was an orphan adopted by the Imperial Northern Frontier’s Royal Orphanage.

Through his own efforts, he earned the opportunity to study. After receiving an elite education at Rhine University, he was recommended for further studies at the Royal Military Academy.

Whether it was rhetoric, logic, history, or even military theory, he had dabbled in all of them.

But Hughes’ perspective was something he had never heard of or even considered before.

In his original worldview, the world was divided into the part he understood, the surroundings within his reach, things he had heard about, and those vaguely chaotic but still within his comprehension.

The rest was the unknown.

This part was bizarre and incomprehensible, impossible to accept, an evil blasphemy.

However, Hughes’ words opened a new door for him.

He handed him a torch named science, illuminating the fog of the unknown.

Those terrifying monsters, once brought under the firelight, suddenly didn’t seem so frightening.A bold thought even surfaced in his mind:

Would pollution and monsters, or even the extraordinary, fear muskets and bayonets?

If not, what about barrels of explosives?

The Royal Infantry Manual contained plenty of effective tactics.

Hughes found it amusing.

His Scribe went from dejection to excitement in mere moments and was now looking at him eagerly.

”Alright, open your notebook. Let me tell you why the factory can continue operating.”

”The trouble we encountered this time, cognitive interference, has already been explained to you in detail.”

”Although its mutation follows an idealistic direction, its cause is somewhat predictable.”

In fact, Hughes had drawn great inspiration from the Church’s methods in his previous life, which helped him refine the specific rules of cognitive interference.

”First, Castel already had an olive oil workshop. Even after we established the factory, we continued using the old techniques. That part of the olive oil factory has never experienced cognitive interference.”

”Second, neither soap nor nitroglycerin were newly created. I had already replicated them multiple times in the laboratory using various techniques, including both sulfur and pyrite-based acid production methods. All were successful, without triggering cognitive interference.”

”Next, cognitive interference occurred in only some of our soap factories. These cases had one thing in common—”

”The craftsmen didn’t know what soap was used for.”

Alexei was taken aback. Indeed, he had discovered the soap mutation because craftsmen were secretly eating the soap, thinking it was food.

”At the same time, our nitroglycerin factory also experienced cognitive interference, for confidentiality reasons, we did not inform the craftsmen of nitroglycerin’s true purpose, only telling them it was a medicinal substance.”

And then, it actually became medicine.

”Another detail is that the soap factories affected by cognitive interference initially produced normal soap. It was only this batch that mutated.”

Hughes sat back in his chair.

”Do you see it now? It’s quite obvious, cognitive interference only occurs when new technology is introduced, and when the craftsmen’s understanding significantly deviates from reality.”

”We’ll discuss the specific results of cognitive interference later. What matters is that its cause is fully comprehensible and exploitable.”

Alexei’s eyes lit up. ”So if we tell the craftsmen the true purpose of these things, we can prevent it?”

”More or less. My guess is that if the craftsmen fully understand the correct principles, cognitive interference will not occur.”

”In other words.”

”We need workers with the correct understanding. Their firm cognition can prevent cognitive interference from taking hold.”

”Hiss—”

Hughes couldn’t help but grin.

He had finally placed the last piece of the puzzle.

New technology in this world had an extremely high cost of trial and error.

Any mistake could result in cognitive interference, and uncontrolled pollution outbreaks were far too dangerous.

Without Hughes’ purification methods, the consequences were too severe, leading all major factions to collectively suppress technological progress.

Science in this world couldn’t be properly tested, cognition couldn’t form a closed loop, and everything had to be filled in with imagination, resulting in severe deviations.

This, in turn, required more trial and error, leading to more cognitive interference events.

The major factions escalated their suppression of new technology, using increasingly extreme measures.

Eventually, people forgot the original reasons for suppressing technology.

The Church’s extraordinary beings merely followed ancient decrees, unconditionally killing those who sought technological progress.

From then on, the world only spiraled in a loop without ascending. The factions grew more conservative, and reformists were gradually equated with cultists.

Industrialist Hughes had thus fallen.

How ironic. In a world where personal will could shape reality, it had become the most conservative place, where every faction unconditionally strangled reform, and anything uncertain was ruthlessly abandoned.

But if technological stagnation existed, then at some point, there must have been technological advancement.

What had caused progress to halt? Could it be that cognitive interference did not always exist?

Was this world not originally idealistic!?

There was too little known information. Speculating on this was meaningless for now, better to focus on developing industry.

”Alexei, how is our school coming along?”

”The first literacy class has ended, but the advanced course hasn’t started yet. That…”

Alexei looked at Hughes.

It was simple, on the entire territory, Hughes was probably the only one capable of teaching the advanced course.

Alexei had received elite education and knew plenty of military theory, but the people he trained wouldn’t be fit for factory work.

Besides, he was already swamped with work and had no time.

Hughes sighed. ”Alright, I’ll start teaching the advanced class tomorrow. I’ll draft a curriculum later, and spread the word among the citizens.”

”Yes.”

Hughes hadn’t expected this world to push him into valuing education even more than he already did.

”For now, suspend operations at the nitroglycerin factory. As for the soap factory, explain the principles clearly to the workers. Don’t worry about technological leaks, other factions may not even dare to use our technology. I even suspect they wouldn’t dare to understand it, considering they likely equate technological innovation with heretical worship.”

”Oh, and one more thing, I’ve captured a polluted beast and collected a large amount of contamination. Mark the area as a restricted zone, station guards, and make sure no one enters.”

”Contamination!? You mean—”

”Yes, physical contamination… Oh, you haven’t seen it yet. Speaking of which, you don’t even know about the Sirens, do you? Perfect, I’ll explain it all at once. I have great use for that contamination.”