Industrial Cthulhu: Starting as an Island Lord

Although his heart was full of doubts, Hughes did not show it on his face. He merely glanced at the wooden box and then shifted his gaze away.

Soon, a young lady dressed as a noble appeared in front of Hughes.

She was not wearing the attire of the Church, only pinning the Candlelight Church’s sacred insignia on her collar.

She wore a dress, but it was a rather plain style with little lace and no petticoat.

Hughes glanced at Connor, and the old butler nodded at him.

“This is Miss Beatrice.”

On the ship, Beatrice lifted her skirt slightly, preparing to disembark with great strides, but suddenly saw Hughes on the dock.

She paused for a moment, her gaze swept over Hughes’ intricately designed clothes and then stopped at his crest.

Her steps quickly became feeble, her figure halted, and she waited for the maid behind her to catch up before half-falling into the maid’s arms.

The maid hurriedly extended her hand to support her, and Beatrice somehow pulled out a handkerchief, pressing it against her chest, appearing weak and breathless as she was helped off the ship.Hughes’ throat moved slightly; he struggled to maintain his expression but found it hard to hold back.

The person in front of him was an Extraordinary from the Candlelight Church, an [Investigator] capable of independently handling strange incidents.

She could instantly charge through the crowd and twist Hughes’ head off with her bare hands.

Supported by the maid, Beatrice walked onto the shore, looking as if she would faint at any moment.

She stopped in front of Hughes. The two paused for a moment, but neither spoke.

According to noble social etiquette, an unmarried girl could not take the initiative to talk to a strange noble like Hughes, who had not been formally introduced.

The same applied to Hughes. For nobles, initiating a self-introduction was considered very impolite.

Although he didn’t care much, since he was acting, he decided to go all the way.

He had specifically changed into this restrictive noble attire to leave a good impression on the other party.

So the two of them stood there, then looked simultaneously at Chloe nearby.

This Sister, originally standing aside with a watching-the-show expression, suddenly realized she had become the focus of everyone’s attention.

“Uh, oh, alright, ahem.”

Reluctantly, she introduced the two with a brief introduction. Only then could Beatrice raise her head and take a look at Hughes before her.

And she was stunned.

Hughes was dressed in a meticulously tailored velvet robe, deep purple, almost black.

His handsome face was somewhat pale, carrying a trace of frailty, not makeup, but the result of staying up for two nights working on the steam engine and dealing with contamination.

Seeing Beatrice’s gaze, Hughes smiled gently and nodded, exuding an elegant yet mysterious aura.

This attire and matching style were not chosen randomly. According to the information from old Connor, this Miss Joanne loved reading the ”Rose Elegy” series of knight novels, and the protagonist had this style.

To promote soap, Hughes had gone all out. Not only did he change his clothes, but he also had the servants apply makeup and spent a long time styling his hair.

The meticulous design and dressing dealt a heavy blow to this young lady.

Previously confined to a social circle of other noble ladies, Beatrice had never seen such a scene.

Although she was already an Extraordinary, she was still young and had just completed her promotion. This was her first time performing a task as a member of the Church.

She stared at Hughes for a long time before snapping back to reality, her face visibly flushing red.

Lowering her head, she couldn’t resist sneaking glances at the young man in front of her, her face turning even redder.

Part of it was a fluttering heart, Hughes’ appearance was indeed attractive.

Another part was embarrassment; she had not expected to be greeted by the local lord. Forget makeup, she had chosen her clothes casually.

Should she pretend to faint?

Her mind was in a complete mess.

Hughes maintained his smile, but inwardly he was overjoyed.

Great! The soap promotion plan might actually work! This morning’s efforts had not been in vain; the territory’s finances were saved.

Heh, naive young lady, prepare to witness the cruelty of society.

Soon, you will become a tool for promoting my product, squeezed of all value, and then discarded.

He immediately pointed to the carriage not far away.

“Ahem, Miss Joanne, you don’t look well. You should rest quickly. The sea voyage must have been exhausting; don’t harm your health. Sister Chloe is a professional; you needn’t worry about the handover.”

After speaking, he subtly nudged Sister Chloe beside him.

Chloe rolled her eyes internally but still managed a smile.

“Please rest assured, I will handle it properly.” She clasped her hands together, looking devout. “The Lord has already discussed the specific handover matters with me in detail. He is a devout believer of the Candlelight Church and has always supported the construction of our church.”

Beatrice nodded slightly, and with the maid’s help, walked into the carriage while Hughes gracefully bid her farewell.

Chloe, looking reliable, also bowed towards the carriage while forcing a smile and muttering through gritted teeth:

“Need to pay extra!”

“Alright.”

The carriage gradually moved away, and the estate had naturally been prepared long before.

After sending off the troublesome Beatrice, Hughes casually turned his head to look at the people and the massive wooden box on the dock.

“What should we do with them?”

“These sinners just need a simple atonement ritual. It won’t take long. As for that heretic’s corpse, just bury it in the churchyard.”

“Bury it in the graveyard?” Hughes looked surprised. “Are you sure? I mean, won’t such an evil existence threaten my territory?”

“Burying it in the graveyard is the safest. Don’t worry; the Candlelight Church has never had any mishaps dealing with heretics.”

Chloe absentmindedly nodded, her words somewhat vague.

Hughes, like an ordinary lord, pretended to be uninterested, directing soldiers and sailors to escort the people and box to the church.

Most of these sailors were hired by the Candlelight Church, and Hughes did not see their sacred emblem on them.

For now, it seemed there was no issue. The Candlelight Church did not show any particular interest in the worker Hughes’ corpse; it didn’t seem like they had discovered anything.

Hughes tried to sense the presence within the box as he approached it but found nothing unusual, as if it contained an ordinary corpse.

“Seems it was just a coincidence.”

He had probably just scared himself earlier.

Watching the departing Candlelight Church team, the gloom in Hughes’ heart dissipated somewhat.

These Candlelight Church people had not caused him any trouble from beginning to end, which was quite pleasant.

This was perfect; now he could investigate the matter of worker Hughes’ corpse.