Industrial Cthulhu: Starting as an Island Lord

”Yes, and in fact, it has already been made public to some people. All the students in the advanced class know about it, and most of them have seen the Sirens.”

Zoe looked shocked. ”What!? You just made it public like that? But they are, they are, ”

”They are also citizens of Castel.” Hughes picked up the tea on the table, leisurely blowing away the steam.

”Miss Zoe, after your parents passed away, you went to the Duke’s mansion to work as a maid, correct?”

”Yes, at that time, young master, you were still very young.”

”So, you haven’t really seen much of the people at the bottom, have you? Even your students, though they are dressed in rags, at least they have the passion to learn literacy and knowledge, right?”

Zoe nodded. Her understanding of poverty was limited to having no money, no money for food, no money for clothes, and then... dying from illness or starvation. That was how it was written in novels.

”Miss Zoe, perhaps you should see what the people at the bottom truly look like.” Hughes looked into Zoe’s eyes.

He was wearing simple coarse clothing, specially made for workers, with many pockets to conveniently store various parts.

He had just been dismantling a steam engine on-site, and this outfit was both durable and practical.”The people at the bottom do lack money, but who doesn’t? I lack money too, quite a lot, but there is one thing I do not lack.”

”Hope.”

”A very vague and intangible thing, right? It neither fills the stomach nor cures disease. You feel like it is precious, yet you don’t know why. You want to cherish it, yet you don’t know how, it’s simple, because you already have it.”

”Go and look into the numb eyes of those poor people.”

”When despair fills every crevice of life, people instinctively reject goodness. They live like livestock, grabbing onto whatever is in front of them, using numbness to cope with suffering. They themselves can’t even tell whether they are truly alive or dead.”

”Do you remember Gaia? You care about her, right? You must have helped her a lot. Have you ever talked to her?”

”Yes.”

”How does she describe her current life? Is she wealthier? Eating better? Has she earned more money?”

Zoe’s eyes gradually widened. She murmured, ”Gaia said she is happier now. She enjoys attending class, she enjoys learning, and she feels fulfilled knowing that hard work pays off.”

”Strange, isn’t it? She didn’t mention how many lios she earned or how much fried fish she ate, but instead, she spoke about happiness, even though her family is still so poor.”

”Miss Zoe.”

Hughes looked at the slightly bewildered young woman in front of him and said softly, ”That’s because you can only see her poverty, but you cannot feel her despair. Being poor is terrifying, but having no hope is even worse.”

”Isn’t it strange? Though they are weak, experiencing hardships that would make you shudder just hearing about, they still long for something as intangible as hope. Do you know why?”

Zoe instinctively shook her head.

”Because they are human. And as long as one is human, they will have emotions, they will pursue goodness. Even though abandoning their humanity would allow them to live better and escape this quagmire, they just can’t let it go.”

”If you want to understand the lower class, you cannot just observe from afar. You must interact with them personally and experience it firsthand.”

Steam curled up from the tea, and Zoe stood there, lost in thought.

She had tried writing many novels about poor people and showed them to her friends, who all said they were good.

But she always felt that something was off. The characters she wrote about and the people she met seemed to have an invisible barrier between them.

She never knew what it was.

But Hughes’ words gave her a sudden realization.

Did she really understand the people struggling in suffering? If she didn’t understand them, how could she possibly write about them?

Zoe clenched the hem of her dress.

”Castel’s factories are open for work. Everyone can earn Lios with their own hands. If they attend night school, they can earn even more. Money attracts them, but hope keeps them here.”

”Do you remember Gaia’s family? They became my workers to earn money. But for the sake of education, they were willing to be poor again. I offered them financial aid to attend school, but even if I hadn’t, they would have come anyway.”

”Hope is such a precious thing. When you don’t have it, you don’t care. But once you’ve had it, it’s nearly impossible to let go. How many people have lost their lives chasing after a mere illusion of hope? And what I am offering is a genuine, tangible future.”

”And now, they feel that this hope is slipping through their fingers.”

Zoe’s breathing became heavier. She widened her eyes as if she were the one losing hope.

”Forget about the Sirens, if I told them I was working with demons, they would still line up to sign their names.”

Hughes pulled out a booklet from his coat. ”This is a report from Connor. He had people investigate all the students who had interacted with the Sirens. Without exception, every single one of them became more determined to support Castel. Not a single person wavered.”

”This seems a bit...” Zoe hesitated, her expression conflicted.

”A bit despicable, right? That I am exploiting their suffering and weakness?”

”That’s not what I meant, I, ”

”But I am.”

Hughes met Zoe’s surprised gaze and said firmly, ”I am despicably exploiting them. I won’t try to defend myself. I am willing to bear your contempt, but I will continue to do it. No matter what means I must use, as long as I can keep this hope alive, I will do it and never stop. As long as this hope remains unfulfilled, I will not rest, even if it is neither noble nor moral.”

”And today, I came to ask for your help in doing the same thing, to use the power of words to guide my people. Perhaps this is something that goes against your ideals.”

”So, Miss Zoe, would you be willing to help me... and do something bad?”

Zoe was stunned. She stayed silent for a moment before finally speaking hesitantly, ”Why are you telling me all this? And why are you doing this?”

”Miss Zoe, I’ve read your novels. You truly want to understand the lower class and the people. I think that’s a noble aspiration, don’t rush to refute me. Do it first, then come back to me.”

”As for your other question, why am I willing to go to such lengths to keep this hope alive?”

”It’s simple. Because this hope is just as precious to me.”

”Perhaps it started as a casual promise, just a simple and vague idea. But I have walked this path for too long, and too many people have walked with me. They sacrificed and gave without hesitation, and now, I can no longer let them down.”

(End of Chapter)