Industrial Cthulhu: Starting as an Island Lord

Beatrice suddenly found herself missing Castel.

That place was always full of vitality.

Everyone was busy, as if there was always something left to do, as if there was always a beautiful tomorrow awaiting them, unlike here, where the passersby on the street seemed like corpses waiting to decay.

Speaking of which, it wasn’t until now that she suddenly understood the actions of Count Hughes. He had clearly been using her.

Beatrice thought she should feel angry, but instead, an entirely opposite emotion surged in her chest.

There were many who had tried to use her.

She had met plenty of them in recent days, their methods more skillful, their actions more palatable, yet she only felt disgust.

Why was Count Hughes different?

She couldn’t explain it clearly. The abilities of an Investigator offered her no help this time.

She could see through the disguises of others, yet she couldn’t even discern her own feelings.Perhaps he was simply special.

Just like this small, humble room, lacking the grandeur and elegance of a manor villa, yet it gave her a faint sense of warmth, allowing her to rest for a while.

What was so good about Castel? She didn’t really know.

It was just that lively, bustling feeling, where every face seemed filled with hope, it was truly something wonderful.

After a while, she would inexplicably want to reach out, even if it was just to send a few meaningless greetings.

As long as she felt her connection to that little island still existed, she would feel a comforting sense of ease.

It was like the soft cushion she loved most as a child. She would build a little castle with it, crawl inside, and lie there all day, no matter how much anyone called her.

Beatrice happily wrote a thick letter, rambling on about the current state of Rhine.

She even bragged a little about how popular her soap had become, it was something she had learned recently, to showcase her usefulness.

That Count Hughes would probably be pleased, right?

Holding the letter, she went to the Church.

She knew the Church had means of communication, though she wasn’t sure if she could send a letter through them.

But she hit a roadblock on the very first step.

Indeed, the Church could send letters, but Castel was too remote, and no mail could reach it.

As for transmitting information remotely... That wasn’t available to ordinary people. Fortunately, she wasn’t just an ordinary person.

With her identity as an Investigator and the influence of the Joanne Family, she managed to persuade a priest from the Church.

Beatrice took back the now slightly crumpled letter and stuffed it into her pocket, feeling a tinge of disappointment.

Although she couldn’t send the letter, at least being able to pass on a few words was still something.

Unfortunately, even this small hope was dashed.

For some reason, Castel had lost contact.

No one knew what had happened there, and the Church didn’t care, after all, it was just a remote, desolate island.

Beatrice could convince the Church to open a link to the Sea of Unawareness for her, but she couldn’t persuade them to send Investigators.

For the time being, she couldn’t leave Rhine either, and could only stew in her anxiety.

Luckily, that priest had told her how to enter the Corridor of Truth on her own, she could try it herself.

At that thought, Beatrice narrowed her eyes.

After this setback, she suddenly realized that she had almost no influence within the Church.

Ever since Uncle Yule left, the new Cardinal had been cold and indifferent toward her.

That chubby cleric would nod along with a fake smile at everything she said, yet always ignored her requests.

She... didn’t like this.

Before leaving, Beatrice asked the young priest for his name.

”My name is Michel, Lady Beatrice!” The priest stood up excitedly, his eyes full of joy.

”Call me Joanne. Since Uncle Yule left the family, I will inherit the name of Joanne. And you are now?”

”I am now a Level-Two Priest, a

Whisperers of the Rhine Diocese, Lady Joanne.” Michel tried hard to appear steady, but there was still a slight tremor in his voice.

”Hmm, thank you for your help today. I’ll write a letter of thanks to the Church.”

Beatrice shook her head, trying to shake off the recent memories.

Suddenly, she felt a bit unfamiliar with herself.

She didn’t even know why she was doing this, perhaps she simply couldn’t stand being rejected by others?

Maybe she just wanted to cause trouble for those who belittled her. It was a childish thought, and hesitation mixed with fear made her sink deeper into the couch.

Forget it. She didn’t want to think about it anymore.

She wanted to enter the Corridor of Truth, to see if she could find Castel’s beacon and figure out what had happened there. Maybe even exchange a few words with Count Hughes.

She was an Investigator of the Candlelight Church.

It was perfectly normal for her to care about why the Church had lost its beacon, it was her duty. No one could find fault with that.

But would she succeed? She wasn’t so sure.

Michel had told her many techniques for exploring the Corridor of Truth.

If nothing went wrong, the risks wouldn’t be too great.

And she had confidence in herself. Castel was her anchor, and Hughes was her anchor too.

The desire in her heart was strong enough, she wouldn’t lose herself.

Taking a deep breath, she lay flat on the couch, ready for her first attempt.

Entering the Corridor of Truth required no additional ritual.

Just the light of a moon candle was enough, or even without it, though it would be much more dangerous.

The Sea of Unawareness wasn’t so troublesome.

It had no fixed shape, and any precise, intricate ritual would only point in the wrong direction.

”Where is the Corridor of Truth?” Beatrice muttered softly.

She needed to stabilize her cognition now and imagine what the place she wanted to reach looked like.

”The Sea of Unawareness lies beyond the high walls of reality. But where exactly are the high walls of reality?” Beatrice hesitated for a moment, then glanced at the bright moon candle and prepared to activate her extraordinary ability directly.

The Investigator was the most suitable Extraordinary path for exploring the Sea of Unawareness because she could easily obtain answers to her questions.

Other extraordinary beings would be stuck outside the door, struggling to find a way into the Sea of Unawareness.

But an Investigator, as long as she was willing to bear the pollution, could get the answer directly.

This was both her privilege and her curse.

An Investigator was constantly influenced by the Sea of Unawareness.

They could never truly escape it. Strange, inexplicable whispers would follow her for life.

Extraordinary power surged in her chest.

She skipped the process and directly received the result, a sudden, inexplicable phrase echoed in her mind.

”Reality has no high walls.”

Hmm?

Reality had no high walls, but the Sea of Unawareness lay beyond the wall?

Before she could figure out what it meant, a wave of pollution spread through her limbs and bones.

Then, she felt the world twist for an instant.

She blinked and found herself standing in a long corridor, lined with countless doors on either side.