Industrial Cthulhu: Starting as an Island Lord

Contaminated.

Was contamination such a big problem? The sea was full of it. Contamination was seen everywhere on battlefields during the previous war. Hughes was nearly used to this kind of thing and merely regarded it as a somewhat dangerous fuel.

He had almost forgotten just how dangerous this stuff really was to Extraordinary individuals.

When he heard Richard mention it just now, Hughes had nearly blurted out that he could purify contamination. To him, no matter how much contamination there was, it posed no threat. Even the Banshees, through the Symbiotic Contract, had gained a weakened purification ability that allowed them to face contamination without fear.

What was there to be afraid of with this stuff?

But… this ability was difficult to extend to others without a direct link.

The Symbiotic Contract transmitted his life force. In essence, those Banshees were a part of him.

But Chloe was not.

The two of them had done experiments before. Chloe, relying on the unique structure of her body, had attempted to purify the contamination within her on her own, nearly causing a serious incident. The Banshees had even surrounded the church, demanding her back.

At that time, Hughes had already suspected that contamination didn’t truly reside within the physical body but was instead connected to the soul.Hughes’s purification had worked—for a moment. This purification that reached directly to the soul caused Chloe to lose control immediately. Hughes had even sensed that, for a brief instant, her body had become nothing more than an empty shell.

Now that he thought back on it, it really was dangerous. That must have been close to the step Richard described as creating an artificial shell. If he hadn’t stopped in time, her soul might have been destroyed outright. He had nearly sent Chloe, the Chief of the Moths Chasing Fire, to her death.

Purifying contamination wasn’t as simple as imagined, unless one could construct a connection similar to a Symbiotic Contract.

Hughes had asked the Banshees about this point specifically, but unfortunately, their abilities were innate talents, not something that could be learned or transferred.

Looking at the blue-haired girl, Hughes’s heart was filled with unwillingness. He had been so fortunate to find an empty shell, yet was unable to use it.

That was worse than not finding one at all—gaining hope, only to discover it was an illusion. The feeling was just too awful.

The room fell silent.

After a long while, Richard asked quietly, “Lord, you mentioned before that you could purify contamination… would you like to give it a try?”

“It’s probably useless. I’ve already tried... I’ll leave you some of my blood instead. You can give that a shot.”

Forget it, he’d think it through slowly in the future. Maybe he’d come up with a method of purification.

Hughes sighed.

“Please keep an eye on Monica’s condition. Notify me immediately if anything changes. As for the cannons, try integrating the supernatural and scientific technology. Right now, that’s the most effective way to bypass technological locks. Hm?”

His words suddenly stopped.

He didn’t know much about mysticism or Extraordinary powers, and usually relied on professionals like Richard to take the lead in research.

But when it came to science and technology, that was his specialty.

If contamination couldn’t be solved by supernatural means, could it be solved with science?

Hughes began analyzing it instinctively.

First, the problem: the shell contained contamination, and he needed a way to resolve it.

There were many methods to deal with contamination, but what Hughes had come up with was the Clamorer.

This type of steam engine could use contamination as fuel, burning it and converting it into kinetic energy.

And contamination was a troublesome thing—something that was *alive*. The Clamorer’s greatest advantage was that  

it could suppress contamination and force it to be obediently burned!

Hughes suddenly raised his head.

Wasn’t this exactly what Chloe needed? Suppress the contamination in the shell and slowly burn it away. That way, her soul could temporarily reside in the shell without being corroded by the contamination!

But how could a person be merged with a steam engine?

Shove her into the combustion chamber?

Though Chloe was an Extraordinary, she wasn’t known for physical durability. The Banshees might survive in flames for long periods, but Chloe, a Chrysalis, could not.

Then how could they be combined?

A steam engine shell...

If only her body could be made as strong as the Banshees’.

Wait—a Banshee!?

Suddenly, a scene appeared in Hughes’s mind.

It was back during the war, when Chloe and he were discussing how to design armor for the Banshees.

“You’re mounting steam rifles on this armor? And several of them?” Chloe frowned at the blueprints. “Do you know, each rifle comes with a steam barrel. They’ll end up carrying loads of those barrels, crammed together like crazy.”

“Might as well just mount a steam engine directly onto the armor and slap on a few more firing tubes!” she had grumbled loudly.

Mounting a steam engine on the armor...

The body was the armor of the soul. What if he directly installed a furnace inside the body, using the contamination in the soul as fuel—could it work?

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Hughes took a deep breath, his hairs standing on end, scalp tingling.

Or—what if he built a heavy set of armor, fused to the body, pumping the internal contamination into the steam-powered mechanisms of the armor, burning it to generate power, which in turn powered the armor—

Richard caught the sudden gleam in Hughes’s eyes and subconsciously took a step back. He had a vague feeling: his lord must’ve just come up with something truly terrifying again.

Extraordinary intuition was often quite accurate, and so Richard was filled with mixed emotions.

He himself spent every day buried in the laboratory, racking his brains yet producing few ideas. How could someone like Hughes, just chatting casually, suddenly come up with breakthroughs?

Judging by his expression, it must be something incredible.

Thank goodness this was *his* lord. Castel Island’s development was simply too fast. Richard prided himself on pursuing knowledge without fearing death, yet under this lord’s leadership, why did he feel like he was starting to fall behind?

Wasn’t it supposed to be *knowledge chasing people*? Why did it feel like all the knowledge was chasing after Hughes alone, completely dragged off course by him!?

After sorting out his thoughts, Hughes excitedly said, “I have a bold idea—Richard, what’s wrong? Your face looks terrible. Are you feeling unwell?”

“Cough, I-I’m fine. Please, go on.”

“I’ve heard that a Chrysalis’s body structure is different from that of a human, right?”

“That’s correct. In fact, most Extraordinary individuals no longer possess human bodies. A Chrysalis just retains a human appearance. Internally, they no longer have human organs. If Chief Chloe hadn’t encountered an overwhelming explosion, normal damage would have done little to her—she has no physical weak points.”

“So, the inside is hollow?”

“Uh... that’s one way to put it.”

“Then, can something be stuffed inside?”

“...” Richard choked. “If it’s not too big... maybe. What exactly do you want to put inside?”

“A steam engine.”

For the first time ever, Richard—the always elegant, middle-aged gentleman—stood there slack-jawed, completely losing his composure.

Like a goose with its neck suddenly wrung.