Industrial Cthulhu: Starting as an Island Lord

There were just over a hundred Banshees in total. After accounting for the squad that had followed Zoe to Blood Harbor and the group stationed at Gem Bay for further exploration, the rest were all gathered in this room.  

They spoke in low voices, while the Mind Link was filled with a lively buzz.  

Upon seeing Hughes enter, the Banshees parted to make way for him.  

At the very front stood Nini. Since Ash had gone to Blood Harbor, all Banshee-related matters on the island had fallen under her responsibility.  

“How is she doing?”  

“I think she’s about to wake up,” Nini replied, glancing at Monica before giving her cheek a little pinch.  

Monica appeared to be fast asleep, swatting the hand away subconsciously.  

“See? Just a moment ago she couldn’t even lift her arm.”  

With that, Nini gave Monica a gentle push, rolling her onto her side.  

For a Banshee—with six arms—lying on one’s side was an incredibly uncomfortable position. Monica squirmed a few times on the bed before turning to lie flat on her back.  “Impressive, right? She can already turn over on her own.”  

The surrounding Banshees applauded.  

Hughes covered his face. Were they here to visit her or to bully her? Why did it look like they were having way too much fun?  

“Don’t worry, Lord,” one of the Banshees said, “a Banshee’s body is quite different from a human’s. Look—”  

She grabbed Monica’s tail and lifted it, turning to Hughes, just about to say something.  

But from her blind spot, Monica slowly opened her eyes, turned her gaze around, and locked eyes with the one holding her tail—Nini.  

Her expression turned ferocious as her mouth slowly opened wide.  

“Ahhhhhhhhhhh!!!!”  

In short, Monica had successfully awakened.  

After a chaotic bout of wrestling and scuffling, Monica threw herself into Hughes’ arms, crying and sobbing uncontrollably, refusing to be consoled by anyone else.  

Hughes softly comforted her for quite some time before the small-sized Banshee finally stopped crying.  

He had always worried that the Monica he knew might be gone, or replaced by a soul unfamiliar to him.  

But all that concern evaporated the moment he looked into Monica’s emerald-green eyes.  

The Banshees gathered around her and chatted for a long while. Except for refusing to answer Nini out of spite, she responded to everyone else’s questions.  

Monica was still Monica—whether the small-sized Monica or the grown-up version from before. The Sea God’s soul had never truly influenced her. To be precise, after millennia, the fragments of the Sea God’s soul no longer held any autonomous will. Even that Pirate King had been able to easily steal them.  

Of course, his feeble soul couldn’t bear the power of the Sea God and shattered the moment he tried to take it.  

Still, the Sea God’s soul had not been completely without effect. Monica had now inherited fragments of knowledge—mostly scattered, disorganized bits that were hard to apply directly.  

According to Monica, only when she had sudden flashes of insight could she grasp new pieces of knowledge.  

Flashes of insight.  

Hughes suddenly had a bad feeling. Monica had always been full of strange and quirky ideas. And now she had access to flashes of inspiration from an entirely new field of supernatural knowledge?  

Who knew what she might come up with next?  

Hughes might’ve been able to accept one flash of insight—but a barrage of them? That was a terrifying thought.  

Seeing that Monica was healthy in every way, Hughes finally let out a breath of relief. He took out the box he had brought with him.  

It was a cake, made to celebrate Monica’s recovery.  

The cooking on the island was... difficult to praise, but the desserts were usually decent. Hughes opened the cake box in front of everyone.  

The cake was specially customized. Hughes had instructed the kitchen to make something suitable for Banshees and left the rest to the chefs.  

He still had some level of trust in the pastry chef.  

Of course, that trust instantly vanished the moment he saw the fish heads stuck on top of the cake.  

Yes, the round cake was sea-blue in color, decorated with white frothy waves and reef-like designs—visually quite appealing... except for the fact that it was covered in fish heads.  

Hughes held the cake in his hands, clearly seeing that the fish heads weren’t made of cream—they were real, actual fish heads stuck directly into the cake. Their lifeless eyes stared upward, as if silently accusing the world.  

A strange eeriness rose in the air.  

Hughes’ smile froze on his face. The room fell into a dead silence.  

Gazing... at the stars?!  

Wait, wasn’t this the stuff of internet memes? Did the chef here invent *Stargazy Pie* on his own?!  

Crap. Monica wouldn’t think he was trying to mess with her too, would she?  

Hughes’ eyes darted around, already mapping out escape routes.  

At that moment, Monica shakily reached out, cut a piece of the cake, and popped it—fish head and all—into her mouth.  

“Uh, you don’t have to force yourself if you don’t like it,” Hughes said, feeling guilty.  

But Monica’s expression was nothing like that of someone forcing herself. She chewed, her eyes narrowing into slits like a happy cat basking in the sun.  

“So yummy!”  

The surrounding Banshees burst into chatter.  

“Wow, this cake was made with such care!”  

“Totally! The fish heads on top look so delicious!”  

“This design is absolutely stunning!”  

“The latest novel is first released on Six 9 Books!”  

“Aaaaah, I love it! If I passed out, would Lord Hughes bring me a cake too?”  

“Hey! Are you seriously passing out now? Don’t fall on me, you’re heavy!”  

The stiff smile on Hughes’ face gradually turned into confusion.  

“This cake... doesn’t it strike you as weird? This is *Stargazy Pie*, you know?!”  

The Banshees fell silent again.  

After a while, the Banshee who had faked fainting earlier spoke in a trembling voice, “Just now… what did you say this cake is called?”  

Hughes was stunned. “Stargazy Pie.”  

The Banshees collectively gasped.  

“What a beautiful name…”  

Hughes: “...”  

Crap. He had just remembered—these Banshees *loved* the stars. Every time it was their turn for night duty, they fought over the shift just to stare up at the night sky.  

Who knew why these deep-sea creatures were so enamored with the stars?  

In any case, the name had hit them right in the heart. Monica now wore an expression so blissful it looked like she might pass out again.  

Hughes stood among the group of Banshees, holding the cake with both hands, utterly bewildered.  

So… there really *was* a cultural gap.  

No one noticed that a new voice had appeared in the bustling Mind Link.  

『I’m back!』  

『Waaah, Monica!』  

『Stargazy Pie… I want some too.』  

『I’m back!!』  

『Is it too late to faint now?』  

『Let’s try it. You fall left, I’ll fall right.』  

『No, no—try another direction! This room’s already cramped!』  

Feniel: 『@everyone I said I’m back! I brought the Black Pearl back to port! I swam for three whole days! Where were all of you? Did the Murlocs storm the bishop’s sanctum or something?!』  

Hughes’ eyes lit up. He quickly walked to the window, and sure enough, a ship was slowly approaching the horizon.  

Hughes: 『That’s great, Feniel! Is everyone on the ship okay?』  

Feniel: 『Wait a sec… what’s with the cake photo in the chat? It looks amazing!!』  

Hughes: 『...』