Industrial Cthulhu: Starting as an Island Lord

After a short while.

“Don’t go! Wait a second!”

With a burst of shouting, several Banshees rushed over at full speed, only to see the figures of the Buriers vanish into the White Mist.

“Damn it, how did they get in so fast!?” Nini slapped the ground angrily with her tail. “What do we do now? Go back and tell the Lord they just went in on their own?”

Ash circled around the front of the White Mist a few times, staring hard into the haze, then tilted her ear as if listening to something.

“How is it? Can you still see them?”

Ash slowly shook her head. “No movement at all. I’ve already told the Lord about their situation.”

“What did the Lord say?”

“The Lord…” Ash paused before continuing. “The Lord told us to contact logistics and get a few carriages over here.”

“Ah?”

Elsewhere, within the White Mist of some unknown sea region, the shell of Worker Hughes was listening to Gwen’s complaints coming through the link:

『What are they doing? How did they just rush in like that? And they all look like they’re about to self-destruct!』

『Maybe there’s been some misunderstanding. Did they explode with you yet?』

『No, they were just about to, and I managed to stop them. It’s just… I might’ve used a bit too much force. You’d better send someone to pick them up.』 Gwen said irritably.

『By the way, how’s your condition now? Should we—』

『We’ll talk later. I’ve got something important right now! You know Earl Bazel, right? I’m trying to separate him out. You wanted to escort him back to Castel for trial, didn’t you? Well, now’s your chance.』

『It’s not really that important. If it’s troublesome, just let him die in the White Mist—I can live with that.』 Hughes said casually.

『Oh? Are you sure about that? You saw that pile of White Bones, right? Endless resurrection. I haven’t tried it myself, but I think this stuff should be burnable. I heard there’s a Stellar Furnace on the island.』

『Miss Gwen, Earl Bazel is truly important to me. I’ll send people right now to pull the Silent Sanctum folks away—they absolutely won’t disturb your work!』 Hughes said solemnly.

Soon, a long line of carriages arrived by the edge of the White Mist. Hughes had basically gathered every idle carriage he could find.

Under the crowd’s gaze, the White Mist churned—and then a group of iron cans were spat out.

These Buriers of the Silent Sanctum had all passed out. Almost every one of them was injured, though fortunately they wore heavy armor and their wounds didn’t look too serious— just the level of bruised blue and purple.

Following prior orders, the Expeditionary Army soldiers, with the help of the Banshees, carried the group onto the carriages. With their heavy armor, each person weighed at least half a ton. Without the Banshees’ help, lifting them would have been impossible.

Nini grabbed several by the backs of their necks and hoisted them up. For some reason, the icefield armor was particularly easy to lift.

“Ash, what do you think is inside the White Mist? I really want to go in and take a look!”

“If you plan to go, remember to tell me first.”

“Ah? You’re coming with me? I’m touched~”

“No. You’re too heavy. If you get thrown out again, no one will be able to lift you.”

“.”

While the Banshees bustled by the White Mist, Hunter, Nora, and Grisha were staring dumbfounded inside the Military Camp.

“You’re saying that during the one day we were out, you first risked your lives to rescue Gwen, then fought the White Bones in the Fortress, and finally launched a counterattack to drive back the White Calamity?!”

Hodge nodded. “That’s right. The White Calamity has been completely resolved. Those White Bones are now stored in the warehouse on the lower level. Want to go take a look? Though you might have to wait in line—the Banshees are really enthusiastic about taking care of them.”

“No… no, that’s fine.” Hunter quickly waved his hands, then said in disbelief, “So the White Calamity of the Northlands is just… over? I’m not doubting your achievements, but—hell, that disaster has hung over the White Ravens for nearly a thousand years!”

“The details are still under observation, but since the Lord said it’s resolved, I think it’s pretty much settled.”

“I see! The Lord took action, didn’t He!” Hunter became instantly excited. He was a firm believer in Lord Hughes.

“That didn’t even require the Lord’s direct intervention. Dragon’s Breath Cannons and Gatlings were enough. Oh, and Airships too. Honestly, with Castel going all out, there’s hardly anything we can’t handle. The explosive yield speaks for itself.”

“Does explosive yield work on the Transcendents too?”

“Not necessarily—but we’ve done some research into how pollution can be utilized.”

Beside them, Nora was staring wide-eyed at the Buriers being carried in by the carriage-load.

“What… happened to them? Are they alright?”

“They should be fine—well, I’m not entirely sure. They just rushed into the White Mist by themselves, and then got thrown back out,” Hodge admitted. He hadn’t gone near the Mist himself, so he didn’t really know the details.

“I want to go see them.”

Grisha stood up. “Lady Nora, I’ll take you there.”

The two of them walked to the camp where the Expeditionary Army was trying to find places to settle the Silent Sanctum’s Buriers.

“Lady Nora!?”

Suddenly, a delighted voice called out nearby. Grisha turned with Nora and saw Gwen.

Gwen had been helping unload the carriages. When she saw the two, she immediately dropped the Burier she was carrying and ran over.

“Lady Nora! Long time no see!”

Gwen swept Nora up in a hug, rubbing her cheek against hers in delight.

“It hasn’t even been that long! Barely over ten days! Put me down, now!” Nora glared at her. “And don’t rub your face on me—our hair will get tangled!”

“Alright, alright.” Gwen laughed as she untangled her hair. “I can’t believe the Northern campaign’s really over. Honestly, I never thought I’d survive, let alone get to see Lady Nora again. I’m so happy—every time I see you, it feels like I’m dreaming. You know, I always thought you were dead. Well, not exactly alive now either, but—uh.”

Feeling Nora’s increasingly icy stare, Gwen finally shut her mouth.

After glaring at Gwen, Nora turned toward a petite Banshee nearby.

“Monica, how are they? Are they alright?”

Monica had previously undergone battlefield medical training. Though her certification process had been full of twists and turns, she eventually obtained a legitimate medical license—now she was a proper doctor.

She was struggling to pry open the plate armor on a Burier, frowning as she examined the wounds.

“Various degrees of fractures. Nothing too serious. But oddly enough, every one of them is unconscious.”

Nora frowned, worried.

“Hmm. The conditions here aren’t great—no proper medical equipment. I recommend we send them all back to Castel for further examination.”