Industrial Cthulhu: Starting as an Island Lord

Concrete walls, ventilation openings set at regular intervals, and huge painted markings at the corners all gave Hughes a strong sense of familiarity.

“Over here, the Network Path System looks more like an air-raid shelter,” Hughes sighed.

Ash turned her head and glanced at her Lord but did not respond. Hughes occasionally said inexplicable things, and the Banshees had long since grown used to it.

After walking through the Network Path for a while, Hughes could hear the sound of flowing water coming from the adjacent side. That side should have been Blood Harbor’s sewer system; all of Blood Harbor’s sewage and industrial water were diverted away through dedicated channels within the Network Path.

After advancing for a bit longer, two equally tall figures appeared in front of Hughes. The dark heavy armor they wore looked even more ferocious under the dim lighting of the Network Path.

“Lord.”

The low voice came from beneath the visor, echoing dully through the concrete corridor. Combined with the fact that the dungeon was just ahead, the eerie atmosphere was pushed to the extreme.

It would have been even better if the two of them were not enthusiastically discussing things in the 《Gwen and Her Three Pieces of Luggage》 live room within the Mind Link.

Hughes let out a sigh. These Banshees looked intimidating enough, but beneath the thick armor they were basically all noisy and boisterous personalities.

Ash was still the better one.

Hughes could not help but pat the tail armor on Ash’s leg.

Ash glanced at Hughes somewhat strangely, thought for a moment, then reached out and patted his head.

Hughes：？

What kind of bizarre ritual was this?

The two guards stepped aside. Hughes followed Ash down another level and arrived at the underground prison with the strictest security in Blood Harbor and even in the entirety of Castel.

This place was completely isolated from the outside world, with Banshees stationed here year-round. The concrete was thick enough to be used as an air-raid shelter, and it generally only held the most important and most dangerous prisoners.

At present, there were not many prisoners here. There were several Northlands nobles, all stubborn types, and also a 【Investigator】 from the Church of Candlelight. He had been captured alive by Isaac from Granny’s hands back in the Northlands and was Castel’s first captured Transcendent prisoner.

That man was still undergoing interrogation and had held out without speaking for quite some time.

Other than that, there was Bazel.

Bazel’s cell was located at the very innermost part. Ash had just notified the Banshee duty squad through the Mind Link, and now an entire squad of Banshees stood at the entrance of his cell.

Chloe was here as well.

Hughes glanced at the diary placed neatly on the table and asked, “What did he say?”

〖He said he was previously controlled. Lina controlled him and lured him into searching for the White-Bone Sanctum—you know about that, right?〗

“That was written in the earlier report? I read it. He actually believed that? He really thought he could become the Lord of the Undead.”

〖According to him, Lina used certain abilities that caused his judgment to malfunction, making him firmly believe it. Judging from the logical ability he displayed during his confession, it should be true. He does indeed seem to have suffered cognitive interference.〗

“So everything was Lina’s fault, then?” Hughes sneered. “Has anything been found out about this Lina?”

〖Not yet. All that is known is that she has close ties with Moths Chasing Fire. While with Bazel, she claimed to be the Chief of Moths Chasing Fire and spoke at length about its internal details. I compared them one by one and found that there were surprisingly almost no errors or omissions.〗

“I remember she was already a member of Moths Chasing Fire before, wasn’t she?”

〖Her infiltration into Moths Chasing Fire seems to run deeper. According to Bazel’s account, Lina’s familiarity with Moths Chasing Fire far exceeded what her identity should have allowed her to access. I suspect she previously joined Moths Chasing Fire under another identity, and it’s even possible she is still lying low within it now.〗

Hughes frowned. This matter was rather strange. Moths Chasing Fire was hardly a reputable name, yet it was worth such effort for her to exploit. It seemed Lina truly had some deep connection with Moths Chasing Fire.

〖However, you don’t need to worry about Moths Chasing Fire on Castel’s side. Although the Lord of Moths has mysteriously lost contact, everyone on our side has left a soul imprint within the 【Chrysalis】. Betrayal is impossible. I myself exist by relying on the 【Chrysalis】.〗

This 【Chrysalis】 sounded like a pretty good thing. He wondered if it was possible to drag a few more people in to work overtime.

Hughes suppressed the evil thought in his mind and gestured to Ash. “Open the door.”

Ash stepped forward and placed her hand against the heavy steel door. The twisted characters etched onto the door lit up for an instant, and then, with a clack, the lock popped open.

〖This is our secret seal. Its protective capability is not as good as steel, but it has quite decent resistance against supernatural phenomena.〗 Chloe explained.

The steel door was pushed open. Inside the room was a pile of twisted, gnarled white bones. Hughes narrowed his eyes and barely managed to make out a skull among them.

“How did he end up like this?”

〖To prevent him from using abilities after recovering, I designed a machine that periodically crushes him, ensuring he remains in a shattered state at all times for ease of control.〗

Only then did Hughes notice a huge mechanical structure on the ceiling, with a thick steel plate suspended above. Judging by the design, it periodically descended to smash Bazel to pieces.

“Hiss.”

〖It’s fine. He can put himself back together quickly. I’ve timed it precisely.〗

Sure enough, it was not long before the white bones in the room began to wriggle. Bazel’s cracked skull gradually appeared before Hughes.

“Kill me,” Bazel said weakly.

Hughes：“.”

“I had no intention of becoming your enemy. All provocations and attacks were due to Lina’s bewitchment. You are also a Frontier Count, aren’t you? We were both ennobled by the Empress and should not have been fighting among ourselves.”

〖By the way, during the interrogation, he displayed extremely high loyalty to the Empress. Even when being crushed, he would still shout the Empress’s name.〗 Chloe leaned over and whispered.

Loyal to the Empress?

Hughes’s expression became strange. Bazel probably did not know that his Empress had now changed identities—and that he himself was standing within territory that nominally belonged to the Empress.

How ironic.

“The Empress… no, even the former Empire no longer exists. To speak of the Frontier Count’s investiture now—don’t you find it a bit laughable, Lord Bazel?” Hughes replied unhurriedly. “Moreover, you carried out an assassination attempt against me during the Tribunal.”

“No, that was not me! When I locked eyes with you, I suddenly broke free from Lina’s control. Then I felt something burst out of my body. It was not under my control, and I do not possess such an attacking ability. Otherwise, I would have used it long ago during the battle!”

Hughes narrowed his eyes. Bazel’s explanation did sound reasonable. He also felt that the performance of this white-bone body in combat had indeed been rather useless.