Industrial Cthulhu: Starting as an Island Lord

And moreover—

Hughes suddenly recalled the 【Compassionate Mother】 he had summoned during the Blood Harbor rebellion.

These creations of extraordinary power seemed to possess an enormous advantage only in terms of size, yet they had not truly broken away from the laws of physics.

The towering blood-and-flesh monsters were indeed formidable, but they were still carbon-based lifeforms, still torn apart by bullets and blown to pieces by bombs.

And the Steel Ark beneath his feet—already so vast it resembled a sea island—still sailed at the speed of a wind-powered vessel, completely unworthy of such a colossal hull.

It always gave people a feeling of being both powerful and backward, like grinding an arrowhead for a crossbow using microchips.

As if imagination had suddenly fallen short, carrying an absurd sense of a divine stabilizing pillar that could not even outweigh a half-trailer.

If the extraordinary power of this world was tied to idealistic will, then would there be a situation where the products of industry had already exceeded the imagination of the Transcendents—so much so that these beings with extraordinary power would at times be inferior even to Mortals like them?

If the Realm of Mortals had already developed to the point of standing shoulder to shoulder with gods, then—

Hughes shook his head. Thinking about such things now was of little use. It was better to focus on development.

『Where is Richard?』

Hughes asked through the Mind Link.

『He’s with me. Do you want me to send him over?』

『Let him come.』

Soon, Richard’s figure appeared atop the Ark. He gave Hughes a slight bow. “Lord, you summoned me?”

“Yes, Richard. I have a task to assign to you.”

Hughes pointed at Gwen.

“You have quite a few research projects on hand right now, don’t you? Take her along and give it a try.”

Richard’s eyes widened at once. “Lord, if I remember correctly, Gwen hasn’t undergone any systematic education, has she?”

“That’s true. That’s precisely why I want her to join your research.”

“But if she doesn’t understand the principles, it could cause cognitive interfe—”

Richard suddenly showed a look of realization. He glanced at the Steel Ark beneath his feet.

“Gwen likely won’t bring about cognitive interference, so you intend to make use of her kind of wish-fulfillment-like extraordinary power?”

“Not exactly.” Hughes shook his head, his expression turning serious. “I know our scientific research is always obstructed by inexplicable forces. This world seems to constantly hinder technological progress. But I don’t believe that completely turning toward idealism is a good choice.”

He pointed at the massive steel wheel beneath his feet.

“Look—such a gigantic ship, so large it’s almost a sea island. With our technology and dockyard size, it would be absolutely impossible to build it. A warship of such scale should possess far greater combat power, shouldn’t it? Yet its sailing speed is only a mere five knots—still at the level of a wind-powered battleship.”

Hughes’s palm brushed over the rusted deck and the steam engines along the ship’s side.

“Look at these steam engines. I don’t know how many there are on this ship. Just taking one-fifth—no, even one-tenth—would be enough to double this ship’s speed. Yet these steam engines serve only a decorative purpose. I can even feel the sighs of the Machine Soul within them.”

“Relying on individual will can indeed accomplish many things. In this idealistic world, you can even exploit loopholes to solve immediate problems. But I don’t think this is a truly sustainable path.”

“Without our own scientific system, the things we build will end up like this Steel Ark. Look at that writhing steel—it’s eerie and intimidating, yet it can’t compare to even the simplest steam engine. We chose to develop technology. This is a winding and arduous road, almost like making an enemy of the entire world, but it’s the only path that can truly bring change to this world.”

How many years had the Church ruled the world? Extraordinary power came and went, and the knowledge sealed away by the Church of Candlelight piled up in one library after another, yet the world remained the same.

How many years had the Empire possessed steam engines? In the factories of Rhine, workers were still forced to fill them with their lives. Hughes had made only a tiny modification, yet he was killed by the Church without trial.

Submit to this world, and one could become powerful. Resist this world, and no one knew how much greater the price would be.

Hughes raised his head. The sea wind lifted the hem of his clothes, and the determination in his eyes did not waver in the slightest.

From the very beginning, Castel had another choice. Over a hundred Banshees loyal to him, the extraordinary system and ritual knowledge of the Moths Chasing Fire, the strange yet powerful reality-warping force of the 【Named One】—any one of these could have served as his reliance, allowing Castel to grow powerful rapidly.

But Hughes chose another path—a more difficult one.

He began developing industry from scratch, painstakingly climbing the technological ladder step by step. He refused to let the Banshees place him upon a godly pedestal and abandoned every shortcut.

Extraordinary power was within easy reach. With just a moment’s carelessness, the entire Castel could have slid toward the other extreme—yet every time, Hughes firmly dragged it back.

Hughes’s gaze swept past the Banshees beside him, past the Transcendents of the Moths Chasing Fire, and finally fell upon the Holy Guard.

They were Mortals—true Mortals. They neither shared life-linked connections nor forcibly altered the laws of physics.

They were weak, ignorant, and even in learning they could not match the intelligence of Banshees and Transcendents. In almost every respect, they seemed inferior.

Yet they built Castel. They stuffed invincible gods into furnaces and raised new cities from ruins. With their own hands, they changed this world.

Mortal steel tore through monstrous flesh. Mortal furnaces tempered the bodies of gods. Castel had always been a Realm of Mortals.

“Richard, humanity is worthy of trust. Please trust humanity. Extraordinary power and the force of will can be utilized; together they form the laws of this world. But I believe this world will ultimately belong to Mortals. They are the foundation of everything.”

The ship fell silent. Even within the Mind Link, there was a rare stillness. Banshees were beings of the mind; they were naturally capable of sensing the emotions of others—let alone Hughes, with whom they had signed contracts.

At this moment, every Banshee felt the determination in Hughes’s heart—that blazing, fire-like will. At this moment, the Banshees closed their eyes together.

Mind Resonance—previously used only during wartime, employed by the female Banshees to resolve disputes and quell conflicts.

Yet this time, they entered Mind Resonance without any quarrel at all—and it was led by Hughes. This seemed to be the first Mind Resonance in history not led by Banshees.

Could Banshees understand the will of humans?

They could.

Hughes slowly closed his eyes as well.

In just an instant, the same will echoed within different bodies. Soon, not only the Banshees, but the people aboard the ship—and even the people of Castel not far away—slowly closed their eyes as well.