Industrial Cthulhu: Starting as an Island Lord

When ‍​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌‌​‌‍Gwen arrived there, she was personally received by Richard at the entrance.

At the moment, Richard was wearing a white lab coat, and on its back was printed a complex emblem.

A winding serpent’s tail coiled upward, eventually transforming into a banshee holding a scepter.

This was the emblem of Castel doctors. Since the first batch of doctors had been Banshees, it was only natural that a banshee had been drawn into the crest.

As for the scepter in the banshee’s hand, it had originally been a Gatling, symbolizing the doctors of the Hospital Knights charging forward. Hughes had truly found it unbearable to look at and had changed it into the current scepter.

To be fair, it actually fit quite well.

“Wonderful, Miss Gwen, you’ve finally arrived. Please, come in quickly.”

A rare smile appeared on Richard’s usually stern face.

Regarding the Lord allowing Gwen to participate in the research, he had actually held reservations.

Although Hughes had hinted to Richard that Gwen could also participate as a subject of study.

Even so, he was still very happy that Gwen had come to help at the hospital.

From the very beginning, Richard had been a doctor. What truly interested him was medical research; participating in research projects had merely been a side job—Hughes simply couldn’t find anyone else at the time.

Of course, this was also Richard’s own view. His previous work among the Moths Chasing Fire had been closer to that of a forensic doctor than a physician, after all—he dealt with corpses more often than with living people.

Forensic doctors were still doctors, so there was no problem with that.

“Come and take a look.” Richard led Gwen into a ward in no time. Several young men with Northlander features were lying motionless on the beds.

“I’ve almost tried every method—of course, the relatively safe ones—but none of them were able to wake them up.”

After saying this, Richard looked at Gwen with an expectant expression.

He had previously reviewed Gwen’s file.

Easily defeating other Transcendents, making guns fire without bullets, summoning the Steel Ark and the Machine Soul of Ten Thousand Engines—

All of these were extremely difficult to explain, and Transcendental power rarely affected reality on such a large and deep scale.

And that was precisely what was needed in treating the priests of the Silent Sanctum.

“Our medical techniques in Castel are still mainly based on physical methods. You know surgery, right? Simply put, we treat the human body as a delicate machine, trying to restore the functions of each component.”

“Uh, don’t you use any Transcendental power here?” Gwen asked, somewhat puzzled.

Medicine in this era was almost entirely tied to Transcendental power.

No—more accurately, it was a chaotic mixture of the Transcendental, mysticism, and all kinds of superstition. Bloodletting therapy and prayer therapy coexisted; for the same illness, one could try enemas or have a priest whip the patient, and the effects would be about the same—possibly useful.

The truly useful part was pouring all kinds of Holy Water into people—not the kind of Holy Water Josh used, but the genuine Holy Water produced by the Church.

But Holy Water was not a cure-all. Or rather, the things that Holy Water could cure in this era were not really illnesses at all.

They could only be considered diseases of poverty.

“As for Transcendental power, we have used it as well.”

Richard pulled out several sheets of paper from a nearby file.

When Gwen opened them, she froze for a moment.

“What is this!? Skeletons?”

“This is CT. The name was given by the Lord. It uses our Moths Chasing Fire ability 【Self-Binding】, allowing us to see the interior of objects, including the human body.”

“You mean this is the inside of the human body?”

“That’s right. We use our ability to see the lesions inside the body, then draw them onto paper. That’s the main application of Transcendental power.”

Gwen clicked her tongue in amazement as she carefully examined the CT image. “Mm, it’s indeed pretty good.”

Although she had never studied medicine, she was very familiar with human anatomy, and extremely familiar with the feel of muscles and bones.

She knew exactly where was easy to cut and where was too hard.

“Unfortunately, it’s completely useless.” Richard gave a wry smile and put the papers away.

“All of our methods have failed. There’s no way to wake these priests up. The only good news is that this kind of coma doesn’t seem to cause synchronized physical decline. Their physical condition is still fairly good.”

“Mm, then what can I do?”

“I don’t know either. You can act freely. As long as you can wake them up, anything goes.”

Richard pushed up his monocle, revealing a hint of anticipation.

He knew Gwen’s battle record well—whatever she wanted to accomplish, she always managed it in some peculiar way. Perhaps these priests would also be awakened like this.

“To wake them up… um, Lady Nora only taught me one way to wake people.”

Gwen licked her lips and looked at Nora in her arms.

Nora blinked innocently.

“What method?” Richard looked at Gwen, who was clearly eager to try, and suddenly had a bad feeling.

“Use a flail, aim here, and smash.”

Gwen pointed at the head of one of the unconscious priests.

Whether it was an illusion or not, the priest’s eyelids seemed to twitch slightly, as if trying hard to open.

“Ah… is that… real?”

Richard was momentarily stunned, unable to tell whether this was some kind of Northlands-style joke.

“Of course not!” Nora refuted loudly. “Of course you don’t smash them with a flail—that’s too ridiculous!”

Richard let out a sigh of relief.

“Gwen, let me say this one last time. That is not a flail, that is an incense burner! It’s an awakening ritual using an incense burner, not smashing heads with a flail!”

“Then what are the specific ritual steps?”

“Light the incense burner, aim here, and smash.”

Richard sucked back the breath he had just let out.

“I think we’d better not—”

“Gwen, there should be the incense bur—chain fl—incense burner I used before on the island. Go get it quickly and treat them at once!”

“Okay! Lady Nora!”

“Wait—” Richard hadn’t had time to stop her before Gwen shot out of the hospital like a gust of wind.

Whether it was his imagination or not, Richard felt that Nora’s tone just now had sounded a bit excited.

Facts proved that Gwen’s excessive execution ability itself was a disaster, no matter who she was paired with.

Very quickly, under Nora’s guidance, she found the chain flail Nora usually used. After briefly wiping the bloodstains off it, Gwen excitedly carried the flail and returned to the hospital.

Richard looked at Gwen, then at Nora.

He somehow felt that the excitement on both of their faces was exactly the same.

Were Northlanders always this happy when holding a flail?

“Lady Nora, do I just start smashing with the flail directly?”

“Of course not. And this is not a flail, this is an incense burner. We’re not smashing people—we’re performing an awakening ritual. Light the incense burner first!”

“Oh, okay…”

Gwen clumsily lit the incense burner—namely, the several hammer heads of the flail.

“And then?”

“Recite the Holy Text… forget it. We’re no longer members of the Silent Sanctum. Just smash.”