Industrial Cthulhu, starting from the island lord

Chapter 324 This is our battlefield
“I don’t know what you’ve done here, but the lord will judge you.” The old woman glanced at the believers distributing rice porridge outside the window, her expression softening. “The ship back to Castel is about to depart. This is your last chance to leave. Come with me.”

The people inside looked at each other, momentarily stunned. They had just been making preparations, and now they were being told they could evacuate?
“I can protect you as you leave. Many of you are advanced students, right? Castel is much more enlightened than you think. Tell the lord everything, and he will make a fair judgment.”

Josh wanted to say something, but then he shut his mouth.

He seemed to have no right to say anything more.

The Secret Order was created by him; others merely lent a hand. Even if the lord were to blame someone, it wouldn't be them.

Others could simply shift the blame onto Josh, and besides, it was true; they didn't even have to lie.

Even Josh had previously thought, "Even if I'm banished, I want to go back to Castel and see it one last time."

Who would refuse their hometown?

The people inside looked at each other, then hesitantly began to speak.

"Grandma, um, I'd like to go back a little later. I... I still have some lessons to teach here. Those children are almost finished with their mechanical principles."

"Yes, they can't do without me here. The porridge and holy water I cook are the best. If I'm not here, the believers won't be able to drink the delicious holy water."

"And me too. Josh has a criminal record for hoarding soap, so I have to keep a close eye on him."

The mother-in-law looked up in surprise at the people in the room.

Whoever she looked at, would look away with a slightly guilty expression.

Finally, her gaze fell on Josh.

Josh bit his lower lip and took a deep breath: "Grandma, the believers need us, Bloodharbor needs us. Later I will go to Castells to receive my punishment from Lord Hughes if I am still alive then."

"This is your last chance to leave. The situation in Blood Harbor is far more complex than you can imagine. I've encountered several superhumans along the way. Have you thought it through?"

The people inside the room exchanged glances. This time, they didn't avoid the look and all looked at the mother-in-law, nodding in agreement.

The mother-in-law didn't say anything more, stood up and walked towards the door.

When she pushed open the door, she found a small, thin girl standing there.

She looked up at herself.

Behind her was a dense crowd of people. The followers of the Secret Order had gathered there. Some held bowls of porridge, some held books, and some held canes. They stood there quietly.

The old woman paused for a moment, then smiled and shook her head, saying, "You young people are really getting old."

She turned back for one last look at Josh and the others in the room, her figure rapidly thinning, and with a gust of wind, she turned into a tangled mess of threads.

Inside the mansion, the mother-in-law opened her eyes.

"Well, Grandma, have you found Josh and the others?"

"We found them, but they don't want to leave."

Zoe gaped in surprise, eager to ask why, but she knew now wasn't the time. "Then, then you should hurry and get Connor and the others to the docks. Bloodharbor is in chaos now, and if we delay any longer, they probably won't be able to get out. The prince probably won't let them go either."

This was a plan devised by Zoe and the others. Although they successfully brought back Connor and the others, there were still too many entanglements in Bloodharbor. Tiss was not far from Castel, and Bloodharbor was the closest port to the island. Castel needed information from here and needed to maintain influence in Bloodharbor.

Their good relationship with the prince is a good start; if they leave now, they will lose control of the situation in Bloodharbor.

Cults are rampant in Blood Harbor, and who knows what kind of trouble they might cause? Besides, the prince is here too, so they can't just leave like this.

Erwin planned to establish an outpost here, and Zoe also cared about the poor people.

Connor and the other frigate crew members were standing there, and they were clearly not particularly pleased after hearing Zoe's words.

“Miss Zoe, we are also members of the Holy See, and we can fight too!”

"Yes, since you're staying in Blood Harbor, we're not leaving either!"

"We dare to participate in the airship investigation, so we have nothing to fear. So what if they are cultists? We've even fought monsters. How many bullets can cultists withstand?"

Erwin stepped forward: "Command! Form ranks!"

The previously noisy Christian guards immediately shut up. Although they still looked indignant, they quickly lined up in a row, straightened their backs, and gripped their guns tightly.

Erwin did not speak directly to them, but turned to the Guards of the Church he had brought with him: "Form ranks!"

They quickly formed a line, with the two groups of religious guards standing face to face.

Erwin still offered no explanation, instead shouting the order: "Everyone, raise your guns—check them!"

The two teams of soldiers immediately took the rifles off their shoulders, inspected them, and held them in their hands.

"Everyone, load!"

At this moment, the actions of the two sides diverged. The friars brought by Erwin pulled back the bolts and loaded bullets, but the friars that came with the airship stood there blankly.

They didn't know what loading meant. After the command "Raise your gun—check the gun!", the command should have been "Bit the bullet—stuff the chamber!", which meant stuffing the pre-loaded paper-cased gunpowder into the Minié bullet's cavity.

They stared blankly at their colleagues opposite them as they shoved the bright orange bullets directly into the chamber through the bolt and then pushed the bolt.

Only then did Erwin speak calmly: "You see, you don't even understand the orders I just gave you. And look at the weapons in your hands. Castells has replaced all the rifled rifles with bolt-action rifles. Do you know how to use these weapons?"

"Moreover, Lord Hughes requires all members of the Guardians of the Church to understand the basic principles of firearms, and forced use could lead to cognitive interference."

"Gentlemen, we are all fighting for Castel, but your battlefield is not here. Your battlefield is in the school on the island, where you will learn new tactics and new weapons, and then take them to kill the enemy."

"We came here to buy you time to learn. You came here by airship to fight, which is heroic. Now, it's our turn."

Erwin stood up straight, legs together, the metal boots clanging against each other, and saluted the soldiers before him.

(End of this chapter)