Industrial Cthulhu, starting from the island lord

Chapter 346 The Lost Soul

The link fell silent; everyone was stunned by Miss Scepter's words.

The Church of the Mother Goddess is devouring souls? This is indeed far beyond their imagination.

Author: "Are you... are you telling the truth? Is the Church of the Mother Goddess really devouring their souls?"

Zoe's voice trembled slightly; she truly couldn't believe it.

She still remembers that scene: Mila gently closed Tommy's wide-open eyes in her arms, with a kind and gentle touch, just like a mother.

Could it be that it was devouring his soul?!
The Scepter: "Yes, in the den of the Mother Goddess of Life that the Candlelight Society destroyed, a significant number of believers' souls disappeared, and not peacefully, but were forcibly devoured."

French Fries: "But...why would they do that? Isn't the doctrine of the Church of the Mother of Life about saving lives?"

The Scepter: "I don't know the specific reasons, but one thing is common: most cults achieve their goals through distorted means."

French Fries: "A twisted method? Could you elaborate?"

Scepter: "The writer should know this best. She just mentioned that the Church of the Mother Goddess does some terrible things; she must have witnessed their methods, right?"

Author: "Yes, they pieced people's bodies together, but they were indeed saving lives."

The scepter: "The body is the foundation of the soul. Piecing together bodies will simultaneously distort the soul. Simply put, when the body becomes a monster, the soul will gradually fall into depravity."

The Scepter: "This is also why superhumans are so prone to losing control; as they gradually lose their human bodies, they need an anchor to stabilize their perception."

The scepter: "This is an ironclad rule."

Ken frowned. He had a vague feeling that something was wrong. Some memories floated in his mind, but he could never quite grasp them.

French fries: "No exceptions?"

Scepter: "No."

Zoe was somewhat dazed and confused. Was the Church of the Mother Goddess's approach right or wrong? If she had to choose, she would naturally think that this approach was very extreme, but then she thought of Tommy, that skinny boy.
He may be a monster, but what turned him into a monster was the Church of the Mother Goddess, or the state of the world?

Zoe couldn't tell the difference.

Scepter: "I don't know much about the specifics either. I'll look through some documents later. The Church of the Mother of Life is a fairly large cult, so there should be quite a few records. Perhaps they'll mention why they devour the souls of their followers. But that'll have to wait for the next link; I wonder when that will be."

Okay, I'll arrange the next link for you right away.

Upon hearing this, Hughes immediately made a decision.

This link is really useful. Beatrice is like Doraemon, with all sorts of extraordinary knowledge at her fingertips. Speaking of which, isn't she a superhuman who hasn't been promoted for long? Where did she get so much extraordinary knowledge?
Perhaps it was due to his family's wealth and influence; after all, he was an upper-class noble in the empire. Hughes didn't think much of it.

The current focus is still on Blood Harbor; perhaps the Church of the Mother of Life could try to make contact with them?
The sound came through the link again.

Author: "Then I'll trouble you, Lady of the Scepter. By the way, is the Church of the Mother of Life in danger?"

Scepter: "You want to make contact with them?"

Author: "No, I'm too weak. I just want to learn more."

The Scepter: "Then you'd better keep your distance. Cultists are very good at manipulating people; often, by the time you realize it, it's too late."

writer:"."

The connection ended quickly. After disconnecting, Hughes chose to return; he needed to process the messages.

The worker Hughes's body quickly lowered its head, and his eyes became empty again.

Meanwhile, at Bloodharbor. Gwen blinked, a slightly puzzled look on her face.

She tugged at the silk threads binding her body and looked towards the north with a puzzled expression.

"Disappeared?"

After a long while, she finally looked away, stood up, and left the room.

She knew more information than the writer sister. When the Mother Goddess's followers launched their rebellion, she was still wandering in Blood Harbor. She witnessed firsthand how the monster inside Mira tore apart and swallowed Tommy's soul.

Therefore, she did not doubt the truthfulness of what the scepter said.

But she said nothing.

Gwen has always been this way of being, keeping everything buried deep inside and never telling anyone.

Otherwise, she wouldn't have grown up in the village with only imaginary friends. Although she has become much more cheerful now, she is still that silent little girl at heart.

The author's sister is in trouble, so just help her solve it. She doesn't know the dangers of the Mother Goddess Church, so just go and protect her.

This is something you should do for your friends.

Gwen thought to herself.

She is a stubborn person; she wants to protect her friends quietly without letting them know.

This belief was so firm that neither the high walls of reality could stop her, nor the sea of ​​ignorance could drown her, nor the pull of worldly forces could bind her in the slightest.

Her will transcended reality; this stubbornness both limited her and made her who she is.

As she stepped out of the room, she nearly bumped into Josh, who was passing by.

Josh tripped and looked around before looking down to see Gwen looking up at him.

"Gwen? Didn't you take a nap today?" Josh looked at the white-haired little girl with some curiosity. He couldn't understand her at all. Gwen always gave him a strange feeling. Even though there were many people around her and many people cared about her, she seemed to be wandering in the wilderness.

She's a little girl who lives in her own world.

Josh wanted to help her in some way, but this cult leader herself had lost her parents at a young age and had no siblings, so she had absolutely no experience interacting with little girls.

He tried many things, but the only time he could see a smile on her face was when she was queuing up to get the holy water from the pot.

Josh cared a lot about this withdrawn little girl, but he was just an ordinary person and there wasn't much he could do except offer a little cheap concern.

Josh frowned and thought for a moment, then suddenly looked enlightened: "Are you hungry?"

"Children get hungry easily, but everyone's daily dose of holy water is fixed, so we can't give you any more."

Josh gave a smug look: "But recently the Church of Mother Goddess got a lot of food, and I traded some with them. From now on, everyone can eat porridge three times a day."

Josh leaned closer mysteriously and whispered in her ear:
"Do you want to eat your next meal earlier?"

Gwen pursed her lips, gave Josh a loving look, walked past him, and headed into the room in the alley.

"Gwen has drunk too much porridge and needs to go to the toilet."

Josh's smile froze on his face.

Damn it, he really isn't good at dealing with kids.

(End of this chapter)