Industrial Cthulhu, starting from the island lord

Chapter 347 Gwen and Her Friends

High Priest Josh is foolish; if we don't help him, he'll die.

The writer sister is very weak; she will suffer greatly if we don't help her.

The homeless children I'm with are very lonely. If I don't help them, they'll have no home.

Gwen walked forward alone, and gradually one transparent figure after another appeared around her, surrounding her. The little girl slowly began to smile.

She was a withdrawn child, always had been, and always longed for friends, but could never make any.

Being kind to others unconditionally won't make you friends; it will only make things worse.

She's known about this since she was a child.

So she learned to stay away from the people she liked.

The farther apart you are, the better your relationship will be; without contact, you won't be disliked.

Besides, she had many friends around her that only she could see.

It's strange, she's clearly very popular with cats, dogs and other small animals.

"Why think so much? What do you care what they think of you? You consider them friends, but what does that have to do with them?" Little Gwen leaned on her longsword, her face cold and stern.

Exactly! You just need to protect them secretly, don't you think that's cool? Walking alone in the darkness.

Uh, why do I feel a little awkward?

Her friends started making noise again. Gwen wrapped her tattered cloak tighter around herself, skillfully evaded the Secret Order members' patrol, and sneaked out.

Order has been restored to Blood Harbor, which is reflected in the lower city by more people walking hurriedly on the streets, and there are far fewer gang members and cultists than before.

Although the prince didn't take much action against the cultists, he dealt a heavy blow to the underground gangs.

In addition, many people can now find jobs to make a living, and the suffering people are also supported by the Church of Mother Goddess. Over time, the whole city has gradually become calm and peaceful.

—No, it wasn't exactly peaceful either.

Gwen suddenly stopped and looked at the alley not far away.

She vaguely thought she saw a figure flash by.

Gwen knew her; she was a superhuman from Castel, the one who stayed with her writer sister, and was called Grandma.

When the Church of Mother Goddess launched the rebellion, the old woman had gone to find Josh alone. If Gwen hadn't met her at the writer's place, she almost would have attacked her directly.

It was her friends who persuaded her to wait and see how things went.

The writer Castel's sister is from Castel.

Gwen had heard this name many times; it seemed to refer to a remote, isolated island in the ocean.

She didn't care about the isolated island; she only cared about her friends. Watching her mother-in-law's departing figure, Gwen moved through the shadows and soon arrived at the mansion in the upper town.

Many houses here have been damaged. Several houses nearby, inhabited by nobles, were burned to the ground during the rebellion. But the fire stopped right in front of the Castel mansion, without even harming the flowers in the courtyard.

Gwen evaded the gazes of the Guardians, landing nimbly on the roof, then flipped down onto the balcony, peered through the window.

The writer sister is on the second floor of the house, leaning over the table writing something.

Gwen stood on the balcony, hesitant for a moment. "What do you think I should do to help her?" she murmured to herself.

"Don't worry about her. Let her face some setbacks, and she'll grow up naturally. You can't protect her forever." Little Gwen still had a cool demeanor, but her gaze towards Zoe wasn't cold.

[Why not help her improve her strength? If she becomes a superhuman, she'll be able to go to the lower city on her own, right?]

Gwen shook her head: "No, becoming a superhuman is not a good thing. I don't know why, but that's what everyone says. Sister Scepter wouldn't lie to me."

"What's wrong with that? We can talk to you now!"

"Exactly, Gwen, you were always alone before, it broke my heart to see you like that."

Little Gwen didn't speak; she simply met Gwen's gaze quietly, the girl's grown-up figure her answer.

If she hadn't come into contact with the supernatural, how could she have appeared in front of "herself"?

Gwen frantically tried to comfort her friends: "Okay, okay, I know you're all fine, but Coco still feels this isn't right."

She leaned against the window, watching the girl hunched over her desk, writing furiously.

She was her friend, but she was just a stranger to her—that's what friends are supposed to be, but today she felt a strange, extra longing in her heart.

"If you don't want to go against your friend's wishes, then let's try another way." The snow-white unicorn gently shook its fur and quietly looked at Gwen.

Gwen blinked, then gave a look of sudden realization: "She wants to learn about the Church of the Mother Goddess, right? I'll go check it out for her. If they get along, we can be friends; if not..."

Her eyes hardened: "Then let's eliminate them. As long as I take care of the enemies, my friends won't get hurt!"

Gwen smiled again, took one last look at Zoe, climbed out of the window, and chatted with her friends as she walked out of the upper town.

Zoe suddenly looked up as if sensing something, then scratched her head in confusion after looking around.

"That's strange. I keep feeling like someone's watching me. That can't be, my mother-in-law is here."

She felt she was being overly sensitive; each time she connected to the link, she became more sensitive, or rather, paranoid. This wasn't good news; could the link be having some kind of side effect?
The church guards remained silent, and the old woman sitting in the house quietly drank her tea.

Meanwhile, Gwen quickly crossed the border between the Upper Town and the Lower Town, heading north towards Bloodharbor.

Along the way, the buildings gradually appeared dilapidated, and the roads became increasingly rugged, transforming the city into a slum.

But the people here seem more energetic than before.

Their faces were rosy, and occasionally a few of them would chat, while someone would suddenly kneel down, muttering something to themselves, not caring that their clothes were covered in mud and water, and worshipping devoutly.

Gwen frowned.

She felt vaguely uncomfortable. Although the people here seemed much more energetic, they appeared to be somewhat lacking.

Is this the soul that the Scepter Sister mentioned?

Gwen seemed to be able to see souls, just as she could see her friends. Her friends gradually fell silent, looking around warily.

Suddenly, Gwen stopped in her tracks. A figure in a burqa was blocking her way.

Gwen looked up, and the person took off her hood. She was a thin, young woman, and Gwen remembered her.

Mira, the high priest of the Church of the Mother Goddess.

(End of this chapter)