Industrial Cthulhu, starting from the island lord

Chapter 349 A Friend You Can't Refuse

Josh has been very busy lately.

Bloodharbor was in turmoil for a period of time due to the rebellion of the Church of the Mother Goddess. Josh knew his place; he was just an ordinary person. To protect these refugees from the North in Bloodharbor, where cults were everywhere, he had to be more cautious and careful.

Although Castells had given him some positive signals, it was best to be cautious until things settled down.

Fortunately, these cultists seemed completely uninterested in their cult and were not subjected to any harassment.

However, many starving people kept coming to him for help. At first, Josh was very troubled, but he couldn't just ignore it. The number of people and territory of the Secret Order were growing, but the food was getting less and less.

Fortunately, the Church of the Mother of Life pulled off a major operation, seizing the granaries in the upper city and distributing them to the starving people, which greatly reduced the pressure on Josh's side.

He even considered making contact and buying some grain. He had exchanged a lot of money for the goods he bought on credit from Castel, and he still had some left.

The thought of that word made Josh's expression complicated.

That day, his mother came to their door, wanting to take them away, but he and his companions refused. At that time, they were almost prepared to die there, remaining in the chaotic Blood Harbor.

Unexpectedly, the rebellion ended with a surprising speed.

The prince swiftly ended the rebellion and then immediately began various reforms, leaving Josh completely bewildered.

Fortunately, everything is going smoothly, and there have been far fewer rumors about cults lately.

And
Josh knocked on the door, and a slightly hoarse voice came from inside: "Come in."

Pushing open the door, an elderly woman dressed simply sat in the only chair in the room, looking this way.

"Mother-in-law."

Today is the day I'm supposed to meet my mother-in-law. After successfully contacting Josh, she occasionally comes to visit and brings news from Castells.

Josh was initially very nervous, but after several attempts, he was somewhat surprised to find that Castells seemed to treat him quite well.

But, but he's running a cult, is that okay?
Josh couldn't understand, so he asked directly, and his mother-in-law's answer was—

"You still owe the lord a shipload of goods, and there's also the shipping fee for Jeremiah's shipment. You're not planning to renege on your debts, are you?"

The mother-in-law's eyes turned fierce.

"No, not really, but I guess I'm a cult member now."

Does being a cult member justify incurring debts?

Josh was speechless.

Well, even though I've become a cult leader, I still have to work hard every day to pay off my debts. It's a really strange feeling.

Seeing Josh drifting off into thought again, the mother-in-law sighed, her gaze softening slightly.

Castel sent word that Lord Hughes greatly admired him and requested that they make more contact.

The mother-in-law actually liked these young people from the bottom of her heart. The fact that she was able to participate in the Fire Moth shows that she wasn't exactly a peaceful person. If she were a few years younger, perhaps she would have done something with these young people as well.

Now, she is willing to take care of them as much as possible. Although this group of refugees, who call themselves the Secret Order, are united, they are not supernatural beings and are still easy to be taken advantage of.

However, it's true that the area around this stronghold is quite peaceful. There aren't many superhumans here, and not even many cultists.

"I just received news that Galahad is returning; the lord has sent a ship to take him."

Joan nodded. He remembered Galahad; he was the knight who served the prince.

He had met the prince once before, back when he was a merchant, but after Bloodharbor fell into chaos, they lost contact. "A contingent of religious guards was also sent from the island."

"I see. Wait, what's the purpose of sending the Christian Guard?"

Josh already knew about the formation of the Guardian Army and the Imperial Church of Truth on the island. His grandmother brought him a copy of the Holy Scripture, which Josh liked very much. Although he had people taking turns teaching, he was limited by manpower and did not have the ability to compile a textbook. This Holy Scripture was just right to serve as a textbook.

As for whether the holy book would conflict with the doctrines he had hastily made up, it wasn't a big problem for the time being. Josh quickly flipped through the holy book but hadn't found any doctrines written in it yet; it was full of various knowledge points.
It's perfectly fine to use it as a textbook.

“Let’s discuss the cooperation. Castel needs to have a certain influence on the mainland,” the mother-in-law said matter-of-factly.

Josh was taken aback.

"But, but this is the prince's territory. Would he agree to let Castel station troops here?"

"First of all, we are not a garrison, but only protect our diplomats—Zoe is now a permanent civilian diplomat stationed in Bloodport, and the military attachés are rotated, with Erwin acting as the current officer."

"As for whether the prince will agree, I don't know."

George's eyes widened: "What if he doesn't agree?"

"Then do you agree?"

"Agree to what?"

"Agreed to allow Castells to establish an embassy in Bloodport."

"I agree, but what good is my agreement?"

The mother-in-law didn't say anything, but just quietly looked at Josh. Josh was stunned for a moment, then gasped.

“If you don’t agree, I’ll ask Mira. If Mira doesn’t agree either, then perhaps we can only ask Ms. Zoe to sign the consent form on our behalf,” the mother-in-law said calmly.

Her meaning was clear: Castells needed the friendship of Bloodharbor, regardless of who controlled Bloodharbor, as long as they could provide Castells with friendship.

Castells was not an enemy of Bloodharbor, but a friend he could not refuse.

Josh swallowed hard. He knew Hughes wanted to expand his influence abroad, but he didn't expect him to be so decisive.

He had been away from Castel for too long, and his impression of Castel was still limited to soap and dynamite.

As for the Christian Guard, he heard that they had new weapons, but he was somewhat skeptical about how effective they would be.

Can explosives alone take down Blood Harbor?
It should be possible, but it may encounter many difficulties.

Looking at her mother-in-law, Josh suddenly had a look of realization.

So that's how it is. No wonder my mother-in-law made a special trip to see me.

Lord, do you want me to cooperate with you to expand your influence in Bloodharbor?

Josh grew up in Castel, and he loves that land, and so does the lord.
Without the goods that Hughes gave him on credit, he wouldn't have been able to save so many refugees on his own.

It can be said that without Hughes, he would not be where he is today, and Castells needs his strength now!
Josh made up her mind and nodded seriously, "Mother-in-law, I understand what you mean. Please rest assured, this matter is mine!"

A rare look of confusion crossed the mother-in-law's eyes. She understood that her meaning was indeed good, but what was it that she was going to leave to him?

"Forget about that, there's something else I wanted to ask you."

"Can you get in touch with the Church of the Mother of Life?" the old woman asked solemnly.

(End of this chapter)