Industrial Cthulhu, starting from the island lord

Chapter 382 The First Covenant

“I remember your residence is in the Upper Town.”

“That’s right, look, that’s it.” The prince pointed to a high place in the northwest, where a house that had collapsed halfway was standing.

"You've given me Blood Harbor, so where are you going to live?"

"Perhaps we should go to Castel?" The prince raised an eyebrow. "I've heard Galahad mention it so many times, and I've been wanting to see it for myself for a long time."

Hughes narrowed his eyes, smiled and met the prince's gaze. After a while, the prince sighed and looked away.

"There will be a war between me and the Papacy eventually. I'll build a mansion after I win. I won't die in bed."

Hughes nodded. This was exactly what he wanted to know. There was absolutely no possibility of compromise between the prince and the papacy. After all, his men were all rebels against the empire, and it was the war with the empire that had united them.

Fighting the Empire is one thing, but if Castel stabs them in the back, this fragile alliance will crumble in an instant.

At that point, it's uncertain whether the Duchy of Tis will even exist, let alone Blood Harbor. That's why the prince was so generous this time, offering Blood Harbor to appease Hughes.

However, given the prince's resourceful nature, he certainly wouldn't stop there; he might even be planning to drag Castel into the mess as well.

Hughes looked at the Bloodharbor handover contract on the table and rubbed his chin.

To be honest, he really didn't intend to take Blood Harbor over.

Occupation requires soldiers, but holding it requires even more manpower. Castells has the entire Martha Islands and is not short of land, but rather manpower.

Therefore, it makes no sense for Hughes to occupy Bloodharbor. With Castell's strength, he could take the city in just a few hours if he wanted to.

However, taking something by force is different from legally owning it.

This "legality" does not necessarily refer to the laws of an empire, but rather to consensus.

This is what the prince gave him. After he accepts it, it's only a matter of time before he completely controls the port, and there won't be as many troubles as with forcibly taking it over.

The key question is, what does the other side want?

Hughes was too lazy to play guessing games; he decided to ask directly.

“Let’s be frank.” Hughes pointed at the Bloodharbor contract. “I see your sincerity, so what do you want in return?”

“Castel’s support,” the prince replied without the slightest hesitation.

"You can support us secretly, but it would be even better if you were willing to join our alliance against the Empire. I will soon be at war with the Empire, and I need all the weapons, food, and fuel, except for ironclad warships!"

"Just tell me what raw materials you need, and I'll always find a way to get them. We'll take all the goods you're willing to sell, and for anything we can't, we'll find buyers for you. And besides that, you'll get something truly precious—"

The prince gave a thumbs-up, pointing to himself: "The friendship of Grand Duke Tiss."

Hughes gestured for him to continue.

“I’ve noticed that your Guardians of the Church are all literate, most of them understand some engineering principles, and they can even talk fluently about production processes. It’s certainly a good thing that your soldiers are elite, but you’ve gone a bit too far, so I think…”

The prince leaned on the table and stood up: "Are you short of manpower? These people were recruited from the factory, right? Is there no one to fill the gaps?"

This wasn't hard to guess, and it was something that couldn't be hidden. Hughes nodded slowly. "What a coincidence," the prince said with a smile, extending his hand. "I'm going to fight the Empire. There will definitely be refugees during the war. These refugees are all strong laborers. Although they have a grudge against our Duchy of Tis, you are a border count appointed by the Queen, a legitimate member of the Imperial family. They will definitely be willing to submit to you."

hiss.
Hughes took a breath. If this line of thinking is followed, the prince lost a blood port that he couldn't defend, but in return he got much-needed weapons, solved the predicament of being attacked from both sides, and even solved the future refugee problem at the same time.

Hughes? Hughes should thank him.

Even though this person was plotting against him, Hughes felt a sense of awe. The prince truly made the most of everything, striving to obtain even the smallest benefit. This persistence certainly deserved his success.

And to be honest, Hughes wasn't against it. The prince's proposal was a well-intentioned strategy, a win-win deal, and it was indeed generous—giving away the entire Bloodharbor without hesitation, even abandoning his own home.

A hint of appreciation appeared in Hughes' eyes, and he clapped his hands lightly: "It's a very good plan, but I refuse."

"So what is your demand?"

“A small number of Guardians of the Faith will be stationed at Bloodharbor, and the missionary work of the Imperial Truth will be permitted, as well as free trade. You will also need to write a letter to the North, as you promised Josh.”

"Promise Josh? Promise Josh what?" The prince frowned.

Suddenly, his eyes darted around, he tilted his ear, and then nodded: "Hmm, about Nora, right? No problem. I will ask Count Bazel for her in the name of Grand Duke Tiss. If he doesn't agree, I can even send troops."

“That won’t be necessary. My envoy will speak with the count personally. All you need to do is transfer the refugees from the North over.”

“No problem. Once they step into Tiss, no one can harm them. Any attempt to hunt them down would be a direct provocation against me.” The prince promised without hesitation. “Anything else?”

Hughes shook his head, stood up, and extended his hand: "That's all. Do you accept it, Your Highness William?"

The prince paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Of course, no problem! In my name, Castel and Tiss are friends!"

After saying that, he quickly grabbed Hughes's hand and shook it, as if afraid that he would regret it.

Castells signed his first alliance with the outside world. Although it was only a verbal agreement, neither side doubted its effectiveness.

The two then walked out of the house together, announcing their friendship.

The missionaries disembarked from the ironclad warship and joined the harbor guards in cleaning up the battlefield and assessing the damage in various locations.

The prince was busy until evening before he finally had a moment of peace and slumped into his soft chair.

This is his mansion in the upper district, half of which has collapsed. You can even vaguely see the starry sky from this office.

A semi-transparent figure appeared from the side.

"Isabella, you just signed a contract with Hughes like that? Aren't you worried there might be a trap?"

“What kind of trick could he be after? He’s either after my land or my wealth, but that doesn’t matter to me. He can give it to me if he wants to.”

A hint of confusion appeared on the prince's illusory face. "These aren't important? Then what is important? Weapons? Ammunition?"

"Knowledge."

(End of this chapter)