Industrial Cthulhu, starting from the island lord

Chapter 388 An Ordinary Castel
She was, after all, the Empress of the Empire and the one who single-handedly pulled the Empire out of decline and brought it back to its former glory. What hadn't she seen? How could she be as shameful as Galahad?
"We've reached the shore!"

With a shout, several sailors threw ropes toward the shore, and the steam engine below deck slowly came to a stop.

The prince also came out of the cabin.

He remembered Galahad mentioning that he had seen an ironclad ship sink here.
However, since ships can now sail to Blood Harbor, it means that Castells' shipbuilding technology must be mature, and the problem of ships sinking at will should no longer exist. The amount of steel used in an entire ship must be astronomical, even with Castells' production capacity.

The prince stood at the bow and looked around. Sure enough, he didn't see any other ships. Only a lighthouse stood on the empty sea. It seemed that Castells' shipyard must be located elsewhere.

A long plank was built on the ship leading to the dock in Castells. There was a newly built structure on the dock, which raised the section facing the sea, making it easier for people to walk when disembarking.

The prince's gaze fell on the shelf, which was made of steel and was probably specially made by Hughes to show off his wealth.

Using precious steel to build a framework would certainly be a luxurious practice in the Empire, but the prince had seen ironclad warships before, so he didn't feel much about it.

However, he was not averse to it. Castell was his ally, and the stronger his ally, the more at ease he felt.

Hughes himself was leading a few people to greet the prince from the port. After all, the prince was the head of the Duchy of Tiss, so Hughes naturally had to personally welcome him to Castel.

The prince gave a polite smile, exchanged a few pleasantries with Hughes, and then looked around.

It must be said that Castel is indeed a beautiful island with azure waters and seagulls soaring in the sky. There are few traces of human excavation on the island, only a few scattered buildings. You have to look far into the distance and towards the center of the island to find a large number of towering churches that resemble fortresses.

Galahad had said that there were limbs of an evil god on the island. Before the prince came here, he had repeatedly warned himself not to be alarmed by it. Now, looking around, he did not see the so-called evil god.

It seems that Galahad's description was exaggerated, and the area covered by that evil god was only a small part.

There are just a lot of high walls that have been built on the island for no apparent reason, and some plants have been planted on top of them. Overall, it looks quite nice. The natural landscape and man-made buildings are combined in a harmonious way. I think we can do something like this in Blood Harbor in the future.

The prince's gaze then fell on the two tall figures, and his expression became more serious.

A harbinger of death.

Wearing full heavy armor, they did not feel the cumbersome feeling of heavy infantry. Soldiers only put on heavy armor before battle because it would greatly consume their physical strength.

These extraordinary creatures wore armor as thick as a fist, yet they appeared as if they were just ordinary pieces of paper, showing no signs of stiffness or deformation in their movements.

This thickness
The prince made a quick mental calculation and concluded that even bolt-action rifle bullets would have difficulty penetrating such thick armor, let alone the Empire's musketeers.

If such a warrior appears on the battlefield
I heard there are several hundred people in total?
No, he doesn't need hundreds of people. Just ten of these warriors are enough for him to redraw the map of the empire. They can easily tear apart the enemy's lines, and even the strongest defenses will be as fragile as paper in front of them.

The reason why superhumans don't go to the battlefield is simply because they are too weak and easily consumed on the battlefield. If it were these powerful banshees, all the rules would have to be overturned and rebuilt.

The prince sighed inwardly, suppressing his jealousy.

After exchanging pleasantries, Hughes invited him to visit the airship's airport.

The Sky-Behemoth was currently undergoing repairs at the airport. Although the prince had already seen its enormous size, he still couldn't help but take a deep breath when he saw it.

The view from the ground was far more breathtaking than from the sky. The size of it was almost comparable to one of his former palaces, a palace floating in the sky. This feeling always gave him goosebumps, no matter how many times he saw it.

However, it looks a little different from before. The bomb bay that originally carried bombs has been removed, and in its place is a square cargo platform.

"For the next period of time, the Sky Veil Giant will be mainly used for transportation. Our factory in the Martha Islands is under construction. At present, the production capacity of seagoing vessels is limited, and supplies are mainly transported by air."

Hughes explained from the side.

Martha Islands.

The prince naturally knew what it was; when he was still on that throne, the pirate king was his greatest threat.

Unexpectedly, neither the Queen nor the Pirate King survived.
"How is the Pirate King doing now?" the prince asked casually. Hughes was able to build a factory over there, so he must have dealt with the Pirate King long ago.

“Well,” Hughes glanced at the high wall not far from the two of them, his expression turning strange. “He is also in Castel now.”

"Oh?" The prince's interest was immediately piqued. "Then can I meet him? I've heard he has a huge treasure."

Hughes glanced at the prince, knowing he was saying it on purpose.

Information spreads too slowly in this world, and besides, Castel's forces are practically the only ones left on the entire Storm Ocean. The prince has no way of knowing anything about the Pirate Court.

Judging from this, it seems like they're trying to sow discord.

I wonder what his reaction will be when he finds out that half of the Pirate King went into the furnace and the other half was planted on a tree.
As for the Pirate King's treasure
Hughes didn't take it seriously. Even if it were true, how much treasure could the Storm Ocean possibly accumulate with its low productivity?

It would be better to focus on developing industry. If we can easily generate some production capacity, that would be much better than some kind of treasure.

The two quickly got into the carriage and left.

"A horse-drawn carriage? I thought there would be other means of transportation, like a steam engine or something," the prince said with a smile.

"Steam locomotives do exist, but recently the airport has been handling a lot of cargo, so the locomotives are all used for hauling goods. The cargo boxes can indeed accommodate people, but the environment is still somewhat poor."

Just then, a steam whistle sounded in the distance. The prince turned around and looked over, his eyes filled with fascination, as if the steel engine spewing steam was some kind of treasure.

"I don't mind."

"Don't worry, there will be an opportunity." Hughes blinked and began to consider whether to send the prince to check out the net.

Today, Castel's surface and underground worlds are practically two separate entities.

The prince nodded and prepared to look away.

Castells appears to have a decent industrial base, but that's about it; it's not particularly impressive.

It's unclear why Galahad was so frightened that he lost control.

Suddenly, his gaze sharpened, and he looked at the lighthouse in the distance with a puzzled expression.

Why does it seem like it just got a little taller?
(End of this chapter)