Industrial Cthulhu, starting from the island lord

Chapter 391 The Prince's Change

In this world, pursuing knowledge and attempting to research technology is an extremely dangerous thing.

The Moth of Fire had no interest in overthrowing the world; it only yearned for knowledge, and thus became the most dangerous and terrifying cultist on the continent.

It's not just knowledge that brings pollution and madness; cognitive interference also lurks behind it, and a single misstep could bring destruction to one's territory.

If conducting research on Earth is like walking in the dark with a torch, then in this world it's like a blindfolded person groping forward, with cliffs on both sides, where the slightest carelessness will lead to annihilation.

Even so, should we just stay where we are and not move forward?

To be honest, Hughes was somewhat disappointed with this world.

He had descended several times and visited many places, only to find civilizations stuck in place, even viewing progress as dangerous and insane.

Even those who follow the flame believe they are indeed cultists, and that this is "wrong".

Hughes had no intention of judging; after all, surviving in this terrible world was indeed difficult, but he was simply disappointed.

The prince was the most promising person he had ever met.

He was cunning, treacherous, and cruel, treating human life as worthless. He had few lofty ideals and was a staunch feudalist fighter, but he was not cowardly.

He has the courage to explore and pursue, he doesn't mind failure, and he's not afraid of falling into the mud.

He may not be Castel's friend, but Hughes still hopes there are more people like him.

A stagnant world is rather boring.

Providing weapons to Bloodharbor requires further consideration, but Hughes is not unwilling to share his knowledge and theories with him.

Theory is also a weapon.

After pondering for a long time, the prince suddenly spoke up: "You just said that they are not powerful enough to overturn this system, so what would be considered powerful enough?"

Hughes paused for a moment, then pointed downwards: "That's how it works."

The cathedral's atrium is not only decorated with connecting corridors and gardens, but directly beneath it lies a huge, deep pit.

A massive steel furnace, covered with countless rivets, pressure relief valves, observation holes, and pipes of all sizes.

The Stellar Furnace is located directly beneath the main cathedral, and a corner of it can be glimpsed through the opening in the atrium.

Inside the stellar furnace, a raging fire burns endlessly, and countless pollutants surge within it. And right in the center of all this is a colossal body.

That was the pirate king who stole the power of the sea god; he was already a monster, but he still shone brightly for Castel.

“We built the entire industrial system of Castells around it and constructed the world’s largest furnace, and even then, we still couldn’t fit it all inside.”

"I remember it was called a Stellar Furnace?"

"Yes, it's inspired by the idea of ​​a star burning eternally and quietly—of course, stars don't burn forever, and neither do star furnaces, but by then we should have a better energy source."

Hughes raised his head and looked up at the starry sky.

Will he ever reach a real star? That's a long way off, but it's not impossible.

When one body dies, another is replaced. A new Hughes will always rise up and lead the tide of industry. Sooner or later, this world will be able to break free from the heavy gravity and head towards the true stars and the sea.

"So that's how it is. Only evil gods are worthy of rebuilding a system," the prince muttered to himself, seemingly lost in thought.

His gaze gradually hardened: "Could you show me more of this kind of industrial system?" Industrial system, not airships, bombs, and machine guns.

Despite being from the outside world, he made a completely different choice from Galahad, and a hint of appreciation flashed in Hughes' eyes.

The strongest element in industry is never a single outstanding product, but rather the entire systematic system.

It's rare to have this kind of understanding, and perhaps he really can bring some surprises.

“Then I won’t take you to see the stellar furnace, since you can’t handle it anyway.” Hughes changed his previous plan and instead of taking the prince to visit the network and the stellar furnace, he took him to the factory.

The prince observed very carefully, not just the machinery, but he was interested in the entire production process, and pulled Hughes aside to ask him many questions.

Hughes didn't hold back; he showed the prince some basic industrial projects. Most people in Castel had already completed their advanced studies, so it was somewhat wasteful to have these basic industries occupying so many people.

If the prince could actually build some factories to take over this production capacity.
That's not bad.

Take olive oil for example. These factories have almost no technological content, but they are an essential part of the subsequent chemical industry, making them very suitable for relocation and for Blood Harbor to take over.

In this way, Blood Harbor has an industrialized production line, Castells saves valuable manpower to build more factories, and Blood Harbor's skilled workers can be absorbed in the future, achieving multiple benefits at once.

This tour can easily take up an entire day.

Back in his room that evening, Hughes yawned as he walked to his desk—it was quite tiring showing the prince around; the man seemed to have inexhaustible energy, always asking questions with great enthusiasm, and always managing to get to the point, so he couldn't just give a casual answer.

There was a diary on the desk; it was Chloe's diary, which she had taken with her when she put Monica down earlier.

Hughes skillfully cut his finger and wrote in his diary with his blood.

[I've thought about it, and it's really not good to keep you hanging on there all this time, considering how much you've sacrificed for Castel.]

〖real?〗

"Yes, I'm going to take you down now. We should find a storeroom to keep you here; you can rest in peace now."

Why does it sound like you're saying I'm going to die? Wait, I think I'm already dead.

You can rest now; I'm exhausted today.

[Because you were showing those two people around?]

Yes, that's Grand Duke William of Tiss, though I call him Prince in private. He might bring some change to the world, but that's a matter for the future. I need to go to sleep now.

After finishing writing, he closed the diary without waiting for Chloe's reaction, washed up, and went to bed.

Something feels off.

It was as if something important had been overlooked.

Although he had a strange feeling, Hughes didn't pay attention to it. He was indeed a little tired and went to sleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

His consciousness gradually sank, and everything before his eyes blurred. Just as he was about to fall asleep, he suddenly opened his eyes wide and sat up abruptly in bed.

Before he could even button his clothes, he rushed to his desk, picked up a pen, and opened his diary.

What did you mean by saying there were two people?

"It means exactly what it says. Didn't you bring two people on the tour, a man and a woman?" Chloe's tone was somewhat confused.

(End of this chapter)