Industrial Cthulhu, starting from the island lord

Chapter 393 Even the Dead Get Overtime Pay

"Dear family, this is your favorite special correspondent, Nini, currently live-streaming and writing from the entrance of Castel Cathedral!"

"The inspection team is not here, so write two short pieces."

"The lord has gone to the rooftop, there will be a big update today."

"The topic of this report is, of course, the story that the lord and Chloe have to tell. Don't say I'm reporting false information this time, the lord is right there on the list."

"What? Nobody said my report was inaccurate? They just thought it wasn't sensational enough? Don't talk nonsense! I'm risking my life to report from here!"

"And um? Is there something you need?"

Nini stopped her exaggerated and affected movements, looked down at her side, and saw that someone had just patted the scales on her waist.

The prince stood there with a smile, lowering his hand that had been raised high.

"Hello, are you the famous Nini? I've seen your statue."

A statue of Nini once stood in front of the school, but it was lost in the Deep Sea War. After the reconstruction, Castell no longer needed a special literacy school, but the statue was still re-erected.

Nini's eyes lit up, and the tip of her tail stood up.

"It's alright, it's all from my past fame, it can't compare to my current fame."

“Indeed, there’s no fundamental difference between standing still and dying.” The prince nodded, then pointed upwards. “What is your lord doing?”

A large crowd had gathered below the cathedral, some watching Nini make a fool of herself, but most were looking up at the top of the cathedral.

Hughes was currently suspended by a safety rope from the monument at the top of the church, whispering something to a diary.

"That's to comfort the deceased."

The prince's smile faltered for a moment, and he almost couldn't maintain it.

"what?"

“That’s right.” Nini briefly explained Chloe’s situation, and the prince stroked his chin with a strange look on his face.

"I've heard similar rumors before. I've heard that some secret methods can preserve the soul, and as long as a compatible body can be found later, one can return to the mortal world."

"Oh, is that so?" Nini asked with a gossipy look. "Could you tell me more about it? I'm planning to start a column about love stories that involve life and death, and I'm looking for some examples."

"I'm sorry, I'm just a mortal and don't know much about the extraordinary world. These are just hearsay." The prince shrugged.

He glanced at Hughes a few more times, then turned and left.

Nini continued to act silly in front of the cathedral, attracting a lot of attention.

However, in the realm of spiritual connection, the picture is quite different.

"This is Group 3. The target has left our sight. Shall we proceed with following?"

"Stand by, do not follow. Repeat: Stand by. The target may have other means of observation; direct following is strictly prohibited!"

"Nini, the Banshee Inspection Team will be down soon. Run southeast. They'll lose you halfway and then start searching everywhere. Someone will meet you there, understand?"

"Understood." Nini was performing a six-handed simultaneous writing demonstration in the crowd. Her eyes narrowed slightly, her gaze inadvertently sweeping towards the direction the prince had just left: "My lord, when the prince came to my side just now, I couldn't sense any extraordinary power at all. Is there really a second soul beside him?"

Hughes was hanging from the top of the church at that moment. He didn't turn around and asked Chloe in a low voice.

Are you sure you didn't read that wrong?

Of course, my perspective now is different from when I had a physical body. You remember that time, right?

Hughes had once worked with Chloe to investigate whether they could purify the pollution within her body, and by chance, he gained access to her extraordinary senses. It was an extremely strange perspective, as if one could see both the outside and the inside of an object simultaneously, with a torrent of information flooding into the mind, leaving a deep impression on Hughes.

Okay, describe what those two people look like to me.

[Well, one person resembles the prince more—I'm referring to the prince's appearance as described in Nini's report, of course—while the other is a woman.]

【woman?】

Yes, she looks to be around twenty years old, and her soul energy is very high.

[Soul energy? You mean she has supernatural powers?]

No, from my current perspective, I can see soul energy. This has nothing to do with the extraordinary; it's closer to whether an individual is energetic and mentally healthy.

[For example, Galahad, she was a superhuman, but due to a shaken understanding, she lost control, and her soul energy was very low. Hmm, using the term "soul energy" might be misleading; should I say she was very energetic?]

Hughes remained noncommittal, pondered for a moment, and then suddenly asked: "What is that man's soul energy like?"

"You mean the prince? His soul energy is pretty good, higher than the average person, but not as strong as that woman's."

To be precise, that woman possessed the highest spiritual energy I've ever seen.

That's a bit odd.

The prince was always accompanied by a woman, but no one else could see her.
Hughes opened the mind link.

"Did any of you notice anything unusual about the prince?"

"No."

"Nothing is abnormal."

Nini: "He was right next to me just now, and I couldn't sense any supernatural power at all. He seemed like a completely normal, ordinary person."

Hughes: "Okay, I understand. What did the extraordinary beings of the Flame-Chasing Moths say?"

In a room in the church, Richard was with a banshee. Upon hearing this, the banshee immediately turned to look at him.

Richard shook his head in confusion: "No, there's nothing unusual. I've used the [Nymph]'s supernatural perspective, but I can't detect anything wrong."

The banshee paused for a moment, sending her reply through the mental link, before asking again, "The lord asked if there's any difference between Chloe's perspective and yours?"

"Theoretically, it's the same, but she's dead and has abandoned her body, so perhaps she's more perceptive in this regard? But it shouldn't be the case that I can't sense anything at all, while she can see everything clearly."

After a thorough analysis yielded no results, Hughes could only sigh.

[Perhaps it's some kind of trick by Grand Duke Tiss. I'll try to have someone secretly keep an eye on you. Chloe, I'll have to keep you up there for a while longer.]

〖.〗

Of course, Nini will send you a copy of her newly written report, whether it's legal or illegal.

〖.〗

[There will be someone to provide you with regular maintenance: spine massage, paper care, and corner binding. And all your night shifts will be recorded, so when you're revived, you'll have unlimited overtime pay and endless days off.]

Overtime pay? How much will it be?

"Very many." Hughes said with certainty.

(End of this chapter)