Industrial Cthulhu, starting from the island lord

Chapter 440 Go talk to me about my flail.

The Canary Mountains, like a sharp, long knife, pierce straight into the northern lands, blocking the cold air currents of the White Raven Duchy and keeping the empire's lands warm and fertile.

The resistance returned to the woodlands at the foot of the Canary Mountains.

This time, they changed locations and went to an unfamiliar forest to rebuild their camp. This time, the chosen location was in a mountain valley with a long valley running through both sides, making it more difficult to be surrounded and attacked.

There are some wild animals in the forest, but they are nothing more than prey to the armed and armored resistance fighters. The previous grove of trees has not yielded much prey after this period of hunting, but this new woodland is brand new.

Gwen was sitting on a tree trunk, propping her head up with her hand, watching the people building the structures.

"Mr. Isaac, I still don't understand. Why don't we just evacuate south? Didn't we get news from the town that Castell is still there?"

The resistance fighters didn't just go to town to make a deal; they also emptied the Winter Wolves' camp and gathered intelligence on the area.

News of Bloodharbor had only just arrived here, and was quite delayed—they only knew that the Church of the Mother Goddess had launched its first rebellion, and Castell had just arrived at Bloodharbor.

News of the evil god, the "compassionate mother," and the breaking of the treaty has yet to arrive.

Isaac shook his head.

“Miss Gwen, this doesn’t seem like a good option right now.”

"First of all, Castells hasn't sent anyone over yet, so he's probably run into some trouble and can't spare any manpower. So even if we head south, we'll have a hard time getting support. In other words, we'll have to get to Castells on our own."

“We are now in Count Bazel’s territory. To go south we have to cross the territories of Grand Duke Dragontooth and Grand Duke Alvarez. They will not welcome us, and Count Bazel’s Winter Wolf Guard will keep hunting us down.”

"Even if we successfully escape the North, the Duchy of Tis to the south is said to have allied with the nobles of the North. We will not receive any supplies or support, and there are many old and young people in our group. It is basically impossible for us to get there on our own."

Gwen sighed and asked hesitantly, "What if we go west?"

"The west is the territory of the Papacy, which is now the Empire. The Ash Alliance has some underground influence there, but it's basically impossible for them to hide so many people. The Candlelight Society has a very sharp nose, and besides..."

He glanced at Nora's headless body but said nothing.

The Silent Sanctuary abandoned them, and they received no support there.

“Actually, I originally thought we could take the sea route,” Isaac said, turning his gaze away. “The ice should have melted by now, making it navigable, but you said before…”

“The sea route is impassable.” Gwen shook her head. “The White Disaster has spread to the sea, and no ships are sailing out of the northern ports.”

"That's a shame."

The two remained silent for a while. The resistance had achieved a small victory, but when they looked around, they still saw enemies everywhere.

Isaac broke the silence.

“I have already sent my men to the south in secret. He will try to contact Castell and may be able to provide us with some support, but don’t get your hopes up too high.”

According to Isaac's conjecture, Castells should currently be in a difficult standoff with the Pirate King, and based on his understanding of Castells, he should be able to hold out.

As for Bloodharbor? Perhaps the lord has gone to Bloodharbor for help. I heard that the prince is in power there. If the lord and the prince form an alliance, their situation will be even more precarious.

Taking in the resistance fighters will inevitably displease our allies. Will our lord turn against the North because of these refugees?
Isaac was unsure.

After all, he's the Pirate King. Giving Castel ten years to develop might allow him to try and take a shot, but it's too early now. Besides, with the Empress gone, the Lord's plan to sell soap in the Rhineland is likely doomed.

Alas, poor Miss Beatrice, she must be having a very difficult time now. I heard that there has been a major reshuffle of the Candlelight Society's leadership, I hope she can survive the purge.

“Mr. Isaac, can we really hold on?” A hint of confusion appeared in Gwen’s eyes. “I’m sorry, I can only say this to you—I really see no hope.”

Her voice carried a hint of bitterness.

"No supplies, no support, our enemies are spread across half the continent, while Castells is far, far away. I..."

Just as she was about to continue speaking, she heard footsteps beside her.

Gwen took a deep breath and stood up. The confusion and weakness faded from her face. She turned to her subordinates: "What's wrong?"

Two resistance sentries were leading a boy over. Gwen looked closely and asked, somewhat puzzled, "Grisha?"

It was Grisha who arrived. He glanced at Isaac with some fear and said, "Sister Gwen, I was just out on patrol."

"You went out on patrol again secretly?"

Grisha blushed: "This, this is not important. I met someone while on patrol who said he wanted to join the resistance!"

Gwen raised an eyebrow in surprise, and it took her a moment to realize what Grisha was talking about.

These refugees from the North had nowhere else to turn but banded together to form a resistance army and fled into the dense forests to eke out a living.

Before, let alone anyone joining them, they were even looked down upon when passing through the town; nobody liked these refugees.

Why would anyone voluntarily seek refuge with us nowadays?
Gwen stood there stunned, unsure how to react. She had just been a farm girl and didn't understand what this meant.

She just suddenly had a feeling—maybe they weren't entirely without hope.

Over the next few days, people joined every day. Most of these people were from the town. They didn't mind the harsh life in the forest or the cold winds of the North. Some even brought all their belongings with them.

They had only one request: to go to the battlefield and fight.

At first, the resistance fighters were somewhat confused, but after asking around, they learned what had happened in the town.

Even the resistance fighters were stunned.

These winter wolves are even more ruthless to their own people than to these White Crows!

“That’s normal. You resistance fighters are genuinely resisting, but the townspeople can just plunder at will.” Isaac seemed unsurprised.

"If you were a little better at fighting, you would be able to witness the civility and politeness of the Winter Wolves, just like the Silent Sanctuary back then."

The Empire and the White Raven ruled from the mountains, and the Empire never took advantage of the White Raven's misfortune until the White Raven's demise. This was not due to the Empress's mercy, but rather to the Holy Fathers' fearless charge.

"That's why I've always believed that the Silent Sanctuary's method of communication is the most efficient—let the enemy's brains explain to the flail themselves."

(End of this chapter)