Industrial Cthulhu, starting from the island lord

Chapter 504: Evacuation Begins

"Gwen, are we really leaving here?"

Grisha whispered as he watched the resistance fighters coming and going, packing up their equipment.

“Yes, Grisha, we’re going to Castel. Once we get there, there will be no more war, everyone will have enough to eat, and even little kids like you will have a chance to go to school.”

"Really? But we've come all the way from the White Ravens to the North, and it seems like nothing's changed. Everyone's struggling, even the lords are all equally wicked. Castel, can't it be different?"

Gwen pursed her lips. She wanted to say something to comfort Grisha, but looking into the boy's clear eyes, she didn't know how to begin.

Castel, is it really that good?
Will it be another northern border, another endless oppression, another war that never ends, and another resistance that lasts forever?
Gwen didn't know.

She thought for a moment, then squatted down and looked the boy in the eye.

“Grisha, I don’t know what Castel is like either, I’ve never been there.”

“But I have many friends who all say that Castells is a good place, our true home: Nora, Isaac, Jeremiah, Ken. I believe them, and I am willing to believe my friends, just as you are willing to believe me.”

She gently stroked the boy's head, her eyes filled with longing: "I really want to go to Castel too. I heard it's very close to us, and we'll be there soon. I really want to go and see it."

"Gwen, let's go to Castel together!"

"Okay, let's go together!"

Gwen laughed out loud, and Grisha grinned, genuinely happy.

The happiest moment is when you look up at hope that is within reach in the darkness.

Grisha felt a warmth in his heart.

Although Gwen's armor was cold and hard, it felt warm to lean against it.

"Gwen, how's the assembly going? When can we set off?"

Gwen stood up and looked at Isaac, who was walking towards her.

"We should be able to go today, but by the time we set off it will be afternoon, and it will get dark soon. Do we really have to travel through the night?"

“Yes, it will be too late if we wait any longer.” Isaac’s face was grim. “I just contacted the Ash Alliance in another town. An army is on its way, flying the banner of the Dragonfang Duke. Judging from their route, they are probably coming to find us. If we leave tomorrow, they might block us here, and that would be really troublesome.”

"Duke of Dragonfang?" Gwen pulled a metal bucket from her waist, unscrewed it to reveal a thick parchment, which contained a detailed map of the North.

The northernmost border of the empire is the Canary Mountains, which can be seen in the distance from Sladedinburgh, and the resistance forces are located nearby.

The southernmost part of the North is the territory of the Grand Duke of Dragonfang, to the west is the Duchy of Octavia, and to the southeast is the territory of the Grand Duke of Alvare, where Hunter's family is located.

“Castel’s railway has reached the Grand Duchy of Alvaré, while we are in the County of Bazel. We need to evacuate to the southeast.”

Isaac pointed south of Sladedinburgh.

"The Dragon Fang Duke's army still has two days' journey to go. We are heading southeast, while they are heading due south. If we continue tomorrow, we are very likely to encounter them halfway. The northern border is mostly plains, and fighting on the plains is almost the worst-case scenario."

"You said Castells would send reinforcements. If we just hold out in Sladedinburgh and wait for them, how likely are we to succeed?" "It's difficult," Isaac's voice was low.

"Although the dukes had been encroaching on Bazeir's territory, they did so under the guise of fighting us. But Duke Dragon Fang forced his army to set foot on Bazeir's land, which was extremely offensive. No one would have said anything if Bazeir had directly launched a war."

"This can only mean one thing—he was so angry that he lost his temper."

Gwen looked at Isaac with some surprise: "Does he have a grudge against us? How come I didn't know?"

"It is said that his youngest son died along with the Allied forces, which drove him mad and made him decide to take revenge on us."

"They attacked us on their own initiative, and people died, yet he's furious and willing to do anything to get revenge?" Gwen said incredulously, her face gradually turning red, her eyes blazing with anger.

"Yes, and it wasn't even the resistance that killed them. His youngest son and the allied forces led by Viscount Frey were wiped out by Castel, but people still died, so the Grand Duke of Dragon Fang came to us for an explanation."

"He wants an explanation from us? Ha! He didn't care how many resistance fighters died at the hands of the Allied forces, but now that his son is dying, he wants an explanation? His son's life is a life, but ours isn't?"

Gwen clenched her fists, the metal plates on her armor creaking under her grip. The repression and pain of the past six months, the blood feud of countless fallen comrades, all transformed into rage that she could not suppress.

Standing to one side, Grisha silently took two steps forward, his wooden prosthetic leg striking the stone ground with a crisp sound.

“That’s not all, that’s not all.” Isaac sneered. “Not a single member of the coalition was able to escape. The news shouldn’t have leaked, at least not so quickly. But there’s an extraordinary way that can deduce the reason out of thin air.”

He spoke through gritted teeth:
"【Investigator】"

The Moths That Chase Fire and the Candlelight Society are the true blood feuds.

Although they originated from the same lineage, their doctrines are completely opposite. The Candlelight Society collects and seals knowledge, while the Moths of Fire explore with their lives.

The Candlelight Society's pursuit of the Fire-Chasing Moths has always been relentless, and their methods of suppression are extremely bloody.

In the movie "The Moth That Chases Flame," who didn't have a few friends who died at the hands of the Candlelight Society?

Therefore, even though his mother-in-law acted recklessly, killing many investigators, Isaac only silently cleaned up the mess and never forcibly stopped her.

If the mission weren't more important, he would have liked to test the Dragon Breath Cannon's effectiveness.

Isaac and Gwen exchanged a glance, both seeing the burning rage in each other's eyes.

"Duke Longya's army is large; if he is determined to attack, we will not be able to hold out."

Even if the expeditionary force is highly capable, they still need to travel on foot. They would have to assemble at the Grand Duchy of Alvarez first, and then march over, which simply wouldn't be enough time.

"We must leave as soon as possible and try to retreat southeast. Although the journey is not long, it is very dangerous. The Dragon Fang Grand Guild is relentlessly pursuing us. If we are even slightly slow, they will catch up with us. However, we have to cross almost the entire territory of Alvarez."

Isaac took a deep breath.

"We need unity, we need good luck, and we need to move from one victory to another."

(End of this chapter)