Industrial Cthulhu, starting from the island lord

Chapter 557 Hughes's Choice
Hughes did not answer immediately, but instead rested his hand on the concrete windowsill and looked out through the fortress's observation window.

A raised train platform was not far away, where the expeditionary force was loading and unloading goods in the parked carriages, and spare locomotives were parked on several branch lines next to it.

Next to the platform was the expeditionary force's barracks. Many supplies that were inconvenient to pile up near the fortress were placed in the barracks' warehouses nearby. Resistance soldiers and civilians who came to join them were also housed there.

The barracks walls have been repaired several times and are now made of concrete, just like the train platform. The nearby roads have also been leveled, and it already looks like a small town.

In some time, this place may become a city.

The railway became a new artery in the North. Wherever the railway reached Castells, it brought prosperity. The trains made Blood Harbor, thousands of miles away, not much farther than the neighboring town.

Hughes looked into the distance. In several barracks, the expeditionary soldiers who had finished their shifts and were resting were gathered together with the Holy Scripture. The Holy Scripture was getting thicker and thicker, covering a wide range of knowledge. They would find the parts that interested them and then spend time studying them. This was something that many expeditionary soldiers liked to do.

Outside the barracks, several children were pestering an expeditionary soldier to tell them stories, which reminded Hughes of the times he told stories to his fellow workers in the Rhine factory.

However, now the Vatican will not come to arrest people; instead, it is the believers of Imperial Truth who are telling them stories.

Further away, the newly built school of the expeditionary force was crowded with people. It was called a school, but it was just a row of simple concrete buildings. It wasn't even painted white, and it didn't even have tables and chairs.

But many people still crowded inside, listening with great interest to the soldiers of the expeditionary force giving their lectures.

This place was originally just an empty space. On a whim, Alexei found some people to teach the resistance fighters about the basics of Castel.

As they talked, the expeditionary force members discovered that many of the refugees were illiterate, which would cause considerable trouble in Castel, so they naturally took the opportunity to teach them.

Once they learned to read, they could read the sacred texts of imperial truth on their own, which led to more questions, prompting them to think and ask questions.

The scriptures that Alexei helped compile were geared towards basic education, making them perfect for popularization.

Gradually, these White Crows were able to discuss the sacred texts with the soldiers of the expeditionary force. The more they learned, the more they realized their own insignificance and the more they craved knowledge.

People gathered together with sacred texts, and that became a school.

Now that the war is over, they will have taller school buildings and brighter classrooms, and they won't have to stand to listen to lessons anymore.

These people will become the first skilled workers in the North, and they will go to the factories to support the construction of the North.

Or perhaps they could pursue further studies, join Castells's research institute, and push human civilization forward another step.

Several refugees from the North peeked out from outside, unsure of what was happening. They had only come to join the crowd when they saw a large number of people gathered there. Someone took a holy book and began explaining the pictures to them. Soon, they didn't want to leave.

"In a few months, new factories and schools will be built here. Soon, black smoke will billow from the chimneys, and the sound of reading will fill the schools. In a few more months, the city will take shape, and people will gather here, gazing at the industrial creations with fascination."

"In five years, there will be no more hunger in the North. In ten years, there will be no more frozen corpses under the blizzard. In a hundred or a thousand years, the North will be the true home of the people of the North."

“At that time, the Holy See’s superhumans will no longer be able to infiltrate, and the bloodline of the nobility will no longer be sacred. Without mobilization, people will take up arms to defend their land and protect their homes.” Alexei and Hughes stood side by side by the window, looking out at the wasteland.

“It’s really...wonderful,” Alexei murmured to himself.

"I remember you're from the North?"

"Yes, I am an orphan here. I was adopted by the orphanage established by the royal family. To be honest, I don't remember much about my childhood. As far back as I can remember, I was in Rhine, doing homework, cleaning, and being taught and scolded every day."

Looking at the distant wilderness, Alexei felt only alienation. He didn't actually have a home, nor did he remember any hometown. Everything in the past was like a blurry and crude footnote. No matter how hard he tried to recall, there were only fragmented images.

“Then let’s build this northern land into the way you desire. If you can’t find a home, then build the land beneath your feet into a home, a home for everyone.” Hughes patted his shoulder, turned and walked out. “Castel, fire and light in the storm, let this blazing fire spread across this plain.”

Alexei stood blankly at the window, gazing at his unfamiliar homeland, muttering to himself.

“Castel.”

With the war in the North coming to an end, the railway capacity from Bloodharbor to the North was no longer so strained. Hughes wanted to return to Castells, but there were still many troubles there. The people of the Silent Sanctuary still needed to be looked after. Hughes had already transferred Richard from Castells to check on them and study whether to send them back directly. There was still no news of Gwen in the white mist.

Therefore, he plans to stay a few more days.

Nora and Big Gwen didn't leave either. Hughes found an excuse to delay them. The relationship between Little Gwen and Big Gwen hadn't been clarified yet, so it was better to observe for a while.

Castells officially began building up the North, with more construction materials being loaded onto trucks at Bloodport and transported north.

Although there is currently only one railway and one fortress, the future Northern Territories will no longer be just wastelands.

Alexei stayed behind. The construction of the North was starting from scratch, and it needed someone who could coordinate the entire industrial sector. He was the most experienced in this regard.

Moreover, this was his own wish. This was Alexei's first return to the North since he left as a child, and he wanted to build this strange yet familiar homeland with his own hands.

Many members of the expeditionary force also stayed behind, each with their own reasons: some wanted to participate in the construction, while others couldn't bear to leave their students behind.

Moreover, transportation here is actually quite convenient. Although the North is desolate, it's only a half-day drive to Bloodharbor.
As a result, the transport capacity to Blood Harbor has suddenly become abundant in the past few days.

Many low-priority transportation requests were then prioritized.

such as
Grand Duke Alvarez.

This Grand Duke, adept at maneuvering, managed to emerge unscathed from the battles in the North by surrendering swiftly enough, and even managed to resolve a major problem with the help of the expeditionary force.
But surrendering does not erase all his crimes; he must still go to court to face trial.

(End of this chapter)