Industrial Cthulhu, starting from the island lord

Chapter 569 Bazel, That's Where You'll Work in the Future
Betty said a few words in a panic, but her mother-in-law ignored her and just chuckled as she lifted her up. Betty covered her eyes with her hands in fear, but couldn't help but peek forward through her fingers.

Her gaze swept over the heads of the people; this was the first time she had ever been so high.

Betty was very short; she could barely reach the fish-frying counter by standing on a box, and she had to stand on tiptoe to hand fried fish to customers.

Her heart was pounding, but thankfully her mother-in-law's hand was steady. Betty cautiously looked towards the platform.

Before the train arrived, several rows of fully armed expeditionary troops stood near the platform, with even a few machine guns set up facing the empty opposite side.

It didn't take long before a train appeared in the distance, accompanied by a loud whistle.

Betty stared wide-eyed, feeling that something about this car was different.

Trains heading to the North have always been equipped with armed locomotives, several machine gun positions, and a few dragon breath cannons. In addition, the locomotives have rams to clear the way. As long as the railway is intact, they are not afraid of being besieged by an entire army.

However, the machine gun emplacements on the train returning from the North today were unusually positioned facing the train carriages.

The expeditionary force took Bazel very seriously. Although they did not discover any of his abilities other than resurrection, they still made special preparations to transport him by train.

Machine guns were mounted at the front and back of the wagon transporting Bazel, and in the middle, besides the crates containing Bazel, were only fully armed Banshees.

Meanwhile, two expeditionary squads were on standby in the rear carriages, ready to respond quickly to any unexpected events.

As the train approached, two groups of heavily armored banshees separated from the expeditionary force and came to stand in neat rows on the platform.

The train slowly came to a stop.

Several expeditionary forces immediately stopped at the car door with their weapons. After a while, a female demon emerged from the car, carrying a box.

Betis looked at the banshee carrying the box with some confusion. Could this be Bazel?

Her question was quickly answered when another, even taller banshee bent down and stepped out of the carriage, carrying half a skull in her hand.

Wait, a skeleton? Half of one!?
Betty's eyes widened.

Most of the people in Blood Harbor come from the Lower City. While they may not be used to seeing dead people, they are not afraid of corpses and skeletons.

But that skeleton... seems to be moving?
Upon closer inspection, the skeleton appeared to be incomplete, consisting only of the head, a section of the spine and sternum, while the hands and feet had been removed.

Even so, it wasn't very obedient and was still struggling in Ash's hands.

But when Ash stepped out of the carriage and the skeleton was exposed to the sunlight of Bloodharbor, it suddenly froze.

The skull showed no expression, but its gaping jaw and motionless body spoke volumes about its shock.

What is it shocking about?
Betty followed its gaze with some curiosity.

Two long rows of nearly a hundred banshees, all clad in heavy armor, their cold steel texture and towering figures making them resemble messengers of the gods.

Beside the banshee was a squad of expeditionary forces, with a row of heavy Gatling guns lined up, their dark muzzles seemingly capable of sucking people in, pointing straight at the carriage.

Beyond the banshees and the soldiers of the expeditionary force, beyond the countless onlookers of Blood Harbor, lay the towering customs building, school buildings, and rows of factory buildings.

A forest of steel and iron, a world built of concrete. Chimneys billow black smoke, pointing straight to the sky, while gantry cranes roar to life, lifting huge containers from the port onto steel platforms floating on the sea.

Those were Castells' new cargo ships. Tata, which insisted that bigger was better, never actually built his sea fortress, but the cargo ships they designed kept getting bigger and bigger.

Bettis looked away and scratched her head.

There doesn't seem to be anything strange about it; it's all very ordinary. So what's the skeleton so shocked about?
Bazel was naturally shocked. He saw the Blood Harbor before him, and his gaze fell on the little girl not far away. She was also looking at the Blood Harbor, but she just looked at it with a sense of indifference, which made Bazel even more incredulous.

"W-where is this?"

"Blood Harbor, the city Castel recently built, is where you will be judged," said the steel giant beside him.

Bazel raised his head and, for the first time, seriously examined the beings who were escorting him.

"You are not human. You are so tall, with six arms and tails, and you are carrying weapons. Why are the civilians not afraid of you?"

Bazel looked at the crowd in the distance. Their eyes were filled with fanaticism. Their gazes toward the banshee showed respect, worship, and longing, but no fear whatsoever.

"Why should they be afraid of me?" Ash asked calmly, but Bazel seemed speechless, unsure how to answer.

He also selected elites from the army to form independent teams. When those people walked the streets, the people saw them as if they were demons from hell, and they would flee in all directions, trying to avoid them at all costs.

The more people fear an army, the stronger it is.

But these female demons were not feared by the people of Blood Harbor. Weren't they strong?

Ash's hand was still firmly gripping his skull, his fingertips easily poking holes in his head, his entire hand wedged into his skull.

This was the strongest army of superhumans he had ever seen, and their numbers were enormous. They were also of a different race, yet he was not afraid of them.

Bazel felt his mind was in chaos, and all his perceptions seemed to be under attack.

"What are those things in the distance? Why are those buildings so tall? Are people living inside? What are those things sticking up to the sky? Is there a fire inside? Why is there smoke coming out?"

He looked at everything before him, and it felt as if a heart was trembling inside his empty sternum. He had always believed that his loss was just because he had been deceived by Lina, but the Blood Harbor before him gave him an absurd idea.

Perhaps he wasn't fooled by Lina, and even if he fought Castel head-on, he might not be able to win?
No, impossible, absolutely impossible. His Winter Wolf is the strongest in the North, and the tactics he invented himself forced even the three Grand Dukes to acknowledge his status.

Ash wasn't a talkative person, and Bazel thought he wouldn't get a response to his question, but she answered in a cool voice.

"Those long pillars are chimneys, and it's normal for them to be emitting smoke. Below the chimneys is the factory, and inside the factory are steam engines. The steam engines need to be heated by boilers, fueled, and the water boiled. The steam then drives the machinery to produce and operate for Castel."

Ash paused for a moment.

"And that will be where you work in the future."

"factory?"

No, the boiler.

(End of this chapter)