Industrial Cthulhu, starting from the island lord

Chapter 579 The Stoker

"Actually, it wasn't always like this. I am a Hong Konger, born in a slum in the lower part of the city, and I was always hungry when I was a child."

Gwen looked up and saw that it was the stoker who was speaking.

"There's always war and famine here in Tiss, and people keep dying. It's not just now that people go to Castel; they used to go there when they were starving. Even though they might get thrown overboard by pirates, at least they wouldn't starve to death—there are lots of sweet fruits on the islands there, which have fed many people."

"But if one can just make do and survive, who would want to leave their homeland?"

Gwen couldn't help but nod. She thought of her childhood village. So much time had passed that her memories were hazy, but she remembered it as a peaceful place.

Unfortunately, we can never go back.

“We’ve had many lords, but they’ve all been pretty much the same. Some lords were better at first, but they quickly turned bad again, and in the end, we still couldn’t get enough to eat.”

"Things have only gotten better in recent years, Your Highness. I mean, after His Highness William returned from the Rhine, he seemed like a completely different person. He killed all the nobles, and everyone's lives suddenly improved a lot."

"Later, Blood Harbor fell into chaos. The Church of the Mother Goddess launched a rebellion, and many, many people died. Many of them just wanted to bring more food back home, but they all died, and their bodies could not be found."

"Did you join the expeditionary force back then?" Gwen asked curiously.

"Haha, how could that be? The expeditionary force was established later. After the Church of the Mother Goddess rebelled, Blood Harbor was reduced to ruins, and the remaining people looked at their homeland with despair."

"Honestly, I felt completely empty at that time, I didn't feel anything. Even if you cut my neck with a knife, I wouldn't have reacted."

Gwen felt a tightness in her chest. The suffering in Bloodharbor was no different from that in the North, with wars coming and going and no hope for the future.

The only difference was perhaps that of the prince, who slashed the heads of those high-ranking nobles, letting them taste the bitterness of despair as well.

Gwen looked up at the stoker and found that his face did not show much numbness from suffering; instead, his brows were relaxed and his expression showed a hint of excitement.

He said in a trembling voice:
"At this moment, Castel arrived."

"I don't know how they changed. Just a few years ago, they were just like us, digging for food in the soil. Even when they went out to sea to catch a few mackerel, they had to be careful around pirates."

"But this time, they came in a large iron ship!"

"That ship was so tall and big. The first time I stood next to it and looked up, I tripped and fell. I didn't even feel anything, I just stared at it blankly."

"At that time, I thought, even the Empress's carriage couldn't be this nice!"

"Of course, these things originally had nothing to do with us. There are many palaces and mansions in the upper city, and we can only look at them from afar."

"But, hey, but!"

He slammed the shovel heavily onto the ground, the metal striking the ground with a dull thud.

"Castel built schools, factories, and railroads in Blood Harbor."

“Those schools are free to enroll in. To be honest, I’ve never seen a place like that before. They even provide a meal. Many people who were starving to death survived like that. When they got home at night, their stomachs were bloated and their heads were swollen.”

"I learned to read without really knowing how, and my health improved too. Then they asked me if I wanted to go to the factory. Not only would I have enough to eat, but I would also get a job with Leonardo. I've never seen such a good thing before!"

"After I became a worker, they told me that workers could attend advanced classes for free, and that I would earn more money after graduation. So I read some books and even learned how to operate a boiler." "Then, something happened in the North, and the lord said he would start recruiting an expeditionary force. Hey, this time they didn't need to send anyone to tell me; I signed up myself!"

The stoker straightened his back, a proud smile spreading across his face covered in coal dust.

"Don't underestimate me just because I haven't been a worker for long. I'm a master at operating a boiler. I don't know much about the North, and I'm not much of a fighter, but operating a boiler is definitely no problem for me. My lord needs me, so I'll be here."

Gwen looked at the worker standing tall in front of her and suddenly felt a little dazed.

Wood, Rick, Hela—many familiar faces flashed through her mind. They were her comrades from the expeditionary force, who had always followed her but had never shown such an expression before.

Some of them have gone to Castells, while others have perished forever in the perpetual snowstorms of the North. If they were still alive, would there be another worker on the train a few years later, proudly introducing himself to outsiders?
Gwen was lost in thought as she looked into the light in the stoker's eyes.

She hadn't even arrived at Blood Harbor yet, but she could already feel the vitality and hope of this city.

"so good"

It would be even better if my old friends could see this too.

The train roared forward like an ever-flowing river, the setting sun lengthening the shadows cast by people's feet, smiles mingling with the sunlight falling on them, imprinting this scene in Gwen's heart.

This was her initial impression of Bloodharbor.

Nora, nestled in Gwen's arms, looked up at Gwen, then looked away, staring at the stoker, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back.

After a while, she couldn't help but ask, "Why aren't you going to tend the boiler? Is it alright for you to stay here all the time?"

The stoker's smile froze on his face.

"The steam engine drove me out."

"what?"

Gwen's face twitched; she suddenly felt that her impression of Bloodharbor was not comprehensive enough.

After the train entered the city, its speed slowed down. Blood Harbor did not have walls in the strict sense, or rather, it once had walls, but they were later destroyed.

After passing the refugee camps, or rather the surrounding shantytowns, the city's appearance suddenly changed.

The dilapidated brick and stone houses suddenly disappeared, replaced by rows of neat concrete houses.

Although Blood Harbor has developed rapidly, it has not been rebuilt for long, and these houses are still unpainted.

Gwen's eyes were drawn to rows of lead-gray, angular houses, stretching as far as the eye could see, covering the entire city. The unpainted walls, paired with sharp edges, possessed a silent power, like solid rocks that had not moved for hundreds or thousands of years.

Calm, orderly, neat, and sturdy.

“This house is so beautiful. It must be wonderful to live in. Are all the houses in Bloodharbor like this?” Gwen looked down at Nora in her arms with some anticipation.

Nora glanced at her but did not answer. Gwen quickly understood what Nora meant—the train had entered the core area of ​​Bloodharbor.

(End of this chapter)