Industrial Cthulhu, starting from the island lord

Chapter 588 Friends in the Deep Sea
Hughes slowly opened his eyes from the armchair, stretched, and stood up.

I learned quite a bit from Gwen, at least I know she found a way to avoid pollution.

I don't know what method it is, but if it really can separate knowledge from pollution, then it would be best to ask indirectly if Castells needs this technology!
This way, we can safely read knowledge, and perhaps we can also remove some of the contaminants to nourish the steam engine.

I just don't know if little Gwen would be willing to offer help.
"My lord." Ash's voice suddenly came from outside the door.

Hughes asked, somewhat surprised, "What's wrong?"

"Please check the mind link; it seems there's something going on with Gwen and Nora."

"Huh? What's wrong with Gwen now? Has she finally gone mad? Let me check the mind link. Hiss!"

"Lady Nora, is this normal?"

"Hmm, it should be fine, right?"

"But Lady Nora, why are more and more people looking at us?"

"Perhaps because we've just arrived on the island?"

"Even the banshee of death has come, but I... I still feel something's not right."

Gwen's current posture was extremely strange. She reached her hand towards the sea beside her and spoke to Nora.

The two women had recently boarded the ship in a very eye-catching manner. After the sailors verified their identities, they found the cabin reserved for them.

Hughes had considered things very thoroughly. Since it was Gwen's first time in Castel, he had arranged for Nora to give her explanations and guidance. But that's where things went wrong.

Nora was quite responsible. Although Gwen's curiosity was a bit too strong, she still tried her best to answer all her questions. Gwen listened to Nora's explanations and asked questions from time to time, and for a while, things were harmonious.

The enormous cargo ship truly impressed her, and she learned a great deal about everything from the ship's steel structure to its steam power.

As they approached Castel, Gwen pointed to a lighthouse made of somewhat haphazardly piled steel in the distance and asked with some curiosity, "What's that?"

Nora glanced at it, not paying much attention: "That's the shipwreck area. Castells sank many ships here, and it's said that those shipwrecks occasionally respond to calls to them."

"Huh? How should we respond? Wait, why are so many ships sunk here?"

"Castel's shipbuilding industry just took a slight detour. Well, these ships are probably relics of the past. It's said that these ships are quite resentful, and sometimes they even complain to passersby. It's said that Castel is somewhat worried that they might attack other ships."

Nora said seriously that she learned part of this information from others and part from the newspaper.

Most of these are actually correct, but the news about the ship attack came from Nini's rumors. Unfortunately, Nora hadn't been in Castel for very long and was too serious by nature, so she didn't discern the truth of the report that had accidentally slipped in.

Therefore, Hughes's ban on Nini's newspaper was meaningful; some people might actually take it seriously.
In short, after hearing this, Gwen decided to show her worth—she wasn't good at studying, but she was very good at fighting, and she prepared to go and protect him.

Gwen dashed out of the room in a flash, unstoppable; her efficiency is always top-notch.

When Nora hopped and skipped after them, all she saw was a large spray of water splashing up below the ship's side.

And then there were the stunned sailors on deck.

"She...she jumped?" The sailor's eyes widened in horror.

Jumping into the sea from a large ship is an extremely dangerous thing; to be precise, the survival rate is almost zero.

Not to mention that the underwater propellers would slice through everything in their path like blades, most people wouldn't be able to handle the currents around the ship. The propellers would create a negative pressure vortex within 30 meters of the stern, and a similar turbulent current would form near the ship, instantly sweeping away anyone who fell into the water.

Even if they are wearing life jackets and life rings, it is still very difficult to find them in the sea—not only is it difficult to rescue them, but it is also extremely difficult to find them.

"Hmm, she should be fine, right? She can swim."

Although the White Crows have rarely seen harbors, most of them can swim. When there is no food in winter, the White Crows will come to the vicinity of the river, break the ice, set nets at the bottom of the water, and catch fish.

This requires someone to dive into the cold water beneath the ice and navigate through ropes and fishing nets between ice caves. This is extremely dangerous and requires training from a young age.

This leads to their habit of winter swimming, and Gwen is no exception.

"No, Ms. Nora, this isn't a swimming problem. Humans can't fight against turbulent currents. I don't have time to explain to you. I need to contact the Sea Siren right away!"

As he spoke, the sailor prepared to run to the cabin, but as soon as he took a step, he froze.

He stared blankly at the sea below, and after a while, he reached up and rubbed his eyes.

"Lord Hughes is above!"

Nora approached the ship's railing, suppressing her fear of heights, and cautiously looked down at the sea. Then, her eyes widened in shock.

Gwen did jump into the sea, but now Nora saw her—not being swept away by the seawater, to be precise, she wasn't even in the water.

Countless pieces of black scrap steel are slowly emerging from the deep sea and appearing on the surface, forming a huge steel platform!

"Could this be a shipwreck? One of those sunken ships in the deep sea?" The sailor's voice trembled slightly.

Gwen looked around blankly on the platform. Nora was a little anxious; after all, Gwen was someone she had always taken care of, and concern made her lose her composure.

She made a rather daring choice—to jump off the boat.

Nora flew through the air in an arc, her silver hair shimmering in the clear sky, before falling into Gwen's arms.

"Gwen, what's going on!?"

"I... I don't know either. I just jumped into the sea, and suddenly a huge group of people... well, a huge group of ships were talking to me."

"Huh?" Nora was stunned. "What did they say?"

"There are all sorts of opinions. Some say the water is too salty, some say the steam engine is cursing, some say the deck hasn't been maintained in a long time, and some are cursing Tata. Well, there are quite a lot of those. By the way, who is Tata? Why is everyone cursing him?"

Nora was so shocked she couldn't speak.

Meanwhile, the steel beneath their feet, originating from the deep sea, was slowly wriggling, and several discarded steel beams had already clung to Gwen's arms.

"Lady Nora, what should we do? Is this...is this normal?"

Let me recall.

Nora tried hard to recall what she had seen in the newspaper that day. What did it say again?

It seems that the resentment of the ship spirits in the deep sea is extremely strong, but if their resentment is appeased, they will resurface and fight for Castel once again.

(End of this chapter)