Industrial Cthulhu, starting from the island lord

Chapter 638 The Mechanical Sanctuary's Reply

Zoe and Gaia nodded in agreement. Next, they would do a handover of their work and make various preparations.

Hughes ordered someone to send a copy of the intelligence on the Mechanical Sanctuary, the Candlelight Society, and even the Empire. In addition to the two of them, Hughes also had to choose a military officer to accompany them, who would also represent the truth of the Empire to go and see for themselves.

As for their main jobs, Zoe mainly does clerical work and is in charge of Bloodharbor. Hughes plans to have Chloe temporarily take over, which will just mean working more overtime.

The original intention was to find a technician to help her recover, so working overtime here is perfectly legitimate.

Gaia was originally in charge of a crucial part like the military factory, but Hughes had already transferred her to a research and development position, so there weren't any major issues with the handover.

In addition, preparations must be made in advance for the reception of the delegation, in case the talks break down and a backup plan is needed.

If the truth of the Empire and the Church cannot be reasoned with, then let the truth of Castel speak with them.

In addition, Hughes also began to expand the production capacity of arms.

Previously, the weapons and equipment were only used by the Guardians of the Church, but now that an agreement has been reached with the prince, this production capacity gap has emerged.

It's important to know that the prince's army is not as large as Castel's. The recruitment criteria for the Guardians of the Faith are very strict, so the overall number has always been small.

The prince mobilized the entire Duchy of Tiss, and he had fewer concerns. He didn't need as much construction work; he just needed to teach the soldiers the principles and use of the weapons so they wouldn't be interfered with.

In fact, Castel currently has a considerable amount of stock, enough to arm the prince's army without much problem, but Hughes still intends to make some preparations so that things won't be too troublesome if the battle goes against him.

Several days passed in the blink of an eye. On this day, Hughes was looking through the expansion report of the military factory at his desk when he suddenly stopped and stood up.

The banshees sent him a message through their telepathic link: Erwin had returned.

Erwin had led a team to deliver a message to the Mechanical Sanctuary a few days ago. Hughes had been waiting impatiently, and upon hearing the good news, he immediately left the room.

"Ash, let's go to the station!"

Traveling directly west from Bloodharbor is closer to the Rhine, but the North is less than half a day's drive from Bloodharbor. Therefore, Elwin entered the Empire from the Grand Duchy of Octavia in the North, which, although a long detour, actually saved more time.

"Great, Ash! Elwin is finally back, and according to the Banshee's report, everything seems to have gone smoothly. At least everyone is back safe and sound. Look, they're over there!"

Erwin and his party had just disembarked from the train when they saw Hughes approaching. He greeted him with a smile: "We have accomplished our mission, my lord. They have granted us permission to visit and have even sent us an invitation."

Hughes raised an eyebrow, took the letter from Erwin's bag, had Ash check it to make sure it was okay, and then simply opened it to read it.

But as he looked at it, his brows furrowed.

Erwin's smile faded, and he leaned closer, asking in a low voice, "What's wrong? Is there something wrong with this letter?"

“No problem, we’ll talk about it when we get back.” Hughes put the letter away and hurried towards the office with Elwin and Ash. “Oh, and call Zoe and Gaia.”

Ash called the Banshee on duty directly through the mind link. When Hughes arrived at the office, Zoe and Gaia were already waiting at the door. After they entered the office, Hughes glanced at Ash, and Ash closed the door.

"It's a reply from the Mechanical Sanctuary. Take a look first," Hughes said, handing over the letter. The others gathered around, and after reading it, they exchanged glances. Zoe spoke first:

"My lord, things seem to be going very smoothly. The Mechanical Sanctuary has agreed to our visit, and their language is very formal and friendly. Even the Pope of the Candlelight Order will personally meet with us."

“That’s the part that’s not right.” Hughes sneered, his gaze sweeping over the group before settling on Gaia: “Gaia, it seems you should have some ideas?”

“These are just some guesses.” Gaia hesitated for a moment before speaking carefully. “I feel like something’s not right. As you all know, I am the Moth of Fire. Although I’ve always been on the island, I’ve heard about the way the Candlelight Society operates.”

"They are extremely conservative in technology, the most conservative of the four major churches. The entire church's philosophy is to seal away dangerous technology and supernatural power."

"Our visit this time explicitly mentioned that it was for 'technical exchange,' and according to the records in 'The Moth That Chases Fire,' that word alone was enough to arouse the hostility of the Candlelight Society."

"So it's normal for the Candlelight Vigil to show opposition, and their strong words are in line with their usual style. But now they not only support it, but even the Pope's daughter is coming in person. This is not normal."

"So you think it's a trap?"

“This…” Gaia’s face showed a hint of confusion. “This doesn’t seem like it either. Setting traps and waiting for people to fall into them isn’t their usual practice. Could it be that the church has really changed its ways? That’s impossible.”

Hughes tapped the table lightly with his fingers, squinted and thought for a moment, then called out towards the door, "Bring Chloe here!"

Before long, Ash walked into the room with Chloe's diary in her hand, placed it on the desk, and all eyes turned to her.

"Hey, what's wrong? I've been working overtime diligently these past few days, and I haven't done anything wrong, have I?"

"Chloe, take a look at this letter. Doesn't this candlelight ceremony seem a bit strange?"

Chloe is the leader of the Fire Moths. Unlike Gaia, who stays on the island all the time, Chloe has had genuine dealings with the Candlelight Society for a long time.

No, she was even a Candlelight Sisters nun. When Hughes first came to Castel, she was in charge of a small church and celebrated Mass for the local people.

At that time, she was still trying hard to squeeze money out of Hughes. Later, Hughes asked her about it and said that it was all for the development of the Fire Moth. This group of people were constantly on the move and didn't have many ways to make money. They could only squeeze out whatever little bit they could from the lords in various places.

Hughes had asked her before, and she confirmed that her identity in the church was genuine. From the church to the issuance of her identity, everything was obtained from the Candlelight Church.

It's safe to say that no one understands the Candlelight Society better than Chloe, at least in Castells and Bloodharbor.

Chloe quickly finished reading the letter, and said decisively, "Something's not right."

"The Candlelight Church would never do such a thing, and besides, you sent it to the Mechanical Sanctuary, right? How did the Candlelight Church know about this?"

"what do you mean?"

I suspect that your letter never even reached the Mechanical Sanctuary!

(End of this chapter)