Industrial Cthulhu, starting from the island lord

Chapter 642 Do airships also have captains?
Frey considered many possibilities regarding how the Castel people crossed the wall of despair.

The people of White Stone Castle grew up here, and thus many legends and fantasies about the Wall of Despair were born.

For example, superhumans grow six arms and climb with the agility of monkeys.

For example, if one were to become Spider-Man, one could spit out silk threads and walk on sheer cliffs as if they were flat ground.

But he never imagined that humans could set foot in the sky.

“Let’s take the airship over there and see this little guy, the Unicorn Type 78. The 78 refers to its length. 78 meters isn’t much in Castel’s war airships, but it’s a piece of cake to cross the Wall of Despair.” Zoe smiled as she looked at the long, narrow airship in the sky.

Frey was completely stunned. Only at this moment did he shed his slick demeanor and reveal the expression that a boy his age should have.

"Wow"

"Feels pretty good, right? This was made by Gaia's factory. It's a recent auxiliary product of Castel Military Industry, balancing flexibility and payload. It's quite good for reconnaissance, mapping, and fire suppression. As for the Wall of Despair..."

"It was just something I did on the side."

The Wall of Despair, which the people of Whitestone Castle had seen every day since childhood, became just a side note in her mouth. Frey should have been annoyed, but he was now just staring at the slowly descending airship with fascination.

The oval hull has a beautiful curve, and the lowered crew cabin has a strong yet elegant line. This is the first time Frey has seen such a creation.

He had mostly seen pitted stones and weathered walls since childhood. Even the residences of noblemen were merely painted over. He had never seen such neat and beautiful industrial creations before.

He acted like a child. No, he was a child, just precocious—he excitedly rushed to the airship, touching and looking at everything, before reluctantly turning away after a long while.

"Lady Gaia, did you really create this?"

"It takes seventeen production lines, five assembly plants, three test workshops, and seven hundred workers to produce parts. I am just a cog in this chain. I alone cannot even make a piece of skin. But these workers and equipment together make this airship that can soar in the sky."

Gaia looked up at the airship, whose propellers were creating gusts of wind as it descended, causing her robes to flutter. The girl's slender body stood steadily.

Frey felt a strange mix of emotions; humanity seemed so insignificant before this airship, just like himself standing before a wall of despair.

Yet tiny humans have created airships, conquering the sky and the earth; the Wall of Despair is merely another barrier.

A fence that isn't too high.

The delegation had limited time and didn't give Frey much time to adjust; they simply pulled him onto the airship.

There was no magical spell or superpower involved; it was just that the moment his feet left the ground, a surge of intense emotion welled up within him.

He was trembling and his body was weak, but he couldn't help but lean against the porthole and look out, feeling both scared and excited.

White Stone Castle grew smaller and smaller until it became a tiny snail shell. It was a strange feeling as Frey looked at White Stone Castle from the airship—the entire world where he was born and grew up, now nothing more than a tiny embellishment in the desolate Gobi Desert.

In the distance stretches an endless tundra, upon which a thin train track lies, extending on and off, its destination unknown.

"Lady Zoe, is Castel far away?"

"It's very, very far away. Even a speeding train would take a long time to reach it. There is bright sunshine, azure water, and a gentle sea breeze. You won't see a trace of ice or snow."

Frey listened quietly. He had heard many more legendary places since he was a child, and Castel was just one of them. But for some reason, a sense of longing suddenly arose in his heart.

“I know a pirate captain who has a new kind of fast ship. You should probably go on his ship and brave the wind and waves.” Gaia sat by the porthole with her legs drawn up, looking at the scenery outside. “My brother went to sea with him a few times and now he always likes to run around. Maybe he wants to be a captain too.”

The word "ocean" was somewhat unfamiliar to Frey, but it lessened his fear, since just half an hour ago, the sky had also been an unreachable place for him.

A train sped by, its melodious whistle and clanging sound cutting through the vast tundra. Frey watched the chimney leave a black line and suddenly asked:
"Lady Gaia, do airships also have captains?"

Gaia and Zoe exchanged a glance, then covered their mouths and chuckled. Erwin, who had been serious the whole time, also looked at Frey with interest.

As the airship ascended, the Wall of Despair, covered in white ice and snow, transformed from an insurmountable obstacle into a decoration on the ground. The group easily scaled it over, a feat that had claimed countless lives and effectively blocked the existence of civilization, making it no different from a dirt mound on the ground.

The group glanced at it a few times and then stopped paying attention, instead discussing their upcoming itinerary together.

“We will take an airship to the vicinity of Rhine and deliver the documents there. Before that, Frey and my men will find a place to sneak down and infiltrate Rhine City to contact the Ash Alliance,” Erwin said, pointing to a map.

"Isn't this too high-profile?" Gaia said with some concern.

"We need to be high-profile and intimidate them. Neither the Candlelight Church nor the Mechanical Temple are easy to deal with. If we have nothing, we'll just be wiped out."

"As for whether they will covet our technology, that's exactly what we want. Whether it's airships or various weapons, they are all products of large-scale industrialization. Without a complete industrial system, they simply cannot be manufactured. Even Rhine is the same. We can boldly trade with them."

"Any problems with the Ash Alliance? I heard they still haven't found Exa."

"Don't worry, the Ash Alliance is a truly well-organized intelligence organization, not just a showpiece."

Isaac devoted a lot of effort to the Ash Alliance. The entire organization was managed and connected through nodes, so it could function even without any one member, just with varying degrees of efficiency.

During the days Isaac was missing, Rhine's intelligence continued to flow to Castel, so this expedition to the North was different; they had comprehensive intelligence support from the very beginning.

"Then let me first talk about the specific situation of Rhine. The following information has been verified and is all true. I hope you will not be too surprised."

(End of this chapter)