Industrial Cthulhu, starting from the island lord

Chapter 646 Hela
The person was very tall, with a black veil covering her face and wearing a simple nun's habit without any adornment.

But just one glance was enough for everyone to sense her abnormality.

Gaia and Erwin barely managed to control their expressions, while Zoe gasped, her face showing shock.

The wind lifted a corner of the veil, revealing a densely packed gear structure, tiny connecting rods, and various pipes underneath.

The woman's eyes suddenly trembled as she stared at Zoe. As if a mechanical lens were rotating, her pupils adjusted slightly, rapidly dilating and shrinking, creating an indescribable, inhuman sensation.

She resembles a human, yet is not quite human; her appearance is caught on a line, with cold machinery below and a human shell above.

It's as if a sophisticated machine has been carelessly covered with a skin, which not only fails to make people feel at ease, but also arouses a kind of primal fear in the body.

The wind gradually subsided, the black veil fell, and the face full of intricate gears reappeared behind the curtain. Only then did the group shudder and come back to their senses.

"Welcome to Rhine. I am the Principality of Machines of the Mechanicus. You may call me Hela."

The gears turn, air flows through the filter, causing the reed in the throat to vibrate, but the sound produced is a soft female voice, without any mechanical feel.

The surrounding soldiers simultaneously slammed their halberds down, the delicate stone slabs striking the fine steel with a crisp sound, adding a touch of gunpowder to the scene.

Erwin swallowed hard but didn't speak. He stepped aside to make way for the two people behind him.

He was a military officer, and theoretically, he was part of the entourage. He shouldn't have spoken at this time.

"Hello, I am Gaia, the Technical Priest of Imperial Truth, and she is Zoe, the Chief Clerk of Bloodharbor." After Gaia finished introducing herself, she subconsciously reached out her hand, only to realize that this was not Castel.

The custom of shaking hands upon meeting was brought by Hughes, partly because he disliked the elaborate formalities of the nobility, and partly because he could trigger [detection] through physical contact.

Neither the empire nor the church had such a ritual.

Just as Gaia looked embarrassed and was about to withdraw her hand, a complicated expression flashed across Hela's gear-like face. She stepped forward, gently took Gaia's hand, and shook it.

Warm and dry.

The soft touch was fleeting, and by the time Gaia came to her senses, Hela was already shaking hands with Zoe.

That's strange. How does she know about handshakes? Is there any other etiquette like this besides Castel's?

The airship's hatch slowly closed, and with the roar of the steam engine, the entire airship slowly rose into the sky.

Hela glanced at the airship in the sky, said nothing, and turned around: "Please follow me, guests."

After she finished speaking, she walked forward from the square. The path in front of her was already covered with a soft carpet, and soldiers and priests stood quietly on both sides.

Gaia and her entourage hurriedly followed, and once they were far away, the soldiers behind them turned around and followed, walking through this magnificent Rhine city.

"If His Majesty is unwell recently and has not received any guests for several days, our meeting may have to be postponed."

A gentle voice came from under the black veil. Gaia and Zoe exchanged a glance, both somewhat surprised.

Beatrice, no matter what, is an extraordinary being.

It's normal for superhumans to get injured, but they rarely get sick; that's probably just an excuse.

However, their mission to the Rhine wasn't really about this; they just wanted to acquire technology from the Mechanical Temple. The audience with the Pope was actually unimportant. Castells and the Candlelight Society were fundamentally at odds; cooperation was pointless, and temporary peace would be a blessing.

"Please convey my best wishes to Her Majesty Ruonan, and I hope she recovers soon." Gaia replied in a very official manner, "Count Hughes also sent his greetings, as he has been very concerned about Her Majesty Ruonan since she left Castel."

Upon hearing this, Haila suddenly stopped in her tracks.

The group was immediately startled. After all, this was the territory of the Candlelight Society, and they didn't know if they had inadvertently violated some taboo. They just hoped that no conflict would break out.

But Hela only paused for a moment.

After a moment, she continued walking forward without looking back, her tone very calm: "Your Majesty Ruoan has mentioned Count Hughes several times. He has always guarded the borders of the Empire and shared the burdens of His Majesty—such loyalty deserves to be rewarded."

Gaia was somewhat stunned. Where was the lord's loyalty?
However, Beatrice is now not only the Pope but also the Empress of the Empire. If she says that Hughes is loyal, then naturally the Imperial Cabinet will look for evidence of Hughes's loyalty.

Gaia could only offer a perfunctory thanks, while Erwin, standing to the side, glanced at her, sensing that something was amiss.

Hela is clearly from the Mechanical Sanctuary. She introduced herself as the Minister of the Myriad Machines just now, but now she is speaking on behalf of the Empire to commend Hughes.

It seems that the empire has truly fallen completely into the hands of the Papacy, and church personnel are no longer even avoiding suspicion, directly taking charge of political affairs.

The group walked along the long corridor that ran through Rhine City. They hadn't really noticed it from the airship, but now that they were standing on it, they could truly appreciate the grandeur of the building.

The stone-paved road is covered with intricate patterns and inlaid with gold leaf.

Upon closer inspection, the gold foil is only inlaid on the inside of the pattern, so that the overall look is neither too overpowering nor too ostentatious, while still making the entire corridor resplendent in gold.

Sunlight spilled onto it, reflecting golden glitter like thousands of candlelight flickering, and as it moved forward, even the Castel people felt it was sacred.

No wonder the Silent Church says their church is simple; even this one porch is full of ingenuity.

just
The group exchanged glances, then looked down from the covered walkway.

Beneath their stone-paved corridors stand rows of straight, square stone pillars topped with pointed arches, intricately carved with patterns, extending down toward the Rhine.

Perhaps because it was so high up, they couldn't see the ground below, only countless towering church spires and connecting corridors, with priests from candlelight vigils and mechanical chapels coming and going, and entertainers reciting hymns.

The sunlight gilded the entire city.

Sacred, peaceful, clean, perfect, just...
Is this the industrial city of Rhine?
What about industry? What about factories? What about the roaring steam engines? What about the chimneys belching black smoke?

Gaia opened her mouth, but ultimately didn't ask the question.

It's easy to see that this topic is somewhat sensitive.

They're only here to exchange technology, so let's avoid causing trouble.

“The Gear Sanctuary of the Sanctuary is just ahead. Please wait for me a moment.” Hela walked forward alone.

The group stopped and looked up at the buildings in front of them.

(End of this chapter)