Industrial Cthulhu, starting from the island lord

Chapter 681 The Prince's Test

Castel is indeed a magical place.

Betty knew that if it weren't for Castells, the humorous bald middle-aged man in front of her would only be the high and mighty Duke.

The noble lords were able to shake hands and talk to him not because they were kind-hearted, but because Castells' ironclad warships were docked in the nearby port, and he could see the airships just by looking up. There were also Secret Order patrols on the streets.

Bettis's eyes flickered.

It was the Imperial Truth Guardians who pulled her from the ruins of Bloodharbor; it was the relief funds approved by Schuster that helped her pay for her parents' funerals; and it was Castell's school that provided her with food so she wouldn't starve.

Even if Gwen hadn't disappeared, she would have donated some money to the church.

Looking at the Duke before her, Betty suddenly felt less nervous.

She had never eaten the Duke's food, nor received any help from him; they had only happened to be standing on the same land.

"It's so delicious, I'll have another one!" Alvarez exclaimed, handing over a Rio.

"Thank you for your patronage!" Betty smiled knowingly, tossing Leo into the cash box beside her. The clinking of coins mingled with the bubbling of boiling oil, drifting away on the wind in the Blood Harbor's morning light.

This is a magical land, where there is always sea breeze, sunshine, and hope.

You let them go?

The prince turned his gaze away from the window, and the aroma of fried fish wafted in through the crack, making Hughes swallow hard.

"Yes, Alvarez has shown clear progress and a tendency toward reform during his studies in Castel. I think it would be a better choice to send him back—he will bring about change in the North."

“I believe that a purge should be carried out completely, without any roots of trouble,” the prince said softly, as if he were talking about a trivial matter.

"That depends on what you're purging. If you're purging the nobility, then of course you should make them bleed to the last drop. But I'm purging ignorance and conservatism, and he..."

Hughes gestured with his chin toward the window.

“No, Alvarez is even more open to new things than most Castel people. To be honest, his learning ability is only average, but I don’t think his achievements will stop there.”

The prince's eyes flickered, then he suddenly turned his head and stared intently at Hughes, asking, "Are you saying that you don't care about status?"

"Yes, one's background can only determine the past, but if one clings to outdated beliefs, it is impossible to move towards the future."

After Hughes finished speaking, he handed over a document. The prince opened it, quickly flipped through it, and raised an eyebrow.

"Your delegation is quite outrageous; you've brought His Holiness the Pope back with you?"

"It was indeed somewhat unexpected, but at least the mission was accomplished."

Zoe and Gaia originally traveled by train from Bloodharbor to the North, and then from the North to the Rhine Empire.

But now that there is a pope in the group, and because Beatrice's health is so poor, the delegation decided after discussion to skip the train and fly back to Bloodport directly by airship.

This can avoid secondary damage, since no one knows whether Beatrice can withstand the turmoil of a change of fortune.

Therefore, at White Stone Fortress, the delegation did not leave the airship, but only sent someone down to deliver a message, replenish their food and water, and then continued their journey.

Well, there's no need to replenish the fuel. With Miss Fountain around, the steam engine on the airship is producing more and more pollution.

A train can take half a day to return from the North to Bloodharbor, and an airship can do the same. The Wall of Despair is located almost at the westernmost edge of the North, and the total railway distance from White Rock Keep to Bloodharbor exceeds one thousand kilometers, taking more than ten hours by train.

Although airships are slightly slower than trains, they can travel in a straight line without wasting time taking detours.

Unfortunately, the message from the delegation had already been delivered to Hughes by train, but the airship hadn't even covered half the distance.

The airship is highly susceptible to weather conditions. Zoe and her group encountered a thunderstorm on their way and had to descend to avoid it. They have not been able to set off again yet.

The prince looked at the intelligence report in his hand, but remained silent for a moment. This was the result he had been hoping for, but his mind was elsewhere.

"What do you plan to do with this pope? She is now not only the pope of the Candlelight Society and the Mechanical Sanctuary, but also the empress of the empire."

“I’ve said it before, I don’t care about status. Whether it’s a duke, the church, or an empress, I don’t care. People can’t choose their birth, but they can choose their future.” Hughes’s voice was calm and unhurried, giving a sense of peace.

"Therefore, I will deal with Miss Beatrice, not the Pope or the Queen. My attitude depends on her choice."

"Surname, bloodline, belief, these are all very important things. The secular world uses them as a basis to divide people into noble and lowly, but I don't care."

Hughes looked up to meet the prince's gaze, and the two saw the determination in each other's eyes.

Hughes knew this was the prince testing him, and he understood why the prince would do this.

This is a very important matter. They are about to unite and launch a war against the largest country on the continent that will sweep across the entire world.

They must make their attitudes clear to each other.

Hughes sat behind his desk, his expression unwavering.

He was no longer the young man who had just transmigrated. He still had that passionate spirit in his heart, but it had been tempered by time and war.

He was no longer just a penniless idealist; sitting in this office was a genuine count on the frontier of the empire.

With only a book of investiture and a few men, he pacified the coastal and northern borders, and now he is setting his sights on the Rhine.

"So when do you plan to start the war?"

“No need to rush,” the prince said softly. “I may also have a ceremony that needs to be completed.”

"Need any help? You know, I got a lot of technology from the Mechanical Sanctuary." Hughes gestured with the package in his hand. The technology Beatrice provided had already been studied and copied by the delegation on the airship, and it had now arrived in his hands with the vehicle.

His words were pointed, but the prince did not respond.

"No need, I have my own plans. War involves many things, and I need to prepare in advance."

Hughes nodded.

Castel is now the true leader. It's good that the prince is willing to send troops. Even without the prince and the Duchy of Tis, Castel is not afraid to fight the Candlelight Society.

Moreover, Castells is now in a period of rapid expansion. Not only is Bloodharbor developing, but the North is also in a different state of affairs.

Hughes turned to look at the window. Amy and Alvarez had already left Betty's shop and were heading towards the station.

They were preparing to head to the North.

(End of this chapter)