Industrial Cthulhu, starting from the island lord

Chapter 716 gave her a boiler-themed outfit, a sense of belonging.
After much deliberation, Beatrice chose to use the word "fear" to describe the state of pollution.

She felt the pollution within her body was not like it was when she was suppressed by the steam engine; although her vitality had decreased, it was still relentlessly causing trouble for her.

Now, the pollution within her body seemed to have vanished; she simply remained quietly in place, completely devoid of any signs of life, like...
Like a mouse seeing a cat, or a sparrow seeing an eagle, they are completely helpless in the face of their natural enemy.

To be precise, close your eyes and wait for death.

But what is here that makes pollution so afraid?
Beatrice looked up at Hughes, and a thought suddenly struck her.

Could it be a stellar furnace?

The stellar furnace contained an incomparably powerful evil god; even a single glance from it rendered her powerless to resist, and it seemed that the corruption within her subsided after that.
Beatrice had also heard that one of the sources of pollution seemed to be the ocean, with pollution constantly gushing out of the sea for thousands of years, which was very likely related to it.

Hughes nodded noncommittally. To be honest, he had a pretty good idea of ​​what was going on; it was probably related to him.

Although he didn't know why, the pollution had always been afraid of him. Even when it descended into the body of the evil god, the pollution, which was so dense that it was almost solid, could not harm him in the slightest. Instead, it was easily purified by him.

Wait, if you think about it this way...
Hughes narrowed his eyes. If he could descend into Beatrice's body, wouldn't he be able to directly purify the pollution within her?

Unfortunately, he cannot descend; it seems he can only descend into the body within the throne room. The body he found in Gem Bay cannot be used for his descent.

Speaking of that body, it had been impossible to use until recently, when Richard said there seemed to be new progress, all thanks to the information Beatrice brought.

Thinking of this, Hughes's gaze softened considerably.

Although Beatrice had always been a member of the Candlelight Society, she had been helping Castel from beginning to end, even offering assistance in the group chat he used with his worker, Shuzla.

In addition to the mechanical sanctuary information she provided, Hughes had always considered her one of his own.

"Then you should rest for a while and stay here at the main church. The medical conditions and environment here are quite good, and it will be easier to deal with any problems that may arise. I will have the doctor examine you later."

Beatrice nodded, then, as if remembering something, added, "Ordinary doctors, not legendary doctors."

"Don't worry, Monica is still locked up, and Gwen is spending all her time at the testing grounds playing with the storm generator, so she won't be coming over for the time being. I'll have Richard come up with a treatment plan for you. He's a very good doctor—good at a normal level, not legendary."

Hughes himself felt a little strange about what he said.

How did these legendary talents manage to turn Castel into this mess?
Beatrice breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. Living here with the stellar furnace suppressing her condition, she should be able to recover slowly.

Speaking of this
“Count, I have a request.”

Hughes raised an eyebrow, signaling her to continue.

"When I came here in the airship, the steam engine on the airship took very good care of me. If it weren't for it, I wouldn't have made it this far. Could you bring it here to keep me company?"

Beatrice and the steam engine on the airship had a very good relationship; in fact, most machine spirits had a good impression of Beatrice.

After all, no machine can refuse a friend that spits out fuel.
Moreover, outside of Castel, pollution is actually a rare thing. Steam engines are not picky about fuel, and most of the machine spirits outside can only survive by burning coal. The fact that pollution can be burned on the airship is also thanks to Beatrice, this new type of fountain.

Hughes paused for a moment, then nodded in realization: "I understand, you're not used to sleeping in the same bed, right?"

Beatrice: "???"

"I heard that you slept in the steam engine boiler every day on the airship. You must have gotten used to it by now. Don't worry, I'll make arrangements."

Beatrice felt a sudden unease, a vague sense of foreboding, but she didn't know how to speak for a moment.

She simply had a good relationship with the machine spirit; she didn't have the strange habit of sleeping in the boiler. Hughes, on the other hand, had already begun giving instructions via the mental link:

"Have the airport send over a steam engine, the one Beatrice uses on the airship."

"Yes, take it to her bedroom."

"And while you're at it, renovate Beatrice's room. Style? What else could it be? Boiler style, of course!"

"We want her to feel welcome as soon as she enters the house, as if she's back in the boiler room. That would make her feel so at home!"

"No, not the kind with a swirl furnace, just a regular boiler. A swirl furnace is for upgraded housing; we'll upgrade that later."

"Maybe once she gets used to it, she'll ask to live in the furnace herself."

While Hughes was issuing commands via the mental link, Beatrice was unaware of this. She noticed that the Earl on the other side seemed to suddenly stop, looking thoughtful.

Beatrice held her teacup, secretly glancing at him a few times, her face gradually turning red again.

Suddenly, her spiritual senses were triggered, and she subconsciously turned her head to look, seeing two heads peeking out from the office doorway, one on the left and one on the right.

Gaia and Zoe, who had chosen to stay outside instead of coming in, were now looking over with gossipy expressions.

Seeing Beatrice looking over, the two of them, instead of realizing they'd been caught, grinned and sidled up to her.

"So, is Nini's report true?"

"What report?"

“Exactly.” Zoe’s eyes were full of excitement as she leaned close to Beatrice and whispered in her ear.
"It is said that you are the illegitimate daughter of the lord and Her Majesty Queen Isabella!"

Beatrice was stunned.

"I saw your face turn red, you must have, right? You saw your father but didn't dare to acknowledge him, and could only silently suppress these feelings in your heart. Wow, Beatrice, you've been through so much!"

Zoe was so moved by what she said that she reached up and wiped her eyes.

After Hughes finalized the decorating style for Beatrice's room, the Banshee decorating team was immediately dispatched—the Banshees' enthusiasm for such matters is always unexpected.

Hughes finally breathed a sigh of relief, only to realize that the office was in complete chaos.

Beatrice was chasing Zoe and hitting her, while Gaia pretended to try to break up the fight, but there was a hint of excitement in her eyes.

"Cough cough!"

Beatrice froze, her face turning red from her neck to the tips of her ears. She let out a few sobs, covered her face, and ran away.

Hughes looked bewildered: "What happened?"

"Sigh, it's all Nini's fault."

"Wasn't Nini already put in solitary confinement?" Hughes was increasingly confused. "Is a legendary reporter really that powerful?"

(End of this chapter)