Industrial Cthulhu? It's Cthulhu Industrial!!

Chapter 43 Because I’m Kind (Please give me a monthly ticket!)
There are no words to describe the current scene, because it has surpassed all human descriptions.

The lights in the sky were by no means normal natural or magical creations. They were a stinging, sharp, and nauseating madness, as if all the chaos and ugliness in the world were present in that dim light. The moment they were illuminated, all the angel matrices screamed in pain.

But that was nothing. Far more terrifying was the voice emanating from the fog. From that voice, darkness took on a life of its own. Every shadow within sight, even the reflections in the cabins of their fleet, even the shadows of humans moving about, began to whisper, telling of the arrival of some almighty being, of some insurmountable, incomprehensible terror spreading through the sky.

"Well, it's a bit rude to talk from such a distance, so I'll go over there."

The transcendent individual spoke thus, causing human reason to scream in everyone's mind.

But the saddest thing is that when many humans face an environment that makes them want to go crazy, scream, and despair, they can do nothing.

They could only stare in amazement as the black shadows began to converge, the formless darkness expanding in all directions like a folded pocket. It wasn't magic, nor was it a spell, but rather a bizarre existence beyond cognition and reason, beyond the prayers of the gods.

As if a part of their brain had vanished, the moment their mental will began to dissolve, all the screams vanished into the ocean. Under the dim light and pale green mist, the shadow of a young man stood on the deck. The surrounding angel matrix and defense array seemed to have warped space itself, allowing him to step through a gap. However, all evidence proved that this distorted human did not exist.

Whether it was the Defense Matrix, the Cognition Filter, or anything else, there was no warning.

This means that it at least folded and distorted the current space-time, overlapping the two parts together, so that it could walk onto the deck with the angel matrix intact.

"I'm Leon. Of course, to you, I should be Leon, Leon Spencer Hibernia, the Empire's pioneering lord. If nothing unexpected happens, I will provide you with certain assistance and specialties, unless your action this time is to attack my territory."

The shadow gradually changed into the appearance of a man and sat on a chair on the deck.

He looked graceful in his movements and had a very calm expression, even a little relaxed, as he casually picked up the sour wine and rotten steak.

Then the bizarre human was stunned when he saw the rotten food in his hand.

"...I know Britannia's food taste is a real problem, but I didn't expect you to start eating shit in just six months."

"There is certainly a reason for this, my lord."

"But I don't think any reason can convince someone to eat shit so seriously... Forget it, since you haven't attacked immediately, it seems you're here to communicate. Out of my friendship and sincerity, I will give you some fresh fruits and food."

Sitting on the chair, Leon looked at the navy captain and army lieutenant colonel in front of him, shook his head with pity, and snapped his fingers.

Under the gaze of the dim evil light, some fruits that looked like clusters of flowers and extremely delicious emerged silently from the shadows, fell on the plate that had become clean and tidy at some point, and then floated into Leon's hands.

He casually plucked a bright red fruit and nibbled on it gently. The bright red juice always made him feel uneasy. Meanwhile, Leon sat in the elegant high-backed chair, taking the main seat as if it were his due. He looked down at the two people in front of him who couldn't even speak clearly, and raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"What? You don't want to eat? Even if there is a war, it will be between you and my servants, right?"

"We... don't quite understand your idea."

"It's simple. I won't take action myself, or rather, I'll only do limited things. After all, I'm a human being, and I can't be too biased. You are indeed attackers, but I won't kill you all instantly. That would have an unhealthy impact on my civilization. Sometimes they need bloodshed and action to have potential for development. I don't know if you can understand that."

The figure curled up on the high-back chair gnawed at the bright red body, and the light red juice spread in all directions, sending some kind of mentally uneasy signal.

"Since you are the Punishment Fleet, if we discover any special secrets, we should proceed according to normal standards. Launch attacks correctly, engage in confrontations correctly, and then engage in war and bloodshed and death correctly. If this civilization fails, then I will find an opportunity to visit my next birthplace. I will also change into a normal identity."

"...I think you may have misunderstood. The main reason we're here isn't to punish those who know these secrets. Strictly speaking, the secret has already been leaked. You didn't thoroughly investigate the internal information when you left, and those people were already executed due to the soul-checking mechanism. Their secrets have already been secretly revealed, but this was used as grounds for political infighting, not as a real punishment."

"Oh, so what are you guys here for? I don't think you've come all this way for half a year just to chat with me."

"..."

Looking at the light green fog around him, and the sky turning back into countless tentacles that began to flash everywhere, like living lights, the naval captain felt more and more bitter in his heart.

What to say next?

It's not that they can't fight. The Punishment Fleet's strength is definitely not as simple as it appears. But the god, or rather, the thing that looks like a god, sitting at the table, gives people a very strange feeling. If it were a real crazy god, the fleet today could also shoot it down. Kind gods can communicate and share what they have. Britannia is not so rigid.

But this strange person in front of him seemed to have no interest in either side. Instead, he seemed to be a real human being, starting from the perspective of human politics.

You are a god, shouldn't you talk to us about faith, cognition, or even the soul?

If it's an evil deity, the fleet will transform into a punitive force, rapidly transforming, and using the fleet's armed forces to utterly annihilate the evil deity. If it's a good deity, they'll sign the Treaty of Britannia, becoming part of the nation's divine heritage. Everyone's here, the fleets are here, the chariots are laid out, and everyone knows what's going on. The only reason they didn't fight was because you're a god. And now you claim to be a noble, reduced to this situation by political identity and fierce struggle, and then to pull a civilization apart. What's to be done now depends on the conflict between the nobles? Are you sure you're not being funny?
"Look at your expressions, I probably understand. You simply don't believe that I was sent here by the brutal political struggle."

A dim and irritating light flickered, and a white handkerchief floated down. Leon wiped his mouth with it, then looked at the two people whose expressions were a little out of control and said seriously:

"You may have some fundamental misunderstandings about my existence, so I'll emphasize this again. I'm not the god you imagine. I'm a human. Although my abilities may exceed your imagination, I am undoubtedly a human being."

"...Then, my lord, as a human, what do you require? What do you require from your people and servants in order to please you and grant you your power?"

"No. I'm a human being, why do I need these things?"

After wiping off the bright red juice, the self-proclaimed human man sat on a high-back chair. The space around him was distorted and rounded, overlapping the two worlds as if they were in the same place.

"I've never asked for anything. They just need to live freely and create what they want. My requirements for my people are simple. Each of them has the right to live. I won't use things like blood sacrifices—of course, I don't deny that I might use it in extreme circumstances, but that's only in extreme circumstances, isn't it?"

"Light and darkness? Justice and evil? Aren't those concepts and ideas created by you? What do they have to do with me? I am indeed human, and I am only a kind person. But these great principles, your positions, and your choices are meaningless to me. The idea that behind every light there is a shadow is nonsense to me. A pure source of light without any obstruction is pure light. It is certainly possible to illuminate the entire universe, and it is also possible to silence all the starlight in the universe and turn everything into a dark and dead silence. Saying that it is not possible is just your ignorant thinking."

"You believe your sacrifices and culture should have a certain bottom line, or that your world should have certain rules, so you use these standards to discipline those pathetic gods. Of course, I'm a human, and I'm not influenced by you. I won't do anything extreme like a pure white country or a world of death. All I do is guide humanity towards a better tomorrow, and watch them forge their own future with their own hands. Sometimes their strength may not be enough to support their own power, and then I will support their ideals."

"Why? Because I'm a good person."

Li Ang sat on the chair, looking at the two people in front of him with very strange expressions, and said seriously and firmly:
"I'm doing my best to oversee the growth of my civilization from the perspective of an ordinary person. I will surely defeat the many corrupt kingdoms and become the most powerful civilization. Of course, it will take more time and reincarnations, but this is my first time doing this, so I might be a little unfamiliar. But I think everyone will be accommodating. You will be too, right?"

"...Can I understand that this is a blatant act of treason?"

"You can certainly think so, but I don't think you will do that. Because I will give you some perfect conditions, and you will accept them."

Looking at the two managers in front of him, Leon chuckled softly while sitting in a high-back chair, like an old-fashioned aristocrat who was sure of victory.

In terms of identity, he is certainly like this in theory.

From the perspective of action, it seems impeccable, and it is indeed so.

But looking at the distorted and folded space around him, and the sickening supernatural light, this strange negotiation always gave the two people the illusion that they were gradually destroying Britannia.

And Leon wasn't just talking nonsense; he casually snapped his fingers. Under the supernatural light, several more products emerged from the shadows and light. But compared to the fruit, these products made the naval captain and the army lieutenant colonel narrow their eyes, realizing that Leon seemed to be more than just a mad god.

"This is a small gift I give you, Soul Ceramic Steel Armor. This special ceramic steel material, doped with soul stones, may have two-thirds to three-quarters of the defensive power of Soul Steel, but it weighs only a quarter of it and provides complete resistance to corrosion and distortion."

"Lianshan porcelain is a truly exquisite work of art. Just looking at it can gradually resonate with the soul, drawing it into the world of art. Research has shown that homes entirely decorated with Lianshan porcelain experience a 25% faster recovery rate than homes renovated in older styles. This speed is provided by the building material itself. Customized Lianshan porcelain offers even greater spiritual recovery. I believe this is exactly the trade item you seek."

"...How much can you offer? What do you need in exchange?"

Looking at the white ceramic armor on the table and the exquisite Lianshan kiln porcelain that seemed to absorb one's spirit, their eyes suddenly became serious and they asked in a low voice. Looking at the two people in front of him, Li Ang also smiled and raised his finger.

"It seems the Anglican Church isn't on board the fleet. That makes things easy. According to your fleet's inventory, doesn't it hold over 300,000 blood sacrifices? My needs are simple. I need 10,000 blood sacrifices of the highest caliber, both mentally and physically. You can exchange them for 1,000 tons of soul ceramsite armor and 500 pieces of Lianshan Kiln porcelain."

A simple transaction.

Britannia lacks everything but people.

The Punishment Fleet, with its wings spread wide like a white swan, possessed a blood sacrifice population capable of physically wiping out the entire Misty Sea. If trade could be conducted to avoid war, both sides would undoubtedly accept it. However, this sincere trade request was rejected.

"That's impossible. The price is too low."

The naval captain replied succinctly:

"We need some time to verify whether the item you provided poses any risk and to confirm whether there are any other issues. Most importantly, the price of population has increased, and we can't easily hand over 10,000 high-quality blood sacrifice tributes."

"...Huh? Population prices are rising?? Can it go any higher?"

(End of this chapter)