Industrial Cthulhu: Starting as an Island Lord
Chapter 235: Another Coincidence?

The Mind Link disconnected, and Beatrice let out a long breath.

She felt an indescribable emotion in her heart. The sudden link, the stranger speaking in her mind—these should have been frightening to her.

But working together to find a way to save Gwen had unknowingly drawn them closer.

Although she was also in a desperate situation, barely able to protect herself, discussing with Fries and the captain about finding food and treating Gwen made her temporarily forget her own troubles, filling her heart with warmth.

Beatrice couldn’t quite explain it. She had been trying to harden her heart. She knew she would gain nothing from helping that little girl named Gwen. Yet, doing so still made her happy.

She wasn’t without personal motives. She also wanted to use this opportunity to demonstrate her strength and expand her influence.

She was the imprisoned Pope of the Church, but this link made her realize she wasn’t entirely powerless. At the very least, she had saved a little girl, hadn’t she?

Beatrice stood up from her chair. For the first time in days, a smile appeared on her face.

On Castel Island, Hughes also let out a long breath. They hadn’t gained much new information today, but it was still a small step forward.

Bringing Gwen into the link had been an accident, but he hadn’t expected this little girl to bring so many surprises.

When he pulled Beatrice in, she had been highly wary at first. But as they discussed how to save Gwen, Hughes could clearly feel their guardedness slowly easing.

Both committing bad deeds together and doing good deeds together could quickly bring people closer.

Thinking about it, pulling Beatrice in this time had also been an accident. He had originally wanted to see who he could connect to in Rhine, only to find a single thread leading solely to Beatrice.

This… was strange.

Hughes had many social connections in Rhine. He was, after all, a duke’s illegitimate son. Though he was unwelcome in high society, he still had many ties. In Duke Cohen’s territory alone, he had formed multiple connections. So why was Beatrice the only one in Rhine?

Rhine was the capital of the Empire. There should be even more nobles there.

Hughes couldn’t understand. Could all the nobles have disappeared?

At least there was one benefit—he could precisely pull Beatrice into the link. Even though she had only recently joined the Church of Candlelight, she was still part of the Church, which could be helpful.

Now that she knew Castel’s current state, she would likely reach out to the Church of Candlelight. Hughes was counting on them to contribute as well.

A knock sounded at the door, and Connor’s voice came from outside. "Young Master, Chloe has invited you to the Eastern Test Site."

Hughes sighed. He knew why Chloe had come looking for him—it was most likely because she wanted to set out on the airship.

He wasn’t opposed to exploration. Initially, he had wanted to gather more information from those connected through the link, but so far, they had all been focused on saving Gwen. It didn’t seem like they would be discussing Castel anytime soon.

He also found it difficult to pull the right people into the link at the moment.

So… he might as well let Chloe take a few flights first.

Even just surveying the island’s current state would be useful. The people of Castel were now trapped in the Grand Cathedral, knowing little about the situation outside.

Since the last bombing had disrupted the enemy’s offensive, the monsters had been attacking less aggressively. But Hughes felt uneasy. He had a nagging feeling that this was merely the calm before the storm.

As a precaution, he had already begun mass-producing steam-powered boats. These flying machines, capable of carrying high-yield explosives, might have a decisive impact on the battlefield.

The development of artillery was also progressing. It was said to be nearing completion, but the fuse technology remained an issue, making reliability too low.

The banshees’ steam rifles could hold the line for now. These weapons, while limited in ammunition, packed a serious punch—enough to be considered small cannons.

Arriving at the Eastern Test Site, Hughes was surprised to see the skeletal frames of three airships.

Chloe stood beside one of them, her hands outstretched, with threads constantly flowing from each fingertip. The threads wove together, forming large sheets of fabric that wrapped around the airship.

It really did look like a moth spinning silk…

Would those who advanced along this Extraordinary path eventually grow wings?

Chloe noticed Hughes and turned her head. Her orange-red eyes glowed so brightly they resembled burning flames.

Hughes raised an eyebrow in surprise. As Chloe stopped spinning silk, the glow in her eyes faded.

So her eyes lit up when she used her abilities…

Unfortunately, he still couldn’t pull her into the link. It was as if the entire island of Castel was being blocked—completely cut off from any connecting threads.

“How’s the preparation going?”

“Almost complete. Can I go up and take a look?”

“Go ahead.” Hughes sighed. “Besides you, who else can make this fabric?”

“All Chrysalis-path Extraordinary beings can. Spinning silk is a basic ability—we all can do it.”

Chloe counted on her fingers. “Richard can actually do it too, but he’s been holed up in the dissection room all day. I don’t know what’s so fascinating about those corpses. Their insides are just a tangled mess, with barely any normal structures.”

“Other than him, most of the Moths Chasing Fire are here helping out. Building airships isn’t too difficult, but I didn’t dare make too many at once. This is a completely new invention, so we need to run tests first. Who knows what adjustments might be needed?”

She had a point. The airships needed test flights.

But Castel wasn’t an ideal place for testing. Beyond the walls, monsters lurked everywhere. Even if the airship was full of Extraordinary beings, they might not be able to fight their way back after landing outside.

That was why Hughes was being so cautious.

Seeing his approval, Chloe immediately called Nini and the others onto the airship.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be careful. If we run into trouble, we’ll try to land near the Network Path entrance.”

Nini added, “I spoke with Ash. She’ll have her squad ready to pick me up in the Network Path. Plus, I’m bringing two sets of steam rifles. If we encounter enemies, we’ll definitely fight our way back!”

She patted the canisters at her waist. She carried two steam rifles, one on each side.

With six arms, a banshee could easily wield two weapons at once.

“Alright, stay safe. If anything happens, contact me through the Mind Link. Start by surveying the island.”

Nini and Chloe waved at him before stepping onto the airship.

Soon, the airship lifted off, gradually becoming a small dot in the sky.

『Lord, the monsters are starting to gather for an attack!』

Ash’s voice suddenly rang through the Mind Link.

Now?

Such a coincidence?

Hughes frowned and looked up at the airship in the sky.

Was this really just a coincidence?