Industrial Cthulhu, starting from the island lord

Chapter 120 The evil god summoned before has not left yet
Chloe pinched her waist and opened her eyes wide.

"Why, you also think we shouldn't steal it? Just let them shelve the knowledge like this?"

No, I just feel that you are too good at doing things secretly. You even secretly summoned an evil god before.

Hughes thought about it carefully and said seriously: "I don't think stealing knowledge is a real solution to the problem."

"Then what do you think we should do?"

“Reason with them.”

“They won’t listen.”

"Then talk to them about physics."

"Physics? What physics? Those physics classes you teach?" Chloe looked a little confused.

"Yes, they still live in this world and follow the physical laws of this world. We may not be able to convince them ideologically, but at least we can eliminate them physically."

"But how is that possible? That's the Empire, the Candlelight Society. You haven't seen their power."

"You haven't seen the power of industry either—what do you think this knowledge you have is? A hobby? Something fun?"

Hughes shook his head and pointed to the steam engine not far away.

"That steel machine took me three days to build. You probably have an idea of how much power it takes, right? You're a Transcendent, can you withstand that machine?"

"Once my factory is built, these machines will fill the warehouse one by one. Once my steel mill is built, its production capacity will only be limited by the number of skilled workers. How many extraordinary people does your sect have?"

"You've probably seen a musket before. It doesn't pose much of a threat to transcendents, but if I triple the charge and increase the size of the bullet, even the strongest armor won't be able to withstand its power. What if I increase it thirty times?"

"It takes three days to build a steam engine. How long will it take to build a musket in the future? How long will it take to train a transcendent?"

Chloe was a little stunned. The people in her sect were simply pursuing knowledge, but they had never thought about using knowledge to change the world - they couldn't even find a slightly stable environment, let alone think about anything else.

What Hughes said was not an exaggeration. Chloe had some understanding of these techniques. She knew in her heart that these were true. This was the first time she looked at knowledge from this perspective.

Knowledge, science, truth, these vague concepts were originally some kind of spiritual power to her, but now they were cast by Hughes with cold steel, allowing Chloe to glimpse a corner of the future.

Scientific research, technological progress, and the future of truth appearing in the world.

Well, that's really
Chloe bit her lip and couldn't help but feel a little shaken. Just thinking about that kind of future made her feel uncontrollably happy. If it really came true, she felt it would be worth it even if she died.

But does such a world really exist? Being able to learn knowledge and research freely is just a fantasy.

Is it a fantasy?
The steam engine before us is not a fantasy, the newly built factory is not a fantasy, and the changes on Castell Island are not a fantasy.

"Sister Chloe, you should understand what I'm thinking right now—I want to change the world."

Hughes also looked at the steam engine, his eyes full of love and expectation.

"I know all this is difficult. I have many enemies, and even the world stands in our way. No one is willing to embark on this thorny road. I can only move forward alone. But since you call yourselves the Moths Chasing Fire, you must also yearn for that light and warmth."

"If it's possible—"

"You seek knowledge, I make it real, and let our common will prevail over this world."

"I will help you take away the knowledge you couldn't steal, and I will help you take back the land you were driven away from."

"I will set fire to the corrupt, the old-fashioned, the stubborn, the ignorant and the greedy."

Hughes stroked the steam engine and smiled gently.

"Sister Chloe."

"Are you willing to add fuel to the fire?"

Chloe swallowed. She took a deep breath, trying to calm her rapid breathing, but it was impossible.

So she knew that she didn't have to make a choice. She was a moth chasing fire, and the fire she had been waiting for for a long time appeared before her eyes. She had no second option.

"Our research is very dangerous and very expensive. It's not something you can just throw in a few coins in a donation box. You'll be worrying about how to get the money every day. Damn it, I mean..."

"I am willing."

She let out a long breath, as if she had unloaded some heavy burden, and her face showed an expression of fatigue and relief.

After such a long time, the fire moths finally found their companions. There was a territory willing to accept these wanderers.

I just hope the conditions aren't too harsh. Chloe still forced herself to speak again:
"Am I understanding correctly? You...you mean you're willing to provide us with shelter? What do we need? Help you improve your machines? I've already told you that our extraordinary abilities aren't good for direct combat. Don't expect us to go to the battlefield."

Zeus had already thought of this. He planned to first conclude a relatively loose alliance with the Fire Moths. After tying them to his chariot, they would take the initiative to come up and show their value.

So Xius also said seriously:

"Yes, I will offer you asylum. You can obtain a long-term employment contract and live freely on the island. I am also willing to fund your research. Of course, the research results must be shared."

"I promise not to forcibly assign you to external battlefields. If it is necessary to defend our homeland, I may still recruit you. If the situation is urgent, I may mobilize everyone on Castel."

"Another point is that you need to hide the name of the Fire Moth. You know, it will bring a lot of trouble."

Chloe listened quietly and was stunned for a few seconds after Hughes finished speaking.

Is this gone?

It's that simple?
To be honest, Zeus's promise exceeded her best expectations. The other lords were tempted to take them in, but most of them just wanted to use their extraordinary people.

The church's supernatural power basically does not set foot in the mundane world, and only appears when solving various secret incidents. If any lords and nobles want to contact the supernatural, they basically have to find cultists like them.

Therefore, her bottom line is to allocate half of the extraordinary people to work for the lord in exchange for protection.

But all Hughes asked was to share research results. Hell, their doctrine was about sharing knowledge, so this wasn't even a condition.

He is also willing to fund research.

He's even willing to fund research!?

No one knows better than Chloe how much money research and experiments cost. As the chief, she worries about gold coins all day long.

Chloe's eyes gradually widened, and she began to feel that she might have misunderstood the lord - he seemed to really just love knowledge and research.

Oh no, why do I still feel a little guilty?
But even though she felt guilty, Chloe still had to take advantage of the opportunity. She coughed lightly.

"Well, we are willing to accept your proposal, so we are allies now."

Hughes and Chloe shook hands solemnly, and this marked the formation of their alliance.

"I'll send you the specific covenant documents later. The specific contents are what we just discussed. I'll build you a testing ground nearby—of course, any dangerous experiments must be reported in advance."

"That's great, but it's a dangerous experiment." Chloe rolled her eyes and continued, "I have something I want to report right now."

"Want to do a dangerous experiment?"

The corner of Zeus's eye twitched. Don't you have too many dangerous things? Are you so impatient?
"Well, it can't be called an experiment, but it's actually a hassle."

"explain.

"Didn't we summon an evil god before? It hasn't left yet."

(End of this chapter)