Industrial Cthulhu, starting from the island lord

Chapter 32 Hope
Xiu Si frowned and thought about it. He had very little information. From the quick glimpse he got when Brother Keschi shook hands with him, he only vaguely remembered a few of the constituent elements.

Out of curiosity, he had carefully memorized the several "inscriptions" that constituted Brother Keschi.

Those inscriptions seemed subtly different from the inscriptions on the hole in the confessional wall that I had just felt.

Xiusi had no knowledge of these inscriptions, but he had seen a lot of engineering drawings in his previous life and was already familiar with constructing the three-dimensional appearance of parts in his mind, so he felt something was wrong at first glance.

The two inscriptions are basically the same in their main structure, but completely opposite in the details.

Perhaps it's because of their different functions. After all, one is a fixed building, and the other is a mechanical human body.
Ok?
Hughes thought of another point. Brother Keschi was practically indistinguishable from a human. His handshake felt like normal flesh and blood, whereas the Candlelight Priest who had killed him was covered in exaggerated, awkward mechanical parts.
"Sir? Sir Zeus?" Chloe's somewhat vigilant voice came over.

Hughes smiled and softly apologized to Sister Chloe on the other side of the confessional, assuring her that he was merely curious.

After some consolation, Chloe accepted his statement with some doubts - after all, he donated money, and she couldn't drive him away because of such a rash behavior.

What's more, Zeus's apology was very sincere, and Chloe quickly dispelled her dissatisfaction.

"Then please tell me, I will be here to listen to your troubles."

Zeus also sorted out his thoughts and found that the extraordinary power hidden in the candlelight was just an unexpected surprise. He did have many questions when he came here.

"I have some troubles, and I also have some questions that I would like Sister Chloe to help me with."

He spoke carefully.

When they came out of the church, the sun was about to set, and Hughes and Connor rode towards the manor.

There were no street lights in this era, and it was very dangerous to travel after dark. Fortunately, this place was not far from the manor, and he could get back before the sun set.

However, it is not so convenient for the fishermen on the island to return home. Hughes looked at the bumpy road. If he wanted to open a night school in the future, he would have to solve the problem of lighting at night. Without light at night, all activities could only be carried out during the day.

He made a mental note of this, and out of the corner of his eye he caught a glimpse of Connor's slightly worried expression.

Zeus understood why his old butler was worried - the discord between the royal family and the church was almost an open secret, and as a retainer of the Queen, he should not get too close to the church.

In fact, he didn't intend to get too close.

The church does have some extraordinary powers, but the risks of contacting them are simply too high.

The "risk" here is different from that of most people. In fact, Zeus does not particularly care about the "risk" that endangers his life. He will not really die. Instead, the body is a kind of constraint to him.

But the church's methods seemed to include more than just violence. Hughes was vaguely worried that they might have some means of mental control. The church had quite a number of fanatics, and Hughes was not sure whether they were inherently so devout or whether the church had resorted to some means.

Anyway, based on his experience in the confessional, at least Candlelight had put a lot of thought into the construction of the confessional. As for whether they would also use these ingenuity to control people's hearts, he didn't want to gamble. "Don't worry, old Connor, I don't plan to have much contact with the church." Hughes said.

"I just need to understand what role they can play—you know, you never know when you might need them for treatment."

Treatment, including the treatment of injuries and illnesses, is a major responsibility of the church and also a means of making money.

Unlike the terrible medical methods of the Middle Ages West on Blue Planet, the church in this world really has some abilities, as Zeus has just confirmed personally.

He talked to Chloe about the bloodletting method and the Four Liquids Theory on Blue Star, but she looked confused and advised him not to read these "superstitions".

Then the various treatment methods Chloe told him about already had the prototypes of modern medicine on Blue Star. Although she had no concept of bacteria, she understood the role of disinfection and anesthesia - don't underestimate this. With the concept of disinfection and anesthesia, at least there would be no operations with a 300% mortality rate.

Although the implementation method is very church-like.

According to Chloe, there is a kind of "holy water" in the church that can be used to wash wounds to prevent them from becoming infected and festered. The needles and knives used to suture the wounds also need to be washed. Burning a specific incense and reciting prayers can make the patient temporarily unconscious and feel no pain.

Zeus was almost certain that supernatural powers were involved, because the holy water preparation process Chloe mentioned had nothing to do with disinfection, but it did have the effect of disinfection and sterilization.

Alas, I don’t know why this world hides the existence of extraordinary powers, even though it can clearly benefit more ordinary people.

Castel Island is blessed with unique conditions. Whether it is fish in the sea or sweet fruits in the forest, it is difficult for anyone to starve to death.

In his previous advents, Zeus had seen many people starving to death in the empire. Even in the capital, Rhine, there were large slums. The average life expectancy of factory workers was less than 30 years old, and yet this was a job that everyone envied.

This world is probably sick.

Hughes's eyes dimmed a little.

He was not a born saint. With the ability to descend into a human body, all he wanted was to play around in the world and show off his saintliness in front of others.

But every time I came here, all I saw were souls suffering in pain, and pitiful people lying on the roadside with hope and unwillingness. Gradually, my original idea faded.

He has a heart of flesh and blood, and he has feelings. Since he has the knowledge in his head that can change the world, and since he has so many bodies that he doesn't have to fear death, why not try to do something?
The more times he descended, the more determined he became. He wanted to let the torrent of industry sweep across the world, let the blood of greedy nobles soak the gold coins, let the executioners who ignited the war fall under the guillotine, and let the poor and miserable people have bread on their plates.

Industry will bring many new problems and new pain to people, but it is progress anyway, and progress is better than standing still.

No system can solve all problems once and for all, not even Hughes, but he can bring hope to people.

It’s good to have hope. Human beings are great creatures. As long as there is hope, there is the courage to move forward.

(End of this chapter)