Industrial Cthulhu, starting from the island lord

Chapter 36 The Enemy of the Enemy

Hughes looked at Connor, considered for a moment and said:
"Yes, so my concern is not that your request for help will not be responded to, but that they..."

"Will bury us and our secrets along with it, won't it?"

Connor didn't answer. He just nodded and stood aside, waiting for Hughes to make a decision.

Xius rubbed his brows and sat in a chair thinking carefully.

This is indeed troublesome, but generally speaking it is controllable.

First of all, the Candlelight Society usually won't get too stiff with the local lords. He is now a border earl. If he is killed by pirates, the queen will only send the next person. But if he is killed by the church without any reason,
The royal family is now trying to find a way to pressure the church because they can't find a reason. Given the church's attitude of overall contraction, it will definitely not take the initiative to hand the knife to the royal family.

Zeus felt that as long as he didn't do anything stupid, the church wouldn't do anything to him, and it wouldn't even matter if he acted a little arrogantly.

He is the Queen's man now!
Besides that, Hughes thought of Chloe.

Perhaps because she was still young and had only joined the church not long ago, he always felt that this girl's style was far from that of the Candlelight Society.

Hughes talked to her for a long time in the confessional.

She is full of enthusiasm and curiosity about the world, and there seems to be a fire in her heart, and everyone who gets close to her will be infected.

Zeus hinted at her attitude towards other races. Although Chloe's tone was a little hesitant, she couldn't hide her curiosity and anticipation.

At that time, Hughes thought that he might be able to get the support of this nun.

I didn't expect to be reconnected so soon.

"I'll contact Sister Chloe first. She's not that resistant to other races." Hughes said thoughtfully, "The attitude of the Candlelight Society isn't that important. This is Sister Chloe's church. I just need to convince her."

And if persuasion failed, Xiu Si looked down at his feet. Castel was an isolated island. The only way to leave was by boat. It would take a long time for any news to be transmitted back to the parish headquarters of the Candlelight Society.

He could easily suppress all unexpected situations. The previous priest died unexpectedly, so it would not be surprising if another nun had an accident.

He can make everything happen perfectly.

But after thinking about it, Hughes gave up this rash idea. It was not that he lacked the courage to carry it out, but he thought of another person he met in the church.

Brother Keschi.

Zeus knew that he was not a living person, but some kind of mechanical creation. His existence must be related to supernatural powers, but Zeus's knowledge of supernatural powers was almost blank.

Is he capable of fighting? Can his soldiers handle him? All of this is unknown.

Zeus thought of the Candlelight Priest who had killed him. That speed was completely beyond his reaction time. Could he really fight against it?

There was a haze in Hughes' eyes.

Although the Candlelight Society had always been low-key, they were definitely not weak. If he wanted to seek help from the Candlelight Society, he had to be cautious and careful. This would waste a lot of time, and time was what he lacked the most.
"Well, Master Hughes, the Candlelight Club is not necessarily the only choice." Connor suddenly said in a low voice.

"Ok?"

"Butler Alexei didn't come here alone. His sister came with him."

"Sister? I remember him like..."

"Yes, he is an orphan adopted by the royal family in the North. He has no blood relatives."

"So this 'sister'?" "It's the royal family's idea," Connor whispered. "Before you took office, the Duke of Cohen sent people to investigate these matters, so he must have tacitly approved it."

Hughes looked at Connor with some confusion. He was originally Duke Cohen's man. From what he said, it seemed that Duke Cohen didn't tell him this?

Duke Cohen chose to pretend he didn't know, not even telling his own people, but he didn't stop them from investigating.
Hughes smelled trouble.

This person's identity must be of great importance.

The royal family is pushing for this, which means it is beneficial to the royal family. The Duke is turning a deaf ear to it, which means he will not suffer any loss.
orphaned sister of the royal duke Alexei
Perhaps the answer lies in the riddle.

Hughes' eyes lit up

"I remember there's a White Crow Duchy in the northern part of the empire, right?" Zeus chuckled and looked at Connor.

"Yes, sir." Connor's eyes flashed with surprise. He didn't expect that before he could say anything, Hughes had already guessed the answer.

"Alexei's 'sister' is a refugee from the White Crow Principality. She was adopted by the royal orphanage when she was young."

"Actually?"

"She is an Undertaker, an Undertaker from the Temple of Silence."

Silent Church? Zeus knew the name. It was one of the four great churches, and their territory was in the White Crow Duchy to the north.

The state religion of the empire is the Candlelight Society. Although the royal family and the Candlelight Society have been drifting apart, they have not yet fallen out, and the Temple of Silence is still nowhere to be seen within the empire.

What are they doing here?
Xius flipped through his memories, and then a hint of realization appeared in his eyes.

It is said that the White Crow Principality seems to have suffered a strange disaster, and now most people are fleeing to the south, even the Silent Temple.

And now it seems that they are very interested in the empire and have extended their hands to the territories of border earls like Hughes.

The royal family and the Candlelight Society are at odds, so they choose to introduce the Silent Temple as a check and balance. Almost no one here knows about the Silent Temple, so it won't pose much of a threat to Zeus. If Zeus comes to them, they will be more willing to provide help.

Even if their attitude towards other races is too radical, there is no need to worry. They have no foundation here and will not make a big fuss.
It's simply the perfect person to turn to.

"Where do Alexei and the others live?"

"It's not far from here. You're going there tomorrow morning, right? You can tell others that you're visiting your clerk."

"Tomorrow morning. Yes." Xius looked out the window. It was already late at night. If he went out at this time, he would be stared at by many people.

"Then I'll make some arrangements for you in advance and make sure everything goes well." Connor winked at Hughes.

He planned to send someone to make some contact in advance, and Hughes would go for a formal meeting tomorrow.

Xius took a deep breath. Although time was tight, there was no point in being anxious. Besides, he was not without things to do now.

"Connor, I need to transfer some supplies to the Banshees. It's perfect, let me show you this secret passage. You can also interact with the Banshees. I have a feeling they'll become even more closely connected to the territory in the future."

He must save the banshees, they are the last hope of the steam engine.

Connor's eyes flickered, he nodded, and followed Hughes down the secret door.

(End of this chapter)