Industrial Cthulhu, starting from the island lord

Chapter 411 Thousands and Thousands of Castel

“I don’t know. I went to inquire and the answer I got was ‘smaller than Castel.’”

Smaller than Castells?

Isn't that obvious? How could they possibly build a ship even bigger than Castells?

It's obviously a pretext intended to keep it a secret and just to get by.

Castells hardly kept his technology a secret.
That makes sense. Even if you gave him these technologies for free, he might not be able to manufacture them. The bolt-action rifle was a case in point. He consulted many craftsmen to study it, and the result was that manufacturing a gun was not difficult, but mass-producing parts and assembling a qualified product was basically impossible.

This is only because the Holy Scriptures of the Apostolic Guardians serve as a guide; if they were to disassemble and imitate them haphazardly, two instances of cognitive interference would be the least of their worries.

Thinking about it this way, the prince felt relieved. If he had such industrial strength, he wouldn't hide it. In fact, he would be happy for others to study it. How would you know how strong I am if you don't study it?

As for the enemy, ha, why bother hiding when you can crush them head-on?

"Have you found out anything else?"

"They developed a completely new weapon, but it is said to be so large that it can only be installed on buildings."

"Purely defensive weapons?"

"almost."

The prince nodded, then it wouldn't make much sense. His battlefield with the empire would certainly not be in Tiss, so this weapon wouldn't be of any help to him.

"What else?"

"They are considering building a railway."

"A railway?" The prince paused, then gradually recalled what he had seen and heard on the island. "You mean those tracks with two iron bars that can support steam locomotives?"

"Yes, it is said that they are preparing to make some improvements to the locomotives so that they can travel in war zones and also transport goods."

The prince frowned. Was this thing, which could only travel on tracks, really that useful?

The steam engine's output was indeed impressive, but the tracks imposed too many restrictions on the route. If they were to build a railway like Castells did, the high investment and maintenance costs would have to be considered, and the benefits it provided to Blood Harbor might not be enough to cover the costs.

"They plan to build it outside."

"Oh, where?"

"Well, I heard they're still considering building a railway from Bloodharbor to the North, but it's still on our territory, so I'm worried."

The prince leaped from his chair and rushed to Galahad with a speed that surprised even Galahad. He placed his hands on Galahad's shoulders and spoke urgently:
"Galahad, your most important task now is to get back to Castells and dispel their unnecessary concerns. You must let Count Hughes know that Bloodharbor supports this railway, no matter where it is built from. If he builds it from the Upper City, I will immediately tear down the Duke's mansion!"

Are you kidding me? How much does it cost to build a ducal mansion? This is an entire railway line connecting the North!
The steel needed for construction alone wouldn't be enough even if the entire port guard was sold off. Now Castells wants to pay for the construction himself?

You never know when a pie might fall from the sky; who would have thought a railway line would fall from the sky!

“Tell Hughes that he only needs to focus on building, and I’ll handle all the other troubles. Don’t worry about land or buildings. I’ll have the port guards follow them and demolish wherever needed. Hughes’ troubles are my troubles, William’s troubles. Blood Harbor will never hesitate to stand up for its friends!” The prince was almost overjoyed.

"Uh, Count Hughes said that if it's to be built, he needs to have the right to use it."

“No problem. The railway, including the land use rights along the line, belongs to him. If he wants it, Blood Harbor is no problem for him. As long as industry can be brought here, what does land matter?”

“The continent is full of unclaimed land; we can just drive the barbarians away. But factories are only found in the Rhine; we’re still a long way from Castel.” The prince patted Galahad on the shoulder, grinning from ear to ear.

That's how the empire expanded.

"Uh, Your Highness, is it really necessary?" Galahad scratched his head, somewhat puzzled. "It's just a railway line. It can only transport goods along the way; initially, it will also be used to transport soldiers."

Hughes's purpose in building the railroad was self-evident: to send troops to the North.

The North is a vast area. Traveling by sea would only get soldiers to the coast, so it would be better to build a railway that goes directly there.

Without this railway, soldiers would have to carry only light equipment, and logistical support would be a major problem. Food could be collected locally, but how would they get ammunition?
Therefore, after weighing the options, Hughes decided to build a railway to the area, but it didn't necessarily have to pass through Blood Harbor. This time, he sent Galahad to see the prince's attitude.

The prince paced rapidly in the room, wishing he could personally go to Castells to express his opinion, but as the lord of the area, he had just signed a series of reform decrees, so he couldn't leave now.

“Galahad, you should know that they came to build the railway, but they will definitely leave behind more than one railway.”

“Look, they need workers, and they can’t bring all the parts from the island. Some of them will have to be produced locally.”

"They won't take that part of the factory with them, will they?"

"They don't have enough manpower, and it would be a waste to use them all for road paving. But Blood Harbor has plenty of manpower. All they need is for them to provide the technology and some training. Once they leave, wouldn't that create a group of skilled workers?"

"With factories and skilled workers, Blood Harbor will have an industrial base. All that's left is to develop step by step. The hardest part is the beginning. Once the first group of people is here, everything else will fall into place."

“But we can’t keep these workers either, can we?” Galahad muttered. “Castel can offer higher prices, and they’ll just go to that island.”

The prince laughed: "So what? Some of them will stay. These are skilled workers who have been given away for free. Besides, if we cooperate this time, there may be more than just one railway in the future. If Blood Harbor builds a factory—hey, how many cities in the world can afford to build a factory?"

“If Blood Harbor is the only industrial city besides Castel, then Castel will naturally have no choice but to cooperate with us. You should know how difficult industrialization is. I remember we entrusted quite a few factories to you to manage before.”

Galahad nodded. The Empress had entrusted him with many businesses. He had several factories under his control when he was in Rhine, and he had personally visited the production lines. He naturally knew how high the threshold for industry was, and that it was only possible to do so with the support of the Mechanical Temple.

"But over the years, only Rhine has developed its industry."

The prince gave him a deep look.

"There is only one Mechanical Sanctuary in the world, and therefore only one Rhine."

"But if there is one Castel, there will be thousands upon thousands of Castels."

(End of this chapter)