Industrial Cthulhu, starting from the island lord

Chapter 498 Hunter's New Colleague
The name Hughes was like a spell; the moment it was uttered, the whole world seemed to freeze for a moment.

The distant sound of the ocean waves faded away instantly, and the inexplicable force that had been casually kneading Hunter suddenly released its grip, causing him to fall from the sky.

But at this moment, Hunter was no longer flustered at all. He finally let go of all his worries and doubts, closed his eyes and just chanted His name with all his heart.

The enormous eye in the sky watched Hunter fall, its gaze indifferent. As he disappeared into the distance, cracks gradually appeared in the entire sky.

The next moment, countless cracks instantly filled the entire sky, and countless eyes stared intently at the world below from within the cracks, but after a moment, they turned into dust as the sky collapsed.

Hunter didn't look again. He only felt himself gradually falling back into the church. The huge steel furnace of the Stellar Furnace was still there, but it no longer inspired fear.

Instead, it's warm, like a fireplace in the North during a winter's day.

It imprisons everything distorted and indescribable within, blocks malicious gazes, and generates endless energy and power, giving Hunter a strange sense of intimacy and familiarity.

This is His steel, this is His blessing, Castel is His kingdom.

The Stellar Furnace seemed to tremble slightly and met his gaze.

As if his helpless soul had suddenly found its anchor, and his confused mood had found its home, Hunter felt a sense of comfort emanating from within.

He seemed to instantly see countless silent yet burning souls dwelling in that steel, and countless wills converging to form Castel.

Hunter vaguely realized that Hughes was not Castel's god, but Castel was the embodiment of Hughes's will.

If He claims to be a god, then Castel is His divine kingdom; if He wishes to be a lord, Castel will offer His loyalty.

Hunter suddenly remembered the doctor from the [Tongue of Thorns], and realized that his warning meant exactly that.
So that's how it is, so that's how it is. Hughes is his lord. Hunter felt incredibly light, and countless whispers rang in his ears—the lord's teachings, solemnly recounting his authority.
"What is he muttering over there?"

Hunter's pupils gradually focused, and he seemed to be sitting on the bed again, staring blankly ahead.

Before him stood a handsome young man with dark hair and an elegant demeanor. The young man waved his hand in front of him and asked curiously, "Is he awake or not?"

He appears to be a nobleman.

But nobles meant nothing to him in the face of his faith.

Hunter pursed his lips unhappily; the young man in front of him was interrupting his listening to Lord Hughes's teachings!

"Who are you? Why are you interrupting my listening?"

"I am the lord here. If you keep listening, people will die."

"Nonsense! How could a mere lord like you understand the greatness of Lord Hughes! This is only possible in Castel; if we were in the North, I would definitely challenge you to a duel!"

"..." The young man's expression was extremely interesting. He looked to the side somewhat awkwardly. "Well, I'll go first. I've already explained everything to you. You two can go through the formalities together later."

Hunter then noticed that there was another person next to him. It seemed to be a hospital room, and the other person was also lying on the bed, looking half-dead.

The boy quickly left the house, and Hunter nodded in satisfaction.

It seems they still have some self-awareness, knowing how foolish it is to offend the lord.

After a long while, his eyes widened, and he suddenly jumped out of bed:

"No!" "That's actually the Lord?" Hunter exclaimed excitedly. "I knew it! Such an elegant and composed demeanor, such a resolute and decisive gaze. The moment I saw him, I knew that only someone like him was worthy of our homage!"

"Do you have one?" The man on the next bed scratched his head.

"Do you understand Lord Hughes better than I do?" Hunter looked at him with hostility, sizing him up.

“I am Hunter Godfrey Watts, a scholar of the Northern Dawn Society. My father is… never mind, who are you?”

"I, uh, they all call me Yami," the man said somewhat embarrassedly, his eyes darting around.

After he finished speaking, he felt a little apprehensive. How would the other person react? Would they mock him? Or would they simply ignore him?
He came from the slums, and "Yami" didn't sound like a respectable name. He didn't have any noteworthy identity either. Was he supposed to say he was a cashier at a fried fish shop?

This young man named Hunter clearly came from a distinguished family, and his confidence was exactly what Ami craved. As a result, Ami felt somewhat inferior in his presence.

Yami felt a little uneasy and tried to shrink deeper into the blankets.

As expected, the scholar named Hunter frowned, but after a while, the expected mockery did not come.

Yami looked up nervously and found that he was looking directly into her eyes.

“If it were before, I wouldn’t have spoken to you, at most I would have just greeted you. The friendship between commoners is useless, as thousands of years of history have proven.”

“But now that Lord Hughes doesn’t care about birth, I won’t care either. This isn’t just about following orders. I admire Viscount Frey’s skills and abilities, but killing him doesn’t require an extra bullet.”

Yami felt a little dizzy. He didn't quite understand what the young man opposite him was saying. He just looked down and stared blankly at the ground beneath his feet.

But then a hand appeared in his line of sight.

"I am a scholar and don't understand those complicated interpersonal relationships very well. This is my sincerity."

Yami slowly raised his head and looked at Hunter, who was reaching out his hand. His gaze still held a hint of scrutiny, but after a moment, he suddenly smiled.

Aren't you going to shake my hand?

Yami paused for a moment, then quickly rolled over, but the movement was too forceful and pulled on her aching stomach, causing her to grimace and stretch out her hand.

Through the gap between the two hospital beds, the two reached out their hands with difficulty and clasped them together.

"Nice to meet you."

"Uh, me too."

They shook hands for only a moment before quickly withdrawing them.

Their hospital beds were quite far apart, making this position a bit difficult.
"When the lord came over just now, he seemed to have mentioned something to you? Is it related to me?"

Yami adjusted her posture and rubbed her stomach.

"Yes, the lord just came, actually about you. He's assigned us jobs for the future, and he told me this before you even woke up."

"You've assigned us jobs? You mean we'll be colleagues in the future?"

(End of this chapter)