Industrial Cthulhu, starting from the island lord

Chapter 5 Strange Fish
"Soldiers, maintain order! Bring over the fisherman who caught the strange fish. Everyone else, clear the way. Your lord is here."

Connor gave a simple order, and the sheriff of the port shouted and dispersed the crowd. The soldiers tried to stand up straight and make their old armor look as shiny as possible.

People dispersed in a noisy manner. This place was remote, and Zeus's predecessor had rarely left the manor. These people's disgust and fear were more towards the tax collectors, and they were more curious about Zeus, the nominal lord.

Facing these gazes mixed with curiosity and fear, Hughes dismounted and walked forward. In the center of the crowd, there seemed to be a large black lump on the ground.

It was too far away to see clearly what it was. Zeus only felt that it seemed to be still wriggling, and at the same time, an uncomfortable feeling was slowly enveloping his heart.

Slippery and slimy, like trying to catch an eel wriggling on a chopping board.

Zeus followed the parting crowd and approached, looking up and down at the things in front of him.

It was a mass of rotten flesh that kept twisting and wriggling.

The fishy smell was like a fly that had entered the nose, loudly proclaiming its presence every second. The limp limbs were covered with swollen, white, exposed flesh, like blisters burned by boiling water, or swollen, pus-oozing wounds.

It was like a balloon about to burst, and the pus in its body was about to explode at any moment.

And this "balloon" is as big as a horse.

Now Hughes understood why the fishermen called it a monster. He also felt that nothing other than a monster could describe this pile of rotten meat. He would rather call it a swollen monster than a strange fish.

Zeus suppressed his nausea and turned to look at the butler, only to find that he still looked calm and composed.

Feeling Xius's gaze, the butler stepped forward and whispered:

"Master, this is the kind of monster you can occasionally see in the deep sea far from the mainland. It floats on the surface of the sea, but it usually doesn't survive for long before its flesh and blood bursts apart and it quickly decays."

Xius frowned and said vaguely, "Probably not."

"No, it's safe. This strange fish is not dangerous at all and brings nothing but disgust. It's not aggressive at all. Sailors often wonder how it survives in this world."

How did they survive in this world? This question was meaningless. Since this monster was harmless, I could just ignore it.

Having said that, it was the first time Zeus had seen it, and he looked at the monster with interest.

Indeed, it had difficulty moving. Even as a marine creature, it did not look like it could move in water, and those swollen and twisted limbs did not look useful at all.

So how did it evolve into this?

It seems ridiculous to talk about evolution after traveling through time. Perhaps there is no theory of evolution in this world. Perhaps all creatures in this world were created directly by gods. Perhaps this monster is a creation of magic. But as a Blue Star person and an engineer, Zeus is still subconsciously analyzing the way the monster in front of him lives.

Even the imaginary Godzilla has legs for moving forward and teeth for tearing apart its enemies. Is the monster before us really just a meaningless and inexplicable twisted creation?
Zeus frowned, endured the feeling of nausea and observed the rotten meat in front of him. Slowly, a strange sense of familiarity emerged in his heart.

Sense of familiarity?
Strange, this extremely ugly and disgusting creature seemed to have some impression of him? Why did it feel like he had seen similar creatures in a past life?

Swollen limbs. Disgusting appearance.
Suddenly, a light bulb went off in Zeus's mind, and his chaotic and vague thoughts combined to form a clear answer.

"This is a fish from the deep sea." Xius said.

"Fish from the deep sea?" The crowd that was originally whispering fell silent, and even the monster's painful struggle seemed to stop.

"Yes, they originally lived in the deepest ocean, where there's enormous water pressure. Therefore, their bodies also need enormous pressure to balance. Once they reach the surface or shallow waters, the pressure in their bodies turns them into these monsters."

"Look at those swollen limbs and bulging flesh. That's the sudden change in pressure. They're just ordinary fish in the deep sea. Well, ordinary big fish. It's only in this new environment that they become so ugly and terrifying."

He had seen similar photos of deep-sea fish in his previous life. It was a creature called the blobfish, which was once voted the ugliest creature in the world. They looked disgusting and ugly - but that was on land.

The blobfish in the deep sea looks like a completely normal fish. Not only does it lose its swollen appearance, it also becomes black, looking exactly like an ordinary fish.

The more Xiu Si spoke, the smoother his speech became. The little inspiration in his mind was organized into a complete idea. He said to the fishermen around him excitedly:
"We too would become horrible and disgusting in the deep sea. The wood there would be pressed hard as steel by the water. The monster before you is normal in its environment. That's why this kind of fish can only be found in the deep sea."

The people around were amazed and talked about it. They were all ignorant fishermen who had lived on boats all their lives. To them, Zeus was no different from the high and mighty king. Therefore, they accepted his statement with awe and agreed that it was just an ordinary fish. As for the part about water pressure, it was hard to say how much they understood.

The butler beside Zeus stood there in a daze, and for the first time, shock and thought appeared on his usually calm face.

He had actually seen some deep-sea fish. The ugliness and strangeness of deep-sea fish had always been feared by sailors, who believed that this was some kind of divine punishment. He also had a vague understanding of the concept of water pressure. When snorkeling in the sea, the deeper he dived, the more he felt his whole body was squeezed. That might be the so-called "water pressure."

But is this "water pressure" really so strong that it can turn wood into steel? He has only heard of such miracles in church.

If water can do this kind of thing, then can humans also find a way to use water?
Butler Connor's face showed struggle and confusion, as if some shackles were crumbling.

Hughes smiled. He was not afraid of opposition and questioning. Doubt was never the opposite of truth, but its component.

"This is what I saw in the Royal Library. I have read many books and know a lot of things. This knowledge is invaluable, but I will tell you all about it. In my territory, knowledge will never be shelved!"

The surrounding fishermen began to cheer, and the soldiers and sheriffs saluted. They did not quite understand the use of this knowledge, nor did they know what this sharing represented. They just subconsciously praised the lord's generosity.

Hughes responded to people's enthusiasm with a smile. He actually wanted to say more. He planned to build schools and open factories on this island, so that the torrent of iron and fire would sweep across the world.

But that is all in the future. Now he is just an ordinary lord, and any force around him can crush him like a bug.

What's more, he was killed by the church in his previous life. Thinking of that mechanical figure, Zeus' smile became a little gloomy.

In a corner where no one noticed, the strange fish suddenly twitched.

(End of this chapter)