Industrial Cthulhu, starting from the island lord

Chapter 517 Lina's Trick

Isaac looked rather disheveled; his clothes were torn in several places, and although there was no blood on his body, his face was extremely pale.

"While the resistance was fighting the enemy, the Candlelight Society's investigators also rushed up, and my mother-in-law and I fought with them."

"Is Grandma alright?" Gwen asked anxiously.

"She was slightly injured, but it's not a big problem. As long as the nymphs aren't dead, there shouldn't be any major issues. We have no weaknesses."

"So the Dragon Fang Duke's army became like this because of the Investigators?" Hodge asked.

"No, quite the opposite. They are actually investigating this matter as well. To be precise, these investigators were lured here by the Dragon Fang Duke's army!"

Isaac's expression turned cold.

"Someone preemptively took control of Grand Duke Dragon Fang and his army, issuing orders to hunt down the resistance fighters. This attracted the attention of the [Investigators], who then naturally tracked us down and started fighting with my mother-in-law and me."

hiss.
The group gasped in unison; it turned out the resistance had been outmaneuvered.
Most importantly, if the expeditionary force hadn't appeared, the resistance might not have even known how they were destroyed until the very end, having successfully used the Candlelight Church as a tool to kill.

No wonder the Dragon Fang Duke suddenly wanted revenge; these soldiers attacked like madmen, and the [Investigator] caught up with them too.

"Can you identify which force is behind this?"

Isaac shook his head.

"This kind of long-term, large-scale mind manipulation is not something I know of from any extraordinary means, not even the Night's Watch's Radiant Dream can maintain such a powerful effect."

"However, I do have a suspect."

He gritted his teeth and forced out a name: "Lina, that traitor!"

The good news that the resistance had been found was immediately relayed back to the expeditionary force's temporary camp in the north. Alexei promptly dispatched several teams to meet them, bringing with them all the medical teams and various supplies.

The resistance wasn't actually that far from here, but the North was just too vast, and the expeditionary force, completely clueless, spent a long time trying to find it before finally being guided there.

With the help of the expeditionary force, the resistance quickly retreated to the expeditionary force's camp. The commotion along the way attracted the attention of several lords' armies and bandits, but Gatling persuaded them to return.

Because of the large number of wounded in the previous battles, the expeditionary force immediately organized trains to evacuate the personnel. However, the resistance force numbered several thousand, and even with the steam locomotives operating at full capacity, it would still take some time.

Fortunately, a lot of supplies had been delivered beforehand, so although we could only stay in some simple tents temporarily, we still had enough food.

After hurriedly settling the resistance fighters, Alexei finally managed to find some time to talk with Gwen and the others.

Alexei flipped through the report in his hand while looking at the nervous young girl sitting opposite him.

“I have read Isaac’s report. He witnessed your bravery firsthand and gave the resistance a very high evaluation.”

"Th-thank you!" Gwen said timidly, her voice stammering.

Good heavens, she was just a peasant girl before, and the most powerful person she had ever met was Nora.

Nora was just an ordinary priestess in the Silent Sanctuary, responsible for burial rites. Above the priestess were the master of ceremonies who managed church affairs and oversaw the local area.

Above the master of ceremonies, above the master of ceremonies.
Gwen didn't know what that was.

But he certainly doesn't have the same status as the person in front of him.

Sitting right in front of him was none other than the Archbishop of Imperial Truth!
Gwen secretly asked Nini what was above the Archbishop, and she said that Chloe was hanging above the Archbishop, and there was no one above Chloe.

Although I don't know what it means to hang it up, this Lord Alexei is a figure second only to the leader of the entire church!
The thought of such a person speaking to her in person made her legs cramp. "Ms. Gwen, your meeting with Nora is scheduled for later. Oh, another Nora."

Alexei pointed to his head.

"After you finish meeting, the two Noras will also meet. No one knows what will happen if these two sides are put together, so we plan to be cautious. There will be some guards coming over. I hope you don't mind."

It took Gwen a moment to understand what Alexei was saying; her expression changed from confusion to surprise.

"You...you mean, Lady Nora also..."

"Yes, Lady Nora, whom you know, is still alive. She remembers you, so you can have a good chat with her then."

Gwen paused for a moment, then smiled and rubbed her eyes, large tears streaming down her face.

She and Nora had so much to say to each other. She wanted to tell Nora about the hardships she had endured these past few days, to show her how much she had grown, and to tell Nora in person—

She successfully led the resistance to this day, and even in the most difficult days, she did not give up the fight, keeping her promise to Nora.

Alexei handed her a handkerchief, patiently waiting for Gwen to calm down.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I got too excited, sir."

"That's normal. You've really had a tough time. Resistance itself is a great thing."

Gwen took a deep breath, bit her lip, and finally controlled her emotions; her gaze became firm again.

"Sir, you must have come to see me for something else, right?"

"Yes, that's true. I know you probably really want to take a steam locomotive to Castel in the south right now, which is only natural. So what follows is not an order, or even a request, but an inquiry. Any decision you make will be supported."

He stared intently into Gwen's pure white eyes.

"Ms. Gwen, would you like to return to Castells now, or assist us in continuing our capture of Count Bazel?"

"I want to stay!"

Gwen answered without hesitation.

“We have shed too much blood in the North. Bazel and the other lords have committed too many sins against the refugees in the North and against their own people.”

"I want to stay here and see them being sent to the gallows with my own eyes!"

Alexei blinked and smiled.

Gwen was just a peasant girl; she didn't know that for nobles, lords wouldn't be hanged even if they made a mistake.

Hughes had no intention of sending them to the gallows—he preferred beheading.

But Alexei greatly admired this spirit, this indomitable will, and this fearless expression.

"Whether they end up on the gallows is a matter for the court to decide; my job is to bring them to court."

As Alexei spoke, he extended his hand, and the two hands clasped tightly together.

"Pleasant to work with."

(End of this chapter)