Industrial Cthulhu, starting from the island lord

Chapter 547 Unexpected Reinforcements

"How is this possible? The lord has actually come!?"

Hodge's mouth was wide enough to fit an egg.

Hughes was very self-aware as a lord. He rarely risked his life. Castell's soldiers did not need him to go to the battlefield to boost morale. On the contrary, they might be dragged down by protecting him.

Therefore, when it came to expeditions to the North, Hughes always focused on logistics in the rear, leaving the matters at the front to the soldiers.

Even when the Church of the Mother Goddess rebelled in Blood Harbor, he only observed it from a distance and did not actually go to the front line.

Today, he actually took a train to the northern border, thousands of miles away from Castel, and even brought all the banshees with him.
What is so important about the North?
Hodge's heart was pounding; he had a feeling that something big was about to happen.

"That's Earl Hughes, Lord of Castel?" Gwen looked curiously at the young man not far away. "He's so young. Is he really as great as people say?"

This was the first time Gwen had ever met Hughes. She had been in the North and had never left before. She thought she would only be able to meet this legendary lord after the war, but she never expected to meet him today.

Hodge glanced at her, gave a soft snort, and said nothing.

Gwen knew that these expeditionary forces were all loyal supporters of Hughes, and to be honest, after seeing the fortress, she also had higher expectations for this lord.

After all, the expeditionary force would eventually leave their mark on Castel, which would be their homeland, and Hughes, now and in the future, was already her lord.

not far away.

Alexei and Hughes whispered a few words to each other. Hughes smiled and nodded, but his eyes looked around. When he saw Gwen, his eyes lit up, and he quickly walked over.

He knows me? That's impossible. The two have never met before, but Hughes's expression just now clearly indicated that he recognized something.

“Big Gwen? It’s great to meet you. I am Hughes Corsica Simmons Stuart. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

What does "Big Gwen" mean? It sounds like there's also a "Little Gwen." The title isn't offensive, but it left Gwen somewhat bewildered.

After Hughes finished speaking, he extended his hand. Gwen was confused for a moment, then realized that he probably wanted to shake hands. She subconsciously extended her right hand, which was covered by a gauntlet, only to find that he had extended his left hand instead.

Gwen's embarrassed expression flashed briefly, and she quickly switched to her left hand to shake his hand.

For some reason, Gwen felt that Hughes seemed to pause for a moment.

“I am Gwen, it’s an honor to meet you, uh, Lord, my lord.” Gwen stammered as she greeted him. “By the way, please don’t call me Big Gwen.”

“Okay, big. I mean, Gwen.”

After shaking hands with Gwen, Hughes shook hands with Hodge and the others one by one. Then he and Alexei whispered something as they walked toward the barracks.

The banshees on the platform scattered in all directions, as if they needed no communication, remaining as silent as steel.

just
"Is it just my imagination? Why do I always feel like those banshees are secretly watching me?" Gwen muttered to herself.

“Nini wrote something again, didn’t she?” Hodge replied casually. “When I don’t know why, it must be Nini’s fault.”

Gwen nodded, somewhat puzzled. These Castel people always gave her a strange feeling. This feeling lingered until she left.

"Perhaps it was too sudden. I never expected to meet the lord like this. Hmm, he only has two legs, no tail, and no extra arms. He's just an ordinary mortal."

In her subconscious, the lord of Castel should be something more extraordinary, perhaps with curved, pointed horns, a huge body, extra limbs, or even two heads; he shouldn't be so ordinary.

He was an ordinary human being who created such a miracle with a mortal body, which is even harder to accept than if he were a god.

Gwen clenched her left fist, still feeling the warmth of their handshake from not long ago, and found it hard to believe.

Warm?

Gwen suddenly noticed that, perhaps because she had found it troublesome before, she had only worn a gauntlet on her right hand.

Alexei and Hughes walked together in the newly built fortress.

"My lord, what brings you here in person?"

A look of worry flashed across Alexei's face. Fighting the white mist was a decision he made on his own. He had planned to prepare a train in advance so that if he really couldn't resist, he could leave by train. He didn't expect that Hughes would come after receiving the intelligence, which disrupted his plans.

Moreover, Hughes brought all the banshees with him.

You should know that Hughes had been strictly controlling the number of banshees on the front lines, and Nini was trying to find all sorts of excuses to send more banshees to the front lines.

This time, however, the banshees came out in full force. Although Alexei did not count them all, he could roughly estimate their number.

There must be over a hundred female demons in the military camp now.

"Of course, it's to help you stop the White Calamity. Without me here, the banshees can't fight properly. Now they can unleash their strongest fighting power."

Alexei opened his mouth, but ultimately swallowed what he wanted to say.

Hughes was telling the truth; the hundred banshees that came to their aid greatly enhanced the expeditionary force's fighting power.

Their ability to fight head-on is secondary; each banshee is a perfect commander. They can communicate with other banshees in real time through telepathic links, and can resolve disputes instantly through their innate abilities. Coupled with their own powerful combat abilities, it seems that banshees were born for the battlefield.

"As for if they really encounter danger, there's no need to worry too much about them. You were planning to use the bastions to hold them off, and if that didn't work, you could evacuate from the train, right?"

“Yes.” Alexei nodded. The railway led directly into the bastion, making it very convenient for evacuation. He planned to empty the carriages in advance, and if he couldn’t hold them off, he would take the entire expeditionary force on board.

"Those banshees won't be a burden. Although they aren't particularly fast on land, they hardly tire, so long-distance evacuations won't be a problem at all." Hughes chuckled.
"How's the situation here now? Are supplies sufficient?"

"There's absolutely no problem with supplies. The weapons and other supplies stockpiled here are prepared for the occupation of the northern border, enough to handle a single battle. As for the situation..."

The two walked to the temporary command room inside the fortress, where several technical priests were busy at a huge wooden table in the middle. Hughes looked down and saw that it was a very detailed sand table.

"The White Disaster is now less than 100 kilometers away from us and is still chasing us. It is expected to arrive at the designated battlefield within half a day."

(End of this chapter)