Industrial Cthulhu, starting from the island lord

Chapter 595 The Mental Harmony of the Entire Castel

And
Hughes suddenly recalled the "benevolent mother" he had summoned during the Bloodharbor Rebellion.

These creations of extraordinary power seem to have a huge advantage only in terms of size, but they do not truly escape the laws of physics.

The towering, fleshy monsters are powerful, but they are still carbon-based life forms and can still be torn apart by bullets and blasted into pieces by bombs.

The steel ark beneath their feet was so massive it resembled an island, yet its speed was still that of a sailboat, completely disproportionate to its enormous size.

It always gives people the feeling of being both powerful and backward, like using a chip to polish the arrowhead of a crossbow.

It's as if my imagination has suddenly run dry, creating an absurd feeling that there isn't a single semi-trailer truck to stabilize the situation.

If the extraordinary powers in this world are linked to idealistic will, then could a situation arise where the products of industry have exceeded the imagination of the extraordinary, so these beings with extraordinary powers are sometimes even inferior to ordinary people like them?

If mortal kingdoms have developed to a level comparable to those of gods, then...
Hughes shook his head. There was no point in thinking about these things now; it was better to focus on development.

Where is Richard?

Hughes asked through the mental link.

"He's on my side, should I have him come over?"

"bring it on."

Soon, Richard appeared on the ark. He gave Hughes a slight bow: "Lord, did you call me?"

"Yes, Richard, I have a task for you."

Hughes pointed at Gwen.

"You must have quite a few research projects on hand right now, why not try them out with her?"

Richard's eyes widened immediately: "My lord, I remember Gwen didn't seem to have received any systematic training, did she?"

"Indeed, that's why I had her join your research."

"But if she doesn't understand the principles, it can lead to cognitive impairment."

Richard looked on with a sudden realization and glanced at the steel ark beneath his feet.

"Gwen is unlikely to cause cognitive interference, so you want to borrow her supernatural power that's similar to wish fulfillment?"

“That’s not the case.” Hughes shook his head, his expression turning serious. “I know our scientific research is always inexplicably hindered, and the world always seems to be impeding technological progress, but I don’t think completely siding with idealism is a good choice.”

He pointed to the giant steel ship beneath his feet.

"Look, this ship is so huge, almost the size of an island. With our technology and the size of our shipyard, we absolutely cannot build it. Such a huge warship should have a much stronger combat capability, right? But its sailing speed is only five knots, which is still the level of a sailing warship."

Hughes's hand brushed across the rusted deck and the steam engine by the ship's side.

"Look at these steam engines. There are countless steam engines on this ship. If we take out just one-fifth, no, one-tenth, we could double the speed of this ship. But these steam engines are just for decoration. I can even feel the sighs of the machine spirits within them." "It is true that one can accomplish a lot with one's will, and even in this idealistic world, one can find loopholes to solve immediate problems, but I don't think this is a truly sustainable method."

"Without our own scientific system, the things we create will be like this steel ark. Look at that writhing steel, it's quite eerie and frightening, but it can't compare to the simplest steam engine. We chose to develop technology, which is a tortuous and difficult path, almost like going against the whole world, but it is the one that can truly bring about change to this world."

How many years has the Church ruled the world? Extraordinary powers have come and gone, and the knowledge sealed by the Candlelight Church has filled countless libraries, yet the world remains unchanged.

How many years has the Empire been building steam engines? Yet, in the Rhine factories, workers are still risking their lives to fill them. Hughes made only a slight modification, yet he was killed by the Church without trial.

Submitting to this world can make you powerful, but rebelling against it will come at a much higher price.

Hughes raised his head, the sea breeze ruffling the hem of his clothes, but the determination in his eyes remained unwavering.

From the beginning, Castel had another option: hundreds of banshees loyal to him, the extraordinary system and ritual knowledge of the Firemoths, and the bizarre and powerful reality-distorting power of the Named Ones. Any one of these could have become his reliance, allowing Castel to grow stronger rapidly.

But Hughes chose a different path, a more difficult one.

He started developing industry from scratch, worked hard to advance technology step by step, refused the succubus's attempt to elevate him to godhood, and abandoned all shortcuts.

Extraordinary power was within easy reach, and if one was not careful, the entire Castel would slide to the other side, but each time Hughes firmly held it back.

Hughes's gaze swept over the banshees beside him, over the superhumans who chased the fire moths, and landed on the Guardians of the Faith.

They are mortals, truly mortals, who have neither a shared life nor the power to forcibly alter the laws of physics.

They were weak, ignorant, and even less intelligent than banshees and superhumans; they seemed inferior in every way.

But they built Castel, stuffed the invincible gods into the furnace, and made a new city rise from the ruins. They changed the world with their own hands.

Mortal steel tore apart the flesh of monsters, mortal furnaces forged the bodies of gods; Castel has always been a kingdom of mortals.

“Richard, humans can be trusted. Please trust humans. The power of the extraordinary and the will can be utilized. They together constitute the laws of this world. But I believe that this world will ultimately belong to mortals. They are the foundation of everything.”

The ship was quiet, and the mental link was unusually quiet. The banshees were beings of the mind, and they were born with the ability to sense the emotions of others, let alone Hughes, who had signed a contract with them.

At that moment, every banshee felt the unwavering determination and burning will in Hughes' heart, and at that moment, the banshees all closed their eyes.

Mind synchronization, previously used only during wartime, was used by female sirens to resolve differences and quell disputes.

This time, however, the banshees entered into mind synchronization without any argument, and it was led by Hughes—this seems to be the first time in history that mind synchronization was not led by banshees.

Can the banshees understand human will?

can.

Hughes slowly closed his eyes as well.

In just a moment, the same will resonated in different bodies, and soon, not only the banshee, but also the people on the ship and even those on Castel not far away, slowly closed their eyes.

(End of this chapter)