Industrial Cthulhu, starting from the island lord

Chapter 599 Are all you Castel people this crazy?
Could Hughes really be a god? Was I truly some kind of prophet? Was that holy scripture not just fabricated, but some kind of unseen resonance?

Was all of this not a coincidence, but a predetermined fate? Was it fate that used him to create the sacred texts of the secret order under the guise of coincidence?
Josh quickly shook his head, as if that would shake his wavering mind out of his head.

Yes, he wavered.

He only ever wanted to be a businessman and never imagined he would be crowned. All he did was offer a bowl of hot porridge to people in their time of need.

My lord, please guide me on the path ahead.

Even Josh himself didn't realize that, in his moment of confusion, he was subconsciously praying to Hughes.

Castells.

Gwen was startled by the cheers outside as soon as she stepped out of the cabin.

She peeked out, somewhat bewildered, and what she saw was an incredibly lively scene:
Almost the entire dock was packed with people. Some of the workers had wrenches in their pockets, and the friars had holy books hanging from their waists, but they all cheered enthusiastically when they saw Gwen.

"Lady Nora, what happened to them?"

"What else could it be but a welcome welcome?" Nini said with a grin. "Everyone knows that you summoned the Steel Ark and the Soul of Ten Thousand Machines outside through telepathic communication, so they definitely want to meet you."

"Is that so?"

"of course."

Gwen scratched her head, looking somewhat embarrassed.

What a coincidence! Just now, during our spiritual connection session, she was the only one who didn't connect.

This is a bit embarrassing.

Gwen mustered her courage to step out of the cabin, but the moment she peeked out and saw the enthusiastic people outside, her courage vanished instantly.

"Lady Nini, could you find a way to sneak me up here? This is... a bit awkward."

Although Gwen is usually very outgoing, she was still a little nervous in the face of this unfamiliar yet excessively enthusiastic, even somewhat fanatical, crowd.

"What's so embarrassing about that? Let me teach you!"

Nini whispered something in Gwen's ear, and Gwen's eyes gradually brightened.

"Where's Gwen? Why hasn't she come out yet?"

"I heard she's a really cool and beautiful woman, tall and with long white hair."

"really?"

"Of course, he's still the leader of the resistance in the North, and he's incredibly capable."

"Look, it's out! It's out!"

The islanders of Castel saw a steel boot emerge from the cabin, followed by a leg covered in a skirt armor, and soon, Gwen, clad in armor, stepped out.

If Gwen had any ideas, wearing a full-face helmet would have been the best thing to do at that moment, to hide her embarrassed expression.

Unfortunately, her armor did not have a matching helmet.

Fortunately, she had a better method.

Gwen cradled Nora in her hands, shielding her face from view.

Nora's eyes were vacant, and she swayed with Gwen's steps, her face full of despair.

It seems like Gwen and Nini have created some kind of chemistry, making them much more destructive than before.
Especially its destructive power over her.
No, we absolutely cannot let Gwen and Monica meet. With Monica's cunning and Gwen's execution skills, they could probably turn Castells into a nightmare.

Nora's eyes regained some of their sparkle; she was unaware that she was the first to realize the immense crisis at hand.

Gwen strode across the wooden plank leading from the ship's side to the dock, then weaved through the crowd, before fleeing the dock area as if her life depended on it. The onlookers could only sigh in disappointment; they hadn't even gotten a clear look at Gwen's face, and even those at the very front had only managed to pluck a few strands of Nora's hair.

"Are all the people here this enthusiastic?!"

While comforting Nora, Gwen complained to Nini.

"Uh, this should be Castells syndrome. Wait, no, Gwen syndrome?"

Nini tilted her head and thought for a while, then wrote it down in her notebook.

"Let's call it Gwen Syndrome. Congratulations, Miss Gwen, there's now a disease named after you."

"."

"And you're the only one who won't get this disease."

"."

Gwen recalled the warm-hearted people in the dock area and couldn't quite define her own feelings.

These Castel people always gave her a strange feeling.

They seem very pure, able to yearn for and pursue what interests them, and able to embrace themselves with the utmost enthusiasm.

The smiles on their faces were etched into Gwen's mind.

She had almost never experienced this feeling in the North.

The people of the North always seem to be miserable, with food in short supply, taxes to pay, toil day and night, and the howling winds that never cease to blow away their last bit of life.

Longing, dreams, passion—these words are not just luxuries, but even somewhat unfamiliar.

Here, it seems everyone can talk about these things openly and honestly. People are not trapped by life; they can even muster up some strength to challenge fate.

This should be a feeling of happiness, Gwen thought she should feel this way, but happiness was also a somewhat unfamiliar word to her; all she could feel was warmth.

She couldn't tell whether it was the gentle sea breeze around her or the surging emotions within her heart.

She was already used to the harshness of the North, but now she had to try to get used to the feeling of warmth.

Castells
When Gwen thinks of this word, she feels a warm feeling in her heart, like a sea breeze blowing into her soul.

With Nini volunteering to lead the way, the two dodged the enthusiastic crowds of the island's inhabitants and made their way to Castel's hospital.

Hughes wanted to name the place Castells Central Hospital, but this was met with unanimous opposition.

After some debate, the banshees ultimately bestowed upon them the title of "Knights of the Hospitallers," since the first doctors here were banshees of death, and they certainly deserved the name of a knightly order.

—As long as you rush fast enough and kill all the enemies, no one will get hurt.

But as much as they charge into battle, the banshees also possess medical skills.

Hughes made many improvements based on the medical concepts of the time and worked with Richard to eliminate many outdated ideas and concepts.

The main treatment method has also been improved from pouring holy water on the patient to a combination of surgery and supernatural powers.

The succubus was skilled in both, and with her fast learning speed, she naturally mastered medical skills very quickly.

The entire medical system was originally quite good; it even successfully cured many people, including those in Blood Harbor, after its establishment, and the hospital became more and more respectable.

Until they met the priests of the Silent Church.

Unfortunately, the priests of the Silent Sanctuary suffer from the very disease that Castel is least adept at treating—problems caused by pure supernatural power.

(End of this chapter)