Industrial Cthulhu, starting from the island lord

Chapter 62 The Meaning of Knowledge

"Teaching the Banshee? Me?"

Zoe grabbed her black dress, her face full of panic.

She was just an ordinary maid, and her most outrageous fantasy in life was to be favored by the young master and become his secret lover.

This was the plot she read from the novel she brought secretly.

Now Xiusi told her that there was a group of non-human beings whose names sounded terrifying, and now he wanted her to go to class?

What kind of class could she attend? I'm afraid she wouldn't be able to get to the table. When she got there, she saw a group of monsters sitting at the table drooling, holding knives and forks, waiting for her to sit on the plate.

"Relax, they're all very easy to get along with, and not everyone can get in touch with them. You have to pass a background check to be qualified to know these things. I mean, there's a confidentiality allowance."

The word "subsidy" brought Zoe back to her senses. Her salary as a maid was not high, but she happened to like reading chivalric novels. You know, novels in this era were a pastime that only noble ladies could afford. She had to save money for a long time to buy one.

In fact, a large part of her cultural level was due to reading novels, but she didn't tell anyone about this.

Teaching monsters is scary, but if I could save up enough money to buy novels.
"What novel?"

"Ah!" Zoe took two steps back in shock. "Did I just say that?"

The corner of Zeus's eye twitched. Could this maid really keep a secret?
"Are you planning on saving money to buy novels? Come to think of it, I didn't know you had this hobby. Miss Zoe, you wouldn't want others to find out you were secretly reading novels, right?"

Zoe took a few steps back, her eyes filled with horror. She seemed to have seen this scene in a novel!
Xiu Si was a little amused. "Anyway, there is indeed a subsidy, and it's not low. Of course, you also have to fulfill your obligation to keep it confidential."

".Okay, Master."

"Then let's go to the Banshee now. I'll take you with me."

As Hughes spoke, he walked towards the fireplace in the study.

"By the way, what novel are you reading? Bring it over for me to read."

Zoe's body froze.

"So, she is the teacher who will teach us?"

Monica wagged her tail and slowly circled around Zoe, looking her up and down. She put one hand behind her back, clasped one hand in front of her chest, and pointed at Zoe with the last hand.

Seeing Zoe's stiff face, she couldn't help but smile mischievously.

Then Monica was picked up by Ash and put aside.

"Hello, Ms. Zoe, the Banshee welcomes you."

"Hello!"

Zoe raised her head. Ash's tall body completely blocked Zoe's sight. With his smooth body curves and powerful body, Zoe felt like an ant that would be crushed at any time standing in front of the banshees.

Ash bent down and tried to meet Zoe's gaze, and the frightened little maid couldn't help but take a step back.

"Hey, spread out a bit, don't crowd around us so tightly!" Zeus stepped forward, pushed the banshees' tails with his hands, and drove them out.

He could sense the curiosity in the banshees' hearts, but this would only scare their new teacher.

"Zoe will teach you how to read in the future. After you complete the literacy course, you can freely choose to study mechanics or other knowledge."

"Why do we need to learn to read? We have a mind connection and can communicate directly." Monica poked her head out from the crowd.

"Learning to read is just the most basic part. It's not difficult, especially for a kid like you." Xius glanced at Monica, who turned her head away angrily.

She doesn't like being called a child.

The banshees exchanged glances. Monica actually asked the same question as them: what's the point of learning this knowledge?
They were born with the ability to use various spells and their bodies were extremely strong. Now that they had a symbiotic contract, they were not even afraid of getting hurt.

If learning to read doesn't make them stronger or help them communicate faster, isn't that just a waste of time?
"I understand, Lord." Ash nodded, then looked at the banshees and said in a majestic voice: "This is the Lord's will."

The banshees all lowered their heads. Hughes sighed and walked to Monica's side: "Monica, go ahead, I know you have something to ask."

"What's the point of learning knowledge?" Monica blurted out. Feeling Ash's glare, she shrank back behind Zeus. "Sister Ash, you want to know too, right? Lord, just tell me."

Zeus looked around at the banshees around him. Their loyalty was unquestionable, but there was still doubt in their eyes.

"Ash, what did the Murlocs make you do when they enslaved you?"

"Mining," Ash said without hesitation. "We use flesh magic, so we don't have much mana to spare. Forcing spells will quickly deplete our vitality and lead to death, so we can only do hard labor."

"Monica, do you like mining?"

Monica immediately shook her head. "No one likes mining. I like to build castles on the seabed with coral."

"Have you ever thought about what you will do in the future?"

Monica shook her head in confusion.

"You will grow taller and stronger. You will become a qualified warrior. Every Banshee is a warrior, isn't she?"

"So, do you like fighting?"

"I, I don't know."

"You may like it or not, but you have no choice because you can't do anything else except fighting."

Hughes looked directly into Monica's eyes.

"Then what's the difference between you and being enslaved by the murlocs? Before you had to mine, now you have to fight."

Monica was stunned.

"Banshees, you tried to worship me as a god before, but is there really any fundamental difference between fighting for a god and mining for a murloc?"

"Perhaps there is. You may consider this sacred and great, but individual will cannot change reality. You are still enslaved under a different name."

The banshees began to stir. They looked at each other uneasily. Some of them looked at Zeus with pleading eyes, hoping that he would say that all this was just a joke.

But Hughes didn't.

He just stared at every pair of wavering eyes seriously.

"You were born powerful, and you thought it was a gift from God, but it was actually a chain around your neck."

"There's no escape."

Ash stood there, her expression unwavering, but Hughes saw that her sleek snake tail was tied in a knot, tightly.

Hughes took a step back and pushed Zoe in front of him.

"She was just the daughter of a miller. After her parents died, she became a maid. Her fate was to be trapped in the manor for the rest of her life, doing chores and cleaning rooms."

"But she is standing before you now, here to teach you."

"In the future, she might even realize her dream of becoming a novelist and having her works sell well all over the world."

"It's not because fate favors her, but because she can read and write, she has knowledge, and she has worked hard to learn."

"You have broken the shackles that fate has bound you, and so has she."

"Monica, you asked me the meaning of learning, this is it."

“Fate keeps you grounded, but knowledge gives you wings.”

“Learning changes your destiny.”

(End of this chapter)