Industrial Cthulhu, starting from the island lord

Chapter 644 Why Not Kneel?

The cast-iron turntable rotated at a constant speed, producing a rhythmic clanging sound that Frey had also heard on the steam engines of trains and airships.

He had once longed for this kind of machine with its industrial aesthetics, but at this moment, he had an indescribable feeling in his heart.

Whips flew through the air, splattering the blood of believers; a priest chanted the creed by candlelight; and people around him bowed their heads, too ashamed to look. All of this combined to form Frey's first impression of Rhine.

The Rhine, the jewel in the crown of the empire, the birthplace of industry, the city of miracles.

Frey buried his head deeper into his hood.

He was not unfamiliar with far more cruel scenes; had the nobles ever been merciful? But the scene before him still filled him with an indescribable disgust.

Machinery seemed to be something more sacred to him, and everything before him always made him feel blasphemous.

Of course, he was just an ordinary citizen, not even a member of the Candlelight Vigil, and had no right to accuse a priest of blasphemy.

but
Frey subtly observed the other members of the group, his expression gradually becoming strange.

These people were clearly members of the Candlelight Church, and seeing the priest's behavior, they all lowered their heads and remained silent.

Frey initially thought they were afraid, but upon closer inspection, he sensed something was amiss.

Frey had lived in the city's underbelly and seen countless impoverished people. They should have been fearful, angry, or even numb, but they shouldn't have been so fanatical.

Yes, what Frey saw on the faces of the other believers was fanaticism.

The believers would occasionally steal glances at the whipping machine, their expressions both devout and ecstatic, as if it were something sacred.

As the priest turned the handle, the whip fell faster and faster, and the believers kneeling on the ground chanted the candlelight louder and louder. Suddenly, an old man in the procession also knelt down.

As if a switch had been flipped, the other believers in line knelt down and loudly chanted the doctrines of the Candlelight Vigil. For a moment, the city gate seemed to have become a sanctuary, with the priest leading the believers in devout chanting.

However, the sound of the whip cracking as background hymns seemed a bit monotonous and not quite up to par.

Everyone knelt down except Frey, who remained standing. He was just a child and not very tall, but among the kneeling believers, he became the tallest.

The priest in front raised his eyes and saw the boy standing there abruptly. A flash of anger crossed his face: "You! Why don't you kneel down!?"

He practically jumped off his armchair, kicking the believer in front of him to the ground. The automatic whipping machine next to him stopped turning its handle with a clattering sound, and the other believers turned around, glaring angrily at Frey.

Why don't you kneel down?

“Because I am not a member of the Candlelight Church,” Frey said, handing over a signed seal.

This was a fake identity prepared for him by the Ash Alliance. At the time, Frey was curious, since he was going to the Candlelight Cult's headquarters, why not give him a Candlelight Cult identity?

When he asked the question, the Ash Alliance member in charge of the liaison smiled and shook his head, saying that this identity would be more useful. Upon hearing this, the priest was visibly taken aback, then took Frey's seal, examined it carefully, and deflated like a punctured balloon, his momentum waning.

He hesitated for a moment, then forced a kind smile: "My dear child, if you are interested in candlelight, you are welcome to come to the church to be baptized at any time."

"Thank you, I will seriously consider it," Frey said politely.

"Go ahead, welcome to Rhine, the most powerful and prosperous city on the continent." The priest muttered, turned around and walked back. The kneeling believers crawled to the sides to make way, and those who were slow to move were kicked.

Frey walked forward with his head down. Occasionally, the kneeling believers would raise their heads to meet his gaze, their eyes filled with a mixture of pity, disgust, and hatred.

The priest sat back in his armchair, cranked the handle, and the sound of the whip whistling through the air and the chanting of the sacred texts rang out once more. Frey walked to the towering city gate, so tall that its top was almost invisible, and slowly raised his head to look at the emblem etched above.

A candle burning quietly.

He tugged at his hood, burying his face in the shadows, and stepped into the Rhine.

"It seems we really made the right choice in taking the airship this time."

Elwin crossed his arms and leaned against the wall by the porthole, looking down at the city of Rhine.

After dropping off Frey and the others, they took a short break and flew straight toward Rhine.

They passed through many cities along the way, where many people would climb onto rooftops to watch. Some places were less friendly and would try to attack with bows and arrows—those arrows had a range of only a hundred or two hundred meters, which was far from reaching the airship.

"It seems the Empire has absolutely no air defense capabilities. It feels like a single airship squadron could conquer the entire Empire. Did we waste a chance for a surprise attack?" Zoe said with some concern.

Erwin chuckled, and seeing Zoe's puzzled look, gestured to Gaia beside him: "Miss Gaia was the chief engineer of the Castel Armory, so she should have more authority to speak on this."

Gaia waved her hand: "I only know about some weapons and equipment. When it comes to real combat, Mr. Erwin is more knowledgeable. But even just considering the difference in weapons, Castell no longer needs a surprise attack."

"Really? The gap between us and the other side is that big?" Zoe said hesitantly, glancing at the packaged steam rifle not far away. "Won't this pose a threat either?"

"No, our newly built airships have participated in exercises against steam rifles, and the results were very optimistic—even if the steam rifles are set to sniper mode, coupled with a large-scale swarm attack, they will not pose a threat to us. The airships are far more sturdy than you imagine. Don't think of them as large balloons, but as flying armor."

Zoe nodded in realization, then thought for a moment and said excitedly, "Then wouldn't we be able to blow up Rhine Island using this airship?"

Even Gaia laughed out loud: "If it really explodes, we won't have any technology to ask for. Besides, these two churches have deep foundations, and who knows what strange weapons they might come up with."

"Rhine! Rhine has arrived!" The navigator's voice suddenly came from ahead. All three of them lit up and crowded to the porthole to look down.

But soon, their brows furrowed.

Zoe, still somewhat incredulous, spoke up:
"Rhine...how did it become like this?"

(End of this chapter)