Industrial Cthulhu, starting from the island lord

Chapter 649 Beatrice's Collection
Did he carry sacred objects with him?

Upon hearing this, the group tensed up instinctively, but Erwin was the first to react. He glanced back at a long, exquisite wooden box.

Those were the steam rifles they brought with them as gifts to exchange for technology with the Mechanical Sanctuary.

It's not surprising that Hela might have some way of seeing through wooden boxes; many supernatural abilities can do that.

The steam rifle is indeed a sacred object; the prince once said that even the Mechanical Sanctuary has few such weapons.

Compared to the sages of gears, it seems too ordinary.

But the people of the Mechanical Sanctuary clearly don't think that way.

“This is a gift from Castells. Count Hughes asked me to convey his greetings,” Elwin said, opening the lid of the wooden box.

The moment the steam rifle appeared, Erwin could clearly feel the heavy breathing of the mechanical priests around him.

Their gazes toward the steam rifle were greedy and fanatical, even tinged with shock.

Erwin remembered that these believers had not reacted this way when they saw the Gear Saint.

Hela, on the other hand, remained calm, glancing at the steam rifle before looking away.

"What a precious gift."

"We were lucky enough to find this steam rifle by chance, and even the lord was amazed by its power."

"What? You actually made the sacred object fire?" the mechanical priest exclaimed in shock, his sharp voice filled with anger and disbelief. "How could such a holy creation be used?! Especially one in such good condition! It should be enshrined in the sanctuary, with musicians singing hymns day and night and applying holy oil! Your lord doesn't even understand this!"

Erwin's face twitched, and he didn't know how to answer for a moment.

Suddenly, the three of them felt a chill run down their spines.

It felt as if I were standing next to a giant steam engine; even just the steel structure standing quietly beside me created a suffocating sense of oppression.

That was the most primal fear that came from flesh and blood.

The three of them didn't even turn their heads, as if afraid of disturbing something; they simply rolled their eyes and looked at Hela beside them.

Her pupils spun slightly, locking onto the talkative priest, a mechanical hum emanating from her body beneath her nun's robes.

She glanced at the three people beside her, and after a moment, her tightly pursed lips relaxed, and she forced a smile.

"I apologize, he was a bit presumptuous. I will punish him." After saying that, he didn't even look at the mechanical priest who was slumped on the ground. He simply waved his hand, and others took him away.

The mechanical priest's actions were indeed inappropriate, but given the extreme nature of the mechanical sanctuary, the people of Castel were not entirely unprepared.

They just hadn't anticipated that Hela would exert such a strong sense of oppression.

The three of them exchanged a glance, and all saw the shock in each other's eyes.

Wasn't it said that there were no superhumans in the Mechanical Sanctuary? Why can even superhumans like Gaia and Zoe sense her power?
Several mechanical priests, at Hela's signal, carefully put away their steam rifles. Hela then led the three of them away from the hall where the Gear Sage was and into the lounge at the back.

"These are your rooms for resting. If you need anything, you can call the mechanical attendant to handle it."

"Thank you for your hospitality. When are you available? We would like to discuss the matter mentioned in the previous letter with the Mechanical Sanctuary."

The matter in the letter was naturally a technology exchange. Hughes's letter almost explicitly stated that Castells had more relics and was willing to exchange them.

“His Holiness the Pope is currently unavailable to receive guests, but I am available for the next few days. I will handle the matters of the Mechanical Sanctuary; just tell me directly.” She suddenly changed the subject, “I remember Count Hughes mentioned in his letter that he would bring some goods from Castel?” “Of course, but many of those items are quite large and inconvenient to carry around. They are still on the airship, and I will have them delivered to you now.”

Hela nodded gently.

Candle holder.

This is the largest church in the Rhineland, and also the headquarters of the highest level of the church—the Council of Keepers of the Secrets.

However, the priests of the Candlelight Church generally refer to this place as the Candlelight Cathedral, while some simply call it the Rhine Cathedral.

Beatrice was placed under house arrest here.

For a long time, she could only move around in her room and the library. It would be more accurate to call it confinement than house arrest.

But recently the situation has changed. As she became the new empress of the empire, the control over her has become less strict due to the need to meet with officials and attend various occasions.

Beatrice knew that her only value lay in her surname "Joan" and her identity as an investigator. She didn't cause trouble, but instead obediently followed the church's requirements.

Therefore, she also gained some small freedoms. For example, at this moment, she is strolling around a side hall with a face full of curiosity.

This palace is nothing special, but it contains a lot of strange and unusual things.

There are uniquely designed new gas lamps, machine-knitted sweaters with fine and neat stitches, small pocket watches, and huge, grumbling steam engines.

Beatrice looked at this and touched that along the way, her eyes filled with amazement and wonder.

Finally, she stopped in front of an inconspicuous little box.

Unfasten the buckles on the box and push open the lid, and a refreshing fragrance wafts out.

That was one of Castells' early industrial products, a box of soap.

Beatrice also brought some soap back to the Rhine and took out a few bars in the salon to promote it. The effect was very good. Unfortunately, she didn't have time to promote it before the Queen was assassinated. She inexplicably became the Pope of the Candlelight Church.

The remaining soaps naturally couldn't be given away; even if she dared to give them away, no one would dare to accept them.

Beatrice kept them very carefully. She knew she would probably never return to Castel, so she used them very sparingly and didn't use many. She especially liked the berry scent, the sweet fruity aroma unique to Castel, which she had never smelled since leaving the island.

Each time she lathered her hands, she would gently sniff the air, feeling herself enveloped in the scent of berries, which reminded her of her time in Castel.

That was the happiest time of her life, and it also sustained her through many difficult days.

Beatrice took a bar of soap out of the box and sniffed it gently.

Finier later developed even more fragrances, making the scents of her soaps more diverse and delicate. A box of soaps contained dozens of bars, almost all of them different.

Beatrice rummaged around and finally picked up a bar of orange-red soap.

This one has a berry scent, and it's still her favorite.

"The ceremony is about to succeed, and soon I will become a [named person], at that time..."

Beatrice looked up at Hela, who was standing quietly to the side.

Unlike before, Hela's eyes were devoid of any light, empty like a machine.

(End of this chapter)