Industrial Cthulhu, starting from the island lord

Chapter 657 What exactly are they stalling for?
"So, Gaia, has the negotiation made any progress?"

Zoe lay sprawled on a cushioned bench, glanced up at Gaia who had just returned, and asked lazily.

She was only wearing some simple undergarments, and next to her, a mechanical construct slightly taller than a normal person was busy at work.

Its head is a somewhat crude cylindrical barrel, but below it there is no torso, but rather long, segmented mechanical arms.

At that moment, five or six arms were busy on Zoe's back, some gently tapping, some slowly kneading, actually giving her a massage.

Gaia glanced at her companion who was letting out a long, comfortable sigh, but her expression was not good.

"Their overall attitude is actually okay; they are willing to share technology. However, they are somewhat unreliable in their work and are always nitpicking over various details."

"Isn't that a good thing? At least we can achieve our goal. It's better to have some minor disagreements than to make no progress at all, right?"

"The problem is that this is ridiculous." Gaia sullenly threw herself into the sofa. She wasn't very tall to begin with, and the sofa cushions were extremely soft, so she almost sank into them completely.

“I’ve been talking to them about the technical details for three whole days, and it’s all useless stuff, like the application of holy oil, the pronunciation rules of prayers, oh, and the thirty-six massage modes of your massage robot.”

"Then wouldn't that be... um, a little more to the left, yes, that's it, wouldn't that be great? This massage robot is really nice!"

“It’s pretty good, but you can’t take it back.” Gaia sneered. “This robot is also a sacred object of the Mechanical Sanctuary. We can only change its usage method—you can go back with thirty-six modes and fantasize about being massaged!”

"Then why not just say you don't want it?"

"You can't refuse them. If you want their technology, you have to take all this miscellaneous stuff with you: maintenance methods, prayer procedures, and the like."

"It sounds like a bundled sale, designed to inflate the price."

"this."

Gaia frowned as she sat on the sofa.

She originally thought so too. To be honest, Castells wouldn't mind paying a high price, since those steam rifles were just sitting idle in the warehouse anyway.

But after several days of negotiations, Gaia sensed something was amiss.

She always felt that the Mechanical Sanctuary was somewhat strange.

They didn't seem to be in a hurry to make a deal—which wasn't surprising. She could even understand if the Mechanical Church were a bit more bureaucratic, given that the church was known for its extreme conservatism, and it would be very difficult to get any technology out of them.

But their attitude was too kind.

Gaia's gaze fell on the massage machine next to Zoe, which was carefully turning Zoe over with its mechanical arm to continue the massage process.

This massage machine is considered a sacred object by the sanctuary. According to the attitude of the mechanical priests that Gaia had come into contact with during this period, it should be enshrined in a shrine and worshipped.

The room where the group lived was the Gear Sanctuary of the Mechanical Sanctuary, the most central location in the sanctuary.

Generally, only the most distinguished guests enjoy these privileges, but this group of women were only there to make a transaction.

Aside from these, Gaia also felt a sense of disconnect regarding the Mechanical Sanctuary itself.

"Don't you feel something's off? These people from the Mechanical Sanctuary are being too agreeable. They agreed to the technology we wanted right away, but then started arguing over all sorts of details."

Zoe looked up, her eyes clearing slightly. "You mean—" "I feel like they're stalling for time!" Gaia jumped off the sofa and paced around the room.

"But what's the point of delaying? Does the Empire also intend to go to war with us? That doesn't make sense. Delaying us won't affect Castel's preparations for war."

“I have a different opinion,” Zoe thought for a moment and said in a low voice, “You’ve probably noticed that Erwin hasn’t been around these past few days.”

Gaia's eyes flickered.

“He has been wandering around outside, and although his activities are limited to Upper Rhine, he has still managed to gather some information, all of which seems to be related to the Queen.”

"Beatrice?"

"Yes, she said in her letter that she wanted to meet with us, and it seems that she was not just saying it. Preparations are already underway outside. I heard there will be a banquet, and we should be invited to attend."

"This is just a coincidence, isn't it? A banquet specially set up for us? I don't think Castel is that important to the Vatican, and it doesn't make sense that they've been preparing for this for so long." Gaia tugged at her hair in frustration.

Zoe licked her lips, stood up, and leaned close to Gaia. She stood on tiptoe and whispered in her ear, "Have you seen Nini's newspaper? They say Beatrice has a crush on our lord."

Gaia's expression was priceless for a moment. She sighed and said, "You didn't actually believe that, did you? The report even said the prince was actually a woman. Nini writes anything and everything, and you believe everything?"

"No, no," Zoe chuckled sheepishly and took a few steps back. "I was just saying, it suddenly occurred to me, don't take it seriously."

"Forget it, we've already achieved our goal. If the technologies promised by the Mechanical Sanctuary are true, they can give Castel a major breakthrough in his research. Let them argue it out; consider it a case of good things coming to those who wait."

Gaia sighed and slumped back into the sofa.

Zoe changed her clothes and went to listen to the Gear Sage's lecture. Although she still couldn't understand what it was saying, it was occasionally useful.

After all, you won't be able to hear it once you leave here.

Gaia sat alone on the sofa. After some time, a muffled sound came from inside the cushions.

"Wait a minute, this actually makes sense. Could it be that the Pope really has a crush on the Lord?"

Beatrice let out a sigh of relief, stood up, but stumbled and almost fell.

She quickly sat back down in the armchair, took a few deep breaths, and the dizziness gradually subsided.

"Controlling other [bodies] definitely has side effects. I'm not used to manipulating my own body anymore. I wonder if it will be better after I become a [named person]."

When Beatrice mentioned the word "named person," a hint of excitement flashed in her eyes.

"It'll be soon, very soon. Once the banquet preparations are complete, the ceremony can begin. According to the book, this is the final step to becoming a [Named Person]!"

With that thought in mind, she suppressed her dizziness, pushed open the door, and went out.

Hela was standing outside the door when Beatrice happily patted her cheek and hummed a song as she walked out.

"Since I started controlling Hela using the methods in the book, my range of movement within the church has been expanding. I just need to be patient a little longer; I'll be free soon!"

(End of this chapter)