Industrial Cthulhu, starting from the island lord

Chapter 727 "I'll Just Be a Mortal"

Hughes instructed the people present to arrange the evacuation for the upcoming ceremony, and then went to the prince's office with him.

Bloodharbor is heavily guarded, and Hughes had to navigate through layers of security to reach his office building.

Along the way, he also secretly observed the prince—it was obvious that he was quite different from the previous "prince".

Isabella's demeanor and mannerisms were completely different from the person in front of her, so there was no need to distinguish her at all.

Moreover, judging from his appearance, he didn't try to hide it at all.

Hughes initially wanted to test the waters, but then he thought, what's the point of testing? He could just ask directly.

If this crucial issue isn't addressed, the two sides should cease being allies.

With this in mind, Hughes opened the office door, gestured for him to come in, and went in first to sit at his desk.

The old butler, Connor, served the two men a cup of hot tea, then turned and left the room.

Although Connor left the room, Ash remained inside, standing in front of the desk staring at the prince, making no attempt to hide her wariness of him.

"Tell me what exactly happened."

The prince opposite nodded and began to speak.

"You should know Isabella, right? That was her just now."

The prince was quite frank, presenting the results to Hughes right away.

Hughes narrowed his eyes, about to say something, when the prince's next words stunned him.

"I'll have her come and talk to you."

Who is she?
—Who else could it be?

Hughes was completely stunned; he was truly incredulous.

The prince slowly lowered his head—a gesture that Hughes found quite familiar. Damn it, wasn't this exactly how he looked when he returned to the Golden Throne?
Hughes didn't have to wait long. The prince, who had just lowered his head, immediately raised it again, glanced at Hughes, and grinned.

Hughes: "."

It was a magical feeling; even though the other person hadn't said a word, he could sense that the familiar "prince" had returned.

"Weren't you in the furnace? How did you get out?!"

"Of course I can get out. If I couldn't get out, I wouldn't have gone in. I can't go to jail for Bazel, can I?"

"Isn't he your follower?"

Isabella curled her lip: "This piece of trash is not worthy of being my follower. He played a good hand terribly. Keeping him around will only cause trouble. He might as well put his remaining energy into the furnace."

Hughes's eye twitched; this was truly going to "make the most of his remaining energy."

"Let's be frank and talk about this. What exactly happened?"

"It's very simple. I faked my death during the prince's assassination attempt to escape and came to the Duchy of Tiss to start over. You should have guessed that by now."

Hughes nodded. It was easy to guess. The other side hadn't made much of a cover-up, and it was already a tacit understanding between the two sides.

"A ritual related to the extraordinary?"

"Yes, the royal family holds secular power and is almost never allowed to possess supernatural powers. This is a restriction imposed by the Papacy and a choice made by the royal family for hundreds of years."

"So, the only path you have is the useless 'Knight'?"

"The Knights aren't useless! It's just that firearms have slightly reduced their combat effectiveness. Significantly." Isabella sighed helplessly. "Besides, we only gain the Knights' allegiance; none of the previous rulers were superhumans." This is easy to understand. First, most superhuman resources are monopolized by the Papacy. Second, interfering with superhumans would mean competing with the Papacy for territory, inevitably leading to direct conflict. Therefore, avoiding contact with superhumans is almost the best option for the royal family.

"But the royal family is not entirely without extraordinary power. The Papacy's infiltration of the empire is too severe. Successive emperors have tried to break free from this constraint, and this ritual was born out of this."

"Used for resurrection?"

"No, it's for becoming a god."

The room fell silent. Hughes blinked, momentarily unsure whether it was a joke or not.

However, Isabella's smile vanished, replaced by a serious expression.

"The royal family doesn't know much about the extraordinary, and the [Knight] path doesn't have much potential to be explored, so they chose a clumsy way to solve everything—by sacrificing their followers, they slowly grow stronger and then become gods."

"The requirements for this ceremony are very strict. It demands the utmost emotion and voluntary sacrifice, with no room for compromise. In theory, it is very difficult to achieve."

"But look, I am the Empress."

The Empress has no shortage of followers, nor does she lack loyal followers. Sacrificing them to become stronger seems like a good deal.

Hughes tapped the table, stared at Isabella across from him, and after a long while, slowly spoke: "Why are you telling me this?"

Isabella could have easily concealed the true purpose of the ritual, since Hughes only believed it to be a resurrection ceremony.

But she chose to tell the truth.

Why? Is it because she is kind? This arrogant queen doesn't seem to be that kind of person.

"Why are you telling me this?"

“Not only can I tell you, I can even give you the ritual. You shouldn’t lack followers who are willing to sacrifice themselves, right? Look, this Miss Ash should be willing to help you become a god.”

"So, do you want to become a god?"

Hughes shook his head without hesitation.

He had made this choice many times, each time more resolute than the last, and his resolve had long since solidified.

Isabella shrugged. "I didn't want to either."

She stood up, walked to the window, and pulled back the heavy curtains, instantly flooding the room with the bright sunlight of Blood Harbor.

The lighting ceremony was over, and the soldiers, carrying their guns, directed and guided traffic.

People who had watched the ceremony walked down the street, excitedly talking about something. The airships in the sky retracted their machine guns, hung up new banners, and, with their specially painted red skin, looked jubilant.

Workers head to the factory, students head to school, and those who have taken leave happily head to the fish and chips stall, injecting a continuous stream of vitality into this steel jungle.

On a more distant dock, the cargo ship retrieved its anchor chain and gradually sailed away amidst the sound of its horn.

This is a scene that can be seen every day in Blood Harbor, nothing special, but in this era, it is a miracle.

"Look how beautiful it is."

Isabella gazed out the window, her eyes filled with affection, reluctant to look away.

"There are so many churches and all kinds of faiths in this world, but a thousand years have passed. The steam engine looks the same as it did a thousand years ago, and it still has the same problems it had a thousand years ago."

"I believe there are some things that gods cannot do, but mortals can."

Isabella turned her head and looked intently at Hughes: "I'll just be a mortal."

(End of this chapter)