Industrial Cthulhu, starting from the island lord

Chapter 753 Your Emperor is Back.

"Get out?"

Isabella paused, a rare hint of inner conflict flashing in her eyes.

"Yes, the prince has already assembled his troops, and Castel's arms production line is ready to start full-scale production at any time. And judging from your appearance, you seem to have almost recovered."

Indeed, Isabella initially needed Bazel's body to appear in the world, and even the flesh covering her bones wasn't entirely intact.

But now.
Hughes carefully looked Isabella up and down.

The furnace was filled with flames, some even burning the empress herself, as if her flesh and blood were being scorched, or as if her entire being was on fire.

Her fair skin, illuminated by the flames, resembled a blooming flower.

Where is there even a trace of weakness left?

Isabella stroked her chin and thought for a while, then finally sighed, "Alright, let's get out of here as soon as possible."

"What, you don't want to leave?"

"I really don't want to," Isabella admitted directly. "The forging in your furnace seems to make my body more stable. Do you remember the royal secret technique I told you about?"

"The one who becomes a god?"

"Yes, it actually fits this furnace very well. I can increase my strength every day in here. I have a feeling that if I stay in here for a while longer, even Galahad might not be able to beat me."

Hughes raised an eyebrow. Galahad was a genuine superhuman, which meant that if Isabella stayed any longer, she would become a superhuman as well.

"Then I'm a little curious. If you can keep getting stronger, why go out? It's so much better to stay here."

"Hmm? Is this a test for me?" Isabella curled her lip. "What's the use of getting stronger? Individual strength is no match for the tide of the times. Even the Dragon Breath Cannon can't stop an Investigator. It would take me more than half a year to reach the strength of an Investigator. How long would it take to build a Dragon Breath Cannon?"

"If we keep being strong, we might be able to conquer the whole world with just our own strength."

“If that were the case, the Vatican should be besieging us now, not us attacking the Rhine.”

"You have absolutely no attachment to power?"

“How could that be?” Isabella scoffed. “I am most greedy for power, but that’s precisely why I know that blindly piling up personal power is just a trap.”

A glint of fire flashed in the empress's eyes: "My ancestors all went astray. They built the Rhine, this city of miracles, but they were seduced by the supernatural and turned to pursue some kind of godhood. In fact, it's a very simple matter."

"The Vatican has gone the furthest in the realm of the extraordinary, yet they are extremely guarded against technological advancements, while they are not so concerned about extraordinary powers."

"Aren't you worried that this is a conspiracy by the Vatican?"

“If you can crush it with force in a fair and square manner, you don’t need any conspiracies. If the Holy See were obsessed with conspiracies and tricks, it would not have gotten to where it is today.”

"Therefore, while I pursue power, I care even more about..."

"Value for money?"

“What is that? It does sound interesting, but it’s not wrong. In the pursuit of power, we should look for a more accurate way.” Isabella looked at the flames around her with some reluctance: “If I stay here for many years, I may indeed become a god, but by then, Castel will surely have much greater power. Perhaps you will have already left this land, crossed the sky, and entered the starry sky.”

"Even if I became a god of this land then, what would it mean?"

"Furthermore, if the ultimate goal of power is godhood, wouldn't that be a bit..."

"boring."

Isabella uttered the word softly, paused for a moment, and then smiled gently.

“Let’s go. I’ve made up my mind. I’m going to go outside, to the world, to fight the most powerful enemy, to pave the way forward with their blood. Whatever lies ahead is better than rotting here.” With that, she turned and left, without a backward glance.

Hughes glanced at the remnants of Bazel and Lina's souls, then turned and followed them.

All of these combined wouldn't cause much of a stir in the furnace.

Maybe they're even hoping Isabella leaves.

As Hughes's will slowly dissipated, Lord Hughes opened his eyes on the platform outside the furnace and looked up.

Isabella had just stepped out of the door reserved for the furnace, and at that moment, she placed one leg on the edge of the furnace and looked up at Blood Harbor.

The flames gradually faded from her body, and the empress of the empire once again set foot on this land with her own body.

Now she no longer wears a crown, but there is no regret or nostalgia in her eyes. She simply looks at the vast land and smiles.

She doesn't dwell on the past, nor does she care about the present; as long as she can move forward, that's enough.

She stepped out of the furnace, casually closed the door, and sunlight streamed around her.

"Nice to meet you, or—it's been a long time, Your Majesty." Hughes performed the most complex form of greeting in his mind, but unfortunately, he was wearing work clothes that allowed him to move around easily, and he didn't have the elaborate formal attire of a nobleman, so it wasn't quite right.

Isabella chuckled and, unable to wait any longer, grabbed Hughes and hurried down the stairs. She had so much to do: revenge, land to conquer, and enemies to defeat.

It was as if she had returned to the day she donned the crown, a day when she faced enemies everywhere, but now she had an ally.

Then there's no reason to hesitate any longer.

Inside the furnace.

With Isabella gone, the furnace fell silent once more.

The machine spirit remained silent, but the leaping flames in the furnace could sense its joy—the woman who had been drawing power from it all day and forcing it to listen to mechanical principles was finally gone.

Everything else is fine, but I get really angry when I can't win an argument with someone.

After staying there for a while, Ji Hun suddenly felt as if something was missing.

Without that energetic figure, there was certainly less trouble and headaches, but it was also a bit boring.

—Of course, the machine spirit didn't miss those oppressed times; it just felt a little uneasy being idle.

So it began to look at its own furnace with some irritation.

Bazel is in the furnace; he is that man's prisoner, and the Machine Soul needs to keep a close eye on him.

As for Lina's remnant soul, it was just a fragment of consciousness and had little value.

The machine spirit is the embodiment of the will within steel, so it can naturally find the two people in the furnace in an instant.

However, the scene it saw left it somewhat confused.

Lina was explaining mechanical principles with a blank expression, while Bazel listened quietly, his chin resting on his hand.

what are they doing?
As if sensing the machine spirit's doubt, Bazel raised his head.

"Since we're just idling around anyway, why not listen to a lesson for a while? Isabella has stuffed a lot of knowledge into Lina's remnant soul. Do you want to listen in?"

The machine spirit snorted coldly and directly withdrew its consciousness.

It is a will born of steel, why would it listen to mechanical principles?
(End of this chapter)