Industrial Cthulhu: Starting as an Island Lord

This plan had been proposed by Hughes.

There was a vast gap between the idea of using the Pirate King as fuel and actually making it happen, but the pollution across the entire Storm Ocean was simply too tempting. After weighing the options, Hughes decided to give it a try.

His initial idea had been to drag a Polluted Serpent out of the Pirate King's Court, but that hadn't worked well. Leaving aside whether the Polluted Serpent would resist, even finding one of suitable length was a challenge.

After conducting his research, Hughes decided to go big.

He would directly build a large enough flying airship to haul that monster over.

As for whether the monster would behave, Hughes wasn't too concerned. He had asked Chloe, and that monster transformed from the Pirate King should have long since lost all reason. After prolonged exposure to Entity Pollution, even with followers of the Church of the Sea God sharing the burden, it was impossible to remain sane.

It now retained only instinct.

And with Monica's soul of the Sea God present, suppressing its instincts for a short while would not be a problem.

Besides, it only looked large. Its actual body didn't have much offensive power. Otherwise, it wouldn't have needed to send those murlocs and Arm Monsters into battle.

As long as they could stuff it into the furnace and chant the Steel Prayer, the summoning ritual would be complete.

Monica had once summoned the Clamorer with a Machine Soul. What could be summoned with the Sea God's soul… Hughes honestly had no idea.

In any case, the plan to build the *Skyveil Behemoth*-class airship was finalized. After the researchers of the Moths Chasing Fire lost countless strands of hair, it successfully lifted off at the Eastern Test Site.

After the reconquest of Castel, the Eastern Test Site had shed its function as a factory. All factories had been relocated into the church, and this site was now dedicated solely to airship development.

Designs, test flights—almost all airship-related operations were conducted here. The Eastern Test Site had ample space, perfect for this purpose.

The Banshees especially loved coming here. These creatures of the deep sea held a strange affection for the sky. Perhaps this place would eventually evolve into a dedicated aeronautics research institute. As for the future—who could say?

The *Skyveil Behemoth*-class airship slowly flew toward Gem Bay. As Castel's largest airship, it wasn't in the same league as the earlier exploration vessels. To make a comparison, it was like a hamster versus a blue whale.

Yes, the size difference was that exaggerated.

The airship was based on a blueprint provided by Hughes, with its primary structure referencing the Zeppelin of Blue Star, though its dimensions had been "slightly" modified.

Thanks to several previous airship voyages, Hughes had gathered a good amount of data. The Moths Chasing Fire's transcendents had crafted skin materials far superior to standard canvas. This time, they used up all remaining stock, even forcing Richard and others to pull all-nighters, which earned him more than a few complaints.

Enhanced by supernatural materials, this *Skyveil Behemoth* surpassed 300 meters in length.

Three hundred meters might not sound like much, but it far exceeded the size of any airship in Blue Star's history. For comparison, the world's largest aircraft carrier, the Ford-class, was only about the same size.

And that Ford-class carrier could hold half the population of Castel.

The airship's consumption was also unprecedented. If supernatural abilities in this space required a cost, Hughes wouldn't even have been able to gather the materials. Even so, he had used up every bit of material from previous airship constructions, clearing out all inventory.

Only then could this miracle in the sky be achieved—the sky-shrouding *Skyveil Behemoth*.

Watching the airship drift farther away, Hughes felt a flood of emotions.

It wasn't armed. Instead, it had many hooks and hoists for lifting cargo. This aerial behemoth, built with all of Castel's might—could it really hoist the monster entrenched in the Pirate King's Court?

Honestly, Hughes wasn't sure.

But he had already made up his mind. If one wasn't enough, he'd build a second. If they couldn't lift it, they'd drag it. One way or another, they'd bring the monster back.

With the pollution of the entire Storm Ocean as fuel, Castel would no longer fear any challenge.

Even if another siege by the Sea Urchin Monster occurred, Hughes was confident they could face it head-on. With infinite fuel and power, there were so many possibilities.

Even giving Castel legs to stand up one day—it wasn't entirely impossible.

Aside from the construction of this extra-large airship, Castel's new core furnace was also being hastily built.

The previous Central Furnace was still functional, but now, it seemed almost petty and insignificant.

The new furnace was designed based on the size of the Pirate King's Court. The entire design had been co-developed by Hughes and the Moths Chasing Fire. Hughes had even gone to their hideout, trying to get Chloe to help, but she had refused him flatly.

『I'm already dead. Dead, you hear? And you want me to keep working after I'm dead? Isn't that going a bit too far!?』

Her handwriting grew twisted, with even some ink spilled—as if she were gritting her teeth and trying to stab Hughes outside the diary with her pen.

Hughes had no choice but to involve the other researchers of the Moths Chasing Fire. While Chloe had led the design of the last Central Furnace, others had also contributed.

Watching the busy people drafting blueprints, Hughes paced around the room a few times, still feeling a little empty inside.

That girl with the fiery orange-red hair was no longer around, and he always felt the atmosphere wasn't the same without her.

And Monica, who used to run around everywhere, scattering paper—now she was at the Pirate King's Court, assisting in the hoisting operation with the *Skyveil Behemoth*. She had grown into a mature and reliable adult.

The Banshees had reaccepted her. Monica's strength, far surpassing that of an ordinary Banshee, along with her approachable demeanor, had won over many. Some even called her "Big Sister Monica."

Well, Nini still didn't get along with her. The two would always stand nose-to-nose, glaring and puffing their cheeks in arguments.

Yet, strangely, Monica seemed to be closer to Nini than anyone else.

Oh, and then there was Ash—Ash, who ignored everyone equally. Perhaps it was because of this that Monica felt a strange sense of familiarity with her.

"Lord!"

A voice pulled Hughes back to reality. He turned to see a researcher from the Moths Chasing Fire, holding up a map and gesturing toward him.

"Lord, I have an immature idea. For the new furnace…"

"How about we make it even bigger?"