NOVEL NEXT Chapter 272: Two Plans
The ritual quickly progressed to its conclusion. Nini's chanting grew increasingly fervent, and Monica also focused her mind, trying to separate the part of the Sea God's soul from within her.
She had previously attempted to directly summon the Machine Soul inside the furnace, but the results had been strange.
The ritual had seemingly succeeded—something had appeared within the furnace—yet it refused to respond to anyone.
And Monica's authority had not dissipated.
So, they had no choice but to prepare for another ritual, this time attempting to summon the *Clamorer* once more through the Machine Soul.
With Nini's chanting pushing the ritual to its climax, she suddenly opened her eyes and loudly proclaimed the final line of the prayer:
"Light the sacred boiler and awaken the soul within the steel!"
A deafening hum erupted. Flames burst forth from the furnace, but just as people were about to cheer, the fire suddenly extinguished.
The onlookers, somewhat baffled, lowered their previously raised hands. Had it worked or not?
Hughes thought for a moment, then turned to Monica and asked softly, "Is that fragment of the Sea God's soul still there?"
"I... I'm not sure. The ritual seems to have worked, but also seems like it didn't. To be precise—it's as if... it's one step short."
"One step short?"
Hughes rubbed his chin. How could it still be one step away? They'd poured quite a bit of contamination into the furnace, the fuel was there too. It *should* have ignited directly, right?
Wait a second—contamination?
"Could it be because the furnace was structured with the Sea God's soul as the Machine Soul, and its rank is too high—it can only use the Sea God's flesh and blood as fuel?"
"You mean that monster?"
"Exactly. We have to stuff it in completely. Only then can the summoning of the Machine Soul be completed."
Hughes suddenly recalled a maxim from the *Mechanical Sanctum*:
"Steam shall not be defiled by mortal flame."
**Mortal flame.**
The *Moths Chasing Fire* had tried rituals like this several times before, all of which had failed—partly due to the absence of Monica's Machine Soul, and perhaps also due to a lack of fuel like contamination?
In other words, this ritual wasn't merely a sanctification of the steam engine—it also encompassed the process of **burning**.
Currently, Castel's steam engines all burned contamination. If they discovered some other supernatural fuel in the future, could that allow them to summon other beings?
"Anyway, let's get the Pirate King stuffed in first. If my guess is correct, the furnace will ignite then."
Hughes spoke with full confidence. At this moment, the monster that the Pirate King had become had already been dragged out of Gem Bay and was not far from here.
Soon, it reached Castel.
This was the first time Hughes saw the full form of the monster. The airship had risen to a great height for lifting purposes. The true body of the creature was suspended extremely high up—practically invisible from the ground.
What could be seen were the countless *Polluted Serpents* dangling from the sky.
Each of these serpents was as thick as several men's arms joined together, with black contamination surging through them. Just looking at them, one could sense their feebleness.
According to Nini, after leaving the seawater, the monster's power and vitality had both dropped drastically, leaving it in this half-dead state.
The actual body in the sky was just a small point, but the innumerable Polluted Serpents hung down like vines from heaven, forming a waterfall-like curtain that blotted out the sun.
This was the very monster that had once stretched across the entire Storm Ocean.
"How can something that massive even be hoisted up?" Hughes asked Gaia in confusion.
Gaia shrugged. "No idea. There's a lot about it that defies physics. Look at those Polluted Serpents—they seem incredibly heavy, but in reality, they weigh next to nothing. Hoisting the monster's core body versus hoisting the core plus all its serpents requires almost the same amount of lift."
That meant the Polluted Serpents had virtually no mass?
"So how are you planning to stuff it into the furnace?"
"Two plans. You've seen the furnace blueprints, right?"
Hughes nodded. "I've reviewed all the drawings. Just go ahead—I know them."
"Alright." Gaia picked up a tree branch and drew a rough diagram on the ground.
First was a large circle representing Castel, with a small dot in the center.
"The first plan is to feed it in bit by bit. We hoist the creature high enough, then locate the heads of the Polluted Serpents and feed those tentacle-like things in first, followed by the main body."
"This method has a high success rate. If it gets stuck, we can ignite the furnace, burn some of the tentacles, and keep pushing the rest in."
"And the second plan?" Hughes asked, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
"The second plan is a bit more complicated..." Gaia drew a smaller circle around the central dot.
"Look—if this is the core furnace, we remove the lid at the top and place the monster's body inside first."
She then drew many fine lines radiating from the dot like a spider web—dense and tangled.
"Then we just let the Polluted Serpents hang outside. Close the furnace lid, and start burning."
"The downside is that the serpents will fall onto the island's surface, making cleanup a hassle. Also, removing the furnace lid will be a chore."
"But..."
Gaia and Hughes looked at each other and said in unison, "It can complete the Machine Soul summoning ritual!"
Were the Polluted Serpents considered the Sea God's flesh?
That was hard to say, but the core body certainly was.
Burning the body first was the most reliable way. Troublesome, yes, but if it meant successfully igniting the furnace, it was worth it.
Hughes had discussed this with Chloe. She believed that if the Sea God's soul fully entered the furnace and the monster ignited, the pocket space Castel currently occupied might instantly rupture, and the whole island would return to the real world.
Come to think of it, he hadn't visited the real world in a while. Since the war ended, Hughes had been busy rebuilding various parts of Castel. His worker-body still lay at the Eye of the Storm—perfect for one last look before ignition.
"Let's go with the second plan. I'll coordinate the furnace dismantling. We can take down the ceiling of Castel's main cathedral and lower the monster directly through the church into the furnace."
"Alright, then we'll go notify the airship." Gaia nodded.
The dismantling and hoisting looked like a huge task, but with the help of the Banshees, it wasn't as hard as it seemed. As long as they dealt with the placement of the Polluted Serpents on the island, it would be fine.
After Hughes finished assigning the tasks, he returned to his room. After briefing Zoe, he sat in his chair and chose to return.
Before long, the worker Hughes opened his eyes. He looked around, scratched his head in confusion, and muttered:
"Where the heck have they brought me now?"