Industrial Cthulhu: Starting as an Island Lord

Hughes stared ahead in confusion—he was certain that this place was definitely not Castel, nor was it anywhere near Gem Bay or Blood Harbor.

Because at this moment, he was locking eyes with a penguin.

Not some kind of monster, just an ordinary penguin, with smooth downy feathers and a dopey expression, standing on a piece of floating ice.

*Puh.*

Water splashed. A white bear bit down on the penguin, gave Hughes a glance, then slowly turned and walked away.

Hughes looked around. The area was filled with floating ice, with massive icebergs looming in the distance. The entire world was blanketed in white—blindingly white.

"Where is this? Didn't I leave this body near the Eye of the Storm? How did it end up here?"

Hughes was full of question marks, completely unsure of what had happened.

"Let me sort this out. First of all, the seawater is at least normal now. It doesn't look like there's anything wrong with it. I don't know how I got here, but at least the sea isn't dried up anymore."

Thankfully, Monica had activated the Sea God's power in time, causing the seawater to rush back, surging from the Eye of the Storm—

Wait a second!

Surging from the Eye of the Storm?

Wasn't this body of his placed at the Eye of the Storm?!

Hughes covered his face. Could it be that the seawater gushing out in all directions at that moment carried this body away?

Now that he thought about it, it made perfect sense. At that time, Castel's sea level had dropped rapidly, and the seawater that spewed from the Eye of the Storm was no small amount. It would be completely normal for the tremendous force of the water to sweep his body away.

He just hadn't expected it to be carried this far. Was this... the Northlands?

Hughes didn't know much about geography. From what he could remember, floating ice in the sea typically meant the Northlands, right?

He looked carefully around himself and found that only the upper half of his body could move—his lower half was frozen inside a massive iceberg and couldn't be pulled out at all.

"Why does this feel like being stuck on that immovable throne again?"

"Oh well, Castel will be surfacing soon anyway, and this body won't be of much use anymore. Might as well link up with those few people."

With a "might as well" attitude, Hughes manipulated the thread in his hand and opened a link that had long been dormant.

**Fries**: 『!!!』

**Fries**: 『Everyone, look what I found!』

**Fries**: 『I thought this link was gone forever.』

**Fries**: 『Didn't expect it to reconnect!』

**Fries**: 『Are you all okay? Lady Scepter? Little Gwen, how are you doing?』

**Scepter**: 『.』

**Fries**: 『That's great! Lady Scepter, you're still there!』

**Scepter**: 『Are you all still at sea?』

**Fries**: 『Yes, we've been drifting for a long time. We investigated Castel and Gem Bay. When the sea dried up completely, we even got off the ship and climbed the seabed mountains to take a look. Later, we went to investigate the Corridor of Despair, but unfortunately found no clues. The ship even got stranded... But just when we thought we'd die out there, the sea came back!』

At this point, Kenn couldn't help but feel emotional. Back then, they were truly on the brink of despair. Even Captain Jeremiah had nearly given up and handed over the steering method to Kenn, so he could take command of the *Black Pearl* after his death.

But soon, the seawater surged back, and the completely dried-up Storm Ocean was once again full and vibrant.

Jeremiah's illness was also cured then. He no longer dreamed of the deep sea and was finally able to sleep peacefully.

He slept for three whole days. When he woke up, he felt refreshed from head to toe. The fear that used to arise at the sight of the deep sea was completely gone, as though the monsters within it had disappeared.

Judging by the timing, the sea's return coincided with something else—though he didn't know it, that was when the Pirate King's Court's monsters had separated from the sea and grown weak.

Now, seeing that the link had been restored, this pirate captain couldn't help but grin as he quietly listened to Kenn and Lady Scepter chatting.

Everything was getting better, wasn't it? Perhaps he'd soon reunite with his pirate comrades. The Pirate King who sat high in the court at Gem Bay might summon the Black Sails Fleet once again, and the good old days would return.

But Lady Scepter quickly poured a bucket of cold water over their heads.

**Scepter**: 『You're still at sea? You never went to Tis?』

**Fries**: 『Yes, my lady, we just came from the Corridor of Despair. Stayed there for a while to resupply. We even saw the legendary Lightless Sea.』

**Scepter**: 『Then don't go ashore! Absolutely do not go ashore. You can try your luck in the White Raven Principality in the Northlands, but do not go near Tis.』

【L︱a︱t︱e︱s︱t︱n︱o︱v︱e︱l︱a︱t︱six︱9︱B︱o︱o︱k︱B︱a︱r︱】

Her voice was quick and urgent, as if she were facing some kind of trouble.

Kenn had the same feeling and carefully asked: 『Lady Scepter... are you alright? Has something happened in Tis?』

**Scepter**: 『Of course. You've been away too long. To put it simply, the Empire has already split. Tis is at war right now. If you go there, you'll definitely be detained.』

**Fries**: 『Tis is at war? With who?』

**Scepter**: 『With the Empire. Right now, the Church has become the actual ruler of the Empire. And it's not just the Church of Candlelight—Silent Sanctum, and those Mechanical Priests, they've all joined forces. The Three Grand Dukes of the Northlands have also declared independence and are now allied with Tis. The entire coastline of the Storm Ocean has turned into a chaotic mess.』

**Fries**: 『.』

**Fries**: 『How did the Empire end up like this... I remember it used to be really strong. How did it suddenly fall apart?』

**Scepter**: 『The Empire can still fight—and probably better than you think. The western front that the Empress couldn't settle in years, the Church resolved in one month and twenty-two days. The secession of the Northlands and Tis seems intentional to me.』

**Captain**: 『Intentional? Are you saying they deliberately created this split?』

**Scepter**: 『Yes. I don't know the exact reason, but the Empire's response is anything but normal. The Church gave up the entire coastal land around the Storm Ocean without hesitation. There's definitely something going on.』

The Church gave up the land near Storm Ocean?

Hughes frowned.

Something certainly had happened in Storm Ocean. Anyone could see the dried-up seabed just by going to the coast. But the Church abandoning Tis and allowing it to go independent...

That seemed to have happened *before* the incident in Storm Ocean?

Thinking carefully, the Empire's reaction was indeed odd. When the sea started to have problems, the Church of Candlelight—an Extraordinary organization spanning the continent—didn't choose to investigate or search for answers. Instead, they simply and crudely... distanced themselves.

A full retreat, even allowing the coastal territories to secede, as if—

As if they were fleeing the sea at any cost.