Industrial Cthulhu: Starting as an Island Lord-Chapter 53: Is Science Really Such an Inconvenient Thing?

Maybe this is fine.

Following the rules of this world and continuing like this doesn’t seem so bad.

With the Siren’s secret assistance, the Silent Sanctum’s backing, and pirates as allies, he could establish himself firmly in the Storm Ocean.

In the future, he would become a true Count Hughes, then Marquis Hughes, Duke Hughes, and perhaps even be crowned Emperor of the Empire, uniting the entire continent.

These were all wonderful things.

But why... did he feel... so unmotivated?

Hughes irritably grabbed his hair.

"Why did I come here?"

To enjoy life?

To pass the time on the Golden Throne, where he sat motionless?

Or, like a true evil god, did he descend simply for amusement, casually inhabiting a random shell?

It seemed to be all of these, yet none at the same time.

Hughes’ gaze grew increasingly dazed, his past memories flashing before his eyes—until—

A blurry figure appeared in his mind, accompanied by a hoarse voice.

"Lackey of the evil god, you have defiled the sacred machinery."

A steel arm pierced through the chest of Worker Hughes, his blood staining the wooden floor of the office.

Hughes’ unfocused gaze sharpened slightly.

That was his previous death.

What exactly had he done back then?

He had improved the factory’s machines.

He had told his fellow workers interesting stories, giving them a little more to look forward to in their monotonous and numb lives.

He had tried to share knowledge with every hardworking, suffering person.

In Rhine, the average lifespan of these workers was less than thirty years.

"Me, a lackey of the evil god?"

Hughes sat up straight in his chair.

The pollution in the sea had lasted for a thousand years.

A thousand years ago, the Church had sealed away information about the pollution, and the Extraordinary had distanced themselves from the ocean.

A thousand years later, the Church was still sealing away information about the pollution, and the ocean was still filled with it.

Nothing had changed.

"Me, defiling... the sacred... machinery?"

Workers coughed as they labored in dust-filled factories, where a moment’s carelessness could see their flesh caught in the machines.

Factory owners bowed and scraped with flattering smiles.

The mechanical priests skillfully dismantled bearings, sneering as they tossed the parts onto the ground, into his blood.

His blood had been drained time and time again.

He had descended time and time again.

And time and time again, he had been disappointed.

Those workers had only interacted with him for a few days, yet he had experienced their suffering for many years.

Now, he had the qualifications to oppress others as well.

He could choose to go with the flow.

Should he?

"In! Your! Dreams!!"

Hughes squeezed the words out through clenched teeth and stood up, kicking his chair away!

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Was this world supposed to be like this?

Was he meant to live like this?

Was he supposed to be just like these people?

To stand alongside the decadent and greedy nobles, the stubborn and arrogant Church, the cold and ruthless capitalists, and be told this was a blessing?

How could he possibly accept that!

"I remember now."

A burning emotion surged in his chest, shattering the insignificant doubts and self-questioning, making the fire burn even hotter.

"I descend again and again to smash all this decay into pieces."

This world was bizarre and insane.

So what?

Science was the method to understand the world.

It was the standardized process of exploring the unknown.

It was the truth born from countless doubts and debates.

It was the hymn of courage and reason written by humanity.

When had it ever been weak?

On Earth, radioactive materials could harm upon contact, yet humanity still took step after step toward the sun.

The speed of light was absolute and unbreakable.

The observer effect was strange and incomprehensible.

There were plenty of counterintuitive things in the world, when had the world ever existed according to human expectations?

Earth was not the center of the universe.

Neither was the sun.

Humans were merely tiny specks of dust in the cosmos, yet they still continued to explore the world.

Hughes looked down at his hands.

Indeed, this world was bizarre and insane.

But had humanity not still set foot across land and sea?

This world was different from Earth.

Then he would adapt.

The rules of this world were bizarre and insane.

Then he would study them.

Besides—

Was the knowledge in his mind truly worthless?

Water pressure had still neutralized the Siren’s curse.

The steam engines in the factory could still be improved for greater efficiency.

And that was only the most basic application.

Suddenly, Hughes recalled the stories he had told the workers during his last descent.

Could it be that the scientific knowledge in his mind was also considered... [Pollution] in this world?

Taking it a step further, could the industrial products he produced also be a form of pollution?

If he cultivated many engineers in the future, would the knowledge and reason in their minds become a new kind of Extraordinary power?

Extraordinary Classes: [Engineer], [Scientist].

The thought alone was amusing.

People on Earth could use scientific knowledge.

So could he... use pollution?

Use magic to defeat magic?

Use pollution to pollute pollution?

"If science is truly another kind of pollution, then can I use this pollution to combat other pollution?"

"If pollution cannot be eradicated, then why not embrace it?"

If he couldn’t beat it, he’d join it.

If he couldn’t solve the problem, he’d become a bigger problem.

If exposure to the Extraordinary inevitably led to pollution, then why not pollute himself first?

That was the true way to arm the mind with science.

Then, in the future, Castel would be filled with factories, with oil as its blood and smoke as its breath.

It would feed on ore and steel.

Goods would flood the roads, and ships would pack the harbors.

How would they perceive this sight?

His warriors would charge forward, chanting probability theory and linear algebra.

His artillery shells, inscribed with E=mc², would whistle through the air, exploding onto the battlefield with fire and pollution.

The fire would burn their bodies, while science attacked their souls.

The enemies would wail, praying for knowledge to leave their minds.

His registers would sing in binary.

His circuits and microchips would hum with electronic beeps.

What a scene that would be.

One glimpse might drive someone insane.

Even without those pollutants, even without those scientific creations, ordinary goods alone could shake the people of this world.

When their clothes, vehicles, food, and even the Church’s sacred emblems were all produced by him, how would they view Castel?

A tiny island, or an indescribable colossus?

When Church followers prayed to the scriptures he had printed, whose believers were they, really?

That would be truly interesting.

"Good thing I’m not some evil god, or this world might actually be doomed."

He turned and opened the door.

"Connor! Send the steam engine blueprints to Ash and have her think of a solution with her magic. Tell Alexei to come tomorrow, I need to discuss the workshop with him. And..."

"Come with me to the chemistry lab!"