Industrial Cthulhu: Starting as an Island Lord-Chapter 70: Turning Fossils into Mud?

Hughes took some time to explain the matters regarding the Sirens to his Chief Scribe.

However, he did not elaborate on the Sirens’ specific abilities or the details of the Symbiotic Contract.

This was one of his trump cards—keeping it hidden would make it more valuable.

Alexei’s mouth hung open in shock. He had arrived at Castel Island together with Hughes, and at that time, he hadn’t even finished organizing the island’s paperwork.

Yet, Hughes had already secured the allegiance of an extraordinary race?

As a graduate of the Royal Army Academy, Alexei had, of course, heard of extraordinary beings.

These people were mysterious, despite their great power, they rarely interfered in worldly affairs or participated in warfare.

The Royal military had little interaction with them.

To think that his own territory housed extraordinary beings, and not just one but an entire group, how could Alexei not be astonished?

What shocked him even more was that these extraordinary beings were actually willing to engage in worldly affairs.

The churches of the Candlelight Order stood in nearly every corner of the Empire, yet almost no one had ever seen their extraordinary members.

Even when the White Raven Principality in the North was on the brink of destruction due to the White Calamity, only then did a few extraordinary individuals reveal themselves.

If these Sirens could be deployed on the battlefield…

Alexei couldn’t help but swallow hard.

"They are my subjects. They have the right to choose their own future. Unless Castel is in an emergency, I will not conscript them," Hughes said, glancing at Alexei and seeing through his thoughts.

Hughes had no intention of relying on the Sirens for warfare.

While defending one’s homeland was a responsibility for all, when it came to external wars, Hughes intended to develop industry instead.

Mind Link was powerful, but so was radio communication. Magic was good, but planes and warships could also be effective.

Since he had no desire to become some kind of deity, he would place his faith in the power of mortals.

Humankind was a great species, and he would always believe in them.

"Anyway, let’s not talk about such distant matters. Let me explain pollution to you in detail. Here, have some candy. Although you probably know quite a bit already, it’s best to be cautious when facing cognitive barriers."

"Alright."

After a detailed explanation—

"That is pollution, as you know, which is divided into physical pollution and cognitive pollution."

It had already been verified that conceptual pollution could, under certain conditions, transform into physical pollution.

What remained unknown was whether physical pollution could in turn pollute concepts.

Hughes narrowed his eyes slightly. The information available was still insufficient.

This fascinating world held far too many unknowns waiting to be explored.

"Right now, a significant amount of pollution is stored in the caves on the eastern side of Castel Island. That area is desolate, with no people passing by. I’ve also had Connor arrange for guards to watch over it."

"Of course, the Sirens are also secretly protecting it."

In those caves, Hughes had gathered the pollution in a hollowed-out space.

This was nearly all the physical pollution caused by the cognitive interference of soap and nitroglycerin, and the quantity was truly alarming.

"Be careful not to send anyone near the area. Other than that, just focus on restoring soap and olive oil production as soon as possible. I’ll find a way to train more skilled workers quickly and restart the nitroglycerin factory as soon as possible."

"Understood, Lord. But what do you plan to do with that pollution?"

"I wouldn’t call it a plan, just a hypothesis."

Hughes took back his notebook from Alexei and slipped it into his pocket.

"Monica previously gained immense power when she was heavily infused with pollution. Does this mean that pollution contains a large amount of…"

"…energy?"

Alexei’s eyes widened slowly.

Inside the Sirens’ cave—

"These are the spells we have mastered."

Ash handed Hughes a few sheets of paper.

"I’m curious, other races cannot learn your magic, but can you Sirens learn from each other?" Hughes asked as he flipped through the papers.

"We can share experiences, but someone who doesn’t know a spell cannot learn it out of thin air."

"So, a Siren who lacks magical abilities can only wait for time to pass, and then one day, suddenly gain these spells? And from there, do they improve their proficiency through practice?"

"Yes."

It seemed this magic was more akin to an instinct.

"Alright, Ash. Could you cast each of the spells listed here for me to observe?"

"As you wish."

Ash swayed her serpentine tail and stepped forward.

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A short while later—

Hughes rubbed his temples and paced slowly.

The Sirens’ magic had truly astounded him. Offensive spells were one thing, those were within the realm of his understanding, but what was the principle behind summoning a sea serpent?

When he played games back on Earth, he hadn’t thought much about it.

But experiencing it firsthand was an entirely different matter.

A sea serpent had materialized out of thin air and slithered around him under Ash’s control.

When Hughes told her to stop controlling it, the sea serpent curiously approached his feet, rubbed against them, then raised its head to observe his reaction.

This was a real, sentient creature with a certain level of intelligence, created purely by magic!?

And to make it even more surreal, the serpent vanished the moment Ash commanded it to.

Hughes looked at the empty ground before him, then at Ash standing not far away.

Did this even comply with the law of conservation of energy?

"Lord, the sea serpent is not actually a physical entity. It’s my spell…" She trailed off, struggling to gesture with all six hands.

"You shaped its form using your magical power. So, when you withdraw your magic, its form naturally disappears?"

"Exactly!"

This spell had immense potential, though Hughes wasn’t yet sure how to utilize it. He turned back to the list of spells.

"This spell—’Turning Fossils into Mud’—can it be cast on steel?"

"No, I’ve tried. It doesn’t work."

Hughes had once attempted to build a steam engine by hand, but he had gotten stuck at the component manufacturing stage.

He had broken the steam engine’s components down as much as possible, yet some things were simply impossible to create.

For example, the cylinder.

The cylinder was the heart of the steam engine. Steam entered it, driving the piston inside. This part required two key properties: a smooth interior and airtightness.

Even strength was a secondary concern, he could make the walls thicker to compensate, but these two requirements were impossible for him to achieve.

The most standard way to produce a pressure-bearing component like this was to drill a hole through a solid block of metal using a boring machine on a lathe.

That was far beyond the capabilities of a blacksmith’s forge.

If he split it into two parts and tried to fit them together, internal polishing would be easier, but the final product would be useless as a cylinder, neither airtight nor pressure-resistant.

As for casting, Castel Island lacked the capability to forge such large components. Perhaps in Rhine, it might barely be possible.

The technological limits of this era stopped him here. He had no choice but to seek breakthroughs through magic.

"Why doesn’t it work?" Hughes muttered to himself, frowning.

"Because it’s ’Turning Fossils into Mud,’" Ash said matter-of-factly. "It only works on stone."

"Iron ore is also stone. Would it work on iron ore?"

Ash froze.