Industrial Cthulhu: Starting as an Island Lord-Chapter 95:

[Cultists?]

[Yes, you have finally returned. We are already confronting them, but without your orders, we have not launched an attack yet.]

[What do those cultists look like?]

[They are uniformly dressed in red cloaks, and there are quite a lot of them. We have them surrounded, and we are still in a standoff. No conflict has broken out yet.]

Hughes was delighted. No wonder the Moths Chasing Fire were in such a hurry to rush him back. It turned out they had been targeted by the Sirens.

[Ash, well done!]

Once they were all captured, wouldn’t there be an endless supply of information?

They dared to summon an evil god. They must possess a great deal of hidden knowledge.

This was a huge gain.

[Where are they!? Are there any Sirens stationed at the manor?]

[Yes, Nini is at the manor. They are on the southernmost part of the island, southeast of the volcano.]

[I’m heading over now! Be careful, try to avoid direct conflict. There are several Extraordinary individuals among them.]

[Understood. We outnumber them, so they don’t dare to act recklessly for now.]

After closing the conversation with Ash, Hughes immediately ran through the secret passage toward the cave beneath the manor. At the same time, he contacted Nini.

By the time he reached the water’s edge, Nini was already waiting nearby. The two of them leaped into the sea together and swam swiftly toward the location Ash had mentioned.

Nini was obviously full of questions but knew now was not the time to ask. She followed silently.

Hughes found her expression amusing—she clearly wanted to speak but kept holding back.

[If you have something to ask, go ahead.]

[Well, then I’ll ask. Lord, what exactly is the relationship between that cultist’s corpse and you?]

[Huh?]

[His name was Hughes, and your name is also Hughes. You even went to dig up his corpse. Just after you finished digging, a group of cultists appeared and took the body away. And coincidentally, you were missing during that entire period.]

Hughes’ eyes widened. He had thought Nini wanted to ask about the operation.

After all, she always liked to ask questions about everything.

But she had almost figured out the truth?!

He really couldn’t underestimate anyone. These Sirens were intelligent beings, not mindless soldiers.

They had already learned too many secrets< piecing together the truth was only a matter of time.

When that moment came, should he tell them everything?

[What is your guess, then?]

Hughes probed.

[When the grave was being dug up, the cultist Hughes underwent a corpse mutation, killed Lord Hughes, and his soul entered Lord Hughes’ body.]

[By sheer coincidence, he was also named Hughes, so he successfully evaded the detection of the Symbiotic Contract, utilized the Mind Link, and even used the contract to heal the wounds on Lord Hughes’ body.]

[As for Ash, ha, she only serves Hughes. She doesn’t care which Hughes is inside that body.]

[And now, the only remaining enemy of the cultist Hughes is the Candlelight Church, who personally witnessed his burial!]

[He has gathered the former subordinates of Lord Hughes, the Sirens, to surround Sister Chloe and the others who were trying to uncover the truth. He then boldly declared them as cultists, claiming they were preparing to summon an evil god!]

[How ironic! The claws of the evil god are labeling these devout warriors, who fight for their faith, as traitors. What blasphemy!]

[Fortunately, among the Sirens, there exists an individual blessed with both intelligence and beauty—Nini. She inadvertently deduced the sinister plan of the cultist Hughes!]

[No one believed her. The only one who knew the truth, Ash, was willing to be the lapdog of evil. Thus, this intelligent, kind, merciful, and beautiful Siren embarked on a journey to save Castel alone!]

[What do you think?]

’.’

[Hey, why aren’t you saying anything? Give me some feedback!]

[You should go write novels. Really, with you as the protagonist, it would be much more entertaining than my little factory operations on the island.]

[I do think I have some talent.]

Not just talent. Hughes thought it was a waste that Nini wasn’t an author.

She had meticulously noticed every flaw in his story and yet had woven them into something completely outlandish.

If she didn’t become a writer, she should at least be a journalist. Her ability to twist facts and take things out of context was clearly a mastered skill.

[Actually, I have a question. How did you know Chloe was a cultist?]

[I don’t. I was just making things up. Why do you ask?]

’.’

’.’

[Really?]

[Really.]

[Are you really possessed by the cultist Hughes?] Nini’s gaze turned sharp.

’No, I meant that Chloe is really a cultist.’

In truth, he and the cultist Hughes were indeed the same soul.

[Chloe? A cultist!?] Nini covered her mouth.

[How is that possible? Isn’t she from the Church? Miss Zoe said the Church on land specifically deals with cultists!]

[And because they specialize in dealing with cultists, they understand them the best. Your greatest opponent will always understand you the most.]

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[I see, so they were bewitched into betrayal.]

Hughes remained silent. He was actually somewhat suspicious about Chloe and Brother Kaeski’s true allegiances.

Their identities were simply too mysterious. Before he had descended into the body of Worker Hughes, he had never doubted them.

Now, looking at it, Brother Kaeski might not even be an Extraordinary from the Candlelight Emblem.

His alignment with the investigators, the Secret Keepers, didn’t quite match.

No, whether he was even an Extraordinary or just a vessel controlled by Chloe was also uncertain.

But it didn’t matter. They were already surrounded. Soon, the truth would come to light.

[We’re here.]

Hughes surfaced. Nini swiftly grabbed him and carried him forward in a rapid serpentine motion.

In the water, Hughes could keep pace with the Sirens, but on land, it was a different story.

Although the Sirens had large bodies, their speed was anything but slow. Charging ahead, they weren’t much slower than an armored vehicle.

More importantly, they could keep running at such a speed for a long time. Their stamina seemed limitless.

After crashing through a forest, not so much passing through as bulldozing it, Nini forced a path open.

Smaller shrubs and even some trees were crushed under the sheer force of her powerful serpentine body.

[With your physical strength, exploring space would be incredibly easy. With Flesh Magic, I don’t even think you’d need a spacesuit. Just carry an oxygen tank, and you’ll be fine.]

[Space? What’s that?]

[I’ll explain later. I have a feeling that knowledge must be highly polluting.]

[Hmm, just in time, we’re here.]

Nini switched to Mind Link, no longer speaking out loud.

Seeing the Sirens in the distance and the surrounded cultists, Hughes’ expression turned serious.

[Ash, what’s the situation?]