Industrial Cthulhu: Starting as an Island Lord-Chapter 64: Cognitive Interference

"Has Lord Hughes still not come out?"

Connor sighed. "Not yet. Mr. Alexei, you’ve been exhausted lately. You should take a rest."

"I’m fine, it’s nothing." Alexei waved his hand and sat down in the armchair.

Connor glanced at the tightly closed study door and shook his head.

Inside the study.

The originally somewhat tidy room was now in complete disarray.

The floor was littered with various manuscripts, scattered everywhere.

The manuscripts contained all sorts of content, chemical reaction equations, three-view diagrams of mechanical parts, and maps.

On the desk, a notebook lay open, its pages densely filled with writing.

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The first half was neatly written, but the handwriting became increasingly messy in the latter part.

Further back, large sections of the notebook were smeared and crossed out, with the text becoming self-contradictory and gradually illegible.

On the last page, a single line of exceptionally neat handwriting stood out:

"Science no longer exists."

Beside the desk sat an armchair. Hughes sat in it with his head lowered, neither thinking nor moving, silent and breathless.

••••••

Somewhere unknown, within a grand yet desolate ancient palace.

A long table was set in the center of the grand hall, with several people seated on either side, maintaining their positions motionlessly like puppets.

On the massive Golden Throne, a shadowy figure, its face obscured, slowly lifted its head.

Beside the long table, a handsome and slender young man gradually closed his eyes, his expression turning vacant.

Hughes sat on the Golden Throne, lightly tapping his fingers on the table.

He did not speak but instead closed his eyes, as if reminiscing about something.

"My memories are intact. There are no signs of distortion or alteration."

"I’ve already reached this point, so this shouldn’t be some kind of cognitive contamination."

"Damn it, cognitive contamination... I should have realized something was off sooner. If merely knowing something can cause contamination, then subjective denial itself must possess some kind of power."

"This power actually influences reality in reverse!"

"I thought I was the problem, but it turns out the world itself is wrong. Subjective cognition affects the material world... This... this is unimaginable."

On Earth, where Hughes came from, the laws of physics were absolute.

But here, they were as malleable as clay in one’s hands.

"No, something is off. If a few craftsmen simply pondering over something could directly alter the nature of matter, then this world would have already fallen into chaos. I wouldn’t have failed to notice it in all my descents."

"This phenomenon of ’cognition affecting reality’ must follow certain rules; it cannot happen arbitrarily!"

"And if it follows certain rules, then science still exists!"

Science is, at its core, a methodology , a means of observing, understanding, and finding the laws that govern the world.

The only difference is that the laws of this world are more bizarre, but they are not nonexistent!

For instance, the double-slit experiment also reveals extremely strange phenomena.

As long as one can understand, observe, and find usable patterns, science can be rebuilt from the ruins.

It is merely a matter of reinterpreting the world.

Hughes felt revitalized. Ever since soap and nitroglycerin started behaving abnormally, his worldview had been completely shattered.

He had initially thought this was an ordinary fantasy world, at most on the verge of an industrial revolution, with some supernatural forces present.

Gradually, he uncovered the peculiarities of the supernatural and the existence of contamination.

Though he had sensed something was wrong, he had only felt it vaguely.

But this time, the shock was enormous. In his previous life, he had been an engineer.

Science and materialism were deeply ingrained in his soul.

The thought of science ceasing to exist nearly caused his very foundation to collapse.

As his fear and confusion faded, they transformed into boundless curiosity and motivation. He was now deeply intrigued by this world.

"If personal cognition can interfere with the real world and change physical properties, this strange phenomenon should be called [Cognitive Interference]."

"Alexei was also deeply shocked by this. I never encountered such things in my previous descents, which means [Cognitive Interference] must be extremely rare."

"Soap and nitroglycerin were both altered by craftsmen through [Cognitive Interference], not by supernatural beings. This is interesting, can anyone trigger [Cognitive Interference]?"

"The only unique factor I can think of is that both of these were new technologies, at least technologies that had never appeared in this world before."

"Does new technology trigger [Cognitive Interference]!?"

Hughes was struck by a sudden realization.

Like a bolt of lightning flashing through his mind, countless scattered clues converged, forming a massive puzzle.

"Industrialization began over a thousand years ago but has made no progress. Could it be due to [Cognitive Interference]?"

"Are the major factions deliberately controlling the emergence of new technologies to prevent [Cognitive Interference]!?"

"[Cognitive Interference] must have extremely severe consequences. Otherwise, no faction would willingly abandon such an ability that verges on fantasy creation."

"No wonder this world has been stagnant. Could the Church’s refusal to purge the pollution in the sea be related to this?"

Speaking of the Church, Hughes suddenly turned his head, looking at a corpse beside the long table.

It was a malnourished boy, dressed in filthy clothes, with a gaping hole in his chest.

The worker Hughes from his previous life, who had been killed.

"In my last life, I told the other workers many stories, deliberately mixing in various scientific concepts, hoping to gradually educate them."

"But the Church quickly intervened and had me killed. Now that I think about it..."

"Could it be that I triggered [Cognitive Interference]?"

Everything connected. Now, recalling the words of the priest, Hughes perceived a deeper meaning.

"He called me a lackey of an evil god. Could it be that in this world, only cultists actively seek to trigger [Cognitive Interference]?"

"No, I know too little about [Cognitive Interference]. I need to return and conduct some experiments first. If this mysterious ability can truly be harnessed, then it would allow near-limitless creation. There must be limitations I am yet unaware of."

Hughes felt a surge of excitement. This power was both bizarre and fascinating. He couldn’t wait to research and explore it further.

His gaze shifted back to the slender noble youth.

Lord Hughes raised his head. His vacant expression gradually became animated, and he flashed a playful smile.

His vision darkened, and the soul on the throne once again descended into his body. Hughes felt himself being pulled away from this place.

The grand hall fell into silence.

After a moment—

The worker Hughes slowly lifted his head.

He glanced at the throne, then turned to look at the noble Hughes, his face thoughtful.