Industrial Cthulhu: Starting as an Island Lord-Chapter 76: Oiled Paper, Perfume, and Virtual Currency

Taking in the workers exiled by the Candlelight Church was good, but he couldn’t bet everything on that. The training of talent within the territory itself had to keep up.

That was the most important thing, as those workers from Rhine could only serve as a temporary solution.

The steam engine’s component blueprints had already been handed over to the craftsmen in various places.

Once they finished making the parts, they would have to be gathered and checked by Hughes again.

There wouldn’t be any problems with his drawings, but whether the craftsmen on the island could truly understand them was another matter.

There was no helping it. Most of the craftsmen on the island were illiterate.

Even when taking on custom work before, they mostly completed tasks by relying on verbal instructions and hand gestures.

The spatial imagination required to translate blueprints into actual objects was enough to eliminate many craftsmen.

He had encountered many such issues when trying to build things before, and in the end, he had to personally correct them bit by bit to get things done.

Sigh. Forget about science and engineering education, just basic literacy alone was a long road ahead.

Moreover, he couldn’t let these semi-literate craftsmen start production directly. If cognitive interference occurred, who knew what kind of bizarre creations they would end up making?

A steam engine standing up to push a millstone wasn’t entirely out of the question.

Therefore, Hughes had long since decided that even if he had gathered all the necessary prerequisites for manufacturing a steam engine, he had to first train qualified personnel.

And that was just for one or two factories. If he wanted to spread these new technologies into most people’s lives in the future, he had to complete mass literacy efforts first.

It was a long and difficult journey.

Although development couldn’t be rushed, he couldn’t stand sitting around waiting either.

After pacing around for a while, he decisively opened the hidden passage and headed to the cave where the Sirens resided.

The Sirens’ "Fossil to Mud" spell was incredibly effective. Encouraged by their entire tribe’s effort to build a home, the cave was changing almost daily.

Looking at the structure, now filled with rooms of various sizes and practically resembling an underground palace, Hughes’ eye twitched.

Why did it feel like construction here was faster than back on Earth?

Even if he introduced cement, he might not be able to match this construction speed.

However, the Siren population was limited. Their upper limit was set.

Once the cement factory started operating and was powered by his steam engine, they would be able to build far more than just one underground palace.

"Lord? What brings you here?" A curious Siren approached him.

Hughes glanced at her. Hmm, he didn’t recognize her.

To be honest, he was slightly face-blind when it came to the Sirens. He mainly distinguished them by their hair and scale colors.

Oh, and height, like Ash, who was a full size larger than the others, and Monica, who was three sizes smaller.

"I’m just wandering around. If you have time, could you guide me? Honestly, the changes here are happening way faster than I can remember." Hughes spread his hands.

The Siren covered her mouth and chuckled. "It would be my honor, Lord."

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"This is our workshop. Brewing and essential oil extraction are both done here." She pointed to the largest room nearby. Hughes peeked inside and saw many Sirens busy at work.

Hughes had moved some simpler, low-labor tasks to the Sirens, such as fine soap processing, adding scented essential oils, and making oiled paper.

Making oiled paper wasn’t complicated. Hughes referenced traditional oiled-paper umbrellas, just brushing tung oil onto paper.

Once dried, the waterproof oiled paper could then be printed with patterns.

There were only three types of soap, so making a few different carving blocks would suffice.

Hughes had designed a trademark for Castel, a burning torch in the darkness. Fire symbolized light and hope, which he liked very much.

For dyes, he found some natural minerals, and the results were pretty good.

As for essential oil extraction, it could be done in the brewing workshop.

The brewing tools were already present on the island. When establishing the olive oil factory, Hughes had hired many brewers.

Those workshops had since become idle, so Hughes had them transported to the shore, and then the Sirens carried them inside.

The Sirens were significantly taller than humans, making them look somewhat awkward using tools designed for people, but it didn’t hinder their efficiency.

Sirens had six hands. Watching them expertly control each of their hands for different tasks, Hughes couldn’t help but wonder if they were born with ambidextrous mastery.

"The tools you provided are very interesting. The essential oil extraction techniques you taught us are also great. The perfume I made is very popular among the Sirens."

She took a small bottle from the shelf and handed it over.

Essential oil extraction was an ancient industry with low barriers. Any brewing workshop could do it, in fact, some distilleries on Earth even made perfumes on the side. It was an old tradition.

Hughes dabbed a little on his wrist and sniffed.

A very cool, crisp rose scent, with a faint hint of alcohol. It conjured the image of dried flowers soaked in a glass of liquor, like a faded old photograph.

Hughes nodded in appreciation. "This is wonderful. Does it have a name?"

"Fading Yesterday."

Sniffing his wrist again, Hughes was reluctant to put it down. "Can I have this bottle?"

"Of course." The Siren smiled lightly. "Five gold rums."

"That’s too expensive. Besides, don’t you use points to track earnings? Why would you want gold coins?"

The Sirens didn’t interact with the islanders, so currency held little meaning for them.

Ash and the tribe had discussed it and decided to abandon physical currency altogether, recording "points" directly through the Mind Link.

When Hughes heard about this, he was utterly stunned. Digital currency? Virtual payments? These Sirens were five hundred years ahead of the world.

The key was that he hadn’t even interfered, this was something the Sirens had figured out themselves.

All in all, Hughes highly praised the idea and planned to draft a table with Ash, correlating points with various goods and anchoring them to tangible resources.

However, Castel currently had no particularly stable output, so he couldn’t establish a gold or grain standard.

He had considered using olive oil as a benchmark but ultimately dismissed the idea.

Olive oil was only a temporary product, and once industrialization took off, it might not be mass-produced.

"I want to try selling this perfume outside, not just in Castel. Perhaps other mortals will be interested as well."

Hughes stepped back, sizing up the Siren and the bottle in his hand.

"Fading Yesterday—Feniel."

"Yes, my name is Feniel. Have you remembered it?" She smiled mischievously. "The essential oils in those soaps were all made by me."

"I remember." Hughes nodded seriously, reaching for his pocket, then froze.

"Uh, I didn’t bring any money. Maybe next time—"

Feniel chuckled softly. "No need, Lord. The materials for making this came from you. Your appreciation and fondness are the most precious rewards."

Just as Hughes put the perfume into his pocket, ready to speak, an excited voice rang out in his Mind Link.

『Lord, the Type I Machine has been successfully built!』