Industrial Cthulhu: Starting as an Island Lord-Chapter 94: Moths Chasing Fire

The red-robed figures immediately split into two distinct groups.

Most of them retreated, while a few charged forward against the crowd.

Hughes hadn’t yet figured out how to distinguish the Extraordinary individuals among these cultists, but they had separated themselves?

What a stroke of luck!

Just a moment ago, Hughes had been cautious and nervous.

He had assumed that all of them were Extraordinary beings and had been worried about provoking them.

But now, seeing only a handful of them stepping forward, he felt much more at ease.

Although he knew that Extraordinary power shouldn’t be judged purely by numbers, Hughes couldn’t help but let out a breath of relief.

The situation today was too complicated.

These people didn’t entirely resemble cultists, nor did they act as secretively as members of the Candlelight Church.

Yet, they accused him of summoning an evil god.

And then there was that mention of an Outer God, he didn’t even know which side that referred to.

His mind was in chaos, unsure of how to handle everything.

But now, he felt reassured.

So, they weren’t that powerful after all.

It didn’t matter which faction they belonged to anymore.

"I am not a god! Neither an evil god nor an Outer God! And certainly not the Lord of Moths!" Hughes declared loudly.

The crowd’s movement slowed for a moment.

But then, Chloe’s voice rang out again: "Don’t believe Him! He’s stalling for time! Who knows what He might do—"

"I have no pollution in my body!"

Chloe’s words halted abruptly.

That statement seemed to give her pause.

She turned to look at Brother Kaeski.

Since Chloe had shouted the command for purification, Brother Kaeski had been continuously releasing some kind of cool substance towards Hughes.

Could that really purify something?

Hughes wasn’t sure, but he indeed had no pollution within him.

Brother Kaeski remained motionless, but Chloe seemed to have a way to communicate with him.

Hughes watched curiously.

He really wanted to know what exactly Brother Kaeski was.

He looked somewhat like an obedient machine following commands, but something about him felt off.

Something about him seemed familiar, as if—

[A Shell]

Yes, both his behavior and the inexplicable feeling Hughes got from him were just like a Shell.

Like the ones he had seen sitting on the benches in the palace.

Interesting.

If Brother Kaeski was truly a Shell, then who had descended into him?

Hughes furrowed his brows, deep in thought.

Not far away, Chloe seemed to have gotten the answer she wanted from Brother Kaeski and visibly relaxed a little.

After hesitating for a moment, she discreetly made a few hand signals to the people behind her.

Then she scrutinized Hughes carefully before cautiously asking, "Who exactly are you?"

Good question.

Hughes smirked at Chloe.

He also wanted to ask what that Golden Throne was all about.

He had been sitting on it for so long that he was getting impatient.

If she wanted it, she could go ahead and sit on it herself.

"Weren’t you the ones who performed the ritual and summoned my descent?"

"..."

Chloe was momentarily taken aback.

She frowned in thought before firmly stating, "You are not what we summoned."

That piqued Hughes’ interest.

How had she come to that conclusion?

After all, he had descended immediately after their summoning ritual was completed.

The timing had been perfect.

For her to still have doubts, she must have some crucial information.

"Why not?"

"You have no pollution within you."

That simple?

Hughes blinked and pointed at Brother Kaeski.

"Does that mean everything you summon must be polluted? If pollution is inevitable, then why were you so anxious to have him purify it?"

"I see now. I understand. You must be a newly born Outer God. No wonder you are untainted."

"I am not a god."

"Fine, fine, if you say so. Either way, you are incredibly lucky. You were born into the vessel we had prepared for summoning an evil god and happened to encounter us."

‘The last thing I wanted was to meet you cultists!’

Hughes noticed that Chloe seemed more at ease now.

She appeared convinced that he was a newly born Outer God.

An Outer God was still a kind of god, right?

Did that mean such gods were considered safe?

"Originally, this vessel was filled with pollution. But a newly born Outer God is naturally pure.

So you are truly fortunate."

Hughes remained silent, patiently waiting for her to reveal more information.

"Unfortunately, I cannot tell you more. In this world, truly important knowledge always comes with pollution."

Hughes knew this already, cognitive barriers.

That stuff didn’t affect him.

Any pollution that entered his body was automatically purified.

He was about to tell them not to worry about cognitive barriers when he suddenly realized something strange.

Their positioning was off.

At some point, they had changed formation again.

They now stood in a pattern distinctly different from before, aligned with the lines drawn on the ground.

When had that happened?

No—

It was when Chloe ordered the mortals to retreat and the Extraordinary ones to advance!

They had used that moment to reposition themselves!

"Newborn Outer God, please rest for now. This world is extremely dangerous. We will protect you as much as possible. Perhaps you are the hope we have been chasing."

Hughes’ vision darkened.

An irresistible drowsiness swept over him.

The last thing he saw was Chloe lifting her red cloak, revealing a sacred emblem pinned to her collar.

It depicted a moth flying toward flames.

"We are the Moths Chasing Fire. We will meet again soon."

On the Golden Throne, Hughes’ expression shifted unpredictably.

This was the first time he had been forcibly ejected from a shell—

Aside from dying and returning, that is.

The Moths Chasing Fire had left a deep impression on him.

Not only did they possess the means to forcibly expel him from a shell, but their actions also surprised him.

They had the madness of cultists, daring to communicate and cooperate with an unknown entity in a world where knowledge itself was polluted.

Yet, they were also extremely cautious, displaying rationality in every decision they made.

And this wasn’t just one or two individuals—

Their entire organization was highly disciplined.

When they realized they had summoned something other than the Lord of Moths, they were alarmed but did not flee.

Once Chloe gave an order, they obeyed immediately.

She must have secretly communicated with them through some means, allowing them to complete a ritual unnoticed and banish him back to the Golden Throne.

"Moths Chasing Fire."

Hughes memorized this name.

This descent had been entirely unexpected.

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He had arrived right at the scene of their ritual, taking the place of their intended evil god.

And in the end, he had managed to establish a cooperative relationship with them.

The whole situation felt strange.

But in hindsight, it was a good thing.

From their words, they intended to continue communicating with him.

That meant he could descend again using Hughes the worker’s Husk.

In other words, he had secured a stable source of information.

That was invaluable.

More than anything, he lacked access to information in this world.

And because knowledge carried pollution, he had almost no way to acquire it.

"Not a bad harvest. Time to return and check on things."

With a thought, Hughes looked toward another Husk.

The noble youth smiled at him.

And Hughes descended once more.

Inside the manor, at the long table in the study, Lord Hughes slowly lifted his head.

Looking around and seeing nothing amiss, he activated the Mind Link.

Almost instantly, he received a message from Ash.

『Lord, we have discovered cultists on the island!』