Chapter 243: Did None of You Notice She Disappeared?
"Then be careful when you summon it."
Hughes had already resigned himself to fate, treating a dead horse as if it were still alive. If he truly couldn't deal with the ever-rising sea level, then muddying the waters was indeed an option. Who knew what changes summoning a new Heretical God might bring?
"Don't worry, I'm a professional in this area. I'll only release the Heretical God after confirming with Castel that there's no other way. I won't act recklessly."
Hmm, thinking about it carefully, that made sense. The Moths Chasing Fire were meticulous when it came to executing their plans, but the decisions they made were usually insane.
A large pile of ritual supplies filled the passenger cabin to the brim. Chloe's estimate had been quite accurate; in the end, they managed to fit everything—though some parts were already hanging outside the airship.
At least it didn't affect flight. After the engineers confirmed everything, the second airship gradually ascended into the sky. Chloe's orange-red hair was lifted by the wind, reminding Hughes of the evening glow.
"Hughes, wait for my good news!"
The people below waved at the airship until it gradually disappeared into the horizon.
The last airship carried the Banshees. They were headed toward the most dangerous place—the Eye of the Storm. Besides basic supplies, they also carried armor and weapons.
Normally, armor wasn't used at sea. Even pirates wore only hardened leather at most. Heavier half-plate armor was unheard of—falling into the sea while wearing it was almost certain death.
But the Banshees were different. They were beings of the sea, and their strength was astonishing.
A single set of Banshee armor weighed at least several hundred kilograms, something only the strongest humans could even lift. Yet, when the Banshees wore it, it barely affected their movements.
Nini had tested it in the water. Wearing heavy armor didn't significantly hinder their underwater mobility, so they decided to bring it along.
Swimming underwater in full plate armor.
It could only be said that Banshees truly deserved their status as an extraordinary race. Their underwater movement wasn't solely reliant on the swaying of their serpentine tails—it was empowered by extraordinary strength. After all, even Hughes, who had no tail, could move freely underwater thanks to the Symbiotic Contract.
Aside from heavy armor, the Banshees also prepared a large number of steam rifles and bombs.
Hughes' other firearms couldn't function underwater, but the steam rifles could. Bombs had also successfully killed the sea urchin monster before. Considering that the Eye of the Storm's waters were likely home to many creatures, the Banshees were fully equipped.
Nini left a sea serpent with Hughes. Although the distance was too great for them to communicate via Mind Link, and she couldn't control the serpent left behind,
this serpent served as proof that she was still alive.
Most of a Banshee's spells would dissipate immediately upon their master's death. Nini's sea serpent could last for a month—so long as it remained, it meant she was at least still alive.
The Banshees were bound by the Symbiotic Contract. The five Banshees heading to the Eye of the Storm were too far away, forming an independent unit that shared their life force. If Hughes ever found the sea serpent had vanished, it would mean all the Banshees had perished.
At that time…
Hughes glanced toward the distant factory. Even after producing three airships, work hadn't stopped. Instead, more production lines had opened, and now seven airships were being built simultaneously.
Inside the factory, Richard noticed Hughes' gaze, took off his hat, and bowed. He, too, was an extraordinary being on the Chrysalis Path. With Chloe gone, he was now in charge of using his abilities to create the airship’s outer shell.
In front of Hughes, Nini was carefully explaining the airship’s details to Una. If this batch of Banshees perished, Una would lead more Banshees on the newly built airships to continue the mission.
It wasn't just the Banshees—every airship had a backup crew assigned. Inside each airship, a sturdy iron box that wouldn't sink functioned as a black box. Every team regularly recorded their findings inside. If they failed, these would serve as messages for those who followed.
The pioneers paved the way, and if they fell, more would rise to take their place.
The airships ascended. Hughes watched as the small black dots disappeared into the sky. He gritted his teeth and left.
The researchers of the Moths Chasing Fire and the Banshees also dispersed. Though their brothers and sisters had departed, they had no time for sentimentality.
Everyone still had responsibilities to fulfill.
Back in his office, after discussing with Alexei about adding more machine gun emplacements on the fortress, Hughes hesitated for a moment and decided to call for Gaia.
Gaia, Chloe, and Monica had summoned the Clamorer together before. He wanted to see if they could replicate the process on an airship—or perhaps even awaken a Machine Soul directly.
Would an airship have a Machine Soul?
"Connor! Get Gaia over here." Hughes shouted while flipping through the airship blueprints.
The door opened slightly, and a small head peeked in. Zoe cautiously said, "Lord, Connor went with the airships to the mainland."
Hughes froze for two seconds before realizing—Connor had been by his side ever since he arrived on the island. It felt strange not having him around.
"Then… then you go call her."
Zoe nodded and quickly left.
She had been the school principal, but now the school was overrun by monsters. Teaching duties had been taken over by the researchers of the Moths Chasing Fire. She suddenly found herself with nothing to do.
Thinking about it, it made sense. She had only been able to teach because she was literate. Now that most people on the island had completed their basic literacy lessons, there wasn't much left for her to teach.
Lately, she had been helping Hughes with odd jobs while also attending some advanced classes. She wasn’t particularly interested in factories or machinery. As for where she would go in the future—she hadn’t thought much about it. Surviving the present crisis came first.
She had originally been a manor maid, so Connor had naturally passed his remaining tasks to her.
Before long, Gaia arrived at Hughes' office with Zoe. Inside, Ash was already discussing something with Hughes.
Seeing Gaia, Hughes' eyes lit up. "You came at the right time. How’s the explosive production line coming along?"
Ash had just requested more explosive packs for the Banshees. After battlefield tests, she found that the best weapon for the Banshees was thrown explosives.
Banshees had immense strength and excellent aim. Their kill efficiency was far higher with explosives than with firearms.
"The production capacity is increasing rapidly. Now that we have the saltpeter mine, we can produce them in large quantities," Gaia replied without hesitation. "Use as much as you need. We can absolutely keep up with demand."
Hughes nodded.
"By the way, there's another matter. Do you and Monica want to try summoning a Machine Soul again? Now that you're a member of the Moths Chasing Fire, Chloe should have given you the ritual process."
Hughes turned to Ash. "Make sure to keep an eye on Monica. Don’t let her mess around."
Ash and Gaia exchanged glances, both looking puzzled.
"I do have the ritual process."
Ash hesitated for a moment before speaking. "But… who is Monica?"