Chapter 246: Arrival at Gem Bay
Hughes had no leads regarding Monica.
He had asked through the mind link with the Banshees, but none of them had any impression of Monica.
She had simply vanished without a trace.
Before Hughes had time to conduct further investigation, a greater trouble silently arrived: the monsters’ offensive had begun.
Previously, there had always been some scattered Murlocs and minor attacks, but this time, the Extraordinary beings on duty issued an early warning—an enormous wave of monsters had already begun their march.
Hughes immediately ordered the airship to take off.
This airship was equipped with a large number of bombs and bullets and had been transformed into a pure war machine.
Hughes even had it painted with the classic shark eyes and teeth—an addition not to be underestimated.
In this world of belief, a weapon’s power could indeed be influenced by its appearance.
Hughes had long had a nagging feeling that his bombs were unusually powerful.
Even with slightly increased payloads, their explosions became absurdly destructive, always accompanied by intense visual and auditory effects—each detonation resulting in a cataclysmic mushroom cloud.
Later, he discovered that the Holy Guard had a widespread reverence for explosive yield, to the point that Alexei had even written it into their scriptures.
At first, Hughes was concerned that this might lead to cognitive interference, but as battles continued without issue, he realized that the Holy Guard’s devotion was not blind.
They possessed a basic scientific literacy; their worship of explosive yield was merely a personal passion.
So Hughes chose not to interfere.
After all, they truly enjoyed it—so much so that they would recite prayers about explosive yield in their spare time.
And the enhanced explosion effects, while dramatic, had not reached the point of distorting reality—just slightly increasing damage while exaggerating the visual spectacle.
The Holy Guard did not only worship explosives.
Many were also fervent devotees of machine guns and bolt-action rifles.
Their zeal was so extreme that Hughes had to repeatedly test their scientific knowledge, even assigning political officers to monitor them.
It was only later that Hughes realized that his people—once simple fishermen, farmers, and craftsmen—had been completely transformed by science, factories, and steel.
They had learned to read, to study, and to dream of lives beyond their former imagination.
To have food and warmth—these were the most basic needs.
Whoever could provide these for the lower classes would earn their support.
Hughes took it a step further, promoting education and guiding them to embrace scientific thought under the banner of Imperial Truth.
Once they understood, they naturally developed a fervent passion for the industrial and scientific advancements that had revolutionized their lives.
And upon joining the Holy Guard, the industrial products they interacted with most frequently were weapons and bombs.
It was only natural that they developed a deep reverence for them.
Inside the church, the Holy Guard bustled about, delivering ammunition and supplies.
The airship had ascended.
Hughes glanced at the Banshees—the monster assault was imminent.
Feeling restless, Hughes stood up, opened the door, and decided to head to the frontline command post to link with the vision-providing Extraordinary beings and assess the situation.
"Chief, land sighted!"
Upon hearing the observer’s voice, Chloe immediately jumped from her seat.
She grabbed the telescope and pressed it to her eyes, scanning the horizon.
"How much does this position deviate from the sea chart?"
"Almost identical! I can see the island’s port—Gem Bay is still there!"
Hearing this, Chloe adjusted her direction.
She too saw the port of Gem Bay, with numerous ships still docked.
She let out a sigh of relief and couldn’t help but smile.
"That’s great, that’s great. Gem Bay is still here, and the pirates are still around. Castel is saved."
The worst-case scenario Chloe had envisioned was that Gem Bay had already fallen to the monsters and the entire Martha Archipelago had become a monster nest.
If that were the case, Castel’s situation would be truly desperate—not only without reinforcements but also facing a seemingly endless horde of monsters.
Now it seemed that the monsters’ influence was limited.
Only the vicinity of Castel had been affected.
As long as they fought to the end, the monsters could be wiped out.
Given Castel’s current level of industrial development, they had a good chance of eliminating the monsters before the rising sea swallowed everything.
Moreover, Castel was crucial to Gem Bay.
They had previously supplied the pirates with significant amounts of nitroglycerin.
Now, if they sought aid, the pirates would undoubtedly respond.
The pirates had been trapped in Storm Ocean for a long time.
With Castel’s support, they would gain more leverage in their struggle against the Empress.
As the leader of an organization, Chloe understood just how vital a neutral force like Castel could be.
Even if the Pirate King foolishly refused to help, at the very least, he wouldn’t turn away Castel’s people seeking refuge.
If necessary, they could even use the airship to evacuate people in batches.
As long as they preserved a core industrial population, there would always be a chance for resurgence.
So, the pirates’ continued presence was good news no matter what.
Chloe ordered the airship to accelerate towards the Martha Archipelago.
The Clamorer’s noise grew louder, the flames burned brighter, and the engines were pushed to maximum output.
Chloe began contemplating how to negotiate with the pirates.
The observer continued to report good news.
"Chief, the Dark Sails Fleet is still there, and they appear undamaged!"
"Chief, I see their sailors—many of them are on board."
"Chief, I see patrols from the Pirate King’s Court. There are also many fishermen in the port, and they don’t seem affected."
"Got it, got it. Stop reporting every little thing. Just tell me when there’s something important."
Annoyed by the constant interruptions, Chloe impatiently waved him off.
She had already pulled out a notebook, biting the pen as she pondered how to both threaten and entice the pirates.
"Chief… uh…"
"What now?"
"N-nothing… I might have seen wrong."
"What did you see?"
Chloe, not taking any chances, sat up and took the telescope.
The distant harbor bustled with people.
It was a scene of busy activity.
Though they were still far away, and details weren’t clear, the orderliness of the port suggested nothing was amiss.
"Everything looks normal."
"Yes… it does. We’ve lowered altitude; they should see us by now, but… there’s no reaction. That seems strange."
"Maybe they think we’re a mirage? Or they haven’t noticed us yet."
Chloe dismissed it casually, handing the telescope back.
She continued mulling over her arguments.
But at some point, the observer had fallen silent.
Curious, Chloe glanced over and saw his face was bloodless.
His hands clutched the telescope tightly, as if he had seen something truly incomprehensible.
"Chief… why are all these people… so huge?"