Industrial Cthulhu: Starting as an Island Lord

"Pah! Pah! I say, did we really have to come straight from the sea? Couldn’t we have just rowed a boat?"

Jeremiah spat out seawater as he complained to the tattooed man beside him.

After Jeremiah told him they needed to go to the island, the man had simply thrown him into the water and dragged him all the way to shore.

Dragged was the right word, Jeremiah knew how to swim, but once the tattooed man entered the sea, he moved as swiftly as a fish.

The man glanced at Jeremiah, then walked towards the island without saying a word.

Damn it, everyone from that Sea God Church is insane. There’s no reasoning with them.

There had been several instances before when collecting the sea tax, problems that could have been solved with mere threats or intimidation had ended up escalating into full-blown fights.

Jeremiah had no idea why the Governor insisted on working with these lunatics. Sure, they could fight, but still…

He scowled at the tattooed man, already plotting how he’d deal with these crazies once he became the Pirate King.

"I didn’t... Mmph—"

Jeremiah didn’t even get to finish his sentence before the man clamped a hand tightly over his mouth.

His body was pressed firmly against the ground, unable to move. He could only widen his eyes in shock and stare at the tattooed man in terror.

The man’s expression was unusually serious. His gaze was fixed straight ahead, his ears twitching slightly as if listening for something.

Though Jeremiah was furious and confused, he didn’t dare to struggle when he saw the man so tense. He held his breath and waited silently.

After a few seconds, the tattooed man finally released him and whispered, "Patrol. Keep quiet."

Only then did Jeremiah understand, feeling a cold sweat break out on his back. He cautiously lifted his head and followed the man’s gaze, spotting a few blurry figures in the distance slowly moving away.

"Damn, that was close..." Jeremiah muttered under his breath, then turned to the tattooed man with annoyance. "You knew there were patrols here, why didn’t you tell me earlier?"

The tattooed man shot him a cold look, his voice laced with disdain.

"You’re too noisy."

Jeremiah was at a loss for words. He could only glare at the man and curse in his mind: "These lunatics from the Sea God Church really are impossible to communicate with!"

The two lay motionless until the patrol disappeared into the distance. Only then did the tattooed man stand up and motion for Jeremiah to follow.

Though he was reluctant, Jeremiah knew this wasn’t the time to throw a fit, so he obediently trailed behind.

They carefully advanced along the shadows of the coastline. The tattooed man moved with an eerie grace, blending seamlessly into the darkness.

Jeremiah prided himself on being fairly agile, but keeping up with the man was proving difficult.

Soon, they neared Hughes’ manor.

Jeremiah had seen this place before, he had caught a glimpse of it from afar last time he came to collect the sea tax.

The manor was brightly lit. The sailors hadn’t lied; there was indeed a banquet happening.

Just as Jeremiah was about to step forward, he noticed the tattooed man frowning.

"What is it? Something wrong?"

"Too easy."

Since when was ’easy’ a bad thing?

At worst, they’d just get caught. Jeremiah wasn’t worried, he was here as a representative of the Pirate King. If Hughes didn’t give him an explanation, the Dark Sails surely would.

Besides, with the tattooed man around, there was no real danger. No matter how strong the people on this island were, they were still just mortals. Jeremiah had seen true extraordinary power, no mere flesh and blood could resist it.

The tattooed man said nothing more, only deepened his frown and warily scanned their surroundings.

His instincts told him something wasn’t right. The manor’s defenses weren’t particularly tight, but it still shouldn’t have been this easy to get so close.

Jeremiah grew impatient. He stepped out of the bushes and strode openly toward the manor’s entrance.

"Mr. Jeremiah, welcome."

An elderly butler at the door greeted him with a smile, as if he were nothing more than a regular guest.

Jeremiah snorted and walked past him without a word. He wanted to see what tricks this island lord had up his sleeve.

After taking a few steps inside, he suddenly felt something was off. He turned around.

The tattooed man, who had been following closely behind him, had frozen in place just as he stepped into the manor.

"What are you doing? Get inside."

Jeremiah looked around, making sure no one else was nearby before relaxing his grip on his weapon.

"The things in the sea."

"What?"

"Too many of them."

Without another word, the tattooed man turned and left the manor. Jeremiah called after him, even chased a few steps, but the man didn’t look back.

Jeremiah stood at the manor’s entrance, watching the man’s figure disappear into the night, his heart filled with unease. He cursed under his breath, "What the hell is that lunatic up to now?"

It was the first time he’d seen the man act like this. Could there really be something in the manor?

Jeremiah hesitated. Should he...

"Long time no see, Jeremiah."

A voice suddenly came from behind him. He turned to see Hughes.

Hughes was dressed in formal attire, holding a wine glass in one hand, his expression indifferent.

"You arrived just in time. I’m hosting a product showcase, you can take a sample back with you. Gem Bay will be interested."

With that, Hughes turned and walked back toward the banquet hall.

Jeremiah looked at the brightly lit manor behind Hughes, then at the tattooed man, who was now disappearing into the night. He took a deep breath.

"Damn it, whatever!"

Clenching his teeth, Jeremiah decided to act alone. He straightened his clothes to look less disheveled and strode into the manor.

『Lord, the tattooed man has left.』

『Where did he go?』

『He jumped straight into the sea and swam toward the pirate ship. Pretty fast, for a human.』

『Alright. Keep an eye on that ship. These pirates sure are full of surprises.』

The moment those two pirates came ashore, Hughes’ Sirens had spotted them. Since they were only two people, Hughes hadn’t stopped them. He was curious about what they were up to.

Who would have thought they’d choose to stir trouble when his people were at their peak strength? Truly, remarkable luck.

Sensing Jeremiah’s movements behind him, Hughes smiled.

Perfect timing. He wanted to show Beatrice the island’s goods, and intimidate the pirates while he was at it.

Murmuring a few words to Alexei, Hughes walked toward the center of the banquet hall.