Escaping the ocean—this was not sothing the Church had never done before. A thousand years ago, when abnormalities first erged in the sea, the Church had already begun keeping Extraordinary individuals away from the ocean.
But even then, only the Extraordinary were removed from the coastline. The mortal nations remained along the shore, and the Church’s cathedrals never relocated either. They simply no longer stationed Extraordinary individuals within them.
So why had they suddenly chosen to completely withdraw this ti?
It felt as though there was so kind of unstoppable monster in the sea.
The Pirate King?
That creature had absorbed all the pollution from the entire Storm Ocean, causing quite the stir—but was that really enough to warrant such drastic action?
The murlocs and sea urchins were indeed terrifyingly powerful in the ocean, but once they ca onto land, their combat capabilities beca quite ordinary.
Even Castel, a re island, had managed to hold its ground. There was no way the Empire’s vast military forces wouldn’t be able to defend their territories.
Hughes had spoken with Alexei before. The Empire’s army had now fully replaced their gear with firearms. Though they were crude muzzle-loaders, they were more than enough to deal with monsters.
Besides, the Empire still possessed a great number of Extraordinary individuals. The steam rifles of the chanical Sanctum’s Banshees were still in use, and their power was not much less than that of cannons.
Castel hadn’t even managed to manufacture its own cannons yet.
Suppressing his curiosity, Hughes continued listening to the voices in the link—only to realize the group had already moved on to discussing Gwen.
**Fries**: 『So Gwen, she still hasn’t...』
**Scepter**: 『Mm. Since there’s been no response for so long, she’s likely gone. She was in the heart of the conflict—Northland is said to be the bloodiest battlefield, with many towns reduced to ruins.』
Gwen... was dead?
She truly had remained silent this whole ti, and the place she was in was extrely dangerous. Being just a young girl, it was entirely reasonable for the others to conclude that she had perished.
But Hughes knew that wasn’t the case.
Because... her thread was still in his hands.
Hughes could still feel the tremor from the other end of the thread. Gwen’s condition wasn’t quite right, but she wasn’t dead. On the contrary, her soul felt far more powerful than before.
Perhaps sothing had entangled her—held her up.
Knowing that the little girl had survived, Hughes let out a sigh of relief. He had been busy all this ti with matters in Castel. Had Gwen truly died, he would have felt guilty.
After studying the thread for a while, Hughes realized he couldn’t directly see her situation. The ti limit of the link soon arrived, and Hughes regretfully shut it down, choosing to return instead.
Castel’s return was just one final step away. He wasn’t planning on wasting more ti here. Once he left the Sea Temple’s dinsional space, he would investigate thoroughly.
The hoisting operation was progressing quickly. With the Banshees using Mind Link to assist in communication, every project on Castel was displaying efficiency far beyond what this era should have been capable of.
Hughes quickly realized that rather than getting directly involved in the work, the Banshees were even more effective as relays. The organizational advantage brought by the Mind Link completely overwheld the era’s primitive communication thods.
At this very mont, the Banshees were using Mind Link to guide the airships from the ground.
『Bring the airship down a little more. Fixation team, once the altitude drops, begin tightening the ropes imdiately!』
『Airship team received.』
『Fixation team received.』
In addition to the hoisting cables from the airship attached to the monster’s body, several more ropes had been added—these were controlled by the Banshees known as the “fixation team.”
The airships primarily managed vertical control of the monster, while the fixation team used their ropes to pull it in various directions, adjusting its precise positioning.
Atop Castel’s main cathedral, the ceiling had already been dismantled. A massive pit had been dug out in the once-empty central atrium, leading directly underground.
Beneath the cathedral lay the old central furnace. Once the largest on the island, it was now no longer sufficient. The island’s engineers had expanded it in all directions, and the entire area beneath the cathedral had beco part of the furnace complex.
『Fixation complete, position confird. Begin lowering!』
Nini’s excited voice rang out through the link. She had taken a great interest in this enormous project and was passionately involved in the hoisting process.
Hughes gave a nod and turned to Zoe. “Have the nearby residents been evacuated?”
“Evacuation complete. Only the workers involved in the hoisting remain inside the cathedral. Nearby factories have paused operations where possible. The Banshees in position below are fully armored and helted as required, and solid fortifications are in place nearby as cover.”
This hoisting operation was critical. The entire Castel had made way for it. For many factories, this was the first ti they had halted work—previously, even during the fiercest battles, people had gritted their teeth and pressed on.
『Ground crew ready. Airship team, what’s your status?』
『All systems normal. Ready to lower!』
『Good!』 Hughes walked to the window, his eyes gleaming as he looked at the long tentacle of the Polluted Serpent dangling outside. 『Lower the altitude. Begin docking!』
Aboard the airship, a Banshee turned to glance at her kin by the boiler. Their eyes t, and in the blink of an eye, the command was transmitted through the Mind Link. The Banshee deftly adjusted the boiler’s air intake. The steam engine’s flywheel began to accelerate.
A hum resounded from the sky. The Clamorer aboard the airship gradually increased output. The drive shaft spun the propeller wildly, and the airship began its slow descent.
Though the monster’s main body still hovered high in the air, its tentacle-like Polluted Serpents had already touched the ground. The Banshees, long since in position, moved swiftly with their six arms to fasten ropes around the tentacles, then pulled them outward from the cathedral in all directions.
As the monster descended, the Polluted Serpents slithered through streets and alleys, radiating outward from the center of Castel Island.
Like a web, slowly expanding.
『Fixation team, loosen the ropes slightly!』
『Banshees between seven and nine o’clock, pull tighter. The monster will shift in your direction!』
『Airship team, your descent rate is too fast! Slow it down!』
The Mind Link filled with an ever-quickening flood of ssages. Command after command was transmitted with precision to each Banshee, who in turn relayed them to the nearby Holy Guard.
All of Castel was bustling with activity, executing orders in a thodical rhythm. Humans and Banshees alike, linked by the Mind Link, had fused into one entity—like a colossal centipede with countless legs, slowly adapting to this new body.
It had taken imnse effort to take the first step, but soon it would move faster and faster, until it could walk freely—becoming a brand-new living being.
At last, the massive creature descended into the furnace.
The furnace trembled slightly, and a strange, indescribable feeling surged simultaneously through the hearts of everyone on the island.
Aboard the airship, Monica, who had been helping to direct the operation, staggered slightly. She felt as if sothing was beginning to change.
This giant furnace... it was as though it *yearned* for the Sea God’s flesh and blood.
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