Industrial Cthulhu: Starting as an Island Lord

Chapter 23: Castel's Plan

Hughes woke up from bed to find the sunlight already scorching.

Shaking the bell, the maids quickly carried in a slightly short yet very elongated table and carefully placed it on Hughes' bed.

The breakfast was not abundant in quantity, but it was exquisite and plentiful. Hughes noticed that it consisted of all the foods he had previously enjoyed for breakfast.

Even this detail was taken into account, noble life was truly decadent.

Waving away the servants, Hughes dressed himself. After being here for several days, he still was not accustomed to being dressed by others.

"Master."

Opening the door, as expected, Connor was already waiting outside.

"How is the laboratory coming along?"

"It is basically complete. The materials you instructed Scribe Alexei to prepare have also been placed in the warehouse."

"Very well. I will conduct some experiments later. Have Alexei come to see me and bring the ledger of the territory’s output, we need to figure out a way to develop the land."

Pausing for a moment, Hughes searched his memory and then spoke again, "I met an alchemist in Rhine who gave me a notebook. There are quite a few interesting things in it, and I intend to try them out."

Alchemy existed in this world. It was somewhat similar to chemists on Earth but mixed with elements of mysticism.

Some alchemists created precise little gadgets, while others also dabbled in pharmaceuticals.

In short, it was a hodgepodge of various disciplines.

Previously, Hughes had come across a flintlock gun. The gunpowder inside was an alchemist’s creation, though it was significantly more expensive.

He had indeed met a few alchemists before, but those distinguished masters only exchanged a few words with him out of respect for his father. He had not gained much from them.

But now, he was a genius meticulously taught by several alchemy masters, coming up with a few new things was entirely reasonable.

Of course, before anything else, he needed to understand the territory's output to determine how to develop its industry.

Alexei walked briskly toward the manor’s reception room, followed by his assistant, who was carrying a large stack of ledgers.

He had already gone through these records multiple times, they contained all sorts of information about the territory.

He genuinely wanted to accomplish something for the land. If the territory could develop, his abilities would be recognized, a win-win situation.

Thus, upon hearing Hughes’ request, he immediately brought the materials over.

He was on the Empress’s payroll, and Hughes was the Count appointed by the Empress. Alexei saw no issue in assisting Hughes.

His salary made him dutiful, but his recognition of Hughes made him willing to give his all.

Alexei knocked on the door.

"Come in."

Hughes was sitting at the long table. He greeted Alexei before flipping through the materials he had brought.

"Could you give me a brief overview of the territory's situation?"

"Of course, my lord." After a moment of recollection, Alexei began speaking:

"The island we are on is Castel. It is quite large and is an important part of your territory."

The other parts only existed on maps and in the enfeoffment decree, most were in the hands of pirates.

"The northernmost part of Castel has a dock, though it is small and currently only used by fishing boats."

"I have seen it. It is a good deep-water port. With some modifications, it could accommodate large cargo ships."

"Large cargo ships? Alright…" Alexei swallowed the rest of his words. What large ship would come to this forsaken island?

"Near the dock is the northern plain of Castel. Your manor is on the eastern side of the plain. This is the most densely populated area on the island, where most of the workshops are located."

"What kinds of workshops are there?"

"Mainly breweries. There used to be oil mills as well. The island has many olive trees, but unfortunately, olive oil does not sell well. No merchants come here for it."

"Olive oil?" Hughes' eyes lit up. This was valuable. The rise and fall of civilizations around the Mediterranean on Earth were closely tied to it. In the Byzantine era, it was even the main economic support for monasteries and monks.

However, the Empire had little demand for olive oil. This nation lacked the cultural tradition for it and had never associated it with religion.

Indeed, Castel Island could produce olive oil, but in the Storm Ocean, where maritime trade was underdeveloped, its value was limited.

Even the pirates of Gem Bay preferred to collect sweet fruit wine as tax rather than olive oil.

But Hughes knew more uses for olive oil.

For example, as he searched his memory, a smile appeared on his face.

Soap, one of the essential tools of any transmigrator, easy to make and astonishingly effective.

The Empire had no similar product. With just this one item, he could establish himself in the Storm Ocean and make a fortune in the process.

Making soap from olive oil was not complicated. Hughes already had a complete process in mind.

And his ambitions extended beyond mere bars of fragrant soap.

Saponification was the foundation of many chemical processes. If he could successfully establish a soap production line, Castel Island’s future would be limitless.

"Aside from that, is there anything else?"

"The island has some mineral deposits, with a variety of ores, but not much of high value." Alexei recalled, "This place is too far from the Empire, and the pirates of Gem Bay lack smelting capabilities. We can only send the ores to the White Raven Principality nearby, but they have plenty of minerals and offer low prices."

"Do we have a registry of the mines?"

"Uh…" Alexei hesitated. "I’ll go look for it. The records are quite old, dating back to when the first settlers arrived on Castel."

"Organize a detailed survey. Announce it under the name of the municipal hall. I will pay the workers."

"Understood." Alexei nodded. "Most of these mineral deposits are in the southwest of Castel."

"The southwest… Alexei, I remember the island has a volcano, right?" Hughes walked to the balcony, pushed open the window, and looked toward the southwestern corner of the island.

There stood a towering mountain. The lower half was lush with greenery, while the upper half was bare, covered in white snow.

A cloud-like mist swirled at the summit, obscuring the peak completely.

Castel’s climate was remarkably stable, warm and humid for most of the year.

Even in the coldest season, an extra layer of clothing sufficed, and snow had never fallen here.

"For every thousand meters of elevation, the temperature drops by 6°C. If that peak is snow-covered year-round, it must be quite high,"

"Yes, my lord. It is an active volcano. I have heard from the locals that it erupted decades ago. They say you can see molten lava churning at the summit."

Hughes nodded. A volcano was a valuable resource.

Every eruption brought forth abundant minerals from deep underground, which explained why the island had so many deposits.

Moreover, where there was a volcano, there was usually sulfur.

Sulfur was essential for making gunpowder.

Additionally, volcanic ash was an excellent fertilizer, perhaps that was why the island could produce such high-quality sweet fruit wine.

With proper development, Castel would at least never lack food.