Industrial Cthulhu, starting from the island lord

Chapter 116: The studious nun and the unstudious businessman
Two things have recently sparked discussion among the islanders of Castres.

The first one is the advanced class opened by the Lord. Some people saw Sister Chloe attending the class.

This is a rare sight. I have only heard of other people going to church to learn to pray, but this is the first time that a nun has gone outside to learn.

But what can nuns learn? How to clean the church better?

There really were believers who went to ask Miss Chloe, and then Chloe, with an excited look on her face, dragged her along and talked about the mechanical principles for most of the day.

"It was so scary. Miss Chloe's eyes lit up and her strength was amazing. I tried to slip away twice but was pulled back each time!" said the believer with lingering fear.

So Chloe's nickname "Studious Nun" spread like wildfire. People on the island knew that there was a studious nun in the church, so more people went to the church to pray, and they even talked about the lessons they learned in the church.

The islanders have not noticed that these fishermen, farmers, and craftsmen who make a living by their skills are also becoming more and more interested in exploring technology-related things.

Not many people have taken the advanced classes, but the number of people who understand mechanical principles and physical chemistry is gradually increasing. Xiu Si did not prohibit the students in the advanced classes from spreading the knowledge to others, and even encouraged it, but he just set some rules.

Zeus did fulfill his promise and shared knowledge with the people on the island almost for free, but now no one cares about such a small matter - the islanders no longer question Zeus's promise. It is a consensus among everyone that the lord will fulfill his promise.

This small island in the Storm Ocean and its people are quietly changing.

In addition to the "studious nun", there is another thing people are discussing.

That means Josh is back.

Josh, everyone on the island knew him. Although he was a little sneaky, he was a nice person. Ken was a good friend of him, but after that he took the advanced class and they didn't have much time to interact.

So when Ken returned home from get out of class, he was a little surprised to see Josh waiting at his door.

"Josh! You're back?! Oh my god, you're really back. We thought you were in trouble with the Empire."

Ken rushed over and gave him a hug.

"Hey, Ken, you're strangling me. Gaia, pull your brother away! He must be jealous that I can travel to the Empire, so he wants to kill me."

"Actually, I'm jealous too—I heard you met some pirates?"

The few of them returned to the house while playing and joking. Old Ivan lit the stove and boiled some water.

The whole family had to attend advanced classes. Although they could earn money, no one could cook at home.

So they usually just made something to eat when they got home in the evening, but today was different. Josh brought them some fried fish and fried potatoes.

Since the olive oil factory opened, islanders can buy olive oil at a low price, and things like fried fish and fried potatoes have gradually become popular.

Many workers choose to buy some fried fish from roadside stalls before going to work. It is a rare delicacy for islanders, and the key is that it is not expensive, so they can afford to eat it occasionally.

The students in the advanced class were paid less and generally could not afford to eat much, so Gaia and Ken swallowed their saliva after seeing the big bag of fried food.

"Uncle Ivan, come and eat too. You're welcome. I was able to earn Leo thanks to your help."

"Did you make any money? Did you sell the soap?"

"Of course!" Qiao Xi laughed. "I came here to share the money with you. You have no idea how well those things sell in the Empire!"

Josh was one of the first people to buy soap. After he returned home with a few bars of soap, he was immediately impressed by this magical little gadget. He washed his hands at least twenty times that day.

The islanders all liked this new thing, but Josh thought further.

When his wrinkled hands picked up the soap again, an idea came to his mind:
If we take these things and sell them to the Empire, we should be able to get a higher price, right?

He was the kind of person who did what he thought, so he came to see Ken that night.

Although Ken didn't have much money, his family were hired by the lord and had the right to buy soap at a low price. Ken successfully persuaded them to use their quota to buy soap for him. Then Ken went to many other families, and finally, he carried a large box on his back and took the Candlelight Society's return ship to the empire.
"Unfortunately, it didn't go very smoothly. We encountered pirates right after leaving Castel."

"pirate!"

"Didn't they steal your goods?"

"No, it's very strange. Their captain came down, asked a few questions, and then left. Nothing happened. To be honest, those of us on the ship were shocked. The pirate captain had a scimitar hanging on his waist, the same kind that Butler Alexi had on his waist. Who knows how many people he must have killed with it."

"Oh my god, it's really dangerous out there. Why did the pirates let you go?"

"I'm not entirely sure, but I have some guesses—they asked where we were from, and when they heard it was Castel, they didn't take action. Perhaps it's related to the Lord."

"Lord!? Has he formed an alliance with the pirates?"

Ken and Josh turned to look at Gaia and couldn't help laughing.

"How is that possible? The Lord is an earl of the Empire. How could the Empire ally with pirates? They should be afraid of the Lord."

"Yes, the Lord is so powerful, it's normal for pirates to be afraid of him. Before, we had to fish to pay the sea tax. I heard that it was because the Lord beat the pirates that they dared not come to collect the tax."

"Oh, so you have some free time now. You don't have to fish anymore and can go work in the lord's factory."

"Okay, stop talking about maritime taxes. Tell me about your experience in the Empire. How many places did you go to sell all the soap?"

Hearing this, Josh gave an embarrassed smile and put down the fried potatoes in his hand.

"Actually, I didn't go to many places, and those boxes of soap were all sold out at their port."

"They sold out at the port?! That's a huge box!"

“Indeed, after I demonstrated its function, it sold out in no time, not even half an hour.”

He recalled the scene at that time and smacked his lips. It was almost not a sale, but a robbery.

Josh pulled out a bag, counted out a bunch of Rios and placed them on the table.

"This is your share."

"Why are there so many?! How much do you sell them for?"

"Ten Leo."

"How many!?"

"They're ten rios a piece, and they're sold out so quickly. I think selling them at twenty rios a piece is totally fine."

Ken and Gaia opened their eyes wide, their faces filled with shock.

After a moment of silence, the two finally spoke: "Josh, we can't ask for so much. We didn't pay, we just gave out quotas. This is too much."

Ken couldn't help swallowing when he saw the handful of coins in front of him, but he still refused. He was not in a situation where he needed financial support, and he felt that he should not take the money.

"Listen to me, my friend. You deserve this money. Without your quota, I wouldn't be able to earn this much money if I just went to the store and bought it directly. Besides, I have something I need your help with."

"whats the matter?"

"Could you please introduce me to the Lord?"

(End of this chapter)