Industrial Cthulhu? It's Cthulhu Industrial!!

Chapter 33: Walking Through the Valley (Please Read!)
Spending one's life quietly in a relatively closed world may be the dream and idea of ​​many people.

Having enough to eat and drink, no worries about food and clothing, working normally, and finding happiness is a perfect world for everyone. But the premise is that there should be no obstacles that hinder people's survival.

For example, it's very simple: there should be no death, because death is a terrible thing. There should also be no illness, which is equally terrible. There should be no natural disasters, and there should be no war. Anything that can take people's lives should not exist.

Although Leon wasn't a god, he had foreseen this day. He realized what was about to happen after the natural disaster, and how horrific and potentially fatal it would be. That was the plague. After the typhoon passed, if not properly handled, the plague would follow.

Of course, there was no need to worry about the main island. They already had a comprehensive drainage and sanitation system in place. Even if it weren't, Leon's tentacles could temporarily take over these strange functions, maintaining the overall structure and keeping the entire sanitary environment as clean as possible. The toilets weren't composting, but instead had a slope leading directly to the sea.

Although you may enjoy the feeling of waves hitting your buttocks during high tide, it is faster to leave it to nature than to deal with the complex operations of human life substances.

But life on China Island is different.

The original drainage system consisted of a combination of porcelain pipes and channels dug by Leon's extended tentacles. It wasn't designed to begin with; it was simply a makeshift system created by a group of people working on their own whims. When the tropical storm swept through, wiping a portion of the village off the map, the already shallow drainage system naturally began to warp and become unusable.

They began to return to their original habit of defecating anywhere, after all, this was common sense to them. However, they were previously required by Leon and the people from the Silver Gate to stay in the room, and now returning to the wild was actually a return to their own culture.

But there is a small problem: not all the bodies have been exhumed and dealt with properly.

Out of respect for their national customs, Li Ang had already asked them whether they wanted to help deal with the bodies.

However, after knowing that the result of dealing with the corpses was to burn them directly and scatter the ashes into the ocean, these humans rejected Leon's kindness and chose to deal with the problems in their own territory themselves.

Of course, Li Ang respected this and sealed the exit gate, declaring that for at least the next month, the two territories would no longer be connected. Each side could carry out its own work within its territory, including new planning and production processes.

The people of the Silver Gate naturally wanted to continue building the Exchange Sanctuary, but Leon had already realized that the other wave of people from the Hill Empire was destroying their lives through their customs and lifestyle. According to their custom, after death, the bodies of Hill Empire residents were exhumed and placed on the ground to be fully dehydrated before being fed to livestock or plants.

Because in their cognition, humans are also part of this cycle, but in order to be cleaner, dehydration on the ground is one of the links.

But here's the problem.

In the Hill Empire's native climate, with its dry plateau winds and near-absence of bacteria and microorganisms, coupled with the divine protection, it's difficult for a series of reactions or influences to occur. The human body will simply slowly dry out, becoming a pile of jerky.

But now it was different. Under Leon's gaze, the excavated debris was neatly laid out in the square. People dined on the edge of the moist earth, next to the bodies. A light rain continued to fall, and the remaining remnants of the tropical storm were finally scattered across the island.

When the first cough emanated from the Ceramic Island, Leon clearly realized that his territory had finally faced its first wave of tests. This wasn't about the enemy, nor was it about himself; it was simply a simple, understandable test, a natural progression of nature.

The plague is coming.

'System prompt: A health and safety crisis has occurred in your territory!'

'System prompt: The cultural conflict in your territory has led to the current situation! You must solve this problem as quickly as possible to prevent the spread of the plague!'

System prompt: Some cultures don't need to be preserved. These negative, outdated cultures are likely to cause serious damage to the whole. A heroic act of self-sacrifice is a necessary act and a choice for humanity itself!

"System prompt: Please note that a tropical plague is spreading in your territory. It is not a supernatural plague and is not supernaturally contagious. Physical isolation and separation can eliminate the source of this virus. The iteration rate is normal, the infection rate is normal, and there are no abnormalities."

'System prompt: Rapidly eliminating the source of the plague may help curb its spread.'

Some cultures and characteristics do not need to be respected.

Although Leon himself does not want to be a tyrant, nor does he want to become an absolute leader who has complete control over other people's lives, this is the result of not changing.

On the second day, the corpses began to turn green, their interiors began to rot and ferment, their stomachs began to swell, and their faces became hideous due to the deformation of the decay. At this time, the people on Ceramic Island still refused to heed Li Ang's warning.

Some researchers had already decided to abandon the life and culture of Ceramic Island. Around thirty people had decided to abandon their own culture and ideals and join the ranks of the Silver Gate. Leon naturally made it easier for them to be included in the plan, allowing them to rebuild their research department within the main island. However, the others chose to remain on Ceramic Island.

They believed that this was a normal phenomenon, or rather, there was an inexplicable evil in their hearts that made them firmly believe that this was done by the hateful gods.

Even though Leon had given them all kinds of information and warned them of potential problems, these people refused to give up their lifestyle and customs and persisted in their own ways on the island. After the population was reduced, they believed the remaining houses and space would be sufficient.

They paid no heed to the corpse's growing belly, nor to the insects swirling around it as it decomposed, nor to the thick, pungent liquid oozing from the strange objects. Their lives and habits had long since become fixed in that distant empire, becoming second nature. They had simply been suppressed for a time by the forging of collective life, and now they were returning to their original state. On the third day, the first cough was heard from among them. And as if triggered by some vibration, the most swollen corpse exploded, instantly dispersing the carnage within before everyone.

These people began to feel confused, but they did not react. They still believed that they were the best and the most outstanding.

They lived in this holy land, enjoying the white paradise all to themselves, ignoring the opinions and thoughts of others, as well as the vague uneasiness in their hearts, and refusing to understand those bizarre phenomena.

Eventually, they began to feel feverish and weak, barely able to stand. They lay on their beds, breathing like mummies. In the Hill Empire, such illnesses simply didn't exist. They couldn't understand why this had happened, let alone why they had become so weak.

Even yesterday, they were singing and dancing on the edge, firing ceramic pieces in the Lianshan kiln, intending to place them within the divinely bestowed white walls once again to prove their righteousness. But today, they couldn't rise from their beds, only their breathing, like the throbbing of bellows, sounded less like life than the footsteps of death hovering around them, calculating the time, awaiting the inevitable outcome.

They claimed to be God's people, so they certainly wouldn't just sit there and wait for death. Some of the more energetic ones decided to walk across the White Seawall to meet the people from the Silver Gate and ask for help.

However, due to his own behavior and the continuous light rain, a corner of the White Sea Dike was missing.

It wasn't large, only a few meters wide and only one or two meters deep, but the surging water made that few meters a natural barrier. Their physical strength simply couldn't sustain them crossing it, so they could only return to their room and pray for God's salvation.

Leon didn't respond to their pleas and curses, for he had already done what he was supposed to do. Every day, he distributed fruits, vegetables, and fish soup according to the population in the town center. These were excellent necessities for replenishing energy and maintaining vital signs. Furthermore, a method for boiling salt had been initially developed, and sea salt provided a basic flavor, replenishing the body's missing nutrients.

But these cannot prevent the arrival of death itself.

Fewer and fewer people are able to stand up and walk every day. The once healthy population is gradually becoming weak and frail.

They ultimately chose to abandon their culture and began to act as Leon had warned them long ago. A small number of immune bodies, less than ten in number, began to gather and throw the bodies into the sea, or simply toss them into the Lianshan kiln for burning.

Abandoning their own cultural customs, they transformed like a Silver Gate member. While those on the sickbeds screamed and cursed, or remained silent, these people silently handled the relevant tasks. They were not completely willing, but Leon had indeed issued a warning. Because Leon would not allow these plague-stricken people to enter the Silver Gate. They could only unite and do what was necessary.

In fact, these days did not last long. In less than ten days, the entire plague was over.

However, the remaining population on the island was reduced by half, and the old people who resisted the gods the most, refused to enter the Silver Gate, and vowed to maintain the Hill Empire were also silently thrown into the sea in a dark night.

Selection is a natural choice, and so is human selection. Some, out of fear, locked themselves in their homes, covered in various ceramic defenses and clay, but gradually died in their homes. Thus, the cultural heritage of the Hill Empire was completely severed.

No one misses the empire on the hill anymore, and no one will ever have such a custom again.

'System prompt: The natural disaster has ended!'

'System prompt: This tropical storm has brought you countless wealth, but it has also destroyed a corner of your country!'

"System prompt: The culture of the Hill Empire has been completely destroyed! The divinely bestowed white walls will no longer exist as a national spirit, but as cultural remnants! These cultural remnants are proof of the brilliant culture that once existed in your empire. Their corpses will serve as a warning and nourishment for the empire's progress!"

'God-given White Wall (wreckage):
Once upon a time, a remnant emerged here, believing themselves to be blessed by the gods and that everything was in their own hands. They grew arrogant and stubborn, interpreting things in their own way that didn't fit their worldview. Eventually, a plague ravaged this stubborn community, and the wreckage stands as a testament to their mortality, a reminder to never forget the teachings of others.

Health +1, Culture +1, public support increased.'

At the edge of the island, a section of white wall that looks very exquisite and magnificent stands firm under the impact of the waves.

These porcelains, resistant to ocean corrosion and deep-sea pressure, record the story of the Hill Empire and its arrival in this world. Later, they detail their confrontation with the Silver Gate, while the final, unfinished scroll records the cause of their death.

They burned a lifelike clay tablet, clearly depicting the scene. Around the bonfire, they rejoiced, ate food falling from the sky, and urinated and defecated everywhere. Not far away, a group of bloated dead watched them. Perhaps this scene seemed heartwarming in their culture, but in the eyes of Leon and others, it was nothing more than a portrait of the dying.

"It looks like they've finally gotten their own piece of heaven... Wait about a month, then go out and deal with it."

Leon said this as he looked at the corpses in the projection that were beginning to dissolve.

There are still two months before the fleet arrives.

(End of this chapter)