Industrial Cthulhu: Starting as an Island Lord

Chapter 14: I Am Not a God

His breathing grew heavier, and his eyes turned slightly red.

Clearly, there was an enormous benefit before him, but why did he feel a sense of disgust in his heart?

Yes, disgust.

He was disgusted by this feeling.

Just like when he was at the dock and saw that ugly, bloated monster.

Even though he knew this world possessed extraordinary power, he still tried to use his knowledge to seek out the truth before him.

Some things are deeply engraved in the soul.

He knew very little about this world, yet he still tried to piece together its true form with the clues in his hands.

Doubt and reflection—human civilization was born from them, and modern science is the bountiful fruit they bear.

Even if the world had changed and his knowledge had become worthless, he had never abandoned doubt and reflection.

What about gods?

Gods only demand obedience, but science encourages questioning.

In his previous life, he was just an ordinary person.

He did not believe in gods, only in himself.

He fed himself with his own hands and pursued his dreams with his own feet.

In this life, his origins were unclear.

Perhaps gods truly existed in this world.

Should he then bow his head in reverence or allow the Sirens before him to exalt him onto a divine throne?

Would he simply follow the path of those before him, pretending to be divine? Was that all he was capable of?

Hughes closed his eyes and clenched his fists.

So what if gods existed? So what if they did not?

Humanity in his previous life was so arrogant that they measured the world with their own feet and constructed a star map with science and belief that left no place for gods.

Hughes, you have witnessed the brilliance of mortals. And now, you would surrender to desire?

Gods? Curses? Prophecies?

What he saw was a group of slaves who bravely stood up and shattered their own shackles. And now, he was supposed to seize the crown?

Hughes abruptly opened his eyes.

The chaotic and disorderly thoughts scattered in an instant. His will, tempered by temptation, became as firm as steel. There was no more hesitation in his gaze.

"Rise, Sirens! You should not worship me!"

Hughes shouted loudly.

The Sirens lifted their heads, their eyes filled with confusion as they looked at the small-statured human before them.

He turned to his side. "Ash, tell me, was the water pressure I mentioned at the dock correct or not?"

Ash was slightly startled. "Of course it was correct. We have now returned to our original forms."

"Back then, I said this was knowledge from books. Do you remember?"

Ash nodded. "Yes, you did say that."

"Then tell me, what freed you from the curse—was it me, or was it knowledge?"

Ash was momentarily stunned, then her eyes widened.

Hughes took a step forward and looked around. "Sirens, tell me—who carved a bloody path through the fishmen's siege? Who withstood the ghost ship’s cannon fire? Was it me?"

The Sirens froze.

They vaguely realized what Hughes was trying to do, and that terrifying possibility—no, even just thinking about it made them tremble all over.

Some Sirens looked down at their own hands, bewildered.

Some held their heads in agony, their eyes filled with confusion.

Hughes knew the answer was already in their hearts; they just did not dare to face it.

Now, he needed to push them further.

A Siren hesitated before standing up to answer. "We... we fought for you, for god."

"No! You fought for freedom!"

Hughes declared loudly without hesitation.

"What I saw were fearless warriors. I saw sacrifices made without a second thought. I saw noble fury surging in your eyes. I saw you shatter the chains of fate with your own hands!"

"You are no longer slaves! This is not a gift from the gods! This is a victory earned with your own courage and blood!"

The seabed was as silent as a snowy morning.

The Sirens' faces were filled with shock and even fear.

What Hughes had said was something they had never dared to consider before. His words were heretical, blasphemous even. Yet... it was their god himself who had spoken to them.

The god saves the Sirens, and the Sirens protect the god—this was the song passed down since ancient times, an unshakable belief rooted in every Siren's soul.

For thousands of years, they had sung this song while defending their homeland.

They had sung it while enduring the curse.

They believed they would continue singing it to welcome the next god for eternity.

But now, someone was telling them that the ones they should be singing for were themselves.

The Sirens fell into disarray.

Their worldview cracked ever so slightly before being utterly shattered by the human standing before them.

"We... are no longer slaves..." a Siren murmured softly.

More Sirens lifted their heads.

They tried to think—before, all they had to do was obey.

Obey the gods.

Obey the slave masters.

Obey the prophecies.

Obey fate.

But now, the god they worshipped was telling them to think for themselves.

Slowly, an unthinkable answer surfaced in their minds. And what terrified them even more was that this answer came from their own thoughts.

The atmosphere was deathly silent.

The Sirens lowered their heads, unwilling to acknowledge the terrifying truth that had emerged in their minds.

Hughes waited patiently. He knew that something was about to be born.

Finally, a Siren straightened up, her face filled with horror as she looked at Hughes.

"So... you... you are not..."

She covered her mouth abruptly and shook her head frantically, as if trying to swallow her own words.

"Yes. I am not a god."

The Sirens heard these words and looked up at Hughes in shock. Time seemed to freeze.

"I am not a god. I was not a god in the past, and I will not become a god in the future," Hughes said slowly but firmly. "I am just a mortal."

The Sirens fell into silence once more.

What had they just heard?

A god had denied his own divinity.

Even though they had already started to suspect it, hearing Hughes personally confirm it still dealt a great shock to them.

Yet, strangely enough, when they first considered the idea, they were terrified. When the idea seemed likely, they trembled. But when it became the truth, they instead felt a sense of relief.

Some Sirens still could not accept reality.

They ranted and shouted. But others lowered their heads in silence, lost in thought.

The scene was chaotic.

However, a few Sirens stared at Hughes with burning eyes.

Their gazes were no longer filled with blind fanaticism but something else.

Hughes sighed inwardly.

He was no saint, nor did he have an obsession with moral purity.

He, too, was greedy and short-sighted at times.

Yet, for some reason, when he saw those sincere eyes, he found himself unable to say anything else.

He had transmigrated to another world. He no longer feared death.

Would he still only dare to hide behind lies?

Hughes closed his eyes.

He said no more.

He knew that the Sirens would struggle to accept this truth, as the very concept had never existed for them before.

If anyone else had said these words, the Sirens would have scoffed.

But it had to be him—the one they had exalted onto a divine throne—who stepped down and returned the glory to them.

Would the Sirens be grateful to him?

Probably not.

Hughes chuckled self-deprecatingly and closed his eyes gently.