The Unearthed SCP-173

Three months later, the Steam City had fully returned to normal operation.

Thick smoke from the factory shot into the sky, and smoke and fog enveloped the city.

Steam-powered vehicles drove through the hazy streets, their plumes of white smoke causing passersby to turn their heads away.

Gentlemen and ladies dressed in tailcoats or formal attire, carrying pocket watches, walked the streets.

There were also homeless people and orphans wearing tattered leather jackets wandering the streets.

Over the years, class stratification has emerged in Steam City.

Especially after the Great Ruin, this class gap will widen again.

Steam-powered robots patrol alongside the city guards.

Some exquisite and delicate insect models, made entirely of gears, are flying in front of some shops.

It attracted children to stop and watch.

Some people wearing crow masks also entered houses with white cloth strips hanging at their doors.

They were the city's Plague Doctor; although they were skilled in medicine, treating patients was not their primary task.

Their organization was established to combat Abomination ghost stories.

Therefore, their primary responsibility was to dispose of corpses.

The crow-beak mask they wore was also something they developed to prevent the stench of decay and blood splatter.

After each Great Ruin, some people are always psychologically traumatized.

Those with milder cases would be sent to Arkham Asylum, while those with severe cases...

They will commit suicide one after another in the following period.

The task of collecting the bodies also fell to these Plague Doctor.

Beneath the surface of everything appearing calm...

But no one has truly returned to normal life.

The annual Great Ruin was an insurmountable chasm for them.

The Great Ruin, in particular, became even more terrifying.

The development of steam technology and the understanding of the power obtained from the Great Cthulhu are all under urgent action.

More energy resources began to be extracted, and research began to be conducted on weapons.

The birth of Dagon also brought more profound doctrines to the followers of the Esoteric Order of Dagon.

Even within the Esoteric Order of Dagon, selection ceremonies are held regularly.

The chosen believers will be taken to an underwater city in the Sea of Sea of Death.

They will be there, enduring the deep-sea terrors emanating from Dagon, causing their SAN value to decrease.

This would make it easier for them to understand dreams about Cthulhu that they unconsciously dream about during sleep.

Whether or not one can withstand the SAN going to zero depends on each person's fate.

Those who couldn't withstand it went completely insane and were sacrificed to Cthulhu.

Even if it leads to madness, if you withstand it.

But they can also gain some power from it.

All you need is more fragmented power, and then you can piece it together.

They will then continue to improve.

As the Steam City develops, another year draws to a close.

Great Ruin is about to arrive.

Research on steam-powered weaponry has made some progress, but not much.

After all, there was no revolutionary innovation.

They simply developed massive weapons, turrets, and armored the Chariot...

It is entirely composed of massive armor plates, fastened together with numerous rivets.

In addition, a complete steam engine starter needed to be installed, which was enormous and filled the space with a sense of oppression.

It possesses a violent aesthetic and a wild, untamed nature.

But compared to the Eldritch Beings and supernatural, it falls short.

Steam-powered robots and exoskeleton devices have also been improved.

Within the Esoteric Order of Dagon, an increasing number of people, known as "scholars," reside in Arkham Asylum.

There haven't been any groundbreaking changes yet.

The Great Ruin arrived as expected.

Although we were prepared, the monsters that appeared along with the Otherworld, along with the Eldritch Beings and monstrous creatures that roamed the city, still caused a bloodbath.

Another sleepless night of fear.

The death toll has been brought under control, reduced to around 20,000.

Otherwise, based on the death rate of the previous year, the Steam City would probably be wiped out in just a few years.

The Wandering Doom once again followed the Great Ruin.

After the Great Ruin ended, the records of the Wandering Doom became more detailed.

This level of detail refers to describing the specific appearance and body shape on a blank page.

They have absolutely no understanding of this world.

They couldn't even understand the extent of the Land of New Life where they were located.

Another year has passed since the Great Ruin.

Everything remained the same; the people in the Steam City continued their various research projects, and the city was in a period of vigorous development.

But all of this was soon shattered one day.

The continuous heavy rain has been falling in Arkham for three days.

The mist, combined with the steam generated by the city's operation, made the sky above Arkham even more hazy and dreamlike.

In the distance, only the blades of the giant wind turbine and the steam-powered airship could be seen, constantly appearing and disappearing in the clouds.

Because of the heavy rain, there were fewer pedestrians on the streets.

However, in an open-air construction site, work was still underway despite the heavy rain.

The steam engine roared, accompanied by the creaking of huge gears turning.

A machine similar to an excavator is in operation.

This area is currently undeveloped and is planned for expansion and factory construction.

Work started here a few days ago, but they stopped after digging a little bit because of the heavy rain.

However, due to the tight schedule, we have no choice but to continue working.

"The weather is just like these bosses; they deserve to encounter those strange tales and might as well die sooner."

"And you can't encounter Tomie Ghost Stories, otherwise you'll die too happily. It has to be either the Pig-headed Butcher or Sadako!"

A middle-aged man operating the excavator spat and cursed angrily.

Because of the heavy rain hitting the glass windows, it was impossible to see the specific situation inside the dug pit.

Moreover, there is a possibility of landslides.

"Old Ke, stop talking. If it weren't for this job, we'd be just like those homeless people huddled in street corners, trying to avoid the rain."

"The current Great Ruin is truly unsettling."

"Nobody knows if they'll live to see tomorrow, or next year. Let's finish this quickly, then we'll go to the Flower Street Bar."

"The pretty girl is still waiting for us there!"

"I heard there were female Deep Ones Hybrid from the Esoteric Order of Dagon there today; that's quite a rare sight!"

An old man who looked to be in his fifties or sixties chuckled as he huddled around the area where fuel was added to the steam engine.

The driver, known as Old Ke, rubbed his hands together, revealing an excited expression, upon hearing this from the Flower Street Bar.

"Alright, let's get the fire burning brighter and boost the power. I'm ready to go all out, hahaha!"

As more combustible materials were added to the steam engine.

The fire blazed up, and with all the power mobilized, construction began.

But after Old Ke had been digging for a while, the bucket suddenly hit something hard that he couldn't budge.

"Old Ke, why did you stop? We were almost finished."

The old man tending the fire had a question.

"Damn it, how come there's a huge rock buried underneath?"

"Old man, go down into the pit and see what kind of rocks you've dug up. Put on a hook, tie it to me, and I'll hoist you up."