40k: Midnight Blade

Chapter 202 27. You can also encounter little secrets when you go shopping

Navarro Delkunas has been a Rogue Trader for ten years, and he finds much excitement in the job.

For example, being chased by Imperial Guards, having a gun put to his head, and passing through the Imperial Starport with a warehouse full of contraband. However, all of these things were incomparable to what he was experiencing now.

He boarded the flagship of the Eighth Legion.

Just realizing this made his legs weak, his heart beating faster, and he was sweating profusely.

The surrounding environment was even worse. The cold corridors with mist and dim environment, as well as the faint sounds coming from the darkness in the distance, all reminded him of where this place was.

If these were not enough, what was about to happen next was the horror that truly struck his heart.

——He will tell the Eighth Legion the truth about the diary.

lie?

No, this is definitely not an option. People have all kinds of speculations and assumptions about the Astartes. The Eighth Legion also inevitably has many rumors within the Empire.

Some people even say that they bathe in human blood every day and use human skin and bones as decoration. Navarro is a well-informed person, and he naturally knows that the rumors are actually many unreasonable and exaggerated.

However, he still had a vague idea of ​​what the Eighth Legion was doing.

Of course he wouldn't be stupid enough to lie to people like them - besides, he had long lost confidence in his deception.

In other words, he can only tell the truth.

Navarro Delkunas followed a servitor cautiously and came to a room.

An iron table and an iron chair were waiting empty in the room, and his family's diary was placed on the table. The servitor brought him here, and then planned to turn around and leave, but Navarro quickly stopped it.

The thing smelled of preservatives and stood stiffly in place. It had no hair or lips, and its blackened gums were wrapped in transparent glass. She was staring at him now without saying a word.

This image of honor made the Rogue Trader feel a chill rising from the soles of his feet to the sky. Who would transform a servitor into something like this?

He froze in place, his original intention to ask questions now gone. The servitor received no response, so he turned and left without hesitation.

The door closed quietly, and the metal fit together tightly. Navarro turned slowly, and the lights immediately came on before his eyes. In the mist, a giant slowly walked out, it was Khalil Lohars.

Navarro stared at him blankly, and a thought suddenly came to his mind - had he been here before?

"We're sorry about your ship, Captain Navarro Delkunas. But it was too damaged and covered with orc carcasses. Your Swallow didn't make it through the storm but we still I managed to rescue some of the belongings that originally belonged to you, and they are waiting for your inspection at the bottom of the Night Veil's cabin."

Navarro forced a smile. He didn't care what those things were like: "Thank you, thank you, sir."

"Relax, Captain Navarro," Khalil said softly. "You can sit down and let's talk slowly. This is not an interrogation, and I won't hurt you."

The Rogue Trader sat down cautiously, with only half a chair next to him. The icy cold temperature penetrated his clothes and stung his heart, and the words came one after another.

"To be honest, when I didn't open the diary and read it, I wasn't really interested in it. Compared to it, I actually wanted to know how you ran into that group of orcs. But I turned over Saw it."

Khalil raised his right hand and made a gesture. He was calm and rational, and his voice sounded like he was chatting. But what he said next made Navarro feel even heavier.

"Money only circulates among mortals, and power cannot oppress certain spines. Therefore, we need names." Khalil smiled at him. "What an interesting statement."

".This quote comes from one of my ancestors."

"I think so. After all, this diary is very old. It's obviously impossible for ordinary paper to be kept in such good condition by you running around on the ship. Is it witchcraft or psychic magic, Captain Navarro?"

"I don't know, but I hope it's the latter." Rogue Trader said with a wry smile. "The Imperial Truth clearly affirms the evil of witchcraft and wizards. I don't want to have anything to do with these things."

"It's very sensible. Then, let's classify it as a psychic spell for the time being." Khalil folded his hands.

"To be honest, I'm not very interested in the political threat drama being played by the family behind you, Captain Navarro. Politics is inherently dirty, and new tragedies happen every moment under the influence of some big shots. ”

"The galaxy is too big, and interstellar anti-corruption is not our job - but... I am very interested in a certain name mentioned in that diary."

Navarro slowly swallowed his bitter saliva and began to think about which term in the diary touched this big man's nerves. His grimace of contemplation did not last long, for Khalil had spoken the name.

"Clayton Ross." The tall and pale giant spit out the name and smiled suddenly.

His dark eyes captured Navarro's gaze like magic. The Rogue Trader was horrified and tried to move his eyes away, but he couldn't do it. His body betrayed him, and a bone-chilling cold swept over him from the escaping mist, making him tremble.

"A glorious imperial soldier, currently serving as a second lieutenant in the auxiliary army of the Dark Angels, the first legion of the empire. What an honorable resume, but it is a pity that he did not obtain this position through normal means."

"He bought an opportunity from your family, so you provided it - now, I want to ask, Captain Navarro Delkunas, what power does your family have that can actually affect such a thing? "

Navarro Delkunas was silent for a long time before giving his answer. He didn't hold anything back and even said things that Khalil didn't care about.

"My family followed the Emperor earlier. After Terra was pacified, our ancestors chose to engage in business to gain wealth. The Emperor allowed it and personally issued him a trade license. After that, my family developed rapidly ”

"We have a lot of wealth and connections. The Clayton Ross you mentioned is just one of the thousands of people we have helped. When the family was still in its prime, we only had to go to the Ministry of Military Affairs. A few gentlemen can take care of this matter over a cup of tea."

"But not now?"

"My family was removed from the ranks of the nobility ten years ago, sir." A smile of pleasure or bitterness appeared on Navarro's face.

"How can I say it? It's asking for trouble. Knowing too many things that other people don't want to know is like this. We were purged, our wealth was taken away, many people were executed on the spot after the evidence of their crimes was found, and only a few people were able to Survive."

"I am one of them. My father was ill and sought medical treatment. In desperation, he put the trading license in the hands of his most hated son, and declared that I was just an innocent child. He asked the guards to look at it For the sake of that sacred piece of paper, let me go."

"It seems they let you go." Khalil nodded. "So, what's going on with this diary?"

"...It's a curse." Navarro pursed his lips, with a helpless look on his face.

"A certain ancestor was very prophetic. He felt that this would definitely happen, so he asked someone to cast... er, psychic spells on the diary. In short, it cannot be destroyed, and it must be kept in the presence of a living Delcuna Otherwise, all the characters on it will scream loudly under the influence of psychic energy."

"That doesn't sound like a very wise second-guessing move," Khalil commented, and Navarro agreed.

The Rogue Trader smiled bitterly and nodded: "To put it bluntly, it's actually very stupid, sir. I waited in prison for half a year, and when I was released, this diary was one of my belongings. They gave it back to me."

"Then, a man warned me. He made me swear that I would never return to Terra for the rest of my life, otherwise the rest of my family would be killed. And this book must always follow me, stay away from people, and never be read again. Add new name."

"It does sound like an interesting story. Thank you for answering my question, Captain Navarro Delkunas. Then, we will release you, your crew and property on a planet with a star port in a while. what do you think?"

Navarro froze.

"What?" he blurted out uncontrollably. "This, is it over?"

"What else do you want, Mr. Navarro?" Khalil smiled at him.

"You have not committed a crime, and I don't care whether your family has hidden secrets back then. After all, there is no hatred in you. You can leave now. Turn right when you go out, and you will see a servitor. It will take you to your place. s room."

Navarro stood up hurriedly. He seemed to want to leave, but his body was frozen in place, and there was a sense of astonishment on his face that he doubted whether he was dreaming.

"No - you, aren't you going to ask more questions?"

"Do you really want me to ask more questions?" Khalil raised his eyebrows and smiled. "Those names are either hungry for money or hungry for love. The few who are hungry for opportunity just want to join the army."

"They didn't ask for a high position, nor did they ask for a position where they could plunder the people's wealth and wealth. I won't ask why your family was destroyed, but at least the people who did it still showed mercy."

"This is a wonderful story, but it is a pity that it does not belong to us. Keep your secret and diary in your heart, Mr. Navarro Delkunas, it will become your treasure."

There is one more chapter, updated today.