"So, Vice Admiral Hood has a list in his possession."
"Yes."
"And the mutineers are acting strangely."
Horatio nodded.
"Now you know why Commodore Peru had you board the ship immediately after the battle at the Church of the Celestial Woman, without waiting for the investigators to arrive," the man said seriously, flicking the ash from his cigarette.
"These people will not hesitate to take extreme risks to eliminate anyone who threatens their existence.
My ally gave me a timely prophecy, and the information, simply put, was that the only surviving bloodline of the legendary Admiral Spire would not die a glorious death in battle, but would be humiliatingly assassinated by a petty person.
The cost for the mastermind behind this was merely a Lower Hive fanatic whose brain had been corrupted into mush. The exchange of these two lives sounds like a ridiculous, cynical joke."
After he finished speaking, he snorted coldly.
Horatio could imagine the scene.
Himself walking on the red carpet, heading towards the Guojiao Priest to receive the sacred anointing.
Suddenly, a fanatic, with bloodshot eyes and foaming at the mouth, rushed out from the crowd, his consciousness unclear, and unexpectedly stabbed him in the back, piercing through his chest.
His body would fall into a pool of blood, with his last breath rattling in his lungs, dying alone and in pain amidst the panic and screams of the crowd.
"Do you think there are traitors within the Ecclesiarchy?"
"I'm sure there are. But the matter is far from that simple."
The Inquisitor fiercely stubbed out his cigarette.
"When you find one cockroach in your house, it usually means there's already a nest of them in the dark.
This is also why I want to cooperate with you. Most people only know how terrifying the Inquisition is, but they don't know how difficult our work is."
"Don't you have the highest authority granted by the God-Emperor?"
"We do, but so what? My teacher once had many exceptionally talented students, but now I am the only one still alive to serve the God-Emperor," Inquisitor Ravenor said, pointing to his chest.
"I have heard that some Inquisitors used their power beyond the necessary limits, and were therefore judged and executed by their colleagues who remained loyal to their duties."
Horatio also stubbed out his cigarette.
"Your information is correct.
The more we expose ourselves as an Inquisitor, the less we can uncover, and we might even be killed from behind by other interested parties, or even by colleagues who have found leverage against us."
Inquisitor Ravenor exposed the truth starkly with just one sentence.
Inquisitors are not like what the world imagines, wielding a supreme sword and acting as they please with impunity.
Those who ultimately survive to become legendary Inquisitors need to find reliable collaborators on the local planet, have a powerful and versatile team, and need to maintain a wise and clear mind...
A slight misstep, a single wrong move, and the price is the obliteration or even torment of the soul, with no release from the soul purgatory of the Evil Gods for all eternity.
Of course, Horatio also knew that the Inquisitor community was broadly divided into the Puritans and the Radicals.
Every Inquisitor has their own unspeakable little secrets, secrets that are enough for other Inquisitors to come knocking, pry open their skulls, and deliver judgment upon them.
And Inquisitor Ravenor, who has a cooperative relationship with Xenos, is, in the eyes of some other Inquisitors, one of those who should have their skulls opened.
After all, the fanatical Inquisitors of the Puritan faction do not care about any unspeakable difficulties or the rhetoric of 'this is also serving the Empire'.
In their eyes, this is betrayal.
There is no sacrifice too great to accept, and no betrayal too small to forgive.
—Chapter 28 of the Inquisition Doctrine, Exterminatus.
"Our work is actually the most delicate needlework. It requires us to hide our identities, find and select the most reliable allies and partners. We must unravel things bit by bit, and finally strike directly at the heart of the matter."
The Inquisitor jabbed his cigarette butt into the ship-shaped ashtray, and a strange light seemed to truly flicker in his profound eyes that could see through everything.
"At least three Inquisitors have come to Abyss Port this time. One from Ordo Xenos, one from Ordo Hereticus, and one from Saint Hammer Order."
[Ordo Xenos, Ordo Hereticus, Ordo Malleus.]
"Each person has a different team and different priorities. But you of the Imperial Navy must be careful."
The man looked into Horatio's eyes and warned him:
"William Carter, an Inquisitor of the Saint Hammer Order, a successor of Inquisitor Horst, but unlike Inquisitor Horst, he is a devout and unyielding Puritan Inquisitor. He is willing to sacrifice everything, even his own life, to uphold what he calls 'justice'."
Horatio knew Horst.
Abyss Port truly was a gathering of heroes now.
"Within the Order, William Carter is an excellent Inquisitor, but for you, he is a nightmare."
"What do you mean by that?"
"The entire bureaucratic system of the Ministry of Internal Affairs is largely to blame for what happened in Abyss Port, and in many cases during his hundred-year hunting career, he habitually led military oversight committees and Stormtroopers to purge the Ministry of Internal Affairs and its subordinate departments. After purifying enough people, the problem was at least nominally resolved."
"Well, the Imperial Navy is also part of the Ministry of Internal Affairs."
Horatio's nerves tightened, and his breathing hitched. His mind raced, imagining what kind of Pol Pot-style 'great deeds' this Inquisitor might commit in Abyss Port.
"My cooperation with the Imperial Navy has lasted for many years, as long as I've had this gun. Of course, its time working with the Imperial Navy is even longer than mine."
The man pulled a Scipio Navy pistol from its holster and placed it on the table.
The pistol was very old, and the ceramite grip plates with the Imperial Skyhawk carving and Imperial Navy motto were missing.
In their place were two human skull sculptures, entwined with a thorny rose that bloomed in the hollow eye sockets.
Horrifying blood, represented by rubies, dripped from the petals, possessing a vivid, bloody texture, looking both terrifying and beautiful.
Below the skulls was a scroll banner, inscribed with a string of characters.
Horatio leaned forward, concentrating to make out the words.
It was a person's name — Gregor Eisenhorn.
His past experiences immediately allowed him to recognize this gun; it was the famous Inquisitor Eisenhorn's sidearm from when he rose to prominence.
It was Inquisitorial Acolyte Weibin, who had already fallen in the line of duty, who had modified the unique emblem on the grip for him.
The legendary pistol, whose name he had only heard, now truly appeared before him. This impact made Horatio feel a sense of unreality.
"I know the Imperial Navy officers and soldiers are loyal and reliable, and their discipline is strict. I also know the importance of the Gothic Fleet to the Empire.
So we must hurry, otherwise..."
The man reholstered the Navy pistol: "Even if the traitors are cleared out, your Gothic Fleet personnel will be executed by the Inquisitors."
He spoke the most terrifying words in the most understated tone: "After all, if you kill everyone, then you naturally kill all the traitors. This is also a last resort.
Even if that Inquisitor pays the price of his life for it. But you know, not all Inquisitors care about their lives, especially when their eyes are blinded by their 'justice'."
"Does he also cause you trouble?"
"He's always trying to find evidence of my cooperation with Xenos, so no matter what I'm dealing with, he'll follow along, staring at me, hoping to seize the opportunity to catch evidence of my cooperation with Xenos and then put a hole in my head.
Of course, whether it's Eisenhorn, or Gideon Ravenor, or me. The factions we belong to cannot do without cooperation with Xenos, and we have the most Inquisitors who are branded as heretics by the Inquisition."
"That's certainly the most."
After all, both of his masters had been branded as heretics, and each had been branded as heretics twice.
"The reason I'm telling you so much today is not only because you were recommended as an Inquisitorial Acolyte by Commodore Peru, but also because you are the one chosen by the prosthetic limb.
I believe you will accomplish great things in the future, Mr. Horatio Cochrane.
Until you accumulate enough strength, I will protect you covertly on behalf of the Inquisition for the God-Emperor. Of course, it's possible that someone else will take over later."
The man said with a smile:
"Now, let's work together to solve this immediate problem.
According to the Inquisition's rules, when multiple Inquisitors are involved in the same incident, whoever first apprehends a participant in the conspiracy has the right to interrogate them first.
Therefore, the current situation is that we are not only racing against the enemy, but also against my colleagues."
"How much time do we have?" Horatio asked the man.
"You have two time points for reference."
Horatio frowned.
"First, before William Carter acts to kill all the Gothic Fleet officers. From what I know of him, he'll target the Ministry of Internal Affairs first, and then the Imperial Navy."
"Second, before the Ecclesiarchy crowns you'Saint' soon."
"Have you already received the news?" Horatio frowned slightly.
"It's inevitable, from what I know of the Ecclesiarchy. The Navy Department's collective awards and commendations will also be held at this ceremony. I imagine it will be a grand ceremony.
But you and I both know that this ceremony could be your reward, or it could be your coffin. No one can say what might happen then.
This is also why our enemies are now racking their brains to hide themselves.
Because they know that one day you will leave your back exposed to them without any defenses.
They only need to wait for the rabbit to achieve their goal and seize your soul.
If we fail to eliminate the traitors hidden deep within the Ecclesiarchy before then, you might just have to grit your teeth and go through with it.
My team and I will do our best to protect your personal safety, but I will not make any promises about saving your life.
Because I don't like to deceive, not even with well-intentioned lies.
I am very clear.
It's easy to block an open spear, but hard to guard against a hidden arrow."
Let me reiterate, as readers know, I don't write tragic endings; Vice Admiral Hood is not dead.
The author had already clearly stated this before, but some readers got confused, so I have to post the author's note again.
Firstly, this is the 40K universe.
I have already tried very hard to reduce the grimdarkness of this world.
All story lines will eventually return to a world where only Chaos, traitors, and fanatics are hurt and atone.
All lines will have good endings.
I also promised in my launch statement that no female characters who interact with the protagonist will die. Male supporting characters will either be out of contact for a period, and even if they really die, I will later ask Old Man Huang to pull them back from the Golden Throne.
But now I'm completely bewildered.
They all say to let the bullet fly for a while.
It's not like the male supporting character just disappeared, the bullet just left the barrel and hasn't flown at all, and it's already causing an uproar, right???? And that's after I explicitly stated it.