40k: Midnight Blade.

Chapter 785 6. The Voyage of the Black Sparrow (End, two chapters in one, 8k)

At 10:46 that evening, the Black Sparrow set sail.

It departs from the second port of the A-310-7 trade station, taking the fastest route, passing through two supply points. If nothing goes wrong along the way, it will only take a week at most for the Black Sparrow to reach Nuceria.

This wasn't the first time Rawl had taken this route, but it was definitely the strangest one - in the past, he would never have stayed on the bridge at this time.

He stood absent-mindedly between the hanging cables and the star chart, with his head bowed and his brows knitted together, a look that seemed deceptive, as if he were thinking about something related to the voyage, so the sailors wisely did not disturb him.

Another hour later, the Black Sparrow officially sailed into the vast sea of ​​stars. It was at this time that Rawl chose to turn around and leave.

He walked quickly and soon reached his room from the bridge.

People who don't know about short-distance freight might think that he can use his privilege as a captain to get a luxurious room for himself, but the actual situation is not the case. Compared with other people, Roll's room is just a few more books, and it is not even that big.

This is also a common feature of freight ship owners - they are often reluctant to spend money on themselves, always wanting to save money to upgrade their ships or build connections.
Of course, Rawl was an exception. Although he didn't spend the money on himself, he didn't spend it on the Black Sparrow or his so-called relationships either.

He slammed the door shut, unbuttoned all the buttons of his blue coat in one breath as if he was out of breath, then took it off and threw it on the ground. However, he walked back after taking a few steps, grabbed the coat that had become quite wrinkled, and slowly sat down on his bed.

He spread it out on his knees, staring blankly at a spot on the wall, his right hand twitching nervously.

——Have I been exposed?

Thinking about this matter continued until six o'clock the next morning. As the bell rang throughout the ship through the broadcasting system, Rawl finally stood up from the bed.

He forced himself to temporarily forget everything he had been thinking about last night and focused his mind on today's work.

He remained in the sailors' sight for the entire morning. His face, which was no longer as serious as before, even caused fear in some of them, thinking that they had been discovered smuggling contraband.

So they came to him to confess, but Roll didn't care about it at all. He just told them calmly to go to the boatswain and receive the corresponding punishment. He would let it go, but they should not commit the same mistake again.
At noon, he ate something reluctantly, but it was hard to swallow. Even the stew made by the old chef Hewen was not enough for him to finish a bowl. The whole day passed quickly, but the guest did not show up again and even refused to eat.

Late at night, Rawl lay on the boat for less than three hours before he got up and forcibly changed shifts with his first mate. He still stayed where the cable was hanging, staring straight at the void outside the porthole.

The Thinker hums with the comings and goings of the crew, the greetings of the changing shifts, the bad jokes, the obscene comparisons, the confused looks he receives.
Luo's thoughts seemed to sink into an unknown world. The passage of time gradually slowed down, and he had to devote himself to the various tasks on the ship to get rid of this situation.

Those boring jobs - patrolling, watching routes, reading radar readings, day after day, one thing after another.

He didn't want to stop, nor did he dare to stop, because as soon as he stopped, the man's completely dark eyes would appear before him.

It said nothing, asked nothing, just stared, but it seemed to know all the secrets in his heart.

Time passed slowly in Rawl's pain and it was 2:35 p.m. on the fifth day. Thanks to his hard work over the past few days, the Black Sparrow arrived in Nuceria's orbit a full day and a half ahead of schedule.

The relevant procedures, agreements and identification documents were immediately sent to the space station in Nukeria. After a brief inspection, the space station sent a set of numbers, which was their next location in the port.
The sailors shouted excitedly. They had certainly been to Nuceria before, but this was definitely the first time they were allowed to dock in a space station - how prosperous would a space station be for a world guarded by a chapter and the home of a Primarch?
Seeing the expectation on their faces, Luo Er simply waved his hand and promised that as long as the work was completed, they would have three days off and everyone could leave the ship to rest.

Now, everyone's spirits were high, except for Rawl himself. They seemed to be back to the time when they first entered this industry, and they did their jobs with great enthusiasm.

Only Roll quietly left the bridge and went to the cargo deck. In a corner here, he met the mysterious guest and his servitor bodyguard again.

"grown ups."

The ship owner, who had become untidy, had dark circles under his eyes and was much thinner than he was five days ago, gave a hoarse greeting.

"Are you enjoying your stay these days?"

The man who called himself Caryl Rohals looked at him, and a fleeting smile seemed to flash across his face.

"I have nothing to complain about, Captain Rolle, but you don't look well."

Luo Er was silent for a few seconds, with emotions surging in his chest.

The other party's ambiguous expression and calm tone aroused it, but it didn't look like anger, but rather had the same characteristics as fear. But if it was completely fear, it didn't seem like it, after all, he had really clenched his fists.

He let out a long breath and spoke slowly.

"I've barely slept in the past five days," said Rolle. "I'm stuck on a problem."

"what is the problem?"

Luo Er was silent again for a while, and then answered with a sentence from a book he had read: "When a person sees others suffering, should he stand by and watch?"

"So, you're stuck on a moral question?" Khalil said, and somehow he didn't seem all that surprised.

".It's about the same."

Khalil nodded and said, "From my personal point of view, I will not sit idly by."

"why?"

This time, Khalil smiled for real, and then he held out his hands, palms up, fingers spread, and showed them to Rawl.

The captain only took a glance and immediately felt his hair stand on end. He subconsciously took a step back, and his right hand instinctively pressed on a weapon hidden by his coat.

His movements were full of threats, but his back was completely wet with cold sweat, and even the corners of his eyes kept twitching, as if someone was holding a knife to his chest.

"What exactly do you want to ask, Captain Rawl?" Carrier asked softly. "The moral dilemma? The ongoing debate between procedural justice and outcome justice? When a person has enough power, should he do something for others?"

"You may have thought about these questions in the past, but I think they were not the questions you wanted to ask most when you came here to find me. It was still stuck in your throat."

He slowly took a step forward, stared into Rawl's eyes, and slowly asked the question.

"You want to ask: Do you know?"

He smiled slightly, reached out and patted Luo Er's shoulder, and suddenly changed the topic in another direction.

"How about we discuss another business? As you can see, I bought five standard units of fresh water to sell in Nukeriya, which means I have to travel to every corner of it, and I know almost no one locally."

"Please think about this: how can a newly arrived merchant make a living in this unfamiliar place? That's why I hired the two brothers. Although they are also unfamiliar with Nukeria, they at least have some military connections, which can help me find a way out."

"Of course, I might ask them to do other things, such as dealing with innkeepers and merchants who rent out packhorses. After all, my bodyguard is not good at speaking."

The merchant gestured earnestly, pointing to the modified robot servant behind him. The latter was still standing in the corner, its huge figure like a rugged mountain in the darkness.

It didn't seem to notice that a conversation was taking place about it, and its eyes were still staring at the ground, as if the spliced ​​metal plates contained memories of what it was like before the transformation.

"But I'm just a small businessman after all, so I can't afford those bigger ships."

Luo Er managed to stay calm. He raised his hand to wipe away the cold sweat on his forehead and asked hoarsely, "What do you want to say?"

"I want to charter the Black Sparrow for a month and have it wait for me in the dock until I finish my business," the merchant asked. "How about that? I'll tell you the answer when I come back."

Luo Er was silent for a while, but suddenly changed the subject and asked a very realistic and honest question.

".How is the loss of work wages calculated?"
-
Iskandar Khayon stepped back and nodded to a woman with tear-stained face.

"He'll be fine in three days at most," he warned the woman. "But you have to remember one thing, your husband wasn't torn to pieces like the others only because he was lucky."

"So, you'd better tell him to change his career and do something else, like other people, become a guide and take people to those relatively safe places in the desert. In recent years, there have been many tourists in Nukeria. This is a very promising industry, at least better than what he is doing now, at least it won't put his life in danger."

The woman nodded repeatedly, but still couldn't help sobbing.

Her skin, ravaged by the sun and work, looked older under the influence of her tears, and so did her husband's.

The man named Long Luoer was only in his early twenties, but he looked to be in his forties. The corners of his closed eyes were full of wrinkles, and his temples were already gray.

He is engaged in an ancient profession - hunter, a hunter who specializes in hunting red beasts.

What is a Red Beast? Well, it goes back to the barbaric days when Nuceria was ruled by the High Riders. In short, a Red Beast is a laboratory creature, a monster created through genetic modification and endless breeding.

The high cavalrymen designed them with great enthusiasm, and then immediately threw them into the arena to fight with the captured slaves. After their destruction, a large number of red beasts were released into the mountains and forests. To this day, they have evolved into multiple subspecies.

For example, the ones in the northern forests have longer claws and changed color fur. Another example is the red beasts in the desert where Long Luoer lives. They are small in size and move quickly, but they are still very dangerous monsters.

Normally, red beasts do not interact with humans. They have established a good circulation relationship with their respective habitats, but this does not prevent people seeking wealth from taking the initiative to look for them.

Unfortunately, they couldn't get even a cent, and all they could get was death. Khayon thought so, his brows still furrowed.

He took out a handful of herbs from the cloth bag on his waist and handed them to the woman, and then carefully explained their use, and then he pushed the door and left, ignoring the imperial coins handed by the woman. He walked in this small village with a hood on, and every villager greeted him.
In their eyes, Khayon is a tall, eccentric but very capable doctor who lives in seclusion on a rock in the north of the village and comes to the village once a month to buy daily necessities.

Of course, this was just what he wanted them to see.

It's just a trick. Even without using psychic powers, Iskandar Khayon has many ways to achieve his goal.

He left the village, walked barefoot on the hot sand, with the scorching sun above his head, and slowly moved towards the place where he was resting now. In his right hand, he held a cloth bag filled with water and food - given Astartes' physique, even if he really wanted to eat, these supplies would only be a drop in the bucket.

However, for a young person who is in his youth, healthy and strong, these foods are necessary.

Khayon returned to the rocks as if taking a walk. They stood skinny in the barren yellow sand, making a humming sound whenever the wind blew.

At the deepest part of the rock, there was a sand brick house, shaped by some force. At this moment, its door was wide open, and a young woman was leaning against the door with her hands folded.

Her name is LuLS Lin, and she is a trained psychic.

"Here, your supplies."

Kayon handed the bag to her, and Lula took it with both hands and carried it on her shoulders, without showing any effort. She nodded, turned around and carried the bag of supplies in, but walked out quickly. The bag had disappeared without a trace, and what was left was a black data board, thick and huge.

Ka Yang sighed and took it, then he pulled over a chair placed by the door and sat down, then asked, "How many times did he hit me?"

"Ten times." Lu LSlin replied expressionlessly. "You didn't reply to him at the scheduled time, so--"

"--he only fought ten times?" Khayon raised his eyebrows. "Once every five minutes, huh? Well, perseverance, quite consistent with my inherent understanding of war dogs."

The psyker frowned at this sentence, and Khayon captured this small action completely without even looking up, but his hands did not slow down at all. He directly unlocked the data pad and called back the current think tank chief of the War Hounds Chapter who had been calling him.

After just a few seconds, the other party picked up the phone immediately.

"Good afternoon, Brother Esper." Kayon greeted in a pleasant and comfortable tone. "What are you doing now?" ".I'm waiting for your reply." The think tank director said stiffly. "Do you remember? Today is the time for our weekly meeting."

"Oh, of course I remember." Khayon nodded repeatedly, not caring that the other party couldn't see his movements at all. "How could I forget? I just sent the spy you sent to me to buy the water and food she needs to survive."

He suddenly lowered his voice and his tone became very mercenary: "Look, I'm using my own money, aren't you going to reimburse me?"

There was a heavy, deep breath coming from the other end of the line.

"Or call her back," Khayon continued, even grinning at the spy who was listening in. "I prefer to be alone."

"We have discussed this issue many times, Lord Iskandar Khayon. I am honored that you are willing to come to Nuceria for academic research. However, you are unwilling to communicate with us, and you are unwilling to reveal what you are studying."

"Due to the internal regulations of the Chapter and my duties as the head of the think tank, I must send someone to your side to ensure your safety. We have agreed on this, haven't we?"

Yeah yeah.
Khayon raised his hand and scratched his cheek irritably - all this was certainly agreed upon, but it was a pity that he didn't want to talk about it in the first place.

He had hidden himself so well that the war dogs had no idea he had been here for almost a century.

If he had not risked using his psychic powers outside the cave to restore the health of a mortal who was destined to die, the war dogs would not even have discovered his trace.

"Lord Kayon?"

"I was listening, Brother Esper, and I remember our conversation. You came down from the sky with a hundred war dogs in front of me, remember? How could I forget such an amazing scene?"

"The situation is urgent, and I have to take extraordinary measures." The think tank director said very calmly, not caring about the sarcasm in Khayon's words. "Anyway, have you vented enough? Can we proceed to the formal business of the regular meeting?"

The Dead Eye Society's Grand Master finally couldn't help but roll his eyes, but he really didn't say anything else.

In the next three minutes, the two of them completed this routine meeting through the communication channel, talking to each other from a long distance.

It sounds serious, but it's actually simple. It's just a few questions, such as whether you can summon sub-space creatures or draw magic circles.
Khayon always said no, and he knew in his heart that he didn't have it, but whether Esper believed it or not was another matter.

He probably didn't believe it. Unless LuLSlin, as the monitor, also completed her weekly routine report, the precious trust of the director of the War Dog Think Tank would be briefly handed over to Khayon.

I'm really miserable. He laughed to himself. But at least it's better than that bastard who hangs out with the wolves.
He must have been pickled!
Thinking of this, Ka Yang couldn't help but curl his lips.

This expression was mistakenly and naturally interpreted by Lu LS Lin standing by as his dissatisfaction. The observer frowned again, and after hesitating for a while, he finally couldn't help but speak.

"grown ups."

"Hmm?" Khayon uttered a single syllable absentmindedly.

"You are a powerful psyker known throughout the galaxy, correct?"

Khayon shrugged and did not deny it.

"Moreover, as far as I know, you are also the Grand Master of the Dead Eye School, the Editor-in-Chief of the Detailed Study of Psyker's Duties, and the Wolf of Tizca."

"What do you want to say?" Kayon changed his sitting position and looked at Lula happily. "Are you complimenting me with these titles that I no longer need?"

"No." The monitor shook his head calmly. "I just want to say that you are an important person after all. Please act like an important person. I beg you to do that."

After saying that, she took the data pad from Khayon and went back into the house, leaving him sitting outside alone, looking stunned.

It was not until a long while later that Khayon could not help but chuckle. He laughed and shook his head, thinking, I actually have such a day? I have been underestimated so much.

After laughing, he stood up and looked to the north through the empty gaps between the rocks.

Counting the days, it's almost time for this year's 'time' to come.

The War Dogs have no idea what their Gene-Father is doing, or even where he is in Nuceria. This is a very obvious protection, but once they know it, they will inevitably fall into self-doubt.
Khayon felt sorry about this, but unfortunately, he could do nothing to help.

He turned his head and looked inside the house - his watcher was there stewing a pot of thick soup for him as today's dinner.

The aroma of food wafted to him, and it made him think about how he could buy himself a night this year.

Thinking of this, he walked into the kitchen with a smile, took out some spices from somewhere, and began to instruct Lula Sallow to cook a pot of Prospero-style soup.
The wind and sand blew past. Thousands of meters outside Bastola, the largest city in Nuceria, a team was slowly moving forward in the severe weather of the sandstorm.

There were only four people in this team. Two people of similar build walked in the front, a slightly thinner person walked in the middle, and at the end of the team was a tall, slow-moving, strong robot servant still covered in black cloth.

There were many people traveling in the sandstorm, mostly caravans and civilians. They all chose to stay away from this strange team.
Therefore, when the four people slowly arrived at the city gate of Bastola, the guards responsible for security and inspection almost immediately targeted them.

After checking, they found nothing wrong, so they had to let them go. After a lot of twists and turns, they finally officially entered the famous oasis city.

It covers an area so vast that it is simply incalculable, almost occupying an entire continent. It contains all things and the environment is incredibly good. The Nuceria government, which has established in-depth cooperation with the Mechanicum, had obtained a very advanced ecological dome for Bastola more than a dozen centuries ago.

No matter how dusty the outside world is, the sky is always clear and the temperature is pleasant. There are even several mountains, large forests and lakes to enjoy.

"It's really nice." Khalil looked at the wide white streets and the endless stream of pedestrians and vehicles and exclaimed in admiration. "The living standard here is obviously very high."

The two brothers looked at each other and neither responded. As for the robot servant? It was even more impossible for him to speak.

Therefore, Khalil's words could only fall to the ground. Fortunately, he did not feel embarrassed - in the very distant past, he was already a person who was very good at talking to himself.

"Well, you two." He smiled at the two brothers. "Would you please go to the city and find the location of the Fire of Vorthax, please?"

"What then?" Brother Yorkland pulled off the white cloth covering his face and asked with a complicated expression. "If we do as you say, we can pass the second psychological examination?"

"Yes," said Khalil. "Actually, I think you'll get through no matter what you say."

"What do you mean?" Brother Chulanko asked vigilantly. "You——"

"--No." Khalil took over. "I promise I didn't do anything in this process. Anyway, go ahead, both of you, I'll be waiting for your good news."

He smiled and waved to them as a farewell. The two brothers were silent for a while, and finally decided to do as he said.

Looking at their departing backs, Khalil narrowed his eyes slightly and set off again with his servitor.

He chartered a hovercraft that could seat eight people on the roadside, and then asked a question that made the driver smile: Where is the best accommodation in the city?

The latter answered and immediately pressed the button to close the car door, as if he was afraid that Khalil would regret it.
Twenty minutes later, the hovercraft slowly landed on the top of a tall building.

Two waiters greeted them with warm towels for their faces, and led them all the way to the lobby of this luxurious hotel. They behaved very professionally throughout the whole process, and did not even show any extra emotions to the servitor. Their smiles were as bright as those of mannequins.

Khalil responded with the same smile, then booked a suite and made a request that could easily reveal his identity.

"Can you find me a guide?" he said. "An experienced one who is good at working with merchants."

One waiter nodded slowly and smiled in response, while another took his briefcase and took him to the suite via an elevator.

It was located on the middle floor of the building, and looking down, one could see the surrounding scenery very clearly. Khalil naturally did not miss this advantage, in fact, it was one of the reasons why he chose this suite.

Standing in front of the French window and gazing down, he saw a scene completely different from the hustle and bustle when he first entered the city.

It is very quiet here. Most of the buildings are designed with beauty. Each one is unique and has its own uniqueness. There are open-air fountains, statues and green plants all over the streets. On the top floor of the gallery, there is a painter observing the distant view.
This is a scene that can only appear in prosperous times.

Khalil raised his hand and pulled off the white cloth covering his face, then took off his hat and gently placed it on the round table beside him.

He gently hooked his fingers, and the dark coat on his body turned into a shadow and surged down. On the expensive carpet, it kept deforming and making a small and strange roar.

"No." Khalil shook his finger at it. "You go to the barracks and protect the brothers."

Shadow froze, seemingly having not expected such an order at all.

It collapsed to the ground in extreme anger, but was picked up from behind by a big hand and thrown towards the door without mercy.

Yago Sevitarion sneered and made a dirty gesture to it.

"Go away, you useless demon," he sneered. "You are not needed here."

The shadow rushed back towards him quickly in mid-air, its posture full of threat, but fell to the ground again because of someone's look.

It roared for a long time, but seeing that there was no possibility of any compromise, it finally left in frustration.

Sevatar laughed an exaggerated, delighted laugh, as if feeling he had achieved some kind of victory, so Khalil reached out and smacked him, shaking his head.

"Don't bully it." He warned. "Be careful that it will retaliate one day."

"What can it do? Kill me?" Sevatar spread his hands and bared his teeth. "That's exactly what I want."

Khalil sighed and spoke very softly.

"Yago, is traveling with me more terrifying to you than death? But, how do I remember that you fought for this opportunity yourself? You first summoned the captains of the chapter to gather in my fortress in the name of a meeting, and then challenged them to a duel."

"After you knocked them all out by relying on your power as the eldest son, you went to find him again. Although I don't know what you talked about with him, I'm sure you must have talked to him with emotion and reason, otherwise he would not have temporarily given up his duties to you. So -"

"——Okay, okay." Yago Sevitarion interrupted him with a gloomy face. "Don't say any more. I find that your character has become more and more terrible in recent years."

The Eldest Son of the Night walked away from him quickly and disappeared without a trace in a turn. Khalil finally couldn't help laughing out loud.

He turned around and went to the cloakroom of the suite.

Clothes of all sizes have been prepared here. Although there are not many styles, the fabric of each piece feels very comfortable, and many of them are obviously local characteristics of Nuceria.

Khalil reached out and took out a white one, put it on without hesitation, and then tied his hair up and tied it behind his head.

In just a short while, he looked no different from a native of Nuceria - if time were turned back ten thousand years ago and he walked into an arena, the owner there would definitely think he was a visiting noble.

They would never have guessed that he actually came to Nuceria to do three things.

And tonight, he was going to do the first thing.

kill.

(End of this chapter)