Warhammer: Hail to the Void Lords!.

Chapter 1062 09.1061: 'The Value of a Petty Thief'

With such a reasonable and irrefutable reason, Desai was temporarily diverted from the group of disgraceful guards by Jadwiga.

As soon as they left, Horatio stepped forward.

The slight hydraulic hum emanating from his heavy power armor, like the breathing of a steel behemoth, sent a shiver down the spines of the timid guards before him.

His tall figure cast a heavy shadow on them.

Horatio stood before the guards, and in a cold, emotionless tone, like a judge issuing a verdict, slowly recounted their transgressions:
"You, during your standby duty period, deserted your posts to gamble in a tavern. Furthermore, you participated in a fight, cheated, and physically assaulted an Imperial Lord..."

Each charge was like a heavy hammer blow to the guards' hearts.

The leader of the Lightling ratmen could no longer hold on. With a thud, his knees buckled, and he collapsed to his knees, kowtowing repeatedly.
"My Lord! My Highness the Commander! I know I was wrong! I... I shouldn't have cheated while playing dice... no, I shouldn't have gone out to gamble while on standby! It was... it was my own doing that I was bewitched and took them there! I truly know I was wrong now! I beg you, for the sake of the Emperor, please don't tell the battalion commander!"

“Words alone are meaningless,” Horatio said emotionlessly. “You need to show us through your actions that you have truly reflected on your actions.”

With a swift movement, his steel left hand shot out like lightning, ignoring the other's pleas, and grabbed the small Lightling ratman by the collar, lifting him off the ground and holding him up to his face.

His cold, metallic fingers made it almost impossible for the ratman to breathe.

Horatio glanced at Youyou, who was crouching by the flowerbed not far away, completely absorbed by a butterfly-shaped flying insect flitting about, poised to pounce on it, before turning back and whispering to the ratman:
"This is my bodyguard; she's in charge of my personal security."

Because I was previously attacked by assassins at Qiming Cathedral, I don't trust any security measures here.

For my absolute safety…

Horatio's blue eyes scrutinized the other's pupils, which had shrunk in fear, up close. "I want you to mark all the hidden doors, secret passages, ventilation ducts, and sentry posts on the layout of the Governor's Mansion for her."

I believe that, given your usual 'personal interests,' you are certainly no stranger to the internal structure of the Governor's Palace.

Upon hearing this, the Lightling ratman nodded repeatedly, like a chick pecking at rice, as if afraid that if he nodded too slowly, the steel hand would crush his throat.

“And,” Horatio continued in that icy voice, “if you and your companions encounter her anywhere within the Governor’s Palace—I mean anywhere—keep quiet and don’t make a fuss. She’s just checking for any potential threats to protect my safety.”

The rat-man nodded even faster, so fast that it almost left an afterimage in the air.

He didn't even have time, nor dared to, to think about what the chilling true motive behind those words really was.

"There's one last thing. Use your sharp mind to recall exactly what day and what time you touched that silver coin."
-
When Luisa-Antoine de Sai de Vigo returned with Jadviga, it was as if nothing had happened.

The guards still stood there dejectedly, but they seemed to have even "reflected" on their posture and become a little more standard.

"It seems your men have a very serious attitude towards self-reflection," Horatio said to Desai with a smile. "I checked for you. They swore to the Emperor in front of me that they would never dare to violate any military regulations again."

Desai's icy gaze swept over his subordinates, and he announced sternly, "Your leave for the next three months is all canceled! Anyone leaving the barracks must have my approval! The one who led the gambling will have to clean all the toilets in the barracks for the next month!"

As Horatio and Jadvig followed behind the governor's servants into the depths of the magnificent building, no one noticed that a small, inconspicuous figure had been missing from his side.

Yoyo took action. She obtained a map of the security patrol routes that Desai was preparing to adjust temporarily from Yadwiga's hands.

Of course, this was just the route taken by her own troops.

Inside the Governor's Palace, there were also the Colonial Governor's own private army and soldiers. Their patrol routes and hidden sentries were not on this map.

When Desai ordered the disbandment, the group of Tengyue soldiers, who had been beaten black and blue, felt as if they had been granted a pardon and were preparing to sneak back to their posts.

"Hey!" a small voice rang out from the corner.

The Lightling ratman turned around and met Yoyo's cat-like eyes, which were sparkling with excitement. "My boss told you to let me see the map!" Yoyo mimicked her boss's tone and stretched out her hand.

The Lightling rat was still shaken; the man hadn't gone far yet. Even if he had, he wouldn't dare go back on his word to such a powerful figure. Lord Cochrane, whose title required a lot of rote learning, wouldn't need the incriminating evidence from last night if he really wanted to eliminate him. Besides, the half-cat man's display of strength in the tavern was equally frightening.

He shakily pulled a crumpled piece of parchment from his pocket. It was a hand-drawn structural diagram of the governor's mansion, marked with crooked but simple symbols indicating the patrol routes of the governor's private army and the locations of hidden sentries.

It seems he had already risked scouting the area beforehand in order to smuggle something away.
-
The Governor's Mansion, inner hall.

"My lord, please wait here for a moment, I will inform my master immediately."

A servant in a magnificent uniform, his face powdered white, bowed respectfully to Horatio and spoke.

Soon, he bowed and entered the huge room, which was carved with intricate patterns.

He came out almost running, his humble demeanor now tinged with barely concealed panic.

"My lord, please come in. Hmm..." The servant glanced warily at the fully armed Hell's Vanguard guards behind Horatio, who were carrying deadly weapons. "My lord, according to the rules, and for safety reasons, your guards are not allowed to enter."

"Please let them all in!"

A desperate shout came from inside the room.

The servant trembled violently. He glanced back at the door in alarm, then immediately turned around, bowed almost ninety degrees, and extended his hand to lead Horatio.

The governor’s office was less of an office and more of a miniature palace.

It is filled with a suffocating, unrestrained extravagance.

Rococo-style reliefs and gilded carvings climbed like vines across every inch of the walls and ceiling.

The deep red plush carpet was so thick it swallowed all footsteps, and the air was filled with a luxurious, rich perfume scent and the acrid smoke of expensive cigars.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Your Excellency! I've long admired your name, and seeing you in person is truly a sight to behold! You are indeed a man of great stature and imposing presence!"

A bulky figure struggled to squeeze out a sliver of an attempt to stand from a huge armchair that seemed about to burst from its weight.

He was a man who was indescribably fat.

Horatio had seen many obese planetary governors, but this one was the first of his kind, so fat that his features were squeezed together, his chin and neck were completely integrated, and no bone structure could be seen. Only a diamond-shaped pendant on his neck marked the boundary between his neck and face.

He wore an extravagant, powder-sprinkled Rococo-style curly wig, like the kind worn in British courtrooms.

Between two short, chubby fingers he held a cigar as thick as a scale rod, and a wide mouth that stretched almost to his ears was flashing a warm smile at Horatio.

"My governor's mansion, in principle, does not allow any armed personnel to enter. But!"

He deliberately raised his voice, "Not long ago, Lord was assassinated by those despicable alien assassins at the Enlightenment Cathedral."

I, the Governor of Polaberia, am willing to make an exception for you, Lord! You and your men may enter my office fully armed.

“After all,” the colonial governor’s smile widened, his bulky body swaying in his chair, “our esteemed Lord Cochran, as the highest-ranking officer of the Imperial Navy, really has no reason to have his men point those dark gun barrels at a diligent and utterly loyal planetary governor, do you agree, Your Excellency?”

His face was shaking with laughter.

But he was so fat that even such a deliberately ingratiating smile made Horatio feel as if he were facing a gigantic, grotesque sunflower with indistinct features, grinning at him, rather than a normal human being.

(End of this chapter)