radicalducati Page 11
Page 11
Lappland spoke, calling to the woman who was sitting on the burgundy sofa, resting with her eyes closed.
The woman opened her eyes, her amber pupils filled with exhaustion.
However, when she saw Lappland, her fatigue noticeably subsided.
The woman stood up from the sofa, walked over to Lappland, looked him up and down, and then let out a long sigh of relief.
"As long as you're back safely."
After saying this, the woman turned her head and looked at Lin Qi, who was standing on the other side.
"Mr. Eugene Guilliman Poe?"
“...My real name is Lynch, and you must be Miss Texas.”
“I see. By the God-Emperor, I am Texas Demoor Frahos. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Lynch.”
Texas nodded and said to Lynch.
As Lappland's sister, Texas looks very similar to her. The biggest differences between them are probably their hair style and eye color.
Lapland has wavy, shoulder-length curly hair and emerald eyes.
Texas has straight, waist-length hair and amber eyes.
It's still quite easy to tell them apart.
Lynch thought to himself, and nodded to Texas.
“My sister has told me some of your story, and I also know what you need next. Tomorrow’s banquet is being held by John, a local nobleman in Demore, to celebrate his two-hundredth birthday. The three people you are looking for will be attending the banquet.”
Texas invited the two to sit on the sofa. She called a maid and asked her to bring some simple snacks and black tea. At the same time, she took out a folder with the family mark from a hidden compartment in the tea table.
"These are the files on those three people, as well as the armed forces that usually surround them."
Lin Qi took the folder, opened it, and began browsing.
Although they are a family of wandering merchants who have long been based in the Star Sea, the Flahos family's intelligence-gathering capabilities are still evident from the information available to them.
The names, addresses, daily hobbies, number of elders and children in their families, and the entourage and guards they usually had when they went out were all thoroughly investigated by Colonel PDF, the second-in-command of the Political Affairs Department, and the head of the Finance Department.
This is still as an outside force. If Vlahos were a local force, they would probably have to dig up every detail of what color their underwear was when they were kids.
Without a doubt, if they weren't facing an Astartes Chapter, but rather a Chapter that had already swelled to an unbearable state due to its ambitions, then Lappland would have no need to cooperate with them at all; they could have easily resolved the problem with their own family.
"How do you plan to arrange for us to go in?"
After reviewing the information, Lin Qi breathed a sigh of relief. The internal security level of tomorrow's banquet was not high. Out of respect for the nobles, the guests would leave their guards outside as much as possible and only bring two or three personal guards with them.
“My sister will naturally enter as my sister. In Demore, the local nobles all know that there are two people in the Flahos family, but most of them have only seen me and have never seen my sister.”
"As for you, Mr. Lynch... how about you become my sister's personal bodyguard?"
Texas revealed her plan: Lappland would use her status to gain direct entry into the banquet, while Lynch would disguise himself as a bodyguard.
This is indeed a good choice, as it solves the entry problem and makes it more reasonable for the two of them to act together.
but......
"Aren't you going with us?"
Lynch looked at Texas and asked the question.
Texas sighed softly and looked at Lappland.
Lappland shifted her gaze somewhat awkwardly, and after an awkward silence, she spoke to Lynch.
"She will arrange for someone to meet us... Too many people will create a lot of problems..."
"Okay, I see."
Lynch shrugged, not asking any further questions. After discussing the overall plan, the three refined some details. Then Lappland stood up, replacing the maid, and led Lynch to the room that had been arranged for him.
Watching the two figures leave, Texas leaned back and sank into the sofa.
"Really... they always dump all the paperwork on me..."
Texas rubbed her throbbing temples and called over a maid who was carrying a tray. Instead of food, the tray contained folders.
Texas pulled out a portion and sighed helplessly.
"Organize this intelligence and prepare paper and pen for me; I need to draft a letter for John."
...
Lappland led Lynch through the mansion's corridors.
“We arrived in Badab six months ago and then purchased this house under the pretext of renovation. In reality, we used it as a base for our operations, just like your little building.”
"But it's strange, we worked diligently for six months and found no clues other than some rumors. But after meeting you, in just a few days, we've gotten incredibly close to the truth."
Decorative oil paintings hang on both sides of the corridor, and precious porcelain pieces are displayed on some tables.
These items were not produced in Badab, but were transported from other worlds by the Flahos family via their own ships.
"It seems you've been to quite a few worlds."
"It's alright. In the family, although I'm the older sister, I've always been in charge of the combat aspect. For example, when we encounter pirates, I'm usually the one who takes the lead in boarding their ship."
Lappland spoke, and as if she had thought of something, a hint of apology appeared on her face.
"However, this is also a way for me to escape. I really don't like dealing with those clerks, officials, nobles, and other dynasties. I can only make Texas suffer and let her take charge of these things."
Imperial-style bullying. Next time we switch sides, we won't take you with us, but we'll leave all the logistical work to you.
Lin Qi thought of this classic saying from his previous life, and he never expected it to be so profoundly reflected here.
"Here we are, right here."
Lappland led Lynch to a room that was fully furnished and equipped with all the amenities, and every corner of it exuded an air of extravagance.
"I'll let you know when we're leaving tomorrow. Rest here for now. You can use this if anything happens."
Lappland picked up a data panel from the table in the room, scribbled on it for a while, and then entered some data.
"You can use it to contact the maids, and they will arrange for someone to come and help you with your daily life. If there are any issues or unexpected situations, you can contact me; I'm always online."
Lin Qi nodded and put the data panel away.
Lappland left the room, and Lynch, after looking around, went straight to bed.
The soft mattress quickly enveloped Lynch's entire body, making him feel as if he were lying on a sea of cotton.
He closed his eyes, silently channeled his psionic energy, and switched his vision to the subspace.
The sound of ocean waves reached his ears. Unlike the endless murmurs that most psionicists hear when entering the warp, Lin Qi could only hear the sound of the deep purple waves representing the energy of the warp surging.
He now stands on a small "island," above which is a small black sun—the embodiment of the Emperor's power, and a source of strength that keeps those beings in the warp from approaching.
Lynch shifted his gaze and quickly located his target.
A thin, bald boy sat quietly in the center of the island, looking up at the small black sun, seemingly lost in thought.
The boy's body emitted a faint white light, appearing radiant and holy, giving people a warm and comforting feeling.
Lin Qi walked up, extended a hand, and patted the other person on the shoulder.
"Commander, you're awake?"
The bald boy snapped out of his gazing at the sun. He turned around in surprise, but when he saw it was Lin Qi, a relaxed expression appeared on his face.
"It's you. Thank you so much. If it weren't for you, I might never have been able to exist in this world again."
"Don't be so polite. It was all a deal between your father and me. We were... each getting what we wanted."
“Each takes what they need…that sounds just like the relationship between him and the Khan ten thousand years ago.”
Horus said, then let out a soft sigh.
"Lin Qi, I have a question for you. I feel that in this world, you are probably the only one who can give me an objective answer."
"what is the problem?"
“He… no, now it should be called Him.”
Horus extended a finger and pointed to the small black sun floating above their heads.
"How much of Him is still my father now?"
Chapter 15 The Merchant's Bodyguard
"How much of Him is still my father now?"
Horus's question plunged Lynch into silence, for even he himself was at a loss for words.
How much of the Emperor's humanity remains? After ten thousand years of being led astray by the human empire on his throne, how much of his humanity is left? Is he now an Emperor, a God-Emperor, or the King of Darkness?
This is a very difficult question to answer; even the emperor himself might not be able to explain it clearly.
So in the end, all the words that rushed out of Lin Qi's throat were reduced to just two simple words.
"Hard to say."
Horus glanced sideways at Lynch.
He was clearly not satisfied with the answer.
"No matter what he is, can you just ignore him now?"
Lynch asked a very practical question, which immediately silenced Horus.
Yes, he couldn't ignore the current emperor, even if the other party might no longer be the "father" he knew.
But the fact that the "father" has become like this is entirely due to the actions of "himself" ten thousand years ago.
Even if all of this was not out of her own will, and her body was not controlled by her own soul, but rather by those four piles of excrement.
However, the mistakes made cannot be undone.
Horus knew that he had committed an unforgivable mistake, that he had personally destroyed the future of mankind, causing it to steadily decline over the course of ten thousand years.
So whether it was to atone for his sins or for the love and shame he felt for the emperor, he couldn't ignore the emperor and the empire before him.
Horus lowered his head and looked at the ring on his hand, which was conjured from psychic energy.
Lin Qi tilted his head slightly, his lips twitching.