Leaving the Warp

"It's over..."

Gao Yi was quite surprised to see the 20,000 psionic crystals credited to his account, not expecting such a huge haul from just a few Nurglings.

Yet in truth, it was because the ritual Scott had set up here had taken years.

Scott used his authority to pull everyone he had killed openly or murdered in secret into this place, sacrificing them to accumulate power.

That was why Gao Yi's harvest was so abundant.

"Almost 50,000. It's a pity it's still a distance away from the heavy factory; I reckon even after clearing out all remaining Chaos enemies inside the warship, I won't accumulate 50,000.

However, Gao Yi wasn't worried by comparison. This world lacked everything except cultists, and even if he didn't actively seek them out, they would likely come looking for him.

Looking at the corpses around him—which had lost the sustainment of Warp energy and were beginning to collapse—Gao Yi found that the enhancement of his physical strength was even greater than he had imagined.

The Marauder Combat Suit on his body could barely keep up with his physical fitness anymore.

However, he distinctly felt his lack of combat skills, relying entirely on brute force for his fighting style.

Gao Yi had already decided that upon leaving the Warp, he needed to properly find someone to train his combat skills. He figured the dynasty should not lack powerful warriors.

"Thank you, Lord Gao Yi. You have saved everyone on the warship once again."

Looking at the Rogue Trader's corpse, Veil sighed. When he saw the corrupted Ludwig with his own eyes, he knew Gao Yi had been right in not letting others come.

He squatted down and removed a ring from Ludwig's corpse.

That was the ring representing the identity of the Rogue Trader of the Mongert Dynasty.

"Captain! The former Rogue Trader is dead, and only your bloodline across the entire warship is qualified to inherit the position of Rogue Trader. What you have done gives you enough prestige to sit in this position. I believe not a single person on this warship will raise an objection!"

Veil held the ring up with both hands and placed it before Gao Yi.

"You want me to inherit the Rogue Trader position now? Will there really be no problems regarding legality or procedures?"

"There won't be much problem with legality and procedures. Weren't you originally here to participate in the trials? However, when you return to the dynasty's capital world, those families coveting this position will certainly question you.

Yet every Rogue Trader encounters this sort of ordeal, but this position relies on more than just bloodline—it relies even more on methods and strength, doesn't it?"

"Indeed. As long as there's no issue with legality, Veil, make the public announcement: Rogue Trader Ludwig Mongert fulfilled his oath, proving worthy of loyalty to the God-Emperor, and shouted the name of the God-Emperor as he fought the great enemy of Chaos to the very last moment!

When he utterly shattered this Chaos conspiracy, his soul returned to the Golden Throne.

Since it's completely resolved, have those accomplices alongside Scott executed as soon as possible as well."

After hearing Gao Yi's words, Veil bowed deeply once more.

"I'll go handle it right away, and I will immediately prepare your inauguration ceremony. Before the ceremony begins, please head to the room belonging to the Rogue Trader to get a good rest! Afterward, I will send people to clean up everything here to ensure no hidden troubles occur!"

"Then I'll leave it to you!"

"Ah... comfortable..."

Gao Yi lay inside the massive pool in the captain's room, taking a hot bath. Ever since arriving in this world, he had been in a state of high tension without a moment of relaxation.

Looking at this pool of clean water, many shipworkers couldn't even get drinking water of this caliber, yet he could use it casually just for a bath.

Exquisite pastries and fresh fruit were also placed by the edge of the pool; one had to say that the feeling of having power was truly wonderful.

Glock steaks pan-fried to absolute perfection and top-quality Amasec were left for Gao Yi to partake of at his leisure.

Gao Yi could freely enjoy these delicacies.

Now he finally had a chance to relax a bit.

The entire captain's room was a full 500 square meters, filled with gorgeous statues, exquisite ornaments, and even artworks originating from xenos. Every single piece could be sold for a hefty price if taken outside.

Here, Gao Yi enjoyed things he might never have obtained even if he struggled for a lifetime.

The only thing Gao Yi found slightly uncomfortable was the dozen attendants standing by the side of the bath.

"Could you all please step outside first? I don't really like other people watching me bathe."

"I'm sorry, Captain. We are not permitted to leave while you are bathing."

The attendants spoke with a hint of trepidation. They didn't understand this new captain very well yet, and didn't know if Gao Yi would vent his anger on them because of this.

"Why?"

"We began receiving training since childhood—first, to serve you at any time; second, to prevent any accidents from happening while you are bathing. No one knows if you might accidentally slip, or if someone might truly sneak in here. While we serve you, we are also protecting you."

"Slip. All right." Watching the attendants stubbornly refusing to leave, Gao Yi said no more, and could only try his best to get used to this life belonging to a Rogue Trader as quickly as possible.

At that moment, the isolation shutters of the warship's porthole began to rise. Gao Yi looked out the window, and the endless starry sky of realspace once again appeared before everyone's eyes.

The veil between realspace and the Warp was torn open once more. Aided by the tides of the Warp, the Golden Ram finally sailed out of the Warp.

The warp engines began to shut down, and the conventional engines started operating, driving the Golden Ram toward its destination.

The door to the room was knocked upon right on cue.

"I am Veil, Captain. There is work I need to report to you!"

"Come in!"

Seeing Veil walk in, Gao Yi no longer cared. Anyway, so many people had already watched, one more person didn't matter.

"Captain, we have crossed the 'Great Maw' and successfully arrived at the Koronus Expanse! The warship has sailed out of the Warp, we are safe!"

The news of exiting the Warp was enough to make everyone heave a sigh of relief.

The Koronus Expanse was a world far removed from human domains, so distant that even the Astronomican could not shine upon it.

This was a world belonging to Rogue Traders and explorers; countless unexplored planets were filled with opportunities while simultaneously teeming with danger.

You might find lost technology and strike it rich overnight, or you might encounter attacks from unknown xenos.

Here, profit reigned supreme. Someone who was an enemy the previous second might also unite with you against a foe for the sake of profit the next second.

"Where do we need to go next?"

"Under normal circumstances, we should return directly to the capital world, but our losses this time are truly too severe. After all, we still need to undertake warp travel; although this route is relatively safe, I still suggest heading to the landing port first to resupply materials and personnel, and to repair the warship!"

"Landing Port... How severe are our losses this time?"

"The Golden Ram originally had 112,000 crew members. Now the surviving crew members who have not been affected by the Warp number only 51,000. The loss of ordinary crew is acceptable, but soldiers and technical personnel are in urgent need of replenishment!

The Acoustic Array Master was assassinated, the Master of Discipline betrayed us, the Choir of the Stars suffered heavy losses, and Lady Eunice also needs rest after maintaining the course for a prolonged period!"

Hearing of the landing port, Gao Yi recalled the information he knew.

The landing port was situated at the gateway between the Expanse and the Imperium's domain.

It was not a planet, but a massive starport floating in the void.

It was composed of countless asteroids and derelict starships.

All human factions in the Koronus Expanse inevitably came here to launder their ill-gotten goods.

Rogue traders, the navy, pirates, the Inquisition, illegal factions, cultists, spies—one could say the landing port was a mixed bag where all sorts of people could be found.

Aside from legitimate trade, illicit trade was also no rarity here. Xenos artifacts and blasphemous technologies were not regulated nearly as strictly as within the Imperium; as long as you weren't flagrant about it, everyone turned a blind eye.

If they really wanted to make arrests, everyone would likely be qualified for the Inquisition's pyre, guaranteed not a single one was innocent.