Xenos Inquisition

Gao Yi didn't even wait two minutes before an Inquisitor from the Xenos Inquisition arrived at the scene with heavily armed Astra Militarum and cordoned off the area.

To make a rough count, the numbers were close to a thousand. They sealed off all the surrounding passageways, which went to show just how carefully the Imperium treated such creations.

"Praise the God-Emperor, I am Inquisitor Derrick Octavian, senior Inquisitor of the Xenos Inquisition at the Landing Port. You put on a brilliant battle for all of us just now. Your soldiers are very strong, and the never-before-seen equipment they wear is quite special. As expected, your deeds will soon spread throughout the entire Expansion Zone along with the pathfinders here.

I also want to thank you for wiping out this band of pirates, otherwise there's truly no telling that they actually dared to harbor a Halo Construct."

Derrick said with a smile.

Gao Yi looked at the Derrick before him, who wore a deep black round hat, paired with a red and black robe, and had a Rosette hanging on his chest representing an Inquisitor.

Gao Yi faintly caught sight of a suit of Power Armor hidden beneath the robe, and the smiling appearance of the person opposite him let him know at a glance that this was not someone to be trifled with. None of those with narrowed eyes were easy to deal with.

Two combat servitors carrying massive amounts of implants followed closely right behind him.

Gao Yi discovered that the eyes of these two servants were filled with a bloodthirsty glow and stared intently at him, without showing even a shred of respect on account of Gao Yi's status.

"Inquisitor Derrick, may the God-Emperor protect you. Without your efforts, there's no telling what this savage star sector would have turned into. What I've done doesn't amount to much!"

"Lord Gao Yi, you just became a Rogue Trader, didn't you? Lord Ludwig and I had some friendship, and I heard he died in the battle against the Daemons of the Warp?"

"That's right. Lord Ludwig was true to his loyalty to the God-Emperor. If it weren't for him, we might not have had the chance to break free from the Warp."

"Then would it be possible to take me to see Lord Ludwig's body?"

"What a pity, Lord Ludwig's body has already turned to ashes under the erosion of the Warp. But my lord, you're with the Xenos Inquisition, aren't you? Are you picking up the work of the Daemon Inquisition as well?"

"You joke. In the Expansion Zone, the threats of Xenos and Daemons are often intertwined, and I'm just curious. Since there's no way, then so be it."

From Derrick's casual remarks, one could tell that this guy was absurdly cautious. To him, an unknown person had suddenly become a Rogue Trader, and suddenly popped out with a bunch of soldiers and technology he had never seen before—this matter in itself was somewhat abnormal.

Derrick walked up to the box loaded with the Halo Construct. After confirming that the contents inside were correct, Derrick spoke to Gao Yi again.

"You shouldn't have touched these things, right?"

"Of course, I am well aware of how terrifying these things are. I don't want to have even the slightest connection with them."

"That's good. If you touched them, then I might have to chop off your hands depending on the situation, or purify you as well!"

Derrick smiled while speaking the harshest words.

"Hmph, Inquisitor, you'd better deal with these Xenos creations first!"

"Hahahaha, don't mind it, I'm just following routine!"

Soon, the Inquisitor's servants walked in carrying a large metal box. After using tools to pack up all the Halo Construct, Gao Yi also breathed a sigh of relief.

"These Void Concordat pirates will be wanted. They may have already forgotten the bottom line. Lord Gao Yi, if you have any news about them, you can also notify us. Anyone who touches heresy will feel the wrath of the God-Emperor. Of course, I also hope you won't get tainted by these heretical creations."

"I am a law-abiding Rogue Trader, after all."

"Indeed, every Rogue Trader says that. But it just so happens there is one matter I'd like to discuss with you."

"Hm?"

"I have an Inquisitor under my command who is also heading to Agathos, and I'd like you to take him with you when you leave."

"You want to have an Inquisitor hitch a ride on my ship? Are you trying to plant a spy on my ship or onto my Capital World?"

"Hahahaha, I really like you, Gao Yi Mongert. Compared to that previous Ludwig with his beating around the bush and meaningless aristocratic etiquette, I prefer your directness. The Inquisition has spies in almost every dynasty; this isn't something that needs covering up. Do you suppose Agathos doesn't have any right now?

You don't need to worry too much. You hold a Trade Warrant, and as long as you don't touch intolerable bottom lines, my Inquisitor will even become your asset. He will help you sniff out Xenos and even threats originating from the Warp. Even as widely traveled as you are as Rogue Traders, you ultimately cannot compare to the various secrets from across the entire Imperium within our Inquisition archives.

Besides, cooperating with the Inquisition has no downsides. Ludwig likewise cooperated with us. Only by building a friendship with the Inquisition can the affairs of your dynasty proceed more smoothly, isn't that right? A Trade Warrant cannot let you rest completely easy. Sometimes certain matters of a dynasty might not fall within the rights granted by the Trade Warrant, and the Inquisition becomes the arbiter, doesn't it?"

Derrick's words didn't sound like a request at all; they could even be called a threat.

Gao Yi forcefully suppressed his temper.

"Are the things you're saying also somewhat heretical? Are you replacing the God-Emperor to decide whether a person is guilty?"

"Isn't this our mission? Everything is for humanity, wouldn't you say?"

Derrick looked at Gao Yi with keen interest.

You've got guts. Just let me grow and develop first, and we'll see if you can still say these things then.

Gao Yi thought to himself.

Yet upon second thought, Gao Yi realized he didn't have any unspeakable matters either. He didn't dabble in Xenos, let alone profane Warp knowledge.

If he accidentally touched any Warp creations, it would just be his destiny to suck them dry anyway. Regardless of whether he agreed or not, Derrick would almost certainly find a way to plant his own informants. After all, he was going to recruit crew members on a large scale next, and he simply couldn't guarantee that everyone was completely free of issues.

Instead of digging people up later and being constantly on guard, it was better to put this spy right out in the open. Perhaps he could even be turned into a muscle-man for hire. Presumably, the combat strength of an Inquisitor shouldn't be weak, right? The current Gao Yi happened to be lacking high-end combat power as well.

"Since you put it this way, Inquisitor, then I shall patiently await the arrival of your Inquisitor."

"You are very smart, and I believe you will surely become an outstanding Rogue Trader! Matters are nearly settled, Lord Gao Yi. I won't disturb you any longer. There are probably quite a few people outside right now looking for you!"

"I look forward to our next meeting, Inquisitor."

Derrick left, taking his accompanying Inquisitors and the Astra Militarum with him. As these people departed, many individuals walked out from the shadows.

"Veil, help me receive and tally them first, and by the way, help me arrange meetings in the Court of the Monarch according to their status. It seems our plan succeeded—big business is coming!"

"Shall I have a few Rangers stay behind? I believe that after they watch up close, we can drive the price up even better."

"Do as you see fit!"

At that moment, Gao Yi spoke to Jeyd, who had been patiently waiting not far away all along.

"Jeyd, I am never stingy with my rewards to others. The contents of the Void Concordat warehouse are all yours to dispose of. You may take a portion of your deserved remuneration from the sales."

"Jeyd Hadaly is more than willing to serve you."

If everything inside the Void Concordat warehouse were sold off, the income would be extremely considerable. Even if Jeyd only took half a percent of it, it would still be more than her entire current net worth. Perhaps the goods inside didn't all belong to that group of pirates, but since this was illegal Cold Trade to begin with, if you wanted to come forward and admit that you were the loser, Gao Yi would be more than happy to hand the losers over to the imperial authorities.

Jeyd was merely an individual, whereas the Void Concordat was a major faction in the Landing Port. However, this could only be a thing of the past. The Void Concordat would still exist, and it would still grow strong once more.

Yet recovering within a short period of time was impossible. After all, pirates could never be completely killed off, but after experiencing the incident with the Halo Construct, a batch of leaders would inevitably die, though new successors would also emerge.

Nor could the Imperium truly wipe out the entire Concordat; these criminal organizations had long since become a part of the Koronus ecosystem.