How Had I Gotten Dragged into Trouble Again?

"I apologize, Your Inquisitor Aldrich."

Alvin shook his head, and under the other man's disappointed gaze, firmly stated, "You have no evidence."

"Even if it can be proven that the Fernando Family betrayed the Imperium and the Emperor, I cannot offer you any further assistance."

Without evidence, Alvin naturally couldn't fully believe his accusations against the Fernando Dynasty.

Especially betraying the Imperium.

To be honest, whether it was colluding with Xenos, secretly bribing space pirates, or bribing naval officers, none of it mattered to Alvin.

After all, we're all just Rogue Trader.

Who hasn't done illegal things? Let's not talk about the distant past, just look at himself: colluding with the Eldar, having close ties with the Necron, and the Iron Man Legion that is suspected to be AI. If all of these things were really exposed, the outcome might not be much better than Fernando's.

Ultimately, it all boils down to one thing.

He was Rogue Trader, and given his status and position, he was inherently at odds with the Vought. How could he possibly believe an Inquisitor's accusations without any evidence?

Among the Inquisitor were also treacherous witnesses; today they would help him accuse Fernando, and tomorrow it would be Valshius's turn to be accused without any evidence.

"No, I think you may have misunderstood me, Your Highness His Highness Alvin." After a brief moment of disappointment, Aldrich quickly regained his composure and said, "The reason I told you this was not because I hoped you would help me accuse Fernando; I understand your difficulties."

"So what do you want me to help you with?" Alvin raised an eyebrow, puzzled. "If it's about leaving this planet, I can offer you some assistance."

Aldrich's expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly waved his hands in refusal. "No, please don't do that, Your His Highness Alvin!"

Are you scared?

Alvin saw a deep fear on Aldrich's face.

"That's right." Aldrich swallowed hard and nodded. "You might not know, Nomad Port— "

"It's already completely under Fernando's control. Any Warp Astropathic Message are intercepted and reviewed in advance, and only transmitted after being confirmed to be correct."

"Is the Fernando Family really that powerful?!"

Upon hearing this, Alvin's expression changed slightly. It seemed that the Fernando Family's control over Nomad Port had completely exceeded his expectations!

"I really hope it's fake, but—" Aldrich's face was slightly bitter, and he sighed deeply, "Not only that, I suspect that even if we entered the Warp, as long as we were still in this star system, we would be directly targeted by the Fernando Family. That's how my fleet—disappeared."

The Eternal Forge — Carroll had mentioned this to him, something that allows free travel in the Warp.

And these are "Old Ones relics" that are unaffected by Warp Storm and can lock onto target flight paths!

Alvin frowned. It seemed that during Valshius's decline, the Fernando Family had acquired another artifact that could intercept Warp Astropathic Message!

In this way, the entire Nomad Port, from the inside out, was transformed into an impregnable fortress by the Fernando Family!

It's no wonder Aldrich accused the Fernando Family of plotting to establish themselves as kings and divide the Imperium's territory.

Based on the information Alvin has so far, the key issue isn't whether Fernando truly wants to do this, but rather—the fact that they actually have the capability to do it, and that's the most terrifying thing!

"Although I used Xenos technology to fake my death and sneak back to Nomad Port, I suspect the Fernando Family knows I'm not dead!" Aldrich continued.

"How can you be sure they know you're not dead?" Alvin asked.

"They've been blocking Astropathic Message between this place and the outside Warp," Aldrich said bitterly. "If it weren't for that, I would have used the Rose Knot to send information back to the Vought long ago."

Alvin stroked his chin and summarized the current situation.

In short, Fernando suspected that Aldrich was not dead and had been secretly investigating him. He also blocked the Nomad Port's external Warp Astropathic Message, completely cutting off Aldrich's possibility of calling for outside help.

This is troublesome.

Alvin frowned. He had come to steal the family star map and didn't want to get involved in such a huge mess.

If things aren't handled properly, it could easily escalate into a war between the two major Merchant Dynasty, or even the entire Nomad Port system!

"Your His Highness Alvin, I know of your deeds on Losel and Alert Star." Aldrich sighed, his gaze resolute. "Therefore, I would like to ask you for a favor. This matter is of utmost importance. Nomad Port is the Imperium's route to the Black Zone, and it is also an important resource and frontier. It must not fall into the hands of traitors!"

"Tell me what it is first, then I'll decide whether or not to help you." Alvin sighed, thinking to himself that his luck was just too bad; why did he always end up getting involved in trouble?

"Make the right decision when necessary." Aldrich smiled, a hint of something strange in his expression. "That's what I need to ask of you. It's simple, isn't it?"

"Explain yourself more clearly."

Alvin's forehead veins bulged—something about that statement just didn't sound right.

"I've made myself very clear, Your His Highness Alvin." Aldrich pulled his hood back up, a smile playing on his lips. "Making the right decision when necessary isn't difficult."

"Wait, explain yourself clearly. What do you mean by 'when necessary'?" Alvin frowned.

However, Aldrich didn't elaborate further. "It's almost time, Your His Highness Alvin. I must leave. Staying any longer will only cause unnecessary trouble. Please remember my words!"

After saying that, Aldrich turned and left in a hurry, leaving Alvin and Tucker completely bewildered.

"What... what does this mean?!"

Alvin was bewildered. Did the Inquisitor nowadays dislike speaking human language and insist on being riddle tellers?

"Listen, should I bring him back?" Tucker scratched his head. He wasn't used to this kind of thing to begin with, and now he felt like his nerves were about to explode.

"Forget it—" Alvin waved his hand in refusal, his gaze still fixed on the direction Aldrich had gone. "Do you think it's true or false that the Fernando Family intends to divide the Imperium's territory?"

"I don't know." Tucker shrugged and shook his head. "To be honest, I think what Fernando did was worse than what you did—you were in far more danger than them."

■

Alvin, rebuffed, glared at him fiercely. "Now I finally understand why Aruman always wanted to kill you!"

"No, no, it's not that bad—" Tucker wiped his sweat guiltily and said seriously, "I do have a way to find out if Fernando is really planning a rebellion, and I can also help you find the star map."

"The Shadow Dome Council?"

Alvin gave the answer beforehand.

"Yes, this is the council," Tucker said slowly. "Didn't the Inquisitor just say that he infiltrated the Shadow Dome Council and discovered the evidence of Fernando's plot to rebel? Why don't we go there too?"