27: Going Out Shopping Can Also Uncover Little Secrets

Navarro Ciunas has been Rogue Trader for ten years, and he finds great excitement in this job.

For example, being chased by Imperium Guards, having a gun pointed at his head, or passing through an Imperium Starport with a warehouse full of smuggled goods. But none of these things compare to what he is experiencing right now.

He boarded the flagship of the Eighth Legion.

The mere thought of it made his legs go weak, his heart race, and cold sweat pour down his back.

The surrounding environment only worsened the situation. The cold, misty corridor, the dim lighting, and the faint sounds coming from the darkness in the distance all reminded him of where he was.

If that wasn't enough, then what was about to happen was truly terrifying, striking straight to his heart.

He will tell the Eighth Legion the whole truth about the diary.

Lie?

No, this is definitely not an option to choose. People have all sorts of speculations and conjectures about the Astartes. The Eighth Legion is also inevitably the subject of many rumors within the Imperium.

Some even said they bathed in human blood every day and used human skin and bones as decorations. Navarro, a well-informed man, naturally knew that the rumors contained many inconsistencies and exaggerations.

However, he still had a vague idea of what the Eighth Legion actually did.

He certainly wouldn't be foolish enough to lie to people like them—besides, he had long since lost confidence in his deception skills.

In other words, he can only tell the truth.

Navarro Ciunas followed cautiously behind a Servitor into a room.

An empty iron table and chair awaited him in the room, his family diary laid out on the table. The Servitor had brought him here and was about to leave when Navarro quickly called it back.

The thing smelled of preservatives, stood stiffly in place, hairless and without lips, its blackened gums encased in transparent glass. It stared at him silently.

This imposing appearance sent a chill down the spine of the Rogue Trader —who would modify Servitor to look like this?

He stood there, stunned, his initial intention to ask questions vanishing. Receiving no response, the Servitor turned and left without hesitation.

The door closed silently, the metal fitting together perfectly. Navarro slowly turned around, and lights immediately illuminated his vision. From the misty fog, a giant slowly emerged—it was Karyl Lohars.

Navarro stared at him blankly, a sudden thought popping into his head—had he been here before?

"We are sorry about your ship, Captain Navarro Ciunas. It was severely damaged and littered with Orks corpses. Your Swallow did not survive the storm, but we managed to salvage some of your belongings, which are awaiting your inspection in the hull of the Nightfall."

Navarro forced a smile; he didn't care about the contents at all. "Thank you, thank you, sir."

"Relax, Captain Navarro," Karyl said softly. "You can sit down, and we can talk this over. This isn't an interrogation, and I won't hurt you."

The Rogue Trader sat down cautiously, only touching half of the chair. The icy cold seeped through his clothes, sending a chill through him, and words followed immediately.

"To be honest, before I opened that diary and read it, I wasn't particularly interested in it. I was more interested in how you ended up running into those Orks. But I did read it."

Karyl raised his right hand and made a gesture. He was calm and rational, and his voice sounded as if he were chatting casually. But what he said next made Navarro's mood even heavier.

"Money only circulates among mortals, and power cannot oppress certain backbones; therefore, we need names." Karyl smiled slightly at him. "That's an interesting point."

This saying comes from one of my ancestors.

"I suppose so. After all, this diary is quite old. Ordinary paper obviously couldn't have been carried around the ship so much and remained in such good condition. Is it witchcraft or psychic magic, Captain Navarro?"

"I don't know, but I hope it's the latter," the Rogue Trader said with a wry smile. "The Imperial Truth explicitly affirms the evil of witchcraft and wizards; I don't want to get involved with those things."

"Very wise. Then, let's classify it as a psionic spell for now." Karyl crossed his arms.

"Frankly, I'm not very interested in the political threats your family is playing, Captain Navarro. Politics is dirty; new tragedies happen every moment under the influence of powerful figures."

"The Milky Way is too vast; interstellar anti-corruption isn't our job—but I'm intrigued by a certain name mentioned in that diary."

Navarro slowly swallowed a bitter mouthful of saliva, beginning to ponder which word in the diary had touched a nerve with this important figure. His deep contemplation didn't last long, because Karyl had already uttered the name.

"Clayton Los." The tall, pale giant uttered the name, then suddenly smiled.

His dark eyes seemed to possess a magical power, drawing Navarro's gaze in. The Rogue Trader was horrified, trying to look away, but he couldn't. His body betrayed him; a bone-chilling cold swept over him from the dissipating mist, making him tremble.

"A proud Imperial Army, currently serving as a second lieutenant in the Auxilia of the Dark Angels, the First Legion of the Imperium. What an honorable resume, it's just a pity he didn't obtain this position through normal means."

"He bought an opportunity from your family, and you provided it—now, I want to ask, Captain Navarro Ciunas, what power does your family possess that allows them to influence such matters?"

Navarro Ciunas remained silent for a very long time before giving his answer. He didn't hide anything, and even mentioned things that Karyl didn't care about.

"My family followed the Emperor early on, and after the pacification of Terra, my ancestor chose to acquire wealth through trade. The Emperor permitted this and personally issued him a trading license. After that, my family prospered rapidly."

"We possess immense wealth and connections. Clayton Los, whom you mentioned, is just one of the thousands we've helped. When our family was at its peak, we could have easily gotten things done simply by having tea with a few gentlemen in the Departmento Munitorum."

"But is it not possible now?"

"My family was removed from the ranks of the nobility ten years ago, sir." Navarro's face showed a smile that was hard to tell whether it was one of satisfaction or bitterness.

"How should I put it? It's a case of bringing trouble upon ourselves. Knowing too much about things others don't want to know leads to this: we were purged, our wealth was taken away, many were executed on the spot after their crimes were uncovered, and only a few survived."

"I was one of them. My father, in desperation, shoved the trade license into the hands of my son, whom he hated most, and declared that I was just an innocent child. He begged the guards to spare me for the sake of that sacred piece of paper."

"It seems they've let you go." Karyl nodded. "Then, what's the story with this diary?"

"It's a curse." Navarro pursed his lips, a sense of helplessness welling up on his face.

"A certain ancestor was very prescient; he felt this was bound to happen, so he had someone cast... uh, psionic magic on the diary. In short, it cannot be destroyed and must remain near a living Ciunas; otherwise, all the characters on it will scream out under the influence of psionic energy."

"That doesn't sound like a very wise backup plan," Karyl commented, and Navarro agreed.

The Rogue Trader nodded with a wry smile, "To put it bluntly, it was really stupid, sir. I waited in jail for half a year, and when I was released, this diary was one of my personal belongings. They returned it to me."

"Then, someone warned me. He made me swear an oath never to return to Terra, or my remaining family would be killed. And this book must stay with me, far from human habitation, and never be given a new name."

"That does sound like an interesting story. Thank you for answering my question, Captain Navarro Ciunas. Well then, we'll release you, your crew, and your belongings to a planet with a starport in a while. What do you think?"

Navarro was stunned.

"What?" he blurted out involuntarily. "That's... that's it?"

"What else would you like, Mr. Navarro?" Karyl smiled slightly at him.

"You haven't committed any crimes, and I don't care whether your family has any hidden secrets from the past. After all, you harbor no hatred. You can leave now. Turn right after you go out, and you'll see a Servitor. It will take you to your room."

Navarro hurriedly stood up, seemingly wanting to leave, but his body remained frozen in place, his face showing a look of astonishment as if he were dreaming.

"No—you, aren't you going to ask any more questions?"

"Do you want me to ask more questions?" Karyl raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Those names either crave money or love. The few who crave opportunity are merely hoping to join the army."

"They didn't ask for high positions, nor for a position where they could ruthlessly exploit the people. I won't ask why your family was destroyed, but at least the person who did it showed some compassion."

"This is a wonderful story, but unfortunately it doesn't belong to us. Keep your secrets and diary in your heart, Mr. Navarro Ciunas; they will be your treasure."

One more chapter, 10,000 words today.