How can a retired savior be considered retired if his price drops to 40,000?

Chapter 321: It should be forbidden to release surprise bombs on censors
Although the Imperial Guards used the expression "immediately" in their words, neither Marlan nor Stern had expected that this so-called "immediately" would actually happen in just ten minutes.

For most of the mortal officials in the empire who thought they were in high positions, ten minutes was not enough time for the servants who accompanied them to set up the carriage. Moreover, if Vasily's previous account was true, within five minutes after he finished speaking, the person he mentioned might still be in the meeting room of the Ministry of the Interior of Baal for the final greetings. However, no matter what actually happened during this period of time, or what means of movement she used, the fact is that Fujimaru Ritsuka did appear on the Shadow Hammer very quickly, on the other side of the communication directly connected with the Fortitude Power.

The Lord Inquisitor and the Grey Knight Captain Brother who were tasked with the investigation had read through the briefings delivered to them, and had a basic understanding that the "Imperial Saint" who opposed the Inquisition in this incident was a "young girl". But when Fujimaru Ritsuka's appearance was transmitted through the radio waves and really appeared in their sight, they were still surprised at how young this "girl" was. Fujimaru Ritsuka's age of only seventeen may partially explain part of the reasons for this conflict that should not have happened (or at least should not have been exposed), but if the perspective is raised and the cause and effect of the whole incident are examined, more confusing questions will arise.

Maran glanced at Stern beside her with some uneasiness, and the Grey Knight shook his head at her. Although they didn't know whether the current arrangement was due to the other party's caution or simply because it was "more convenient", even the captain monk could not use the radio signal to detect the other party's status with psychic power.

Vasily moved away from the center of the communication screen, but when Fujimaru Ritsuka stood over there, a large area of ​​the screen was still empty - and Stern was sure that she must have stepped on something that the camera couldn't capture. Although it was not easy to notice because of the large and complicated skirt, he could infer from the movement of the other party's upper body when she entered the screen that Fujimaru Ritsuka must have raised her legs and made a "stairs-up" action when she approached the camera.

"Good day, everyone. I'm sorry for making things so tense with this sudden arrangement." She clasped her hands in front of her abdomen, her back straight, and a decent smile on her face - her manners and etiquette were impeccable, just like the noble ladies often seen at Terra's social dances. "Today's arrangement is indeed very hasty due to my temporary decision. Please treat it as an informal meeting for a simple acquaintance. As you can see, I am Fujimaru Ritsuka, the main person responsible for the Wilczak case..."

This greeting, or the brief summary of the case, which was condensed into less than three minutes, did a good job of completing the task of the "step" that Hastings had intended to hand out but was interrupted by the imperial guards not long ago, allowing the prosecutor who came to at least have the most basic grasp of the current situation. But during this period, Maran still couldn't help but notice that Hastings at the edge of the screen obviously searched around, then turned his head and moved a little, moving half of his body out of the screen. He must have said something to the outside at a volume that could not be captured by the communication, because more than ten seconds later, after he completely returned to the screen, another little girl in an acolyte's robe also entered the screen and stood in the corner on the other side behind Fujimaru Ritsuka.

Obviously, Hastings' ultimate intention was not to have this person appear in the picture, but to require that the thing in her hand - the golden Skyhawk Scepter standing on the ground, held respectfully in both hands - in this scene, must be captured in the sight of the two people on the bridge of the Fortitude and Power through the communication image signal.

Just as no one would mistake the attendant holding the scepter for the real owner of the scepter, considering that there is a royal guard watcher standing in the background, even people without relevant knowledge would never misunderstand the meaning of the scepter in this scene.

Considering Fujimaru Ritsuka's age and his almost non-existent qualifications in the empire, this is really ridiculous, but since the Imperial Guards are willing to endorse this scenario with a tacit attitude, Malan decided to let her thoughts lean towards: All of the above seemingly illogical facts have been covered up by certain senior departments of the empire for some reason.

Malan couldn't think of any other department in the empire that could bypass the supervision of the Inquisition. Or maybe she did think of it, but she didn't want to take such a ridiculous guess as a fact. But in short, she finally decided that it would be a good idea to be cautious here.

This round of greetings and questions went smoothly. In addition to the basic understanding of the current situation, Malan's instinct as an inquisitor made her notice that the source of the prior information that enabled Fujimaru Ritsuka to complete this communication smoothly was obviously Hastings: the information she unconsciously revealed during the conversation showed that she knew more about the Grey Knight Captain-Brother beside her, but when it came to Malan, she only knew some of the things that would appear in the official documents of the Inquisition.

It is normal to ask people from the same system about things in the same system - it is also normal not to be able to ask anything too specific. There is basically no overlap between the areas where Malan often moves and Hastings. They even learned each other's names through this investigation after this incident. As a lord judge, Malan is naturally qualified to quickly review Hastings' detailed resume, but the difference in rank makes it difficult for the latter to conduct such a detailed investigation of the former through official channels. Malan certainly believes that if Hastings insists on investigating himself, he should be able to find out a few private channels that can make a detailed report. As a qualified judge, being able to complete similar investigations without any clues is a basic quality, but in the communication environment of the dark side of the empire, this efficiency is obviously not up to par with her own pace.

This may mean that Hastings and Fujimaru Ritsuka have already stood on the same line. Malan ordered herself to think as objectively as possible. So, what is the essence of this accident? As an Inquisitor, Hastings was unfortunately dragged into the power represented by the Imperial Guards and the Scepter of the Sky Eagle, and clashed with Inquisitor Wilczak? Or did Hastings, who was already under the command of Fujimaru Ritsuka, choose to take advantage of the shadow war between the Inquisitors, but accidentally blew up the conflict that was triggered? There is too little information, and these may still be just guesses.

"...In fact, we started to report this unfortunate accident shortly after it happened." Fujimaru Ritsuka was still responding to the questioning of Captain Brother Stern. "In terms of written narration, I can guarantee that every person involved who can still recount the process has provided a complete record from his or her own perspective, but I do have to admit that after the incident was over, considering the possible influence of Chaos, I did immediately order the inspection and purification of the entire Shadow Hammer, interrogated all the crew members, and quickly disposed of the people involved. From the perspective of later generations, there will inevitably be a lot of 'no evidence' in this matter, and it is natural that you and your colleagues will feel distrustful of this. In principle, we agree that you can conduct inspections by any means you think is necessary, but in principle, I must also ensure the life, health and safety of those who work for me. Please be sure to pay attention to this when taking action. We can cooperate with other requirements."

"I think we can accept such conditions." Captain Stern replied without emotion.

The Grey Knight could not find any fault in this statement. Due to the things that the Sky Eagle Scepter hinted at him, even though he knew that "finding the truth" was obviously the primary task that should be completed at all costs, he chose to go along with the other party's words: "Perhaps after we review the detailed report, Inquisitor Marlan and I will need to go to the Shadow Hammer to conduct such an investigation on the spot."

"Please contact Judge Hastings directly. He will fully support your investigation," Fujimaru Ritsuka responded. The other party expressed appropriate gratitude for this active cooperation, but for the sake of safety, the audience on the Fortitude Power still decided to understand it as a formality that would be discounted after the actual operation.

"I'm sorry, but my schedule today is a bit tight. In ten minutes, I have to leave for the next meeting." The young girl opposite the painting said apologetically, "If you find any clues during the investigation that need to be confirmed by an interview with me, please mention them to Inquisitor Hastings later. In any case, he will arrange a formal meeting for us in a few days, and we can have a detailed conversation in a more relaxed environment. But now, I do have some questions that I want to get the answers to as soon as possible, and I need to ask Inquisitor Lord Maran for advice."

This was somewhat unexpected, but as a lord judge, Maran would not panic because of this sudden situation. On the contrary, she was quite curious about what the other party wanted to ask (or what he could ask), so she even smiled while agreeing to the other party's questions.

However, she soon stopped laughing. As soon as she opened her mouth, Fujimaru Ritsuka mentioned something that even Captain Stern beside her was not aware of:

"You came to investigate this regrettable accident. Specifically, are you representing the entire Inquisition, the Order of the Holy Hammer to which you belong, or the Order of Kronos where you and Inquisitor Wilchak serve together?" Maran's eyebrows jumped reflexively. She wanted to deny it immediately, but then she realized that denying this harmless little thing would not actually have any positive significance. So, her final struggle was to ask a counter-question: "Why do you think I also hold a concurrent position in the Order of Kronos?"

"I'm not sure, but I hope you are." Fujimaru Ritsuka replied, "Not only did Inquisitor Wilchak admit that she belonged to the Kronos Order, but our subsequent investigation of the Shadow Hammer also showed that she had successfully used the, uh, 'resources' she had access to, and made some... achievements in areas that the Kronos Order might be involved in. As an outsider, it's really hard for me to comment on these things, but it's obviously a pity to destroy them at will. It would be great if you could take them over as a colleague."

She didn't say it clearly, but Malan had already understood what these words meant. The constructive results made by the Inquisitors often concealed some parts that sounded not very loyal or pure. In the presence of the Imperial Guards, Fujimaru Ritsuka was still willing to hand over these results to "another colleague" in the Inquisition for processing. Perhaps this should be interpreted as a positive signal.

"I see." Malan nodded and asked knowingly, "Wilchak's 'achievements' make you so worried. Is it because she used some 'illegal' means or techniques in the process?"

The conversation went on as Malan predicted, but she didn't expect Fujimaru Ritsuka's answer to be so straightforward: "I believe she used some technology from the Necrons. I'm not sure how she got and initially analyzed these alien technologies, nor am I sure if her research is going in the direction she hopes, but she has indeed applied it on a small scale in the security system of the Shadow Hammer."

"Thank you very much for not destroying it," Malan replied. When she said this, at least half of her heart was filled with sincere gratitude. "Perhaps after a detailed investigation, I will thank you again for my careless attitude today - your kindness may have preserved a useful technology for the Kronos Order."

"You are too kind. In fact, I did this not without selfish motives." Fujimaru Ritsuka nodded slightly, "Sometimes the alien technology can indeed provide us with a reference for ideas. If you think this technology can pass the test after reviewing it, I also hope to leave a copy here for research: this may provide some reference for us to actively interfere with two spaces with different time flow speeds, and thus artificially balance the time flow on both sides with more gentle means."

Malan was a little confused for a moment. Although the conditions proposed by the other party were a bit strange, they were not unacceptable. Although the other party wanted to leave a copy, first of all, it did provide a step of "if it passes the review and inspection"; secondly, the Inquisition is not the Mechanicus, and it does not have the habit of hoarding some technologies that are harmless after being made public; thirdly, the topic raised by Fujimaru Ritsuka at the end is also one of the topics that the Kronos Order has been studying, and it has become more aware of its urgency after the Great Rift unfolded. If you only look at this part, there is no problem with the logic, and Malan can't think of any need to refute it immediately, but--

"Excuse me for asking, but why do you want such technology?" The Lord Inquisitor was genuinely confused. "If your job requires you to frequently go in and out of the two sides of the Great Rift, or any other space with different time flows, the Empire already has the corresponding resistance technology. With only some minor modifications, the service life of the ship can be greatly increased in the face of repeated attacks by the time flow."

"...Thank you for your reminder, Inquisitor Maran, but this is not the technology I need. Inquisitor Wilchak's research seems to have greater potential in terms of scope and scale." Fujimaru Ritsuka said, "Although it will be a long time before I need this, and there are alternatives, but I think it's always good to have more options-"

Hastings coughed heavily at the edge of the screen, almost writing the words "This is not how negotiations are done" on his face.

He did succeed in interrupting Fujimaru Ritsuka's continued speech that was not conducive to the negotiation, but it also made the atmosphere a little awkward. Although the mistake had been made, if someone else was here, they would probably drag things out and just say "the technology did not pass the purity test of the Tribunal" as the answer at the very end, and walk away with the relevant information and samples. But it was Malan who was here, so she decided to carry out the review normally and asked a few more questions before that:

"Pardon my curiosity, but what do you need this technology for?"

"Isn't there a difference in the speed of time flowing on both sides of the Great Rift due to the disturbance of the subspace?" Fujimaru Ritsuka mentioned a common sense fact under this question, but it shouldn't appear in this topic. "Even so, even if it is only on the dark side of the empire, the speed of time is not completely equal. Although it is not completely true, the part that is directly connected to the Holy Land of the Empire, such as the Nachmond Corridor, time will flow faster than other parts of the dark side."

The Grey Knight turned to look at the Inquisitor beside him, who gave a positive hint. As a member of the Kronos Order, Maran could say with certainty that although in the actual environment of the dark side of the Empire, due to the influence of the fluctuating subspace, the disturbed time flow was not as regular as Fujimaru Ritsuka had described before, it would not be wrong to regard it as a rough rule.

"That's right." She said, "That's why ships operating in the dark, if they have the conditions, will often undergo relevant modifications to combat disordered time -"

"-- What I mean is that according to my schedule, within ten years, starting from Baal, another route that can safely lead to the Holy Land of the Empire will be opened in the Great Rift." Perhaps because of the urgency of time, Fujimaru Ritsuka began to speak faster, "Although it is not impossible for the entire empire to withstand the losses caused by this time flow disorder, I still think that some plans should be prepared to reduce the losses. This plan must at least be effective within the scope of the star zone. Uh, I'm sorry that the time I squeezed out today has reached the limit. I have to catch up with the next schedule. This matter is not urgent. We can talk about it later--"

Maran felt that she should say something, and so did Stern. But unfortunately, in fact, until Fujimaru Ritsuka and the attendant who held the scepter for her disappeared from the communication screen in an elegant but quick manner, and Hastings, sighing, occupied the center of the screen again, neither of them succeeded in saying a word.

"I know you have ten thousand questions to ask." Hastings' expression showed a helpless attitude of "resigned to fate". "Ask whatever you want. Anyway, I am fully prepared to spend the rest of my time on this matter."

(End of this chapter)