The Emperor’s Angel of Death

Pat Clark felt he was the last to arrive, although he always hated being late. After all, the Clark family motto was—time is money. But the damned shuttle malfunction delayed him for nearly half an hour, and he strongly suspected sabotage by a competitor.

It could be from outside, or from within the family. After all, the clan chief valued this matter extremely highly, and he had put in a lot of effort to get this assignment.

If he handled it well, he might get a seat on the next executive committee. As a member of a side branch of the Clark dynasty, getting to this position would be a real breakthrough.

Of course, that was conditional on him doing a good job.

Reaching the giant redwood door, Pat straightened his luxurious red velvet robe and made sure the family crest was properly positioned before raising his hand.

The guards on either side pushed open the door, and the Rogue Trader representative entered the hall with a professional smile.

Just as he expected, everyone else was already there.

It was a very lavish meeting hall, surrounded by a circle of snow-white marble pillars. The walls were adorned with paintings, and flowerbeds decorated with natural plants were placed between the pillars. Looking up, one could see a colorful dome, as always depicting stories of saints and angels. Beneath the dome was a circular stone conference table, with a burning brazier in the center, making the air somewhat dry.

At a glance, Pat first saw Benito of the Lillard family. He had met this person more than a dozen times, but they had no real interaction, except perhaps in gunfights. The Lillard family and the Clark family had some old grudges, and more importantly, they operated in the same star sector, naturally leading to fierce commercial competition. The histories of both families were similar, and both were outsiders. They cooperated in the early stages, but after their size increased and they defeated the original Rogue Trader dynasty in the star sector, the two families naturally turned against each other.

The family sent Pat to Decapolis not only to get a piece of the Orpheus pie, but more importantly to block the Lillard family.

Benito was currently holding a wine bottle, smiling as he poured wine into a glass, seemingly boasting to the person next to him about how he had climbed his way up, from an ordinary crewman to the position of captain.

Pat chuckled, accepting a glass of wine from a waiter, a lean young man who steadily poured him half a glass.

Besides Benito, the most conspicuous person here was Gohl Baker.

Although Pat knew almost nothing about him, some basic information could be purchased if one was willing to spend the money, including his name and preferences. After all, they had been in Orpheus for some time, and the first thing they would do was inquire about each other, so his information was certainly known to others.

Gohl was constantly eating. Generally, Rogue Traders possessed elements of flamboyance, pride, and optimism, but rarely manifested in appetite.

But Gohl was special. He loved to eat, enjoying all kinds of delicacies, and he probably exercised regularly, not appearing bloated, but rather burly, coupled with the fur-trimmed robe, he looked like a king from some barbaric world.

Sitting opposite this big guy was Helicata Nancy Waters, a robust middle-aged woman with a fat face like a wheel, small round eyes with glasses like axles, wearing a brimless cap, her hair cut short and uneven, always with a book at hand—Pat believed she was displaying it rather than reading it.

Now, she was trying to outdo Gohl in knowledge about Space Marines. She was recounting some history, including the glorious achievements of the Star Phantoms and their devastating sacrifice, seemingly trying to express her efforts to understand this great Chapter.

In Pat's view, this had a flattering undertone, but it was subtle and wouldn't cause resentment. If any Space Marines were listening, they would instinctively form a slight liking for her.

Although it was slight, it could sometimes form an overwhelming advantage in crucial decisions.

This also matched Helicata's identity tag, a master negotiator.

"...There are even rumors that Chapter Master Soloshian Aleksei entered the mysterious Throne Room during his pilgrimage to Terra and received the Emperor's personal blessing, which is why he is so invincible. Many missionaries are proclaiming that he has come with the Emperor's mission to save the world and will lead humanity to greatness again in the future."

As Helicata spoke, she opened the book in her hand and took out a photo, which showed a planet surrounded by steel rails.

"It is said that the Naiton system has now become a pilgrimage site. Many believers who believe that Chapter Master Soloshian Aleksei is the savior will try to go there. It is rumored that there is a sacred mountain on the planet where he received divine revelation in his childhood. A devout family member of ours went there twenty years ago. He was my uncle and brought me back this."

Then she took out a pendant with a crossed swords symbol surrounded by a ring of fire.

"This is a gift he brought back, said to be bought from a gift shop run by a high-ranking servitor of the Star Phantoms Chapter. The shop assistants were one tall and one short, both looking fierce, which led to few customers, but my uncle met a passionate missionary there who heard many glorious stories about the great savior, including the story of how he defeated the great traitor on the planet of Pai Shang."

Watching Helicata talk eloquently, Gohl simply nodded, took a sip of wine, and tried to control the conversation.

Finally, the one opposite Benito, a thin, sharp-nosed fellow, looked cunning and mercenary, wearing luxurious clothes and fingers full of rings, a complete nouveau riche.

The Hernandez family should be the youngest here. Although they claim that their ancestors can be traced back to the glorious Great Crusade era, their history in the Yuldis sector is only less than two thousand years, and the early style was very barbaric and greedy, not like a Rogue Trader dynasty but more like a group of pirates. Many people suspect that the family's charter was stolen from a real Rogue Trader and then impersonated as a Rogue Trader.

Of course, that's what they say, but no one can verify it, and the Hernandez family relied on cunning tactics and cruel aggressive style to quickly gain a foothold and expand their power. Even if it's fake, it's real now, after all, no one can verify it.

“Ah, everyone, sorry I’m late.”

As Pat walked over with a smile, the others cast meaningful glances at him.

The most aggressive was of course Benito, who looked at Pat mockingly, then raised his glass.

“Time is money, welcome, Mr. Pat.”