The Emperor’s Angel of Death

Talos crossed his arms and smiled at the merchant. His action made the tall Gohr shrink back slightly—the gaze of a Soul Hunter was not something mortals could easily accept.

"If you find the term unpleasant, then we can call it a contribution or something else, whatever you like."

"Uh, Lord, what I mean is."

"The expedition is very expensive, and many worlds are still mired in the darkness created by xenos. Is it so difficult for you to give up a tiny bit of profit?"

"Lord, business isn't easy these days."

"If you find it unacceptable, you can leave. Of course, that will certainly mean losing the friendship of Chapter Master Soloyan."

Talos's words were light, but everyone who heard them felt a great weight. The key factor in their families' decision to come after receiving the invitation was Soloyan Aleksey himself. He was too legendary and even sacred. No one didn't want to get to know this great Astartes Chapter Master and Imperial hero. Missing this opportunity might mean there wouldn't be another, and once they befriended him, it would be of great significance to the entire family. In addition to tangible economic benefits, the merchants also sought fame and glory.

"Lord, I have a small question."

Benito also raised his hand, and Talos nodded slightly.

"Speak."

"Is it possible to make an exception to the mandatory use of Promethium Coins for settlement?"

"Why? Isn't this a good thing? It should be convenient for you. Sell your goods, exchange them for money, and then use the money to buy goods you think are valuable. This process is actually safer and more beneficial than bartering, right? For example, if the goods you want to buy suddenly drop in price at the point of sale, you can wait and buy them when they rise or exchange them for other goods."

Benito nodded and humbly replied:

"Lord, you are right, but there is one problem."

Talos immediately guessed what it was, so he preemptively said:

"Worried about credit? Don't worry, Promethium Coins are used in many star systems. The Orpheus Expedition Bank is backing them. Feel free to use them, and even converting them into Promethium is absolutely no problem."

Pat really wanted to jump out and mock Benito's stupidity. The Clark family had noticed Promethium Coins a long time ago. This currency was quite popular in the lower segment of the Storm Wastes and the Dark Fringe, and was even used by some governors who had completely ruined their own monetary systems as a lifeline. Questioning its credit at this time was questioning the issuer's ability—according to what the Clark family had learned, the origin of Promethium Coins was in the Storm Wastes, the homeworld of the Star Knights, and it continued to expand with the inter-stellar trade group Blue Ants. It was said that branches had been established in multiple star systems—this was also the first time a currency of inter-star sector level had appeared in the Storm Wastes, even attracting the attention of the Inquisition, and the Nathen Central Bank was very generous, allowing the Inquisition to monitor the bank and even welcoming them to station attendants and clerks in the branches.

This "aboveboard" behavior further enhanced the credit of Promethium Coins. Many governors who were poorly managed or wasteful applied for loans from the Nathen Central Bank, and some star systems' internal affairs departments also tried to use Promethium Coins to settle tithes—of course, not really using Promethium Coins to pay taxes, but to measure the specific tax amount of each planet, quantify it, and then convert it into physical goods.

Promethium Coins were definitely a good thing. Only conservative and short-sighted guys would doubt it, of course, provided that it wouldn't be over-issued, but that was just a stupid thing that stupid governors would do to plunder wealth. After deeply analyzing the entire structure and development process of Promethium Coins, the Clark family came to a series of conclusions, including that its issuer must have extremely large industrial resources and the joint participation of multiple forge worlds, otherwise it would not be possible to achieve such an exaggerated exchange rate. In addition, without forge worlds, it would be impossible to obtain a cogitator with powerful computing power by normal means. This kind of cutting-edge cogitator was very rare even in the military field, and could only appear in the laboratories of forge worlds.

Simply put, the foundation of Promethium Coins seemed to be Promethium, but the essence was actually strong industry, advanced technology, and, most importantly, powerful force. Only the combination of these three could create this inter-star sector currency that could even form "hegemony."

Of course, distance still restricted the continued development of Promethium Coins. According to the Clark family's estimates, its bank sites could probably only maintain the range of a four-corner area from Nathen to Apex to the Ecclesiarchy, and finally to Orpheus. Anything larger would exceed the management limit, and large-scale internal corruption or management loss of control would easily occur, but even so, this was the most valuable common currency in the Storm Wastes, and it was likely to circulate throughout the entire star sector, further increasing its value.

"Lord."

Helicata raised her hand, and after receiving a signal from Talos, she immediately said in a slightly excited tone:

"The Waters family will eagerly support the great Orpheus Expedition, and only hopes to make a glorious pilgrimage, and also hopes that the Lord of the Holy Flame will approve."

When she said this, everyone else was confused, including Pat.

What's going on with the pilgrimage? When did the Waters family become a fanatical family? They don't seem to be too close to the Ecclesiarchy, do they?

What is she talking about, the Lord of the Holy Flame?

Talos immediately reacted. This merchant family should have embraced the faith of the Holy Flame Order a long time ago. He just didn't know whether it was active or passive proselytizing, but judging from the situation, it should be the latter, otherwise Soloyan would have told him in advance. This family may have been in a state of secret belief until the Star Knights came and took the initiative to reveal their identity.

So he nodded.

"I will convey it, and someone will talk to you about this later."

"Thank you very much, Lord!"

Talos withdrew his gaze and scanned everyone.

"Does everyone have any other questions?"

At this time, it was finally Pat's turn to speak.

"Lord, I have a small question."

"Speak."

"Can we apply to be an agent for issuing Promethium Coins outside of Orpheus?"

As soon as he asked this question, everyone around him's eyes lit up. Talos pondered for a moment and replied:

"This matter is not within the scope of discussion, at least not at the moment. Although I have the full authority to handle it, I cannot directly answer you. I can only convey it. As for the specifics, you need to wait for the result. I only handle the matters at hand."

After speaking, Talos picked up his helmet.

"Then, everyone, if you feel that you cannot accept this cooperation plan, you may leave first."

The hall was quiet. Everyone looked at each other, but no one took any action.

After waiting for ten seconds, Talos nodded.

"Okay, then it's considered that everyone has approved. Next, a few of you will leave through the designated channel, and special personnel will conduct detailed negotiations later. That's it, goodbye."

After speaking, Talos put on his helmet again, turned around and left the way he came. Pat couldn't help but sigh, this was indeed the style of the Astartes, swift and decisive.