The Bizarre Adventures of the Oil Man, but Starting with Warhammer 32K

The Governor nodded, and the expression on his face changed into one of uncontrollable joy.

"Of course. The Astartes Chapter has its own military autonomy. I will have my steward compile the intelligence I currently have and provide as much assistance as possible to you all... Would you be interested in dining with me?"

"No."

Kurland stood up. The Imperial Fists were always decisive and swift. "Where is the information?"

“It will take some time to sort it out.”

"Then please assign us a base near the Underhive and send someone to deliver the information to us later. Once we understand the situation at the Underhive, we will take action."

"Praise you! Blades of the Lord of Mankind!"

The Governor's voice was high and sung, like an aria. He motioned for the butler, who was waiting at the door, to come in. "I have already prepared a place to stay. I am frail and cannot see you off in person. However, my butler will lead the way. Please rest assured, my lords."

Aiash saluted respectfully and led Leon and his companions out of the Governor's Mansion. He also thoughtfully changed their vehicle into an ordinary truck to avoid being noticed. They traveled through the hive city for about two hours before reaching a station in the middle nest.

"This was once the base of the Astra Militarum Legion stationed at Covenant Harbor. However, a transfer order from the Astra Militarum Supreme Commander Hayes relocated all of the troops here, and there has been no news since."

Ayesh explained, "But the infrastructure here is complete, so please feel free to use it. I will have the Planetary Defense Force deliver the remaining supplies from Covenant Port later, so please don't mind, my angels."

The steward, having completed the arrangements, took his leave, while Leon sent the coordinates of their base to the fleet. A short while later, three Thunderhawk gunboats arrived, transporting personnel and equipment in several successive trips.

The monks of the Chapter began to spontaneously reorganize the camp and build simple defensive forts. The key figures in the coalition gathered in the meeting room originally used by the Astra Militarum to discuss the situation.

"Ever since we 'caught' that Mechanicus Inquisitor who was trying to tamper with our plans, the Planetary Governor has been trying to use us... But cooperating with him is our best option right now. After all, the administrative power of this planet is still in his hands."

Kurland was the first to summarize the situation, and the others agreed with him.

The Astartes held a privileged position, but it was relatively difficult for them to interfere with the administration of the Imperium itself. Planetary Governors were required to meet the needs of legitimate Astartes Chapters to the greatest extent possible, but this was due to the restriction that Astartes could not kill a planetary Governor without cause.

If such an event were to occur, the Chapter itself would be subjected to the harshest scrutiny of the Inquisition.

Of course, given the vastness of the Empire, this restriction actually allowed for considerable wiggle room. However, they were now directly under Terra's nose, with Inquisitors even present on this planet. Therefore, as long as the Planetary Governor could provide assistance for their subsequent operations, his personal ambitions were not unacceptable.

"The problem is the planetary governor."

Li Ang pondered: "He seems to know us a little too well."

It's not surprising that the Governor near Terra knows something about the Astartes Chapters; the key lies in his attitude.

The Imperial Fists, the Paragon Fists, the Blamers, and the Black Templars. The very gathering of these chapters was a dangerous signal. The commander of the two warring garrisons understood this, and Leon felt that this planetary governor could not fail to understand it.

Of course, he and the butler's behavior did not exceed the scope of their status. But they did it too perfectly within the scope of their own ability, which made them look suspicious.

But it's just suspicion, no one here can provide any concrete evidence.

On the premise that they could not accuse a planetary governor without reason, they could only accept this suspicion within the scope that they had to accept.

Leon looked at Isaga, and the think tank shook his head, indicating that he did not notice anything unusual in the Governor's Mansion.

"It seems we can only accept the current situation for now. The next action must begin with clearing out the Underhive. If there is truly something wrong with this Governor, we should be able to find some clues from the situation in the Underhive."

Li Ang made the final decision, and just then, the supplies promised by the Governor arrived. As the technical leader of the coalition forces, Li Ang took the lead in inspecting these supplies.

Bombs, bolt guns, some grenades, and some power armor parts, and the quantity was small. Leon was no longer the poor priest on the Blue Star who wanted to split a piece of ceramic steel in two, so he naturally looked down on these things.

However, he also saw triglyceride gel and amino oatmeal porridge among the supplies. These two items were the standard diet for the Astartes, as mandated by the Empire. However, since Chapters often developed their own unique dietary culture based on their circumstances, and weapons and ammunition were always prioritized over these foods during long-distance transport, these standard foods designated by the Empire were often the last thing on the shelf.

Now that these foods appear here, in a sense, it proves that the governor's warehouse has been emptied by these meager supplies.

But did they really empty the warehouse, or did they add these two things specifically to make people think they had emptied the warehouse?

Li Ang found it amusing. But even a mosquito, no matter how small, is still meat. He ordered the governor's servants to carry all the supplies into the camp.

These servants seemed to be weak due to lack of adequate food for a long time. One of them even lost his balance while carrying the items. He lost his footing and fell on top of them.

Li Ang was slightly stunned when he helped the servant up. He continued to help him up calmly, but then found a reason to leave for the time being.

He hid himself in the shadows and opened the extra note that had appeared on his body when the servant fell.

"See you tomorrow night at nine o'clock, Middle Nest, at the Sleepless Eye Bar."

At the end of the note was the emblem of the Inquisition, the ink still wet.

Chapter 126 Discussion of Profits.

Leon stepped into the Sleepless Eye Bar.

He had worried about how to hide his figure, but when he got to the bar, he realized that he was worrying too much.

There were many people here who used big hoods to cover their bodies like him, so he was not noticeable at all among them.

The final station of the high wall was near the platform where the bottom nest entered the middle nest. It was indeed the station closest to the bottom nest. If Leon guessed correctly, the Astra Militarum stationed there should also be responsible for controlling and inspecting the route from the bottom nest to the upper hive.

But with Hayes's transfer order taking away the Star Army, the Planetary Defense Force that took over simply didn't have enough manpower to maintain surveillance of the Lower Nest's personnel. This led to many demons and monsters from the Lower Nest infiltrating the Middle Nest. Those who would wear masks to conceal their identities were generally members of the Lower Nest.

However, the people in this bar seemed to have become accustomed to this kind of thing. No one objected to these strange people using shields, and everyone was doing their own things as usual.

Li Ang sat at the bar. The bartender looked at him and asked, "Do you want a fire dog or firecrackers?"

"You don't sell alcohol?"

Leon was curious.

"Of course we sell it, but there are some deals only we can handle. Since you're from the Lower Nest, let me tell you, our boss has very familiar routes with the steel pipe factory in the Middle Nest. What others dump is just thirty-four years old junk, but we can get you oil cloth fresh off the production line. The greenskins are coming soon, and even the biggest gangs need more supplies to keep them company, right?"

"How about it?"

The waiter placed a glass of cheap liquor in front of Li Ang and said, "What do you think? Our boss doesn't care which gang you're from. As long as we have the goods, we'll make them. Although the price is a bit high, the goods are absolutely reliable."

Leon didn't reach out to take the wine. He already had a preliminary estimate of the current level of chaos in the nest city.

Those who could have escaped had already done so, and those with some influence were now using various means to cash in, hoping to secure a ticket out of Covenant Harbor. As for those who couldn't escape, they began to stockpile weapons for future self-defense...

Port Covenant has indeed deteriorated to the point of collapse.

The waiter waited patiently for Li Ang's response, but a hand came from behind and placed it on Li Ang's shoulder, pulling him away from the bartender. The man interrupted the conversation between Li Ang and the bartender with a rough male voice: "I've already negotiated the goods with him, don't make trouble."

"Tsk, it turns out he's a boss."

The bartender curled his lips and pushed the liquor in front of Li Ang, indicating that Li Ang had to pay for the drink.

Leon thought for a moment, then pulled out a Throne Coin from his pocket. The bartender's eyes widened. The man behind him slapped Leon on the back of the head and tossed an energy bar to the bartender.

The man leaned over to Li Ang's ear and whispered, "If you want to be surrounded, don't take me with you!"

I was just testing it out, but I didn't expect that things around Terra had degenerated to the point of bartering."

"The currency has no credibility at all now."

"But the middle nest here, I thought it would be better."

Leon and the man entered the bar's private room together. "Besides, I don't think an inquisitor would be afraid of being besieged."

"This is a covert operation. I must avoid being seen."

The person took off her disguise, her voice became mellow from rough, and her face returned to the appearance that Li Ang had seen earlier in the Governor's Mansion.

Inquisitor Fratilena.

"Whose eyes and ears are you hiding from? Your colleague?"

"Pavonis? Of course he's among them."

"Anyone else?"

"Rather, the vast majority."

"It seems I'm not among the majority. After all, I'm fortunate enough to have a personal audience with an Inquisitor."

"My followers are all on missions in the Underhive. Besides, I must meet with you in person to prove the sincerity of the Inquisition."

Frady Lena sat down gracefully and looked at Leon, who looked indifferent. "You don't think the Inquisition doesn't know what you did on Maxim, do you?"

"So what if you know? If you were really that bothered by this, I don't think we would be sitting here chatting."

Even without her permission, Li Ang casually sat down across from her. "Besides, Mars hasn't even expressed its stance yet, so why are you rushing over here and using this as a threat?"

Reina was silent for a moment.

He found that this sage spoke very harshly.

But it was also true. The Inquisition received information about Leon from their undercover agents on Mars. The complexities within the Adeptus Mechanicus meant they learned of this information much later than Mars, yet Mars remained strangely silent on the matter.

Furthermore, when the Inquisition sent her to Covenant Port, the Martians insisted on interfering...

Everyone suspected Mars had a big plan, but no one knew what it was.

Reina gathered her thoughts. The other party's strong rebelliousness made her unwilling to resort to conventional threats to resolve the issue. She tried to persuade him gently, "Just because Mars doesn't care about this matter now doesn't mean they won't care about it in the future. You are also a sage of the Mechanicus, and you should be aware of their vindictive nature."

"so?"

Leon had already guessed what Lena was about to say.

"I need your assistance in my mission, Sage Leon. As long as you complete it well enough, the Inquisition will guarantee your future safety."

"What right does a judge have to say that?"

"I'm just a mouthpiece. The will comes from my superiors behind me."

Li Ang became interested: "Who is your superior?"

"The Inquisition representative on the High Lords' Council, Veritus."

This was Leon's second encounter with the High Lords, but unlike Hayes, the Inquisition representatives, who held permanent seats, were the true power holders among the High Lords. Their claim to guarantee their safety wasn't an excuse.

But what's the cost?

Become a greaser controlled by the Inquisition?

These were all things that would come later. Before that, what kind of mission did the Inquisition need his assistance with?

"I don't need the Inquisition's protection, but..."

Leon leaned forward and stared at the Inquisitor opposite him: "If the Inquisition is willing to exchange its protection for my support, I will consider this proposal."

Reina frowned. She could sense the difference in initiative brought about by this shift in meaning. More importantly, this request was exactly the bottom line that Veritus had set for him.

Could it be that his mentor had anticipated this?

It seemed that she should bargain with Leon again, but considering the upcoming mission, Leon's strength was necessary for her.

She simply compromised: "Let's talk about the next mission."

"?"

Li Ang suddenly felt a little regretful.

He had been reluctant to agree to this exorbitant condition, but he hadn't expected the other party to agree so readily. However, since things had come to this point, he had no intention of turning his back on the offer. He gestured, signaling the other party to continue.

"My mission to Covenant Port is to capture an Inquisitor."

Reina explained, "He has set up a... rather blasphemous ritual in his base nest in Covenant Harbor. We must apprehend him, or at the very least, disrupt the ritual."

Li Ang frowned.

Things related to rituals are always closely related to supernatural things, especially when an Inquisitor is actually captured by other Inquisitors for this. The probability that this ritual involves the existence of the subspace is only 100%.

I just don't know how far the ceremony has progressed...

He suddenly understood why the other party was so easy to talk to.

"The Planetary Governor said you were here to inform us that reinforcements were about to arrive. Could it be that this news of reinforcements' imminent arrival was just a cover for your mission?"

"Of course not. Half of the Sun Fleet is on its way to Covenant Harbor under the leadership of Admiral Lanson. The High Lords do plan to have a major decisive battle at Covenant Harbor. But before that, we must first pave the way for this battle."

This statement may seem like standard official rhetoric, but Li Ang keenly grasped the key point.

"You mean to say that if this ritual is not disrupted, what will happen next will endanger the entire battle situation?"

Reina didn't say anything, but her expression clearly showed her assent. Leon smacked his lips, feeling rather unhappy.

The court has to ask someone to clean up its own problems?

The earlier proposal for protection had seemed so arrogant and like alms. Leon was still wondering what the Inquisition's confidence was, but in the end, it was an empty promise that required him to risk his life. It was hard to say whether these Inquisitors truly considered those outside of themselves human beings.

However, considering that this group of judges should have a lot of information, Leon still patiently continued to communicate with her.

"You only know that the enemy is in the bottom nest? No further information?"

"My followers are collecting."

"I need something more practical."

Lena hesitated for a moment, but she finally took out a data disk. After checking that there was no virus in the data disk, Leon directly inserted it into his body.