"Ugh, a whole ship full of loot... this hurts my soul."
After hesitating for a long while, Solomon ultimately decided to abandon the raider that had been torn open by their ram and continue their voyage.
Trying to salvage the spoils would mean taking the risk of moving back and forth between two ships.
And this was the Warp. Emperor knew whether something extra might board with them during that process.
So Solomon pounded his chest in anguish while covering his face, then reluctantly gave the order to keep moving forward.
Gaia stood at the bow, silently watching the raider adrift in that sea of shifting colors.
Under the influence of Warp power, any matter steeped in it for too long would gradually lose its original form and properties, merge with the boundless Sea of Souls, and ultimately become just another invisible wave in the higher heavens.
That raider, clearly, was about to meet exactly that fate, becoming one more striking piece of scenery in this graveyard of derelicts.
Her lashes trembled slightly, the grotesque spectacle of shifting colors reflected in her eyes, as a strange thought rose from deep within her mind.
It felt as though some faint but malicious presence was circling them.
She drew a slow breath and cast her gaze into the deeper reaches of the higher heavens.
At the edge of the graveyard of dead ships, countless warped vortices drifted and rose, like eerie eyes fixed on the Spear of Destiny with mocking amusement.
Gaia could feel a summons.
Her soul seemed to yearn to leave the ship, to find the place where it truly belonged.
At the same time, the whispers of those unseen things at her ears continued to grow louder the deeper they traveled into the Warp, until by now they had almost become an argument.
Some urged Gaia to remain on this ship forever.
Others encouraged her to leave its protection behind and embrace the tides of souls outside.
Yet this maddening clamor did not provoke even the slightest impatience in her.
Because she understood very clearly that these voices were not guidance, but traps.
If she showed any sign of paying attention to them here, certain far more terrifying beings would seize that opening and latch onto her thoughts and emotions.
And something in her subconscious told her that, hidden beneath the seeming calm of this higher heaven, many such things were waiting.
She had encountered one of them once before on Otanta.
Gaia did not know exactly how They were tied to the Warp, but she could vaguely sense that They had a tremendous connection to the fog in her memories.
So even with inhuman noise ringing at her ears, with unsettling agitation stirring in her heart, and with an invisible summons calling from afar, her gaze remained firm and calm.
Just as Gaia was staring into the distance and Solomon was mourning the lost spoils, a report arrived from the lower deck.
"We captured a pirate alive. He claims he has important intelligence, and says that unless he sees the captain, he won't speak even if he dies."
The listless Solomon immediately raised his head and asked in confusion,
"Shouldn't you have beaten him first and then asked whether he wanted to talk?"
The sailor delivering the report spread his hands helplessly.
"The new acting administrator you appointed for the lower deck is a bit... unique. He didn't have us torture the man first. He locked him up and sent us to ask for your opinion."
Yes, that did sound exactly like something Horne would do.
Solomon rubbed his temples with some resignation.
"Fine, then. Let's see just what he thinks is so important."
After giving a few simple instructions for the bridge, he waved over Gaia, who also looked somewhat resigned, and the two of them followed the sailor onto the elevator down to the lower deck.
...
Ragged workers and slightly better-dressed sailors stood with their hands lowered at their sides along both edges of the road. Countless gazes filled with complicated emotions fell on the boy.
Envy. Confusion. Jealousy. Hatred.
At first, those looks made the boy shrink in on himself.
But he adapted to them very quickly.
He strode forward with his head held high along that clean road, and that ill-fitting outfit now seemed to become splendid robes covered in decorations and medals.
"Hahaha..."
Laughter came from behind him.
The boy turned around curiously, only to see that finely dressed man bent over laughing in an exaggerated pose.
"You're interesting, little one."
"By the way, what did you say your name was again?"
...
"Solomon?"
"Are you alright?"
Gaia's mildly puzzled voice pulled the captain back to the present.
He looked around and realized that without noticing, he had already stepped onto the lower deck as the ship's captain.
The workers who lived here all year round surrounded Solomon, and countless gazes filled with different emotions settled onto him.
Solomon drew a slow breath. The air here, thick with strange foul odors, did an excellent job of clearing his mind.
He put on a standard smile, turned to Gaia, who was watching him with raised brows, and said lightly,
"Oh, I was just thinking about something."
Gaia gave him a meaningful look, then nodded.
"Well, next time you start thinking, I hope you don't get so lost in it that you almost forget how to walk."
As the two spoke, Horne arrived in front of them with fresh bandages wrapped around him.
"What a hassle our honored commissar is willing to endure. Wounded as you are, and still working yourself half to death over this wreck of a ship."
Solomon said it with a teasing tone, but Horne replied with complete seriousness,
"Even if I have not yet returned to my unit, I must still serve the Emperor to the fullest extent possible."
Hearing that, Gaia could not help admiring him a little.
Although this boarding action had focused mainly on the upper deck, the fact that Horne had organized the lower deck so quickly and led them to subdue the scattered pirate stragglers there was still beyond what she had expected.
This Commissar Horne, while lacking flexibility in some matters, truly was a trustworthy pragmatist.
"We captured one prisoner. He claims he possesses valuable intelligence, and insists he will only reveal it if he sees you."
At the mention of Goldtooth, Horne immediately put a hand to his forehead in frustration.
That man was not only shameless, but absurdly loud. Horne had tried questioning him several times, and had nearly had his eardrums ruptured from all the shouting.
Solomon stroked his mustache and said helplessly,
"To be honest, with people like that, you can usually just go straight to interrogation. They can't take much."
Horne nodded thoughtfully.
He had no intention of showing mercy to pirate scum. Earlier, he had only held back because he had been trying to respect Solomon's authority.
"Alright, then. Take me to see him."
"I'm rather curious what sort of precious intelligence he thinks he can offer."
(End of Chapter)
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