Chapter 29

Just as Alvin was racking his brains, thinking about how to fool them.

The Tech-Priest named Aluman suddenly frowned, his modified electronic eye flashing with a scarlet light as he stared at Alvin: "Wait, you said, what was your name again?"

Alvin was a bit confused, but was happy to change the subject: "My name is Alvin, honorable Priest Vella."

"No, I'm asking what your surname is!"

Aluman had a somewhat irritable temper and said impatiently: "Don't make me ask a second time, kid, what is your full name?"

"Uh... Alvin Valerius." Alvin's mouth twitched, and he secretly complained: Would it kill you to be clearer?

Aluman obviously couldn't guess the other's thoughts. After hearing it, he frowned deeply, revealing a thoughtful expression: "Valerius... who is your father?"

"I don't know."

Alvin shook his head, revealing a blank look: "I haven't seen my father since I was born."

"Then what about your mother? What was her profession? What was her name?" Aluman's questioning made Alvin feel like he was being interrogated, and he felt slightly uncomfortable.

Alvin looked at Tuck, seemingly seeking his opinion.

"Although Priest Aluman isn't exactly a good person, he definitely has no malicious intent."

Tuck nodded slightly, looked at Aluman beside him, and explained to Alvin: "We once served in the same legion. He is absolutely trustworthy; it's just that his temper is a bit strange and irritable."

"Alright, although I don't understand why you want to ask about my mother..."

Alvin paused, reorganized his thoughts, and said: "But since Mr. Tuck thinks you are trustworthy, then I trust you too."

"My mother's name was Celica Portupanga, and she was a worker in the middle hive."

"I don't know my father, but according to my mother, they met by chance. After a night of pleasure, my mother became pregnant. Later, because of debt, she was driven to the lower hive. Soon after, when I was six, my mother died of hunger and disease."

"As for my father, sorry... I have never seen him. He probably died in the lower hive, or perhaps the middle hive."

Alvin described it briefly, then looked at the pensive Aluman and shrugged: "That's all, Priest Vella. Do you have any other questions?"

"No, that's all. Thank you for your cooperation."

Aluman gave him a deep look, turned to Tuck and said: "I have an idea, perhaps I can contact an Inquisitor, but it will take some time."

"How long?"

Tuck asked with a frown: "Those cultist scumbags have already started the sacrificial ritual. We don't have much time left now."

"It's useless for you to rush me, Tuck." Aluman stood up calmly and dusted off his rust-red robes: "Unless you can close that damn Warp rift, keep your mouth shut!"

"One last thing."

Tuck hurriedly grabbed Aluman, who was about to leave, and said with a cheeky smile: "This kid is being hunted by a cultist psyker. You take him in for a while."

He thought he would have to offer some benefits, as Aluman was usually like that, but this time the situation exceeded Tuck's expectations.

Aluman nodded and agreed readily: "Fine, no problem."

"So quick?"

Tuck was suspicious and looked at Aluman with curiosity, as if he were looking at a stranger: "That shouldn't be right. Didn't you always blackmail me to death before?"

"What, not used to it?" Aluman sneered and held out his hand: "Alright then, as per the usual practice, 500 crowns a month. Pay up."

"Hiss, why is my hearing acting up again?"

Tuck immediately played dumb, patted his ears, turned around and walked outside, muttering to himself as he walked: "Eh, I'm old. I don't even know who I was trying to save back then that made me lose my hearing."

Visible veins popped out on Aluman's forehead: "Get out! Get out of here!"

Tuck chuckled, walked a few steps to Alvin's side, lowered his voice, and said seriously: "Kid, behave yourself these few days and don't cause any trouble."

"Don't worry, Mr. Tuck, I understand." Alvin nodded, but then asked curiously: "Mr. Tuck, are you going back?"

"Nonsense, I'm going back to monitor the cult's movements." Tuck cursed in a low voice and warned: "Aluman has a strange temper, try not to provoke him, you know?"

From the words of this Astra Militarum veteran, Alvin felt a touch of care and was somewhat moved: "Thank you, Mr. Tuck. Please be sure to be careful."

Tuck waved his hand, said nothing more, and strode out of the sanctuary.

Tech-Priest Aluman... didn't pay him any mind at all and went straight back to the room by the side door, not knowing what he was going to do.

Alvin, having nothing to do, finally had some free time.

"Nachmund..."

Good... pfft, where is the good news? It's all bad news!

Alvin sat on the ground in a decadent manner, his mind full of the Nachmund Gauntlet and the upcoming... Battle of Vigilus!

Thanks to Tuck, he finally had some understanding and knowledge of the current timeline.

M41.999, the great Warmaster Abaddon, drove a Blackstone Fortress to smash the planet Cadia, triggering a violent explosion that tore through realspace, allowing Warp power to surge into the galaxy, forming a "curse" similar to a scar in the northern Segmentum Obscurus of the Imperium!

Unrestrained Warp torrents surged through the galaxy, wantonly releasing the malice from the Chaos Gods!

Nearly one-third of the Imperium's territory was completely cut off in the Nihilus.

The Nachmund Gauntlet is the only passage that can relatively safely lead to the Nihilus cut off by the Cursed Scar!

If there are no accidents, then soon... the Nachmund Gauntlet will become an important pass contested by the Imperium and Chaos, with both sides sparing no cost to commit troops, fighting until their brains are splattered!

In all fairness, Alvin has a little faith, but definitely not much.

Sacrificing himself for the Imperium is absolutely impossible.

Stop the Nachmund Gauntlet war? Stop joking, that's purely a joke!

As things stand, the only way out for Alvin is to find a ship as soon as possible, immediately, right now, and roll to another sector, as far away from the Nachmund Gauntlet as possible!

He lowered his head and looked at his wrist; the Navigator system was still exploring a new world.

"It looks like there's a high probability I'll have to stay in the middle hive for a while."

Aluman returned to his private workshop, which was filled with many mechanical creations.

Sitting in a chair, after thinking for a moment, he summoned a servo-skull and input a piece of information.

Soon, the search results appeared on the screen. Aluman looked at the not-so-long message, his eyes changing from initial calmness to slight emotion.

"Alvin Valerius, if it matches my guess..."

Aluman's eyes flickered, and he muttered to himself meaningfully: "It seems necessary to use that thing."

The Tech-Priest walked straight to a wall in the workshop. After an iris scan, the wall suddenly flipped, revealing a path to a secret room.

Aluman hurried into the secret room, which was his important "family fortune" accumulated over so many years.

The reason it couldn't be shown to others was simple, because inside... there were "xenos artifacts" in the general sense of the Imperium!

Aluman came to a skull that had been severed and modified, placed his palm on it, and power belonging to a psyker slowly dissipated. His consciousness instantly sank into the Warp, weaving the words in his mind into a message. Under the influence of psychic power, it was like a carrier pigeon, crossing many obstacles.

This "email" would cross star systems.

If things went smoothly, he could receive a reply in about a few days.

But after thinking for a moment, Aluman used another device to dial a contact on another planet within the same star system.

"I am Aluman Vella, Tech-Priest of the Adeptus Mechanicus."

His voice was low, hoarse, and rhythmic as he said slowly: "I know you are currently in the assessment stage, and you must be in great need of a merit to prove yourself to your teacher, right... Inquisitor Winnie Winstone!"