Chapter 63: Portrait Memory

Howard examined the data slate to confirm the evidence of crimes in other areas where he was not personally leading the team, then took off his Precision Power Armor, changed into a black formal suit, and headed to the banquet hall.

He intended to use the opportunity of the banquet to appease the various factions within the Hive City.

A moment later in the banquet hall, an elderly nobleman with a full head of silver hair, dressed in a black robe following the new Vostonian fashion, walked to Howard's side.

After exchanging pleasantries for a moment and clinking glasses with the blonde nobleman, he stated his purpose.

"Lord Count, please forgive my bluntness, but Songqisangdeqijia has just experienced an uprising, and the entire Hive City has only just barely recovered; it truly cannot withstand any more turmoil."

Howard had anticipated this, and he also noticed that everyone else had turned their attention toward him.

The blonde nobleman wore a smile and said loudly.

"Everyone, you must all be feeling uneasy about the great commotion that occurred last night."

"I can tell you that the enemies who were struck down last night were the very heretics who launched the riot earlier."

As he spoke, he operated the data slate, connected it to a Cogitator, and projected the Adeptus Mechanicus's test results onto the floor-to-ceiling video screen.

"Look, the ingredients mixed into the Corpse Starch will significantly increase the mutation rate in normal children."

"Beyond that, there is also..."

Howard operated the data slate to display the crimes of the heretical cultists one by one, immediately winning the trust of those present.

The silver-haired old man said in a tone of guilt: "My Lord, please forgive my previous offense; I misunderstood you."

Other nobles and guild merchants followed suit in agreement.

"Indeed, without Lord Howard, who knows when we would have discovered the schemes of those heretical villains."

"We thank the Monarch Ninglu for sending Lord Howard to Songqisangdeqijia; this is truly our good fortune."

"..."

Howard's azure eyes swept over the fawning crowd, and suddenly his pupils constricted.

A blonde young man in the crowd caught his attention; he had never seen this person before, yet he felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity.

The blonde nobleman did not let his gaze linger and continued to look at others.

One second later, the "Magistrate" had already confirmed that the blonde young man with bright eyes was none other than the brown-haired Bartoshi with sunken eyes.

"Portrait Memory" allowed him to firmly remember a target's appearance as long as he had seen the real person, a photograph, or a sketch, and to gain a sense of them on a transcendent level.

Although the two appeared to share only a faint, mocking smile at the corners of their mouths, the "Magistrate" was already certain that he was Bartoshi.

After a moment of thought, the "Magistrate" completed his deduction based on the intelligence he possessed.

【Bartoshi was the identity he used when meeting with Pulasouw; he possessed some method of slightly altering his appearance.

He also possessed a calm mindset and sufficient confidence to attend the banquet even while being hunted.

Hmm, perhaps he was worried that being absent would instead arouse suspicion.】

Howard was silent for two seconds, immediately thought of a way to capture the target, and walked into the crowd with a smile, clinking glasses with everyone one by one.

Walking up to the target, Howard suddenly smashed his glass into the target's face, and while the man was stunned, he thrust out his arms and locked his neck tightly.

Bartoshi froze for a second, then immediately feigned an innocent and suffocating appearance.

"My Lord... I am of the... Puluobierri family..."

Howard ignored him and said to the guests who were showing expressions of terror.

"This person is the wanted Bartoshi, and also the evil mastermind of the heretics in Songqisangdeqijia."

With the foundation of trust established earlier, and possessing convincing Charm and sufficient authority, he immediately made everyone believe his words.

The silver-haired nobleman sighed: "Fortunately, we have you, my Lord, otherwise we would still be drinking and chatting in the same room with this villain."

Bartoshi's face turned ashen; he had not expected Howard to reveal the name he used for his followers, clearly having already determined his identity.

He struggled violently, trying to break free from the restraint.

But Howard's movements were faster; he pulled with both arms, causing Bartoshi to lose his balance, and the blonde nobleman swung his arm and elbow, smashing it into the back of the heretic's head.

With a bang, Bartoshi fell to the ground and passed out.

At the new Hive City construction site, the curvaceous Malena sighed to Ninglu, who was to her front-left.

"The area you have designated covers ten times the land area of Mikhailovsk, which is currently the largest in Vostonia; you are intending to build a Hive City without precedent!"

"As Vostonia enters a brand-new era, it naturally must have a symbolically significant Hive City."

Ninglu withdrew his gaze from the roaring excavators in the distance and asked Malena, who was beside him.

"What have you gained from stepping out of the Cradle of the Sea?"

"The world outside is larger than I imagined, and also crueler, especially for us Sicilians."

Malena's tone was complex, containing both the awe of witnessing a new world and, even more, worry for the future.

"Then what is your opinion of the Mother of the Sea?"

Ninglu turned around, his eyes fixed on Malena; the female psyker had great potential, a firm will, and her loyalty had been tested—the only thing that gave him pause was her faith.

Malena felt the pressure emanating from the giant; she felt like a small boat facing a Storm in the Coral Sea.

She bit her lip, not speaking hastily due to the pressure; after more than ten seconds, she said with a wry smile.

"I have read every book I could find, along with the three Data Crystals you gave me one after another, and now I have a brand-new understanding of deities."

Malena looked toward the direction of the Cradle of the Sea, and she said in a desolate tone.

"The Mother of the Sea cannot yet be called a deity; she was born from our faith, guides us, but also relies on us."

As a powerful psyker, it was easy for her to recall the feeling of her several contacts with the Mother of the Sea and compare it to the deities in the knowledge she had acquired, especially the relevant discourses on deities by the Fulao people, making it easy to discover the differences.

In the space that the Fulao people call the Ether tide and the Vostonians call the Warp, the Mother of the Sea is like a stream, not a vast ocean.

"Very good, that is the gain from your time out there."

Ninglu nodded with satisfaction; Malena had recognized the facts—the Mother of the Sea was not a true deity, but a creature that had awakened divinity.

"Do you still believe in the Mother of the Sea now?"

Malena fell into silence again, and it was only after dozens of seconds that she spoke to acknowledge the reality.

"I no longer believe in the Mother of the Sea."

She had already realized the powerless gap between the Cradle of the Sea and other worlds, and thinking of the cruel future she had foreseen, she knew the Mother of the Sea could not protect them.

Whether it was facing the invading Fulao or the tentacle-beasts, it was Ninglu who solved it in the end, and she grew increasingly worried about the future of the Sicilians.

Upon hearing this, Ninglu made his final decision.

"In one hour, come to my palace."

Building the New Nest Capital was a long-term project; Ninglu ordered a temporary palace to be erected, to be dismantled for materials once they progressed to the Upper Hive.

One standard hour later, Malena looked at the potion in Ninglu's hand and asked hesitantly.

"What is this?"

"Drink it, and you will gain power, capable of creating a better future for the Sicilians."

Malena did not hesitate again; she knew she had no choice, and she believed Ninglu had no reason to harm her.

It took only three minutes for the "Cultivator," who had already mastered Meditation, to consolidate her own power.

Malena looked at Ninglu in surprise; he could actually grant her power through a potion, and it seemed not to be temporary, but a permanently solidified ability.

"I need you to return to the Cradle of the Sea, serve well as a 'Cultivator,' and develop farmland and other crops across the islands."

Thanks to "Fallen Ascendant" for the tips, monthly tickets, and recommendation votes.

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(End of this chapter)