Chapter 139: I Bet It Won't Fire

Compared to his meeting with Kaul, Qin Mo's meeting with Inquisitor Horst was far more formal—like a convening of a council. 

Qin Mo, the Lord of Talon, Fleet Marshal Adam, and Gray, representing the army and the guards, all gathered for the meeting. While this council would not determine the fate of the entire Talon system, it would decide whether the 17.2 billion people of three worlds would soon be at war with their own kind.

In the conference room of New Kato's command tower, Horst and Qin Mo's factions sat facing each other.

"I am aware that the Talon system endured a brutal civil war a year ago, loyalists against heretics. I know most people here don't want another war," Horst began, his voice calm, eyes cast downward as he read the files before him. 

"But what you've done has gone too far." 

"Yes, you might oppose the Inquisition's investigation," he continued, "but you cannot block inquisitors at the edge of the system and then aim an entire fleet at their ships." As he spoke, he glanced at Adam. 

Adam had been unyielding during the standoff, issuing a well-known order: "If their ship crosses the line, we'll destroy it before it reaches the fortress." 

"Everything you've done so far has only fanned the flames," Horst added before snapping his fingers. 

At this signal, his attendant stepped forward, producing a box from his belt and opening it with reverence. Inside, Qin Mo saw a beautifully engraved revolver and six intricately carved bullets. The firearm, though ancient in design, had a slightly futuristic appearance, likely a collector's piece. 

"This used to belong to a tyrant. I killed him and kept it as a memento," Horst explained, drawing the revolver from the box and loading the bullets one by one.

As he loaded the gun, he spoke, "What you've been doing is like loading this revolver."

"Intercepting the Inquisition's ships, harboring the Lamenters who should be on their penitent crusade—every reckless act is another bullet in the chamber." 

After loading five bullets, Horst paused, snapping the cylinder shut with a flick of his wrist, the revolver now poised for action.

"If I pull the trigger now, a bullet might fire... or it might not. It's all a matter of probability, but with five bullets loaded, the odds of misfiring are slim." Horst raised the gun and pointed it at Qin Mo.

Gray and Adam watched the Inquisitor carefully, not intervening, for they knew that if it came to violence, Qin Mo needed no protection.

Staring down the barrel of the gun, Qin Mo understood Horst's meaning. It was a game of Russian roulette, much like the ancient practice on Terra. Every act of defiance against the Inquisition was another bullet in the chamber, each step bringing him closer to certain death.

Horst's grip on the gun relaxed, the barrel lowering. "This revolver is yours," he said, offering it to Qin Mo. 

"Thank you," Qin Mo replied, taking the gun, sliding out the cylinder, and, to Horst's surprise, loading the final bullet into the chamber.

Horst, puzzled, watched as Qin Mo spun the cylinder back into place and pressed the barrel against his own temple. "I understand everything you've said, but I choose to bet on it misfiring."

"No... this weapon doesn't misfire," Horst insisted.

"Then I'll bet on it not firing at all," Qin Mo replied, pulling the trigger.

Horst's attendants leaped to intervene, but Horst himself remained motionless, though a flicker of tension crossed his face. The gun clicked, but no bullet fired. Qin Mo pulled the trigger again. Nothing. Several more times—each with the same result.

Horst began to suspect that Qin Mo was using some power to prevent the bullets from discharging. It became clear to him that Qin Mo was signaling his intent to silence the Inquisition, just as he had silenced the gun. 

Audacious? Perhaps. But if Qin Mo were wrong, Horst reasoned, he wouldn't be standing here delivering the Inquisition's verdict in person. 

"Your luck holds. The Inquisition has found you innocent," Horst said at last, drawing a parchment and handing it to Qin Mo. "You are now the Empire's appointed governor, the rightful Lord of Talon and ruler of three worlds with billions under your command."

Qin Mo took the document, lowering his weapon.

Horst continued, explaining the duties of an Imperial governor: responding to calls for war, raising Astra Militarum regiments, and, above all, the tithe.

The tithe was key. Before arriving, Horst had attended a meeting with the Inquisition's higher-ups and the High Lords Council, where they deliberated on the matter of taxation. The result was clear—the tithe must be paid, but its form was negotiable. With threats emerging across the galaxy, an uprising in the Talon system would be hard to quash.

"Talon will pay its tithe in the form of dimensional engines," Qin Mo declared.

"You mean the new non-Warp propulsion technology?" Horst asked.

"Exactly," Qin Mo nodded.

Horst considered this, finding the proposal feasible. Such stable new navigation systems could gradually free the Imperium from its dependence on the Warp.

At first, Horst had worried that Qin Mo would be reluctant to share his technology, but now that concern seemed baseless.

Still, one question remained: "Why offer the dimensional engines as a tithe so willingly?"

"Because the Warp is a cesspool," Qin Mo replied coldly. "Humanity can't keep diving into that sewer and dragging its filth back into the material universe."

Horst had to admit, Qin Mo's perspective aligned with the greater good of humanity—though whether it served the Imperium's interests remained to be seen. 

Yet, promoting the dimensional engine would not be easy. 

"Most won't trust your technology at first. Many within the Inquisition believe it to be heretical poison. The process will be slow, but if your engines prove effective and untainted, they will eventually replace the Warp drives," Horst conceded.

With the tithe settled, Qin Mo fell silent, having said all he needed to say.

But Horst had one more issue to raise. "I'm investigating a strange plague and I need your help. The plague has ravaged only two regions—the Obscurus where Cadia once stood, and the Talon system and its neighboring sectors. That's highly suspicious."

Qin Mo frowned, a bad premonition rising in his heart.

"This is the result of my colleagues' investigation into the plague..." Horst handed Qin Mo a stack of his own handwritten reports.

As Qin Mo examined them, two things stood out about the plague-stricken areas: the presence of plague zombies and the rise of new cults, preaching that the Imperium had forsaken the Emperor's will and that the plague was His divine punishment.

Furthermore, just before the plague outbreaks, derelict ships had appeared with increasing frequency, along with raids from xenos and heretic vessels.

"The Plague of Faithlessness," Qin Mo murmured, setting the documents aside, his gaze grave as he stared at Horst. "An expedition against the Cadian Gate is imminent."