I'm in Warhammer, I just want to grow mushrooms

Chapter 227 Cole Fallon's Fishing Techniques

The Word Bearers' homeworld, Kochs, in near-Earth orbit.

Expeditionary Fleet No. 47 has assembled here and is about to embark on a new journey.

The fleet's flagship is the "Heroine of Faith," a Glory Queen-class battleship.

This is a veritable "moving church in space," and it has been a sacred site of faith for the Legion of Wordholders ever since the Legion welcomed back Primarch Lorgar Aurelion.

Loka, who worshipped the power of God, transformed the bridge of his ship into a palatial cathedral, which he named "The Prodigal Son's Cathedral".

This place is solemn and sacred, with pure gold runes engraved on the pillars, shining with a pure light.

Chief Pastor Iribas has just finished his routine sermon before departing.

As they descended the platform and turned into the depths of the "Wanderer's Sanctuary," Irebas's expression shifted from sunny to gloomy, and his steps became hurried and rapid.

Pushing open the door at the end of the corridor, a tranquil reading room came into view. Primarch Loka stood there with a furrowed brow, his hands behind his back, gazing silently at the beautiful starry sky outside.

"I don't understand why the False Emperor would hand over the anti-psychic device to mortals for practical testing?"

Irebas closed the door to the reading room, walked to the table in a low voice, picked up several secret letters on the table, and his expression became increasingly gloomy.

The Space Marine Legions have spies throughout the Imperium, and news of Terra's research into anti-psy devices had already spread within the Legion.

Strangely, this powerful anti-psy energy device was not tested in actual combat within the Space Marine Legion, but was instead assigned by the Emperor to be tested by mortal forces.

The prestigious governors of the Solar System were granted the right to test new equipment, and they were authorized to equip the Planetary Defense Force and the Space Guard with anti-psychic devices.

Several legions of the Solar Force were also selected for combat testing, allowing them to openly use anti-psychic devices on the battlefield.

Why give such an effective anti-psychic device to mortals for experimentation?
This problem annoyed Aribas and Loga.

It wasn't just because the Emperor had mortals test the new equipment, but also because the materials used in the anti-psychic device were extraordinary.

According to reliable sources, the consumable is a strange single-crystal powder that has shown extremely strong psionic resistance even under normal temperature and pressure conditions.

"What is the origin of this single-crystal powder?"

Irebas raised his second question after entering the house.

Luo Jia did not answer him, but instead frowned and stared out the window, his eyes flickering, lost in thought.

After a few seconds, Loka slowly exhaled:

“Eribas, we’ll have plenty of opportunities to make contact with mortal armies later. We’ll find a reason to send technical representatives to visit the anti-phantom device and figure out its principles, parameters, and the composition of its consumables. Regardless of the outcome, our plan must proceed as scheduled. Has the fleet’s itinerary been planned?”

Seeing that the Primarch had changed the subject, Eribus did not dwell on the issue of the anti-psychic device.

"The itinerary is planned. The wartime council has assigned us to visit six worlds, all of which are imperial worlds that have fallen to Ulanor."

Iribus placed the itinerary plan on the table:

"Fallen has placed orc chieftains who obey our orders in these six worlds. Upon arrival, he will contact the orc chieftains via encrypted channels to obtain information on Ulanor's strategic deployments in the area. The orc chieftains will cooperate with us to reclaim the fallen worlds."

Eribath paused, then sighed inexplicably:

“Sometimes, I have to admit Fallon’s intelligence. His orc plan is indeed more reliable than my Bone Drinker plan. At least in terms of helping us gain merit, the orcs can provide us with more assistance, which is something the Bone Drinkers cannot easily do.”

When his adoptive father was praised, Luo Jia felt a sense of pride and his mood improved slightly.

"It's rare to see you praising Fallon. By the way, Eribas, do you think the orcs could help us plunder an anti-psy device?"

Irebus's eyes lit up; he was greatly inspired:

"You mean, have the orc chieftains who have defected to us attack the mortal forces? That doesn't seem like a bad idea, but it's best not to do it under the name of the Ulanor Empire. There aren't that many coincidences in the world, and the False Emperor and Makado aren't stupid. The anti-psychic device has just begun its practical testing and it's already being plundered by the Ulanor orc forces; this will inevitably arouse suspicion from the False Emperor and Makado. I think we could have the orc chieftains disguise themselves as orc pirates and launch a surprise attack under the guise of privateering."

“Disguised as orc pirates…privatizing…” Loka paced back and forth across the table, pondering:
"I have doubts about the orc leaders' acting skills; they might give themselves away when they come into contact with the mortal forces. Is there a safer way?"

Irebas pondered for half a second, then came up with a plan:
"Perhaps, pure-blooded orc pirates can help us. They are cunning, treacherous, and greedy. There have been many cases of orc pirates attacking mortal forces in the past, but the success rate is abysmal. However, this shortcoming can be made up for by other means."

Luo Jia nodded slightly:

“You’re right. With our help, the pure orc pirate fleet could indeed seize an anti-psy energy device for us. We need to be careful enough in vetting and selecting the personnel to avoid being betrayed by the cunning orc pirate leader. We also need to prepare countermeasures in advance for extreme situations, such as using some means to forcibly enslave the orc pirate leader so that he dares not resist us.”

Loga picked up his pen and wrote lines of text on the parchment scroll, then made a phone call to the company commander, his adoptive father, Cole Fallon.

A moment later, Cole Fallon entered the reading room.

The three of them secretly plotted while reviewing the legion's archives.

Finally, several orc pirate leaders who were renowned throughout the Misty Starfield came into their view.

The strongest is the "Green Lightning," which has three battleships, more than a dozen cruisers, and countless frigates.

The most mobile is the "Fart Revenge Alliance," whose leader is said to be a fart demon, and whose fleet is full of frigates.

The easiest to communicate with is "Big Blacktooth," who has one battleship and two cruisers.

However, the most recent data record for "Big Black Tooth" is from four months ago.

Finding it in a short time is a bit difficult.

"Let's try contacting 'Big Black Tooth' first. If that fails, we'll try cooperating with 'Green Lightning.' If 'Green Lightning' is difficult to control, we'll turn to the 'Fart Revenge Alliance.'"

Luo Jia made the decision.

Irebas and Fallon had no objections.

After discussing the details, the three set off on Expeditionary Fleet No. 47.

A dozen or so Terra days later, the fleet arrived at the planet Vanpros in the Misty Starfield.

This is a world of hive cities, with three large hive cities each having a population of over 100 billion.

The former prosperity is gone, replaced by a large army of green-skinned soldiers roaming everywhere.

The remaining human forces on the hive city are huddled in the Royal Court district of the planetary capital, their defenses are in dire straits, and the planetary defense forces and air defense arrays are barely managing to preserve the orbital towers under the Greenskins' offensive.

Upon hearing that Expeditionary Fleet 47 had arrived, the planet's governor burst into tears and immediately changed into formal attire to meet the Lord of Words.

But he didn't get to see Loga, nor did he see Eribas and Fallon.

Zuo You is merely a planetary governor who has lost most of his territory; his value at present is limited to the legitimacy granted to him by imperial decree.

After joining the fleet, he was placed under house arrest like a mascot.

Meanwhile, Fallon led the Cruel Quest Chapter away from the expedition, ostensibly to scout the Misty Starfield.

Thanks to the blessings of the highest gods, the Cruel Quest's warp travel speed was extremely fast, allowing them to explore every corner of the Misty Starfield in just one month. Three days after leaving the expedition, the Cruel Quest Chapter discovered their target in the southwestern corner of the Misty Starfield.

"My lord, our Auger Matrix has detected a transponder signal from the orcs. Their identification code is 'Big Black Fang'."

Fallon stretched out his hands, bracing himself against the railing of the command platform, looking down at the holographic screen of the Auger Matrix, a gleam of joy in his eyes:

"Under the pretense of asking for directions, a communication request was sent to 'Big Black Tooth'."

"Yes, my lord."

A few seconds passed.

The chief of the sound array said:

"Sir, the communication request has been rejected."

The mechanical priest who controlled the Auger matrix immediately followed up with:
"Signals from the warp engines have been detected. The 'Big Black Fang' fleet is opening a warp portal; they intend to warp out."

The ship of the Cruel Quest Chapter is a Luna-class cruiser.

After separating from the expeditionary force, the ships were camouflaged and looked no different from ordinary armed cargo ships.

The problem is, when a real armed cargo ship encounters orc pirates, it's too busy running away to send a communication request to the orc pirates.

It is estimated that this anomaly was what made the cunning "Big Black Tooth" realize something was wrong and flee on the spot.

Fallon gripped the railing, his metal gloves creaking as they rubbed against the posts.
“Send another communication request, telling them that we want to buy intelligence, are willing to pay first, and the amount is negotiable.”

"As ordered."

"Sir, the warp engine signal has been lost; they haven't entered the warp. However, 'Big Black Fang' still hasn't answered our communication requests."

Fallon breathed a slight sigh of relief:

"No rush. Give them time to discuss their strategy. I don't think they'll refuse our deal. Pass down the order to have the boarding squad prepare to execute the disguised boarding agreement."

"Received." The chief of the sound array began to relay the instructions from his superiors.

Fallon retracted his arms from the railing and stood with his hands on his hips.

...

...

at the same time.

Apimatt, Royal Court District, Governor's Office.

Clament strode forward, hands clasped behind his back, and reported the progress of the Space Guard to the Governor:
"The main combat companies, from the 2nd to the 7th, have completed their recruitment and are now on board the ship, carrying out the patrol agreement. The new recruit companies, from the 11th to the 13th, have completed their assembly and are undergoing training at the bottom of the ship. The remaining new recruit companies are in the recruitment process and are expected to complete their recruitment within three months."

"Over the past twelve days, the Orc Destroyers have engaged in six battles with the Orc Pirate fleet, with the intensity of the combat ranging from Zeta II to Delta I. The Orc Destroyers have suffered no casualties, but unfortunately, we have also failed to sink the Orc Pirate ships."

As he spoke his last words, Clement seemed to feel a mixture of self-reproach and anger.

Those damned, cunning, slippery orc pirates are like eels in a quagmire; if the battle turns slightly unfavorable, they'll decisively run away, showing absolutely no intention of lingering in the fight.

He had ten ships under his command, yet he still couldn't stop these orc pirates, or even sink their ships. How could this not humiliate Kranment?

She felt she had let the governor down and failed to be a good fleet commander; a strong sense of honor made her feel an overwhelming sense of self-blame.

"I'm sorry, sir, I..."

“It’s alright, Crament. There’s an old saying in Guterra, ‘Everything is difficult at the beginning,’” Li Nuo said with a gentle smile.
"The Orc Destroyers still need time to gel. One day, you'll be able to take down those green-skinned pirates."

Clement swallowed his words, pressed his hand to his chest, brought his legs together, and bowed in a respectful manner.
"Yes, sir. I will work even harder, and each company will conduct regular drills outside of combat."

Seeing the lingering self-reproach on Clanment's face, Li Nuo secretly thought that he should go easy on Clanment the next time he led a pirate fleet to cause trouble.

Simply pressurizing without depressurizing won't work.

It's time to deliberately let the Orc Destroyers sink a frigate to boost the morale of Kranment and his companies, who are constantly under pressure.

"Kranment, how are the three practical experiments going?"

"My lord, the effectiveness of the orc metabolic enzyme activity inhibitor has been verified. Sage Antonlar has proposed a method to deliver the drug into the orc's body using 'chemical warheads' via explosive bolts..."

Cranment took out a data board to show the latest progress of the experimental project.

As Li Nuo listened, he paused almost imperceptibly for a moment, then quickly returned to normal.

A few lines of system text refreshed in the field of vision.

[Save file: Big Black Fang 2]

[Archived Briefing:]

[The fleet of the Great Black Fang II is making corrections in the southwest corner of the Misty Starfield.]

The fleet's tech genius and mechanic kid are currently modifying two ships and the orcs left over from Blackfang 1.

Just now, an armed cargo ship suddenly appeared near the fleet and sent a communication request, claiming that it wanted to buy intelligence from "Big Black Fang".

Ok?
After encountering a fleet of orc pirates, an armed cargo ship did not flee immediately but instead took the initiative to make a deal with the pirates.

This is probably a trap set by the Imperial Ministry of Justice.

Li Nuo strongly suspected that the archived briefing a few minutes later would contain the words "a large number of unidentified ships collectively jump to surround the 'Big Black Tooth' fleet".

Even after Clement finished introducing the progress of the three practical experimental projects, the archived briefing remained completely blank.

This made Li Nuo even more puzzled.

Could it be that this armed cargo ship really came to do business with "Big Black Tooth"?
With this in mind, Li Nuo and Clanment gave the instructions:
"Let's continue at the current pace with the practical testing projects and the preparations for the Space Guard. Have you encountered any difficult issues that you can't resolve on your own and need my help?"

Clement placed his hand on his chest in a gesture of respect, then shook his head:
"Thank you for your concern. The current problem is within my capabilities, and nothing unexpected has happened."

"That's good. Go to work now, and keep in touch."

“Yes, sir.” Clement bowed again and turned to leave.

Li Nuo pondered for a moment as he looked at the archived briefing. Something was definitely amiss, and he needed to "go online" and keep an eye on things to avoid falling into the trap set by the Imperial Ministry of Justice.

He got up and went to the private laboratory, took out the magic spore, and manually read the simulation save file of Big Black Fang 2.

(End of this chapter)