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

Chapter 255 The Gaze of Eribas

“Gentlemen, please come this way. I’ll show you the navigation data. For ease of use, we’ve moved the green-skinned navigation computer and brought over a barely usable Thinker from a damaged Imperial merchant ship as our navigation computer.”

At the same time that Li Nuo gave instructions to the fart spirit, the secret agent Black Cup, in his capacity as captain, accompanied the inspection team to the ship's database.

The ship's cabins that the group passed by were chaotic in style. The cabins were decorated in a green leather style, but the facilities and miscellaneous items inside were human-made.

The blend of two distinct lifestyles seemed to confirm the captain's claim that they were indeed a group of fugitives who had stolen the Greenskin frigate and sailed it to the Kyle Kelly Sector.

But is this really the case?
Mona couldn't give a guarantee, and had many doubts in her mind.

While serving as an orc destroyer in Apimatt's army, she intensively learned a great deal of common knowledge about orcs.

Taking over the vehicles of these creatures isn't difficult in terms of combat; the real challenge lies in clearing out the orcs' reproductive spores.

These green-skinned aliens release large amounts of spores during battles and upon death.

The spores are light and tiny, making it easy for them to enter dark and cramped pipes and wall crevices by following the airflow.

Just imagine.

After capturing an orc frigate, would an armed logistics flotilla have the resources to clean the entire ship?
Mona thought it was unlikely.

After all, the other side had mentioned that their own ships had been sunk by the Greenskins before they captured the frigate.

After such an intense battle, they probably wouldn't have the energy for meticulous cleaning.

Strangely, Mona didn't see any trace of Greenskin's activity along the way, and even Fart Spirit's poop didn't appear.

The cleanliness of the scene contradicts the captain's account.

"Hmm, it's possible that the crew did indeed clean the frigate. I'll check their navigation log first."

Mona led the team toward the navigation computer, only to find that the device's screen was black and the power reading on the holographic goggles was zero.

The captain's expression changed slightly. He quickly walked a few steps to the computer and smelled a faint burnt smell.

Looking in the direction the smell was coming from, I saw the crab, and there were several rows of teeth marks on the pipes!

"Damn it! The pipeline has been bitten through." The captain hurriedly called over the ship's mechanics and ordered them to repair the data in the navigation computer.

The technician opened the cover of the device, and a strong smell of urine hit him.

"Captain, the pipeline is short-circuited due to water ingress." The technician removed the storage unit, lifted it up and shook it; clear yellow liquid gushed out, along with some capacitors.

The captain's face darkened, veins bulging on his cheeks, but he dared not lose his temper in front of the Japanese army, and could only suppress his anger and force a smile:

"Gentlemen, I'm so sorry. Our navigation computer is down..."

Mona glanced indifferently at the captain, who was breathing heavily, and gestured to Wick beside her:

"Check the storage unit to see what kind of organism left the fluids."

“Received.” Wick took out his handheld ornithometer and began scanning the liquid’s composition:
"It's Scud's liquid excrement, and it's quite fresh."

Wick raised the ornithometer, tracked the excrement pheromones, and locked onto the ventilation duct on the wall.

Upon closer inspection, the pipe was filled with Scud's hair and footprints.

Wick glanced at the data on the oracles and turned back to say:
"From what I've observed, Squig weighs about 100 kilograms. Its pheromones are spreading from deep within the ventilation ducts, and its lair is in the ship's air exchange room."

Leia pondered for a moment, then slightly raised the muzzle of her gun:

"Captain Alec, please explain why there were no orc spores in other corners of the ship when the Skull appeared in the ventilation room?"

Black Cup, playing Captain Alec, appears somewhat nervous facing the gun barrel.

"Excuse me, sir, I don't quite understand what you mean."

Mona stared at the captain and said coldly:

"It takes at least three days for a spore to develop into a 100-kilogram Skull. The ship's ventilation chambers exchange gases with other parts of the ship through ventilation pipes. In three days, the spores in the ventilation chambers should have spread to every corner of the ship with the airflow. So why did we only find traces of Skulls here, and not elsewhere? Did you deliberately use Skull excrement to sabotage the navigation computer? Answer me."

"No, I didn't." Black Cup frantically shook his head.
"We cleaned the entire ship, eliminating all the orc spores. I have no idea where that Skull came from..."

"fart!"

A sharp cry came from the corner.

Everyone turned to look, and saw more than a dozen gun barrels pointed in the direction of the sound.

It was a badly damaged fire loudspeaker making the sound.

Judging from the tone of voice, the speaker seems to be...

A fart sprite?
"You're talking nonsense! You're talking stinky nonsense! You're talking louder, louder, stinkier nonsense! I, Fart Master, can't stand it anymore!"

The fart-monger roared in anger.

Soldiers who graduated from the Orc Destroyer class began their search for the Fart Spirit.

The fart-headed man shouted:

"Hey you, the guy who calls himself Alec, weren't you called Black Cup? When did you change your name?"

Black Cup's expression changed drastically, and his pupils suddenly contracted.

"And that female helmswoman next to you, isn't your name Red Wine?"

The red wine trembled and paled in horror.

"Crew members on board! Don't you have any problems? Should I tell you your code names?"

The farting man's loud voice echoed throughout the room.

The alien's words were not convincing.

Seeing the black glass, the red wine, and the surprised and terrified expressions of the crew, the inspection team had no choice but to believe it.

Mona pressed the muzzle of her gun against Black Cup's chest, Leia kept an eye on the red wine, Wick used his oracle to track the fart spirit's signal, and the other soldiers kept a close watch on the crew.

"You...you mustn't believe what that bastard says!" Black Cup tried to remain calm, struggling to keep his voice from trembling.

"That bastard is slandering us! We don't have any code names! We're just ordinary members of an armed cargo convoy!"

"Oh ho, you still dare to argue? Watch me strip you naked!" the fart spirit cleared his throat and shouted.

"Listen up, you guys in the Solar Force uniforms. These guys are Cult agents. They disguised themselves as orcs, found this wrecked ship in Ulanor, repaired it, and sailed it to the Kelkelly Sector. I suspect they have ulterior motives. Got it, you? They're Cult agents!"

That fart-talking guy almost scared the cultists to death!
What's going on!
When my crew was modifying the ship, we searched every corner!

How did a farting monster suddenly appear, and how does it know so much about the situation?!
"A Cult agent?" Mona was startled and immediately gave the order:

"Capture all the crew members! Wick, find that bastard!"

The soldiers took out their dazzler guns, preparing to use the intense flashes of light to stun the cultists.

The black glass and the red wine exchanged a glance, and spiritual energy fluctuations emanated from their bodies.

"Watch out!" Leia, who hadn't spoken for a long time, keenly sensed the psionic fluctuations. She reached for her waist with her left hand and flung out two black shadows.

"Boom!"

Before Black Glass and Red Wine could even retaliate, they were struck in the temple by the magazine, their bodies swayed, and they fell to the ground.

Mona nodded slightly to Leia and used her telekinesis to control the magazine to fly back into Leia's hand.

Wick's oracle beeped.

"I've located the fart demon's electromagnetic signal. It's on the lower deck, in the scrap bin near the stern."

The Sun Army sprang into action and quickly located the fart demon hiding in the garbage dump, along with a chubby Skull.

A brief clash ensued, with Pipi and Sguger displaying intense fighting spirit. They were ultimately killed by the Sun Army, leaving them no opportunity for torture.

One could say that the low-gothic fart spirit was indeed a bit strange, but he couldn't compare to the suspicious crew member who seemed to be a cultist.

Mona and her group immediately escorted the crew to near-surface orbit, locked them in cells, and interrogated them rigorously. Black Cup, Red Wine, and the others initially kept their mouths shut, but once the truth serum was introduced, they were forced to confess.

However, truth serums have limited effectiveness.

Mona could only confirm that these guys were indeed cultists, but she couldn't figure out their plans.

Some of their memories seem to be protected by psychic energy.

Truth serum could not break through the psychic blockade. The Sun Army's psychics tried several times without success, and instead turned three cultists into vegetative states.

Left with no other option, the Sun Army transferred the cultists to the Ministry of Justice for further interrogation.

But an accident occurred during the relocation of the cult members.

The Sword-class frigates responsible for transferring the cultists are preparing to depart from the combat zone of the Kelkelly Sector and head to the neighboring Euga Sector.

At this moment, the orc fleet launched a surprise attack on the Solar Force's space fortress.

The Sword-class frigate faced enemy fire head-on and was nearly blown to cosmic dust.

A major battle was about to break out, and no one paid attention to the whereabouts of the Sword-class frigates anymore.

The orc fleet's offensive momentum was incredibly fierce, and the Sun Army's lines were forced into a series of retreats.

With the planet's near-Earth orbit about to be lost, the Word Bearers army entered the battlefield.

The 47th Expeditionary Fleet collectively jumped to this location, with the "Law of Faith," a Glory Queen-class battleship, leading the way, dominating the center of the battlefield.

Once the flagship-level Void Shield is activated, a massive barrier spanning the battlefield suddenly appears.

The orc battleships' heavy cannons could not penetrate the void shield, but the human empire's shells and light spears were unimpeded, and the situation was instantly reversed.

With Expeditionary Fleet 47 carrying out a boarding and decapitation strike against the Orc war leader, the scales of victory rapidly tipped in favor of humanity.

The battle lasted for most of the day, and finally ended with the orc fleet fleeing in disarray.

As the orcs scattered, everyone cheered for the glorious queen's heroic deeds.

"My Terra, I will never forget the moment when the 'Hero of Faith' shielded us from the gunfire!"

"Who says those who cherish words only chant scriptures? They are as brave as legendary war gods!"

"It is said that the 'Law of Faith' is Lord Loka's flagship. I really want to meet this Primarch."

The crew and soldiers chimed in with their own words, and each ship expressed its gratitude to the "Law of Faith".

However, the bridge of the "Law of Faith" is temporarily unable to respond to any parties.

It was extremely rare for Erebas and Loka to appear on the command platform at the same time, urging each team to speed up their work.

"Have you found that Sword-class frigate?" Iribas leaned on the railing, his lips pursed, and the deep lines on his cheeks were etched into his skin.

Below, the mechanical priest controlling the Auger Matrix rapidly tapped the keyboard, the glass casing of the electronic eye reflecting a dense array of characters:
"Sir, I've found the engine fragments of that sword-class frigate. I'm calculating the trajectory of the fragments after the engine explosion. Please give me a minute."

Irebas gave a dull groan.

Luo Jia stood with his hands behind his back, saying nothing, his eyes flickering slightly.

One minute later, a holographic image popped up, showing the movement trajectory of the debris from the Sword-class frigate's explosion.

The footage clearly shows more than a dozen egg-shaped emergency escape pods popping out of the shell.

Most of the escape pods were destroyed by the plasma storm, with only two pods escaping unscathed from the blast radius.

"Find the signals from these two escape pods."

As soon as Iribus finished speaking, the mechanical priest responded.

"Sir, the location of the escape pod has been locked, and I have detected faint signs of life inside."

Irebas and Loka both breathed a sigh of relief.

The two exchanged a glance, and Luo Jia turned and walked towards the writing room.

Eribas instructed:
"Bring the escape pod back and take it to the top-level medical ward for treatment. Note that this rescue operation is classified as Alpha-level; no one is allowed to disclose the identity of the rescued individuals."

"Yes, my lord."

The mechanical priest tapped on the keyboard.

The Space Marines in charge of the rescue set off in a shuttle.

Halfway there, a communication signal was connected to the bridge of the "Law of Faith".

A communication screen popped up, and the other party was a military officer who looked to be around forty or fifty years old.

"Lord Eribas, I am Misley Ammosa, commander of the 352nd Regiment of the Solar Force. I apologize for disturbing you. I noticed that you dispatched a rescue team to rescue the wounded stranded in space. I must inform you that the two wounded are suspected to be members of the Secret Cult..."

"What?!" Iribus gripped the railing tightly, exclaiming in astonishment, then quickly composed himself, regaining his somber and calm demeanor.
“Continue, Commander Anmersa. Why did you say that the two wounded soldiers were suspected to be cultists?”

The commander of the 352nd Regiment recounted the actual situation in detail.

Irebas's heart raced as he listened.

His and Loka's support for this place was not a coincidence, but rather a result of a revelation from the supreme deity.

Six days ago, at 7 p.m., after giving a presentation to eight new recruit teams, Irebas was about to go to the copy room to transcribe the ninth book of the Lemeticulous Canon.

Suddenly, the supreme deity gave him a revelation from the level of his soul.

At that moment, Iribus heard a majestic male voice again—the last time was on a night after the destruction of the Perfect City.

The Supreme God ordered Expeditionary Force 47 to set off immediately for the 352nd Regiment of the Solar Army to pick up the key figures on the Sword-class frigate.

Iribus didn't know who the so-called key figure was, but faced with the god who guided him and others to the "Giant Eye" on a pilgrimage, he could only submit.

So he came, and Aurelion came too.

Upon hearing that the key figure he was supposed to meet had been labeled a "suspected cultist" by the Sun Army, Eribus was more surprised than anyone else, yet he still dared not disobey the will of the Supreme God.

“Commander Anmersa, since you have clear evidence that the two are cultists, there’s no need to go through the trouble of sending them to the neighboring sector for trial.”

Irebas said in an unquestionable tone:

"The Word Bearers have zero tolerance for heretical beliefs. Expedition 47 happens to have a mobile inquisition. Please deliver the key witnesses and physical evidence of the Tantric believers to the 'Law of Faith.' I will personally oversee the trial."

"As you wish, Lord Erebas."

Commander Anmersa performed the Eagle Salute.

Communication ends.

Before long, Mona and the other two arrived at the "Law of Faith" with the evidence.

Iribus closely observed them through the surveillance footage, with the resumes of the three individuals displayed on a monitor beside him.

"Sir, the two wounded soldiers have been rescued. Should we still transfer them to the special medical ward?"

The officer in charge of dispatching asked cautiously.

Irebas glanced at the three people on the surveillance screen and their information, and said grimly:
"Send those two people to the top-level medical ward and upgrade the security level to Alpha Plus."

The officer glanced at the surveillance footage, his lips moving as if he wanted to say something but dared not.

Irebas squinted at the officer:

"What? Aren't you going yet?"

The officer felt a chill run down his spine and quickly saluted before leaving.

Irebas looked at the monitor screen again, a glint of something sinister flashing in his eyes, like a venomous snake with ill intentions.

“Epimet… one of Lino Wilsey’s people… Lino Wilsey again… how many times have I heard this name…”

(End of this chapter)