Horatio took off his helmet, already soaked with sweat, and slowly walked towards the cockpit.
Thud! The somewhat worn Adeptus Arbites helmet was casually placed on a corner of the console.
Horatio collapsed onto the co-pilot's seat, his legs resting on the console.
The Female Hunter-Duke frowned, glancing at the black-haired youth beside her, seeming to have some reservations, but she said nothing.
"What? Done dealing with the Evil Cultists, and now you're planning to deal with me?" Horatio let out a long breath and joked.
"No... no way, you scoundrel! How could I be such an ungrateful person? How dare you insult my honor like that!" The Female Hunter-Duke's face suddenly turned red, extremely ashamed and angry.
Horatio chuckled, continuing to tease her: "So where are you planning to fly the shuttle next? To the Adeptus Arbites?"
"My home." The girl frowned again, pouting petulantly.
"Oh, I didn't expect your noble spirit to be somewhat useful, huh." Horatio laughed heartily.
The Female Hunter-Duke bit her lip, her face full of worry.
[This guy is so annoying! Ugh! Why am I so unlucky to run into this mess?!]
"You better behave yourself when we get there! If you dare to wander around my house, I'll have the Guards break your legs!"
Since they were just sitting around on the way, they might as well chat and learn about the world.
[Well, this girl has been suppressed by me for so long, so let her vent some steam, lest she get sick from holding it in.]
"You have Guards at home? How big is your place?"
Horatio pondered. Since she was the daughter of a Lord Captain, she must live in the Spire, perhaps even the Wangzu District. It was inevitable that her home would be large, but how large exactly, he, a mere 'Gengyun Hammer' who only had fragmented textual descriptions, found it hard to imagine a specific and accurate picture.
"Hmph."
When the topic shifted to something she had control over, the Female Hunter-Duke's tightly furrowed brows finally lifted, and she looked very pleased, as if thinking, 'I finally got the upper hand.'
"The blue-uniformed Guards of the First Company are all elite subordinates who bleed and die for my father. The red-uniformed Guards of the Second Company are the 'Captain's Guard' arranged by the Navy Department. Even someone from the Lower Hive like you should have heard of the Hood Family's valiant achievements, so of course we live well."
Horatio's original memories had some impression of this.
Abyss Port is the capital planet of the Gothic Sector, an artificial planet whose history is difficult to ascertain. The surface of the planet has a huge crack, which from a distance looks like a Halloween pumpkin with a gaping maw. Inside the gap are massive shipbuilding factories, with shipbuilding tonnage ranking first in the entire Segmentum Obscurus.
It is an important hub connecting the Segmentum Obscurus to the Ultima Segmentum, and its throughput ranks among the best in the entire Imperium of Man.
The shipping lanes to Abyss Port are numerous, and hundreds of millions of Imperial troops are queued at the Starport docks of Abyss Port, waiting for troop transports to transfer them to various war zones of the Imperium of Man.
The delivered supplies and armaments are even more countless, so Abyss Port is considered quite wealthy in the Imperial world, and its strategic value is almost equivalent to the Suez Canal.
The Gothic Fleet Headquarters, which became famous for successfully defending against Abaddon's Twelfth Black Crusade, is located here. Abyss Port is also the most important anchorage and home port for the entire fleet, raising countless Imperial Navy personnel who grew up, trained, and then achieved fame or died in the void.
The Gothic Fleet is a cradle of heroes. In the early 41st millennium, heroes of the Imperium of Man such as Ravensberg, Abri Dar, and Balenchaen emerged during the counterattack against the Black Crusades. Even Captain Spire, 'the Terminator of Abaddon,' revered by the group members as the Navy's Chosen, appeared.
And in the late 41st millennium, the increasingly chaotic galactic crucible also created a new generation of Gothic heroes.
The Hood Family occupied two of these positions: the younger brother, Baron Alexander Hood, and the elder brother, Viscount Samuel Hood.
And this woman beside him.
Horatio glanced at the beautiful woman beside him.
She was none other than Rear Admiral Alexander Hood, the daughter of the Imperial Navy's legendary Lord Captain.
It is worth mentioning that the Hood Family is not some ancient hereditary noble family, but this is precisely what makes them even more proud.
The Hood brothers were born into a low-ranking Guojiao Priest family, and the only preferential treatment they received was to complete their compulsory education at a grammar school.
After entering society, Samuel, only 16, and his younger brother Alexander, only 14, joined the Imperial Navy in the same year.
Both displayed their superhuman talent in naval warfare, becoming Colonel Captains at the age of 30. His younger brother, Alexander, even served as the Captain of a squadron's flagship. Both brothers embarked on a legendary naval career, gaining glory and becoming nobles.
Horatio let out a long breath. In the dark and rigid Imperium of Man of the 41st millennium, this was undoubtedly a great piece of good news.
The path of ascent had not been blocked. As long as one had the ability, in the Gothic Fleet, there was truly an opportunity to change one's life.
He looked down at the ring on his hand, observing the blurry 'Legend' inscription, and pursed his lips, yearning to quickly find the owner of this ring—his father? Or his mother.
Perhaps for him, the opportunity to completely change his destiny was already within reach.
As long as he found the truth about his origins.
Well, like father, like daughter. It's no wonder that with such a privileged family, they would still send their daughter to the Adeptus Arbites as a vigilante. For nobles who earned everything with their own hands, personal ability might be more important than bloodline and authority.
Thinking of this, Horatio felt a little less aversion and a little more respect for the arrogant young woman beside him.
Why shouldn't she enjoy everything she earned with her own hands!
"That's great, your family must be very happy. I'm really envious."
"No!"
No sooner had Horatio spoken than he was met with a resounding opposition from the Female Hunter-Duke, her voice so intense it startled him.
"What's wrong...?" Horatio stared blankly at the Female Hunter-Duke.
[They're famous throughout history, and they'll never have to worry about food or drink again. How can they not be happy???] Horatio found it a bit incomprehensible, thinking this girl's ambition was too great.
"My mother... was killed in the Evil Cultists' insidious plot."
Horatio frowned, instantly understanding, and his eyes became sympathetic.
"Is that so...?"
"Exactly eight years ago! In that conspiracy that changed everything!"
The girl's gaze turned cold, and her emotions were particularly agitated: "After the Gothic War commemorative fleet review, the Evil Cultists launched a large-scale terrorist attack, placing bombs in the shuttles returning from the space station. My mother, she was such a beloved official, so gentle and considerate of the common people."
Horatio frowned, catching the key information.
Eight years ago...
Hiss! Speaking of which, in his original memories, he also crashed eight years ago, falling from Abyss Port's 'Giant Mouth' into the Lower Hive!
"My condolences... May the God-Emperor protect her soul." Horatio lowered his head to comfort her, while connecting the clues in his mind.
The murdered official mother... the Captain father... the vigilante daughter...
In Horatio's mind, a previously useless, dusty story gradually emerged.