Chapter 26: Civil Unrest, Section 7

Bamboo poles remained bamboo poles. The terrifying “beauty” still walked with that peculiarly alluring grace, but Hei Fa noticed sensitively that compared to when they were in the inn, Miss Wei Li now lacked composure and appeared more worried.
Smart as he was, Hei Fa didn’t immediately touch on this sensitive topic. He stood up with a smile, greeting his host’s return in the manner befitting the nobility of high society.
“Hello, my noble lady. I’m sorry for my intrusion; it may have disturbed you. But I mentioned at the inn that I wanted to offer you the Black Diamond. Since you left suddenly, I had no choice but to come here in person.”
At the mention of the Black Diamond, Miss Wei Li’s eyes lit up noticeably, only to dim again moments later, as if she lost all interest. She waved her hand casually and ignored the box respectfully handed to her by Xue Tong.
“You’re welcome, Lord Beck. You’re truly thoughtful. I’m glad to receive such a precious gift. But I’m in a poor mood now. Please forgive me—I just received some bad news.”
“Oh? Is there anything I can do to help?” Hei Fa pretended to be surprised.
“Hehe…” Seeing his eager expression, Miss Wei Li suddenly laughed, shaking her head at the same time.
“No, you can’t help me, Lord Beck. Though you’re a armed merchant, you’re still just a merchant. Please don’t take it personally—I’m not looking down on you. But compared to regular warships, your ship is nothing but a toy, even if you’ve gained much profit from it.”
As she spoke, Miss Wei Li gently snapped her fingers, and the butler, who had disappeared since she entered, reappeared as if by magic.
“Bring me the deed and instructions for the Meteor.”
“Yes, my lady.” The butler bowed respectfully and disappeared. When he reappeared, he held a delicate box. Miss Wei Li smiled, opened the box, and pushed it toward Hei Fa.
“What’s this…?” Hei Fa was puzzled. He peered inside and saw a small stone fragment. He recognized it—it was one of the media used by the Moors to store information. Though small in size, it had astonishing security features and storage capacity. Generally, it was used to store important information and served a similar purpose to electronic certificates.

“It’s one of my private warships, Lord Beck. Its name is Meteor. Though it’s registered under my name as a private vessel, its armament is on par with the best warships in this space station. If you take a look at its specifications, you’ll realize just how big the gap is between what you know and reality.” Miss Veri smiled as she pointed at the box. “There’s also its ship deed inside. You can take both.”

“What do you mean?” The dark-haired man’s expression changed drastically, his surprise evident.

“It’s a gift for you. My dear Beck, the gift you gave me was far too valuable. I know it must have taken you a great deal of effort. But although I’m a Moorish noble, I can’t offer you anything truly outstanding. See, all I can give you is this private warship. But don’t underestimate it—it was a gift from my father for my 120th birthday. It’s the epitome of power and beauty.”

No… that can’t be. Now, the dark-haired man was surprised not only on the surface but also deep inside.

Miss Veri was truly generous. Such a warship, if true to her words, must be extraordinary. Although his Black Pearl and Black Diamond were also famous rare gems in human society, in his eyes, they were nothing compared to this. On Death Star, such gems could be found in tons—only the quality differed.

Could this be exchanged for a warship? A high-end warship from a Moorish noble? For the first time, the dark-haired man realized he might have brought too little cargo. Turning his head, he happened to see the bitter smile in Blood-Eyed’s eyes.

Skillfully, he took out a pre-prepared reader from his clothes and placed the stone slab inside. Instantly, a massive amount of information flooded his senses. The intense shock almost made him cry out in pain. Seeing his sudden reaction, Miss Veri was initially stunned, then her face showed panic. But upon seeing his calm expression, her panic turned into confusion. She waved for her butler and asked in a low voice, “Has the ship deed expired?”

“By no means, my lady.”

“Then why can he read it directly? Without any buffer, wouldn’t the massive amount of information destroy his nerves?”

“If a being’s mind is strong enough, it’s possible. My lady, General Storm might be able to do it. But he will definitely lose memory of that time afterward,” the butler replied respectfully.

Their voices were soft, but Blood-Eyed heard them. A cold glint flashed in his eyes, but he showed no reaction.

At that moment, the atmosphere in the living room became utterly silent. All eyes were fixed on the dark-haired man.

Actually, Miss Veli wronged Black Hair. How could he have known that the ship contract of the Moors had such a function? He had just arrived here and still hadn’t even gotten a clear sense of the environment. His familiarity with Moor society was limited to intelligence reports and what he had seen in just a few days. Even the device used to read ship contracts was ordered by his subordinates after they entered the space station.

But how could an ordinary reading device be used to read such a large warship? Without special buffering devices, such a device could at most be used to read small spacecraft. If used directly on a large warship, the user’s entire nervous system would surely be destroyed by the massive amount of information!

It was Black Hair’s special physique that saved him. When Peng Pai’s data flooded his senses, his body immediately entered a semi-dormant state for self-protection. In this state, Black Hair’s mind seemed separated from his body, almost completely shielding him from the impact of the data.

However, as a result, he essentially got nothing from the reading. He received almost no information about this warship. It was truly like arriving at a treasure trove only to leave empty-handed.

When she saw him open his eyes, the confusion in Miss Veli’s eyes instantly turned into a gentle smile. She stretched out her thin fingers, took the reader from Black Hair’s hands, examined it carefully, and then placed it aside. Then, for the first time, she looked at Black Hair properly, studying him from head to toe, occasionally letting out soft exclamations of amazement.

“Tsk tsk… Truly unexpected. Lord Beck, I never would have guessed you were such a skilled warrior. Being able to read a warship’s contract directly without any buffering—you’re the first person I’ve ever met like this.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I embarrassed myself,” Black Hair said, pretending to have a headache as he rubbed his face. “I’ve never been in contact with Moor warships and thought they were similar to ordinary merchant ships. I almost lost my way. But I’m not a warrior at all; I’m just an armed merchant. Miss Veli, you’re too kind.”

“Hehe…” Miss Veli seemed to have heard the funniest joke, immediately amused by Black Hair’s words. When she spoke again, she even used polite language.

“You’re too modest, Lord Beck. To be honest, although you’re a Pole, your strength really surprises me. I can’t imagine what kind of history your family has to produce such an outstanding talent. May I ask rudely—have you obtained all the information about the Meteor?”

“No,” the black-haired man shook his head. “I didn’t receive anything at all. The data just now was too much and too intense. I seem to have fainted for a moment. By the time I regained consciousness, it was already over. I’m sorry to disappoint you.”
“No, it doesn’t matter. Anyway, this Meteor is a gift from me to you. You can read it whenever you want. I just thought of something interesting right now.”
“What is it?” The black-haired man showed curiosity.
“It’s related to what we were talking about earlier. Lord Beck, didn’t you want to help me? I’ve decided that it’s an honor to have a strong warrior like you as my ally. It would be a shame for me to refuse again. Actually, I’ve received some unexpected news this time. If you’re willing to become my personal captain of guards, I’d like to share this news with you.”
“Captain of guards? Like General Storm?”
“Of course not. Storm is my personal guard, responsible only for my safety. A captain of guards, on the other hand, is a fleet commander under my command, directly in charge of leading the fleet. Lord Beck, although we’ve only known each other for a short time, I’ve already seen the capabilities you possess through your subordinates. So the remaining question is: can I trust you?”
“It’s an honor for the Beck family to serve you. I’m willing to make a solemn pledge to you,” the black-haired man said immediately, his expression turning serious.
Seeing his eagerness to show loyalty, Miss Veli wasn’t surprised. She simply smiled and waved her hand, signaling him not to be so tense.
In fact, Miss Veli understood the black-haired man’s situation well. A fallen family, having lost its base, with only a few loyal subordinates following them, engaging in activities that were disguised as armed trading but were actually piracy. They had managed to obtain some precious gems, using them to please her in hopes of gaining an opportunity. There were too many such people in the Moor Empire. With just a little incentive, Miss Veli believed it wouldn’t be harder to win the loyalty of this Pole than to raise a dog.
Captain of guards? That was just a nominal position… Although she was her father’s favorite daughter, she wasn’t a man and thus didn’t qualify to enter the military. She only had five warships—what was the problem giving them to this Beck?
Thinking of this, Miss Veli’s smile grew even wider. Her gaze fixed intently on the black-haired man’s face, her voice dropping lower.
“I just received a report. Our expedition fleet sent to the new creature gathering area has been destroyed. Commander Lord Locke has defected.”
“What!?” The black-haired man was stunned…