While Alex was using the ancient rituals of the Eldar Seer to uncover the truth, 32 and his group were still continuing their dangerous investigation in the gloomy underground world of the Star Sector Capital Hive City.
Liu Yi's analysis opened up new avenues for the team. He proposed that whether the mastermind was Tzeentch or Khorne, their actions would inevitably leave tangible traces in the material world. This perspective allowed the team to stop dwelling on guessing the identities of the Chaos Gods and instead focus all their energy on collecting practical clues, significantly improving their efficiency.
32 and Gutierrez were leading their respective teams in a meticulous sweep of the Bottom Nest.
As a Mechanical Sage, 32 had completely taken control of the entire Bloodfinger Gang and its territory with the assistance of a Legal Department Special Agent.
The Adeptus Arbites commissioner had also specifically dispatched a squad of elite Hive City Enforcers to assist in the operation.
They secretly conducted a meticulous sweep of various areas within the Bloodfinger Gang's sphere of influence, with particular focus on areas where frequent disappearances had recently occurred.
Through secret interrogations of several Bloodfinger Gang mid-level leaders and touts active in the black market, 32 gradually pieced together fragmented intelligence clues.
Despite the limited effective information obtained, 32 successfully clarified the internal situation of the Bloodfinger Gang and purged the controlled gang members, ensuring the Bloodfinger Gang was completely under his control.
At the same time, Gutierrez led the Astartes Warriors through the intricate alleys of the Bottom Nest.
These battle-hardened warriors, following the clues previously provided by Grosse, launched lightning-fast raids on several suspicious gathering places and hidden strongholds.
They confiscated a large number of heretical documents and discovered traces of what appeared to be Chaos rituals in an abandoned factory.
On the other side, Mai Mai and Twilight took a completely different investigative path.
They chose to gradually advance upwards from the Lower Hive, following the trail of gang activities and tracking every trace left by the Blood Oath Society.
This seemingly abnormal investigative direction was actually well-thought-out.
They keenly observed that Lower Hive gangs often maintained intricate connections with Upperhive dignitaries through smuggling, bribery, and other means; some were even simply black hands cultivated by Upperhive nobles, and this kind of gray link between levels was highly likely to be a channel for infiltration by the forces behind the scenes.
Although the Inquisition's intelligence clearly indicated that the Hand of Redemption was controlled by the Blood Oath Society, Mai Mai and Twilight discovered many discrepancies after cross-referencing multiple sources of information.
As a branch of the Ecclesiarchy, the Blood Oath Society already possessed well-established religious facilities, a large number of loyal followers, and even directly governed certain districts through religious judicial power in the Lower Hive.
They could have obtained the Mutants and criminal samples needed for their experiments through legitimate channels such as sermons, shelters, or religious trials, and there was no need to risk supporting a gang organization.
Moreover, according to informant testimonies and financial transaction records, the interaction pattern between the two was more like an equal partnership of resource sharing, rather than a simple superior-subordinate relationship.
Based on these findings, Twilight and Mai Mai decided to conduct a reverse investigation along the Blood Oath Society's original activity trajectory.
They first visited the districts the society once controlled, cautiously conversing with local residents and low-ranking clergy to gather verbal testimonies; then they reviewed case files sealed by the Adeptus Arbites, searching for abnormal cases related to the society in those blood-stained dossiers…
Finally, they even risked infiltrating several sealed society facilities, using portable scanners to search for possible data fragments and hidden documents in dusty secret rooms.
As the investigation deepened, a faint chain of clues gradually emerged.
Their gaze pierced through the mists of the Lower Hive, finally settling on the glamorous areas of the Upperhive, attempting to uncover the true manipulator hidden behind the Blood Oath Society.
Some evidence suggested that this mastermind might be lurking within the Planetary Governor's court circles.
——
While his companions were making progress, Alex also received new prophetic revelations from Vallis's divination.
"According to the divination results, there is no trace of Tzeentch Daemon involvement," Vallis first confirmed the question Alex was most concerned about.
Hearing this answer, Alex breathed a slight sigh of relief.
But then, Vallis added, "However, your speculation is correct; two Khorne Demon Princes are indeed involved behind this.
The vessel cultivated by The Unseen Brotherhood is already sufficient to contain Tzanazte's power. He is actively seeking reincarnation to restore his full power."
She paused, her tone becoming even more solemn: "If no one stops him, then during the next eclipse in the Mariupol Sector Capital, he will complete his reincarnation, fully recover his Daemon Prince power, and descend into the material universe once more."
"That sounds like a bad situation." Alex took this result very seriously, but his expression remained calm, seemingly not surprised.
After all, this largely aligned with his judgment based on Ahriman's investigation, only lacking conclusive evidence before.
And now, Vallis's prophecy just confirmed his speculation.
Vallis was not surprised by his reaction; she merely nodded and continued, "As you expected, Tzanazte's brother and mortal enemy—the Daemon Prince Muswag—is also currently active in the Star Sector Capital.
Your acolyte will discover his whereabouts and reach an agreement with him."
"Muswag's goal is to eliminate Tzanazte, and Tzanazte also wants to get rid of him." Vallis's voice deepened: "And your choice will determine which of these two Daemon Princes survives."
"My decision? So, I can eliminate one of them?" A glimmer of interest flashed in Alex's eyes.
If he could take this opportunity to get rid of a Daemon Prince, he certainly wouldn't refuse.
"Your choice not only determines who survives, but more importantly, the one who survives… will be dominated by you." When Vallis said this, her body involuntarily trembled, as if the prophecy she had just seen had shown her some extremely terrifying images, leaving her still with lingering fear.
However, Alex seemed oblivious to her unusual reaction, merely continuing to ask calmly, "Besides that, anything else?"
"Also…" Vallis took a deep breath: "You will use the one who survives to completely end this war and destroy those two colliding planets."
The prophecy ended, and Alex fell into contemplation. He needed to carefully weigh the possibilities brought by Vallis's prophecy and consider how to utilize the key information mentioned within it to achieve his goals.
However, he still asked Vallis one last question: "How do I use the surviving Daemon Prince to solve the Necrons and Orks problem?"
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