Horatio looked at the respectful man before him, who was exactly as he remembered.
[God Emperor, did the late 'Yes Minister' trio reincarnate into the Warhammer universe?]
If Englishmen were to transmigrate to a fantasy world penned by an English author after death, then for these three not to go to Middle-earth but instead arrive in Warhammer 40K, serving as bureaucrats in 40K's Ministry of Internal Affairs in 'Plymouth,' was truly amusing.
"Uh... Sir, may I find a place to sit?" the man asked cautiously.
Seeing Bernard's honest and simple demeanor, Horatio immediately came to his senses and said, "Of course, Mr. Bernard, your assistance is a great help."
"At your service, my pleasure, Sir. I will clear out the room opposite and arrange a spot there."
"Excellent. If possible, please have the Ministry of Internal Affairs attendants arrange more workstations. Other personnel from my department will be joining soon."
"Of course, as you wish, Sir." Bernard lacked the slick, sarcastic bureaucratic traits of other Imperial civil servants.
Even in this world, where the administrative system was rotten to the core, he seemed like someone who got things done.
Though Horatio guessed that his apparent honesty and humility were more likely a form of political self-preservation.
Because according to the hierarchy of official ranks, Bernard, as a Chief Private Secretary, held a rank equivalent to a Navy First Lieutenant.
There would only be one Chief Private Secretary like him in a sub-department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
His colleague, Sir Humphrey, was equivalent to a Lieutenant.
And the Minister of the Administrative Affairs Department was equivalent to a Navy Colonel.
Perhaps this seemingly experienced Mr. Bernard could indeed help him resolve many administrative tasks, allowing him to focus his attention on the operations with Inquisitor Ravenor.
"I am first and foremost a soldier. I may not be good at politics, but the public isn't stupid either!"
Horatio heard the rather 'constructive' loud 'conversation' from the adjacent office.
This made him feel even more sorry for Lieutenant Sterling.
"But you can treat them as stupid, that way, it's easier for you to understand public relations, Sir." Sir Humphrey pursed his lips, giving the Lieutenant a look.
"The public relations plan you proposed is too 'generous.' Firstly, it will threaten your own Navy Department's political standing. Secondly, it might force the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Adeptus Arbites, and Public Security Department to each issue their own statements to distance themselves, and they'll have their own public relations plans. By then, the inconsistency in messaging will only cause more trouble..."
It seemed the Lieutenant's public relations plan was heavily rebutted by Cabinet Secretary Sir Humphrey.
"So, gentlemen, it seems we need to seriously and carefully re-discuss a more feasible plan."
The Minister awkwardly mediated between the two, at least to prevent this temporarily formed team from falling apart on the spot.
This made Horatio sigh with relief again that he wasn't in charge of public relations.
However, after meeting Inquisitor Ravenor, Horatio could roughly guess the reason for the Ministry of Internal Affairs' proactive stance.
Other Inquisitors would not let go of investigations into the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
The Minister of Internal Affairs was usually held by the smartest person on the planet. Knowing this predicament of internal and external difficulties, he would naturally extend a helping hand to the Navy Department, which was also a subordinate branch of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
While it was a good thing, if Horatio wanted to investigate the Ministry of Internal Affairs, he would probably have to consider the Minister of Internal Affairs's mood.
Suddenly, he raised an eyebrow.
Why do it himself? Inquisitor Ravenor only said he didn't want the Gothic Fleet to mess up, but he didn't say he wouldn't cause trouble for the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
As long as the evidence was conclusive, Inquisitor Ravenor could conscript the Imperial Navy to serve him, and then the Navy's forces could openly and legitimately make arrests.
His gaze fell on the first page of the duplicate.
It had been neatly arranged by the Documentary Court attendants according to priority.
Therefore, at the very top was the Corpse Guild.
When he secretly peeked at the documents on the Thunderhawk, the content of this first page gave him a shock, because the Corpse Guild was a member of the Planetary Government's Guild Alliance.
He was very worried about how he should investigate the Corpse Guild.
But now, with an Inquisitor to help him, things had taken a turn for the better.
—
Inquisitor Ravenor was transferring equipment and supplies from his Inquisition Black Ship to the Sky Dome Cage.
This would be his stronghold during his stay at Abyss Port.
"Mr. Ravenor, is that kid reliable?" asked a woman in a figure-hugging, tight-fitting night combat suit, with an Aeldari Shuriken Rifle strapped to her back.
"He still looks so young. Although he has the face and body of a 20-year-old, he's actually only 17. His birthday was just two months ago."
"No, he's not young at all, Wintress."
The Inquisitor said, "Don't be fooled by his appearance and underestimate his strength."
The woman frowned, not understanding what the Inquisitor was saying.
But she was used to it. She only needed to remind Ravenor to consider this aspect; offering deeper advice was not her forte or responsibility.
"The room and ready room have been set up, boss. A biometric booby trap has been placed behind the door; anyone other than you who enters will be blown to pieces." A tall, burly man with arms as thick as a normal person's thighs walked up with heavy steps.
He wore an exaggeratedly large, spiked shoulder pad on his sturdy right shoulder, his exposed upper arm covered in knife scars and wounds, and his left arm still wrapped in a bloody bandage.
He wore a tight, anti-stab soft armor that accentuated his muscles, and his unruly demeanor suggested experience in the Lower Hive.
This type of fighter, who had accumulated rich street fighting experience in the Lower Hive, was also a favorite recruitment target for Inquisitors.
"Thank you for your hard work, Glock."
The Inquisitor walked into his temporary residence in Abyss Port and surveyed the room.
This temporarily modified bedroom was not large, only about 50 square meters. In fact, if it weren't for the large thinker array, he would have preferred a smaller room.
But the entire room's walls were very thick, with built-in ceramite and adamantium frameworks. Only the Imperial Navy was so willing to spend money to build houses with adamantium.
The room had only one small double-hung window, and outside the window was a thousand-foot-high 'cliff.'
But he never felt that'safety' relied on passive measures.
On both sides of the window, in a one-to-two ratio, booby traps were installed for anti-theft and to prevent certain dishonest colleagues from sneaking in and rummaging around.
A ceiling-mounted heavy melta gun was also installed in the corner of the room, powerful enough to penetrate intruders with Terminator-level protection.
He stood before the thinker array, and red light flashed from its pale skull-like bionic eye, illuminating the Inquisitor's almost equally pale face.
'By the order of the God Emperor of Terra'
'Inquisition Classified Dossier'
'Access Restricted to Authorized Personnel Only'
'Document: 112:67B:AA6:XaT'
'Please enter authorization code:'
'Verifying...'
'Thank you, Inquisitor'
'You may proceed'
'The following information details Inquisitor Gregor Eisenhorn's investigation into the Necronomicon case'
'Incident Location: Scarus Sector — Herligan Sub-Sector — Arrogance, Brocade, 56-Azar'
'Incident Time: M41.241'
'This dossier's details provided by the party involved, recorded by Servitor module'
'Annotated personally by Inquisitor Gregor Eisenhorn'
This was none other than Inquisitor Gregor Eisenhorn's famous battle—the Necronomicon Incident Dossier.
The next chapter will be posted after it's finished.
Thanks to White Emperor Tower Disciple, Lonely Snow Moon, and Empty Me for their generous support to the Documentary Court!