85: Chapter 84 Carterus, Returns Once Again

"Nuwa, come here."

However, as Xia Xingchen suddenly thought of something and was about to call Nuwa in, he realized that Nuwa was no longer there.

"Hmm, Saint Sabbat."

Xia Xingchen called out a few times, only to find no one responding to him, and then he remembered.

Oh, that's right.

Saint Sabbat is currently on the world of Vanad.

Only then did Xia Xingchen realize that sometimes, many people were no longer by his side.

It seemed he had to recruit some talent; otherwise, there simply wouldn't be enough people.

Xia Xingchen made a prompt decision to select an outstanding administrator from Lanshan Planet within the next few months.

Over the following month, Xia Xingchen mainly focused on three tasks.

Eventually, he found someone named Ma Pingliang.

In warhammer 40k, anyone with the character 'Ma' in their name is very impressive.

There is Old Ma and Little Ma.

Xia Xingchen held high expectations for Ma Pingliang, hoping he could become a right-hand man like the Emperor's Chancellor, Malcador, and become his own right-hand man.

Ma Pingliang indeed did not disappoint Xia Xingchen's expectations; he was extremely adept at handling many administrative affairs.

For the mountain of documents piled up in the Administratum, Ma Pingliang could ensure that the daily documents were all processed.

He would select the important documents and submit them to Xia Xingchen for review and annotation.

In fact, looking at this political and administrative structure, Xia Xingchen felt it was similar to the cabinet system of the Ming Dynasty.

Xia Xingchen only needed to handle some important matters.

With this, the burden on Xia Xingchen's shoulders became much lighter.

"Archon, a guest has arrived." A guard came to Xia Xingchen's side and reported to him.

"Who is it?"

"He claims to be the Rogue Trader Katrus Ramon, saying he is from the Ramon Dynasty and has a very good relationship with you. You once promised to trade with him."

Xia Xingchen quickly turned to ask Ma Pingliang: "What month is it now?"

"Archon, it is currently November, with one month left until Emperors Day."

Xia Xingchen estimated that the timing was about right.

It just so happened that Katrus had said he would come after a year.

It seemed that Katrus had not broken his word.

"Bring Katrus to the reception hall."

"As you command, Archon."

Xia Xingchen immediately proceeded to the reception hall, while Ma Pingliang ordered the servants to prepare black tea and refreshments in the hall.

Soon, the doors of the reception room were pushed open, and Katrus entered, dressed in the attire of an Imperial noble.

Seeing this, Xia Xingchen immediately stepped forward to greet him.

"My dear friend." Walking up to Katrus, he performed an Aquila Salute. "May the Emperor protect you; I am pleased to see you again."

"Likewise." Katrus also performed an Aquila Salute to Xia Xingchen simultaneously.

The two sat down, and Xia Xingchen personally poured a cup of black tea for Katrus, handing it to him.

The two did not dive straight into the main topic but instead amicably asked about each other's recent situations.

Since leaving Xia Xingchen's side, Katrus had taken the items traded from Xia Xingchen, especially the adamantium, to a black market on a planet.

Katrus sold all the adamantium at nearly 1.5 times the normal price.

With this money, after purchasing necessary trade goods, he used the remainder to bribe the local Planetary Governor.

The reason Katrus did this was entirely because the Aiyi world was an important transit hub, and it possessed a massive black market. Inside, there were not only humans but also various other factions.

Therefore, ordinary items could often be sold at high prices there.

This was also the reason why Katrus had to bribe the governor: to ensure his own safety.

For the remaining portion, Katrus gave the money to the loyalist forces of the Ramon system.

In fact, the worlds of the Ramon system had been occupied by rebels, but there were still some loyalist forces loyal to the Ramon Dynasty continuing to fight within the Ramon system.

This was to maintain the influence of the Ramon Dynasty, so that if there were an opportunity to retake the Ramon system in the future, there would at least be a foundation.

"Oh, my dear Governor, do you know what goods I have brought for you?"

Katrus then steered the conversation toward the main purpose of his trade with Xia Xingchen.

"I am all ears."

"You would absolutely never imagine how much effort I spent to acquire this item from over there."

This remark immediately piqued Xia Xingchen's curiosity: "What exactly did you manage to get?"

"Hmm, it would be better to go see for yourself."

Katrus said to Xia Xingchen.

"Ah, my crew has already transported the goods to the surface."

Upon hearing this, Xia Xingchen stood up and accompanied Katrus to the Space Cargo Elevator.