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Chapter 122: Farewell
"Viscount Graham Walker, you are accused of having an affair with an alien, and the evidence is irrefutable. Do you have any defense?"
Judge Horford's voice was as cold as iron as he looked down indifferently at the pale-faced man at his feet.
Just a day earlier, when this man faced Dani's questioning, his arrogant aristocratic demeanor was still fresh in everyone's mind.
Graham struggled to raise his head, his voice, long since devoid of its former pride and confidence, hoarsely protesting, "I'm innocent! No orc has ever set foot in my private bunker!"
Are you questioning the sacred credentials of the Mechanicus Cult?
Father Lucizer's indifferent voice rang out from the side. Graham trembled, but still made a last-ditch effort, roaring, "This priest is Ronin's henchman! They've been in cahoots all along! Father Sias! We've known each other for years, you testify for me!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a local priest dressed in a Mechanicus robe stepped forward; he was the West Asian priest he had mentioned.
"I regret to inform you, Viscount Walker," Father Sias said expressionlessly, "that this final authentication report was not written by Father Lucizer, but was personally verified and stamped with the holy seal by me."
He unfolded the dossier in his hand, and the cold words clearly revealed the truth: the tunnel leading to the upper level had been excavated in no more than twenty hours, while the hidden tunnel leading to the lower mine had existed for at least a week.
Graham stared intently at the handwriting on the dossier, then slowly raised his head to look at Father Sias. His pent-up despair and rage erupted instantly, and he screamed like a madman, "Sias! Don't you know how much tribute you've taken from me?! How dare you betray me by colluding with outsiders!"
His face was contorted, saliva flying everywhere; the composure and elegance accumulated over centuries of aristocracy vanished in an instant.
The dignity of the nobility, the confidence of the star sector's backing, and the arrogance of a century-old family were all shattered under the holy seal of the Mechanic Church.
Father West stepped back slightly, his tone completely calm: "Your Excellency, I do not understand your absurd words. Are you referring to your offerings to the Mechanical Church? The Mechanical Church will always be grateful for your contributions, but the judgment of the Church will always adhere to impartiality and be free from favoritism."
Horford took the report, lowered his eyes to review it, and the oppressive aura of judgment emanating from him grew even more intense.
Ronin spoke at the opportune moment, his tone laced with undisguised sneer, each word piercing the heart: "I remember, during the Greenskins' siege, Viscount Walker hid in his own bunker. How could you have been completely unaware of such a vast, secret passage?"
His face bore an undisguised sneer.
In any case, the only people who can see his face now, besides Graham, are Father Lucizer and the guards stationed here; they are all his men.
At times like these, he most enjoys watching the desperate look on someone who thought they had victory in the bag, only to suddenly fall into an abyss.
The next second, Graham roared and, like a wild beast cornered, threw off the guards and pounced on Ronning with bared teeth and claws.
Before he could even take a third step, Dani's adjutant swiftly pinned him to the ground, the cold earth slamming against his cheek, leaving him utterly powerless to resist.
"Graham, you've been caught red-handed in your collusion with the Xenomorphs, and now you dare to attack an Imperial official in public." Dani's voice was as cold as frost. "It seems that Lord Rhonin's accusation that you plotted an assassination was not unfounded."
Graham struggled to turn his head and look at Valerius, only to see the other turn away indifferently, completely severing ties.
When his last glimmer of hope was extinguished, he completely broke down.
He lay sprawled on the cold stone slab, letting out a maniacal and piercing laugh:
"Hahaha! Luo Ning! You've got guts, kid! I've fallen for you today! But you just wait and see! My influence has been cultivating on Caron II for five hundred years! From today onwards, you'd better be on guard every night! I'll haunt you even as a ghost! Hahahaha!"
Valerius coldly stated, "The Walker family is hereby stripped of its noble titles, all its assets confiscated, and removed from the Imperial Register of Nobles, effective immediately. Anyone who colluded with them will be treated as an accomplice."
Graham turned his head to look at the representative of his biggest backer, but in the end he didn't say a word, only a manic, bitter laugh.
Dani read out the final verdict on the spot:
"Graham Walker is guilty of treason, assaulting an Imperial official, blasphemy against Imperial law, and obstructing the clearing of the mines. He is stripped of his noble privilege of beheading and sentenced to public hanging, his body displayed for three days as a warning to others!"
His family members, collateral relatives, and trusted private soldiers are all to be arrested! Those involved will be executed, and the innocent will be reduced to mine slaves and permanently stripped of their imperial citizenship!
All of his mines, treasuries, residences, and all other assets are confiscated and placed under the jurisdiction of the Second Provisional Government of Calon!
Without giving Graham any chance to argue, the guards immediately gagged him and dragged the once arrogant mining nobleman away.
On the highest tower of the mine, the once arrogant Viscount Walker now hanged himself like a stray dog.
The courtroom is the embodiment of imperial law; once a verdict is reached, there is no appeal, no review, and no reversal.
The entire process, from sentencing to execution, took less than two hours.
After the storm subsided, everyone returned to the Governor's office.
Valerius was no longer the arrogance and difficult person he used to be. He signed all the review reports with lightning speed, looking hurried.
He was eager to return home and report everything that had happened that day to his master.
As the court procession boarded the transport ship, Rhonin personally went to Starport to see them off, handing over the gold and refined lithium ingots that Graham had previously presented to Dani's adjutant.
"This humble official has no intention of accepting any bribes. As for how to handle such wealth, Luo Ning believes that it should be decided by the three gentlemen."
The three prosecutors exchanged glances, then nodded, their eyes showing more approval and recognition as they looked at Luo Ning.
Ronin knew that even representatives of the Imperial Inquisition were human, and they would be tempted when they received such a gift.
Although the other party wouldn't do anything to me if I didn't offer a small token of my appreciation—after all, Dani, the representative of the Court of Loyalty, was my lover and confidante—it wouldn't really matter if I didn't give her a small token.
But this has always been the way of the imperial bureaucracy.
A favor done in a moment of ease is never superfluous; no one knows when that favor might become a means of self-preservation.
Moreover, these things were originally Graham's property, and he hadn't actually contributed anything, so he felt even less distressed.
The transport ship carrying the court slowly took off, its engine roar breaking the silence of the airport.
Luo Ning stood on the airport platform, not moving for a long time.
Inside the ship's cabin, Dani stood by the railing, gazing at the figure on the ground for a long time across the vast distance.
Their feelings for each other must never be known to a third person. No matter how reluctant they are to part, they must never show it. Everything can only be buried in the silent farewell between them as they gaze at each other at the moment of parting.
Until Luo Ning's figure was reduced to a tiny dot and completely disappeared from sight.