The dagger, symbolizing infinite glory, hung in the scabbard on Horatio's belt, swinging back and forth with his steps.
Horatio followed his two superiors down the long, absurdly tall and spacious corridor.
"Sir..." Lieutenant Stirling, Rear Admiral Edward's first mate, suddenly leaned close to the Rear Admiral's ear and whispered something.
"Hmm, then we'll go first." The Rear Admiral nodded, adjusting the Victorian silk cravat at his collar.
Then he turned to Horatio and said, "We are going to meet Earl George Anson, your principal, to discuss some naval affairs. You are free to look around now and wait for our message."
Rear Admiral Edward handed a communication prayer bead to Horatio and gave a salute.
"Yes."
——
In a building in a secluded corner of the Vegas District, the flickering candlelight on the tabletop was the only light source in the room.
Even so, this small flame could not dispel the darkness; instead, it was constantly being encroached upon by the darkness, merely dimly illuminating the dark lower half of the faces of several elderly black-robed figures.
These black-robed figures were not the protagonists of this gathering; with their tongues cut out, they were merely tools to convey their masters' will.
They took turns writing, making it impossible to deduce how many speakers there were.
Behind them, theatre-like high galleries were obscured by heavy, dark curtains, within which sat the true protagonists on velvet armchairs. These individuals might not all speak, nor did they know who sat opposite them, but they had all come for the same purpose.
"+The Navy... has intervened in the Vegas District+" one of the Silent Ones wrote on the paper.
"+They cannot succeed. The Vegas District in chaos is the best breeding ground, and also the most perfect cover+" another Silent One wrote.
"+Although we serve different masters and have different missions, we all share a common threat+" the third Silent One wrote.
"+If you still wish to hold your positions, we must collectively thwart the fleet's conspiracy and force them to give up+" the fourth person continued to write.
"+Let them encounter resistance, become entrenched, and be content with the status quo. When they weigh the sacrifices, they will not go any further+"
"+The last incident was botched, and the Navy is relentlessly pursuing it. We are in the same boat, you understand+"
"+You must disappear from their sight. As a contingency killer, you and your people do not need to participate in the subsequent matters. We will provide cover for you+"
"+Deliver a fatal blow when they let their guard down, send them back to lick their wounds, and we will be safe+"
"+The plan will begin soon. Let us use sharp destruction to disrupt their objectives, sabotage their actions, and instill fear in them with blood and skulls+"
"+Throw the blame on a scapegoat, and use dazzling changes to interfere with their analysis, leading to misjudgment+"
"+We know their weaknesses. Let us start with those closest to them, make them feel despair, and embrace depravity+"
"+If one cannot be destroyed in will, then let them lose a second, a third, until they are broken by themselves+"
"+Everything is for Their (unknown number) will+"
The Silent Ones collectively wrote this sentence on the paper, like an oath before a great battle.
——
[I still need to find a way to get out. Although the Naval Intelligence Department is already investigating the enemy's movements, it won't be as fast as an underground intelligence network.]
Horatio pondered as he walked out of the dignified and solemn Great Hall.
There were many tall sculptures in the plaza.
Since this was the exclusive campus for Navy Heirs, adjacent to the Gothic Fleet Navy Department, the statues primarily depicted Naval Officers and warships.
He was indeed safe here, but the Evil Cultists' conspiracy and the revelations from his dreams always made him uneasy, prompting him to want to take the initiative.
Horatio sighed heavily, looking around. It looked like a classical aristocratic military academy, completely opposite to the Storm Campus, which was filled with militaristic atmosphere and a lifeless ambiance. It had the feel of the 'Knight Academy' established by Louis XIV.
The 'Knight Academy' was established by Louis XIV for the children of fallen Imperial Guard Soldiers, serving as both an orphanage and a military academy. Most of the students trained there would become Royal Musketeers, and the students were relatively free and unrestrained, with relaxed management.
Whether it was an illusion or not, Horatio felt that the sun above the Navy Academy campus was brighter than that of the Storm Childer of Loyalty Campus opposite.
He walked to the Navy Memorial Sculpture Group and saw the sculpture of Admiral Spire arrayed behind Lord Admiral Ravensberg.
When he previously heard that Admiral Spire was his own ancestor, it gave him a sense of unreality.
He was a descendant of legendary heroes, and after eight years of struggling in the Lower Hive, he had actually entered the Loyalist Academy relatively intact.
He looked at the colossal 15-meter-tall statue. Admiral Spire's expression was stern and solemn, his left hand resting on the power saber at his waist, and his right hand pointing to the front right, as if commanding a fleet.
Behind Spire's statue, there were dozens more such sculptures, all heroes of the Gothic Fleet.
On the path behind these statues leading to the main building, there were still many empty pedestals, reserved for future heroes.
Horatio knew that by 999.M41, ten years later, this place would be full, and many heroes would emerge.
Suddenly, Horatio felt a tap on his back.
"Hey! Hello, could you please take a picture for me?"
A young man with light blonde hair mixed with brown natural curls, tied into a short ponytail with a black ribbon at the back of his head, politely stepped forward. He smiled shyly, about the same age as Horatio, but slightly shorter, and his light blue eyes curiously scrutinized him.
He was wearing the standard-issue Navy Midshipman uniform, a Midshipman, and a plain, unadorned bicorne hat on his head, which was not standard-issue, seeming to be brought from home.
"No problem." Horatio smiled and took the camera from the young man's hand.
The camera looked well-used, its brass parts polished smooth, and its shape closely resembled the classic Leica M3.
The young man stood beneath Admiral Spire's statue, one hand resting on his dagger, the other on the top of the statue's base.
Click—
Horatio made an 'OK' gesture.
"Thank you very much." The young man quickly stepped forward, smiling in gratitude, his dimples prominent.
"So excited, are you a new student?" Horatio handed him the camera.
"You saw right through me. I just enrolled today and wanted to take some pictures to show my mother."
"Aren't you a Childer of Loyalty?"
The young man smiled and shook his head, saying, "I am a preparatory student at the Officer Preparatory Academy."
Horatio nodded thoughtfully. He had just heard Commodore Peru explain what a preparatory student at the Officer Preparatory Academy was not long ago.
A group of individuals who were not Childer of Loyaltys but were furiously studying to obtain a Navy Midshipman position.
"Thanks! I'm Archie Cuthbert Collingwood from the Fleet Maritime Department. May I ask your name, sir?"
Horatio could tell, because this person also had a command neural hub device implanted behind his head.
"Horatio Cochrane, Navy Heir. I'm also in the Fleet Maritime Department. You can just call me Horatio."
"So we're classmates! Just call me Archie." The young man grinned excitedly.
He took the camera, removed his bicorne hat, and tucked it under his arm, then voluntarily saluted Horatio.
Horatio also removed his bicorne hat and returned the salute.
"Let's take a picture together. You're the first classmate I've met." The young man requested.
"No problem."
Archie placed the camera on the statue base in front, the lens aimed at both of them.
Horatio stood straight, striking a tall and dignified pose like Archie, just like two Naval Officers.
Click—the moment was frozen in time.
Archie ran to the camera and scrolled through the photos: "It's really well taken."
Horatio looked at the camera. Archie had chosen a good angle, capturing both of them looking energetic and spirited, with the tall Admiral Spire memorial statue behind them.
"You like Admiral Spire very much?" Horatio asked with a smile.
"Of course, he's my idol, and many people's idol! A hero of Gothic, a light in the darkness, a representative of humanity's indomitable will, a true man of action." Archie was very excited, looking up at the tall statue and muttering involuntarily.
"Thank you, I'm going to take some more pictures elsewhere." Archie said, running towards the teaching building.
Horatio walked to the campus.
Here, classes were structured like a university, with students from different departments having their own schedules and arriving at the corresponding classrooms on time.
Although the Navy had many departments, common courses accounted for the majority, and students from many departments would study in the same classroom.
Of course, classes and exams alone were not enough to earn academic credits; students spent most of their time fully armed on missions outside, rather than just burying themselves in books.
This also meant that as long as he received mission approval, he could immediately go out and use the Imperial Navy's resources to build a network against the Evil Cultists.
[I should suggest it to Commodore Peru later, as a mission, to send me out to reconstruct the Vegas underground intelligence network serving the Fleet Military Intelligence Department.
This way, I can accumulate academic credits and gain insight into the enemy, killing two birds with one stone, and also allow those who once bled and risked their lives for me to find a loyal job serving the Empire again.]
Giving people the opportunity to serve the Emperor is far better than being lured by heretic to serve Evil Cultists.