He didn't have time to bother with that kind of burden.

They were gathered into the outer caverns of the cliff structure. Nagiuri's soldiers had already shackled the prisoners with hard field shackles, and a second squad was in charge of the guards, led by a commander named Solipas.

The prisoners in custody were a diverse mix of different races, all ragged. Some of them had traces of lynching, and Cain saw that all of them had been removed from the biochemical enhancement parts derived from the Arcane technology, which had been violently disassembled, leaving unsightly wounds.

In its view, the Holy Envoy was nothing more than a rabble, nothing special. They are a mysterious, reactionary group of people who believe that they are the true "guardians" of the Ao Neng, and that they know the substance better than anyone else, so they must protect the Ao Neng from being abused by other forces. During his long military career, Cain interrogated many holy envoys. Most of them made him find funny. Their behaviour is extremely obnoxious, always condescending, and they show the tolerance and compassion shared by all religious communities. They believe that there is some truth of all things sealed in the Arcane Power, and that this truth is exclusive to them, and that the goodness and subtlety of it cannot be understood by the generals, such as the Demacians, but they ignore the fact that it is Demacia who really keeps the whole society running. They are ignorant of mistaking a valuable natural resource for some kind of Holy Spirit, as if the existence of the occult came from the gods, or from creation, or from some cosmic soul.

Kai Yin has seen a lot of this kind of madman. They are all primitive creatures on the edge planets, worshipping trees or nature or ecosystems, and sometimes a boatload of cultists is intimidated by a standard battle mech, worshipping it as a god.

It's all because of ignorance and information asymmetry.

This is not the case with the Emissaries in that they are highly organized, often resort to force, and somehow establish a system-wide support network. Their beliefs are insane and ridiculous, but their humble followers are energetic enough to live up to their tenets, taking away valuable arcane supplies from the Empire, or attacking commercial reserves directly. They are the most dangerous subversives.

Cain walked into the cave where they were being held and saw faces as strong, resolute, and pious as he had remembered. These people are convinced of what they are fighting for.

To his slight satisfaction, the prisoners were horrified at the sight of a cardinal general. They knew that this was the end of the road, and that their poor faith could no longer provide protection.

"I am Cardinal General Siddha Cain," he said to them. "You all know the authority I represent. And I understand that you refuse to answer questions. ”

They cowered cowardly. He noticed that there were at least six different alien races in the group. Who to pick? Skodoi? They are creatures that can be easily damaged.

"You don't seem to be afraid of the flying soldiers, but they still won you, surrounded you, and captured you," he continued. "I feel sad, because this experience should have been laid out, and you have no choice but to obey. Next you will answer my question. ”

"We're not going to tell you anything," roared a huge Klobak.

"Really?" Cain asked. "Why?"

"Because what we know is not for people like you."

A few whispered in agreement. Let's start with this Klobak, Cain thought. He was the biggest, and he was in charge. Kill him as an example, and the others will learn to behave.

No. It's so simple.

Cain smiled. "You just answered a question, Klobak."

"I ......"

"I asked a question, and you gave an answer," Cain continued. "It's not hard, is it? So you're not resistant to asking questions, are you? The key is only in certain special issues. ”

"I'm not going to fall into your game, you click," the Klobak man said fiercely.

"And you want me to fall into your game. I think something must be handed over here, sir, and I'm sure you don't have any say. So let's get started. I want a name. Make a list of your contacts and associates on the edge planet. The two envoys who brought you here. Someone you had a relationship with before you came to Ionan. ”

The prisoner looked to the side.

"Let's start with the first name," Cain said.

"We weren't brought," the Klobak man muttered. "I'm not going to tell you anything."

"Please give me the first name."

The man stared straight at the cave floor. Cain unfastened his holster and drew his bare pistol, the chrome body glittering in the ruddy twilight. He put his thumb on the start switch and immediately heard a beep of the battery rising to firing state.

"First name," Cain said in a tougher voice.

The prisoner shook his head.

Cain slowly raised his pistol and aimed it at the forehead of the Klobak man who was kneeling on the ground. Several people let out a faint sound of alarm. "First name," he repeated again.

"Shoot me," the Klobak man's gaze remained fixed on the ground. "That's what the imperialists think. threaten us. Abuse us. So you shoot. That way you're sure you're going to get nothing. I will pass through the Gate of the Occult with the blessings of all the Messengers, and be content to know that you have not succeeded. ”

"Yes," Cain said. "You will. But that's not how the rules of the game are. ”

He looked somewhere else. Now the light collapse gun was aimed at the girl next to the Klobak. She was a weirdo, her eyes widened and her face full of solemnity. Unlike the others, she chose to look directly at Cain and his gun.

"Hand over the first name, Klobak, or it will not be you who pass through the door of life and death. You will still be here, alive and well, without blessings or satisfaction, except for her braids to hang on your clothes. ”

The Klobak man looked at the girl with sharp eyes, and worry came to his eyes. "You won't," he hissed.

"Oh, I will," Cain said. "I sure will. One by one, everyone came until I got the list I wanted, and the answers to all the other questions. This game is simple. The key is how many dead bodies are needed to make you understand that the answer is less important than life. One? Three? Fifteen? Hundred? ”

"How can you be so cruel—"

"It's my job. I don't like that. Do you think I like to kill people more than to ask questions? You, who are you, make my work necessary. You left me with no choice. In fact, I don't even know how you can be so cruel! This poor little girl shouldn't have her head wiped off at all, all because you were too slow to answer. ”

The Klobak man swallowed hard. "I ...... I will never ...... Betrayal ......"

"Well, maybe I should admire a principled man," Cain sighed. "Principles are more important than anything else, especially if the person who is going to die is not you."

He looked at the girl. Her eyes were so big, but strangely there was no fear in them. He had never seen anyone so calm. It feels unsettling. He felt he should question her—especially her—and learn everything she knew.