Regardless of whether it was a prosperous planet, a barren world in a remote, poverty-stricken area, or even a place where the methods of worshipping the Emperor varied wildly, one thing remained constant.
That was the love for alcohol!
Getting dead drunk was the cheapest way for mentally exhausted people in this cruel world to relax, which is why taverns everywhere were packed after sunset.
"Ding-a-ling"
The wind chimes at the tavern entrance rang, and two dust-covered figures walked into the bustling tavern, filled with clinking glasses and chatter, immediately drawing all eyes in the room.
They were heavily cloaked with hoods, one tall and one short, their faces obscured, making them seem secretive and not quite legitimate.
But this was Ashley, the lowest level of Adelie, one of the thirty-two thousand Hive Worlds recorded in the Imperium.
A paradise for criminals, heretics, and even xenos of other races could be found here. Imperial law was practically non-existent, as the ruling nobles looked down on these mud-stained commoners and lower-class individuals and couldn't be bothered to manage them.
It was practically prime soil for nurturing evil, so here, everyone's identity was more or less problematic, blacklisted and unable to see the light of day. No one found anything wrong with the attire of these two individuals.
In fact, some even thought they were a fat sheep, as their boots, though covered in grime, were clearly made of high-grade material, indicating they were obviously not short on money.
"Clink, clank, clang"
A few rusty coins dropped onto the bar, making a crisp sound. The tall man spoke in Gothic, the Imperial common tongue:
"Two distilled spirits, the best you have."
"Coming right up, sirs."
These two were Kenmyo Isayama and Elena. Their current attire was that of typical outsiders found everywhere in this place.
According to the limited intelligence gathered by the Imperium's omnipresent intelligence officers, Kenmyo Isayama had traced the traitor Inquisitor Tossak-Rome to the Hive World of Adelie.
A Hive World is a colossal, pyramid-shaped residential complex built by the Imperium on a planet. Hive Worlds are also the largest and most chaotic human settlements in the history of human civilization. The upper levels are mostly inhabited by nobles and Imperial officials, reaching directly into the clouds, with pleasant climates indistinguishable from a Home World, enjoying sunlight that middle and lower-level residents might never see in their lifetime.
The middle levels are mostly inhabited by ordinary people, who constitute the largest group.
The lower and sub-levels are home to the poorest people, mostly exiled here due to crimes or sensitive identities. There is practically no lighting equipment here, and many gangs will fight over minor disputes.
Kenmyo Isayama was seeing such a dark and chaotic place for the first time. It was hard to imagine this was an Imperium-controlled area, with ubiquitous deadly conflicts and foul, murky air.
They finally found a decent-looking small town, a rare sanctuary in this bloody, chaotic hell, and then he and Elena came to this tavern.
After all, to quickly gather most of the local intelligence, there were only two places to go.
One was a mixed-bag tavern, and the other was a place like a red-light district, which Kenmyo Isayama and Elena found unsuitable to enter.
Fortunately, this tavern was barely acceptable, much better than the filth outside.
As an Inquisitor, Kenmyo Isayama was not as selflessly devoted as the astartes Space Marines; his salary was quite high.
However, the coins Kenmyo Isayama had just casually tossed were not traditional Imperial currency, but a special metal that served as hard currency in this criminal city.
The bartender, wearing faded clothes, his eyes lit up when he saw these items. He deftly pocketed all the steel chips, then pulled out an exquisite metal bottle from the liquor shelf behind him.
"This is a good find from the Scavenger Squad, from Albe. They say only noble lords can drink it."
Kenmyo Isayama raised an eyebrow. Albe was once a Hive World, but decades ago, due to the betrayal of its ruling nobles, it was mercilessly destroyed by the Imperium, which could not tolerate traitors.
Its ruins were just a pile of garbage to the Imperium, but in the eyes of scavengers, it was an inestimable treasure.
The bartender's fawning tone, though brief, was very clear in the not-so-small tavern.
"Damn it, Yuri, where did you get such a good thing?!"
This scene made the craving for alcohol in the hearts of those drunkards, who could only drink the lowest quality liquor, even harder to bear. They clamored with eyes like those seeing a naked beauty that was hard to resist.
The timid ones only dared to talk tough, but some bolder ones, under the influence of alcohol, couldn't care less!
Just like now, in Ashley, the lowest level of the Hive World, the timid always starve, and the bold always thrive.
A tall, red-faced, drunken man, with terrifying tattoos on his arms, angrily slammed the table and stood up, staggering over.
"Damn it, to have such a good thing and not let Lord Jimmy drink it!"
"Jimmy, this is the 'Fierce Shark's' territory! Even your 'Wild Horse Gang' Boss wouldn't dare to act so presumptuously here!"
Bartender Yuri, though scared, felt emboldened by remembering he had the 'Fierce Shark' backing him. He immediately issued a warning.
Hearing the bartender's words, the already drunken Jimmy merely hiccuped, then spat fiercely on the ground.
"Using the 'Fierce Shark's' name to intimidate Lord Jimmy? Yuri, you've got a lot of nerve."
The drunkard spoke with a dismissive tone, tinged with a hint of pride.
"The Fierce Shark is the Boss of Ashley now, that's true, but my Wild Horse Gang recently got a new second-in-command! Ashley is going to change its name!"
The drunkard's words were no less than a bomb dropped into the tavern. The people who were still watching the show were stunned by this statement, then burst into exceptionally enthusiastic laughter. Some even clutched their stomachs, laughing until they fell under the tables.
"Jimmy, I don't think you're drunk; I think your entire head is broken."
Kenmyo Isayama had done his homework. The "Wild Horse Gang" of this silly, drunken man, while barely making a name for itself in Ashley, was still no match for the "Fierce Shark," who was subtly like an underground emperor.
His claim that the "Wild Horse Gang" would replace the "Fierce Shark" and suddenly become the Boss of Ashley was as preposterous as a Gretchin knocking out a Big Guy with one punch.
That's why he was mocked by everyone, like a clown.
"Talk in your sleep when you're actually asleep!"
Jimmy, who had just been so confident, turned red and then pale from everyone's taunts. He wanted to angrily retort, but a chilling voice suddenly appeared behind him, freezing him in place.
"Who is speaking of my 'Fierce Shark'?"
Kenmyo Isayama's eyes under his cloak observed the uninvited guest: a fellow even larger than the hallucinating drunkard pushed open the tavern door and walked in, followed by a large group of people.
As this person walked in, the bustling tavern instantly fell silent, especially the clown, whose face turned deathly pale, clearly sobered by fear.
"Lord Kurl, why have you come today?"
The bartender also recognized him as the Fierce Shark's second-in-command. He walked out from behind the bar to face this large group of people, not even attending to his two important customers, Kenmyo Isayama and Elena, smiling fawningly.
"Yumi, there's still a private room upstairs, right?"
"Of course! I have it cleaned spotless every day, just waiting for you lords to arrive!"
The Fierce Shark's second-in-command, Kurl, nodded. He didn't even glance at the clown a second time, simply instructing his men to drag out the one who had spoken out of turn. Soon after, a desolate scream was heard from outside. He then gave a cold smile and, led by the bartender, ascended the stairs.
Kenmyo Isayama's view on this was truly "a small pond with too many big fish"; the continued existence of such low-level gang structures was a characteristic of uncivilized societies.
"Let's go, Elena."
Kenmyo Isayama merely sniffed the so-called noble's drink the bartender had mentioned and immediately discerned that it was just old wine in a new bottle.
As for it being a decade-old liquor, Kenmyo Isayama suspected the production date was just that afternoon—a blatant act of fraud.
And as an Inquisitor, how could Kenmyo Isayama not know? That scoundrel just now wasn't speaking nonsense due to drink, but rather, speaking the truth under its influence.