Warhammer: Start with a dog.

Chapter 376 Banquet
"Don't you like it? This banquet is all about showing you off? My beautiful Lucius."

The figure called by name by the mistress of the Ghorda dynasty turned sideways towards her.

Lucius - apparently he had told her that name as part of the deal, and now the Emperor's Children's court swordsman champion was wearing a gold-embroidered robe made of ivory and conch purple, thin Greek sandals for decorative effect, and a dazzling pink sapphire and diamond necklace, earrings, armlets, bracelets and rings, some of which were connected by thin pearl and gold chains. The control collar that looked very different was not covered, and the warning light on his neck flashed a vicious red light when it was in working state.

His light-colored forehead was adorned with a unique crown made of gleaming white crystal and wraithbone, a relic that was clearly from some Craft World, glowing with the color of dead alien souls and re-inlaid with tiny diamonds by human craftsmanship, appearing even paler than his silver hair, making his hair color appear vibrant yet with a decayed beauty.

Below were a pair of amethyst eyes set in the face of a creature of extraordinary beauty, and now they were gazing at her with interest.

"In fact, I am quite surprised that, as a mere mortal, the extravagance of this banquet reminds me a little of the theatre of the Emperor's Pride. But I believe that showing off my abilities will make the jewels on your head shine even more, my Lady."

"It seems that neural whips and flesh-gnawing beetle pits can really make your words sound more pleasant. Those offensive places can be regarded as your little charm. Pride of the Emperor? Is that the mothership of your regiment? She has a very loyal and noble name, but unfortunately I have never heard of her achievements when I was in the navy." The female lord's gray eyes stared at him closely, "Is she missing? Or does she belong to a fleet very far away from here?"

"Far away..." Lucius seemed to have thought of something and smiled slightly. Someone in the banquet hall seemed to feel a dizzy commotion. "It is indeed very far away. There should be a most terrible warp storm between us."

"Oh... Warp trek, indeed, anything can happen in this kind of accident. So you were indeed separated from your comrades, so you didn't even wear power armor, and appeared alone in this port on the border of the empire in ordinary clothes." The female merchant raised the corner of her mouth sarcastically, "You originally planned to ask for help from the Imperial Navy in the Central Fortress, right? Unfortunately, you met me."

She looked with satisfaction at her banquet hall, which had taken decades to decorate with pink sapphires, pearls, mother-of-pearl and diamonds, and the trophy decorated with jewels of the same color, and asked him to come over, while extending her pale and slender arm to him.

The court swordsman champion from ten thousand years ago walked over with an ancient and elegant etiquette that could not be imitated, helped her up according to the instructions of the female lord, and escorted her to the head seat of the banquet table like a most polite gentleman, under the envious and amazed gazes of everyone in the magnificent banquet hall of the traveling merchants.

--To be honest, even though Lucius felt very curious about the Rogue Trader flagship experience trip these days and had no aversion to the pleasure it brought him, this woman's various means and her only commendable audacity were not enough to make the arrogant Emperor's son follow her so closely and do what she said. He felt that one of the most annoying things was how to conceal his lack of interest in front of her.

——Her extravagant desire to show off her superiority, her undisguised endless greed, her clear ambition and control freakism, and her deep love for the art of torture were simply not worth mentioning in the eyes of Lucius, who had experienced some of the internal activities of the Third Legion and knew some officer brothers who had gone higher and further in these aspects.

——And did she really have a brain? Even a little thinking could tell how perfunctory Lucius's story was: first, since he was not wearing power armor or carrying any weapons, and such an extraordinary beauty could arrive at the port safely alone, there must be something nearby that could guarantee his safety; second, didn't she notice that Lucius was wearing a very fitted Astartes-sized suit? Didn't she think about where he got it? Finally——Lucius thought that with his ability, it was too easy to stir up the joy, anger, sorrow and happiness of these mortals just by his presence. For example, now, although he stood quietly beside her throne, he could see the eyes of the guests flashing with various lights of desire for him: whether it was mortals or others, his already very sensitive touch could now feel those clear desires and emotions——this was the gift brought to him by the burning ceremony when the King of Ironheart dissected him from soul to body, and where there was desire, there was space for him to display.

He lowered his eyes slightly and gave everyone a helpless and dreamy response look from under his eyelashes. Then, as expected, the eyes of the lady lord's close assistant began to stare at the lady lord maliciously in secret, while the eyes of the artists began to be filled with surprise and playful interest. Oh, there were others.

He saw the ally of the female lord, a biological sage who had made extensive modifications to his body, staring at him so eagerly: it reminded Lucius of a former peer in his own legion, Fabius, the pharmacist who was originally called "Spider" by the already corrupted Fulgrim himself. It was rumored that he had been called Fabius Bile since then. The same eyes, unrelated to worldly desires, were a twisted desire for truth and knowledge from the bottom of his heart.

For some reason, when he thought of the words "corrupted Fulgrim" and Fabius Bile, a silent shrieking ripple that could not be concealed by the veil of the warp was transmitted to Lucius from the distant and chaotic void, causing goose bumps to appear on his skin.

The former Thirteenth Captain of the Emperor's Children suddenly shuddered. A strange, soul-stirring chuckle murmured into his heart, entwining him, tempting him, telling him that he should create some "unforgettable and joyful flesh and blood art" for the mortals here in order to dedicate the 100,000 souls here to a certain powerful being in the highest heaven... and this illusory feeling quietly penetrated into his soul...

Lucius's purple eyes gradually began to blur. Perhaps he shouldn't play games like this, but should create some pleasant pain for himself and everyone else at the same time... pleasant... pain... burning sensation... being forced to open his eyes and watch his most secret, dark, and shameful essence being dragged out naked by the powerful red-haired king, burned alive in his soul by the glazed flames, and reshaped from the void -

He paused suddenly, and the jewels on his body shone with a charming brilliance, and the fragrant and jeweled punters behind the curtain let out sharp screams of annoyance and anger.

A figure that was entangled with its obese self - Enkali's figure deep in the veil and velvet throne also screamed in fear and anger, but then began to giggle.

"Ah, things are getting interesting. This child - my lost child! He actually rejected my invitation to the banquet with the great gods! And it was because of that madman?"

The fallen phoenix pursed his full dark lips like a child seeing a fancy new toy, and N'kali's fat snake body twisted to give him a kiss.

"But it's much easier to play with other people... Interesting, interesting, let's see what he does next, eh? My love."

(End of this chapter)