Warhammer: Start with a dog.

Chapter 836 Interlude: The New Dice (Part 1)
"Waaaaah—(Get off me)."

Peturabo's face was grim, but he only let out a low growl and was unwilling to get up from his gel cooling mat—in the sweltering summer heat, even with air conditioning, it was still a drop in the bucket for the long-haired Border Collie.

After all, while the owner of this house can wear a vest, shorts, and sandals while eating cold drinks, dogs don't have such superior natural conditions. No matter how many times they change their fur, they can't take it off, not to mention that dogs can only use their four paws and their tongues to dissipate heat.

Of course, the owner of the house was not present at the moment, which allowed Peturabo to speak so freely—although he was still using animal language, to onlookers the place was filled with barking and chattering, making it quite lively.

"Be generous, brother. You're the one who called us over for the meeting. Do you know how hot it is outside? My claws were almost roasted on the windowsill. My feathers felt scalding hot, at least sixty degrees Celsius!"

"I know it's still at least fifty degrees! That's why I'm telling you to roll away—your feathers are burning my stomach! Roll over to the air conditioner vent and cool your brains down!"

"Good heavens, your temper gets terrible when it gets hot, just like your owner. Like master, like pet!"

Magnus chattered on, but he knew it was his brother's good intention, because Peturabo usually lay in that comfortable open space and had just been moved to another spot.

So he walked over, and a comfortable breeze immediately blew Magnus's feathers.

"He is not my master!"

The Border Collie's lips curled up to reveal its canine teeth, and its mane swelled up on its neck, but its body remained faithfully pressed against the ice pad.

"Okay, okay, no, then no. Hmm, you're the one who guided him. Doesn't that sound much better?"

“It’s truly an art of conversation, brother,” Clarks said. The pure black bird spoke fluent local dialect, though his accent might be a bit too old-fashioned, but everyone could understand him. “I need to learn from you.”

“Of course.” Magnus proudly puffed out his hairy chest. “The manners of scholars are unparalleled.”

"..." Peturabo turned his head helplessly and saw Leon, who had found a cushion and was comfortably leaning against it, with his golden, fluffy lips curled up in a mocking expression.

"Where is Dorn?" Leon coughed when he noticed Perturabo's gaze, instantly exuding an air of authority. "Hasn't he arrived yet?"

“He’s been taking him to his keeper’s workplace during the day lately—his keeper broke up with his girlfriend and is often out all night, so he has to keep him with him,” Peturabo said succinctly.

“What a misfortune.” This was Guilliman, sitting upright beside Leon. As the pampered and cared-for blue cat, he rarely had the chance to attend parties. Today, his grandmother had just gone out and hadn’t closed the kitchen window. “I haven’t been able to speak to Dorn in a long time.”

"Where is Mortarian? Didn't you say his unified self had arrived here? Why haven't I seen him bring his past with him?"

“Humans are much more complicated than animals here,” Magnus said. “If I were human, I would have to follow the library’s opening hours to enter and leave, and I would have to pay for the cafeteria, but as a bird, it’s really convenient.”

“I think what Magnus is trying to say is that Mortalian has to convince himself first, and secondly, they have a term for Mortalian’s human form coming into this house: ‘trespassing’.”

"The owner of this place isn't here right now. As long as you open the door for him and let him leave before he returns, do you think the owner will notice? Besides, if we're discovered here, will it be alright?"

"You were both able to leave from the balcony or window in time... Even if he caught a glimpse of your backs, he'd only find it strange and wouldn't think much of it. But what if he came back early and saw someone in the house? How would you expect Mortalian to explain that? If it led to the police station and Mortalian lost his job, as a biotech expert... you'd be the one to bear the resentment he felt after all the hard work it took for him to get the job?"

“Well, there’s really no need—what about Vulcan? Isn’t he in one of the buildings up ahead? In this kind of weather, there’s no issue of hibernation or freezing to death, right?” “Vulcan doesn’t care about this kind of weather, but his master obviously thought he was going to die, so he just gave him a large enrichment box and didn’t let him run around the house.”

A sound came from the crack in the window, and a fluffy red-bellied squirrel darted in from the scalding hot water pipe below. It then rubbed its paws and stomped its feet to slam the window shut, preventing the sweltering heat from getting in.

"This drainpipe is so hot!"

"If I remember correctly, the species of Vulcan belongs to the African lizard family."

"You bet. But his owner still turned on the air conditioning for him. I find it hard to comment."

“Not surprising. It’s probably much hotter here than in Africa this year. Anyway, after the meeting, we’ll just send the minutes and other issues to be discussed to him and the others who couldn’t attend. We’ll make a decision at the next meeting,” Peturabo commented. “Alright, let me count them off: um, Leon, me, Guilliman, Magnus, Kluck, Loga…”

"Wasn't it said that there were nine brothers in the meeting?"

“There are two.” Peturabo raised his white front paw and pointed to a white sphere with black markings at the other end of the room.

“I just cracked its voice permissions—can you hear me?” Felus Manus’s voice came from the white sphere in a strange, synthesized electrical sound.

"what is this?"

"With the new cameras, Ferrus can hack in."

"Then you can name two?"

“I’ve also hacked into the cameras at Forgrim’s place. He’ll speak up if he has any objections, but he’s not available right now because he has a caretaker,” Feralus said succinctly in his electronic voice.

“OH”.

“That’s only eight people.” Killman carefully pinched the claws again, while subtly moving his rear end a little further away from the smiling squirrel.

"I'm waiting for the last one..."

"Bang!!!" A loud crash came from the iron gate, and every animal in the room became alert. Some even stood up and subconsciously reached for the swords and weapons at their waists.

"Oh, it's him."

Peturabo finally got up lazily, walked to the door, unlocked it, and let the huge visitor in.

A huge, fluffy Alaskan Malamute, carrying the joyful smell of food and fur, walked in from outside, shook its fur, and then gave almost everyone in the room a bear hug—Magnus just in time to fly to the top of the farthest cupboard.

“I shouldn’t have missed the main topic, right?” Leman Russ smiled, revealing his canine teeth.

(End of this chapter)