Warhammer: Hail to the Void Lords!.

Chapter 719 07.718: "New Mission: Find the Whereabouts of the Supreme Princess"

"Have you finished talking to that adult?"

The Baron noticed that Horatio looked relieved when he walked into the banquet hall, so he smiled and raised his hand to signal the servant beside him to pour wine for Horatio.

The servant, dressed in a neat uniform, picked up the wine jug with skillful movements and slowly poured the amber wine into the glass. The wine was covered with fine bubbles and exuded a mellow aroma.

"What's the situation?" the baroness asked softly, her voice echoing in the slightly empty banquet hall.

"That's good. My work has been supported and recognized." Horatio raised the corners of his mouth, revealing a smile, and responded gently.

At this time, the only guests in the banquet hall were the people brought by Horatio. Everyone sat in a more casual manner, and conversations were heard one after another.

The baron gently rang the bell in his hand, and the crisp sound instantly attracted everyone's attention.

A tray cart was slowly pushed in, with a whole roasted Grox cub on it. The shiny golden skin exuded an enticing aroma, and fat dripped onto the plate from time to time, making a sizzling sound.

The baron's chief attendant, dressed in a gorgeous robe with heraldry, walked forward solemnly. He had the honorable qualification to slice meat for the master and guests. This ritualistic procedure also represented the heritage and solemn rank of the knight family.

"So, Your Excellency, as a captain of the Imperial Navy, why did you come to land?
The environment here is far less comfortable than on a ship, and I have never heard of an Imperial Navy officer being sent to command the Astra Militarum in combat. I really can't think of any reason why anyone would volunteer to take on such an uncomfortable and unnecessary responsibility."

The baron gently shook the wine glass in his hand, and the bright red fruit wine produced in the garden world in the glass rippled, sparkling with charming luster under the light.

"Unnecessary duties?" Horatio laughed and said, "My duty is to protect the entire galaxy. What difference does it make where the war is fought?

The Imperial Navy was always the first to arrive at the battlefield, but because the navy had no ground forces of its own, it could only watch helplessly as the ground was invaded.

But is there no way to change this situation of inaction?"

"You want to form your own Marine Corps?" The Baron frowned slightly, staring at Horatio, and seemed to be hesitant to speak.

"After arriving at the battlefield, deploy the troops first. The fleet fights in the void, and the troops fight on the ground. There is no conflict between the two." Horatio sat up straight and explained seriously.

"Interesting." A hint of barely perceptible sadness flashed across the baron's eyes. If you look closely, you can find the resentment hidden beneath the sadness. "If there were people who thought like you back then, our homeland would not have been destroyed."

"The cloud of shame has obscured our honor." The baroness' eyes were now filled with sadness, mixed with a bit of anger. She sighed softly and spoke in a low voice.

"Which knight world are you from?" Horatio grasped the topic keenly and asked.

"It is no longer a Knight World. It was ravaged by xenos, and we were unable to stop that invasion.

The Imperial Navy arrived first, just as you said, but could only stay in orbit and was powerless to do anything about what was happening on the ground until it was defeated by more alien ships. "A look of pain flashed across the Baron's eyes, and he slowly recalled that painful past.

"God-Emperor, what happened in the end? Did your home world fall?" Horatio asked nervously.

"No, but it's almost the same as being conquered. We won, but at the cost of almost all the knights sacrificed, including our Supreme King." The baron's voice was low and filled with endless grief.

"My husband and I were both warriors serving the High King."

The Duchess added, with a hint of desolation in her eyes, “We survived, but our knightly social system collapsed.

In the end, the world was saved, but we lost the meaning of our existence.”

"And then you became Freeblades." Horatio picked up the glass, took a sip of wine, and then asked.

"But we are not wandering aimlessly. To be precise, we are looking for the daughter of the Supreme King, the king's final heir." The baron looked into the distance outside the castle, as if he was looking for something.

"Princess? Did you find the clue in the end?" Horatio adjusted his sitting position and asked curiously.

"No. The situation was too chaotic at the time, so my wife and I were responsible for covering our retreat. I only know that she left the world on the last shuttle, and we have lost contact with her since then." The baron shook his head slowly: "Then, after becoming the Freeblade, my duty to fight for the Emperor further affected our search for the whereabouts of the princess. Between mission and duty, I chose mission."

"Your Lordship, you are the captain of the Imperial Navy. Perhaps you can help us inquire during your journey across the starry sea." The baroness forced a smile.

"Where was she last seen?" Horatio asked after a moment's thought.

"The Calixis Sector."

"Calixis? It's in the Nebulous Star Region, due north of Cadia." Horatio frowned slightly and skillfully called up the layout of the star map in his mind.

"Yes."

"What is your Majesty's name?"

"Maria Władysław. This is her portrait." The baron said, motioning the servant to present the portrait. "Are you from the same family?" Horatio raised his eyebrows, as he clearly remembered that the baron was a member of the Władysław family.

"To be more precise, she is my sister." A complicated look flashed in the baron's eyes.

"Your sister is the heir to the throne?" Horatio was full of doubts, thinking about this strange inheritance relationship.

"The royal family of Władysław practices the system of equal succession among the youngest sons. The youngest child inherits the throne, regardless of gender." The baron explained patiently.

"It's a very rare inheritance law. Most of the noble royal families I've seen follow the primogeniture system." Horatio nodded slightly, sighing in his heart.

"Just get used to it, Your Excellency. The galaxy is vast, and every knight royal family has developed a succession law that best suits their family over the long history.

As you can see, our ears are different from others, just like our inheritance law is also different. "The baron touched his ears gently and said.

"Yeah. You have very long ears." Louise said softly.

"Like a horse," Veronica mumbled with a large piece of barbecue in her mouth, telling the truth bluntly.

“But we are not subhumans. This is the result of a long evolution on our home planet.

Our world is often invaded by Dark Eldar and Greenskin aliens. We must be vigilant day and night and keep our ears sharp.

For some unknown reason, our bodies gradually began to change and our ears began to resemble those of war horses.

It was also in this environment that the death rate among older children in battle was very high, so we established the law of youngest son inheritance.

The older sons who survived would specialize in martial arts and become warriors in front of the emperor, and protect their younger brothers and sisters together, helping them learn the ways of management until they become qualified heirs. "The baron explained patiently.

At this time, the attendant held the princess's portrait in both hands and walked forward respectfully.

Horatio reached out and took the portrait from the attendant.

The woman in the portrait, like the baron and baroness, has a pair of towering "horse ears" and wears etched and carved knight's full plate armor. She looks very young, but her eyes reveal a heroic spirit that is no less brave than men.

[Oh my god, a warhorse girl?!] Horatio, who happened to hear the term "converging with the warhorse", could not help but complain in his heart.

It would have been better if he hadn't said it, but when he mentioned the similarities with war horses, he almost couldn't help laughing out loud.

"I'll accept this portrait. When I arrive in the Caliss sector in the future, I will use the navy and merchant network to help you find her trace." Horatio carefully put away the portrait and said seriously.

"Thank you, my lord. Our knight royal family is in danger, and blood is the only foundation for us to maintain our royal power.

If you can help us find the princess, the reconstruction of the Władysław royal family will be just around the corner. The knights of the Władysław family will become your most steadfast supporters. Wherever your orders lead, our swords will follow!"

Having received the promise of the rising star of the navy, the Baron and Baroness stood up excitedly, raised their glasses to Horatio and spoke earnestly.

[As long as I find the princess of the Władysław family, I can get the support of the entire Władysław Knight Family? This sounds very tempting.]
"Not only that, Aubis and I also have many connections and friends in the Free Blade, not just the knights of the Władysław family. If you need us, we will do our best to gather an entire knight group for you."

He seemed to see through Horatio's thoughts, and without beating around the bush, he directly offered the most attractive conditions to him.

!!! An entire order of knights???!

Such a generous reward instantly gave Horatio the motivation to take on this mission. No matter how difficult the process was, it was worth it with such a reward.

"There is nothing to say, Baron. The Władysław family has made great sacrifices for mankind. Your princess should not be exiled to a foreign land. It is my duty!" Horatio raised his glass.

He knew that if these huge 8 to 12 meter high mechas could cooperate with the naval landing forces in combat, the navy's fatal shortcoming of lacking heavy armor could be compensated to a certain extent.

According to data recognized by the Empire, the combat power of a single Knight Mech is enough to match that of several Leman Russ tank companies.

The Guilliman Codex stipulates that the Imperial Navy cannot unite with the Astra Militarum, but no one would have thought that someone in the Imperial Navy would be able to bypass the code and unite with the Knight Families.

The knights do not fight purely in mechas, they have their own mortal servants who will follow the knights on expeditions.

Although they may not be as elite as the Astra Militarum, they are definitely at the level of a planetary defense force.

[However, as a dignified Primarch who is good at government affairs, did Robert Guilliman really not think of this? After all, he never thought of implementing the Holy Codex intact for 10,000 years. Maybe he deliberately left a loophole for operation?] Horatio couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

(End of this chapter)