Warhammer: Black Emperor

Chapter 260 Imitating the Wolf King, Establishing the Shadow Guard

Ninglu did not reply immediately. He looked at the matriarch Violet and recalled the information about the Vischer family.

Although the Vischers were historically rich and incredibly wealthy, and their palace in Terra was considered one of the finest buildings ever constructed, they did not linger in Terra's political infighting.

They focus on collecting knowledge, especially knowledge about the latest celestial data.

The Vischer family placed their navigators on ships far from the empire's borders, serving the merchant ronin dynasty and distant explorer fleets.

Thinking this through, Ninglu had already roughly guessed Violet's purpose in coming.

What does Vischer want?

“The star map of the Eleventh Legion.” Violet’s eyes gleamed as she spoke the elders’ request.

The rapid expansion of the 11th Army Corps attracted the attention of Vyschel, who hoped to acquire this valuable knowledge.

Because the navigators for the fleet service had already been determined, Vischer could not directly assign navigators to the ships of the Eleventh Army.

At such times, Visher would typically send agents to infiltrate and blend into the Imperial fleet, merchant ronin, Imperial Navy, and explorer ships.

However, after several attempts, Visher was unable to break through the keenly perceptive Shadow of Order, and instead lost more than a dozen elite family agents.

The elders of Visher realized that they could not bypass the shadow of order to obtain the star map possessed by the Legion. After deliberation, they decided to send the Great Grandmother as their representative to negotiate an alliance.

“Vescher’s foundation lies in using star charts to determine which regions are profitable, and then funding merchant families and expeditions,” Ninglu asked.

“Your Excellency is wise, it is indeed so.” Violet glanced at Ninglu in surprise.

The Vischer family is very secretive and is almost unknown to outsiders except for the Navigation Clan. It is astonishing that Nimrod knows so much about their family.

“I can share the star map with Visser,” Nimrod said. “I can also give priority to the roving merchants who have received my trade licenses.”

Introducing the navigators and resources of the Veschel family could also accelerate the development of the traveling merchants.

As long as the merchant families follow the management and development of the Shadow Order, Ninglu doesn't care if they gain profits, and he doesn't mind if the Vischer family gets a share.

“I think you must have some requests of Vischer,” Violet asked thoughtfully.

Ninglu nodded slightly: "My request is simple: one is that Visher permanently provides navigators for the 'Shadow of Order'."

"Another one is that the Vysher family wants to share all the star maps with the Eleventh Legion."

"As allies, each navigator will be protected by a Shadow of Order."

Horus's conspiracy and the emergence of the Veschel family gave Nimrod new ideas.

He decided to draw on the covenant between Riemann Russ and Belisarius of the Navigator family to enter into a covenant with Vyschel.

The navigator Alexander Belisarius aided Russ in many battles, and on the day of the army's founding celebration, the Space Wolf and Belisarius signed a perpetual diplomatic agreement.

The Belisarius family will permanently provide navigators for the Space Wolf.

An entire squadron of Space Wolves, named "Wolfblades," permanently protects the Belisarius family, making the Space Wolves the only Astartes with a permanent garrison on Terra.

Although the "Imperial Fist" is assigned the responsibility of Terra's Royal Guard, they do not permanently garrison the surface; they spend most of their time aboard the Mountain Array.

The Navigator families frequently clash over commercial interests, and the Space Wolf's intervention provides significant assistance to the Belisarius family.

Space Wolf plays multiple roles in this process, not only as a bodyguard and trainer of the Belisarius family guard, but also in carrying out various mysterious missions.

Although wolves were considered "wolf blades" and thus exiled, in reality, wolves who demonstrated leadership were often sent to the Belisarius family by their lords.

Wolfblades, at the heart of the human empire's power structure, enhance their political acumen and gain a profound understanding of how the empire functions as a whole.

While protecting the navigators, the Wolf Blades inevitably come into contact with high-ranking officials and dignitaries at all levels of power. These wolves establish connections with the imperial elite, which in turn nourish the "Space Wolves."

Nimrod believes this is the best example of Ruth's political acumen. Perhaps he did not realize the significance of this move at the time, but it has indeed benefited the Space Wolves for millennia, nurturing many outstanding leaders such as Ragnar Blackmane.

After becoming the Wolf Blade, Ragnar Blackmane not only grew and honed his skills but also learned about human relationships, eventually becoming the youngest Wolf Lord in the millennia-long history of the "Space Wolves." Nimrod has now decided to emulate the Wolf King's actions ahead of time, and to establish connections with the selected noble families more proactively, extensively, and deeply.

Despite his irreconcilable differences with the wolf king regarding the use of psychic powers, he was willing to learn from the wolves.

Compared to the Belisarius family, the Vishel are not as keen on the power struggles of Terra. Only a few family members remain in Terra, so they are less politically savvy, but they are more adept at business and intrigue.

Politically, Ninglu will choose another family.

[Expanding political influence in Terra will help resolve Horus's strategic problems in the short term, and in the long term, it will cultivate a large number of leaders within the "Shadow of Order" who understand other factions within the Empire.]
"Don't you have any other conditions?" Violet frowned slightly, puzzled as an accomplished diplomat and businesswoman.

The Primarch made fewer demands than she had expected, yet offered her better treatment.

"No," Ning Lu replied simply.

“I praise your generosity,” Violet said with a graceful smile, offering her compliment.

Please give me some time, and I will get back to you as soon as possible.

Ninglu nodded slightly, knowing that Violet needed to consult with the elders of the Vischer family to make a final decision.

“Arsène Dunne will represent me to discuss the follow-up details with you.”

After Violet left, Nimrod shared his thoughts with the Primarch's servant.

After a moment's thought, the "deduction student" praised, "My lord, this move will benefit the legion for a long time to come."

"You contact Patton, and I will send a team of Shadow Order to the Drake family."

"They, along with the Shadow Order stationed in the Vischer family, are known as the Shadow Guards."

In Ninglu's memory, the Drake family's power in the future will be even greater than it is now, and will continue until the Great Rift unfolds.

The Drake family has held high positions in the Astronautical Army for generations, with almost every generation having a family member serving as the Lord Commander of the Astronautical Army.

The Lord Commander is the highest-ranking commander of the Star Guard in the five major star domains of the Empire. Above them is only the Grand Marshal of the Star Guard.

They even sometimes appoint the leader of the Drake family as the Grand Marshal of the Star Guardians, ranking him among the High Lords.

Drake's long-term hold on a high position in the Astronomical Army stems not only from the military skills cultivated by his family's generations of excellent education, but also from the family's unique expertise in politics and diplomacy.

Being stationed in the Shadow of Order within the Drake family not only allows them to understand the operational mechanisms of the Star Guardians from a high-level perspective, but also facilitates smoother communication during coordinated operations.

Being at the heart of power in Terra allows them to hone their political and leadership skills.

The following day, Barton Drake, who happened to be back in Terra handling some business, received a message from the Primarch's servant. Overwhelmed by the kindness shown to him, he rushed to the villa that evening to express his gratitude to the Primarch.

"My lord, the Vostonian warriors you sent to protect me saved my life in the recent Battle of Magona."

"Now you have dispatched the Shadow of Order to protect the members of the Drake family. I am deeply honored by your favor and have no way to repay it."

Patton knelt on one knee, placing his hand on his chest in Vostonia etiquette.

"The Drake family has been loyal to you for generations, and you are their master!"

"I accept your loyalty!" Ninglu said, then helped up the excited veteran of the auxiliary army.

Three hours later, Barton returned to the mansion and announced to his family members.

"From this day forward, House Drake will be under the patronage of Primarch Nimrod, and the Legion's emblem of the Shadow of Order will be added to the family crest."

After hearing Violet's report, the elders of the Veschel family eagerly accepted the Primarch's generous terms.

Three days later, Primarch's attendant, Arsena, representing Nimrod, signed an alliance with the Visher family.

Nimrod selected fifty-four Shadow Order members from the Honor Guard who demonstrated outstanding leadership to become the first Shadow Guards, and dispatched them to the Vischer and Drake families respectively.

(End of this chapter)