Warhammer: Black Emperor

Chapter 272 Rejecting Manus's Advice
Upon returning to Vostochny, Nimrod had Gabriel represent him and accompany Finus Manus on a tour of the factory.

He should have been represented by Primarch's servant, Arsenal Dunn, but since the object of his attention was Manus, the Armory Master would have been more appropriate.

Immediately afterwards, Nimrod returned to the palace and summoned the "assassin," Maria Kournikova.

“My lady,” Maria said with a bitter smile, “even if I were to select people in Voskovia by the most stringent standards, there would be no one in the world who could be called your opponent.”

"The last target we assassinated was eleven months ago."

Maria sensed that it might not be long before her assassin organization would lose its meaning to Nimrod.

“No need to worry,” Nimrod said, looking down at Maria. “I have many enemies and need assassins to deal with them.”

Maria's face lit up with joy, and she was about to ask a question when suddenly a flood of information rushed into her mind.

[Ritual...The Black Emperor?]
As she was thinking, a voice rang in her mind.

“By performing the ritual, you will receive revelation.”

“Yes, sir…” Maria’s long golden braid fell down. “My lord.”

Maria then returned to the Tezwok hive.

Yelena has moved the Kournikova family’s headquarters to the political center of Vostonia, Exemplary City, but Maria still keeps her base in Tezvok.

This is where Lord Ninglu started his career.

This city has undergone tremendous changes compared to the past.

On the one hand, in addition to the nest dwellers who have lived in the upper nest for generations, there are also some residents from the lower nest.

On the other hand, the barriers between factories, and even between different cities, were broken down.

The maglev train physically connects the factories, and with the support of the king, Yelena breaks down ideological barriers, allowing various industries to be organically integrated.

The assassin slipped into the shadows, avoiding the sight of the Nestlings, and returned to the Assassin's Sanctuary.

The Assassin's Temple is located 350 meters underground and was built using marble.

The surface was concealed by the Kournikova family's warehouses, where purchased food and other daily necessities were stored.

Tesvetana and Dementieva approached Maria expectantly upon her return.

Maria glanced around at the assassin apprentices who were training. They had not yet received the power bestowed by the Black Emperor; only the three of them had.

"We'll talk about it later."

The three entered a secret room. After closing the door, Tesvetana activated a shielding field, and Dementieva asked impatiently.

"Lord Ninglu, what are your instructions?"

Tesvetana also looked at Maria with concern. Since Lord Nimrod returned to the Empire and took control of the Astartes Legion, he had not assigned them any more tasks.

Every day, they could only rigorously train their apprentices, gather intelligence on the remnants of the kings of various nests and the major families that had lost their interests, and then actively seek out targets.

But in the last three years, they have rarely been able to find targets, and Tesvetana even worries that the Assassin's Temple, having lost its purpose, will soon perish.

“My lord…” Tesvetana frowned slightly, sensing that Maria’s tone seemed somewhat different from usual, “ordering us to perform a ceremony.”

"A ceremony? What ceremony?" Dementieva asked, puzzled.

“My Lord…” Mary looked at the two of them and said in a deep voice, “It is the Black Emperor. We must pray fervently in order to receive His revelation.”

"..."

After Maria explained to the two women, Tesvetana and Dementieva were encouraged. They finally saw a chance to continue serving Lord Nimrod, no, the Black Emperor.

The three immediately organized assassin apprentices and began to build an altar.

The altar was completed after fifteen work cycles.

Maria used a ritual knife to create a closed spiritual space before kneeling in the middle, with Tesvetana and Dementieva kneeling on either side of her.

They recited in unison, using the part of Dunn they had just learned:
"The Black Emperor of the Shadow of Order"
……

I pray for Your watchful gaze.

I pray that You will give me revelation so that I may understand how to serve You.

……

"The Iron Laws of the King, the foundation of a disordered kingdom, please transfer your power to my incantation."

An invisible force surged within the altar, causing the candlelight to flicker.

As they chanted the mantra for the fifth time, black mist appeared and enveloped their bodies.

When the three came to their senses, they found themselves in a mysterious space.

As they were in shock, Ninglu, who was standing high above, spoke up.

"Drink the potion; it is the power I bestow upon you to advance further."

Nimrod did not immediately drag them into the "Land of Chaos" because he ordered the space monkeys to concoct the Assassin Sequence 8 "Instigator" potion.

Upon hearing this, Mary and the other two bowed deeply and said, "Thank you, Lord!"

They had long since become true "assassins," but after waiting for years, they received neither new missions nor new powers.

The long wait was finally over. Without hesitation, they picked up the purple potion floating in the black mist before them and drank it all. A moment later, the three of them withdrew their power and whispered, "'Instigator'."

Nimrod nodded and said sternly, “Above Terra, there is a force that fabricates and slanders the ‘Shadow of Order’.”

"Your mission is to assassinate them and, using your new abilities, turn them against yourselves."

“Yes, my lord,” Mary replied joyfully.

"I will definitely punish those evildoers." Dementieva's eyes were filled with murderous intent; she couldn't wait to punish them with a sharp blade.

“Besides punishing them with death, you must also discover talented individuals within your ranks,” Ninglu said.

The Sequence 7 "Witches" following the "Instigator" will be able to control black flames and frost, and possess practical abilities such as invisibility. Nimrod will then have them accompany the Legion.

“Yes, my lord,” Maria replied, and Nimrod said last.

"Three days from now, the escort ship 'The Glory of Vostonia' will be heading to Terra. You will infiltrate the ship and travel to Terra."

After speaking, Ninglu severed his connection with the three women, and they disappeared into the black mist.

He then went to the third level of space and found that the prophecy dice had been "charged" and could be used for a new divination.

Nimrod did not immediately perform divination. Instead, he returned to the palace, summoned the Primarch's servant, Arsena Dunne, and gave him orders.

“Select a team of Shadow Order members with leadership potential and send them to Terra to provide protection for House Visher.”

The Primarch's servant was taken aback; the Black Emperor's order was not part of the previous agreement with the Navigator family.

"Yes, sir." Seeing that the Black Emperor had no intention of explaining or asking questions, he simply said.

"Lord Manus's visit to Vostonia has ended and he is on his way back, arriving in one standard hour."

"Prepare for reception." After Ninglu gave the order, the Primarch's servants carried out the Primarch's command.

An hour later, Gabriel accompanied Finus Manus into the palace.

Ning Lu stood up to greet him and took his seat in the reception area.

Manus took a sip of black tea and praised, "Good tea. The first taste is slightly salty and fresh, and the second taste is rich and mellow. The layers are distinct yet perfectly integrated."

"Grosseto is the island with the greatest temperature difference between day and night in the cradle of the sea, and it produces top-quality black tea."

"Alsena, prepare ten catties for Manus."

The Primarch's servants immediately went to make the selection, and Manus looked at Nimrod and spoke in a leaden voice.

Thank you for the gift.

His silver-coin-like eyes gleamed. "What I admire even more than the tea is Vostonia's efficiency."

“I heard my father mention that the factories in Vostonia brought happiness and hope to the people and had efficiency comparable to those of mechanical factories, which made me very curious.”

"So, have you found the answer?" Ning Lu asked.

"The laws you have established are the institutional guarantee, the shadow of order and the execution by ordinary politicians are the guarantee, and the abundant resources of the cradle of the sea are the material foundation."

"The Mechanic Church is unwilling to implement the same system in their foundry world, where providing resources is a wasteful act."

Manus made no mention of the Empire’s other worlds, and such resource supply was a “waste” of resources for the Empire, as the supply of supplies for the Great Expedition had already exhausted Macado.

"What surprised me most was, based on my observations, a quantitative comparison with the Terra factory."

"The final calculation results show that the resources consumed will be compensated accordingly."

"In other words, the workers' enthusiasm is mobilized by the system you implement, and the increase in efficiency is close to the increase in resources consumed."

Manus's silver coin eyes lit up: "Besides those three determining factors, there are two more indispensable factors."

“I have heard that your Arbitration Lord has drafted the detailed rules and first implemented them at the Hunter Mansi Dome.”

"Your First and Eleventh Warbands, possessing the qualities of the Shadow of Order, ensure the implementation of all systems."

After praising the idea, Manus put forward his own.

"While Vostonia's efficiency is admirable, I believe there is still room for improvement."

"If we allow the Vostochnes to compete fully, and let a small number of people enjoy the current benefits instead of letting everyone have them, I think efficiency will be further improved."

“In Medusa, a similar strategy was adopted, where only a few people were granted the right to a comfortable life.”

“No,” Nimrod resolutely refused, unwilling to deprive most people of their welfare in pursuit of efficiency, and also because such a strategy would reduce the fertility desire of the Vostorians.

Manus’s methods of almost plundering people from other worlds were even more inappropriate, and he said, “That’s not the Vostonia I want.”

Black eyes met silver eyes, and after a moment, Manus stood up.

"Your world is yours to decide."

"I'm going back to Medusa."

After Nimrod, the Primarch's servant and the Armory Master's representative, saw Fernus off, he began to ponder what to divine using the Prophecy Dice.

　PS: Something came up last night, so I didn't finish writing the other chapter. The other chapter will be posted at 23:23.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)