Warhammer: Black Emperor

Chapter 439 Saving the Psionicist from the Blasting at the stake by Mortarian

Ninglu watched as Mortarian nodded slightly to him before walking toward the stone pillar in the center of the camp.

The Barbarosians lit braziers and let out excited shouts.

Ning Lu frowned, thinking to himself.

[Motalian brought these psykers to the camp to burn these children in the same way that witches were burned at the stake in Gutella.]
Ninglu then looked at the children, who were clearly aware of their impending tragic fate.

The Child of Death not only brings death to the Xenomorphs, but also to any psionic beings he encounters.

Ninglu's gaze finally settled on the child with a strong will and outstanding psychic talent, and a thought involuntarily arose in his mind.

Should we save him?
Ninglu's gaze swept over Karas Tefon, who opened his mouth but said nothing.

He knew that Taifeng was a psionicist, a descendant of the Overlord and a human, who inherited his Xenomorph father's psionic talents.

Typhon would not use his psionic powers in front of Mortalian, but in the shadows, he did not abandon his innate talent.

Guided by whispers, he honed his psionic skills.

The future "Death Guard" is one of the very few legions without a think tank, but Typhon, who became a company commander, used his power to gather a group of psionicists.

But when the Barbarus were about to put the wizards to trial, Typhon clearly had no way to save these psykers, which would put him in direct conflict with Mortarion.

Ninglu's gaze fell for the third time on the child who had not begged for mercy.

He knew that if he wanted to save this child with exceptional psychic abilities, he had to make a decision before Mortarian stood before the pillar.

Once the child is tied up, Mortarian will refuse to budge and will not be able to save him unless force is used.

Ninglu's mind raced as he quickly weighed the options in his head.

The friendly deals we made previously provided Mortalian with considerable assistance. Among the Primarchs who support the use of psionic powers, I will get along with him better than Magnus and Sangilius, and Chagatai, who will return in the future.

Saving these children will inevitably affect my relationship with Mortarian.

But how important is this so-called friendship to me?
Nimrod's gaze shifted to Mortarian.

Once Mortarion returns to the Empire and discovers that the "Shadow of Order" has a large number of psionicists, and knows that I am the key figure in the operation of the think tank, he will certainly not become my friend.

Moreover, Mortarion will most likely betray them in the end.

Although I used a transaction, rather than direct violence, to alleviate his resentment at Old Man Huang's failure to complete his mission, this was only one factor contributing to his downfall.
Nimrod knew that Mortarian's dissatisfaction with the Empire's cruel policies, as well as his feeling of being underutilized and unable to utilize his abilities, were also important reasons.

This is something that cannot be changed, or rather, something he is unwilling to put in the effort to change.

[Among the rebellious Primarchies, Mortarion is not worth my effort to change.]

My favorite is Magnus, but he and his legions are deeply entangled in treacherous schemes and conspiracies, making them extremely difficult to subdue.
Nimrod examined the rebellious Primarchs. He could cultivate extraordinary individuals, and combat strength was not a factor he considered. What mattered more was absolute loyalty and unique abilities.

[Petulabos seems to be the most deserving of salvation, as he has become disloyal to the Four Gods after his betrayal.]

He possesses unique technical abilities, including binary information encoding, which allows him to write intelligent programs for Titans from scratch. He also has considerable skills in architecture and organization.

If, during the grand birthday celebration, the "Land of Chaos" can ensure the Primarch's absolute loyalty, then it might be worthwhile to expend some effort to subdue him.
Ninglu gathered his thoughts and refocused his attention on Mortarian.

He thought of Typhon, Mortalian's most trusted man, Nurgle's chosen messenger; it would be hard for him not to fall into depravity.

Ning Lu made a decision after thinking about this.

Since Mortarian and I are destined to be enemies, I might as well save these children and gain a valuable asset.

Moreover, Mortarian is ultimately a rational person, and we can communicate with him.

Just as he weighed his options before plunging into chaos, his so-called aversion to witchcraft was not absolute for Mortarion.
Thinking of this, Ninglu flashed to Mortarian's side and said:
"Motalian, I want these children."

Mortarian stopped and spoke coldly.

“All wizards should be put to trial.”

“Death was the consequence they deserved.”

"Get out of the way!" Mortarian's gray hand pressed against the wooden handle of his scythe.

An eerie silence fell over the entire camp, and the elite warriors behind him gripped their weapons tightly in tension.

Although they knew of Nimrod's power, they were still willing to follow Mortarion and walk the path to death.

It was Mortarion who saved them from the aliens and brought them liberation.

The militia and other Barbalusians were gripped by fear, the filters making it difficult for them to breathe.

Ning Lu spoke calmly and deliberately, adopting the tone of a "lawyer".

Nothing is absolute.

“I will take these children with me; they will have no effect on Barbaros.”

"If what you can obtain can bring liberation to Barbaros and kill all the overlords, isn't it worth it?"

Mortarian, whose face was mostly covered by a white cloth, showed no expression.

Taifeng stepped to Motalian's side, breaking the eerie silence.

"He's right. It's worth trading these children for Barbarossa's future!"

Mortarian removed his scythe, and after a moment of silence, he spoke.

"I want armor and weapons custom-made for me."

Mortarian still remembered the alien who raised him, Nekare the Pale King, and how powerful he was; he had no guarantee of victory.

The weapons he forged, and those that Nimrod is now providing, cannot fully unleash his potential.

If he had powerful weapons and armor, he would surely be able to kill Nekare.

"It's a word."

Ninglu stepped forward, took the chain from Mortarian's hand, and squeezed it hard, crushing a small portion of the chain.

He approached the child, and the chains shattered one by one.

The boy stared blankly at the approaching giant, and understood his conversation with the Son of Death.

He knew he was saved; the golden wings illuminated by the firelight shone into his heart.

He knelt on one knee and began to speak.

"You saved me, so my life belongs to you."

"Ethan, I will always be loyal to you."

"Come with me," Ning Lu said in a deep voice, nodding slightly.

Ethan stood up and followed the black-armored giant through the pale-skinned crowd.

Fifteen days later, Mortarian, dressed in terracotta armor and carrying a three-meter-long scythe, walked up to Nimrod.

"You kept your promise."

Ninglu watched Mortarian turn and leave, thinking to himself.

[Well, the deal wasn't a waste. Aside from the plants, animals, and potion ingredients, at least my relationship with Mortarion isn't hostile. If he were to fall, he probably wouldn't specifically seek revenge on my territory.]

Most importantly, I didn't take the blame for Old Huang.
　P.S.: Spoiler alert! It's not about rescuing Peturab and preventing him from rebelling. It's about winning him over during the grand birthday celebration.

　　Petulabo will be a hidden agent following the grand birthday celebration.

　　Although both jobs involved doing "dirty work," Peturab found it far better to work for Ninglu than for Old Huang. Ninglu's generous praise made him feel deeply respected.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)