Warhammer: Black Emperor

Chapter 587 How did my chess game with Chagatai "corrupt" Balsa?

871.M30.

Pacific Starfield, Chogoris.

The Chagatai Fortress Monastery in Quanzhou, after more than five years of construction, has taken shape as its main building.

It welcomed its first visitor before the building was completed.

The Jade Hall, the magnificent hall at the heart of the Quanzhou Maze.

Flames danced between the stone steps in the deep pit, while incense smoke filled the air between the wooden ceiling.

The full-moon-shaped lute played, and waiters dressed in fur-lined Khitan robes, or Kaftan gowns, or Masari robes, brought out large platters of food.

On the high platform, stone slabs taken from the ancient courtyard of the Katugou Sugou Palace on the east coast are laid out in front of Chagatai.

He tied his hair up with a gold ring, which ran down his left cheek to the scar near his eye, and stared at the chessboard in front of him.

Beside the Khan stood the Storm Prophet Tagutai Yesugei, who was also revered as the Heavenly Shaman.

Standing opposite Yesugei were two psionicists: Arsena Dunn and Balsa Kuturi, the strategist of the Nineteenth Legion.

Balsa stared at the chessboard. During his time receiving instruction from Lord Nimrod, he noticed that the Shadow of Order had a habit of using Go to train officers. He never expected that the rugged Chogoris would have the same habit.

He watched the battlefield between his two masters; it seemed that Lord Ninglu had encountered a worthy opponent for the first time.

“My warriors train themselves with Go,” Chagatai’s refined voice carried an aristocratic air. “They learn from it how to detect threats from all sides and deal with a variety of enemies.”

“Coincidentally,” Ninglu said calmly, “the shadow of order is also.”

Their eyes met, and they found common ground in their shared understanding of culture.

Balsa saw Chagatai Khan's gold-adorned fingers taking wine, and exchanged greetings with the composed Lord Ninglu as he took his wine.

At the same time, he reached out and, like a swordsman, took the piece, placing it down with precision and speed.

A liver-shaped territory took shape in the frontier region, and he opened up a brand new territory.

"I went with my father to Moro and quelled the rebellion in the world of knights. Horus, Fugrim and Volkan were also with us."

"After the rebellion was quelled, Sepruan of the Devin Knights was appointed governor, and his father stationed a hundred legions and three Titan legions in Moro."

“That world has secrets, and my father doesn’t want anyone to know.”

Ning Lu's eyes flashed with admiration, and he also breathed a sigh of relief.

Moro was the battle he least wanted to participate in. Fortunately, he launched the Battle of Takks at that time, so he was lucky enough not to be chosen by Huang Laohan in 869.

He knew that Old Man Huang had entered the Chaos Realm from Moro, where he obtained power and the secrets of creating Primarchs.

He erased all the original's memories and concealed the secrets of darkness.

Ning Lu was unsure whether the "disorderly country" could conceal its existence and prevent Huang Laohan from brainwashing it.

Chagatai was able to detect the anomaly even with his memory erased.

[That alone makes you quite perceptive.]

Fugrim reveled in walking with his father.

Horus, too, only regained his erased memories after being revealed by the four gods following his fall, and thus traveled to Moro to obtain power.
Ning Lu's eyes were deep as he pondered.

[Hmm...it's not necessarily just a matter of keen perception; Chagatai has always had some suspicions about Old Man Huang.]

He revered truth, but doubted imperial truth, and detested civilizations built on lies.

His relationship with Old Man Huang wasn't exactly harmonious; they rarely even kept in touch.
As Ninglu pondered, he saw the formation of a brand-new white territory and then placed a black piece.

Balsa gazed at the entire black territory that had formed in the center of the square chessboard, while also noticing that Lord Ninglu's gaze lingered on Yesugei.

"Your legion has a group of powerful psionicists."

As Yesugei bowed in return, Chagatai said, "Of course."

“There have always been voices in the War Council and Terra who believe that psykers should be imprisoned, and these voices have never disappeared; they are growing stronger.”

Upon hearing this, Balsa felt a shadow fall over him and looked at Lord Nimrod.

He knew that it was Lord Ninglu who initiated this movement and that he had always been at the forefront, resisting the attacks.

As Balsa looked at Lord Nimrod with reverence, the calm voice resonated powerfully in his heart.

"We should not sit idly by and wait for our demise; if we do nothing, we will pay the price."

In Balsa's eyes, the black-armored, golden-winged figure confined within the palace suddenly broke free of its restraints.

Lord Nimrod stood like a mountain in Chogoris, overlooking everything.

Balsa unconsciously lowered his head to avoid the glaring light.

“Now that you’ve found me,” Chagatai’s voice suddenly turned sharp, “let’s be frank.”

"Speak your mind."

Balsa swayed slightly, feeling as if his body was being pierced by sharp swords. One could imagine the immense pressure Lord Ninglu was under.

"Motalian and Ruth are firmly opposed."

Although Ruth promised not to comment on him or the "Shadow of Order," he would not change his opposition to psionicism.

He and Mortalian, who had received his aid, would likely target Magnus and Sanguielles.

Chogris's trip was for the sake of the alliance, not just for himself. "Manus and Dorn also objected."

"You can't stand idly by; you must stand with us and defend them."

Lord Ninglu's voice remained calm, as if he felt no pressure whatsoever.

Balthazar felt a golden light enter his soul, and he looked up to see the two Primarchs gazing at each other.

They seem to be conducting a silent test of willpower in the realm of the mind.

They simultaneously placed their pieces rapidly on the chessboard, without needing to look down or think, as if they already knew how the other would place their pieces.

The Khan looked away first, and then the two of them laughed at the same time.

“Of course,” he said calmly, removing his hand from the white piece, “you won.”

Ninglu laughed. Their chess skills were evenly matched, but his willpower overwhelmed Chagatai, causing him to reveal his true thoughts and disrupting his chess strategy.

[Hmm?] His eyes suddenly twitched.

Ninglu keenly noticed the way Balsa was looking at him.

His eyes, his posture...

[I played a game of chess with Chagatai, how did Balsa get "corrupted"?]
Ninglu did not leave immediately; he waited for Chagatai to lose patience.

Day after day, the Khan coordinated the conflicts among the tribes and engaged in lengthy discussions with the Mechanic Church regarding the construction of the Quanzhou Fortress.

His brows furrowed more and more, and his face twitched from time to time.

Five days later, at dawn, he, who was locked in the palace, rose from his throne.

"enough!"

"I've been trapped here for too long, and I've forgotten what this world is really like."

Ninglu removed his armor and, to blend in with the local customs, changed into a long robe and leather boots.

Chogoris is a powerful beast, but even it is unable to bear the weight of the armor after carrying Astartes.

In reality, this had no effect on him; even without flapping, the golden wings were enough to dissipate the power.

Changing into a long robe is simply to respect customs and culture.

Nimrod, Chagatai, Yesugei, Arsena, and Balsa rode their magnificent steeds out of the fortress and headed west along the ancient pilgrimage route to Urav.

Above the blue-green sea of ​​grass, a raptor rode the high-altitude air currents, circling directly above them.

Its eyes scan the earth in search of prey, locking onto their target in perfect stillness.

“Many people now call you that, Khan,” Yesugei said, “Warhawk.”

“That’s right, I shouldn’t be confined to the palace.”

“I have an invitation,” Nimrod shrewdly seized the opportunity, “to a hunt.”

"The alien homeworld of Randan, which has launched a massive invasion of the Empire."

After all, he didn't know much about the alien homeworld, and the Randan homeworld was outside the range of the starlight.

More importantly, in order to deal with the troublesome Ruth, he was forced to use the prophecy dice, which also meant that there were nearly five years between the "Battle of the Turks" and the expected launch of the extermination war.

Although it will be half of Ran Dan's original recovery time, it will still be a major battle.

Nimrod decided to also include Chagatai, as well as Peturabo, who was unable to participate in the "Battle of Takhs".

Even though the battle against the Turks was more perilous, it couldn't compare to the glory of conquering the alien homeworld.

Ninglu knew that Chagatai was considering the matter since he did not answer immediately.

The Fifth Legion, scattered across the galaxy, is still assembling, and Chagatai is waiting for all his sons to gather in Chogorris for the "White Scar" founding ceremony.

Ninglu looked calmly at Chagatai, knowing that he would definitely agree.

Because it took him ten years from his return to the Empire in 865 to gather his descendants scattered throughout the galaxy to Chogoris.

Chagatai would obviously realize that day is still far away.

Bogel, the company commander of the 33rd Company of the "Corrupted Star Hunters" of Nimrod, and the pharmacist Stah, who were promoted to "Mind Readers" two years ago, may still become "Psychotherapists" of Sequence 7 before meeting Chagatai.

To avoid being detected by the keen-eyed warplanes during a brief encounter.

While Ninglu was pondering, Chagatai spoke up.

“I am willing to join the hunt for aliens, but my legion will act alone.”

Ninglu nodded in agreement, respecting the customs of Chagatai and his legion.

"Of course, in November 873, the Cariham Gates were assembled."

Three days later, the Shadow of the Throne departed from the orbit of Chogoris.

Ninglu pushed a bottle of black potion in front of Balsa, "Drink it."

He chose a "lawyer" for Balsa, who was the most difficult to "corrupt," and he would become the founding mentor of the "Grey Knights," staying far away from him for a long time.

Nimrod did not choose the path suitable for psionicists, such as the "Hermit," but cautiously chose the path he was on.

　P.S.: I accidentally set the timer for the first chapter. I'll post the second chapter as soon as I finish writing it, and then post the rest together after 11 p.m.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)