Warhammer 40: Doom

Chapter 312 War of words
The two formed a deep friendship because of the phrase "Tera is not as good as Nur".

Seeing Makado's darkening expression, Harlan, sensing that time was almost up, looked the fake old man up and down with a serious expression, "You look younger?"

As immortal beings, they are neither young nor old; their outward appearance depends on their inner state.

Deep within the heart of the Imperial Chancellor lie many dark secrets, yet he still holds sway over the human empire.

The heavy pressure weighed on Macardo's heart, making it difficult for him to relax for even a moment and eventually wearing down his physical functions.

His outward appearance reflected his true psychological state: aged, heavy, and with wrinkles on his face revealing his weariness.

"Really?" Upon hearing this rare compliment, a glimmer of light flashed in Makado's cloudy old eyes. He casually conjured a mirror, reflecting his old face.

“Hehe,” Harlan grinned, “of course it’s fake.”

Click~
The mirror shattered into pieces and disappeared. Macado closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and wondered how he had ever offended Harlan Oglieve, that scoundrel whose words were more cunning than his martial arts skills.

The champion swordsman is quite unconventional; not only is he sharp-tongued, but he also holds grudges.

Makado remembered him for the phrase "Terra is not as good as Nur," and Harlan remembered Makado for waving the Eagle Scepter.

During the period when the Stellaris was signed, every time the two met, they inevitably engaged in a heated exchange of words.

Macado is long-lived and has a peaceful mindset. He once worked with the highest levels of humanity and now moves among the nobility.

However, his words were not very sharp and could not withstand Harlan's unscrupulous methods.

Seeing that the Imperial Chancellor's breathing had quickened and that he was gripping his scepter as if about to use force, Harlan quickly composed himself, pulled the Iron Man Brothers aside, and said, "You requested maintenance personnel, and I've brought them."

Having gained an advantage verbally, he knew when to stop and didn't provoke Macardo any further.

Knowing that Harlan was changing the subject, Macardo didn't want to pursue the matter and summoned his servants to take the Iron Man away.

No matter how unpleasant his words may be, Harlan is always reliable in his work and never ambiguous when it comes to important matters.

As the empire expanded, the amount of basic official documents that needed to be processed increased significantly, and the office machines gifted by Doom experienced a shortened lifespan and rapid aging of components.

The Empire and the Mechanicus possessed the relevant technological reserves for such basic machines, but out of respect and political considerations, Makado still informed Nur.

Harlan's visit to Terra included not only meeting the Emperor, but also other missions.

Deliver the new document robot, have Turing maintain the machine, and gather specific information about Doom...

The massive volume of basic official documents is well-suited for machine processing. Having tasted the benefits, Makado ordered a batch of document processing robots.

Harlan's statement that he has fewer wrinkles is not just a joke; it contains a degree of truthfulness.

The document robot processed many basic documents, effectively relieving the pressure on the Ministry of the Interior, which naturally made things a bit easier for the Imperial Chancellor.

After Turing left, Harlan straightened his face and asked in a low, gritty voice, "When can I have an audience with the Emperor?"

"Doom has been away from the real universe for five years. The Lord of Humanity should have known about this long ago. Why has he not taken any action?"

Macado picked up his teacup, blew on it lightly, and slowly drank the fragrant tea. "The Emperor will have some free time in an hour."

"The Emperor is naturally aware of your master's affairs and has every reason not to interfere."

"An hour?" Harlan nodded and breathed a sigh of relief. With a confirmed time, he felt much more at ease.

He got up from the stone table, sat on the railing of the pavilion, leaned against the stone pillar, and closed his eyes to rest.

"Aren't you going to ask?" Makado put down his teacup and looked at Harlan, who was holding a spear, and asked, "On what reason did the Emperor not help Doom?"

“No interest.” Harlan answered directly, opening one eye and saying to the old man beside the stone table, “I won’t satisfy your urge to confide, you wicked old man!”

Creak~
Makado squeezed the teacup with a cracking sound, feeling a lump in his throat, wanting to vent his anger on the person in front of him with his fists and feet.

He took a deep breath and drank tea to calm the anger simmering in his chest.

Champion swordsmen can always find a way to make people feel uncomfortable in unexpected ways and with a very ordinary tone.

“Harlan Oglie,” Makado addressed him by name, asking earnestly, “Has no one ever said that your mouth is annoying?”

“Yes!” Harlan straightened his back and answered with a smug look, “but none of them can beat me.”

"What? You want to fight?"

He lowered his legs from the railing, gripped the Dark Light tightly, and his eyes gleamed. "In terms of martial arts alone, I'm not afraid of you!" "Heh." Macado's lips curled into a smile, and he was speechless for a moment before bursting into laughter.

He, who ruled over trillions of people in the empire, was amused by a young man in his own mansion garden.

"You're being a bit too arrogant."

"A little, but not too much. My strength is decent enough to support a little arrogance. If I could live for tens of thousands of years, the Milky Way would have to be named 'Ogrive.'"

"........."

Clearly, Macado once again underestimated Harlan's shamelessness, and was so angry that he shook his head.

A sense of relief welled up in his heart; Doom hadn't been led astray, otherwise he and the Emperor might have died young from anger.

"May you rest in peace," Macardo whispered his blessing, thanking King Norwick and Queen Daisy once again.

The two bickered in the garden, exchanging sharp words and greetings in a strange atmosphere, like two friends of different ages teasing each other.

Makado shook his head from time to time, his old face changing expressions, sometimes angry, sometimes laughing, which relieved a lot of pressure.

Time flew by, and the atmosphere in the garden was "relaxed and pleasant." If it weren't for the timely reminder from the attendant, I would have almost missed meeting the emperor.

"Stay close to me," Macado called out, shook his linen robe, and left, leaning on his eagle scepter.

Another sigh came from behind, and sharp words struck him like a stick on his knee, almost making him fall.

"Don't you have any other clothes? You've been wearing this tattered robe for so many years. Is it because you can't afford to buy new ones? Doesn't the Emperor pay you a salary?"

"If all else fails, I'll bring you one next time. The Imperial Chancellor must dress appropriately."

Various outrageous and treasonous words were uttered one after another, and the servants were sweating profusely as they listened, praying in their hearts that this lord would leave as soon as possible.

Upon hearing this, Makado smiled broadly, his old face wrinkled into a chrysanthemum shape, and turned around to say, "Good, it's rare to find someone with such 'filial piety,' I am very gratified."

Harlan's expression changed slightly. He had gotten too carried away with his words and revealed a flaw in his statement, which the old man seized upon to turn the tables on him.

He patted his chest, looking proud and self-satisfied, "What talk of filial piety? Respecting the elderly and caring for the young is Nurmevir."

“Unlike the Empire,” she said, her tone shifting again, her eyes lowered and her brows furrowed with sorrow, “the Emperor’s tireless efforts could not earn him a robe to wear.”

The servant's knees buckled, and he was about to kneel on the ground, but he was pulled up by a hand encased in white power armor.

Just as Harlan was feeling triumphant at winning a point, he saw Makado raise his hand ahead, his fingertips drawing fiery red magic runes.

"You don't dare to fight me for real!" he cursed, gently releasing the servant. Before shutting up, he squeezed out a sentence through gritted teeth: "Playing with psychic energy is no real skill."

"Hmph." Makado sneered, "I developed the magic runes, so how can it not be my achievement?"

Whoosh~~~whoosh~~~
Harlan whistled, and everything was self-evident.

He looked up at the starry sky, where the glow of the plasma engines of thousands of warships illuminated the night sky of Terra.

When he heard no more noise behind him, Macardo felt a sense of peace, but also a loss of interest.

Due to work requirements, the Prime Minister's residence is not far from the Imperial Palace; it can be reached in five minutes by taking an anti-gravity vehicle.

Harlan followed Makado into the Imperial Palace, where he saw the Lord of Mankind again after many years.

He sat on the throne in his palace, wearing a laurel wreath and casual clothes. The aura and psychic radiance he exuded were far more powerful than when the two first met.

“Your Majesty.” Harlan lowered his head and looked away from the Emperor, resisting the psychic warrior’s salute.

“Harlan Ogrivi.” The emperor’s majestic voice softened slightly, sounding just like the late King Norwick.

The Lord of Mankind's gaze softened slightly as he lingered between Harlan and Macado; he knew everything that had happened in the Prime Minister's Garden.

Perhaps I really should buy some clothes for my old friend?
With these thoughts in mind, his golden eyes fell upon the champion swordsman.

"Khorne favors you as always." The Emperor's eyes saw through the essence of things, and he saw many blessings bestowed by Khorne upon Harlan.

The evil god's grace is so abundant that if the champion swordsman is willing, he can become a demon prince simply by uttering "blood sacrifice to the blood god".

“A coward’s gaze,” Harlan spat disdainfully at the evil god, “all that He gives is a mirage, illusory and fleeting, and cannot shake my will.”

(If I adjust the time, I can update more frequently.)
(End of this chapter)