Warhammer: Empire Reboot

Arian corrected: "Three thousand six hundred."

"Then let's not use the word 'a few pieces'."

Kellach said coldly, “Each Soul Stone contains one of our kin. If you think they are unimportant, you can take a few Soul Stones from your clan’s ancestral hall and give them to that human.”

Arian was not angry.

“Emotions cannot replace judgment. The Soul Stones in Lawson’s possession come from the Huron Vault. They have been lost for a long time. Of course we must retrieve them, but we cannot drag the entire Ark into the rhythm of human warlords in order to retrieve the Soul Stones.”

The third clan leader, Iselan Swiftwind, was much younger, and his fingers were always resting on the long blade at his waist.

She sneered, “We’ve already been dragged into this. He captured Ilancia, crushed the assassination squad, and then demanded that we bring compensation, ransom, and goodwill to see him. How dare a short-lived human speak to Saim-Han like that.”

Someone whispered in agreement.

"When the monkey got fire, it thought it could light up the stars."

"That monkey burned many demons."

It was the prophet Eloris who spoke.

His mask was greyish-white, and his robes were covered with fragmented runes. He was one of the initial driving forces behind this assassination plot, and also the one most determined to eliminate Lawson.

Kelach looked at him.

"You said back then that the assassination team had a 30% chance."

Eloris corrected.

"What I'm saying is that if fate doesn't interfere, there's a 30% chance of getting close to the core area of ​​Lawson."

"The results of it?"

"They're getting close."

Kelach's eyes turned cold.

"Then the entire army was wiped out."

Eloris did not avoid his gaze.

"This proves he's dangerous."

Several whispers came from the royal court.

The prophet continued, “I have seen many futures. Abaddon stormed Vigilant, the Nakmund Pass closed, the Dark Side of the Empire crumbled, and the Chaos Tide swallowed countless worlds. I have also seen Abaddon suffer setbacks, the Black Legion retreat, and humanity briefly catch its breath.”

"But after Lawson appeared, the fate lines became complicated."

He raised his hand, and the projection in the center of the royal court turned into a jumble of chaotic light threads.

"His future is obscured in too many ways, as if some vast consciousness is simultaneously altering the path at countless nodes."

"I can't see the full power behind him."

"It's also unclear where he will ultimately use that imperial golden fire."

“A human being who has the power to free a soul from the mouth of Slaanesh and also to break a soul from the web of fate should not be allowed to roam free.”

Another prophet, Iria Moonmark, spoke up in rebuttal.

"You only see the danger."

Eloris turned to her.

What did you see?

Ireya said, "I saw him purify the corrupted soulstone."

Soulstone is the most sensitive term for the Eldar in the Ark.

The fact that Lawson could purify soul stones corrupted by chaos was like a thorn in the hearts of all the high-ranking members.

They hate humans.

They also abhorred acknowledging that humans possessed abilities of value to the Eldar.

Arian said, "We can purify soul stones ourselves."

Ireya looked at him.

"How long will it take? How many prophets will be needed? What is the failure rate? If the contamination deepens, how long can the souls within the soul stones survive?"

Arian's tone was slightly cold.

"This is not a reason to bow down to humanity."

Iria said, “I didn’t say bow your head. I said, when judging value, don’t pretend not to see it out of arrogance.”

Iselan Swiftwind tapped the hilt of his sword.

"That's enough. We can discuss the purification soul stone. We can exchange the hostage. We can also give him compensation under another guise. The problem is, what he's asking for is sincerity."

Her tone was filled with disgust.

Humans always like to call extortion an agreement.

Another clan leader, the elderly Urdan Greybranch, spoke.

His voice was deep, carrying the weariness worn down by the long years.

"This applies to humans as well as Eldar. When we sacrifice someone else's fleet in prophecy, we usually call it necessary."

Several young clan leaders looked at him, their expressions not very good.

Urdan didn't care.

“I don’t like or trust Lawson. But we must admit that the assassination attempt failed. Sending another assassination team will only make him more vigilant. What about a large-scale massacre?”

He looked at the people in the royal court.

"Who will send troops?"

No one answered immediately.

Urdan continued, "You can continue to say that he is a human monkey."

"But if this monkey is holding a hammer that can smash mountains, a smart person would stay away first before deciding whether to curse or not."

Kellach said, "You advocate for peace talks?"

“I advocate taking back the Soul Stone and Ilancia, and then reassessing whether to eliminate him.”

Isherland sneered.

"Wait until he's more fully prepared?"

Urdan looked at her: "Are you ready now?"

Isherland did not answer.

If Saim-Han were to launch a large-scale attack on Lawson, he would have to utilize the Wild Rider Legion, fleets, and network paths, and might even expose some of the Ark's movements.

The cost is too high, and the benefits are unknown.

The risk is extremely high.

In particular, Lawson also controls a large number of Soul Stones and Ilancia.

Eloris spoke again.

"The threat from Lawson lies not in its current troop strength, but in its rate of growth."

He brought up another set of projectors.

"The Agrippina Sector is expanding. Vigilant Stars have been taken over by him, and the Nakmund Corridor is stable. The Vengeful Spirit is undergoing refitting. A suspected combat moon has been incorporated into his system. Numerous chapters of the Imperial Dark Side have established logistical ties with him."

"He gets stronger with every war he goes through."

“Every time a world is conquered, it is turned into a production machine.”

"Every time we kill a group of enemies, we can extract resources from them."

"If we let it go for ten, twenty, or fifty years, we will not be facing a human warlord, but an order that is constantly devouring war."

Arian said, "This is like a human version of the Tyranids."

Some people scoffed.

"More greedy, and better at negotiating."

Iria said, "Danger does not mean we must become enemies immediately."

“At least we shouldn’t block all the paths. He can purify soul stones, strike at chaos, and dissipate demonic souls. To us, he is both a threat and a tool.”

Kellach scoffed.

"A tool? This tool will turn around and be held in your hand."

Iria said, "So we need to negotiate, not kneel and beg, nor blindly assassinate."

Iserland said impatiently, "How will we choose our negotiators? How many guards will they bring? Which network path will they take? What if they demand we hand over the Ark's path?"

Urdan said, "He won't want that kind of thing from the start."

Iserland asked, "How did you know?"

Urdan replied, "Because if he were wise enough, he would know that a lion would not give away its teeth as a gift."

Arian nodded gently.

“If Lawson is sincere, it means he still wants to talk. If he wanted to break off relations, Ilancia would be dead long ago, and the Soul Stone would have been sent to the Keeper of Secrets.”

Someone whispered, "If he can really control the Keepers, then it's even more dangerous for us."

Another person said, "It could also mean that he can lock up the power of Slaanesh."

"Putting a venomous snake in your sleeve doesn't prove you're not afraid of snakes; it just proves you're crazy."

"Or it proves that the snake can no longer bite him."

The debate in the council chamber gradually became more intense.

Some clan leaders believed that Lawson must be eliminated to prevent things from spiraling out of control in the future.

Some clan leaders believed that negotiations must be conducted first, at least to redeem the Soul Stone and Ilancia.

Some patriarchs believe that Abaddon and Lawson can continue to wear each other down, and Saim-Han doesn't need to get involved himself.