Warhammer, I'm a nanny, not your father!

Warriors in their prime will grow old with the passage of time, or die tragically in a hunt, and these children will eventually face the harsh winter of Fenris alone.

This is a test that all Fenrisians must go through. Even if these children are gored to death by calves while hunting, the other warriors will not help no matter how sad they are.

The law of the jungle is the law of nature in Fenris, and Fenris does not tolerate the weak.

Only Leman Russ was watching over them. He saved Jorin Bloodhowl when he was nearly impaled by a calf's sharp horns, and at the same time, he kicked the 300-kilogram calf more than ten meters away.

"Thank you." Qiao Lin's face turned pale.

"Your hunt is not over yet." Leman Russ pushed him and reached out to catch a girl who was thrown from the calf's back.

He was the same age as these children, and no one could say anything when he rescued them.

"Ouch!"

The wolves howled to cheer on the young hunters. These pups were growing at the same alarming rate as Leman Russ himself, and their shoulder height was enough to look at the most burly warriors of the Russ tribe at eye level.

The price they paid was that their appetites were like a bottomless abyss. Although they were indeed the best hunters and their hunting efficiency was extremely high, 90% of the prey they brought back from each hunt ended up in their stomachs.

Moreover, the appetite of the wolves, which have grown to two meters in height, has not decreased but increased, which means that they are still in the growth stage and their shoulder height can grow to at least three meters.

The Rus tribe had to hunt more frequently to allow the wolf packs to continue growing.

When the next cold winter comes, the wolves will be able to provide shelter for the Rus tribe.

"The Season of Fire is coming soon," Tengger said. "The island our tribe found last New Year is very close to Asaheim. Many migrating animals have to pass through our territory, otherwise there wouldn't be enough food to feed your wolves. But in the coming Season of Fire, we may not be so lucky. Life at sea will be difficult, you must be prepared."

Tengjir was advising Wop as a person who had experienced it. Many Fenrisians would starve to death during the Fire Season every year, and Tengjir had no way to guarantee that his tribe would not become one of these unlucky ones.

If that happens, it will be difficult for the Rus to feed Wop's wolves, who have such a huge appetite, and Wop will have to make a difficult decision.

If he hadn't had to, Tengjier didn't want to have a conflict with Wop's wolf pack. But for the survival of his people, he had to warn Wop in advance.

Wop: "Isn't there plenty of food in the sea?"

Tengger smiled helplessly. The beasts on the land of Fenris might be dangerous, but only those in the sea were truly deadly.

Tengil had realized that Wop's knowledge of Fenris was like the waves on the shallows. Tengil guessed that Wop must be from a lowland tribe, and only these lowlanders living among the mountains would be ignorant of the horror of the Fenris Ocean.

"Qolin Bloodhowl!"

Cheers came from the crowd in the distance, and the adult warriors joined in.

Among the young children of the Rus tribe, one has already completed the first hunt in his long life alone.

Chapter 73 Emperor: Wop, are you asleep? I can't sleep (5K)

As night fell, Wop boiled a basin of water from the snow he had gathered and washed his face.

Sylvia, who was already three meters tall at the shoulders, gently arched her huge wolf kiss into Wop's arms, and affectionately let Wop wipe her face with a towel made of deer hair. She purred in comfort.

"Wop," Leman Russ called softly from outside the tent shortly after they had gone to bed. "Are you asleep? I can't."

"come in."

Leman Russ brought in a gust of snow as he lifted the animal-skin curtain, his tall figure almost filling the entire door frame.

His gaze lingered between Wop and Sylvia for a moment, his usually sharp eyes drooped, his Adam's apple rolled a few times, and finally he said in a low voice: "We need to talk, this is very important."

Seeing his serious expression, Wop took it seriously as well. "Tell me, Ruth, what happened?"

"Nothing happened."

Russ's fingers unconsciously stroked the notch of the battle axe, as if the sharp blade could cut through some unspeakable emotions for him.

His throat rolled over, and after a long while he managed to squeeze out a few words: "Mother, can you please leave for a while?"

Sylvia was a she-wolf, not related to him by blood, but she had picked him up from the ice and snow and brought him back to her den. Instead of giving him to the other cubs as food, she let him live and eat with them, using her fur to protect him from the cold.

Wop found them only after that, and if it weren't for Sylvia, he would have frozen or starved to death.

Sylvia was not his biological mother, but her kindness in raising him was greater than her kindness in giving birth to him.

Although those wolf cubs were not Sylvia's offspring, and although Sylvia had no milk, she still raised them like a mother, risking her life to hunt alone in the wild.

Like the Roman she-wolf in the story Wop had told him, Silvia was the she-wolf who gave them more than their biological mother had ever given them.

Even if she failed to support them, it was not her fault, she had fulfilled her responsibilities as a mother.

So Russ always regarded her as his mother and was never ashamed to admit it. He would even proudly introduce his mother to those human warriors.

It was something else that he found difficult to talk about.

Sylvia let out a low howl, and her moist wolf kiss gently caressed Wop's cheek. When she turned around, she rubbed Ruth's raised palm with the soft fur on her neck lovingly, and then quietly disappeared into the night outside the tent.

The moment the curtain was lifted, Sylvia was met with more than a dozen pairs of eyes, and the dark green pupils shone brightly in the night like floating will-o'-the-wisp.

The wolf cubs, more than two meters tall, crowded together at the door, their wet noses almost reaching into the tent.

Russ thought they were asleep, but he forgot that the sleep of Fenris wolves is always like thin ice in early spring, which will break if you are not careful.

When he left, he woke up the entire litter of wolf cubs. These cunning little guys just held their breath and followed him all the way.

Sylvia stood in front of the wolf cubs like a silver-gray barrier. She growled and nudged the furry heads one by one with the tip of her nose. The moist wolf kisses carried an irresistible force, slowly pushing the curious little guys into the shadows.

The thorn in Rus's spine finally dissipated, and he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

He was very familiar with the footsteps of these wolf brothers, the crisp sound of dead branches breaking, and the rustling of snow sinking. When he left the tent, he knew that he could not escape their keen perception, and so did they.

Faced with the sneaky shadows behind him, he could only pretend to be ignorant.

Letting Sylvia leave was also to drive them away.

His wolf brothers were ignorant, but his mother was sensible after all.

"Can you tell me now?" asked Wop.

Leman Russ's Adam's apple rose and fell several times, his eyes swirling with indescribable emotion. His lips trembled slightly, like dry leaves in a cold wind, opening and closing silently several times. The words were clearly stuck between his teeth, but ultimately they could not break free from the shackles of silence.

"Do you need me to step aside?"

"No, I have something to tell you." Leman Russ's voice was like the muffled thunder under the glacier. He walked towards Wop with heavy steps, and every step seemed to be dragging an invisible chain.

When he finally stopped at arm's length from Worp, the chains that had been restraining him tightened.

"I'm sorry." Leman Russ's Adam's apple rolled violently, as if he had swallowed a sharp blade of steel. The three words tossed and turned between his teeth, and finally saying them did not bring him relief. Instead, Wop's silent response made him feel more stressed.

The white mist exhaled from Leman Russ's teeth surged with the violent rise and fall of his chest. "What else do you have to complain about? Didn't you tell me the story of Kratos and Atreus just for this moment?"

Worp stared into Leman Russ's tense face, realizing his silence had led him to misunderstand him, and whispered, "Yes, I love you, too."

"What kind of response is that?" Leman Russ laughed out loud.

Wop pondered for a moment, "You don't seem to have said those three words yet. How about we start over?"

Leman Russ said sternly: "It's too late. You have no chance."

Wop: "That's okay, as long as the feelings are there."

Had they arrived yet? Leman Russ felt they had, but why did he feel even more awkward?

"Shall we sit down and talk slowly?" Wop pointed to the soft couch covered with elk skin, and Leman Russ sat down heavily with a grim face.

"I have to make it clear," Woppe said, "I have nothing against you. Ever."

"Then why did you..." Leman Russ wanted to ask Wop why he didn't give him a name, but he suddenly realized that it seemed like he had taken the initiative to reject Wop, because he saw the hesitation on Wop's face. At that time, he thought Wop didn't want to give him a name.

But Wop now tells him that the truth is different from what he thought.

"Why did you hesitate when naming me?"

He could have just kept it to himself and not asked, and no one would have known.

It was just a misunderstanding, and Wop had never been unhappy with him. That was enough for him to know.

There was no need to ask Wop why he hesitated; it was unimportant, and asking would only make him appear petty, which would only embarrass him.

But he still asked. It was embarrassing, but there were no outsiders around. He believed that Wop would not blame him for such a thing.

Besides, since we have already spoken, why should we leave a thorn in each other's hearts?

"So that's what you care about?" Wop suddenly understood, and he patiently explained, "Your name is Leman Russ. You can think of this as me seeing you from the future. This name was originally given to you by Tengger. He killed Sylvia, adopted you, and then gave you this name. I knew this, so I hesitated when naming you."

"Is it because of this?" Leman Russ suddenly smiled with relief.

He actually remembered this little thing for so long, and Wop actually hesitated because of this little thing.

They are so stupid, Wop is stupid, he is stupider than Wop!

"What do you think it is?" asked Wop.

He hadn't realized that Leman Russ would remember that brief moment of hesitation for so long. If he hadn't spoken out today, he would probably remember it forever. But even if he had hesitated, he shouldn't have reacted so strongly, right?

Leman Russ: "My brothers, Curze and Lorgar, you often speak of them. Did you also give them their names?"

Wop shook his head. "Koz knew his name from birth. Lorgar was named by the nomads who found him."

"So, my name is the only one you gave me."

"Didn't I tell you? In the future, that's the name Tengjier will give you."

"I didn't see that future!" Ruth said slowly. "In my future, you gave me my name. He wasn't my father, you were. If you agree with a future that never happened, it means Tengger will kill my mother. Do you want me to kill him?"

There was a savage light flashing in Leman Russ's pupils. Although there was no murderous intent at the moment, Wop had a hunch that if he heard an affirmative answer, he would definitely crush Tenger's throat without hesitation.

Wop sighed, "You seem a bit heavy."

"I'm still growing." Leman Russ didn't understand.

Wop shook his head. "You're right. Since the future hasn't happened, let's not worry about it."

"You just asked if I deliberately told you the story of Kratos and Atreus. This is also a misunderstanding. Although the order and method may be different, I told the same story to all three of you brothers."

“The core of the story is not man, but God.”

Ruth: "From Greek mythology to Olympia to Norse mythology, you don't portray any of the gods in a positive light. I understand you want me to realize the dangers of gods, but why?"

"Did my brother ask you the same thing?" he asked again.

"Not really." Wop thought for a moment and shook his head.

Ruth's expression darkened. Wasn't he the only one questioning Wop like this?

Wop: "Gods are real, and they are dangerous. Your father doesn't even want you to know about the existence of gods, but I believe the opposite. I want you to realize the dangers of the gods so that you can better fight them."

"Why?" Ruth asked.

Wop taught carefully, "So that you can better fight against them."

"I understand, and I'll listen to you, but why? Why didn't they ask?"

Wop finally realized that Ruth's focus seemed to be on different channels from his.

"Their upbringing was different from yours. The Nostramo world where Curze descended was a hive world, where gangs controlled the rules of the entire world. He wanted to liberate the people of this world and implement the justice and order in his mind, so he rarely asked why, but just went ahead and did it. The gods were of no help to the justice he wanted to achieve, and only added to the chaos."

"The Colchis where Lorgar descended was a religious world, a world poisoned by religious beliefs. After I told him those stories, he quickly understood the true meaning of the gods' lack of mercy and began to firmly oppose them."

Wop's fingertips gently traced the deerskin, and memories brought his thoughts back to that dawn in Colchis.

In fact, he still couldn't be completely sure whether Lorca had truly awakened or was just blindly following the authority of his mentor.

But Wop believed in Lorgar, just as he believed in Curze, and doubt would only cause more trouble.

"Why didn't you tell me about them before?" Ruth asked.

"Because every time I mention them, you turn your head away like you don't want to hear it. I can't force you, right?"

Ruth: "Their world is cruel, and so is mine."

"Fenris is cruel, but you're actually lucky," Wop said. "You have a good mother, which is better than most of your brothers."

Lorca has no mother. Although Koz says that he regards Dorothy as his mother, and Dorothy does fill some of the mother's gaps, she does not really play the role of a mother after all.

Although Rus's mother was a she-wolf, her maternal love surpassed that of many mortal women.

Ruth: “Who is not included in this?”

"Robert Guilliman, he also had a great mother."

Ruth kept the name in mind; he had a mother of whom he was proud.

Even if Sylvia was only a she-wolf, she would always be his mother, and he would respect her as much as he respected Wop.

As for his biological father and mother.

His biological father is the Emperor, and Wop has mentioned him and his ambition to unify humanity more than once.