LRAB Page 21
Page 21
Lin Qi thought to himself about the Emperor for a moment, then brought his thoughts back to the important matter at hand.
So what does the second card, the Angel, correspond to?
Lynch inevitably thought of the Lamenters, who, as children of angels, perfectly embodied the meaning of this card in every aspect.
"Oh, right, you mentioned your deputy..."
Lynch looked at Lockes and asked a question.
"He was nothing but a traitor, a lackey of Chaos, and deserves to die. As for the body, Mr. Lynch, you don't need to worry. Although I didn't deal with it, you covered up the traces very well. Apart from me noticing something was wrong at the time, the rest of Huron's opportunists had virtually no chance of finding it."
"They probably thought it would be another political feud like before, after all, Parker... he has quite a few enemies too."
Lockes said disdainfully, clearly showing his utter contempt for the other nobles on Demore, a far cry from the polite demeanor he displayed at the banquet that day.
That makes sense, though. The opposing family has produced an Emperor Chosen. In the Warhammer universe, Chosen families are naturally superior to most Imperial nobles, not to mention the current group of opportunists under Huron.
Although they outwardly claim loyalty to the Empire, everyone knows in their hearts that Huron's ambitions are becoming increasingly undisguised.
Huron always believed he was Guilliman's son, didn't he...?
Forget about that for now. Let's quickly ask the Minister of State if we can contact the other two factions.
"You should know our needs now, so could you help us make contact with the Weeping Ones or the angels of the Mantis Warriors?"
“Although I would love to help you, I’m sorry I can’t right now. Our communication with the two chapters is entirely under the surveillance of that traitor Huron. If we did that, we would be discovered before the message was even sent.”
Disappointment inevitably surfaced in Lin Qi's eyes. He'd gone to so much trouble to find a chosen one, but still...
“However, Mr. Lynch, if you are willing to wait two days, then I can help you make contact with the Weeping Ones.”
"What? Really?"
"Indeed, as the Minister of the Ministry of State Affairs, I often coordinate with several other ministers on issues related to the supply of the warband, such as replenishing mortal servants, individual rations, and equipment for the auxiliary troops on the warships."
Rocks nodded and told Lynch what he wanted to hear.
"A portion of the Lamenters will dock on the tracks in two days aboard their Storm Maidens for a week of rest. As far as I know, their Chapter Master, Malakin Forros, is among them."
Chapter 28 Outliers (I will explain some differences in the Warband Minions and their settings in the next chapter)
"Two days later..."
Lin Qi frowned slightly, pondering the timing.
If it's only two days, then he can easily wait that long.
However, this also raises a question.
That's Gawain.
Actions that can succeed without sacrificing anyone are ultimately rare. In the current situation, the best thing for Lynch is to give up on Gawain.
Sacrifice is the cornerstone of the empire; it is a bloody law of survival in this cold, dark universe.
If it were up to Gawain to make the choice, he would also not hesitate to sacrifice himself to ensure the success of Lynch's operation.
It should be said that if it weren't Lynch standing here at this moment, anyone living in this universe would probably think that this was a choice with no other option.
But I'm sorry.
Lin Qi thought to himself.
I am not a person of this universe.
Lynch made his choice, and at that moment, two different emotions arose within him.
The first type is regret, which is that you didn't make a choice that aligns with the universe. If that leads to the failure of all subsequent actions, then you'll have nowhere to turn for help.
The second type is relief, relief that they didn't make choices that conformed to this universe, relief that they... are essentially still that big boy who likes to go home and paint chess pieces after get off work, with a somewhat dark personality but not a bad one at heart.
“Mr. Ryan, let’s put aside what will happen in two days. I want to ask you a question, or rather, I want to ask you for some information.”
"I will answer any questions I have."
"Have you heard anything about the Star Claws' activities in the Thorn Court these past two days... or have they announced that they captured or killed an assassin from the Empire?"
Ryan frowned immediately, seemingly not expecting Lynch to ask him this question.
"Although I am the head, I am not actually the person Huron trusts most in the Ministry of State Affairs. Otherwise, it wouldn't be Pike who helped them perform those blasphemous rituals."
Ryan spoke slowly, saying this.
“I certainly cannot know the full situation of the Star Claws, and Mr. Lynch, you are asking about the situation of the past two days. After all, this is Demore, and I am also an official of Demore. I cannot provide such a fast and real-time update on the situation of the Thorn Court.”
Is that so...?
"But if you really want to know, a group of people will be sent to the Thorn Royal Court tonight, and I can plant some of my people there,"
"Although you'll likely be serving as a warband servant after going there, and won't gain much, you might be able to gather the information you need."
Lynch's eyes lit up slightly when he heard Ryan's words.
He took a deep breath and spoke decisively.
"It's too late, Minister Ryan. To tell you the truth, one of my companions has most likely been captured by the Star Claws. If possible, please add me to the team. I need to go and rescue my companion."
Based on Lynch's assessment, Gawain was most likely not dead.
Firstly, as the opponent was a member of the Imperial Guard, Lynch believed that his vitality and the defensive capabilities of his power armor would prevent him from dying so easily at the hands of Astartes of the Star Claws.
Secondly, he also believed that Huron would not easily give up on such an "assassin" from the Empire.
As an Astartes with considerable political and strategic acumen, Huron must have known that capturing a living member of the Imperial Guard and then labeling him an assassin could serve as a significant bargaining chip when facing the Empire.
Combining the two points above, Lin Qi planned to enter the Thorn Royal Court himself, find Gawain, and then try to rescue him.
"Isn't this too dangerous?"
Ryan frowned immediately after hearing Lynch's words, his eyes filled with disbelief.
The subtext of his words was quite clear: was it absolutely necessary to save your companion?
Lynch remained silent, then nodded firmly.
“I will have a backup plan. I will give Lappland some information. If you are unable to contact me, then go with Lappland and take that information to find the Weeping One.”
"Don't be afraid. Although the Angels are currently on the same side as Huron, they have the Emperor's Chosen and my information, and they will definitely cooperate with you."
Ryan and Vivian exchanged a glance, and finally sighed helplessly.
"Mr. Lynch... are there many people like you in Terra?"
Is that a lot?
Lin Qi lowered his head, and finally, a faint smile appeared on his face.
"I'm probably the only one left... After all, I'm considered an oddity here."
........
“You’re an oddball here. Now that you’ve gone this far, why don’t you just tell us?”
Gao Wen felt his pain suddenly lessen. The instruments of torture that had been relentlessly stimulating his nerves were removed, making him feel much lighter.
Nevertheless, he still raised his head and looked coldly at the Astartes in front of him, who was wearing power armor.
"Tsk... That's the look in their eyes. I should say, no wonder they're the Imperial Guard. They were tortured by those perverts for a whole day and night, and not only did they not make a sound, but their eyes didn't even change?"
Astartes muttered to himself. The helmet he was wearing prevented Gawain from seeing his face clearly, but he could imagine the thoughtful and troubled expression on his face.
"The warband commander ordered me to interrogate you, hoping to extract information from you about the Empire's other arrangements on Badab... Ugh, annoying. The Imperial Guards aren't ordinary people or other Astartes; they're not so easy to pry open."
Astartes picked up a red-hot branding iron and slammed it onto Gawain's shoulder.
"I have infused this branding iron with psionic power... As your body is roasted, your consciousness will fall into a state of icy cold."
"And once the body enters the cooling process, the high temperature will sweep over your consciousness again, and it will also bring you the memories you least want to see and the most unbearable memories to recall."
The branding iron slowly seared the flesh on his shoulder, filling the interrogation room with the aroma of roasting meat.
Gawain remained motionless; not only his bound torso and limbs, but even the pupils in his eyes showed no change.
It was as if he felt no pain at all.
Time passed slowly until Astartes grew bored. He then put down the branding iron, looked at Gawain, and shook his head helplessly.
"If the think tank hadn't been unable to search your soul, and hadn't almost gone insane, I wouldn't have had a chance to appear at all."
Astartes snapped his fingers, and soon, the six people in the corner of the room slowly rose from the ground.
All six men were of average build and of robust physique. On their backs, they all shared a strange, deep purple tattoo.
This is a pattern that evokes both indescribable beauty and a sense of the bizarre. It resembles a sword cascading into a circle, with the hilt showing the curve and sharpness of a blade, and at the end of the hilt is a decoration that looks like a crescent moon.
If Lynch were here, he would certainly recognize this as Slaanesh's mark.
“Sometimes, even if you don’t say anything, as long as you’re alive, you can still provide us with a lot of help.”
Astartes said this and turned to walk towards the door.
"Keep attending to him, don't kill him, and tell me if he speaks."
After saying this, he walked out of the interrogation room and closed the door behind him.
Chapter 29 Horus: Guilliman, what a Guilliman! (Seeking monthly votes, there's a big surprise in this chapter)
Generally speaking, the position of servitude within an Astartes Chapter is actually hereditary.
Those who failed in the Chapter selection but survived, along with their descendants, would assume this position. After all, even in the Legion era, the Astartes couldn't handle all the affairs of their own forces, let alone a Chapter of only a thousand men under the control of the Holy Scriptures.
Chapter servants are indispensable, operating turrets, maintaining and keeping the fortress monastery operational, assisting technical sergeants in repairing equipment, managing the chapter's logistics, and providing auxiliary firepower during combat...
These are the duties of the Chapter's servants, and they also demonstrate the importance of mortals in this universe.
However, at some point, the Star Claws, the Astartes Chapter under Huron's command, began recruiting a large number of people to serve as chapter servants.
At first, the nobles of Badab were eager to acquire it.
They sent some of their family members there, some as their second sons, and others as their eldest sons.
The purpose of such behavior was simple: to curry favor with the tyrant Huron in order to gain greater political capital and power in the region.
However, they soon received a warning from the Star Claws Chapter. Clearly, the Astartes were very dissatisfied with these untrained and uncommon noble offspring.