LRAB Page 17
Page 17
Finally, Horus could only sigh helplessly, his face sincere.
"I apologize to you, but I assure you that neither my father nor I intentionally ignored you. At that time, my father's attention was drawn to something else, and as for me..."
Horus spread his hands, somewhat helplessly.
"If it's something that exists in the warp, like that Tzeentch demon, I might be able to help you. But once it involves the material universe, unless you can tear a warp rift open on the spot, or directly restore my soul and find me a suitable body, there's nothing I can do."
This time it was Lynch's turn to fall silent, because Horus was telling the truth.
Lies don't hurt, truth is the knife.
"So what do you suggest I do next? You're the Primarch, you can at least offer some advice, right?"
"Haven't you already made your decision?"
Horus spoke as he looked at Lynch.
"My opinion may not be that good, and... I think what you need is just determination."
Lynch fell silent again. After about a minute, he took a deep breath, opened a small cabinet, and took out a well-preserved box of tarot cards.
Imperial Tarot, a type of deck of cards very popular within the empire, is also a tool for prophecy and divination.
In the nests of various planets, there are many charlatans who make a living by doing this, but that doesn’t mean it’s useless. In fact, under the guidance of many powerful prophetic psychics, the Emperor Tarot can point out a fairly accurate future.
Within Terra's psychic academy, there are specialized courses that train those who can interpret the Tarot, enabling them to predict the future through Tarot readings and thus prevent certain threats to humanity from occurring.
Now, Lin Qi plans to use this thing to divine his fate.
Horus watched Lynch's actions and shook his head slightly.
He didn't quite understand the other party's motives. After all, in his opinion, although his father had an agreement with the other party, anyone who knew his father would know how much of that agreement was worthless.
Horus loved his father very much, but he also knew that his father had many problems, especially after being prayed to for ten thousand years, he could no longer be called an emperor, but a god-emperor.
So, would a God-Emperor, representing the collective will of humanity, choose to abandon someone like Lin Qi, who possesses immense value and ability?
The answer is almost impossible. For the God Emperor, using people to the point of death is never a joke.
Horus had already seen the legion burning with golden flames in the warp.
Therefore, Horus believed that Lynch didn't need to go through the trouble he was in now. If unforeseen problems arose with the plan, he could simply leave. Instead, he was forced to search for a glimmer of hope even in this perilous situation...
If it were me, I would probably do the same, but I did it out of shame and love for my father. What was Lin Qi's reason?
Horus was curious, but he didn't ask and kept the question to himself.
Lynch finished all the preparations for the divination, and then, looking at the deck of cards, he quickly drew three cards from it.
The three cards were facing away from Lynch, like three spires shrouded in mist, their faces unknown.
"It's about to be opened."
Lynch took a deep breath, as if speaking to Horus, or perhaps to himself.
He then reached out and flipped over the three cards one by one, revealing the outcome of the prophecy.
Chapter 23 Prophecy and Trading
The three Emperor Tarot cards were revealed one by one, and Lin Qi couldn't help but frown as he looked at the results on the cards.
The first card is drawn from the top of the deck, also known as the upright card.
The card depicts a corpse, a emaciated and filthy corpse seated on a throne.
A black sun hung behind the corpse, its scorching rays burning every inch of its skin. It opened its mouth, emitting what sounded like a painful wail, or perhaps a curse upon its enemy.
The upright Emperor card represents hope deep within the cold darkness.
Lin Qi's lips twitched slightly. What did this mean? Had the God Emperor given his permission?
Rather than revealing the future, this card feels more like it's trying to manipulate me.
Shaking his head, Lin Qi stopped thinking about it and focused his attention on the second card.
The second card is also upright, depicting a handsome man holding a spear standing on a battlefield. He has a pair of pure white wings on his back and wears armor made of shimmering gold and rubies, giving him a holy and beautiful appearance.
The Angel card represents opportunities lurking in the fog, symbolizing the key to future turning points.
The information revealed by this card made Lynch fall into deep thought. If the first card represented PUA (Pick-Up Artist) tactics, then the second card should convey some crucial information.
Angel.......
Lynch thought of the Weeping Chapter, who served as guardians of the Maelstrom alongside Huron. This chapter, known for its bad luck in the previous life's Hammerhead world, happened to be the offspring of angels.
Moreover, Lin Qi also knew that the reason why the other party stood with Huron was simply because of brotherhood and because Huron himself was deceived by some information errors. In other words, of the three warbands of the Vortex Guardians, the other two warbands were deceived and stood with Huron.
Could the key to breaking this deadlock lie with the Son of Angels? Or with the Lamenter?
Lin Qi frowned. Even if his guess was correct, he had no way to see the mourners now.
At this point in time, the Lamenters have not yet experienced the series of unfortunate events to come, and with the support of the Star Claws, they possess formidable fleet strike capabilities and invaluable aerial combat experience.
For Huron, the Weeping Ones were essential to his ambitious endeavors, so he made full use of them. Basically, all the Weeping Ones were deployed on various ships in his fleet, serving as a high-speed mobile force that swayed among the stars of the Badab system.
Are we really going to kidnap Ryan tomorrow and force him to help make contact with the weeping people?
Lynch's mind raced with this extremely risky choice, but he finally shook his head and decided to look at his last card.
Upright, the card depicts a young girl with bandages over her eyes, praying devoutly.
What does it mean?
Lynch blinked and looked at Horus beside him.
Horus shook his head. This version of the Emperor Tarot was completely different from the one he remembered, and he might not even know the meaning of many of the cards.
"Can you just ask your dad?"
"...What do you think?"
Lin Qi sighed and put the card away.
so be it.
Lynch put away the Emperor Tarot; at least he had gotten some results—the first card had already told him what to do next.
That means just do it, follow your own ideas.
Anyway... with the Emperor backing us up, at worst we can just flip the table in the end.
With that thought in mind, Lin Qi walked out of the detached house.
...
The old man slowly wiped the wine glass in his hand.
Today is a rare day off. At this time, Lao Paoyan likes to sit alone at the bar and slowly wipe the glasses, partly to stretch his muscles and prevent them from rusting, and partly to enjoy this leisurely time.
"Dong dong dong."
"We are closed today, please leave."
"Dong dong dong."
"I said today..."
“It’s me, Lynch.”
"...Here it comes."
Old Pao stopped wiping his glasses, walked out from behind the bar, and opened the pub's locked door.
Lin Qi walked in, looked at the empty tavern, and without any ceremony, sat down directly in front of the bar.
Would you like something to drink?
"Sweet water".
Old Pao opened the cabinet below, took out a bottle filled with a cloudy yellow liquid, uncorked it, and poured Lin Qi a glass.
"Was it you who did the thing with the Blood Brotherhood and the Ascension Gang last time?"
"Yes."
"You took down two big bosses of various factions in one fell swoop. Honestly, if I had known you were going to do something like this, I wouldn't have sold you the information in the first place."
"What's wrong? Did those two gangs cause you trouble?"
"Heh, they think they're worthy?"
Old Pao sneered and poured himself a glass of strong liquor made from industrial alcohol and a series of chemical elements.
"But your actions directly led to changes in the situation in both the lower and lower nests. The Ascension Gang is alright; these bald lunatics are very united, and even without a leader, they are still a cohesive unit. The Blood Brotherhood is in a terrible state; they were besieged by several gangs. Although they were not wiped out, they were severely weakened."
I've only been gone for two days, and so much has happened.
Lin Qi calmly took a sip of the sweet water. The indescribable taste stimulated his tongue, making his mouth feel tingly and numb, as if he had been electrocuted.
"A lot of the intelligence I have is now useless. Do you think I shouldn't have sold you the information in the first place?"
You ordered me to kill the leader of the Ascension Gang.
Lin Qi's lips twitched, and he made a comment.
But despite the complaints, Lin Qi wasn't surprised by the old man's shrewish demeanor.
Or rather, if the other party didn't act this way, he wouldn't dare to proceed with the next transaction.
"I'm here today to discuss another business deal with you."
"Hehe, tell me, let me see what you're up to."
"Find me a place, preferably one that can accommodate a lot of people, and it should be at the bottom of the nest. Most importantly, it should be hidden, the kind of place that you can't find even if you want to."
"Lately you've been asking me for all sorts of weird stuff. To be honest, I'm starting to feel a little hesitant to do business with you."
"Name your price."
"...Give me all those weapons you mentioned to the Blood Brotherhood and the Ascended Clan last time."
"Okay, just send someone to this place. It contains half of the goods, and I've already prepared them."
Lin Qi handed the prepared note to Lao Pao Yan, who took it, looked at the address on it, and narrowed his eyes after careful consideration.
There shouldn't be any problems...