Chapter 103: The Shattered Planet and the Grassland Rider

Zhou Yun slowly opened his eyes from bed.

As the noise from outside flooded his ears, his drowsiness vanished quickly in the morning light.

Na’s faint breathing sounded beside him.

Since returning from the Undernest, the girl had barely woken up—not even eating a meal.

Yet her body showed no signs of illness; she was perfectly healthy.

Zhou Yun could only guess the Emperor was up to something.

After glancing at Na, Zhou Yun yawned and climbed out of bed.

He leaned toward the small window in the door to look outside.

The already crowded crowd below had become even more packed.

The evacuation of the Undernest had begun; residents from other districts were flooding into Zhou Yun’s district.

These people gathered along the streets, building crude shanties from scrap materials to crowd inside.

Some clever residents even set up small stalls and started doing business.

Since the Viceroy shut down the exchange of Blood Coins for Blood Stones, people had reverted to barter.

Lho cigarettes had replaced Blood Coins as the new hard currency.

Bargaining voices echoed through the streets all night.

Had Zhou Yun not gained the ability to fall asleep instantly, his sleep quality would have been terrible.

At that moment, a light knock came at Zhou Yun’s iron door.

Zhou Yun rose and opened it.

There stood a figure clad in gleaming silver armor, shining under the nest’s lights.

Battle Sister Agleide stood outside Zhou Yun’s door, flanked by two younger Battle Sisters.

The Holy Rose Battle Sisters were tasked with evacuating Asford’s residents alongside Ark Gang members.

Most Undernest residents were devout Imperial Cult followers; Battle Sisters earned their trust more easily than the Astral Militia.

Originally stationed on Laixi were ten thousand Battle Sisters; Magda, the Grand Sister, had specially reassigned two thousand to aid Asford’s evacuation.

Roughly one or two Battle Sisters now oversaw each district of the Undernest—their workload was immense.

Zhou Yun noticed the dark circles under Agleide’s eyes and the small St. Guilliman sticker on her silver power armor—a crude sketch, childlike, un-sacred yet cute.

“It was just given to me by a child on the street,” Agleide said, slightly embarrassed, sensing Zhou Yun’s gaze.

“I’m surprisingly popular with children,” the winged figure in the white light also noticed the sticker.

“You look exhausted,” Zhou Yun nodded slightly. “Sleep is important.”

“It’s fine,” Agleide rubbed her eyes. “Much better than on Laixi.”

“You don’t know what we did on Laixi—we were assigned to convert the locals to worship the Emperor.”

“But the locals held many superstitious beliefs; Magda hoped for gentler methods, but sometimes extreme measures were unavoidable.”

“Especially the Salt Goddess cult—we constantly clashed with them and were often called butchers.”

Battle Sister Agleide gave a bitter laugh:

“Here, though tiring, at least the people are devout Imperial Cult followers—and they don’t spit at us.”

Zhou Yun nodded. He knew the situation on Laixi; Magda was a moderate, but Battle Sisters’ proselytizing always involved death.

Still, that Salt Goddess cult was no innocent sect—it had long been infiltrated by the schemers.

“Forgive me, Lord Zhou Yun,” Agleide rubbed her tired cheeks. “We’ve been wasting time—where is the girl?”

Agleide’s eyes held curiosity.

Zhou Yun told her what he knew about Na.

Agleide listened, still skeptical.

If the Emperor truly manifested in a girl, this child could be venerated as a living saint.

Zhou Yun nodded gently, turned, lifted Na from the bed, and walked back to the door.

“This child is in your care now,” Zhou Yun said, handing Na to Agleide.

What Zhou Yun planned to do next made it impossible to drag along a child perpetually asleep.

The best course was to entrust her to the Battle Sisters for protection and transport to safety.

“Whether or not this child is truly chosen by the Emperor, we will protect her.”

Agleide spoke solemnly, as if to reassure Zhou Yun.

“Rest assured,” Agleide said.

Zhou Yun paused slightly: “No, I’ve always been confident.”

“Given her current state, I suspect the Emperor has other plans for her.”

“Before those plans are fulfilled, the Emperor won’t let her come to harm.”

Zhou Yun spoke his thoughts aloud.

He and the winged figure in the white light had both suspected Na’s condition was the Emperor’s preparation for some future purpose.

Agleide, hearing this, widened her eyes in shock, even showing shame.

Even the two younger sisters behind her looked stunned.

“Such profound faith—it shames me.”

Agleide, misunderstanding entirely, bowed deeply with a reverent eagle salute:

“You are right—we need only be loyal; the Emperor will guard His children.”

Zhou Yun wanted to say he hadn’t meant that at all.

But faced with Agleide and the two young sisters’ reverent gazes, he found himself speechless.

After securing Na in her arms, Agleide bowed slightly to Zhou Yun and hurried away.

Her duties remained overwhelming; countless outsiders had flooded the district, making it ever more crowded.

Agleide had to protect this vital district, ensuring no Chaos cultists or schemers slipped in to cause chaos.

Zhou Yun stepped out of the house where he’d lived for so long—he likely wouldn’t return.

War was coming; old things would change irrevocably.

That blue-feathered bird atop the highest heavens might be annoying, but his doctrine of change held truth.

Zhou Yun walked through the crowded throng, noticing paper cutouts, statues, and decorations of St. Guilliman hanging from every shanty.

Was it because the Tyranids were coming that Asford’s people now sought inner peace from St. Guilliman?

Zhou Yun wondered, puzzled.

“You,” the winged figure in the white light shook his head at Zhou Yun.

Zhou Yun blinked in confusion—was this thing brighter than usual today?

As Zhou Yun pondered, a pleading voice suddenly rose beside him:

“Sir, for the sake of St. Guilliman, let me read for you.” A hoarse, unpleasant child’s voice spoke.

Zhou Yun looked down and realized he’d stopped before a stall.

On it lay a set of crude paper cards; behind it sat a thin, unattractive girl, about Na’s age, her face weary and hungry.

Emperor Tarot.

Lately, many stalls on the streets offered Emperor Tarot readings.

!.

With disaster approaching, people always sought some sign.

Zhou Yun himself had dabbled in it a few times.

Most street fortune-tellers simply drew random cards and made up wild interpretations.

To truly use Emperor Tarot required real skill.

The reason the white light figure and Na gave accurate readings was because both possessed strong spiritual power.

But seeing the girl’s hopeful eyes, Zhou Yun sighed softly and looked at her:

“Go ahead. Let’s see if you’re any different from the street con artists.”

Zhou Yun crouched down before the thin girl.

He slipped a Lho cigarette into her hand.

Her eyes filled with gratitude as she clumsily shuffled the cards.

Clearly, she’d only just started this trade.

Zhou Yun drew a card from the makeshift deck.

The card depicted a planet, like a shattered egg, cracked and fractured, its massive fragments drifting in the void of space—Card Fifty-Two: The Shattered World.

Foretelling massive conflict and the death of a world.

Zhou Yun’s eye twitched slightly; he drew the next card.

The card showed a vast grassland, where a rider on a snow-white steed held an eagle aloft on his arm—Card Five: The Grassland Rider.

Foretelling imminent danger or salvation, depending on the previous card.

Together, the two meant: a threat capable of destroying a planet was approaching.

Zhou Yun stared at the girl in surprise.

You really can read them!

“Again these two?” the girl muttered sadly. “Sorry, sir, I don’t know what’s wrong.”

“Every time I draw at my stall, I get these two cards—I’ll return your money.”

"This girl has a slight psychic talent," said the winged figure within the white light.

A slight psychic talent?

Zhou Yun suddenly understood.

Many psychics possess only slight psychic talent; they are often just luckier or better at divination, and may never realize they are psychics in their entire lives.

This little one really has something to her, but judging by her appearance, that’s precisely why her business is so poor.

Every card she draws is the same—who would want to come to her for a reading?

Before the girl could react from her surprise, Zhou Yun pulled out a few more cigarettes from his pocket and shoved them into her hands.

"You’re more capable than those fraudster street fortune-tellers, but few people recognize talent."

Before the girl could recover from her shock, Zhou Yun stood up and left.

(End of Chapter)