Chapter 420: Write! The Admiral

Zhou Yun made himself Chief Judge of the Tribunal through a single decree, and theoretically the one who lost the most power was Er Si,

since the position of High Lord was meant to belong to the leaders of major institutions; previously, the Tribunal had no unified leader, hence the need for Er Si as its representative to hold the High Lord title,

now that Zhou Yun was the Tribunal's Chief Judge, Er Si 's role as representative naturally became meaningless,

so did Er Si feel sorrow over this?

Not at all—Er Si even felt delighted,

she had originally faced a three-year term, forced to endure three more years in the hell of the High Lord position, and might even be re-elected by other Inquisitors after that,

now, the High Lord seat belonged to Zhou Yun, so Er Si could retire early—she could immediately go out into the galaxy and freely slaughter the Emperor's enemies,

Ha! Xenos, Daemons, Traitors, and Heretics—your beloved Mama Er Si is back!

Er Si couldn't help but smile from sheer joy.

Then, Er Si felt a gaze fall upon her,

Zhou Yun turned his head and silently stared at Er Si.

Er Si shuddered all over.

With a speed that amazed Er Si, Zhou Yun pulled a parchment from his fourth-dimensional pocket, signed and sealed it in seconds, then shoved it into Er Si 's hands,

before Er Si could even react.

She lowered her head in confusion, staring at the parchment in her hands,

"By the Emperor's name, Chief Judge Zhou Yun, for having stepped into the Tribunal with his left foot, is hereby immediately relieved of his duties as Chief Judge of the Tribunal; the position shall be assumed by Cleopatra Er Si as acting Chief Judge."

Below it was the Emperor's signature.

Er Si 's mouth opened slightly in horror as she stared at the parchment,

she looked up at Zhou Yun, who was smiling—Zhou Yun gave her a slight nod, his face filled with encouragement, as if saying: "You can do it."

How could this even happen?!

Er Si was filled with regret—for having been too smug too soon,

she should have slipped out of the archive room quietly the moment she saw Zhou Yun, letting him ignore her existence—then the acting Chief Judge post might have gone to the Fortress Master instead.

She had missed her chance at early retirement and was now stuck for three more years in the hell of the High Lord position. Wait—?!

Er Si suddenly realized something and snapped her gaze back to the parchment,

her body jerked violently as she saw, clearly written in the corner: "The position of Chief Judge of the Tribunal shall be assumed by Cleopatra Er Si as acting Chief Judge; this acting position is a lifelong appointment."

The parchment instantly became a noose around her neck—a wave of suffocation and dizziness swept over Er Si,

had she not been a hardened Inquisitor, she would have fainted right then.

At that moment, the Fortress Master of the Tribunal looked at Er Si,

"My Lord, should we immediately notify the other Inquisitors across the galaxy?"

"Will you attend the next High Lord Council as the Tribunal's representative or as its Chief Judge?"

"How do we inform the Grand Inquisitors, the Grey Knights, and the Deathwatch of your change in rank?"

"There are also some documents requiring your immediate review."

The Fortress Master spoke to Er Si in his signature dry tone.

Er Si suddenly wished she had just fainted.

Dust swirled through the palace as six massive cranes roared, shaking Tiruien's ears with unbearable pain,

every time the High Lord Council convened, Tiruien felt he was not the Imperial Chancellor or Chief Bureaucrat of the Senate, but merely an ordinary hive-city construction foreman, toiling on a frontline worksite.

Each High Lord Council required the Grand Assembly Hall to be dismantled and rebuilt—the ceiling removed entirely, the surrounding gardens torn down—to make space for the heavy machinery,

this was not due to the High Lords' decadence, but because one among them was so unique, so enormous,

a colossal mechanical chassis, nearly as tall as the Grand Assembly Hall and half its width, was hoisted by six massive cranes and lowered through the ceiling into the High Lords' chamber,

the ground trembled violently, nearly throwing Tiruien off his feet,

Fortunately, a hand emerged from Tiruien's blind spot and gently steadied him.

"Thank you," Tiruien smiled and bowed slightly to the figure in his blind spot.

Then the Tech-Priests of the Adeptus Mechanicus entered the chamber and began installing the outer components of the massive machine,

Tiruien often worried that if these Tech-Priests had hidden bombs inside the machine, they might kill all the High Lords—maybe they didn't even need bombs; the machine's own firepower might rival a Knight Mech and tear the High Lords' flesh to shreds. Perhaps even the Assassinorum's Grand Master, Fadix, might survive.

Fortunately, in his eighty years as Imperial Chancellor, such a scenario had never occurred.

The Tech-Priests finished installing the machine's outer components and plugged its cables into the back of a two-faced dwarf,

the terminal of the Mars Forge General, designed for communication with ordinary beings.

Once done, the Tech-Priests said nothing and withdrew from the chamber,

suddenly, the entire hall seemed to contain only Tiruien, the two-faced dwarf, and the massive machine.

"Lord Ude Udia Laski," Tiruien performed a perfect Eagle Salute, flawless in etiquette.

But the two-faced dwarf replied in a cold tone: "Call me UUla, Lord Tiruien."

"Do not presume to insult me because Saint Dora-Meng favors you—do not refuse to use the name Saint Dora-Meng bestowed upon me."

Tiruien's expression stiffened slightly, then he bowed his head in apology.

Then Tiruien spoke to his blind spot: "Lord Joker, please clear the area."

A flamboyant Eldar Joker removed the Blind Spot Star from his chest, bowed lightly to Tiruien, then vanished into the shifting light.

Moments later, low moans echoed from hidden corners—the spies concealed around the hall had all been eliminated by the Joker.

"Xenos," UUla sneered.

"But they're reliable—excellent spies and scouts—and look at their skulls; they could easily be a human subspecies," Tiruien smiled.

"Are you teaching me biology and xenobiology, Tiruien?"

UUla chuckled at Tiruien's words:

"You may not know, but I hold three titles: Neurobiological Sage, Genetic Biological Sage, and Xenobiological Sage."

"I can tell you plainly: Eldar are xenos. Though their skulls resemble humans superficially, their materials, functions, and evolutionary paths are utterly different. More importantly, historically, Eldar existed long before humanity reached the stars—they cannot be subspecies."

"This is the established conclusion of ten thousand years of biological and xenobiological research on Mars—it is common knowledge among every Biological Sage."

"But the Jokers say Saint Dora-Meng believes they are subspecies," Tiruien hesitated.

"The Biological Sages were wrong. Eldar are subspecies," UUla immediately reversed his stance.

Tiruien couldn't help but chuckle softly,

"Didn't Saint Dora-Meng ask you to reduce your size?" he asked.

"There are no facilities on Terra. I will undergo modification when I accompany Saint Dora-Meng to Mars."

As UUla spoke, he studied Tiruien:

"And you? Your flesh-body is far too inferior—how can you better serve Saint Dora-Meng?"

"Come with me to Mars soon—I'll arrange a perfect transformation for you, granting you a body capable of continuous service for five hundred years."

"Spare me," Tiruien hastily refused, then awkwardly changed the subject: "Let's discuss serious matters."

"Who are Saint Dora-Meng's enemies? Who are his loyal servants?" UUla asked coldly.

"The Neiwu Force Director, the Fawu Force Minister, and the High Admiral—these three are the conservative pillars; they are our enemies."

"The Tribunal Representative, the Star-Tongue Master, and the new High Pontiff are ours—and of course, Lord Guilliman himself."

"The Merchant-Princes' representative has been dismissed; the Grand Mistress of the Adepta Sororitas now fills his seat—she is ours too."

"The Navigator Ambassador supports reform, but Lord Guilliman considers him too radical and has demanded his resignation—his position remains unfilled."

"The former Star-Beacon Master died; the Star-Beacon's attempt to reignite the Astronomican nearly wiped them out—his position remains unfilled."

"The Adeptus Custodes are theoretically neutral, refusing to voice opinions and maintaining distance from the Empire—but I believe Lord Trajan leans toward the Primarchs and Saint Dora-Meng."

"Finally, the Assassinorum—you know, since Vangorich, they've remained static, casting only abstentions in the High Lord Council."

"The Neiwu Force, Fawu Force, and High Admiral are easily dealt with," UUla said calmly.

"Oh?" Tiruien couldn't help but wonder what UUla's brilliant plan was.

"The High Admiral's ship malfunctioned and crashed toward Terra, then landed directly on the Fawu Force's Tribunal Hall, crushing the Fawu Force Minister to death."

UUla said:

"I hear the Neiwu Force Director, Yertu, trusts you—if you can make him visit the Fawu Force at just the right moment, we can eliminate all three at once."

Tiruien's mouth opened slightly.

(End of Chapter)