Chapter 415: Another Fantasy

Then, the Inquisitorial Fortress Lord felt the parchment in his hand grow slightly warm; a unique, sacred psychic power surged from it, and the characters on the parchment quietly changed.

The meaning of those characters did not change, yet the content became compliant with the requirements of Imperial Law, and the handwriting also changed, becoming the style familiar to the Inquisitorial Fortress Lord.

He raised his head again to look at the line above his head, "Imperial Inquisition Blessed by the Hua Hua Hua Di Huang's Holy Decree," written by the Hua Hua Hua Di Huang's own hand, then looked back at the parchment in his hand with a face full of disbelief.

The handwriting was almost identical.

Even if the handwriting could be forged or imitated, the clear, bright, and sacred psychic power surging from it could not be faked.

The Inquisitorial Fortress Lord was also a psyker; he only needed to lift the parchment and compare it with the Astronomican, which had inexplicably reignited some time ago, to understand whose psychic power was on the parchment.

The psychic power on this single parchment scroll, if thrown casually, could burn a group of daemons to death.

"Can this represent the will of the Hua Hua Hua Di Huang?" Zhou Yun pointed at the parchment scroll in the Inquisitorial Fortress Lord's hand and asked.

The Inquisitorial Fortress Lord nodded stiffly, like a servitor with poorly oiled gears.

"Then may I enter?" Zhou Yun pointed at the entrance to the Inquisitorial Fortress behind the Inquisitorial Fortress Lord and asked.

The Inquisitorial Fortress Lord stiffly shifted his body aside, making way for Zhou Yun.

This stiff movement made him look even more like a servitor, as if his frontal lobes had already been burned out.

Zhou Yun couldn't help but shrug his shoulders and walked toward the entrance of the Inquisitorial Fortress, with Sanguinius following closely behind.

Then, the Inquisitorial Fortress Lord moved his body stiffly again, blocking the path in front of Sanguinius.

Zhou Yun, Sanguinius, and the Inquisitorial representative Elsie all looked at him with bewildered expressions.

"Only Inquisitors may enter the Inquisitorial Fortress," the Inquisitorial Fortress Lord stated dryly.

He spoke as if executing some fixed, rigid program.

"Hahaha..." Sanguinius fell silent first, then couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Elsie, standing nearby, stretched out a hand and covered his face tightly, seeming to wish for death.

"For a talent like you, not becoming a servitor is truly a waste," Zhou Yun said, his mouth twitching.

The Inquisitorial Fortress Lord's expression stiffened slightly.

"In obedience to the command of the Lord Inquisitor appointed by the Hua Hua Hua Di Huang," he replied in dry High Gothic.

"..." Sanguinius fell completely silent.

"..." Elsie also stood with a stiff expression, unable to speak.

Only Zhou Yun felt somewhat confused; he did not understand High Gothic and hadn't figured out what the Inquisitorial Fortress Lord had just said.

He simply watched as the Inquisitorial Fortress Lord walked into the Inquisitorial Fortress without looking back, not knowing what he was going to do.

Inside the Inquisitorial Fortress, within the Demon-Runway Avenue,

"The human-machine is truly a human-machine."

Knowing that the Inquisitorial Fortress Lord truly intended to follow Zhou Yun's joke and transform himself into a servitor, Zhou Yun commented with a twitching mouth:

"The loyalty is truly loyal."

The Inquisitorial Fortress Lord followed Zhou Yun, Elsie, and Sanguinius silently, as if he had not yet recovered.

"Actually, the Ordo Malleus faction is quite good," Elsie explained quietly from the side: "Normally, our faction does not recklessly issue Exterminatus orders, does not excessively touch heretical matters, cherishes the Hua Hua Hua Di Huang's currency, and most of the time works diligently to maintain the stability of the Empire."

"The Fortress Lord just had a moment where his mind didn't turn properly and failed to understand the Hua Hua Hua Di Huang's plan."

Zhou Yun nodded to indicate understanding; this was also the reason why Ji Li Man, Zhou Yun, and Sanguinius were unwilling to take action against the Ordo Malleus faction.

Although the Ordo Malleus faction was a bit rigid, compared to those who acted as heretics within the Inquisition, raised xenos within the Ordo Xenos, summoned daemons within the Ordo Malleus, or those who struck loyalist Space Marine Chapters and bred Tyranids and Orks like insects,

the Ordo Malleus faction, which simply kept its head down to maintain stability, looked truly handsome and innocent.

In reality, the vast majority of Inquisitors started as Ordo Malleus, only gradually becoming perverted through their perverted work and drifting toward other factions.

These Inquisitors who now steadfastly uphold the Ordo Malleus have no other ill intentions; they simply believe the Hua Hua Hua Di Huang is truly playing a grand game, and their task is to be a true gentleman who watches the game without speaking.

Compared to the conservatives within the Administratum and the Arbites, the Ordo Malleus faction is simply rigid; they do not mind reform, as long as the reform is part of the Hua Hua Hua Di Huang's grand game.

"... The Hua Hua Hua Di Huang has ascended the Golden Throne for ten thousand years; it is impossible for the Hua Hua Hua Di Huang to have personally written that signature during these ten thousand years."

"... This must have been prepared by the Hua Hua Hua Di Huang ten thousand years ago. I understand; this is still part of the Hua Hua Hua Di Huang's grand plan."

The Inquisitorial Fortress Lord nearby muttered to himself quietly, and as he spoke, his own eyes lit up.

Zhou Yun looked at the Fortress Lord who had achieved logical self-consistency and couldn't help but twitch his mouth for a moment.

That signature was signed by the Ye Bi Hua Hua Hua Di Huang just a few hours ago when Zhou Yun had him sign it.

At that time, the Ye Bi Hua Hua Hua Di Huang said that as long as he wasn't asked to handle government affairs, he could do anything else.

Zhou Yun couldn't think of anything for him to do at the moment, so he had the Hua Hua Hua Di Huang sign a pile of IOUs or imperial decrees that had only signatures and no content; Zhou Yun himself would fill in the content whenever needed.

Furthermore, these signatures themselves possessed the power to banish Warp evils; throwing one directly at a daemon was extremely effective.

Should I go back and give one each to the hardliners in the Administratum and the Arbites to try? But it would probably be useless.

The conservatism of those factions within the Administratum and the Arbites is different from that of the Inquisition.

Their conservatism lies in the fact that the livelihood of a million officials depends on it, and they are unwilling to let Primarchs hold power, rather than truly caring about the Hua Hua Hua Di Huang's will.

Otherwise, after the Hua Hua Hua Di Huang conferred the title of Lord Regent upon Ji Li Man, they should have obeyed unconditionally.

Zhou Yun pondered for a moment and looked at the Inquisitorial Fortress Lord beside him.

"I need you to release a person: Titus, the former Second Captain of the Ultramarines."

"... Who?" The Inquisitorial Fortress Lord's expression froze for a moment.

Noticing Zhou Yun's gaze, the Inquisitorial Fortress Lord quickly lowered his head and said, "There is no subordinate relationship between different Inquisitors; even I, as the Fortress Lord, am unaware of the private prisoners detained by some Inquisitors."

This structure was really giving Zhou Yun a bit of a headache.

"Jerome Sykes, the Adeptus Sororitas; he was in charge of the affairs of the Gria planet," Zhou Yun continued.

"... But he is already dead," the Inquisitorial Fortress Lord said somewhat awkwardly: "He was possessed by a daemon while handling the mutinous Grey Hunters Chapter, was punished by the Grey Knights, and was completely destroyed; his files have also been sealed."

Zhou Yun couldn't help but frown; he was already dead? Could he have arrived too late? Had Titus already gone to the Deathwatch?

"Then go investigate; find out clearly where his prisoners are," Zhou Yun said to the Inquisitorial Fortress Lord.

The Master of the Inquisition Keep nodded repeatedly and immediately turned to leave.

"Wait." San Gilias's voice rang out at this moment: "I also have a prisoner I wish to see."

Zhou Yun also turned his head with a touch of curiosity; he too wanted to know which prisoner could catch San Gilias's attention.

The Master of the Inquisition Keep stiffened, but still turned his head to look at San Gilias.

"Iskandar Kanyon." San Gilias spoke softly.

Kanyon's fingers gently brushed the soft fur of his Spirit Guardian, Gail. This Warp-bound creature, bonded to his soul, had been shaped into the form of a wolf during its battle with a Fenrisian wolf.

His beloved Dark Elf, Nephthali, nestled gently in his arms, feeding him a peeled Prospero grape. She had nearly had her soul devoured by a Daemon Prince of Slaanesh, but Kanyon had protected her.

Kanyon could still feel the mechanical cables trembling gently; that was his sister, Izara. This poor child had had half her brain eaten by the Soul-Eating Worms of Prospero in her youth. She had been modified into a form akin to a Machine Spirit to survive and had now become the Machine Spirit of the Revenge of the Soul, beautiful and powerful.

He rubbed the playing cards between his fingertips; each of these cards sealed a Daemon Prince, all under Kanyon's control.

And Kanyon gently raised his head, looking at the valiant and reliable brother standing before him, the Black Warlord Abaddon to whom he was loyal.

"Ahriman." Kanyon said in a warm voice: "My brother, care for a game of Demon Poker?"

Abaddon laughed heartily and sat down before Kanyon.

Hiss! The pain surging from his ribs interrupted Kanyon's fantasy; some meddlesome Inquisitor had broken his ribs.

Alas, I've indulged in fantasy again. Fantasizing that my beloved Nephthali is still alive, that my sister has become even more beautiful and powerful, that the Warlord Abaddon is already bombarding Terra, and that the false Hua Hua Hua Di Huang's henchmen are wailing.

Fantasizing that the Warlord Abaddon holds my hand, standing together upon the ruins of the Empire, with the Daemon Primarchs, including Magnus, kneeling beside the Warlord and myself, chanting praises to the achievements of Abaddon and Kanyon.

But Kanyon believed, and believed utterly, that his fantasy had already become reality.

Alas, I've indulged in fantasy again.

Just then, the sound of a door opening suddenly rang out.

"Is it Lord Kanyon?" a voice filled with excitement rang out: "Is it the good brother of Lord Abaddon, the Blade of the Black Legion, the greatest Sorcerer of the Thousand Sons, the King-Breaker, Black Kanyon?"

(End of this chapter)