[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-warhammer-starting-as-a-planetary-governor":3,"chapter-warhammer-starting-as-a-planetary-governor-warhammer-starting-as-a-planetary-governor-chapter-641":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Warhammer: Starting as a Planetary Governor",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1681532,2147,"Chapter 641 - 642: The Savior: Good Brother, This Is My Sincerity!","warhammer-starting-as-a-planetary-governor-chapter-641",641,"\u003Cp>\"Why has it come to this. It's absurd to the point of madness…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under the scrutiny of his gene-sons, Perturabo trembled all over, shut his eyes in pain, and did not even dare open them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wanted to believe this was nothing more than some illusion or hallucination.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet every scrap of data and every line of logic confirmed it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This place truly was the Iron Throne Hall. The warriors ranked up and assembled for inspection truly were his gene-sons.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And that Savior, that Emperor of the Imperium, was sitting on his throne.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It had all happened too fast, so fast it felt impossible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who would believe someone could seize a Daemon Primarch's throne, unscathed, within a matter of hours?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And take everything, lock, stock, and barrel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Eden did it. He seized the opening, triggered the third contingency plan, and rapidly translated in the necessary matériel, wargear, and personnel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>During the vacuum of authority created while the Chaos pact was taking effect, he immediately ordered all Iron Warriors commanders to assemble in the throne hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, upon the Iron Throne itself, he used Primarch-level presence, reinforced by pressure from the Adeptus Custodes, and ordered the Iron Warriors commanders to disarm and unarmor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After that came promises and restructuring.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He swiftly adjusted the existing chain of command, delegated real authority, and issued stronger, better wargear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the same time, he had the Machine-Goddess take over their original communications, forming an entirely new command-and-vox architecture.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he issued orders for every Iron Warriors formation to hold position and await further instructions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only with measures like these could he complete the initial seizure of command. Relying on the so-called Chaos pact alone would never be enough to truly direct an entire Legion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the Lord of Iron knew none of it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perturabo glared at the Savior on the throne and tightened his grip around Forgebreaker.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The contract I swore has already been fulfilled. Why do you still occupy my throne? This is naked plunder, without honor!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Lord of Iron was trying to argue, instead of charging straight at the Savior.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was inevitable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The throne hall was filled with the Savior's people. More than a thousand elite veterans, including several hundred fully armed Custodian Wardens.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If it came to blows, they could pin him to the floor and grind him down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I'm sorry, Brother Perturabo. I'm not occupying your throne.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eden's attitude remained good. Patient, even.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"According to the relevant records, this living Chaos fortress is also an asset of the Iron Warriors Legion. It is part of the spoils.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I am simply following the pact and taking what I am owed. If you had been the winner, I would have handed over the spoils as promised.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back then, Eden had demanded the Iron Warriors Legion, and this living fortress counted as one of its assets.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Otherwise, \"only\" the Iron Warriors would not come close to matching the value of the Dreamweaver and its dedicated vehicles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Primarch gene-clones aboard the Dreamweaver alone, along with its enormous relic vaults and armories, were beyond price.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not to mention the Redemption Titan honor guard and all the rest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Dreamweaver was a behemoth more than twenty kilometers long, and within it lay assets and resources that defied imagination.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The risk he had taken was immense, but the payoff was equally staggering. This was blood-profit, the purest kind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he played it right, he could even strip Perturabo's Chaos world bare.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But only if he stabilized the situation and prevented the Iron Warriors from swinging back to the Lord of Iron.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"A living Chaos fortress may be part of the spoils, but regardless, you have no right to sit upon my Iron Throne!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perturabo stared at the Iron Warriors and demanded coldly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The Savior is not following the pact. He took the opportunity to seize the throne hall. Are you truly going to follow someone so devoid of honor?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Is this how you treat your gene-father?!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He pressed his gene-sons with his authority, trying to shake their resolve.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Chaos pact indeed required the Iron Warriors to serve the Savior, but after the pact was fulfilled, he could still reclaim them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That would not violate the contract.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He believed the prestige he had built over countless years could pull more of his gene-sons back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was also why he had remained here. He did not fear the Savior would attack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Eden did, the newly stabilized Iron Warriors would tilt right back toward Perturabo.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No gene-son would stand by and watch his gene-father be attacked.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was what Perturabo believed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had already decided that if he could reclaim the Iron Warriors Legion, he would conduct a new round of selection, expelling the disloyal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only absolute loyalty would remain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That twisted man is playing the pity card and running a mind game. He wants to shake the Iron Warriors' decision and take back power…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eden watched Perturabo in silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He noticed some of the Iron Warriors commanders' expressions had shifted. They were hesitating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was not a good sign.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eden understood perfectly why Perturabo had dared to stay.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had not yet fully mastered the Iron Warriors Legion. If he clashed with Perturabo now, it could cause the command structure he had just formed to collapse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was why, after a stable coup, the winners often treated the former ruler well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because power seized smoothly is less secure than power seized through slaughter. It needs time to settle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unless absolutely necessary, you wait until authority is truly solid before you remove every threat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eden needed time to adjust, to sink his control deeper.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was why he had not blocked Perturabo, nor attacked him, allowing him to walk right up to the throne.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eden knew that beyond anger, Perturabo was gauging the Iron Warriors' reactions, deciding whether he should attempt to strike.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Lord of Iron was not a brainless brute.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was just twisted. Not decisive when it mattered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even his fall was incomplete.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Eden were in his position, he would have charged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the Iron Warriors would have plunged into chaos. A significant portion would choose to defend their former gene-father.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Prestige built over ten thousand years does not melt away overnight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I have to hold that twisted man steady. I must avoid open conflict as much as possible.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eden decided on his approach. He rose from the throne and descended the steps.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His voice remained warm, his expression smiling, as if speaking with an old friend.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Brother, there have been too many misunderstandings between us. Please allow me a few words with the Iron Warriors.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stopped before the formation and looked at Aharin, the pale warrior near the front.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eden could see the hesitation. That one still held loyalty to the Lord of Iron, and could turn at any time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eden raised a hand and gently straightened the slightly disordered charm-sash on Aharin's armor, careful and unhurried.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he did, he spoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"My loyal warriors, perhaps you have not understood one thing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I have never restricted you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Savior's gesture moved Aharin. He unconsciously straightened his posture, chest lifting, trying to stand with greater presence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He felt respected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Savior had even given him a pale-white iron suit of armor that better suited his complexion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In truth, this was simply standard procedure within the Savior's domain and the Terror Legion's forge system.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A unified system, with room for personal customization.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once Eden had ordered the Iron Warriors commanders to assemble, he had quickly re-outfitted them, replacing their armor with Terror Legion-forged plate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among Chaos warbands, it was famously excellent equipment, the kind everyone fought to obtain, and that rarely circulated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the Iron Warriors wore the Savior's armor and carried the Savior's weapons, how could they still bring themselves to attack their adoptive father?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eden continued the squeeze, voice even, pace unhurried.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You are all the bravest of warriors. I respect every choice you make, and every ideal you hold.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He pointed to the weapon crates stacked high inside the hall, and with psychic force flipped open iron lids, warpflame surging up in roaring tongues.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This is wargear I purchased from the Terror Legion. There will be more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those of you who wish to fight, who wish to seize glory, I will give you the finest weapons and armor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then I will send you to the most blood-stirring battlefields, to fight and to kill to your hearts' content.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xenos, heretics, traitors, all will fall at your feet. Even the Chaos Gods will gape at your might.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then Eden looked toward the technical adepts, the Techmarines and Warpsmiths.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And those among you who wish to research the arts of Chaos forging, I will give you any resources you desire, and help you build the most powerful engines of Chaos war.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, you may research any technology at all, whether it is 'useful' or 'useless.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I respect your technical ideals. I will not restrict you, nor interfere with your work.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If you want it, I can provide it. No ceiling on resources.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You have already been judged loyal by the Savior, the Emperor of the Imperium. You may explore the technological domain without suffering any form of restraint.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, the entire Imperium stands behind you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Eden said this, it was not only the Techmarines and Warpsmiths who were stirred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even Perturabo's gaze wavered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Across the galaxy, no ruler had ever offered such a thing. Perhaps only the Savior could be so generous, with such resources at his disposal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, this was exactly what Eden wanted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He needed more Chaos technology to better understand the warp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Learn the enemy's strengths, so you can counter the enemy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And those technologies could also be used to develop and arm the Terror Legion, raising more Chaos-held domains.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If the False Emperor had supported my research the way the Savior does… perhaps nothing would have reached this point.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perturabo stood there, stunned, thoughts multiplying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He even felt envy toward those Techmarines and Warpsmiths, who could receive such unreserved support.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unlike him, back then.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Lord of Iron's buried technical ideals stirred, and with them came a sudden emptiness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even after betraying the Imperium and gaining \"freedom,\" he had never truly returned to them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eden continued.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I told you. I will not restrict your freedom.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He lifted a hand and pointed at Perturabo.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If you wish, you can even take this wargear back to my brother's side, and return to everything you once had.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But I hope you think carefully. You will only get one chance.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eden wore the expression of an adoptive father who respected them, who trusted them, righteous and open-handed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In truth, he had gotten a bit carried away in the speech. The moment the words left his mouth, he regretted them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Iron Warriors truly ran back to the Lord of Iron, they would surely drag a large group with them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eden's face was gentle as he looked at the commanders, but inside, he was panicking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, after trading glances, the Iron Warriors remained where they stood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even those who had been itching to move.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were wearing the Savior's armor, carrying the Savior's weapons, and the Savior had trusted them so completely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How could they commit such a disgrace, such a dishonorable betrayal, right to his face?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without realizing it, these Iron Warriors had already begun to think of themselves as the Savior's warriors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More importantly, they did not want to return to their old lives.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Were they supposed to abandon a lord like the Savior, and run back to Perturabo's brutal rule and decimation?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Run back to a life with no recognition, no respect?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In that instant, the Lord of Iron felt as if he had been exiled from the Iron Warriors Legion, rejected by his own gene-sons.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I failed. There's no path to reclaiming them…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing this, Perturabo sank into a deeper defeat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was already difficult for him to take the Iron Warriors back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He, the Iron Warriors' Primarch, had reached the point where his gene-sons were unwilling to serve him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What sorrow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only then did Perturabo understand that the Iron Warriors were not leaving merely because he had forced them to swear an oath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They had never truly wanted his rule.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They simply had no choice before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now they had a better choice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course they would abandon their gene-father.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The blow was too great. Perturabo fell into self-doubt and confusion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Father… I was never a qualified commander. I never loved war or slaughter, and yet you forced all of it onto me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That twisted man is breaking again. His mentality really is fragile…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eden watched Perturabo's vacant expression and knew he had started knotting himself up again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Compared to the Lion, this was a chasm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Half of the Lion's sons betrayed him, bombarded his fleet, even blew his entire home world apart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the Lion still endured, his will unshaken.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Here, the Iron Warriors were merely refusing to return. Eden had not even fired a shot, and Perturabo was already unraveling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The difference was obvious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perturabo was not suited to be a commander.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He could spend years in a laboratory, lost in research.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he could not govern a Legion well, nor bear the crushing pressure of endless war.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those siege campaigns he fought looked more like a man smashing the world in spite, piling bodies because he could not stand anything else.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A man who hated war, driven by the Emperor's pressure from one extreme into another.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Perturabo were not brilliant, a style like that would have ended in ruin long ago.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Brother.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eden thought for a moment, then, under everyone's gaze, walked toward Perturabo with no guard raised, no sign of caution.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He never forgot his final aim.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wanted Perturabo, the Imperium's greatest scientific mind, to return.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With the Lord of Iron's brain, and the Savior's domain's complete research infrastructure, scientific progress would launch like a spiral ascent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I am not your brother.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perturabo looked up at the Savior, voice ice-cold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"More accurately, we are enemies. Perhaps you should draw your blade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If you have even a shred of honor and courage, then face me in a duel to the death!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perturabo was trying to force a duel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he defeated or killed the Savior in single combat, he could \"rightfully\" reclaim the Iron Warriors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unfortunately, his verbal pressure achieved nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I will not fight you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eden advanced step by step, presence heavy as a mountain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He spoke slowly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Brother, none of this was done out of malice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was for your sake.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You do not like war, and you are not suited to be a commander. You are more like a scholar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I want you to return to the Imperium, to research science and technology properly, and to fulfill the ideals you once held.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For my sake?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perturabo almost laughed from anger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Forgebreaker flared to life in his hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Savior, you may be skilled at deception, but you cannot take me for a fool!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I'm sorry, but I have always been the most sincere of Primarchs.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The instant Perturabo lit his weapon, Eden projected a virtual display, cutting off the attack before it could begin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Look at this. Perhaps then you will understand.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two anonymous accounts on the psychic network, and their associated records.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The IDs were Iron Resolve and Toaster Fan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment Perturabo saw them, he froze, trembling violently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was his psy-net account.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the other was his friend's.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That friend had gone offline and never replied again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Worrying. Deeply worrying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That friend was almost the only friend he had left in the galaxy, someone who shared his technical interests, someone he could speak to.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perturabo's fury surged. He lowered his weapon and roared:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Are you threatening me? Using his life to threaten a Daemon Prince?!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If this truly is a threat, then it has already worked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You care about that person. You are good friends, aren't you?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eden said softly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From the twisted man's reaction alone, it was clear he did not want that \"net-friend\" to die.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"In truth, we share the same ideals and interests.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eden tapped the data-slate mounted on his gauntlet and sent Perturabo a smiling face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he said, utterly serious:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I'm sorry. I didn't want to deceive you, but I'm Toaster Fan. Your psy-net friend.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Impossible!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perturabo's eyes widened. Confusion swept over him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had shared far too much of his inner thoughts with that friend.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And now he discovered he had been deceived all along.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sour bitterness flooded his chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This is the gift I promised you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eden accepted an exquisite stasis field case handed over by a Custodian, then used psychic force to float it before Perturabo.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside was a weathered oil painting, of a mysterious woman wearing a faint smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You may know this work. It comes from the Renaissance era of an Old Terra nation-state, one of Leonardo da Vinci's greatest creations.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Astonishing…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perturabo carefully took the painting, his eyes filling with appreciation, as if he had forgotten he was standing before an enemy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the Mona Lisa.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had seen references to it in ancient records, yet never once had he seen it with his own eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the instant he looked upon it, he knew.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was da Vinci. That was the smile the records spoke of.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A rare relic he had sought for so long, and never found.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then the Savior's voice arrived again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But I must point out that this is not the genuine article. It is a replica painted by my own hand, dressed up with antique weathering.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I don't want to deceive you, but that is all the original ever was. This should be the most complete da Vinci replica in the entire galaxy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, if you want, we can go to the Imperial Palace vault and pry out another of da Vinci's treasures, a genuine piece.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You spun so many lies just to make me return to the Imperium and continue serving the False Emperor?!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perturabo took a deep breath. His tone cooled into forced calm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This is your sincerity?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A trap woven from countless lies, just to make me believe your false promises?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He set the painting on the floor, then leapt, igniting Forgebreaker and swinging down toward the Savior with a blow meant to end a life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You are just like that False Emperor. You do nothing but deceive, again and again, using people as tools!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perturabo attacked with everything he had, decisive and absolute.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A duel to the death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet at the instant the hammer fell, he arrested the strike.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The blow crashed down before the Savior, not upon him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because he saw a lamp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A lamp he knew.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The one he had once improved, handed to the Emperor, and then watched vanish into oblivion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment Perturabo saw that lamp again, sealed memories came roaring back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stared at it, and in it he saw his former ideals, his once-burning faith, his own passion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This is my sincerity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I found it in a forgotten corner of the Imperial Palace vault.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eden looked at the mechanical lamp floating between them and spoke softly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This is a perfect invention. It should never have been forgotten.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It has already been deployed across many underdeveloped regions of the Savior's domain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It brought people light.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He projected images into the air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dim rooms. Lamps igniting. Darkness pushed back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the light stood elders, children, families smiling together.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The poor stared at the bright lamp and smiled, as if hope for tomorrow had finally taken shape.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eden smiled and spoke the final line.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Brother, its name is… the Perturabo Lamp.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Forgebreaker hit the floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Emotion slammed into Perturabo like a tidal wave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He clutched the lamp, sank to his knees, and broke into sobs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Get +30 Extra Chapters On — P@tr3on \"Zaelum\"]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Every 300 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter Drop]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Thanks for Reading!]\u003C\u002Fp>",3329,"2026-06-06T13:29:21.401Z",1,"novelbin.me","c031681392ccc6271812af2a4f7c63a02307861dfa0a3245958f3b9eca2d4414","warhammer-starting-as-a-planetary-governor-chapter-642","warhammer-starting-as-a-planetary-governor-chapter-640",771,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fwarhammer-starting-as-a-planetary-governor-cover.jpg"]