[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-warhammer-the-11th-primarch-the-black-emperor":3,"chapter-warhammer-the-11th-primarch-the-black-emperor-warhammer-the-11th-primarch-the-black-emperor-chapter-89":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Warhammer: The 11th Primarch - The Black Emperor",{"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},1511188,1962,"Chapter 89: The Black Duke’s Court","warhammer-the-11th-primarch-the-black-emperor-chapter-89",89,"\u003Cp>\"The name of this secret organization is the Black Duke's Court.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nareth addressed the six Beyonder warriors of the Shadows of Order, explaining its meaning:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Black represents the legion's color. I am the monarch, and you are my vassals.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Although few in number now, twenty-nine others who received my gift are currently undergoing transformation.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"In time, I will bestow power upon more within the Legion. Thus, the Court has a strict promotion system, one completely separate from your rank in the legion.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The six warriors said nothing, but their eyes sparkled with curiosity. It was a new system, different from the conventional military hierarchy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Your status within the Court is based on how many times I have granted you power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though you possess superhuman bodies, you must understand the meaning behind the powers I give you before you may advance again.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Right now, you are Knights. The next rank is Lord, followed by Baron, Viscount, Count, Marquis, and Duke.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nareth tied the names of the Court ranks to specific potion sequences:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Baron of Corruption (Sequence 6)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Count of the Fallen (Sequence 4)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Duke of Entropy (Sequence 2)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He also added Viscount and Marquis as intermediate levels, and to complete the hierarchy, placed Knight and Lord beneath Baron.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Now then… heed your first command.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Never speak of the powers I've granted you to anyone outside the Court, not even your battle-brothers.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His stern tone startled his six sons. They immediately responded in unison:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes, Father!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Now return, and spread my ideals to more of the Shadows of Order.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the six departed, Nareth sent a message to Marlena.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The \"Planter\" had arrived en route. Nareth had returned briefly to the \"Kingdom of Disorder\" to brew the Doctor potion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A moment later, Marlena, her broad forehead smooth and gleaming, smiled as she looked down at Nareth's outstretched hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Another blessing of power.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The biomancy psyker lips curved into a flawless smile. After sharing a psychic link with Nareth, she had developed a fragmented insight into him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Despite Nareth's skilled concealment techniques, she could still sense part of his inner thoughts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That mysterious distance between them seemed slightly less now. She better understood what it meant that Nareth, upon returning to the Imperium, was a Primarch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yes, he had divine power, but also emotions, rarely expressed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Due to his position and strength, many crises that would terrify mortals, such as the warp predator that had nearly killed Marlena, barely registered to someone like Nareth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She picked up the white potion and drank it in one gulp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A moment later, after controlling the surge of power within her, she asked softly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Doctor?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Correct. I'll arrange a new role for you. You'll master the power quickly, but the start may not be pleasant.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Marlena arched her thick but delicate brows and probed:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The medical deck?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She knew Howard Fender and others were undergoing Astartes augmentation on the upper decks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That's right,\" Nareth nodded. \"I want you involved in the process.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Typically, Apothecaries collect gene-seed but do not perform the actual surgeries. They oversee rather than directly operate on recruits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And right now, all the new Terran recruits were undergoing transformation on Luna, carried out mainly by the Selenite gene-cults, not the Apothecaries.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While Nareth could arrange Marlena's entry, gaining the Apothecaries' trust would not be easy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He turned to her and revealed his purpose:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The Vostroyans undergoing augmentation are too old. Their failure rate will be high.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"As a 'Doctor', you can save some of them even if the surgery fails.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You'll learn much from this, and it will benefit you in the future.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Mother pathway lived up to its name: mid-tier practitioners could engineer lifeforms, while high-tier creations gained true sentience. Combined with Marlena's biomancy, which she could analyze biological tissue with her powers and manipulate it. The potential was staggering.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nareth placed great trust in Marlena and saw her as a key Beyonder being to train.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I won't disappoint you. With this power, I'll earn their trust quickly.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Marlena's tea-brown eyes shimmered with confidence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Come with me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After clarifying the importance of joining the Apothecary team, Nareth led her toward the medical deck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They took the Primarch's private elevator and descended.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon entering the hall, they were met with a bustling, orderly gene lab.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Apothecaries had finished installing all the equipment. The air smelled of disinfectant and metal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under the tall ceiling, complex pipe systems snaked like veins, feeding life-supporting fluids and energy to the augmentation chambers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Against a metal wall sat rows of organ cultivation tanks, growing hearts, lungs, and other organs needed for surgery. Apprentice Apothecaries examined each one carefully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Black-robed assistants were scattered among hundreds of surgical pods, separated by tempered glass domes. They gathered around metal surgical beds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each Apothecary monitored multiple chambers, personally handling the most difficult procedures.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nareth scanned the deck and was immediately drawn to chamber IV, 25 meters away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There, Mikael and another Apothecary stood by a metal bed, surrounded by black-robed assistants.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A naked man lay on the bed, his body convulsing violently like he'd been electrocuted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nareth instantly recognized the man: Roslov, the very first follower of Nareth, now commander of the first regiment, a newly promoted Pugilist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nareth's heart sank. He strode rapidly toward the chamber, Marlena close behind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When they were ten meters away, Roslov suddenly stopped twitching and fell stiffly against the surgical bed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mikael withdrew his medicae from his left arm and said flatly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Resuscitation failed. The candidate is dead.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nareth's spirit vision confirmed Mikael's judgment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He turned to Marlena. Hope shimmered in his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Understanding immediately, Marlena stepped forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Primarch!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing the assistants' shout, Mikael looked up and saw Nareth. Shock briefly crossed his eyes, and he hurriedly opened the pod door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Face to face with a mortal, he was about to reprimand her until the Gene-Father spoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"She is a 'Doctor.' Let her take a look.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'Doctor'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The candidate's already dead. No normal doctor can fix that...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, Mikael obeyed instantly and stepped aside, allowing Marlena entry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She quickly approached the bed. The second Apothecary and assistants moved aside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She opened her Spirit Vision. Unlike the \"Corpse Collector,\" whose vision focused on death, the \"Physician's\" gaze centered on health.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After one glance, she confirmed: Roslov's organs were inevitably dying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, she checked two more times before silently shaking her head at Nareth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His heart dimmed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He'd known adult transformation surgeries were dangerous, but he hadn't expected to witness Roslov's death personally.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The first follower. The most loyal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not dead on the battlefield, but on a cold operating table.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Roslov was the oldest of them all; he had the highest risk of death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if he'd skipped surgery, he could never ascend to high sequences.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even with the best life-extension tech, he might've only lived a few more centuries.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a brief moment of sorrow, Nareth turned to Mikael and the others:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"All of you, leave.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Marlena stays.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was about to harvest the remnants of the beyonder essence left behind after Roslov's death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Understood.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mikael, having chosen to follow the Primarch, knew what this meant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Primarch wants to say farewell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the Apothecaries and assistants exited the chamber, Nareth stepped inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[email protected]\u002FDaoistJinzu\u003C\u002Fp>",1211,"2026-06-06T05:05:10.768Z",1,"novelbin.me","086265bd9dcc8ea136aa613dbd3879c886bdae9e63c18df8fd1a3551f07c2237","warhammer-the-11th-primarch-the-black-emperor-chapter-90","warhammer-the-11th-primarch-the-black-emperor-chapter-88",698,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fwarhammer-the-11th-primarch-the-black-emperor-cover.jpg"]