Chapter 159: The Investiture of Rogue Trader Von Valancius

Vostonia, Exemplar City, Junwang Gongdian.

Ninglu sat upon the Black Throne, behind which thirty-three swords were thrust, each impaling a crown, watching Lewis Von Valancius step into the palace.

He carried a half-height cage in his left hand, supporting it from below with his right.

Ninglu's gaze was drawn to the colorful creature inside the cage.

It was a Parrot, half a meter in length, with brightly colored feathers, distinct patterns, and a beak like a sharp thorn.

It had a long, colorful tongue that extended from its mouth, occasionally flicking behind its head or wrapping around its neck.

Ninglu recognized it as a Clever-Tongue Parrot, the main Potion Material for the "Trickster," the Sequence 8 of the "Thief" path.

Lewis walked before the throne, placed the cage on the ground, and knelt on one knee in accordance with Vostonian etiquette.

"Lewis Von Valancius pays respects to the Primarch."

The Clever-Tongue Parrot's tongue, like a colorful long snake retreating into its hole, retracted into its throat in an instant, and it spoke loudly.

"Lewis Von Valancius pays respects to the Primarch."

Lewis hurriedly spoke.

"Hearing that the Primarch enjoys all manner of exotic things, I discovered this special Parrot while passing through the Wuerfu Xingxi on this voyage, and I present it here before the throne."

Having harvested the missing main material and gathered all the Potion Materials for the "Trickster," Ninglu smiled and said.

"I am very satisfied with this gift of yours."

"Only one?"

Upon hearing this, Lewis breathed a sigh of relief.

"My Lord, I captured fifty-six in total, and they are being properly cared for by the local people."

"I shall send someone to deliver them to you, My Lord, shortly."

Ninglu nodded with a smile; having harvested the Potion Material, he looked at Lewis with appreciation—truly worthy of being a Von Valancius.

"Rise."

After Lewis rose, he stood respectfully.

Ninglu tapped his fingers on the back of the chair and asked.

"What discoveries did you make on this voyage?"

Lewis was well-prepared; he immediately took out a Data Slate, tapped his fingers, and displayed a Star Map before Ninglu.

"The Primarch is above, I discovered five star systems and twelve habitable Planets on this voyage."

"Besides the Wuerfu Xingxi, there is also the Mingyin Xingxi..."

"I have submitted the Star Map and the status of each star system to the Secret-Peering Lord, who is leading the Order Shadow of the Ninth Battle Company to bring those Planets into the jurisdiction of the Imperium along the route."

After hearing Lewis's report, Ninglu found no worlds worth special attention, but the route explored on this voyage, connecting Vostonia and the Crystal Illusion, was already a major contribution.

He said to Arsena, "This route will bring crystals to Vostonia in a steady stream; let it be called the Shuijing Zoulang."

Immediately, the Primarch looked at Lewis.

"Lewis, I promised before that you would become a Rogue Trader once you completed your mission."

"Arsena has already prepared the investiture ceremony; you will be the first Rogue Trader I have appointed."

Lewis knelt on one knee, saying excitedly.

"Thank you for your trust, My Lord; I will do my utmost to serve you."

"Rise."

The Primarch gestured with his hand. Thinking of how, ten thousand years later, the Von Valancius—one of the three great Rogue Trader dynasties of the Koronus Expanse granted a Warrant of Trade by Huang Laohan in his memory—only possessed a single Frigate, he spoke.

"The Wosituoniya Chuanchang will begin construction on a batch of Cruisers, and the first Cruiser built will serve as the future flagship of the Von Valancius."

"Thank you for your bestowal, My Lord."

Lewis knelt on one knee for the third time to express his gratitude to the Primarch.

Three days later, Lewis Von Valancius, dressed in a black formal suit, walked into the palace with his head held high.

Three Servo-skulls adorned with ribbons flew above his head and on both sides, chanting.

"The Rogue Trader investiture ceremony is about to begin! The Primarch Ninglu will grant the Warrant of Trade to Lewis Von Valancius!"

"..."

On both sides of the palace stood the new batch of the Primarch's honor guards, Vostonian nobles, and representatives from all walks of life.

Amidst the envious gazes of the various Vostonian family representatives, Lewis walked before the Black Throne and knelt on one knee.

The corner of his eye swept over the marble tablet held by two honor guards on the left.

A Warrant of Trade takes many forms, including parchment, electronic documents on Data Slates, and many others.

Ninglu chose the most traditional and solemn tablet.

A Primarch Attendant, representing the Primarch, branded the content onto it using stone powder finely ground from Ma'nao.

"I clearly declare, in accordance with my will and the authenticity of this document, that I appoint this person as the holder of the Warrant of Trade, bestowing my great mission upon this person..."

"You shall serve as an exemplar of humanity, never yielding in adversity, and carving a path forward in the Darkness..."

"You shall break through endless nightmares, tread upon the path of thorns, and achieve great deeds."

The brand in the bottom right corner was a nearly invisible signature: a disordered black arc, followed by surrounding wings, thorns, and an abstract crown above.

If Lewis had not happened to be kneeling on the right side of the Warrant of Trade, he would have almost overlooked the black symbol.

But he would never overlook the name branded deep into the tablet: Ninglu.

That was written by the Primarch's own hand.

Ninglu rose and, taking the ceremonial sword from Arsena who held it with both hands, rested it on Lewis's shoulder.

"I, Ninglu, grant Lewis Von Valancius the Warrant of Trade; you shall serve as a Rogue Trader, and you shall venture into the dark regions beyond the Imperium to explore areas yet to be opened."

Lewis placed his right hand over his chest and swore allegiance according to Vostonian etiquette.

"I, Lewis Von Valancius, having received the great favor of the Primarch, shall certainly forge ahead with all my strength; the Von Valancius family will serve the Emperor forever and expand your territories."

The representatives of the various great families of Vostonia looked at Lewis with envy.

Vostonia was flourishing, yet it also faced intense warfare; as a Rogue Trader, Lewis could travel to the unknown void to explore, colonize, and conquer territories, provided he followed the Primarch's orders and offered up taxes.

After the enfeoffment ceremony concluded, Ninglu spoke to the many nobles and representatives of the various great families.

"You are all meritorious individuals who have followed me in establishing achievements; I will provide you and your descendants with the opportunity to become Rogue Traders."

"The planets discovered by the Eleventh Legion include many worlds that stand isolated and remote."

"Each family may obtain one Frigate, departing from Vostonia,"

Sixteen days later, Ninglu received a report that the Transport Ship from the Vigilance System had arrived, carrying a portion of the spoils discovered by the First Chapter among the wreckage of Eldar ships and aircraft.

Seeing thirty-six Psycats on the manifest, Ninglu ordered them to be brought before him.

Psycats were shaped like large cats, possessing thick, fluffy ginger or orange fur and bright blue eyes.

An adult Psycat was one meter in length; they were not an intelligent species, but they possessed an astonishing ability to resonate with other living beings, establishing a psychic link with their masters—much like a true friendship.

This psychic link was of great benefit to the animal's master; when a Psycat was in close proximity to its master, the master's speed of thought and action would show a practical improvement.

Ninglu sat upon his throne, his black eyes gazing at the Psycats for a moment before confirming they were not Potion Material.

He was not disappointed; Psycats were pets of extremely high value.

Adults could master six schools of psychic spells, among which was even the rare spell "Freeze Time."

In Ninglu's memory, Rogue Traders, the great families and high-ranking officials of Terra, and future Inquisitors who possessed psychic powers would all keep Psycats as pets.

The Primarch's consciousness swept over the many Psycats before him, selecting three from among them.

Aside from his own, the other two were for Maria Kornikova and Tierni.

The "Assassin" and the "Thief" needed to remain out of sight of others and should be gifted by him in private.

He pointed out four Psycats one by one, then spoke the distribution plan to Arsena.

"Howard, Bukayo, Adams..."

Ninglu read out the names of the outstanding individuals in the Legion one by one; this did not include lords like Christian whom he deemed insufficiently excellent in his heart, but it did include Company Captains like Szczesny and Bukawu.

"Arsena, you, Malena, and Diana shall also each adopt one."

Establishing a psychic link with a Psycat did not require the master to possess psychic powers; the Dark Eldar, who had abandoned the use of psychic powers, also often kept Psycats in captivity.

Of course, the stronger one's psychic power, the easier it was to establish a psychic link with a Psycat.

The Craftworld Aeldari most often kept Psycats, viewing them as family members.

"The Regent's Consort," no, it was Yifuleini, and her family member was named Lulinisi.

Subsequently, Ninglu walked to the cage, opened the cage door, and picked up the selected Psycat.

(End of chapter)