Chapter 165: The Challenge of Leman Russ

On the edge of the Solar Segmentum, near the Obscurus Sector, lies the Fenrisi xingxi.

In the Ascomanni of Fenris, the tall and sturdy Bert people were forced to abandon their islands and board more than twenty ships with black sails.

A great year ago, the Divination practitioner predicted that the solid land they had lived on for nine years was about to meet its doom; they prepared in advance and boarded the sailing ships just before the Storm arrived.

The slender faces of the Bert people were all adorned with masks, and their beards were stiffened with wax into radiating, beam-like shapes.

The men looked solemn, gripping the sharp axes and War Hammer in their hands as they looked toward the sky.

A golden aircraft streaked rapidly across the high sky, leaving behind a white trail.

The gunship carried three visitors from beyond the heavens, who were also observing the scene below.

Ninglu, clad in black armor, looked through the viewing window and saw volcanic magma erupting and breaking through the sea surface.

The lava flow turned large areas into a sea of fire and "boiled" the ocean, triggering massive floods and tides that swallowed several islands, including the island of the tribe below.

At the same time, violet mists, where crimson fire streams intertwined with indigo seawater, rose up, and new islands were being born amidst the scent of sulfur.

"Fenris at this time happens to be in summer!"

Alpharius, who was as tall as an average Astartes, holding a long spear and wearing green robes, spoke.

Ninglu knew that Fenris was a Planet composed of ice and fire, orbiting its star once every three to four Terran years.

During the brief summer months, the land of Fenris would undergo drastic changes, with islands appearing or vanishing.

It was precisely this intense environmental change that shaped the Fenrisian into nomadic, savage tribes.

Most Fenrisian spent their lives struggling to survive on the oceans that covered most of their Planet's surface, enduring the baptism of constant earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, and storms.

Numerous tribes constantly sought safe territory and fought for land.

"The Fenrisian warrior the merchant spoke of is in the far north, on Asaheim."

"The merchants told me that he defeated a hundred men single-handedly in three minutes, that he pulled an entire tree from the ground and snapped it with his spine, that he wrestled with a Fenrisian mammoth, and that he ate an entire wild ox while holding a feast..."

The Emperor, wearing a set of golden robes, spoke.

Ninglu knew that there was only one arctic continental region on Fenris that was permanent, and that was the Asaheim Continent located at the very peak of the world.

Only when near Asaheim could the Fenrisian obtain a degree of protection from the extreme climate.

As the Moon, which the Fenrisian called the Wolf Moon, rose in the sky, a frozen continent rising thousands of kilometers above sea level appeared in Ninglu's vision.

Towering, isolated cliffs with almost no beaches for landing separated it from the ocean.

Lava and magma flows covered and lashed against the frozen continent, smashing "large holes" of varying depths into the frozen cliffs.

The gunship surged upward, crossed the cliffs, and flew toward the interior.

Even in the scorching summer, Asaheim was still covered by glaciers; Ninglu's gaze was profound as he observed with great interest the giant Ice Worm burrowing in the glacial fjords.

【The radiance of Spirituality is a Potion Material.】

As the gunship penetrated deeper into the interior, Ninglu saw several types of Potion Material.

【This trip was not in vain; there are indeed several types of Potion Material on Fenris.

Once the Wolf King acknowledges his father, I can send the "Hunter" to hunt for Potion Material.】

When the Wolf Moon hung high in the night sky of Fenris, a large tribal camp appeared in Ninglu's vision.

Bonfires shot into the sky, and tents made of fur were scattered throughout the camp.

In the center of the camp stood a wooden structure; by Vostonia standards, it was a simple and ordinary stone house, but on Fenris, it was a magnificent palace.

The pilot found a spacious area and maneuvered the gunship to land.

The Fenrisian, wrapped in thick furs, let out animal-like roars and swarmed toward the gunship.

The ramp hit the snow, and the Emperor took the first step, walking down the ramp.

Ninglu followed a step behind, walking behind and to the side of Huang Laohan, while Alpharius deliberately lagged another step behind, walking on the other side of Huang Laohan.

Ninglu looked at the Fenrisian before him; their manes were messy and fluffy, draped in filthy furs, with leather armor and iron chainmail worn over their clothes; the surface of the armor was smooth, but under the light of the torches, it appeared primitive and crude.

Their muscles bulged, making their armor appear tight.

Their exposed necks and tattooed faces were dirty, and their hair looked even filthier.

Their scent was pungent, emitting a stench comparable to a Hive Giant Rat.

The Primarch showed no sign of disgust; his attention was drawn to the tallest one among the Fenrisian tribe.

He was a giant much taller than Alpharius, almost as burly as Horus, but shorter than Ninglu himself.

Like his followers, he wore wild animal skins and armor, and his golden hair was styled in a swept-back fashion similar to his followers.

Two Giant Wolf walked to his sides, one black and the other gray, its fur so lustrous that it was almost silver.

Ninglu's pitch-black eyes stared at the two Giant Wolf.

【The most famous Fenrisian wolf of this place is not a Potion Material.】

The moment the Emperor saw the Fenrisian warrior, he recognized him as another one of his offspring.

Ninglu, who was behind and to his side, saw an invisible golden light radiating from Huang Laohan.

The savage Fenrisian could not see the blooming golden light, but they felt that the person before them was imposing and dignified.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

The unruly Fenrisian tribal warriors knelt on the ground one after another, and even the two massive Giant Wolf lay prone on the ice.

Among the Fenrisian, only the tallest figure did not kneel; he roared in anger.

"I am your king; get up."

In an instant, the Emperor learned the two local Low Gothic languages from the minds of the Fenrisian—Wogen and Juvik.

Wogen, commonly known as battle-speak or wolf-speak, was a rough, direct Fenrisian language used in combat, its coded communication style simple and straightforward.

Juvik, commonly known as hearth-speak, was the language used by the native inhabitants of Fenris in their daily lives when not fighting.

He was very familiar with these two dialects; they were very similar to the ancient languages popular in the Old Terra region of ancient Scandinavia, brought to Fenris by the original colonists.

The Emperor restrained his own radiance and allowed the Fenrisian to stand up, but the warriors were still unable to look directly at the imposing man; the aura they had just felt still lingered in their minds, making it impossible to look him in the eye.

The Emperor spoke in Juvik, his tone intimate.

"My son, I am your father."

Ninglu's consciousness spread toward the crowd, easily knocking open the icy mental gates of the Fenrisian Warriors, and he mastered Wogen and Juvik in nearly the same amount of time as the Emperor.

At the same time, he also mastered the locations of several Fenrisian landmarks.

"I ended the strife on humanity's homeworld—Terra, initiated the Great Crusade, and brought the lost colonies back under the rule of the Imperium."

"I am the Master of Mankind, and you are my lost scion; you should pledge your loyalty to me, follow me into the sea of stars, and fulfill your duty."

The tall giant looked at the visitor from beyond the sky in astonishment; he did not know why this outsider could speak Juvik, but he would not pledge his loyalty to someone just because of a few words.

He strode up to the Emperor, looked at him provocatively, and said defiantly.

"I refuse!"

"I am Leman of the Russ tribe, a son of Fenris, not your son!"

Ninglu knew that the young Primarch had been adopted by a wolf pack and was later discovered by a tribal leader named Tengir.

The Fenrisian wolf pack where the Primarch resided attacked Tengir's village, and the young Primarch covered the pack's retreat, so the king organized a group of Hunters to attempt to wipe them out.

Most of the Fenrisian wolves were slaughtered, including the wolf mother who had adopted the Primarch; his two wolf brothers—the twin wolves Freki and Geri—were captured and brought before King Tengir.

King Tengir saw the potential for the young Primarch to become a hero, so he adopted the Primarch and gave him the name Leman Russ.

"I am the Wolf King, the King of Fenris; I will not bow to you!"

"My son, you must accept it; that is your duty!"

Ninglu perceived that the Emperor was not using psychic powers; he was injecting his conviction into his language to influence Leman Russ.

The Wolf King frowned, and after a moment, he spoke.

"By the customs of Fenris, if you want me to serve you as master, you must defeat me."

"If you win one victory in three challenges, I will pledge my loyalty to you."

(End of chapter)