Chapter 181: Proactively

On the Emperor's flagship, the Bucephalus, Horus Lupercal stood on the circular observation gallery, frowning as he looked through the curved glass at the group of barbarians in the dining hall below.

They were completely out of place on the magnificent vessel, their crudely crafted armor primitive and ugly.

Their tattooed skin was filthy, and their hair even dirtier.

Even from a distance of over sixty meters, the Primarch could smell their foul stench.

They acted like children, fiddling with the glassware and lightbulbs decorating the dining tables.

When the primitives shattered items during their play, they burst into loud laughter.

They sniffed the high-quality wine and expensive food with suspicion, then mocked the servants who brought the dishes.

They were rude, unworthy, and mocked the Emperor's generous gifts.

Horus frowned; even though he followed the Emperor's teachings and accepted the responsibilities of a big brother, he could not find a trace of civilization in the Fenrisians.

【Compared to the Cosnians and Vostonians, they are barbarians.】

As he pondered, he turned and looked at Ninglu, who was walking over, a smile appearing on his face.

"My brother, I am glad to see you again."

"The achievements you have attained amaze me; I am proud of you."

"Not as much as the Luna Wolves, Horus; the achievements of your Legion are unmatched."

Horus did not continue to explore this topic; the rapid expansion of the Order Shadow, which had conquered fourteen star systems in five years, made him feel immense pressure.

After the Luna Wolves went all out and captured nineteen star systems, the Wolf King learned that Ninglu had brought a Knight World to submission.

Having heard of the Emperor's great joy and the grand ceremony Terra held to welcome Ninglu, Horus was desperate to conquer a similar world to offer to his father.

Although the 63rd Expedition Fleet had swiftly conquered eleven star systems, they had not discovered a Knight World.

It was not until he heard that the Order Shadow had slowed its pace and begun construction within the systems they had occupied that he felt his pressure ease slightly.

"The Order Shadow has done more; I have heard that your Legion brings a new order to those worlds that join the Imperium."

"Your Fourth Chapter has been building on the world renamed Necromunda after occupying the six systems of the Spider Alliance."

Ninglu walked to the curved gallery and looked down at the Fenrisians below.

"The Emperor approves of my methods."

Horus said with a passionate tone and admiration.

"Every lost colony we reunite with should be greatly improved, should be enlightened by the Imperial Truth, and transformed into a shining pearl and prosperous realm within this vast territory; this is precisely our duty."

"In this regard, the Order Shadow has done better than the Luna Wolves; I have already had the Council of Four Kings study your methods and have required the Company Captains and Captains to emulate them."

"I am not sure if those Fenrisians can be like the Vostonians."

Horus looked at Ninglu, "I heard he challenged you and your progeny to a hunt, and they all failed."

"That is correct; we achieved victory."

Ninglu nodded slightly, not satisfying Horus's curious desire to explore the details of the hunt, and turned back to the previous topic.

"They view the Emperor as the All-Father, the King of Gods descended from the Heavenly Domain; they will execute any order from the All-Father."

"This is a violation of the Imperial Truth; Father has long said that he is not a god."

Horus frowned tightly and said angrily.

"He is a great man, but he is still a human."

"He must understand this point."

"Russ and they will all understand."

As the voice sounded, the Emperor appeared behind the two Primarchs.

He walked to the curved gallery, looked down, his eyes flickering, and said with great interest.

"Enoch Lashwin has met his Gene-Father."

Ninglu also looked over; the Fenrisians showed no fear of the Astartes—they were much shorter than the Space Marines, but Jorin and the others still tracked every movement of the Sixth Legion Junluanzhanshi with their eyes.

Jorin and the others did not understand the Raptor Head badge or the battle honors; they were simply evaluating the relative strength between the person before them and Sanchez.

The Wolf King and Enoch locked eyes; they recognized each other.

Leman Russ grabbed Ranok's shoulder, "My cub."

The master of the Sixth Legion then knelt on both knees, bowing his head at the feet of his Gene-Father, offering his loyalty and his Legion.

The Emperor watched as Ranok, having shed his duties as master of the Sixth Legion, departed, and he pointed to the hall.

"Horus, will you go to see your brother?"

Horus looked toward the dining hall, where the Wolf King was looking up, a barbarian's smile on his face.

"Yes."

"Ninglu, come with me."

After Ninglu and Horus nodded to each other in greeting, he followed the Emperor to the Bridge.

As soon as he stepped into the Strategy Room, Ninglu looked at the golden-armored warrior holding a spear.

The Primarch keenly sensed an aura from the spear similar to the Spear of Dionysus—powerful and repulsive.

The Apollonian Spear!

At the same time, Ninglu also confirmed the identity of the person holding this artifact.

Sensing the Primarch's gaze, the Emperor spoke to introduce him.

"Constantin Valdor, my Captain-General."

"Ninglu, Primarch of the Eleventh Legion."

After Ninglu and Valdor exchanged greetings, the Emperor said to the Captain-General.

"Valdor, show the situation of the Wheel of Fire."

"We currently have limited knowledge of the Flame Wheel System; what we can confirm now is that this system has eight planets."

"A powerful Ork Warlord has risen, establishing an Ork Empire, with hundreds of millions of Orks gathering under his command."

Upon hearing this, Ninglu understood the reason Huang Laohan had sought him out, and he mused to himself.

【"Battle of Huolun," the Space Wolves campaigned for five years, losing one-third of their strength.

Due to the Wolf King's achievements and the immense sacrifices of the Space Wolves, Leman Russ received a reward from Huang Laohan.

An artifact forged by Huang Laohan himself, the Spear of Dionysus; it and the Apollonian Spear are a pair.

One of the most powerful fortresses in the galaxy—Wolf Keep.】

"The Orks of Huolun Xingxi pose a massive threat to the expansion of the Imperium."

"..."

After hearing the briefing from Valdor, the "Briber" "volunteered" for the mission.

"My Master, I am willing to lead the Legion to Huolun Xingxi, purge the evil Orks, and present the head of the Ork Warlord to you."

The Master of Mankind heard this and smiled with satisfaction.

"My son, I believe you can crush any formidable enemy."

Ninglu heard this and felt something melt within his body; he was only a step away from fully digesting the "Briber" Potion.

【After finishing Huolun and presenting the Ork Warlord's head to Huang Laohan, the "Briber" Potion will be completely digested.

Although it will be a bitter fight, there are many Potion Materials on the Orks, especially the auxiliary materials needed for the "Corrupted Baron"—11 teeth from Evil Moon Clan Orks—which I will surely be able to collect.

Furthermore, I should also receive Wolf Keep and the Spear of Dionysus; if I don't want that artifact and ask to exchange it for something else, will Huang Laohan agree?】

While Ninglu was deep in thought, the Emperor continued.

"Your brother Russ will also head to Huolun after receiving instruction and concluding the celebrations on Terra."

Ninglu heard this and could not help but feel worried.

【Don't tell me the Wolf King and I are each getting one! I want Wolf Keep, not the Spear of Dionysus!】

"You shall accompany us to Terra, and together we shall go to Huolun."

【Is this meant to make the Wolf King and me compete, or is he trying to foster our cooperation?

Going to Terra is fine; Tierni should have already digested the "Thief" Potion, so I can take the opportunity to have him advance to Sequence 8 "Trickster" and send the brain-eating cat to him.

If he finds the tracks of the eight-legged black wolf, I might even be able to obtain it at the same time.】

As he pondered, the Master of Mankind spoke again.

"Follow me; I have important matters to discuss and wish to hear your opinion."

Ninglu followed Huang Laohan to a private room.

After the two sat down, Huang Laohan activated the runes, and a Shielding Field was engaged.

"I want to know your views on psykers?"

"Your Legion has more psykers than most Legions, and the Fifteenth Legion you command possesses even more."

"I have faced the Warp directly and know the various calamities lurking within; Russ's opposition to psychic powers has its reasons."

Ninglu remained silent for a moment, his brain spinning rapidly, and after a short while, he spoke cautiously.

"Psychic power is a weapon, just like a bolter; only a Fool would discard their weapon during battle."

"Like any weapon, a lack of training will make it fraught with danger."

"A Warrior who has undergone training and understands their power can guide it toward the correct target when unleashed."

For the sake of the Legion's psykers, and to conceal the existence of Beyonders, he had to support the use of psychic powers.

But he could not appear obsessed with the Warp; he would call it a tool, just as Chagatai Khan did, allowing him room to advance or retreat.

The Master of Mankind remained inscrutable, weighing and considering Ninglu's words.

"The dangers of psychic power are greater than others, but its application is conducive to the Great Crusade."

"I authorize the Legions to experimentally establish Librarian departments, pending my final ruling."

"My Master, as you wish."

Ninglu returned to the Shadow of Sovereignty and issued orders for each Chapter to establish a Librarian department.

He also sent a message to Arsena Dunn, Sanchez, and others on the surface of Fenris, summoning them to return to the flagship.

By inquiring and observing the aura of the "Provocateur," Ninglu was astonished to discover that Sanchez had actually digested the Potion in a short amount of time.

Ninglu then had Sanchez advance to Sequence 7 "Pyromaniac," and three days later, the fleet set sail, heading toward Terra.

(End of chapter)