Chapter 257: Malcador's Gift to the Victor of the Wheel of Fire

After the war of the "Wheel of Fire" ended, Primarchs Leman Russ and Hannibal returned to Terra before Ninglu.

While the Sigillite prepared for the celebration, he mobilized the propaganda machine to conduct an overwhelming campaign.

The people of Terra were all anticipating the arrival of the celebration; the Emperor returning from the front lines of the Great Crusade, the return of one Primarch, and the triumphant return of three Primarchs had kept them in expectation for months.

In the tenth solar month of 822. M30, the celebration finally began, and the Emperor, along with Primarchs Ninglu and Manus, arrived on Terra.

The people of Terra gathered around the Lion Gate Starport, looking up at the sky, staring at the two descending Aquila Shuttles.

Ninglu and Manus walked out amidst the cheers.

Numerous Servo-skulls equipped with loudspeakers and silk ribbons hovered around, chanting loudly in unison.

"Praise the Emperor, He is the Master of Mankind, He is the Lord of the Throne of Terra!"

"Salute to Lord Ninglu, he is the scion of the Emperor, Primarch of the Eleventh Legion, King of Vostonia, Xenos Slayer, Ork Purifier!"

"Welcome Lord Ferrus Manus, he is the Primarch of the Tenth Legion, the Gorgon of Medusa!"

The Imperial ceremonial band played a beautiful melody, which mingled with the hymns played by the Servo-skull loudspeakers and the cheers of the crowd.

Leman Russ and Hannibal stood on either side of Malcador, waiting together to welcome the three.

Manus had never seen so many people; the crowd roared his name like a mountain-shaking sea.

The enthusiasm was like a torrent, temporarily breaking through his cold logic; his heart stirred, but his face remained stern.

Standing opposite him, Leman Russ saw the violent fluctuation flash across his silver-coin eyes.

Ninglu intuitively sensed Manus's emotions, then looked at Malcador, who was stepping forward.

"My Master, welcome your return."

The Emperor looked at his old friend; compared to when they last met, his laugh lines had deepened, and a sincere smile appeared on his face.

"My Sigillite, you have worked hard."

From Huang Laohan's simple words, Ninglu captured complex emotions,

containing both an awareness of the Sigillite's toil, as well as empathy and consolation.

A smile appeared on Malcador's weary face.

"This is my duty, and my honor."

Malcador looked at Ninglu again, his voice low.

"Ninglu, your achievements are admirable; slaying the Ork Warlord is a victory worth remembering."

Ninglu nodded in acknowledgment: "The glory belongs to the Order Shadow; their heroic fighting allowed me to face the Ork Warlord and slay the great enemy for the Imperium."

He noticed that in the Wolf King's gaze, there was both frank, sincere admiration and a cold, provocative edge.

Malcador finally looked at Manus: "Welcome your return, Ferrus Manus, the Gorgon from Medusa."

Hearing Malcador's words, Manus replied in a lead-heavy voice, using cold, hard High Gothic.

"Sigillite, it is good to see you. Ninglu told me that you coordinated the logistics for the entire Imperium; it is astonishing."

Afterwards, the group boarded the open-top vehicles prepared for them and moved slowly amidst the cheers of the people.

The journey ended, and the group entered the Golden Banquet Hall.

For this banquet, Malcador had commissioned a circular marble long table.

The Emperor took the head seat, and Malcador sat to his right.

As the second Primarch to return and the greatest contributor to the "Wheel of Fire" campaign, Ninglu sat opposite the Emperor as a matter of course.

As a Primarch who had just returned to the Imperium, the seat Malcador prepared for Manus was opposite himself, relatively close to the Emperor.

Leman Russ sat next to Malcador, and Hannibal sat opposite him.

Produce from the various Agricultural Worlds of the Imperium, cooked by Terra's top chefs, was served to the table.

The Emperor reached his fork toward a crystal dish, where five hundred flamingo tongues were piled like a coral reef.

He picked up a flamingo tongue with a gold fork and put it into his mouth; the tip of his tongue was soaked in the acidity of Masala wine and the tenderness of the meat.

After the flamingo tongue fell into his stomach, the Emperor looked at Manus.

"Manus, Medusa's produce is scarce; today, enjoy the delicacies of the stars to your heart's content."

"Very well, Father." After Manus speared a piece of flamingo tongue, he used a silver spoon to scoop up salt-baked snails.

During the time he had been a guest on the Shadow of Sovereignty, his food had consisted mainly of seafood, vegetables, and Kraken steaks from the Cradle of the Sea.

Ferrus was now more interested in meat like snails; just as he was savoring the salty, fresh tenderness, he heard two reprimands ring out simultaneously.

The chef standing before the lamb paused in the act of wielding a crescent-shaped silver knife to cut the loin.

Leman Russ's reprimand felt like a roar to him, while Hannibal's voice was much more elegant, reminding him of court nobility.

Leman Russ's large hand slapped the chef, pushing him aside.

"No need to cut; such a delicacy, just eat it directly."

He said this and reached out to grab it, but Hannibal's movements were faster than his.

"The position where you placed your knife was not perfect; this is the perfect place to cut."

Hannibal's silver dinner knife slashed, bursting with the sweet, musky scent of pine nuts and figs; his movements were swift yet elegant.

In an instant, he had sent the entire lamb into his mouth; Leman Russ's eyes narrowed, feeling for the first time that his title of Glutton was being challenged.

Leman Russ immediately buried his head and began to eat, shoving charcoal-grilled ribs into his mouth whole.

In a flash, he cleared the plate in front of him; he looked at Hannibal, who was still moving elegantly, but there were two plates left in front of him.

Leman Russ revealed a victorious smile; he raised the mead in his mouth, drank it in one gulp, and then looked at Ferrus.

"Fenrisian mead, a drink for a real man."

Malcador set down his dinner knife, looked at Ferrus, and said with a smile: "You should try it."

Hannibal frowned slightly, took out a handkerchief, and elegantly wiped the corners of his mouth.

"You will regret it if you drink it."

Ferrus looked at the Bronze Drinking Horn pushed over by Russ, pondered for a moment, and said to Hannibal.

"I will give it a try."

Russ glanced at Hannibal with disdain and said to Manus, "You don't drink it; mead must be sipped."

Manus drained the fine wine in the cup in one gulp, and the liquid slid into his stomach.

Besides the burning sensation, he also felt a familiar taste—it was the taste of machine oil.

【The Fenrisians are too strange; the fine wine they brew actually tastes like machine oil.】

Manus said to Russ, who was waiting for his evaluation, "I still prefer the Lasvolt from Vostonia."

Russ curled his lip and said nothing more.

Ferrus, having detached himself from the center of attention, habitually observed everyone, taking their expressions, tones, and actions into his mind and analyzing them according to his own logic.

【Hannibal is very close to Ninglu; their relationship is harmonious.

Russ is reckless and combative, and there is some sort of disagreement between him and Ninglu; does he want to prove through competition that he is the superior heir to their father?

Ninglu does not care much about Russ's provocations and does not respond.

The elegant Hannibal has a certain penchant for food; unlike Russ, who simply fills his stomach, he is enjoying the cuisine, and it seems that because of their different philosophies in this regard, he has no fondness for Russ at all.】

Just as Ferrus, based on everyone's performance, analyzed their surface behaviors and gained a preliminary understanding of them, Malcador was the first to put down his tableware.

After taking a sip of mead, he rose from his seat and signaled to his attendants.

Two attendants followed the Sigillite as he walked toward Ninglu.

Malcador opened the smaller box first, and Ninglu, who had risen, saw that it was a puppet the size of an ordinary person's fist.

From the center of the puppet's head, white arcs spread outward.

In Ninglu's Spirit Vision, spiritual radiance flickered on this puppet, and he said to himself in his heart.

【It is a Magical Item; the spiritual radiance is lower than the Ring, so it should be a transcendent item at the Sequence 5 level.】

While he was pondering, Malcador spoke.

"This puppet is one of the art pieces I have collected; whenever I feel troubled, I always take it out to fiddle with."

"At such times, my chaotic thoughts will temporarily disappear."

Ninglu's eyes flickered as he guessed to himself.

【A puppet, sluggish thinking.

Does the puppet correspond to the "Marionettist" of the "Fool" pathway at Sequence 5?】

While he was thinking, Malcador continued: "This is a gift I prepared for the victor who struck down the Fire-Wheel Ork Warlord."

Ninglu ascended to the first layer of his Mind State and took the puppet.

He felt his own thinking stall, then immediately return to normal.

Seeing that Ninglu's black eyes only remained dull for two seconds before returning to clarity, Malcador's eyes flashed with a hint of surprise.

He then said: "The strength of your will is surprising."

Ninglu felt the gazes of Huang Laohan and the others fall upon him, and he said calmly.

"My progeny and I have perceptions far exceeding other Astartes; to ensure they are not overwhelmed by chaotic emotions, I have realized techniques for tempering the will from the Book of Thelema."

"A fine technique," Malcador nodded slightly, then said: "I have also personally prepared a gift for you."

"Vostonia once generously provided me with help, supplying the 'Great Crusade'."

"Now, five Forge Worlds have been established in the nearby Sector to provide supplies for the surrounding Imperium armies, but I still wish to express my gratitude to you."

"This is a gift I prepared privately." He signaled his subordinates to open another, much larger box, revealing a suit of armor shimmering with light inside.

"This suit of armor is one I harvested from the treasury of the false king Akkad during the 'Unification War'."

He looked at Ninglu's towering frame and continued.

"You may have your progeny modify it into a half-body inner armor."

Ninglu looked at the spiritual radiance flickering on the armor and thought to himself.

【The spiritual radiance is weaker than the puppet's; is it at the Sequence 6 level?】

He had not expected to have an unexpected gain, so he spoke up.

"Malcador, thank you for your gift."

The Emperor's voice was warm: "Ninglu, you have contributed greatly to the Imperium."

"Tomorrow, you, Russ, and Hannibal will be commended at the celebration in front of the citizens of the Imperium."

"Manus, the people will also cheer for your return; I look forward to you achieving the same accomplishments in the future, and I will hold an equally grand celebration for you."

(End of chapter)