Warhammer 40: My Fiancée Fulgrim

Page 293

Nicaea is a world that is still in its geological early stages.

The clouds completely obscured the surface of the earth, and the geological structure was still in a phase of continuous pyroclastic eruptions and storms.

A murky cloud of compounds obscured the ground, interspersed with volcanic embers and brown lightning.

This is a brand new world, and its landscape has not yet fully taken shape.

The task of constructing a world large enough to accommodate the importance of the meeting was entrusted to the Iron Lord, Peturabo.

The meeting hall he meticulously crafted was originally designed as an arena for competitive events, but the emperor later converted it for his own use.

The conference hall was built inside a hollowed-out layered volcano in Nicaea, with a huge amphitheater carved out from its center.

After all, for the sake of secrecy, the Emperor only told Mortalian, who hated psionicists the most, about the Nicaea Conference.

What Peturabo?

He's just an insignificant contractor; we don't need to worry about him.

The Emperor has the highest expectations for you, Mortalian; the key speeches at the entire Nicaea Conference were all focused on you, Mortalian.

Soon after, as the Emperor was about to convene in Nicaea to decide on the next steps for the think tank and psykers, Primarchs from all over the Imperial world naturally descended upon this newly born land of Nicaea to attend the meeting.

Among the Primarchs who had arrived before the meeting were Lemanus the Wolf King, Mortalian the Pale Lord, Saint Gilles the Angel, Rogdorn the Imperial Fist, and Warmaster Fugrim.

They all led small squads composed of their trusted followers to Nicaea.

Hundreds of people were also present, along with bureaucrats from all levels of the Imperial administration and members of the expeditionary fleet, as well as the two components of the Emperor's Claw—the Silent Sisters and the Imperial Guard—in case Magnus suddenly attacked or injured anyone during the meeting.

Many more Primarchies who were unable to attend in person participated in the meeting by sending their chief think tanks or by directly casting their votes.

This was also a rare occurrence for the Emperor, who set aside his work repairing the Webway in Terra Palace to come here and co-chair the meeting with Magmacardo.

After all, Magnus has really messed up this time.

You've gone too far, kid.

......

Of course, Magnus himself was unaware of all this.

At this moment, he was leisurely riding the Stormbird towards the surface of Nicaea.

"How much longer until we land? The pilot? I guess not long, right?"

"Yes, sir. We will land in ten minutes."

"Ten minutes?! I can guide us to land in less than half the time!"

Magnus shouted, glaring at the reclining driver, who trembled with fear.

Fortunately, it was just him joking and pretending to be angry; he laughed shortly after yelling.

Magnus patted the navigator on the shoulder with a radiant palm, causing him to twitch involuntarily.

"Ah, don't mind Innovens."

Magnus said, "I just can't wait to see my father again. Haha, you did a great job, my friend!"

"Okay... okay, thank you, sir."

"...Begin descent," the pilot said, swallowing hard. "Approaching ground. Landing plan confirmed. Accept remote control signal and relinquish control."

The Emperor's location is heavily guarded, and any fighter jet that dares to approach the Emperor's location must hand over control to the Imperial Guard forces on the surface before it gets close enough to be attacked.

The land of Nicaea is sharply defined, with large amounts of soil and rocks scattered everywhere due to volcanic eruptions.

The cobalt blue surface displays perfect patterns formed by geological movements, surrounded by ripples created during their formation. Giant cubes stand side by side on the stepped volcanic plain, forming various randomly generated yet aesthetically pleasing spiral patterns.

"Unparalleled".

Magnus seemed to be enjoying the world around him. He closed his eyes, spread his arms, and spoke softly.

"This is the birth of a world. It is the order of the universe described by the laws of nature. It is my father's style to make this place the place where we psionicists will rise in the future."

“He knows I can understand. This is a reflection of my early experiences in the world.”

He was filled with an intoxicating sense of pride.

Their destination was a mountain range rising steeply from the compression of the land, and in the center of that mountain range was a magnificent, meticulously crafted amphitheater.

"Oh, the throne, it is truly magnificent."

Magnus spoke in his intoxicated voice.

"A force capable of traversing the galaxy, holding the hearts of the entire empire together with a dream of unity. The master we serve is so great that I feel deeply humbled."

Unfortunately, Magnus was unaware of the true feelings of the owner of that power as he waited for him in the hall.

......

Unfortunately, thanks to the Imperial Guard's operation, Magnus Stormbird landed successfully.

It is currently unknown how many members of the Imperial Guard advocated for crashing the Stormbird directly into the volcano.

But in the end, the crimson Magnus emerged from the Stormbird, walked down the plane to meet the two rows of Space Marine companies, and took a deep breath of the primal air of Nicaea.

Two giant figures emerged from the volcano, walking side by side. One of them was clad in magnificent purple-gold armor, his white hair dazzling and held up by a silver headband. His flowing shoulder armor and wide, gold-and-red cloak clearly indicated his identity.

Another figure wore crimson armor. What was striking was a pair of pure white wings behind her, adorned with delicate silver chains and mother-of-pearl pendants, seemingly a gift and decoration from the Holy Blood Angel.

Her face, framed by long, jet-black hair, was noble and holy, much like the countless marble statues guarding the imperial palace.

(Angels are all different, and their hair color will change depending on who they are looking at. Magnus seeing her with black hair is the official setting.)

They were personally greeted by two of the most beautiful Primarchs of the Empire of Man, Fugrim and Sanguiles.

(Of course, this is not to say that Phyllis Marus is not beautiful, but compared to these two sisters, she does not seem to put more of her energy into such things.)

This is enough to demonstrate the emperor's high regard for Magnus.

He was feeling rather smug.

He was flattered by the grand reception he received upon arriving in Nicaea.

Even Fugrim, who was now a Warmaster of the Empire, came to personally greet him (actually to escort him), and Magnus couldn't help but imagine the flowers and applause he would soon receive.

Is it the matter of the Internet that he mentioned to the Emperor last time?

Magnus suddenly realized.

This wasn't actually his discovery; it was the spirit of the two-headed eagle... uh, no, now it should be said that the bad guy Carlos told him.

Although the warp spirit named Carlos was untrustworthy, according to the Kasgars and Interles, it still revealed a lot of useful information to them!

Moreover, it also states in its prophecy that the Emperor’s net will achieve a major breakthrough with the help of Magnus (meaningful)!

...Thinking about it that way, it probably isn't.

After all, the prophecy hasn't come true yet.

What was the reason for this? Was it because their psionic think tank played such a crucial role in the Great Crusade that the Emperor took the initiative to offer them a reward?

Very likely!

Hehe...hehehehe......

Magnus went to greet him in high spirits.

Behind the two Primarchs stood the two sisters' most trusted lieutenants—Kasgar stood to Fugrim's left, his red helmet covering his entire face, making it impossible for Magnus to see his expression.

Beside Saint Gilles was Radolon, the company commander of the Blood Angels.

Although it is unknown how he defeated Azcalon and seized the position next to the Primarch.

But he managed to snatch it.

After Magnus disembarked from the plane, the two Primarchs exchanged a glance, and then, with genuine joy (or at least apparent joy), they smiled and approached Magnus.

"Ah, it's been a long time, Saint Gilles."

Magnus smiled and bowed slightly: "And, we meet again, Fugrim."

Magnus was confident that he had helped Fugrim during his time at Interles.

Although some unfortunate situations occurred along the way...

Ultimately, however, he did help Vograim and his companions defeat the evil warp creature known as Carlos the Fateweaver.

As for why evil exists, and how the specific "help" is provided... well, let's not ask that yet.

After Magnus greeted the two Primarchs, he turned to Ahriman beside him and said, “Sisters Saint-Gilles, allow me to introduce my Chief Think Tank Curator, Azek Ahriman.”

“I have heard of your deeds, Azek Ahriman,” Saint Gilles said, nodding slightly at Ahriman. Ahriman could sense that her seemingly gentle eyes did not hold the kindness that was rumored. “You are also quite famous outside the Thousand Sons Legion.”

“My lord,” Ahriman replied humbly, “I will serve the Emperor and the Legion to the best of my ability.”

“Well then,” said Fugrim, “today looks set to be very significant, brother, shall we set off?”

As the perfect Primarch, she was very careful about her choice of words.

“Of course,” Magnus said. “I’m really looking forward to it.”

"We are all like that."

......

The winding tunnel continued to ascend, and they were nearing the summit.

The light on the pristine white walls shone even brighter, this extra brightness coming from a vaulted foyer where the basalt walls were as smooth as a mirror. There, servants carrying food and drinks awaited their arrival, and cushioned sofas lined the walls.

“This is the private rest room for later,” Saint Gilles said with a smile.

During this ascent, the three Primarchs spoke of past battles, glories, and experiences, but only within the safe zones of those bygone memories.

Any possibility that might have steered their conversation toward the meeting was subtly and skillfully deflected by Fugrim and Saint Gilles.

What are these guys hiding?!

Ahriman thought to himself.

He looked at Radoron in front of him and Casgar and his legion of soldiers behind him.

They were less like honor guards and more like jailers escorting prisoners.

Ahriman: "......."

He is letting out a silent scream.

Doesn't Magnus think this is a big problem?

Was he overthinking it, or was Primarch Magnus really such an idiot that he couldn't even see such an obvious problem?

It seems... both of these options are terrible!

Ahriman's head was covered in sweat.

"We're here, brother. It's behind this door."

With that, Fugrim and Saint Gilles pushed open the heavy bronze door.

......

This is a magnificent hall carved out of the steep rock face of a volcano.

Before Magnus even entered, thousands of figures were already seated on the black benches, looking down at the crowd. Most of them were high-ranking imperial officials in long robes, but there were also some Astartes among them.

The floor of this amphitheater is made of polished black marble, inlaid with a huge golden eagle.

He knew everyone sitting in the front row.

Chancellor Macardo, Commander of the Imperial Guard Waldo, and General Kelboha, the forging general of Mars—these were the bureaucrats of the Empire.

At the bottom level of the amphitheater, numerous private boxes are suspended.

Each figure sat upright among them, but when looking at them, it was impossible to focus one's attention on them, and it was difficult to discern their height, body shape, or other physical characteristics.

Only numerous dim reflections, filled with distorted light.

Although there must have been people sitting in those private rooms, their figures were almost indistinguishable due to some kind of technological obscuring.

False face.

A covert concealment technique for maintaining one's identity in public.

A victory celebration banquet... Is it really necessary to use these things?

Magnus was puzzled, and he soon realized something was wrong, just as Ahriman had given up hope.