dmims Page 79
Page 79
"I thought of the Emperor's Dream."
Horus said softly.
"That was my father's warship. In my early days, I sailed through the starry sea with him on that ship. At that time, the Emperor's Dream was not only his dream, but also mine."
Yes, that's right.
Lynch sighed slightly, knowing that Horus had once again successfully stirred up his memories.
Thirty years, a gold ring, my father loves me, and I love my father.
Fine, considering how much he's helped me lately, I'll let him drool over it this time.
The transport ship arrived at the port, and three minutes later, the hatch opened. As expected, the first to step out were the Imperial Guards dressed in golden armor.
Lin Qi took a deep breath, stepped forward, and went to greet him.
"Welcome," he said, then bowed respectfully to the newcomer. "In the name of the Divine Emperor, we have been waiting here for quite some time."
"I am Zayadien, the Imperial Messenger, and I bring you, the Chosen Lynch, and the Guardians of the Great Vortex the decree of the God-Emperor."
More and more people began to emerge from the transport capsule. Lin Qi recognized many of them, including the Minotaur, Red Scorpion, Firehawk, and Starry Sky Phantom.
The appearance of these people was no different from the information they had received in advance. The only surprise was a mechanical sage with a huge body wearing a red robe.
Who is this?
It was only then that Lin Qi noticed a warship in the fleet that was barely visible to the naked eye in the distance. It looked very different from the other warships. Its huge size and unique appearance made him recognize its identity immediately.
A mechanical ark.
So... was he a great sage of the Mechanic Church?
Lin Qi looked at the unexpectedly appearing sage of the Mechanic Church with some surprise. The man was bowing his head, making it impossible to see his face or determine his identity for the time being.
People gathered around, and Lin Qi was somewhat surprised. Was the imperial decree to be read out right here?
The imperial envoy held a long parchment, and from its appearance, Lin Qi knew that, just as he had thought, the emperor's decree would be read aloud here.
So he lowered his head, and the Star Claw, the Weeping One, and the Mantis Warrior behind him also lowered their heads, signifying that they accepted the Emperor's command.
“We accept,” Lynch replied. “Whether it is death or atonement, if it is the will of the God-Emperor, then we will accept it.”
Zayadien looked down at the crowd bowing before him, the crimson visors on his Aquila Ridge gleaming with an air of authority.
"In the name of the Emperor, Rufus Huron, leading the Star Claws, committed an unforgivable crime. He attempted to divide the Empire in this day and age, nearly igniting the most severe civil war in ten thousand years."
"However, under the leadership of the Chosen Lynch, Huron and his followers were purged, their lives turned to dust, and the remaining Star Claws were willing to accept the leadership of the Chosen Lynch and atone to the Empire."
"Therefore, the Emperor is willing to give you a chance to atone for your past sins and prove that you still have enough loyalty to humanity."
Golden light appeared, illuminating the bodies of the Imperial Guards.
"The verdict is now being delivered."
"Grant the Claws of the Stars the power to establish their own sub-clubs, reorganize their current structure, and reduce the number of members in the clique back to a thousand."
"The Weeping Ones, a sub-group formed by the reorganization of the Mantis Warriors and the Star Claws, will remain in Badab."
"Give the Claws of the Stars ten years to pay the outstanding gene seed tax. After ten years, under the leadership of the Chosen Lynch, launch the Atonement Expedition. At the same time, the Weeping Ones and the Mantis Warriors must send a fully-equipped reinforced company to participate in this expedition."
"as well as."
At this point, Zayadien looked at Lynch and paused for a moment.
Lynch looked up at Zayadien, his brow furrowing slightly.
He and Horus had probably anticipated these terms, so there weren't many surprises.
But now it seems that the last point might be a little different.
"Chosen Lynch, in order to make it easier for you to better lead the Star Claw, the Emperor has decided that you will serve as the Star Claw Battle Commander. At the same time, you will also undergo genetic surgery, and from now on, as his Angel of Death, you will crush all his enemies within the Empire."
Lynch's breath hitched for a moment. Only then did he notice that Horus, standing beside him, showed no surprise whatsoever, as if he had known about this all along.
"Horus, you know him?"
Lin Qi questioned himself internally, but all he received in return was a soft laugh from the other party.
"You should have thought of that a long time ago."
"You should have told me beforehand."
Lin Qi sighed helplessly, shook his head slightly, and respectfully asked the Imperial Envoy his question.
“The Emperor’s decree is beyond question, but Your Excellency, my age has exceeded the normal transformation time of Astartes, this…”
"Your modification surgery will be performed by the Archsage of the Mechanicus, Belisarius Caul."
Lin Qi was stunned for a moment, then suddenly turned his head and looked at the red-robed sage in the crowd.
The sage noticed his gaze and looked up. For some reason, even though the lower half of his face was not visible, he still gave the impression that the sage was smiling.
Lin Qi then took a deep breath and lowered his head.
"I will obey the Emperor's command."
he said.
Chapter 104 Belisarius Caul
everything is over.
But it wasn't over yet.
Sitting in the soft chair in the office, Lin Qi let out a long breath. He knew this was probably the last time he would enjoy a mortal body. In the days to come, his body would become stronger, more powerful, and larger, no longer able to fit into this chair.
But to be honest, he should have thought of it long ago. Given the emperor's personality, how could he possibly allow such a useful "tool" to be nothing more than a fragile mortal whose lifespan is finite?
At least, compared to the life-extending surgery that would distort him and the radical modifications made by the Mechanicus, transforming into a genetically enhanced warrior like Astartes was something Lynch could accept on a psychological level.
The only problem is...
Turning his head, Lin Qi looked at the composed Horus and sighed helplessly.
"How many things are you and the Emperor hiding from me? I think you both know the consequences of concealing them."
"I only just found out about his plan."
Horus spoke.
"As I said, his consciousness is extremely confused. I can only hear a few clear words on rare occasions, and each time I have to endure tremendous pressure and pain."
"Then why didn't you tell me immediately?"
I'm worried you won't be able to accept it.
"I have to accept it, so I have to accept it, right?"
Lynch was amused and exasperated, but he didn't blame Horus. After all, he knew that even if the Emperor turned into that bastard, this bald man would still help his father do things that would benefit humanity and the Empire, but would be very difficult for the person involved, out of love, shame, or something else.
That's just how the environment is; if you weren't born, someone else would have been.
With a long sigh, Lynch looked at Horus and asked his last question.
Does your father still remember his promise?
".......Remember."
"That's good. If he doesn't keep his word..."
Lin Qi lowered his head, his eyes turning gloomy for a moment, but quickly returned to normal.
"If he goes back on his word, then I'll pull him off the throne and make him do a pole striptease live for the entire empire."
After saying that, Lin Qi stood up and got out of his ordinary office chair.
A larger office chair is being manufactured, and it's said that Irving and his team have prioritized it, which has even delayed the maintenance of several powered weapons.
However, after he brought back several members of the Cult of Mechanics, the technical sergeants of Star Claws had a much easier time. At least they weren't working around the clock like when he first took over Star Claws.
Alright, now, let me go and meet the protagonist of my next surgery, a person who is both famous and familiar to me.
Belisarius Caul.
Lin Qi pushed open the door and entered the office corridor, then slowly walked towards the armory.
Horus remained silent, following behind Lynch and watching his retreating figure. He seemed hesitant to speak, but ultimately refrained from uttering his own thoughts.
He could only sigh slightly before returning to the subspace, where he sat cross-legged on the land shrouded by the cold, black sun.
"Father."
He tilted his head back, enduring the endless murmurs that lingered in his ears, and the needle-like pain that pierced his soul, and spoke from the depths of his heart what he had just kept silent about.
"If in the end you don't choose to keep your promise..."
He clenched his fist and slowly spoke.
"Then, the galaxy will burn again."
The black sun was silent, only from afar, in the paradise of the gods, could one faintly hear laughter, shouts of killing, merriment, and gentle voices.
－－－－－－－
Belisarius Caul looked at the XV-86 "Cold Star" before him with a look of great interest in his eyes.
The four people who were originally in charge of the research stood to the side, not daring to utter a sound. They watched as Kaul looked at and touched this and that of the combat suit, and from time to time picked up the data board to modify the data they had been researching for many days. Their faces showed the same expression of heartache and hesitation.
But who exactly is Belisarius Caul?
As a great sage of the Mechanicus, his body, which had undergone countless modifications, could already perceive any movement around him. Even the change in the trajectory of a speck of dust in the air was no different to him than a Lemanrus starting its engine, not to mention the obvious changes in the expressions on the faces of the four people.
Then the great sage let out a soft chuckle, and then he took the initiative to speak, breaking the silence that had been maintained since his arrival.
"You don't trust me?"
The four men looked at each other in bewilderment. Finally, Irving stepped forward, speaking respectfully.
"Lord Lynch has granted you the authority, Great Sage Belisarius Caul."
With his head bowed, Kaul looked at the Astartes before him, whose attitude towards him was respectful yet distant. He rejected the report from the electronic system within his body and instead used his "human" side to summarize and analyze the situation before him.
Why should we respect them?
It wasn't because he was a High Sage of the Cult of Mechanics, but because he had received an appointment from Lynch that they treated him with respect beyond the basic level.