Arsena Dunn continued his report on the negotiations.
"The Forge World of Anvilus Nine wishes to receive authorization for the Land Raider STC template, but they cannot provide terms satisfactory to us."
"We eventually reached a compromise agreement with them. We will provide the blueprints for the Mars Universal Land Engine(M.U.L.E) in exchange for their provision of supplies and for future research and development achievements based on the engine."
"Acceptable." Nareth nodded slightly. He knew Anvilus Nine was also a fairly innovative Forge World.
Several variants of the Land Raider were developed by them.
'I hope they can bring me pleasant surprises.'
"The Forge World Voss is very interested in the Land Crawler. My staff analyzed that this relates to their reliance on mineral resources from the Maulden Belt," Arsena reported on the final negotiation item.
"The Maulden Belt is a resource-rich asteroid belt and Voss's primary source of minerals."
"In addition to being willing to provide supplies, Voss is a center for the mass production of the Malcador heavy tank."
"They are also willing to supply the Legion with Lightning Fighters. This is a newly developed Imperial combat aircraft, a revolutionary improvement over the Cutlass Interceptor."
As Arsena spoke, he used the control rod to display a new hololithic image.
"Wojciech Blyek evaluated this new fighter. His assessment highlighted, among other points, that compared to the Cutlass Interceptor, the Lightning Fighter possesses unparalleled power and a much larger fuel tank."
"The Chief Logistician's report also emphasized that Voss holds a unique advantage in aircraft manufacturing among many Forge Worlds."
"He believes an alliance with Voss will help us be among the first to equip the new fighter and will also assist the Legion in improving and equipping jump packs."
"I agree." Nareth nodded with satisfaction.
Although the value of the Land Crawler and the M.U.L.E was slightly lower than that of the Land Raider and Land Speeder, they still yielded decent returns.
'Arkhan Land has brought me abundant returns. It was worth the great effort to "corrode" him.'
After hearing Arsena's report, Nareth was about to attend to other official business when a faint sound suddenly sounded in his ear. An intangible whisper echoed in his mind.
With a thought, he arrived at the fourth layer of the Kingdom of Disorder. He extended his psychic energy, touching the expanding and contracting grey-green orb.
It was Keon, the one he had dispatched to accompany Perturabo.
Nareth saw Keon in his quarters. His hands were clasped together, index fingers raised and pointing downward, other fingers together and naturally pointing downward as well.
"My Lord, I have arrived in the Campinas system with Lord Perturabo's fleet."
"The Lord of Iron immediately launched an attack on the Rangdan xenos. Though they lack a Simulus Chamber, the Iron Warriors fleet still operated like a machine, each ship like precision gears, deploying according to the battle plan."
"The fleet suffered considerable losses, but every sub-fleet achieved its tactical objectives. They broke through the drone blockade, allowing the Iron Blood to reach orbit of the artificial war satellite, launch its offensive, and gain the advantage in the engagement."
Nareth was not surprised. Although the Iron Blood's twenty-kilometer length was not large for a Gloriana-class battleship, the vessel personally designed by Perturabo was actually one of the most powerful flagships, capable of annihilating entire fleets single-handedly.
As he pondered, Keon continued.
"By Lord Perturabo's order, I attacked the station designated 1504."
"Within the station's compartments, I discovered the foul, putrid gases of decaying corpses and green patches of rot."
Nareth's eyes flickered. As a former "Gravedigger" and "Corpse Collector" who had advanced to "Spirit Medium," Keon was a professional in this area.
"I communicated with the lingering spirits there. From the fragmented images I obtained, I learned they came from another station, 1499."
"They were killed, and their bodies were left to rot before being consumed."
"..."
The "Spirit Medium" reported everything he had learned, concluding with:
"Based on the information I have gathered, this highly matched the activity patterns of the Slaugth that you instructed us to watch for."
Keon's report matched the characteristics of the Slaugth as maggot-men and Carrion Masters.
After hearing it, Nareth could confirm Slaugth activity in the Campinas system.
"That is indeed the Slaugth. They often appear behind Rangdan lines. You must be especially vigilant."
Nareth knew the Slaugth population was never large. They typically did not appear on the front lines, mostly indulging in corpses offered by the Rangdan and using covert means to disrupt enemy operations.
'Perturabo's greatest weakness is that once he formulates a plan, he refuses to change it, even when new circumstances arise.'
'Never admitting he could be wrong, encountering the Slaugth in the shadows will inevitably cause heavy losses for the Iron Warriors.'
'I cannot interfere personally; that would humiliate Perturabo. I can only rely on Keon to assist from the sidelines, letting him resolve the Slaugth threat "on his own," and then offer unstinting praise after the battle. Only this way can I win Perturabo's regard.'
With this thought, Nareth sent a series of common Slaugth image to Keon.
The Slaugth, as worm-creatures, could appear in many forms. They could even flatten their bodies or stretch to three times their height.
"Once you discover the Slaugth, use your abilities to assist Perturabo. But he must resolve it personally."
In the cabin aboard the Iron Blood, black mist surged before Keon. The Black Emperor's commanding voice sounded in his ears.
After listening, he said devoutly,
"By your will."
Nareth then severed contact with the orb and leaned back on his throne.
'The Slaugth are adept at concealment. Tracking them is difficult. They also possess powerful regenerative abilities and cannot be stunned. Preserving an intact corpse is even harder.'
'To obtain potion materials, I must rely on the "Judge's" "Confinement." Apart from my gauntlet, Howard Fender is the most suitable person.
'The 1st Chapter should be dispatched to the place most likely to encounter the Slaugth.'
Nareth reviewed his subordinates. He thought the "Biologist" might also have a way, but it would require first obtaining a Slaugth corpse to conduct in-depth research on the characteristics of the worms composing their bodies.
As he pondered, he felt another orb expanding and contracting. He extended his psychic energy, simultaneously touching blue and red-black orbs.
He saw Arkhas Fal and Nerat Kirine kneeling together before an altar. With a thought, he pulled them into the Kingdom of Disorder.
The two, brought for the first time into the boundless black mist of this mysterious realm, looked around in astonishment.
'Is this the realm of Our Lord?'
Their gazes swept past the throne deep in the black mist before they snapped back to reality.
The Legion Master of the 19th Legion and the Captain quickly prostrated themselves, calling out in unison: "MyLord."
Nareth nodded slightly and asked, "What is it?"
The Shadow Lord replied, "My Lord, after leaving Xana and reporting to Lord Horus, he assigned us a task."
"The Navigator House Ferraci has established their domain on the beautiful ocean world of Svejk. Recently, this world has come under xenos attack."
"Xenos piloting elegant chain-ships appeared in the Svejk system, attacking the Navigator House's star-hold. Fifteen Navigators have gone missing."
Nerat added, "Their ships are very strange. They seem composed of a series of interconnected components. They can disassemble during battle, splitting into multiple different parts."
Chain-ships capable of disassembling, attacking Navigators in the Segmentum Pacificus.
Nareth thought briefly and immediately identified the xenos: the Q'orl.
.....
If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.
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