Valerius' expression was incredibly resolute.
Nothing, no power, could stop him from bringing his Creator back to Terra.
Miao Ying said nothing more, her beautiful, gem-like eyes reflecting the bustling night scenery of Wei Jing.
Wei Jing could definitely be said to be the most prosperous city in Cathay.
Even though it was already deep into the night, the streets of Wei Jing were still bustling with people, flowing like a river. The shops that were open along the way all hung various kinds of lanterns.
Inside the shops, numerous candelabras or expensive illuminating Five Elements disks were placed to ensure that customers could see clearly.
Street vendors in the food district constantly shouted, and the aroma of various roasted meats, pancakes, and steamed buns drifted for miles, making people's mouths water.
In the roadside shops, there were vendors selling silk, glassware, spices, medicinal herbs, and even creations of various Yin-Yang masters, the Imperial Astrologers, and other supernaturals.
Various acrobatic performers were beating gongs and drums. They loudly hawked, asking for money from those who had it and applause from those who didn't, showing off their skills in front of many spectators.
Fire-breathing, juggling, street magic, and so on, were all on display.
Valerius also gazed at the prosperous Wei Jing. To create such a city in an era of technological backwardness, the ruler's capabilities were far beyond those of the nobles he had encountered before. The Dragon Emperor was not from this world.
In modern terms, he would be an alien, or more fashionably, a transmigrator. The Dragon Emperor arrived even earlier than the Old Ones.
However, he had always meticulously hidden his tracks, avoiding misfortune.
It wasn't until the Old Ones appeared, transformed this world, and humanity emerged, that he took on a human form and gathered the tribes around him.
When the Warp Gates collapsed and Chaos descended, he organized the people to build the Great Bastion of Cathay, using magic, high walls, and terracotta armies to keep Chaos at bay, thus establishing Cathay.
Although a monarch, he lacked the vulgarity and scheming of mundane nobles.
He had no attachment to worldly power.
His heart was immersed in the Azyr, attempting to absorb more power to combat the forces of Chaos. The Dragon Emperor was not keen on female beauty.
He had only one wife, the Moon Empress. The Moon Empress was gentle, kind, and beautiful, so there was no melodramatic harem infighting.
Valerius was a scholar.
Many monarchs throughout history had lost their rule due to their infatuation with beauty.
Although there were several princes and princesses, they were relatively harmonious with each other and did not fight for power. The Dragon Emperor and the Moon Empress possessed immortal dragon god bodies.
They were less like monarchs and more like mentors and guardians to the people of Cathay. The two had once birthed nine sons; two were missing, one was drowned in the Dragon River in northern Cathay, causing that river to gain the eerie ability to snatch souls, forming a northern defense line with the Great Bastion of Cathay.
One missing dragon son was reportedly killed by the Champion of the Apocalypse. The remaining five dragon sons guarded various parts of Cathay. The overall situation in Cathay was quite good; under the management of the Dragon Emperor and the Moon Empress, it was very prosperous.
However, there were also significant problems: a complex bureaucracy, fierce political struggles, and solidified class structures, meaning ordinary people were generally destined to remain ordinary. The Dragon Emperor and the Moon Empress had no strong objections to joining the Imperium. They were unwilling to elaborate on their experiences in another world.
The only thing known was that the world the Dragon Emperor was from had been corrupted by Chaos; his people were either killed or abducted, with only a few dragons managing to escape. The Dragon Emperor and the Moon Empress had gone through great hardship before finally arriving in this world. They were very wary of Chaos. They had made ultimate preparations long ago.
For years, they had been building treasure ships and searching for other worlds.
If Cathay were to fall, he would take a portion of the populace with the treasure ship fleet and flee.
Valerius had carefully considered that if he were in the Dragon Emperor's position, he wouldn't have done any better.
Some ignorant people would believe that Cathay's prosperity was due to its lack of powerful enemies in its location, allowing it to remain prosperous. This conclusion is utterly absurd. To the north of Cathay lies the Chaos Wastes, facing invasions from Chaos Humans, and large numbers of barbarians arrive from the Great Steppe every so often.
Besides the barbarian tribes who worship the various gods, there are also forces like the Ogre Khanate on the Great Steppe. The Ogre Khanate can be said to be the largest and strongest Greenskin force in this world. There are terrifying rumors of its "Thousand Wolf Riders, Unstoppable."
To the west, it connects with the Mountains of Mourn, the Great Maw, and the Desert of Despair, where the Ogre Kingdoms are located. To the south is a mysterious jungle, where the lost cities of the Old Ones are situated.
To the east is the great sea, with Nippon, where pirates are rampant, across the ocean. Every so often, Dark Elves and Nippon samurai gather as pirates to raid the coast. The dangers Cathay faces are no less than those faced by the Western nations.
Yet, they still established a prosperous and flourishing nation, largely due to the Dragon Emperor's efforts.
Centralized power saved them from internal strife, allowing them to concentrate their strength to deal with various threats.
Compared to the political struggles between the Elector Counts and nations in the West, it was much better. The Dragon Emperor and the Moon Empress had little objection to joining the Imperium and accepting the rule of the Emperor.
Valerius even perceived that they might have some anticipation.
It seemed that ruling such a nation was not a success for them, but rather a burden.
Perhaps it truly was a burden.
Only those who are greedy and selfish would consider holding a high position a success. Those with benevolence and concern for the common people see only the endless responsibilities that could crush them.
A hovering warship bearing the Imperial Aquila emblem sailed above the clouds. The shimmering light from its runes reflected on the thick clouds.
Felix stood at the bow, gazing at the sea of clouds, above which was a spotless, velvet-like black night sky.
If one looked up, they would see two moons embedded in the black night sky, and the shimmering stars.
Some practitioners of astrology believe that all things in the world are connected.
Changes in the stars in the sky also affect the destiny of the world.
Felix didn't understand astrology; he just stood on the bow deck, watching the rolling clouds.
His eyesight was excellent; he could see clearly with only a little light.
During this time, their squad had been constantly on the move.
Besides eliminating the remnants of the Skaven empire, they also raided opponents, captured their leaders, and dismantled their resistance against the Imperium. The numerous cults of Chaos had recently found a new propaganda angle.
They packaged themselves as righteous rebels against invaders, deceiving ignorant mortals into arming themselves against the Imperium. Those terrifying daemons and pawns of the Ruinous Powers transformed into fearless warriors fighting against the Imperium.
It must be said that this was a very ironic situation.
Even more ironically, many people bought into it.
It was as if, as long as it involved home and country, any actions the daemons had committed in the past were forgivable.
Even if they committed the most heinous crimes, it was permissible.
Some would even glorify the terrible deeds of those daemons from the past.
Felix and the others had to constantly rush around, executing those who spread deceptive words.
Heavy footsteps approached. The stocky Gotrek, dressed in civilian clothes, walked out of the ship's cabin.
"Damn it, that Thanquol guy must have cheated. I lost all my money to him."
Felix glanced at Gotrek.
"I've told you many times, your card skills aren't as good as Thanquol's. He can always figure out what cards are left and choose an outcome that benefits him."
"Are you saying I'm too stupid?"
Gotrek was somewhat displeased.
Felix assessed the possibility of the other party redirecting his anger towards him and decisively chose to remain silent.
"It's infuriating. I'll figure out a way to win all my money back. His card skills are great, but I can compete with him in other things." Gotrek stood by the ship's rail, a rare hint of dwarven cunning in his voice.
Felix didn't respond, letting Gotrek mutter to himself. He was immersed in the high-altitude scenery and tried to complete his poem.
A large part of the reason he adventured with Gotrek before was to complete his poem among adventurers.
Felix had attended Adolf University before the Holy Emperor's light shone upon this world.
Adolf University was definitely the top university in this world. The things taught there were only accessible to the upper echelons of society.
Felix completed his swordsmanship and studies there, but unfortunately, he didn't receive his diploma. The reason was that he severely injured a classmate in a duel, and for that, he was expelled from Adolf University.
"Today isn't a good day for a stroll," Udi's voice rang out.
He was wearing a uniform embroidered with the Imperial Aquila emblem, with his sword hanging at his waist.
"Tonight is a mysterious night. The second moon, made of warpstone, will weaken the veil between reality and illusion, allowing evil forces to run rampant."
Udi walked over to Felix and Gotrek, looked up at the sky, his eyes reflecting the light of the twin moons. The Imperium had long ago surveyed the entire world's size and structure. This world had two moons orbiting it.
One of the moons was composed of warpstone, the one the Skaven had always wanted to pull down. The two moons formed a peculiar celestial gravitational field, coupled with the special amplification of the warpstone.
Whenever the three celestial bodies formed a certain balance, the veil between reality and illusion would weaken. This would cause Warp energy to spill out, leading to a mysterious night filled with strange phenomena.
On this night, people would often hide in their homes, praying for the protection of the gods they believed in.
Beastmen, Chaos entities, spirits, and various strange, unusual foul things would become unusually active.
"Let them come out, I don't mind at all, I welcome all comers." Gotrek swung his fists, wanting to find a few unlucky souls to cleave with his axe, to let them know the consequences of provoking Lord Gotrek.
Felix watched Gotrek, who wanted to find unlucky souls after losing money, shook his head, and looked at Udi.
"What's our mission this time?"
"Hunting the most notorious Skaven Grey Seer, Thanquol," Udi said nonchalantly. "The Council of Thirteen has been completely destroyed by us, and most Skaven clans have fallen into division and infighting, unable to resist human encirclement and slaughter.
Given time, we can completely eliminate the Skaven threat. But we learned from some captives that the Grey Seers, led by Thanquol, are attempting to summon the incarnation of the Great Horned Rat through a massive sacrifice."
"They can't do that. Summoning the incarnation of a Chaos God requires an unimaginable price," Felix shook his head and said, "If they could have done it, the Skaven race would have done so before; there's no need to wait until now."
"They indeed cannot afford the price of the sacrifice, but the intelligence says they have reached an agreement with the oldest and most evil necromancer, Nagash. If they release him, he will help them.
The Imperium's magos have evaluated this intelligence, and the veil of this world is not strong. If they can get some amplification, the Skaven have a certain probability of summoning the incarnation of the Great Horned Rat."
"The arrival of a Chaos God's incarnation would cause immense destruction to the laws of the real world, and could even cause the entire world to disintegrate. We must stop them."
"Nagash," Gotrek repeated the name Udi mentioned.
Dwarfs have long lifespans, but Gotrek was not a dwarf keen on learning.
His brain was filled with nothing but muscle.
It was too difficult for him to learn about someone who had been dead for who knows how long.
Felix, however, had heard of him.
Shortly after the establishment of the Imperium of Sigmar, a terrible undead crisis erupted. The instigator of this crisis was none other than Nagash. The nascent empire was almost destroyed.
Emperor Sigmar led the human army through Nagash's undead legions.
In the final battle, Sigmar raised his hammer and split Nagash's head open.
Nagash was repelled.
Emperor Sigmar also sustained wounds that could not heal, preventing him from ever recovering his former strength.
Some say that the reason Emperor Sigmar quietly left was because of that decisive battle; he needed to seek to regain his peak power to confront the prophesied End Times.
Felix was about to ask something else.
But Udi spoke first.
"Go change into your armor and pick up your weapons; we're almost there." Udi pointed towards the horizon.
A black pyramid emitting a green glow floated at the end of the horizon.
Even from a distance, one could feel an evil, terrifying aura. They were about to face the strongest necromancer in human history, the author of the Nine Books of Nagash, the being who once ruled the entire world single-handedly, enslaving vampires, the King of Terror, and many other terrifying entities of the undead. The Lord of the Undead, who had a slight understanding of the gods' essence through the Eight Winds of Magic, yet had not gone mad.
If he hadn't been backstabbed, Nagash would likely have become a Chaos God with infinite potential.