Tieron still felt a faint ache in his heart.
This might have been a delusion, or perhaps a lingering effect from the Blood Angels' Chief Librarian using Psyker powers to repair his heart.
"After the repair, your heart can beat steadily for at least another twenty years," the renowned Mephiston had told Tieron.
Mephiston's face was pale and cold, like a vampire returned from the dead. Just being stared at by him sent shivers down Tieron's spine.
Especially when those cold words came out of his mouth, Tieron could only force out a stiff smile in response.
Oh, old Tieron, old Tieron, why did you have to show off and come to the moon?
Now look, he'll probably live another twenty years.
If Mephiston brought fear to Tieron,
then the three truly important figures were an oppression, an oppression of existence.
Just being near them, Tieron felt all the power he relied on to survive dissolve. Their strong presence overwhelmed Tieron, making him vaguely realize that in front of them, he was just a fat, old man.
Lord Guilliman had a brief conversation with Tieron.
Tieron was very nervous, but Guilliman used conversational skills that Tieron recalled with astonishment.
His words were gentle, reasonable, at times earnest, at times warm, and occasionally showed just the right amount of authority. Tieron felt his will being manipulated by his words, instinctively opening his mouth and ceaselessly pouring out all the information Guilliman wanted to know.
From Terra's recent situation, the history of the past ten thousand years, to the habits, preferences, and inclinations of each of the High Lords, Tieron recounted it all in a dizzying state.
The good news was that Guilliman seemed very satisfied with Tieron. He kindly thanked Tieron for his dedication and shared the current state of the galaxy and all its intricacies with Tieron.
Tieron learned the full story of the two Primarchs' resurrection and the origin of Saint Doraemon.
Finally, Guilliman also quietly revealed to Tieron that he was writing a grand magnum opus, a great work that would surpass the Codex Astartes. This new work would serve as a guide for everyone in the Imperium, from hive city workers to High Lords. It would be an all-encompassing encyclopedia covering everything from politics, production, and economy to military matters.
Guilliman hoped Tieron would join this great work, which made Tieron feel light-headed with joy and honor. In a daze, he excitedly declared his willingness to dedicate all his wisdom to this magnum opus for the rest of his life.
Then there was Sanguinius. He only had a few simple exchanges with Tieron, but just those few words invigorated Tieron's spirit, which had been filled with madness, fatigue, and pain.
The Archangel did not discuss politics or the Imperium with Tieron. He didn't even speak to Tieron first, but instead sincerely thanked Tieron's assistant, Jackie.
He thanked Jackie for helping the Imperium's excellent Chancellor through these painful years, allowing Imperial Chancellor Tieron's wisdom to continue serving the Imperium, the Emperor, and humanity.
"Yes, I have always been watching you."
"Everything you have done for the Imperium, whether it is I, Guilliman, the Emperor, or Saint Doraemon, we have all seen it."
"Tieron, you are one of the most outstanding Terran bureaucrats since Malcador. I hope your wisdom and diligence continue to serve humanity."
Sanguinius' words were as soft as feathers, comforting Tieron and Jackie's hearts, moving them to tears. They repeatedly declared that they would dedicate everything in their bodies to the Imperium.
And there was a third.
On the ship arranged by Valerian, the Shield-Captain, for their return to Terra,
Tieron sat somewhat awkwardly among those larger beings.
Valerian, the Shield-Captain, was speaking in a low voice with Lord Guilliman.
Saint Celestine, Great Canoness Morven Vahl, and Sanguinius seemed to be discussing matters related to faith.
The Adeptus Mechanicus' Archmagos were communicating with Archmagos Belisarius Cawl using binary secret code.
These individuals were all immense beings, their figures vastly different from ordinary people. Each one was larger than the mutated cockroaches Tieron had seen in Terra's sewers when he was a child.
The only one similar in size to Tieron, seemingly a mortal, was...
"Lord."
Tieron gathered his courage and spoke to the Warp entity residing in a mortal body sitting beside him:
"Please forgive my previous offense."
Saint Doraemon, the one who resurrected the two Primarchs, Sanguinius and Guilliman, a "god" squeezed into a mortal body.
Facing him, Tieron was always a little nervous.
On one hand, he could sensitively perceive what kind of being was squeezed beneath this entity's flesh and blood body.
On the other hand, Tieron was truly a bit uncomfortable with accepting a faith other than the Emperor's.
This was mainly because Tieron had climbed up from the bottom. He had received the Adeptus Ministorum's religious propaganda since childhood, rather than the strict education of the nobles.
This also made Tieron one of the most devout believers in the Emperor among the Imperium's high-ranking officials. This piety was even irrational, purely an echo of his childhood education.
"Don't be nervous, actually, I am also a devout follower of the Emperor," Alexander said with a brilliant smile.
"..An Emperor with how many arms?" Tieron almost blurted out instinctively.
Not everyone who believes in the Emperor in this world is human. Many cults or genestealer use the Emperor's faith as their disguise. Tieron had seen this many times in Imperial records.
Tieron had even developed an instinct, able to detect whether a planet had been corrupted by genestealer or cults just through written records.
Tieron's keen senses also told him that when Alexander had just spoken of believing in the Emperor, there was a hint of playfulness in his tone.
"Of course, six, uh, two," Alexander said, his eyes shifting slightly.
Six arms? That's worse than a genestealer!
Tieron's heart instantly tightened again.
"Lord," Tieron said with a bitter smile, "Rationally speaking, Great Canoness Morven Vahl, the Custodes, and the two Primarchs—so many people wiser than me—trust you. Naturally, I have no need to doubt you."
"I am just a devout follower of the Emperor, and I am a little uncomfortable with the idea of you being a god. My faith tells me that only the Emperor is the God of Humanity."
Hearing this, Alexander's eyes brightened a little: "So you don't think I'm a god?"
"No, Lord, I..." Tieron was somewhat unprepared for Alexander's reaction.
"You're right, I am indeed not a god," Alexander said, looking at Tieron with a hint of appreciation.
This made Tieron pause, and a passage from the Holy Word Records suddenly popped into his mind:
"The Emperor humbly denies His divinity, but you should know: only those who truly possess divinity will deny their divinity."
"The Emperor's denial of His own divinity is proof of His godhood."
Tieron didn't know why he thought of this sentence, and he couldn't help but recite it softly in high gothic.
"Hmm?" Alexander slightly raised his eyelids and looked at Tieron.
"Just like the Emperor," Tieron blurted out.
"No, no, no, I am not like the Emperor. The Emperor truly is a god; I am not a god," Alexander shook his head repeatedly.
His repeated refusals, however, lessened that irrational doubt in Tieron's heart.
Just then, the entire voidship suddenly shook gently. This was the vibration caused by the ship beginning to enter the atmosphere.
Alexander nodded slightly to Tieron, then stood up and walked towards the direction of the porthole. He seemed to want to look at Terra from high above.
Not just him, the two Primarchs also ended their conversation and walked to Alexander's side.
"An excellent Chancellor, pragmatic, loyal, rational, and with a conscience."
Guilliman smiled and couldn't help but say to Alexander:
"As you said, he must continue to work for us, for humanity."
He knew that Sanguinius had erected an invisible Psyker barrier, so their voices would not carry outside.
"His assistant, Ms. Jackie, is equally excellent. Tieron has trained her, and after Tieron's passing, Jackie will be a good successor to the Imperial Chancellor's position," Sanguinius agreed with a nod.
"Yes, yes, as virtuous as Cawl. He knows I am not a god," Alexander said with a slight nod.
Alexander knew Tieron's capabilities. Being able to serve as Imperial Chancellor for decades was proof of his talent for working overtime.
Moreover, in Alexander's impression, in the original timeline, after Tieron's death, his successor was his assistant, Jackie.
Tieron had also trained Jackie into an excellent Chancellor, whose talent for working overtime was only slightly inferior to Tieron's.
There were many workhorses in this world, but too few who could become Imperial Chancellor.
Such a high-quality workhorse like Tieron, who could also train little workhorses, was even rarer. How could Alexander let him retire?
So he had told Guilliman and Sanguinius about Tieron in advance.
Then Mephiston took the opportunity to strengthen Tieron's heart, and Guilliman and Sanguinius repeatedly gave Tieron PUA—oh no, they motivated Tieron.
They only hoped that Tieron would serve them for at least another twenty years. If necessary, rejuvenation technology or even the Setesh Ritual could be used, making it possible for Tieron to work for another four or five hundred years.
"It's a pity he's too old, otherwise, how good it would be if he were an Ultramarine," Guilliman couldn't help but say.
"He could live quite long if he was put into a Dreadnought with the Setesh Ritual, or I could look for some tools that could allow a prime workhorse like Tieron to live for more years."
At this moment, Tieron was completely unaware that his fate had already been quietly arranged.
He was still immersed in the encouragement from the two Primarchs and Alexander's recent words.
Tieron had even made up his mind in his heart that he must not disappoint the three Lords' expectations, and would work even harder to be corrupt, bribe, and be depraved, striving to serve the Imperium more efficiently.
At the same time, outside the porthole, the thick, hazy clouds were suddenly torn apart by the voidship's bow, and Terra was exposed to the eyes of the two Primarchs and Alexander.