Vigilus, Governor's Mansion.
"Fifty thousand civilians slaughtered, bloody suppression, letting the alien escape..." Lucienne described the previous day's situation, one incident after another, as if recounting ordinary events:
"The joint appeal of the seven great nobles is one thing, but the 37th Regiment, the Commissar of the Astra Militarum 35th Regiment, the Inquisitor, the Departmento Munitorum... Lord Emrys, you truly have quite the audacity."
After listing the above 'crimes', she looked expressionlessly at Emrys, who seemed completely unconcerned, and said word by word: "Lord Emrys, what do you think... how should I judge your actions?"
"Insects? Heretics?"
Emrys indifferently picked up his teacup, took a sip, and smiled: "Judge as you wish, but... I did solve a problem for you, didn't I?"
If complaining was useful, what would be the use of power?
He used to disdain nobles, and he still does, it's just that their positions have switched.
"Alright, I must admit, you did solve the cult problem." Seeing his unyielding attitude, Lucienne didn't bother to pursue the matter further and swept the pile of papers accusing Emrys into the trash can.
Then, she clasped her hands, leaned back slightly in her chair, seemingly relaxed, but her tone was subtly sharp: "Lord Emrys, I have shown you my sincerity, so now... it's your turn."
She went through so much trouble to completely suppress yesterday's unrest, and it wasn't for charity.
Among the fifty thousand civilians who were brutally suppressed, some were private property of certain nobles. Otherwise, did she really think those nobles were so bored they would come to her to complain?
She paid a considerable price to appease those nobles.
Now, it's time to cash in the benefits!
Looking at Lucienne, Emrys' heart was as still as water, and he chuckled calmly: "I have seen your sincerity. Three hundred thousand tons of pure water will arrive at Vigilus from orbit tomorrow. I hope you are satisfied."
"Three hundred thousand tons?"
Lucienne frowned, clearly not very satisfied with this number, and her tone was somewhat displeased: "This is not what we agreed upon. Three hundred thousand is too little!"
"It's not a small amount, governor."
Emrys' eyelids lifted slightly, his expression unruffled: "Three hundred thousand tons of pure water is enough for the upper hive nobles to squander for a while, and with recycling... it's even enough to supply the Middle and Lower Hive commoners for a year."
He saw through Lucienne's intentions at a glance; she merely wanted to drive up the price. But unfortunately... she met Emrys, a scavenger from the Lower Hive. He could endure anything except being taken advantage of.
Seemingly understanding his meaning, Lucienne said impatiently: "Stop beating around the bush. What exactly do you want? Three hundred thousand tons of pure water is not enough; I need at least ten million tons!"
In her estimation, at least ten million tons of pure water resources needed to flow into Vigilus to ensure the interests of the upper hive nobles, and then she would have the confidence to reclaim some power from the Ecclesiarchy and the forces of Hades Eight!
"Besides the advanced life-extension surgery we discussed, I hope to hire some veterans from the Astra Militarum, including their complete armaments." Emrys finally stated his purpose.
Why train when you can hire directly?
The Astra Militarum on Vigilus were the elite of the elite; many of them had even withdrawn from the Imperium's dark side. These were Captain Americas!
He didn't dare to even think about Stormtroopers; even if they retired, it wouldn't be his turn.
Rogue Traders hiring retired Astra Militarum was a tradition within the Imperium. As for active-duty personnel... couldn't they just arrange for their retirement?
As long as it was handled properly, there wouldn't be any problems.
Lucienne didn't see any problem with this. To reclaim the power of Agamemnus, she simply let go: "How many do you want? Within my authority, I can give you a maximum of one regiment. Any more..."
She didn't finish the rest of her sentence, but the implied meaning was that any more would be too risky and could likely be investigated by the Imperium.
"No problem, one regiment is enough."
Emrys was almost laughing to death. Ten million tons of pure water in exchange for a regiment of battle-hardened elites, including their armaments—this deal was incredibly good!
Of course, not everyone could make this deal.
Everyone knew Vigilus was short on water, but the problem was... who could risk the Warp storms to transport water all the way to Vigilus? Given that effort, it would be better to transport more troops!
So this was a transaction only Emrys could accomplish! "When can the ten million tons of water resources be delivered?"
Lucienne asked anxiously. The situation on Vigilus was becoming increasingly tense. The neighboring Macro-North Sector was under siege by genestealers and Orks, and she had to seize this opportunity to seize power from Hades Eight.
Otherwise, if they missed this chance, it would be gone forever!
"Delivered within a week."
Actually, Emrys could deliver the ten million tons of water resources to her immediately, but considering the need for some discretion, he deliberately delayed the time.
"Good, then a week!"
Lucienne calculated the time and nodded.
"Then, I wish us a pleasant transaction, Your Excellency the governor."
Having completed his goal for the day, Emrys was worried about Hilda at home, so he quickly got up to leave.
"Oh, there's something I need to remind you about."
As he was leaving, Lucienne tapped the table without looking up and said: "Remember to be careful when you go out recently... I'm not sure if some idiot will try to harm you."
Although somewhat surprised, Emrys still nodded: "I will be careful. Thank you for the reminder, governor Lucienne."
"Don't thank me."
Lucienne was expressionless, looking up at him: "I just want to tell you that, whether from Agamemnus' standpoint or my personal standpoint, although you are a bit arrogant, the animosity between us is not that great. I just want to remind you... not to fall into a trap."
The implied meaning of this sentence was that the Agamemnus family was also afraid, worried that Emrys would be assassinated and then the blame would be directed at Agamemnus, as they were the most suspicious. The pure water transaction was top secret.
So to most outsiders, although Agamemnus had received Emrys, their relationship was still very tense. If an accident occurred, they would be the primary suspects, and this was why Lucienne reminded him.
"Please rest assured, governor."
Emrys could also understand. Although there were rules, there were always people whose brains were filled with water.
Moreover, the disappeared Scott Coleman and the Son of Vane-Blunt were always a thorn in his side. Who knew what other conspiracy Tzeentch, that old schemer, was plotting?
Coming out of the governor's mansion, the Great Rift still loomed in the sky, emitting an eerie purple light, making people subtly uneasy.
Emrys lowered his head in thought. Just as he was about to get into the hovercar, a burning heat suddenly came from the pendant on his chest. The stinging pain on his skin made him instinctively stop.
"What's wrong, lord?" Elsa looked confusedly at Emrys, who had suddenly stopped, and was about to ask.
Boom—!!!
A violent explosion directly blew the entire hovercar into the sky, and a terrifyingly hot blast of air swept over.
Elsa reacted extremely quickly, directly pressing Emrys beneath her, but her face and skin were cut by flying debris, and blood flowed down.
Assassination?!!
Emrys' eyes widened, and he was completely stunned.
It couldn't be this unlucky, could it?
He had just been reminded to be careful when going out, and as soon as he left the governor's mansion, he encountered an assassination?
It happened too suddenly!
If it weren't for the pendant on his chest suddenly heating up just now, making Emrys stop, he and Elsa would probably have been blown to smithereens along with that hovercar!
And that pendant was, in fact, the 'medal' that Fury had kept for forty-five years in the Marvel universe, entrusted to him by someone.
However, after that, Emrys never found out what purpose this 'medal' served, so he treated it as a pendant, hanging it on him at all times, hoping for good luck.
But... he never expected!
This unintentional act actually saved his and Elsa's lives today!
Thank you, Emperor!
I'll never say you're useless again; you really do love me, don't you? Emrys made the Aquila sign, still shaken.
"Lord, are you alright?" Elsa's thigh was pierced by flying debris, and blood flowed continuously, but her first concern was whether Emrys was injured.
"I'm fine..."
The relief of surviving the ordeal still made Emrys' heart pound, as if his adrenaline was surging.
It's no exaggeration to say that in that instant, he was closest to death; if it hadn't been for that pendant warning him, he would have surely died!
The other party was clearly intent on killing him!
Just from the scale of the explosion, even if an Astartes was sitting inside, he would have been blown to pieces, not to mention that this time he wasn't wearing his Oath of Moment armor and had no preparations whatsoever!
"Are you all blind?! Get a medic here, now!" Emrys turned his head, and upon seeing Elsa's injury, scratched by flying car debris, his surging anger became uncontrollable.
If Elsa hadn't reacted quickly, tackling him to the ground during the explosion and shielding him from the flying debris with her own body, he would have been the one injured!
The sudden explosion of the hovercar nearly scared the governor's Mansion guards to death; this was a distinguished guest personally instructed by His Excellency the governor. If anything happened at the gate, every single one of them would be implicated. The best outcome would be to be thrown into a penitent camp; the worst... white phosphorus execution!
However, just as the guards rushed forward to extinguish the flames from the explosion and prepared to move the two into the governor's Mansion!
According to common sense, after one bomb attack, there's a high probability that a second attack won't occur within a short period.
However, what no one expected was that the second assassination... followed closely behind!
The light in the void seemed to warp in some way.
Immediately after, a shadow, like an extension of darkness, appeared silently like a ghost. By the time the Guard Regiment noticed, they were horrified to find that the dark shadow had already blended into the chaotic crowd, only half a meter from Emrys!
Clang—!!!
A cold, sinister flash of a blade, carrying a sharp gust of wind, transformed into a perfectly honed, extremely deadly strike!
Fast, precise, ruthless!
The target was clear, aimed directly at a vital point!
In fact, the assassin had considered all factors. To prevent this strike from missing, at the same time, from Shadows in different directions, several slender and tough, almost imperceptible dark threads, woven into an invisible net, simultaneously enveloped Emrys!
Death arrived like suffocation!
But Emrys seemed to have anticipated it, a ferocious look on his face: "I knew it wouldn't be that simple!" He immediately drew his Execution Greatsword. Fortunately, with the Space Wolf's swordsmanship training, he parried with an extremely skillful movement, blocking the assassin's strike!
Clang!
The clash of their weapons instantly produced sparks!
Upon first contact, Emrys knew the opponent's strength was immense, but the figure, constantly distorted by light refraction, made it difficult for him to determine the assassin's true identity.
But just then, the assassin swung his blade again, relying on his superior strength to knock Emrys' blade away, and followed up with a horizontal slash!
"Do you think I'm easy to bully?!"
Emrys' blood surged. With one arm around Elsa, his psychic power erupted like a riptide, accompanied by a roar: "Get out!!!"
Boom!!!
The vast psychic amplified sound wave, like a raging tide, slammed the assassin away, dragging a rolling wave of air, crashing into a street building like a cannonball!
"Watch out for the threads, lord!" Elsa's pupils contracted slightly as she noticed the surrounding threads moving, and immediately called out a warning.
Swish!
The threads enveloping the area suddenly tightened like a fishing net, the range compressing instantly!
Just an instant!
And anyone who touched the threads, members of the Guard Regiment, were all shredded into pieces of flesh the size of mahjong tiles, instantly turning into scattered fragments all around.
Are those... monomolecular threads?!
Upon seeing the gruesome state of the surrounding guards, Emrys immediately realized that the mastermind behind this assassination was actually the Aeldari!
Of course, that's not entirely accurate; it should be the Dark Eldar. Weapons that can fire monomolecular threads are theoretically only used by the Aeldari!
He was certain he hadn't offended the Craftworld Aeldari, and as for pirates and Harlequins, there was even less to say; he had never even seen them. So the remaining possibility could only be... the Dark Eldar!
But the question was, why would the Dark Eldar assassinate him?
Although the psychic barrier could block the monomolecular threads, he was also, in a way, trapped in place. The threads were constantly squeezing and tightening, creating intense friction with the psychic barrier, emitting terrifying psychic light!
Suddenly, the assassin, whom Emrys had blasted away with psychic power earlier, reappeared from the collapsed ruins. However, it seemed the psychic power had damaged his stealth device, revealing the assassin's true form.
The assassin wore dark silver armor with numerous grotesque spikes. The entire armor was covered in sword slashes, and many areas showed dark, congealed blood. The horns on his helmet, and the terrifyingly shaped greatsword in his hand, all clearly indicated the assassin's identity!
"Dark Eldar... Mandrakes?!"
Emrys recognized the opponent's identity in an instant.
Mandrakes are the Dark Eldar's most elite assassins, raised from childhood in brutal training. They are the elite of the elite, and across the entire Milky Way Galaxy, they are shadow kings who cause sleepless nights.
Anyone they target will forever live in the shadow, just like their name... Mandrakes, because no one knows when a Mandrake will appear!
The Dark Eldar Mandrakes will never give up until their goal is achieved. His ghostly green eyes in his helmet, like will-o'-the-wisps, stared intently at Emrys.
It was then that Emrys noticed, not just Mandrakes... to ensure success, the Dark Eldar had even sent dozens of Kabalite Warriors, surrounding Emrys with splinter pistols and monomolecular threads!
The Dark Eldar... truly think highly of him!
Surrounded, Emrys looked at the menacing Mandrakes and the Kabalite Warriors wielding splinter pistols and monomolecular threads, his mood gradually sinking to rock bottom.
When a person is down on his luck, even drinking cold water can cause him to choke.
Emrys deeply agreed; wasn't he exactly like that? He thought bad luck had left him, but who knew it had just gone to upgrade!
It was all Lucy's fault, with her broken mouth, insisting on telling him to be careful.
Now look, just two steps out of the governor's Mansion, he ran into Dark Eldar. If he could to live and escape this time, he would definitely go back and extort Lucy!
But how does that saying go?
life is like being raped; if you can't resist, you can only accept it.
The Nightmare, who had been knocked back by psychic energy, suffered no damage thanks to the Eldar's armor advantage.
His ghostly green eyes, like will-o'-the-wisps, flickered beneath his grotesque helmet. The runes inscribed on the 'Hekatarii Blade' in his right hand lit up, and the surging kinetic field seemed capable of spatial cutting.
The Hekatarii Blade's distinctive feature was its broad, heavy blade with a slight curve.
Although it didn't align with the Dark Eldar's philosophy of lightness and speed, it was more suitable for the Nightmare, making each of his slashes incredibly powerful!
Even several meters away, Emrys could almost smell the strong, pungent scent of blood emanating from the Hekatarii Blade, which had several nicks in its edge.
Clearly, this 'Nightmare' in front of him was a battle-hardened assassin!
Emrys took a deep breath, shifted the immobile Elsa to his back, and his gaze swept over their surroundings: "Hold onto me, and whatever you do, don't let go!"
"No, I can't." Elsa didn't want to burden him and struggled to leave, a hint of stubbornness flashing in her eyes: "Lord Emrys, please don't mind me. I'll buy you some time!"
"Don't make me repeat myself."
Emrys ignored Elsa's struggles and said in a deep voice, "Either you hold onto me obediently, or we both die here today!"
Hearing this, Elsa finally stopped struggling, wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, lowered her voice, and buried her head in shame: "I'm sorry, lord. It's all my fault for being useless, if it weren't for me—"
"What's the point of saying that?" Emrys switched to holding his greatsword with both hands, trying to keep his center of gravity low, but still didn't forget to tease: "Don't forget, if you hadn't pounced on me, I would have been the one hit by the explosion fragments, so you don't need to say sorry."
Elsa risked her life to protect him, so how could he possibly abandon her?
Looking at the surrounding Kabalite Warriors and the Nightmare, Emrys couldn't help but grip his sword hilt, wondering whether to risk exposure and use the 'Traveler System' here.
But this thought only lingered in his mind for a second before he immediately dismissed it.
Unless absolutely necessary, he must never expose the existence of the 'Traveler System' in public, especially in front of Dark Eldar and the planetary governor!
Moreover, the Traveler System had a fatal flaw: when returning to the main universe, he would always reappear at the exact spot he left.
He didn't dare to gamble whether the other party would wait for 'him' to return.
Therefore, this step absolutely could not be used rashly until he was at his wit's end, otherwise, it would only lead to endless trouble.
With his resolve firm, Emrys looked at the Nightmare again: "I refuse to believe it. I even defeated Khorne's Chosen; will I lose to you?!"
The Nightmare tilted his head, as if waiting for them to finish talking, and let out a sneer from beneath his pale, grotesque mask.
He didn't know if he was mocking him for his foolishness in not abandoning his servant, or for his overestimation of his own abilities.
Bang!
Immediately after, the air suddenly let out a sharp bang, and the pitch-black figure vanished in an instant!
Letting the chaotic airflow hit him, his hair and even his cheeks tightening, Emrys' eyes remained sharp. Albert had emphasized the most important point several times when teaching him swordsmanship.
That was, to have the courage to face the enemy directly!
Under no circumstances should you ever avert your gaze, otherwise... on a chaotic battlefield, the only outcome awaiting you is death!
Emrys did it; his mind had never been so focused, as if he had entered another realm.
The psychic energy formed a storm of telekinesis, vibrating and roaring, severing the surrounding monomolecular threads. Seizing that one-second gap, he spun and twisted his waist, his Executioner Greatsword like a goat hanging from a horn, whistling as it slashed towards his side-rear from an extremely tricky angle!
This scene completely exceeded the Nightmare's expectations.
From an outsider's perspective, it looked as if he was 'deliberately' running into the other's sword!
The Hekatarii Blade parried in haste but was forced back several steps by the power of the Executioner Greatsword. The Nightmare's every step left clear footprints on the street.
Emrys was about to press his advantage, but a warning suddenly flashed in his mind!
He forcibly twisted his body, and several whistling shurikens grazed his face, slamming into the wall!
Close call, close call!
As Emrys was shocked, the Nightmare quietly approached him again.
It must be said that as the elite of the Dark Eldar elite, the Nightmare was absolutely worthy of the title. Seizing a momentary opening, the Hekatarii Blade swung down.
For a moment, it was awe-inspiring!
Whoosh!
In the violent wind, the grotesque warblade fell like a guillotine.
The ghostly green fire under the Nightmare's helmet flickered, and he suddenly pressed the blade down, forcing the Executioner Greatsword lower, then stepped forward.
Emrys' pupils constricted as he watched the opponent's abnormal movement!
No, it's a trap!
The Nightmare was deliberately luring him into a trap!
Sure enough, the Nightmare who had squeezed forward revealed his hidden killing move!
His left hand, which he had not used until now, shot out like lightning, aiming straight for Emrys' throat. In a flash, Emrys saw a needle-like spike, like a syringe, connected to an unknown serum beneath his wrist. His scalp immediately tingled, and a chill shot from his heels to the top of his head!
What the Dark Eldar were most known for, besides their overly perverted tastes, were their various 'poisons'.
Therefore, Emrys tried his best to avoid even a graze, fearing he would be poisoned by the Dark Eldar. The killing move hidden by the Nightmare surely contained nothing good!
Just then, Elsa's blood-stained right hand, gripping a deflection shield device, reached out from behind without fear.
The needle-like spike, upon hitting the deflection shield, immediately changed direction.
Emrys saw this scene and was immediately terrified, fearing that the deflection shield would be directly penetrated, and then Elsa would be doomed!
But it was precisely Elsa's desperate gamble that bought him crucial time.
"Get—out of my way!!!"
A palm enveloped in immense psychic energy slapped directly onto the Nightmare's helmet!
Boom!!!
With a deafening roar, the Nightmare's helmet was shattered by the psychic energy.
He was completely thrown back by the immense psychic energy. If his armor hadn't been of extremely high quality, he would probably have died on the spot.
Emrys completely let go of his inhibitions. Ethen-level psychic energy was unleashed wantonly, sweeping in all directions like raging waves. A terrifying Impact erupted, destroying large sections of the hard ground!
The encircling Kabalite Warriors were immediately thrown by the psychic burst, scattering and flying backward.
"Now!" Seizing the rare opening, Emrys, with Elsa on his back, ran wildly towards the street corner, almost exerting all his strength!
If you ask him why he didn't go to the governor's Mansion?
It's simple. With such a big incident, there had been no movement from the governor's Mansion until now. He didn't dare to gamble what was happening inside.
What if the governor was already dead?
The only way was to return to the mansion as quickly as possible!
If he had known this, he shouldn't have left Hilda at home when he went out, otherwise, he wouldn't be so passive now.
He had just carried Elsa out of the encirclement.
Then, at the corner, he ran into a charming smile.
"Where are you going, handsome ~"
The woman leaning against the corner was wearing extremely revealing clothing, fully accentuating her alluring figure.
A pair of purple eyes, as if capable of captivating souls, provocatively released hormones, combined with that enchanting, alluring, and stunningly beautiful face.
For a moment, Emrys had to admit, he couldn't help but be moved.
But in an instant, he awoke from the enchantment.
A dazzling cold light was clearly and continuously magnified in his pupils!
In the nick of time, fortunately, he had specifically put on his Vow-armor during his escape, and with great difficulty, he twisted his body, using his shoulder guard to block the fatal blow!
A piercing screech erupted as the blade cut across his shoulder guard, and dazzling sparks flew!
He didn't know what material the dagger was made of, but it was able to carve a clear crack in the Vow-armor, almost injuring his flesh!
Fortunately, Emrys reacted quickly, delivering a flying kick to the woman, forcibly forcing her back.
"Oh? Such a quick reaction?"
Seeing her attack fail, the enchanting and charming woman seemed a little surprised.
Someone who could recover so quickly from her charm was extremely rare, even among the Eldar.
Emrys' heart pounded. If he hadn't reacted quickly just now, that one knife would have ended it!
When he looked closer, he realized the other party's height was about two meters.
Yet, only a few pieces of breastplate covered the most crucial areas, but the highly raised curves vaguely revealed a hint of White and delicate skin, which was truly unsettling, but what was most striking was her long legs.
Round, straight, slender, White and delicate, like mutton-fat White jade, seemingly able to break with a touch.
They were truly the epitome of perfect legs, making one's imagination run wild.
Her exquisite and enchanting facial features, and her impressive purple eyes, seemed to constantly exude charm, like a walking hormone.
"Gulp." Fortunately, Emrys had seen this in his dreams, which allowed him to resist the temptation. He looked at the enchanting and charming female Eldar: "You are... a 'Succubus' of the Dark Eldar?!"
The Succubi of the Dark Eldar are not the same as the Succubi of Slaanesh.
When a Witch is fierce and powerful enough to dominate the bloody gladiatorial arenas of Commorragh, she is called a 'Succubus'!
Every Succubus is the most warlike, elegant, and captivating female warrior within the Witch Cult!
The female Succubus' purple eyes slightly narrowed, revealing a hint of playfulness. She toyed with her poisoned dagger, a seductive curve gracing her lips, and said in a numbing voice, teasingly: "It seems you know quite a lot, little handsome ~"