thefictionvixens Page 122
Page 122
In the Thorn Court of Badab, Lynch frowned slightly as he read the message from Elene, but quickly relaxed.
"Titus, huh..."
He thought to himself as he left his seat and walked to the huge floor-to-ceiling window in the office.
He looked out the window and, after three seconds, decided on his reply to Elena.
“After the meeting with the other two chapters, you let Sergeant Titus meet with me alone.”
Chapter 149 Military Parade Plan
The time has come to this moment.
After the meeting, Lin Qi finally met the famous extreme warrior from his previous life in his office.
Just as one might imagine, Titus had a resolute face. The gold stud on his forehead indicated his years of service, while his calm eyes, which held a hidden depth, spoke of his extensive battle experience and unwavering spirit.
Indeed, a powerful warrior.
This Ultramarines is truly full of extraordinary individuals. Even Titus isn't the most outrageous; in Macragge, there's Calgar, Sicarius, Tigris, and many other powerful, outrageous beings.
Not to mention that after cooperating with the old prophet, Guilliman will soon heal the wound on his neck in a few years and lead the empire into the next era.
Thinking of this, Lin Qi's gaze towards Titus changed slightly. His original intention of simply meeting this chosen one of the two gods and receiving recognition shifted, giving rise to other thoughts.
For example, by using the other party as a starting point, one could obtain formal cooperation with the Ultra Warriors.
"I……"
“My lord.” Before he could finish speaking, Titus interrupted Lynch.
Lynch sat up straight, placing his hands, fingers interlaced, in front of his chest. Faced with Titus's interruption, he neither reprimanded nor got angry, but instead chose to be tolerant, waiting for the other to finish speaking.
Titus realized his rudeness, so he changed the words that were stuck in his throat and added an apology at the beginning.
"I'm sorry, Commander Lynch."
“It’s alright, Sergeant Titus.” Lynch smiled slightly, revealing a gentle expression. “The intelligence you brought is extremely valuable, very important to both Star Claw and the Empire. Therefore, you are a hero, and heroes, at least in my eyes, deserve respect and some reasonable privileges.”
Titus's expression remained unchanged upon hearing Lynch's words, but a glint of light flashed in his eyes.
"Commander Lynch, regarding the request that Inquisitor Eleanor and I made..."
“I’m sorry.” Lynch shook his head, his expression calm. “Sergeant Titus, I think you should know how difficult your request is. The places you mentioned, if connected, could be said to span the entire territory of the Empire.”
"Traveling through these places, let's not even talk about anything else. Just ensuring you don't get lost during those long-distance warp jumps is already a blessing from the Emperor. Not to mention the aliens and heretics you might encounter along the way."
The reasons for refusal are so compelling that it leaves one with no point of rebuttal.
Titus nodded, showing no disappointment, after all, this was something he had considered from the beginning.
The effort required to accomplish this is far too great, and it would be a huge loss to do it just for one person's request.
"but......"
but?
Titus looked at Lynch, the man he had often heard about from the Inquisitor and her attendants since his awakening, and for the first time, his expression changed.
“While we can’t accomplish all the objectives,” Lynch said, looking at Titus, “if you’re willing to join me on an expedition after this battle, we might be able to achieve most of them along the way.”
"What expedition?"
Without hesitation, Titus directly inquired about the specifics of the "expedition" Lynch had mentioned.
"Following this battle, an expedition will be launched, consisting of only companies from the Star Claws and the other two chapters of the Vortex," Lynch began. "The Star Claws made some mistakes, which were fortunately corrected in time. However, mistakes are mistakes, and to atone for them, the chapter and I began planning early on, preparing for an expedition against humanity's enemies outside of Badab."
"I am Death Watcher, and nominally, I belong to the Inquisition..."
“That doesn’t matter. Inquisitor Elene and I are very close friends, and she will help you stay in the expeditionary fleet if you wish.”
Having said that, Titus could find no reason to refuse. He nodded, accepting Lynch's invitation and agreeing to join his team on future expeditions.
"Welcome to the team, Sergeant Titus. You can go back to your quarters to rest now. I hope you are satisfied with the accommodations at Star Claw. Also, in seven days, once the other Imperial forces arrive, I will need you to explain the specific intelligence to the leaders of those forces."
“I understand.” Titus looked at Lynch, this time using a respectful form of address. “Commander.”
After speaking, Titus left the office. Asford, who was standing guard at the door, came in and placed an official document in front of Lynch.
"Ashford," Lynch said, glancing at the documents. "What do you think of this Sergeant Titus?"
Asford didn't speak immediately, but remained silent for a moment before expressing his opinion.
“Very strong. Without a doubt, he is a powerful warrior.”
"And what about you? How do you feel about your chances of winning if you face him?"
"...I can't be sure, sir." Asford's expression was grave, clearly pondering what Lynch had said. "That Titus gives me a strange feeling...like a dangerous beast bound under a human skin. If he chooses to tear off the skin and reveal his true self, then in the entire Star Claw, there are probably fewer than a handful of people who can fight him to a draw."
It seems that Star Claw still has a wealth of talent, with several people actually able to fight Titus to a draw.
Lin Qi put down the document he had just finished reading. He stopped thinking about Titus and began to consider the current situation.
Over the course of a week, the human empires that received the Star Claw's message and responded will arrive one after another.
Among these forces are the Astral Army, the Imperial Navy, the Astartes Chapter, the Forgeworld, and a dozen or so Freeblades who roam the stars together.
These people come from different planets. Although they all belong to the human empire, their different cultures, customs, and habits are destined to cause friction between them.
Just adjusting these things could drive a political genius to the brink of madness, or even cause him to go insane in his own home, smashing everything in sight to pieces.
Fortunately, Lynch never only had himself in his mind.
"Once everyone has arrived, let's prepare a parade," Horus said, arms crossed. "Although it's a cliché, for the army, a parade can undoubtedly solve many problems."
Lynch approved of the matter and let out a long breath. Just then, the servo skull beside him emitted a signal, followed by Evelyn's voice.
“Lord Lynch,” Evelyn said, her tone grave. “They’ve arrived.”
Without a second thought, Lynch immediately knew who Evelyn was referring to when she said "they".
"Tell them to wait for me."
He said this while sitting in his office, leisurely reading a report.
Chapter 150 A Private Meeting with the Old Prophet
"How dare these savage monkeys leave us hanging here!"
Inside a secluded basement of Star Claw, three tall, slender figures gathered. They sat on chairs that had been hastily brought in, with a pot of tea and some simple snacks on a small table in front of them. One of the figures looked indignant, seemingly complaining about the treatment he was receiving.
"We came here to help them! If they didn't appreciate it and wouldn't have let us come, fine, but now that we've come, they treat us like this!"
“Lysian.” Another figure spoke, his voice unhurried and gentle. “You must understand, we are the Eldar, and they are humans. We are not the same race, and our cooperation must not be exposed to the light of a star.”
“…Ah, you’re right, Quirindras. I acted impulsively.”
His companion's words silenced the young prophet named Lysian. After a moment of thought, he slowly spoke, admitting the error in his earlier words.
“However, these humans are indeed a bit too arrogant.” Although he was the one advising Lysian to calm down, Quirindras continued, turning his gaze to his companion who had been busy eating and drinking tea since arriving. “It’s been three hours, Uslan, and Lynch still hasn’t come to greet us.”
Despite his companions' stares, Uslan seemed completely unconcerned. He slowly picked up a piece of candy, unwrapped it, popped it into his mouth, and began to chew vigorously.
The inferior candy melted in the mouth, the plastic taste mixed with sweetness, stimulating the Elven tongue, which was countless times more sophisticated and sensitive than that of humans.
The old prophet Uslan picked up his teacup, took a sip of tea, and used it to help him swallow the candy.
"Uslan."
The old prophet picked through the plate, and suddenly his eyes lit up. He took out a beautifully packaged candy.
“Uslan…”
Unwrapping the candy coating revealed a dark, unappetizing object. The old prophet popped it into his mouth, and a rich aroma mingled with the scent of milk emerged, prompting him to nod repeatedly in approval.
"Uslan!"
Even Quirindras became impatient and angry after repeatedly failing to get a response from his companions.
A helpless expression appeared on the old prophet's face. He sighed, took a sip of tea, looked at his companion, and spoke for the first time since arriving in Badab.
“I can hear you, Quirindras. My ears haven’t gone deaf yet.”
Quirindras took a deep breath, but seeing the old prophet's nonchalant attitude, he became increasingly annoyed, even feeling an urge to curse.
“You started this, but now you’re acting like an outsider.”
“I am just an executor; the real driving force is someone you all know who it is.”
The old prophet's unhurried reply silenced his companions; clearly, they all knew that what the old prophet said was true.
He was indeed just a proposer and executor; the driving force behind it all was the clown who appeared on the ark, wearing a smiling mask.
The appearance of the clown represents an unparalleled event for any Ark Eldar, Savage Eldar, or even Dark Eldar.
That is the will of the last god.
"Isn't your current attitude tantamount to letting things spiral out of our control?"
"Lysian said. He looked at Eldrad Uslan, the highly respected old prophet, and took a deep breath.
"We should meet with that human leader as soon as possible. His request for us to come here indicates that he needs our strength. We..."
“No,” the old prophet suddenly spoke, interrupting his companion. “He doesn’t need our power; it is we who need his power.”
"We need his... monkey power?"
Lysian scoffed, about to say something more. But Quirindras stopped him, and it was at this moment that the impetuous young prophet noticed the old prophet's face darken, his eyes fixed on him with a sinister glint.
“Uslan, I…”
“You’ve been too rash, Lysian.” The old prophet’s words were unhurried, sounding less like a reprimand and more like a senior chatting with a junior. “I remember telling you on my way here that Lord Lynch is fundamentally different from other humans.”
"What's the difference?"
Lysian looked at the old prophet and spoke with a mixture of disdain and curiosity.
“When you meet him,” the old prophet said, taking a piece of candy from the plate. This time, he didn’t unwrap it but popped it into his mouth. “I believe you will know then.”
The basement door opened, and an Astartes stepped in. Apart from the old prophet, two other young prophets stood ready, aware of the danger of these modified human warriors and having heard of the supreme power of their origins—the mythical beings known as the Primarchs.
However, having never seen it, the two remained skeptical of the description of the Primogen.
After all, one person alone could annihilate an entire army in combat, could decipher ancient technology, and possessed psionic energy far surpassing that of the Eldar's prophets...