I'm in Warhammer, I just want to grow mushrooms

Chapter 142: Warhammer Plagiarist and Khan Discuss "Tao"

"Huh? The White Scars are coming to us for supplies?" Li Nuo raised his eyebrows.

The first ray of sunlight in the morning shone into the house. Tido came running to have breakfast and brought an important message.

"Yes, the Star Voice message was delivered to the Star Voice Court at nine o'clock last night. According to the time, the White Scars will arrive at the airport this evening. The Star Voice message said that Chagatai Khan intends to meet you on his ship."

Brandi put breakfast on the table, and Li Nuo and Tido ate and chatted.

Li Nuo originally planned to meet with Chagatai Khan, but he did not expect the opportunity to meet would come so soon, and his preparations were not sufficient at all.

In Li Nuo's opinion, the best time for him to meet Chagatai would be half a year later.

He would use the next six months to collect intelligence on the White Scars and Chagatai, and find out how much similarity there was between their cultural backgrounds and his own before he traveled through time.

On this basis, you can cater to their interests, give them small items and poems from time to time, and try to gain their favor by playing GALGAME, which may lead to more long-term cooperation.

But now, Chagatai is going to arrive tonight, and it would be a bit hasty for me to start preparing now.

Li Nuo enjoyed his breakfast while thinking and felt a little bit of pressure.

"Are you worried about the meeting with the Khan tonight?" asked Tido.

"Yes, I'm thinking about how to gain Khan's trust. Once we sell the formula, we will have enough funds to purchase the operating rights of a planet. I want to buy a planet with rich reserves of promethium, but you know that such planets can only be obtained by exploring unfamiliar star systems. As the governor, I am not qualified to intervene in interstellar development and can only rely on external forces, such as Khan's 915th Expedition Fleet."

Li Nuo talked about his vision for the future.

Tido gradually realized that tonight's meeting was of great significance.

In the Empire, only expeditionary fleets and Rogue Merchants are qualified to explore unfamiliar star regions and establish colonies.

Rogue merchants focus more on "business management", and the combat effectiveness of their combat troops is far inferior to that of the expeditionary fleet.

The expeditionary fleet was the one truly responsible for "conquering cities and territories".

The White Scars take control of the 915th Expeditionary Fleet.

If we can reach a preliminary cooperative relationship with Khan tonight, the prospects of Epimet can be described as soaring.

"Hearing what you said, I am also a little nervous." Tiduo picked up the napkin and wiped the corners of her mouth, thinking and said:

"Why don't you prepare some more poems written in Xia language? I think Khan will like them."

Speaking of the poems written by Xia Yu, Li Nuo felt some indescribable emotions in his heart.

Ancient Terra is somewhat similar to the world he was in before he crossed over.

The 1k era of Ancient Terra was from 000 to 999 AD.

The Xia language of the ancient Terra period is similar to the Chinese language of the world before Li Nuo traveled through time, so Li Nuo can learn it without a teacher.

In the letter from White Scar, there are two lines of poetry written in Xia language.

Li Nuo happened to know the next two lines of the poem, so he responded in Xia language.

Here we have to thank his mother, not the mother of "Xia Chao Boy Li Nuo", but his mother before he traveled through time.

Li Nuo was a terrible roll-cat when he was a kid.

Under his mother's careful guidance, he learned a lot of poetry and songs. Before he even went to primary school, he had memorized all the ancient Chinese texts in the six years of primary school during the transition period from kindergarten to primary school, and the same was true for mathematics and English.

He always ranked top in every primary school exam, which made him taste the sweetness and he became more and more competitive.

He completed junior high school courses in elementary school, completed high school courses in junior high school, was admitted to a top university in advance in high school, and studied for a bachelor's and master's degree in the field of microbiology.

Just as he was about to leave school and embark on a life of hard work, he was hit by a dump truck while crossing the road to save a woman...

Alas, it’s a mixed bag.

If he hadn't saved the woman who was daydreaming at the intersection, he wouldn't have been hit and would not have crossed the road.

If he had not cultivated the spirit of "the King of Books" since childhood, he would not have mastered a vast number of poems and songs.

It is possible for him to give Xia language poems as gifts to the Khan, but he needs time to memorize and prepare poems on different themes, thus temporarily acting as a Warhammer plagiarist.

"Tido, I have an idea. I'll leave the preparation of supplies to you. I need to hurry and recall the contents of Xia Yu's poetry collection." Li Nuo finished his breakfast in a few bites and left his residence with the servo skull and data tablet.

"Okay, give me all your work today. The meeting with Khan in the evening is the most important." Tido hurried to eat breakfast and watched Li Nuo leave.

Li Nuo attributed his understanding of Xia language poetry to the Xia language information he collected from the public database after entering Shangchao.

The documents in the Terra Antica Museum are not top secret and can be found in public databases.

It records more than a thousand Xia poems, as well as many translations and pronunciation guides by imperial scholars.

So there is nothing strange about reciting poems and composing couplets in front of the Khan.

...

...

Time passed quickly and it was evening in the blink of an eye.

Li Nuo prepared different plans to deal with different situations, and acted accordingly, striving to reach a secret alliance with Chagatai.

The 915th Expedition Fleet arrived near Epimet via warp travel.

The orbital control tower received the news in advance and freed up a large number of docks in the airport for the expedition fleet to dock.

The "Storm Sword" is too large to enter the airport and can only hover at an altitude of about 800 kilometers above the surface.

Li Nuo boarded the airport shuttle and left the hive city for the first time, entering the deep and quiet space.

After a series of identification, the shuttle drove into the visitor berth of the Storm Sword.

"Gurgle." Wick, wearing a full set of special agent equipment, stood behind Li Nuo and couldn't help swallowing.

His gaze passed through the porthole of the shuttle and fell on the group of muscular men outside wearing white fine power armor.

Compared with these legionnaires who have been fighting against aliens for years, the many Governor's agents including himself are really not worth mentioning.

In terms of physique, Wick thought he was already very strong, but he was surprised to find that his shoulder width was only two-thirds of that of the man in power armor.

In terms of tonnage, all the special agent weapons on his body combined might not be as heavy as the opponent's upper body.

In terms of firepower and mobility, they were instantly reduced to dust by the Space Marines.

Anyone who sees the rumored top combat power of the empire will be as nervous as Wick.

"Be quiet, don't make any noise, and don't embarrass Li Nuo." Mona poked Wick with her elbow and whispered in the internal communication channel.

There was a tremor in her voice, which showed that she was actually not at peace inside.

Li Nuo only brought three guards this time, Wick, Mona and Leia.

Li Nuo himself had mastered the first generation of Junstat - Black Knight, and he had also played many Warhammer games, so he had a psychological expectation of the height, might and strength of the Space Marines, and behaved relatively calmly.

To his surprise, although Leia was a little nervous, her heartbeat and breathing were not as rapid as Wick and Mona.

Li Nuo glanced at Leia who had purple eyes and felt a little strange.

Leia nodded slightly under his gaze, her expression normal, but with a hint of confusion in her eyes:

"What's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Aren't you nervous?" Li Nuo activated the communication beads and asked in the communication channel.

"It's okay. I've played the role of an Imperial soldier in a holographic game and fought aliens with Space Marines. I've seen how powerful these big guys are."

"Oh, so that's how it is. It seems that playing games is not without benefits." Li Nuo smiled and joked in the communication channel.

Wick and Mona also chuckled.

The tense atmosphere within the team dissipated a little.

"Squeak——" the pneumatic gate opened.

Li Nuo led three guards out of the shuttle and was greeted by a Qiexue and several ordinary White Scar Space Marines.

Qiexue's crimson lenses flashed a few spots of light, matching Li Nuo's scan results with the biometric code in the database.

He took off his helmet, revealing his bald head and dark brown beard. His face was fierce and his eyes were sharp, like an angry wolf that had been running on the grassland for many years:

"Good evening, Li Nuo Wilsi. I am Qin Xia, the chief of the Khan's guards. You can follow me into the reception room to meet the Khan, but your accompanying guards can only stay in the corridor. If it's okay, follow me."

"Hello, Qin Xia." Li Nuo looked at Qin Xia with a complicated look. Several important characters of the White Scars Legion died in plot killings, which inevitably made people feel extremely regretful. Qin Xia in front of him was such a case.

"Please lead the way." Li Nuo quickly put away the strange look in his eyes. Qin Xia turned sideways and extended his right hand, inviting Li Nuo to walk with him.

The three Governor's agents lined up in a column and followed behind Li Nuo. The power-armored tough guys brought by Qin Xia also lined up in a column, parallel to the Governor's agents.

The interior decoration of the "Storm Sword" opened Li Nuo's eyes.

Others only thought that Khan abandoned the exquisite imperial decorations in pursuit of speed, but little did they know that Khan interpreted the meaning of "beauty" in another way.

Li Nuo saw the eight treasures pattern, spiral pattern, images of various animals, dragons and phoenixes, and floral patterns carved on the silver.

There are also a large number of embroidery on carpets, door curtains, the waist edges of felt socks of servants, and various knitted fabrics and animal skins, including birds, beasts, five animals, swastikas, dragons and phoenixes, cloud patterns, fire patterns, and so on.

At this moment, Li Nuo understood.

He understood why Khan had said several times that he felt lonely.

The Khan's cultural traditions are incompatible with the mainstream culture of the Warhammer world.

He had no sense of belonging to this world, nor to the human empire.

Therefore, one day in the future, he chased the Dark Elves into the Webway and never returned, completely becoming a Primarch wandering outside the Empire.

"We're here." Qin Xia stopped and looked at Li Nuo, who had been thoughtful all the way, and asked:
"Wilsey, can you read silver and embroidery?"

Li Nuo came back to his senses and smiled at Qin Xia:
"To be honest, it is true. I have studied the culture and Xia language of the White Scars carefully. This ship may be too unique for other members of the empire, but in my eyes, it carries a heavy historical culture and is a moving museum."

Qin Xia's mouth corners slightly curved up, as if smiling:
"I will assume for the moment that you really understand our culture. Go in, the Khan is waiting for you inside."

The gatekeeper Qiexue opened the cabin door and Li Nuo stepped in.

Qin Xia followed him in, stood guard on the inside of the door, and leaned against the door with his arms folded.

As soon as he entered the door, Li Nuo smelled the aroma of brick tea and goat milk.

Brick tea is boiled, added with goat milk, sprinkled with fried butter rice flowers, and then added with a small amount of salt. The aroma of tea, milk and a light salty taste blend together with distinct layers, leaving a lingering fragrance on your lips and teeth, making you reluctant to leave.

During the summer vacation of his senior year in high school, Li Nuo went on a trip and tasted the unique grassland delicacies and teas. Suddenly, he was reminded of his past by the aroma in the house.

He took a deep breath, suppressed his inner excitement, and bowed to the figure on the red lacquered wooden throne:

"Dear Khan, Li Nuo Wilsi salutes you."

Chagatai sat on the throne with his legs apart, in front of him was a bubbling teapot and freshly fried popcorn with butter.

He pointed to the seat next to him. "Sit down, Wilsey. Do you understand the meaning of those four lines of poetry?"

Li Nuo took a seat, Chagatai picked up the teapot and poured out the milk tea, sprinkled it with butter rice flowers, and each person had a cup of hot milk tea.

Li Nuo thanked him and thought:
"If I understand correctly, those four lines of poetry are meant to encourage us to not fear slander and hardships, but to forge ahead, just like the waves washing away the sand. Only after thousands of filtrations can we harvest the glittering gold."

There is something Li Nuo didn't say.

The protagonist of the poem is a demoted person, and the poet himself is a newly appointed deputy governor.

Therefore, it is actually not appropriate to use these four lines of poetry to encourage yourself.

Considering that Jagatai was a Primarch of the Warhammer 30k era, it is understandable that he could not fully understand the connotation of the Xia language.

"Well, that's right. Few people can study Xia language so thoroughly. Let me test you."

Chagatai pointed to an embroidery on the wall.

The embroidery features an image of a red sun jumping out of the sea, with red and bright gold as the main tones.

The waves were crushed by the sea breeze, and the sea surface sparkled under the red sun.

"I found this embroidery in the ancient museum of Terra. The Emperor gave it to me because he saw that I liked it. Which lines of Xia poetry do you think are most appropriate to describe it?"

Use Xia language poetry to describe the images on the embroidery?

This idea of ​​the question was within Li Nuo's expectations.

"Khan, before answering this question, I would like to ask you a question."

"Oh? What's the problem?"

Li Nuo calmed himself down, met the other person's gaze and said:
"I think you have also felt that the culture of Xia language is incompatible with the mainstream culture of the empire. According to the research of imperial history experts, the Empire's Gothic language is a fusion of multiple languages of ancient Terra, but it is obvious that there are no Xia language symbol elements in it. Where do you think the ancient Terrans who inherited the Xia language went?"

This question made the air in the reception room become silent.

The pine wood stove crackled, the liquid in the teapot rolled and rose, and wisps of white mist rose up.

Qin Xia, who was standing against the door panel, was slightly moved. He was caught off guard by the question raised by Li Nuo.

To be honest, Qin Xia had also thought about this issue and felt extremely confused.

At least 600 years have passed since the Great Crusade began. The Human Empire has recovered tens of thousands of imperial worlds, but has never found one that inherits the Xia language culture.

It's as if the ancient Terrans, who invented this culture, had disappeared long before humans first colonized the galaxy.

This bizarre phenomenon is really puzzling.

Chagatai patted his thigh and sighed:
"Wilsi, I can't answer your question. The White Scars have always been the vanguard and main force of reconnaissance in the Great Crusade. We explore unknown areas at the fastest speed and draw star maps for other expedition fleets. We have explored at least two-thirds of the Milky Way, but we have never been able to find the lost world that inherits the Xia language culture..."

Chagatai stood up, put his hands behind his back, walked back and forth a few steps, and stopped in front of the embroidery of a red sun jumping out of the sea. His voice became ethereal:
"It is undeniable that there was indeed a Xia-speaking nation on Ancient Terra. Just because we haven't found their colonies in the Milky Way doesn't mean they don't exist. Perhaps they are hidden somewhere we can't reach for the time being."

"Are you talking about the Internet?" Li Nuo said shockingly.

Chagatai turned around suddenly and stared at Li Nuo with wide eyes.

Qin Xia, who was standing by the door, opened his arms in surprise, his face full of shock.

The next second, Qin Xia strode towards Li Nuo, his eyes gleaming with brilliance, and stopped in front of Li Nuo with a strong sense of oppression, his voice as powerful as a bell:
"How do you know the existence of the Webway? That is not a secret that a deputy governor like you can know! What is your origin? A spirit? A demon? Or something else?"

Li Nuo is neither a spirit nor a demon.

The fact that he can stand in front of Khan is the best proof
Among the Khan's Qiexue there was a master of psychic powers named Talihutai Yesugei.

If Li Nuo was a soul, a demon, or a projection of a subspace creature in the physical universe, he would have been blown to pieces by Yesugei's lightning and thunder.

Perhaps realizing this, the aura on Qin Xia's body dissipated a little, but there was still confusion and vigilance in his eyes when he looked at Li Nuo.

Jagatai and several of his closest associates have always been aware of the nature of the Warp.

They knew there were gods in the Warp, and they knew the Webway existed.

The sizes of the webways vary greatly, some are only wide enough for one person to pass through, while others are as wide as the solar system, large enough to accommodate several planets.

The most typical example is the main city of the dark elves - Comoros.

Comoros is a massive city covering the entire planet, with numerous small moons, and is located in a web large enough to accommodate dozens of planets and at least one sun.

Facing Qin Xia's questioning, Li Nuo remained calm as always.

He slowly stood up, walked towards the embroidery on the wall under the gaze of Qin Xia and Chagatai, and chanted in standard Xia language:

"The morning is getting colder and the water is getting colder, the sea is lazy and the sky is idle, and the sound of whistling is gone..."

Qin Xia breathed heavily, and Chagatai's face changed in shock, his pupils and body trembled.

They heard it!

They heard it!

This is a pure Xia accent!
It is the Xia accent whose intonation perfectly matches Xia poetry, rather than the weird melody fabricated by the imagination of imperial scholars!
"…Instantly, the fire wheel rises on the waves, and the wind blows and crushes the gold."

Li Nuo stopped in front of the embroidery and looked up at Chagatai, who was 1.4 meters taller than her:

"The morning is getting colder and colder, the sea is lazy and the sky is idle, and the whistling sound is gone. In an instant, the fire wheel rises on the waves, and the wind blows and crushes the gold in my heart. This is my description of this embroidery. When I was studying Xia language poetry, I accidentally had a big dream. Khan, you have fragrant tea, I have stories, how about we sit down and talk slowly?" (Note 1, Note 2)

This passage is written in authentic Xia language.

Chagatai and Qin Xia looked at each other and communicated quickly with their eyes.

Qin Xia stood back by the door, locked it, and guarded the only entrance and exit tightly.

Chagatai stretched out his right hand toward the chair and replied to Li Nuo in broken Xia language:
"Good. Please take a seat!"

A soul that does not belong here resonates with a soul that longs to leave the empire and wander freely at this moment.

A discussion of "Tao" that could change the tragic fate of the White Scars Legion has begun.

(End of this chapter)