Warhammer: Black Emperor

Chapter 406 "Shifting the Concept" Successfully Acquired, Gaining a Star

Deep beneath the central fortress of Hearthstone lies the largest ancestral shrine of the Skot Alliance, with a diameter of five kilometers.

Lorenzo felt that the huge ancestral shrine was empty, except for the statues, the complex machines with their intricate wiring, and the various decorations, and he was the only one there.

Apart from the Sage Grimnir, no other space dwarf may enter the Ancestral Shrine.

Lorenzo sensed that his other two great souls who belonged here, the chief and the second-in-command Lord Grimnir, were both dead.

He knew that the High Lord might also have died at the same time.

This means that, as the only surviving Lord Grimnir, he must shoulder the responsibility of the Skot Alliance and protect his ancestor, Wotan, ten kilometers below.

Lorenzo felt a heavy mountain pressing down on him, and even the strong will forged by the cloning tapestry made him feel lost in the face of the current situation.

His gaze lingered on a control panel, where bright red runes shone with a blinding light.

Lorenzo knew that it was the ultimate means of protecting Wokan, and once it was activated, no one would be able to threaten Wokan.

The destructive weapon will be activated, and Wotan, along with the entire planet, will be reduced to rubble in an instant.

The destruction of Wotan will also signal the collapse of the Skot Alliance.

Lorenzo walked laboriously toward the control panel; Wotan's destruction was better than him falling into the hands of others.

When he was four steps away from the control panel, he suddenly felt a spark of inspiration.

Lorenzo turned his gaze to the screen in front of the statue with delight, and saw the runes dancing.

"Praise be to our ancestors! They answered our prayers and inquiries!"

Lorenzo strode to the display screen to check. Only the most outstanding Grimnir sages could become lords and be elected to the council. In an instant, he understood Wotan's revelation.

His pupils dilated sharply, his eyes filled with shock, and he whispered as if confirming something.

"Will Nimrod, the Primarch of 'Shadow of Order,' bring hope to the Skot Alliance?"

"Scott's Alliance should trade with his territory and send the Iron Oath Legion to fight alongside the Shadow of Order?"

Lorenzo couldn't understand it.

Having experienced several years of brutal war, he knew that the forces calling themselves the Human Empire, after their diplomatic failures, had dispatched three Astartes Legions, which were the main force for their conquest.

Of the three legions, the "Shadow of Order" had a combined strength exceeding that of the other two legions, inflicting the greatest casualties on the clans of the Skot Alliance.

Now, the ancestor's revelation is to put aside hatred and form an alliance with him.

Lorenzo slammed his hands on the screen, his thoughts racing.

Why does Nimrod give us hope?

"He brings death to us, why should we ally with him?"

"..."

His thoughts raced, but he received no response.

After another ten or so breaths, Lorenzo raised his hands.

Although he didn't turn on the communication channel, having been in Parliament for over twenty years, he knew the situation outside; people were dying every second.

The will of our ancestors cannot be defied; having decided to submit, we must do so as soon as possible.

He opened the communication channel and issued the command:
"A communication has been sent to the commanders of the Human Empire: The Skot Alliance surrenders!"

"We accept the terms and submit to the Empire!"

The communications officer was incredulous upon hearing the order; he would rather die than submit, but the Third Lord of Grimnir was the only member of the council.

He was both the representative of the ancestral will and the supreme commander of the Skot Alliance; his orders were paramount. Moments later, Nimrod received a message from the Skot Alliance: they had surrendered.

[Perhaps my use of "shifting the focus" to disguise the information provided to Wotan had an effect, or perhaps the Skot Alliance realized that continuing the fight would only lead to their demise.]
Nimrod knew that even Lord Grimnir couldn't get all the information from Wotan.

Wotan's database is vast, and when responding to the Sage Grimnir, he only selects from the existing information to give a reply.

The information he provides as the sage of Grimnir, once verified by Wotan, will likely be given in Wotan's voice rather than being attributed to a specific "sage of Grimnir".

Wotan of the Skot Alliance is a young Ancestral Core who has just been promoted from the Ancestral Shrine, which means that there won't be too much data on the dead Space Dwarves stored in his database.

In other words, Wotan reacts faster, and the Ancestral Core should be able to respond promptly to such a significant threat.

In other words, it's highly likely that my "shifting the focus" has succeeded.
"I accept their surrender."

War is always just a means; once the goal has been achieved, Nimrod will not continue fighting.

Moreover, the Skot Alliance still possesses considerable strength, and the tenacious resistance of the space dwarves will continue to inflict significant losses on his legion.

Nimrod met Grimnir, the last lord of the Skot Alliance, a sidereal time later.

"Greetings, Primarch of the 'Shadow of Order,' Nimrod."

Lorenzo freed himself from hatred through meditation and adjustment, prioritizing the will of his ancestors above all else.

“Scott is willing to pledge allegiance to the Empire and establish trade relations with your territory.”

"Skote will also send the Iron Oath Legion to fight alongside your legions."

"We will give you a mineral-rich star to begin our friendship."

Ninglu smiled. He knew that the space dwarves could use their technology to capture stars, process them, and then drag them to other star systems.

Their trade list includes stars.

The "Corrupted Baron" became even more certain, through Lord Grimnir's actions, that his "sleight of hand" had achieved its purpose.

If Skoat had only been forced to submit, he would never have given himself a star.

For the emerging Skota League, dragging stars to distant galaxies requires a huge amount of resources.

"Welcome Skote to the Empire."

"Looking forward to receiving a gift from Skote."

“My squire will represent me in negotiating trade contracts with the Skote Alliance.”

Nimrod handed the negotiations over to Alsena Dunn, who wanted to use the time to continue using the ancestral shrine on the Forge to excavate Wotan's technology.

He has begun exchanging information with Wotan, who is allied with Skot, about the shock technology that the Empire has long lost.

Nimrod boarded the Stormbird and returned to the Forge, giving instructions to the silver-haired Primarch servants who had rushed over.

"Alsena, your task is to ensure that the Skot Alliance secures as much of the trading share as possible in the minerals mined in the Galactic Center."

"In addition, they also monopolize the production of goods, including not only weapons and equipment, but also civilian machinery and other items suitable for ordinary people."

Besides mineral resources, the Space Dwarves' various civilian products are durable and will be very popular in the Empire.

Alicia, Cypra Mundi, and Abyss Harbor are all located at the intersection of numerous warp routes, and trade brings immense wealth to these worlds.

The warriors of the three legions fighting in other star systems received orders to withdraw from the battlefield for rest and recuperation.

Peturabo and Magnus received the news of Skote's surrender almost at the same time, and their flagship set sail for the Skote system.

The War Council also received a report shortly thereafter that the Martian representative had boarded the ship and was heading to Skot together with the representative sent by Makado.

(End of this chapter)