Warhammer: Black Emperor

Chapter 466 Loka Advocates for the Priest to Enter the Astartes Legion (I will be taking leave tomorrow)
After the emperor took his seat, he looked around at everyone and began to speak.

"The reason for convening this war council is that Loka proposed to create new positions within the legion."

"Luo Jia, you can introduce him to your brothers."

At the Emperor's signal, Loka Aurelion rose and began to speak as if he were preaching in Colchis.

"No force can foster as strong bonds and great ambitions as faith and dreams."

"Faith is the backbone of intelligent races, the pillar that helps us transcend beasts, machines, and aliens."

As Ninglu listened to Loja's opening remarks, Horus Lupecal and Robert Guilliman frowned at his words.

Ryan Aljonsen and Roger Dorn remained calm, but Nimrod believed that Dorn would not agree with Lorgar's words.

“Luo Jia, I’ve emphasized this to you before.”

"I am not a god!" the emperor declared majestically.

"Never forget the truth of the Empire!"

Luo Jia paused for a moment, then decided to temporarily set aside the truth and focus on achieving his goal today.

He avoided the sensitive topic and continued.

"Before I took command of the Legion, the Seventeenth Legion already had offspring who served as Imperial Pioneers, carrying winged scepters and delivering an ultimatum to the newly discovered world—surrender or be destroyed."

"Just as I renamed the Legion 'Word-Holders,' I will rename the Vanguard 'Priests.'"

"Establishing priests within the Legion can enlighten a foolish world and wash away the stains of the past."

"The priests will also tell our warriors the truth, fight alongside their brothers in arms, recite sacred battle creeds, and inspire them to strive for even greater acts of heroism."

"..."

Loka described at length the priest's vision and the positive impact it could have on the legion.

After listening to Loka's account, the Emperor looked at the Primarchs and said in a deep voice.

What are your thoughts?

Saint Gilles, who had just been rescued by Loga, spoke first.

“My legion has watchmen who are mentors and guides to newly recruited Blood Angels, and are also responsible for upholding the legion’s laws.”

"They would provide tactical and theoretical advice before the battle and hold memorial ceremonies for the fallen sons after the battle."

"I believe that the establishment of priests will be of great benefit to the legion."

“In my legion are those who convey the ‘voice of fire,’” Volkan then said. “They will tell my offspring that every life is equally important.”

Finus Manus's silver-coin-like eyes gleamed, and he spoke with a voice as heavy as lead.

"I don't think the dual role of the Steel Father, who is both a technical sergeant and a priest, needs to be changed."

"The Legion has no need for priests; the Fist of the Empire is as solid as a rock." Dorn spoke frankly, being the first to clearly express his opposition.

When Ning Lu heard this, it was pretty much what he had expected.

Prior to the Council of Nicaea, the only positions of priests established on a large scale were those of the Word Bearers, the Blood Angels, the Salamanders, and the Iron Hands.

Other legions either did not have one or only had a small number of priests.

After the meeting, the corrupted Logar offered assistance to the Primarchs, quelling the discontent of the Legion strategists and persuading them to accept the responsibility of returning to being ordinary Astartes.

The vast majority of Primarchs accepted his request, and the Word Bearer priests entered the Legions to spread the Chaos faith.

From then on, the priests took root in the various legions.

After the grand birthday celebration, most loyal warbands also have priests.

Not only the traitorous legions, but the loyalist legions were also affected.

He remembered the underground war in the later stages of the "Battle of Cos," where Ultramarines, priests, and many of their fellow warriors were brainwashed and thrown into chaos.

Saint Jerace, however, insisted that his Watchers be in charge and did not accept the Word-Bearer priests.

Seeing that no one else wanted to speak, Old Man Huang turned his gaze to Ning Lu, who then spoke up.

“The Legion will benefit from establishing priest positions, and I agree with Logar’s proposal.”

Hannibal fell into deep thought upon hearing Nimrod's words.

A few seconds later, his eyes suddenly lit up.

“I also agree with Luo Jia’s suggestion.”

Nimrod looked at Hannibal. Although he could only see the psionic projection, he keenly noticed that Hannibal's cheekbones protruded slightly outwards, and there were also signs of a bulge at the junction of his forehead and parietal bone.

This is a significant change for the original genome.

[How many types of aliens did Hannibal eat?]
Suddenly, a thought flashed through Ning Lu's mind.

[Would Hannibal have wanted to establish priesthoods to indoctrinate his descendants with a ritual of tasting aliens?]
As Ninglu pondered, he heard Old Man Huang speak. "You can decide for yourselves whether to establish a pastor and the scale of the position."

After the war council concluded, Nimrod returned to the Shadow of the Throne.

He sent a new message to Arcena Dunn, summoning him to his office.

Nimrod walked toward his office, pondering how to arrange the position of pastor.

Regardless of how other legions define the duties of priests, for me, there are two main roles.

One is to boost morale, serve as a commander, and direct a certain scale of the Shadow of Order. In this regard, the extraordinary ones of the "Sun" pathway are most suitable.

The other is to examine the loyalty of those in the shadows of order and to proclaim their faith in me; the extraordinary ones of the "Daydreamer" path are best suited for this task.
Ninglu knew that the "Alpha" Legion would infiltrate other legions.

Although he couldn't be sure whether the cult had begun infiltrating before he met with them and joined the rebels, he should take precautions in advance.

Key positions in the legion were held by royal monks, whose loyalty was personally observed and confirmed by Ninglu.

The core secrets were held by a high-ranking monk, his trusted confidant.

The Primarch confirmed through superhuman perception and psychic abilities that they would be fine, but nearly two-thirds of the Legion members are not members of the Royal Court, and the assessment may not be completed before the Grand Birthday Celebration.

[Yes, the corruption of chaos also needs to be considered. My review can only confirm that there were no problems at the time, but it's hard to guarantee that new situations won't arise later.]

All I can guarantee are a small number of close confidants.

A strong mental defense is needed to promptly identify and address any problems with one's offspring.
After organizing his thoughts, Ning Lu came to a conclusion.

Loyalty and faith are more important than boosting morale. The position of pastor should primarily be based on the "idealist" approach, with the "sun" approach as a secondary approach.

"Audience" and "Mind Reader" can examine the inner world of the Shadow of Order during conversations. "Psychotherapist," "Hypnotist," and "Dream Walker" can uncover their hidden secrets, subtly influencing the Shadow of Order and the people of their territory to be loyal to me, and even to believe in the Black Emperor.

In that case, Wilshire is not the best candidate to oversee the duties of the Legion's priests.
Ning Lu had already returned to his office while he was thinking.

After taking his seat on the throne adorned with thirty-three black iron swords, he decided to ask Wilshire for her opinion before making a decision.

Before that, he needed to ascertain Gardiner's current situation.

Ninglu looked at Arsena and asked.

"How is Gardiner currently doing?"

"My lord, the Second and Twelfth Regiments have already occupied five neighboring star systems, constructed a defensive perimeter, and kept Gadinar hidden in the shadows."

“One month ago in Terra, the Orient Voyager jumped to the Gadinal system and withdrew in accordance with your blockade order.”

Seeing the Black Emperor nod in satisfaction, the Primarch's attendant continued.

"My lord, the battle of Gadinar has ended. I have tallied the casualties of each legion, and the total number of dead is 4,920."

"The Second Regiment suffered the greatest losses, with 1,740 men killed in the attack on the biological recycling center."

Alsena wasn't as sad as he used to be, he continued.

"Compared to the strength of Gadinal, past battles, and our glorious achievements, the casualties were relatively small."

"My lord, this is all thanks to your selection of the High Lord as your target and your swift and decisive actions."

"Your actions have been very effective," Ninglu praised generously.

Although he did not know how many Iron Hands had fallen, the Ultramarines had suffered a defeat, with more than two thousand killed, and were then used as cannon fodder by Manus in the attack on the capital, where Chapter Master Ciselus was killed.

"Son of the Emperor" Second Company Commander Akulduna and his soldiers were killed in action.

Manus's guard suffered nearly half its casualties, and Amadeus Ducaine and Gabriel Santo were among those crippled.

Taking all factors into account, the combined number of casualties across the three legions was no less than, if not greater than, that of his legion.

Ninglu could accept the casualties without the use of forbidden weapons.

As Ninglu pondered, the silver-haired Primarch attendant continued.

"The auxiliary army suffered 74,000 casualties, most of whom died in the operations in the capital."

"The Vostonia Auxiliary Army suffered the most casualties, exceeding 50,000. In addition, 1,500 of the Katachon Warriors were killed, and 380 of the 'Katachon Banshees' elite troops were killed."

Ninglu nodded slightly. Compared to Manus's use of forbidden weapons to kill millions of Imperial auxiliary soldiers, the number of auxiliary soldiers killed was much smaller.

"The Voidwalker Legion lost seventeen Titans, and the Tiger Eye Titan Legion lost thirty-five Titans."

Ninglu recalled that the "Flame-Patterned" Titan Legion lost more than half of its units in the "Battle of Gadinar," and he could accept the loss of fifty-two Titans.

"The Veroni family lost sixty-three knights, most of whom were destroyed in battle with the three-legged walking mechs, and a small number were destroyed by the High Lord."

Ninglu realized that the three-legged walking mech could rival the Titan Warhound, and the Holy Casket Suit was even more powerful, so he could only accept the battle damage.

"Tell Mezoa of the Forging World to replenish the lost Knight Mechs of the Veroni family as soon as possible."

"At least two of them must be Nemesis-type Cruiser Riders."

(End of this chapter)