Warhammer: Black Emperor

Chapter 618 (2900+ words, please vote!) Pat: Those who threaten my father must be eliminated.
883.M30.

The new district of Colonid, the flagship of the traveling merchant Lewis von Valancius, the Vostonia Loyal.

Pat, dressed in a black robe, stood on the observation deck, gazing at the layers of decks below.

Since becoming a "spectator," he has enjoyed observing the expressions, mannerisms, verbal tics, auras, and emotional states of people from different social classes from an outsider's perspective.

Upon arriving in Terra and before participating in the "Randan War" celebration ceremony, he received a gift from his father, becoming a "mind reader," which allowed him to read shallow thoughts.

During his time as a shadow guard, he observed and read minds, summarizing the emotional reactions of the empire's high command, and knowing what kind of emotional reactions should be accompanied by what detailed facial expressions and body language.

This voyage was his last journey as the navigator and shadow guard for the Vyschel family, and he focused more on the officers and crew of the merchant ronin.

Pat looked toward the other side of the platform, toward the Whispering Lord of the Wandering Merchants.

He stood in the shadows, observing with the same scrutiny as himself.

He has sharp eyes and a dagger hidden in his heart; he can kill his opponent without hesitation while wearing a smile.

[The Whispering Lord is the confidant, eyes, and ears of the wandering merchants, possessing intelligence on both internal and external enemies.]
As Pat pondered, Lyman's ear twitched.

The leader's voice rang out from a secret room two hundred meters away.

"Sound array master, I need your support. Numino's project is mine..."

Pat shook his head slightly. Although the Consul General was the second-in-command on the ship, he was going to be disappointed this time.

As Visher's bodyguard, he accompanied him to meet with Gokonda Paiaco before leaving Terra, and gained the support of this powerful figure.

Pajako was not only the chief preacher of "Son of the Emperor," but also a nobleman in the Terra Palace.

The history of the Pajako family dates back to the "Twilight Age," and their voices were something that emperors and rulers had to listen to attentively.

As Pat pondered, he saw the Chief and the Sound Array Master walk out of the room.

He waited a while before entering the conference room.

Pat nodded slightly to Wiescher and then stood at the edge.

Although the traveling merchants repeatedly invited him to sit beside them as a sign of their respect for the king, Pat preferred to remain on the sidelines.

Lewis, dressed in a black robe, was the last to enter the conference room. He nodded to Pat before walking to the head of the table.

After he sat down, he began to speak.

"Ladies and gentlemen, since His Majesty defeated the Randan aliens, Lord Flamini has been vigorously developing the new district of Colonid."

"The first batch of planets to be developed includes eighty-six."

"To secure transportation and navigation routes, Lord Fate has decided to colonize Numino."

Lewis nodded slightly to Pat, then raised his head and said.

"I, Lewis von Valancieus, the first merchant ronin bestowed by His Majesty the title, the discoverer of the new Colony."

"Yes, back then it was called the Abyss of Colony and was unknown to the Empire."

"Therefore, I was fortunate enough to be invited by the lord to join the development of Numino."

Lewis looked around at the crowd. "It will become the third most important port in the entire sector, after Abyss Harbor and Moab."

"I have acquired the development rights to two projects, one of which will be developed solely by the von Valencius family."

"I would like to work with you all on another project."

Everyone except Pat took a deep breath.

Although it is a joint development, whoever wins the dominant position will reap huge benefits.

The "mind reader" saw that everyone's gazes collided, and invisible sparks flew in the meeting room.

He noticed that the leader on the right side of the traveling merchants leaned back slightly, glancing at everyone as if by chance, his eyes revealing a determined look.

Pat surveyed the crowd and saw that the Sound Array Master, the Chief Warrior, and others were all nodding to the leader, clearly indicating that he had won the support of the majority.

Only the navigator and the star talker to the left of the traveling merchant remained silent.

Pat observed everyone, feeling as if coffee was melting inside his body.

“My project is a holiday garden,” the superintendent said, operating the data panel to demonstrate his project.

“Using the pristine environment of Numino, we built magnificent gardens for the enjoyment of visiting dignitaries and wealthy merchants.”

"..."

As soon as the leader finished his introduction, the sound array master, the chief warrior, and others spoke up one after another, "I support it."

As Lewis nodded in satisfaction, Wiescher smiled and spoke.

“I also have a project, a giant platform.”

“Use the crashed starships to convert them into space elevators, and build a starport platform on top to dock large, heavy spaceships that cannot land on the ground.”

"..."

The senior advisor, who was responsible for providing business and financial advice, frowned and spoke calmly and rationally.

"Your Excellency Visher, please forgive my bluntness."

“The project is a massive platform, extremely expensive, and requires the support of powerful figures.” “Not only the imperial nobles, but also the esteemed ‘Shadow of Order,’ whose support and trust are needed.”

He had just finished speaking when the Star Language Poetry Master gently opened his mouth.

“I will invest in this project.”

The Mind Reader noticed a flicker in the merchant's eyes. He was tempted, but still leaned more towards the Commander.

Visher tapped the table lightly with her slightly altered, long fingernails. "Gokanda Paiacos is investing in this project. She promises to make the Terra nobility use Numino's giant platform as their foothold."

"She also secured a supply of fine wines from Baizans by virtue of her good relationship with Fogrim and the high-ranking officers of the 'Sons of the Emperor'."

The Mind Reader noticed Lewis lost in thought, knowing that Byzantz was a landmark world conqueror after Fograim's return, having preserved the local culture and wine industry intact.

Baizance wines were among the best in the upper echelons of the empire.

Seeing that Lewis remained silent, Veschel turned to look at Pat.

Amidst the astonished gazes of the crowd, Pat walked to the conference table and stood opposite Lewis.

He spoke for the first time at the conference: "The mega-platform will be backed by the 'shadow of order'."

Upon hearing this, everyone immediately knew that the leader's efforts had failed.

“Numino will develop a giant platform,” Lewis declared definitively.

Visher smiled. The existence of the shadow of order could bring benefits to the Navigator family on many occasions.

Whether it's force, or the prestige of Lord Ninglu and the "Shadow of Order".

The merchant ronin families in the new district of Colonid and other territories of Lord Nimrod, and those bestowed by Lord Nimrod, such as von Valencius.

After the meeting, Pat left under the dejected gaze of the Consul General, and he went to his private deck with Vischer.

The hatch opened, and Pat saw inside a splendidly dressed assassin, armed with sharp and durable weapons, and exuding an air of nobility.

“Pat, each of them is a child of noble blood in Europe, sent to the moon as the ‘firstborn blood tax’ to be modified and trained in killing skills.”

“I won them in the auction.”

Even the "mind reader" couldn't help but feel a pang of heartache when he noticed the wealthy Veschel, who had paid a heavy price for these noble assassins.

Although, in reality, it is oneself who bears the cost.

Pat traded the noble assassin for his support of the Numino Project and the benefits he was entitled to during his time as a shadow guard.

Pat doesn't care about wealth; he's willing to give it up for the noble assassins.

During his time as Shadowguard, he discovered that Terra's bureaucracy was growing increasingly powerful and influential.

They were targeting the Primarchs, and they wanted to decide the fate of the Imperium themselves—the real humans, not the Primarchs and the Astartes.

The "mind reader" keenly realized from the nobles' open and aboveboard pronouncements that those in power, even the emperor, tacitly approved of or even supported them to some extent.

Pat only cared about the voices directed at his father and the dangers they concealed.

Pat stared at the noble assassins, a cold glint in his eyes.

Anyone who targets the father must be eliminated without mercy.

As a Lord of the Royal Court, Pat's request was supported by Viscount Flamini.

Even if he couldn't say it explicitly in the interstellar communications, Flamini would certainly support him if he simply selected someone to provide support for either of the two projects involving the traveling merchant ronin.

At the same time, in "Terra," the High City, the palace spire was originally the second to last floor, but is now the highest floor.

Arsena Dunn held up a data panel. "My lord, all nine planets in the galaxy have been brought under Legion control."

"The technical sergeant has found a standard construction template for stealth force fields and energy weapons and is studying the weapon platform for automatic artillery."

"Only thirty-six Order Shadow casualties were killed while defeating the resistance forces on planets six through nine."

Per Koscielny, the lord of the eleventh warband, met the gazes of Bucayo Arshavin, the lord of the third warband, Flamini, the lord of the sixth warband, and Ramsey, the lord of the tenth warband, their eyes flashing with surprise.

They conquered a nation with advanced weaponry technology, sacrificing only thirty-six lives.

They couldn't help but realize the entirely new approach the Black Emperor had described.

The Primarch took in everyone's expressions and nodded slightly.

In the future, with the rise of Chaos, the threat of Xenomorphs will relatively decrease, and the role of ordinary Extraordinary beings will become increasingly prominent.

They are capable of carrying out missions such as infiltration and assassination.

As the mastermind behind the chaos in Terra, Nimrod possessed information unknown to the Primarchs' servants, and the sacrifices involved were not limited to the shadow of Order.

Only he himself knew the truth: fifty-eight "thieves," two "fraudsters," one hundred and forty-nine "assassins," and twenty-seven "instigators" had died in the battle.

[Even so, the casualties were much lower than those of the "Shadowmoon Wolves," and there was not a second Legion Primarch to fall.]
While Ninglu was pondering, Alsena continued.

"My lord, the Emperor is convening a war council tomorrow at ten o'clock."

"I see."

(End of this chapter)