Warhammer: Black Emperor

Chapter 883 I have heard your requests; the Lord of Humanity will make the judgment.

The first year of the thirty-first millennium was a year of victory etched in the memories of Terran's elites, and a glorious moment in the Great Expedition.

After a prolonged struggle, they finally reclaimed their power from the Primarchs and Astartes.

The empire belongs to them.

Adjacent to the Europa Wall of the Royal Palace, the Palatine Dome was a place where the powerful and wealthy indulged in lavish banquets and celebrations every night.

During the day, they walked briskly, boarded luxury cars, and passed through the Kushto Gate to reach the new imperial power center that replaced the War Council—the Overlord's Palace.

This colossal dome is the parliament building of the Terran Council, where Terran elites decide everything in the empire.

The First Lord of the Council, the Sealholder Makado, and the Mars Casting Director Kelbo-Ha authorized his sages, who sat on bronze thrones on either side of the Council.

Six lords sat on one side of Macado:
The five lords appointed by the Sealholder were: Simeon Pentasian, Minister of the Interior; Harry Lantal, Commander of the Grand Gendarmerie of the Ministry of Justice; Osien, Minister of the Imperial Archives; Sidat Ashien Sacher, General of Surgeons of the Hospitallers; and Jem Marison, Minister of the Imperial High Lords.

Constantine Waldo, commander of the Imperial Guard, wearing ceremonial golden armor.

Nearby the Martian Sage were six other lords.

Nemo Zhi-ming, the abbot of the Star Language Court, dressed in a green robe and whose powerful spiritual energy was suppressed as two silent nuns who attended him retreated outside the hall.

Lauren Visher, the Starfather Envoy of the Navigator Family, wore magnificent jewels on her head to conceal her gifted eye; young and beautiful, she showed no signs of any malignant mutation.

Unlike most of the time, when he needed to close his eyes to avoid being blinded by the golden light, Kolan Hersula, the Lord of the Star Torch, stared wide-eyed as he surveyed his surroundings.

Charter Captain's spokesperson, Kelsey Demidov, sat on Ryan's pine, a ring crafted by the Bergkamp family of Sepp Mandy on her right hand, and gently stroked the Strongbrain Cat from the southern galaxy.

Two of the five lord commanders of the Imperial Army, Marshal Haldan Marlon of the "Sun Auxiliary Army" and Barton Drake.

The Astartes Legion, which served as the main force of the "Great Expedition," had no seats here.

The Primarchs, who have determined the course of the Empire for the past two centuries, have no seats here.

The emperor's firstborn son, Horus Lupecal, the war general who commanded the empire's military forces, did not have one, but the auxiliary army he led had two seats.

The lights shone on the marble floor, reflecting a dazzling light.

“Honorable lords, fellow councilors,” the Hernandez family councilor proclaimed.

"I must remind you what has caused humanity to fall into a long night."

"The abuse of arcane magic."

Macardo gripped his scepter, referring to the Book of Revelation, which the nobleman had mentioned, originating from a text that had been circulating in Terra for over a hundred years.

He had ordered a ban on its dissemination and strictly instructed the Ministry of Justice to thoroughly investigate any unfavorable remarks pointing to "Shadow of Order" and "Thousand Sons".

But the person in the shadows is cunning and deeply embedded in all levels of Terra, including nobles, scholars, and workers...

It has been more than a hundred years and still cannot be eradicated.

Both he and his lord believed that some powerful being was operating in the shadows, but despite several attempts to use psychic powers to search for it, they were unable to pinpoint its location.

Ning Lu was ruthless and cunning, and assassinated tens of thousands of people on several occasions.

He even orchestrated a "bloody night" that terrified the nobility, earning him the nickname "Blood King" in private, a title that no one dared to circulate.

However, he also took the opportunity to acquire the assets of many nobles to make up for the depleted imperial treasury.

Magnus did not respond, which led to the focus of criticism and condemnation of wizards on him for the last 150 years.

As he pondered, one member of parliament after another stood up to speak.

"We must not allow the ancient night to return."

"Ban witchcraft, so that the end of the world will not be repeated."

"A new empire, a new Terran council, a new era begins with banning illegal psionicists."

"..."

The clamor for condemnation suddenly subsided, and Barton Drake spoke in a deep voice.

“The psionicists have made a tremendous contribution to the Great Crusade, providing more tactical options.” The “Weapon Master” was much taller and more robust than Haldan Mar-Long, who stood not far away. In the entire Hall of Overlords, only Waldo's figure was more imposing; his words immediately calmed all the councilors.

"No!" Haldan Marlon's voice wasn't as loud as Barton's, but it was still firm and resolute.

“They are a potential threat, and if they get out of control, they could endanger the entire command structure.”

Their eyes met, and an invisible tension filled the air.

“The Empire needs the services of psionicists; they can uncover dangers and resolve threats that conventional strikes cannot address,” Lauren Wiescher said softly.

The Visher family has long been deeply intertwined with Lord Nimrod. Her ability to defeat Bram Hardik and become the lord of the Terra Council was due to her close relationship with Lord Nimrod.

She also believed that Hadik and the Navigator family of Uranus would support Lord Nimrod.

The alliance they signed with Lord Ninglu brought enormous wealth to the various families.

More importantly, there is mandrake, which the navigators cannot live without. They must drink it daily to resist the many illusions of the warp and the suffering they cause.

Except for the foolish Belisarius family.

They have willingly degenerated to serve the savage Russ and the wolf packs targeting Lord Nimrod. They have long been ordered by the Star Father to leave Uranus and forbidden from using the Gate of Elysium.

Belisarius and the Space Wolf could only enter and exit the solar system through the Gates of the Underworld near Pluto.

Abbot Mo Zhi-ming of Xingyuting took a sip of red tea infused with mandrake, and the tentacles that had been waving in his eyes and the burning flames gradually subsided.

“Psionicists should not be excluded from the Empire; they are also part of the Empire.”

He didn't have much private contact with Ninglu, but the Star Speakers also relied on Mandrake from the "Shadow of Order" territory, as other sources couldn't meet the huge demand.

Macado looked around at the crowd and said, “I have listened to your requests and thoughts, and the Lord of mankind will make the judgment.”

He rose and looked at Pejonila Viva, who was sitting in the first row of the parliamentary seats. "I want to remind you all that today is an important day."

"Ms. Capinus's biography of Nimrod the Primarch will be released today."

"It is not only the first biography of the Primarch, but also written by Ms. Capinus herself. I was fortunate enough to see a portion of it in advance, and I assure you, it is not to be missed."

"You should go to the Imperial Chief Academy immediately to attend the press conference."

He bowed slightly. "Ms. Capinus, please forgive my absence."

“I must convey your thoughts to my Lord in their entirety.”

He smiled slightly, "Of course, I won't give up on getting it either. Osien will bring back a treasured copy for me."

"I hope you can forgive my rudeness and sign it."

Osien rose as the one holding the seal spoke. “Ms. Capinus, the Imperial Archives will collect your work.”

"I hope that on behalf of the seal holder, I have not offended you."

Pedronila rose gracefully, her jet-black hair piled high in a style that symbolized the elegance and sophistication of the Terran court—a hairstyle she had specially chosen for the event.

She lifted the hem of her black dress and performed an elegant and elaborate curtsy.

"It's my pleasure."

“Yesterday, my father arrived from Cairo and visited me as I was preparing at the Imperial College. He mentioned that his great-great-grandmother had told him before she passed away that the old man would always remember the great oath of the Urals.”

"She said she would always remember being by the side of the Lord of Mankind, that she had the privilege of recording the rise of the Emperor and the unification of Terra, and that she admonished all her descendants that Capinus would always be the faithful recorder of the Empire."

Pedronella straightened his nose. "I follow the tradition of Capinus, and the biography of Lord Nimrod is my first work."

"I invite you all to the Imperial Academy to inspect my achievements."

The lawmakers echoed loudly, “Of course, no one will miss your debut.”

The nobles who ruled the empire left the Tower of the Overlords and did not return to their mansions outside the walls of Europa, but instead headed together to the Imperial Academy.

Pedronila and her father, the patriarch of the Capinus family, rushed back and stood at the door to greet the distinguished guests.

(End of this chapter)