Warhammer 40K in a box

Chapter 252 The Secret You Shouldn't Know

Inside the conference room of the Tribunal headquarters, the Grand Inquisitors of the Star District and the Grand Inquisitors of various religious orders gathered once again, awaiting Chen Xi's arrival.

"Although you've come a long way, the matter is urgent, so I won't stand on ceremony any longer." The Grand Tutor raised his hand to signal the attendants to leave, and the heavy metal door slowly closed behind Chen Xi with a dull thud.

"The Sector Court has reviewed your report, and we take it very seriously." His gaze swept over the twelve Grand Inquisitors seated around the circular conference table. "The Sector Court is also preparing according to your requests."

The Grand Master's voice suddenly became more solemn: "But I still want to ask, how confident are you about this matter? Or is this the revelation and mission the Emperor has given you?"

Chen Xi walked calmly to the conference table and gracefully sat down in the high-backed chair reserved for him.

“If you think it is, then it is.” His voice was calm, and his eyes showed no emotion whatsoever. He did not show any fear despite being facing a group of Grand Inquisitors.

This attitude immediately caused a commotion. The Grand Judge, seated third on the left, slammed his hand on the table, the metal guards striking the solid wood surface with a harsh sound.

"Watch your attitude!" the stern-faced middle-aged judge shouted, his medals heaving with agitated breathing. "What do you mean 'you think it is him, so it is'? Explain yourself! This is a courtroom, not your Rostov!"

Chen Xi tilted his head slightly, a faint, cold smile playing on his lips. He slowly and methodically adjusted the silver buttons on his cuffs, as if the tense atmosphere before him had nothing to do with him.

“Your Excellency the Grand Inquisitor,” his voice remained irritatingly calm, “the Emperor has indeed given me a task, and the report I have submitted is indeed part of that sacred mission.”

At this point, he suddenly looked up, his sharp gaze piercing the questioner.

"But you're saying this is my mission?" A scornful laugh pierced the silent hall. "You can think of it as such, but if you believe this is my mission, then it isn't."

These cryptic words plunged the entire courtroom into a brief silence. The candlelight flickered in the air, casting ever-changing shadows.

The judges present exchanged meaningful glances; some frowned in thought, while others looked displeased, but all understood the deeper meaning behind Chen Xi's words.

Although they were dissatisfied with Chen Xi's disrespectful attitude, the Grand Inquisitors did not dwell on the matter further. Instead, they asked Chen Xi, "What exactly is the task that His Majesty the Holy One has entrusted to you?"

"This concerns imperial secrets, so it's best if you all..." Chen Xi looked at the judges before him with a slightly amused expression, "It's better if you don't know, because if you find out something you shouldn't know, the consequences could be very serious."

“Whether we should know or not, we will judge for ourselves. The Inquisition is concerned with the secrets of the Empire, and we have the right to know certain things,” the Grand Inquisitor said. Although his tone was still gentle, his attitude was very firm.

In response to the Grand Instructor's words, Chen Xi simply smiled and casually asked, "Then do you know about the Second Empire?"

"The Second Empire? You mean the Twin Empires Incident during M35?" a Grand Inquisitor asked, mentioning a rebellion that was extremely serious for the Empire. The so-called Twin Empires Incident refers to an unprecedented rebellion that broke out during M35.

It even led to the complete loss of Holy Terra's authority, the forced entry of various star systems of the Empire into a long-term state of autonomy, and the Pacific Star System directly declared its independence from Imperial rule, establishing a "second Empire" on the new star Terra.

This event lasted for nine centuries until the M36 era, when Holy Terra gradually quelled the rebellion through blood and fire, and re-established the absolute authority of the High Lords Council.

During this period, not only did fierce political confrontations and military conflicts erupt between the emerging Terra regime in the Pacific region and the Holy Terra Orthodoxy in the Solar region, but even the Imperial State Religion itself fell into a split, with clergy from different factions declaring each other heretics and waging a bloody religious civil war.

This chaotic situation further led other star systems of the Empire to adopt a wait-and-see attitude, and some worlds even declared independence, completely breaking away from the Empire's rule.

Even more terrifying is that in this rebellion that swept across the galaxy, even the relatively stable Mechanicus was not spared.

A fierce conflict erupted between the Martian orthodox faction and the technological heretical faction that supported the new star Terra. The "Moira Split" broke out within the Mechanicus, turning countless Forgeworlds into ruins. The precious STC technology was permanently lost in this civil war.

It can be said that the Twin Empires Incident was the most serious civil war in the Empire since the Horus Rebellion. It not only shook the foundation of the Empire's rule, but also almost pushed human civilization to the brink of destruction.

This catastrophe rendered all the efforts the Empire had made to rebuild over the millennia since the Great Rebellion futile, turning countless worlds into scorched earth and causing the deaths of trillions of lives.

It was after this incident that the imperial leadership truly realized the importance of ideological control.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, the Imperial State Religion gained complete control over the Empire's belief system and gradually established a religious hegemony covering the entire galaxy. This extreme ruling machine ultimately gave rise to the bloody tyranny of Gorgon van Diehl.

Although the Apostolic Age is far more well-known than the Twin Empires Incident, it pales in comparison to this galactic civil war that lasted for nine hundred years, a mere seventy years.

"Although Nova Terra can also be called the Second Empire, that's not what I'm talking about." Chen Xi glanced at the Grand Inquisitor. The fact that the Inquisition knew about the Twin Empires incident proved that they did know a lot of secrets, but they obviously didn't know the little secret that was truly enough to shake the entire empire.

Seeing that the Grand Inquisitor still wanted to say something, Chen Xi waved his hand and said, "Alright, I'm sure you don't know what I mean by the Second Empire. If you really did know, another great rebellion of the Empire would be imminent."

Rather than that, wouldn't you all focus on the crisis we face right now? If we don't resolve this problem, the entire Mariupol sector will be engulfed in war, or even destroyed.

Although the Grand Inquisitor who had revealed the Twin Empires incident wanted to say something more, the Grand Inquisitor stopped him from continuing.

After all, they are only the Sector Inquisition, not the headquarters of the Holy Terra Inquisition. Some major events that clearly involve the entire Empire are beyond their ability to participate in or intervene in.

(End of this chapter)