Warhammer 40K in a box

Chapter 615 Makado is right
Deep within the Karada Fortress, in a meditation hall completely isolated from the outside world, the air is cold and pure.

Its independent circulation system kept it away from any prying eyes of the main network of the fortress, and the walls embedded with thick layers of blackstone swallowed the faintest whispers of the warp, leaving only deathly silence.

Apart from Chen Xi and Felus, only Hathor and two veterans of the Iron Hands, whose loyalty had been unwavering for thousands of years of war—Clan Elder Karn and Gorgon Guard Captain Blake—were allowed to be present.

They stood in a tight arc, surrounding St. Celestine at the center.

The living saint was surrounded by a soft golden aura, which was not completely concealed. A faint glow was cast at her feet, dispelling the chill in the room.

She wasn't wearing her signature helmet; her pale face was framed by eyes burning with golden flames that stared directly at Chen Xi, as if they could pierce through all disguises and reach the deepest schemes and anxieties in his soul.

Ferrus stood silently beside him like a silver-gray mountain, his metal-cast face revealing no emotion, only his sharp eyes moving between Shengxi and Chenxi, maintaining his usual caution.

Hathor stood in the shadows a little further away, his posture respectful yet alert, his molten gold eyes silently scanning his surroundings.

"Judge Chen Xi."

Saint Celestine's voice rang out, not through the vibration of the air, but by resonating directly into the depths of everyone's consciousness.

The voice possessed both a cleansing clarity that could wash away the soul and a majestic aura that inspired instinctive reverence.

“I have traversed the sea of ​​stars, by the decree of the supreme Emperor, to bring you His wisdom.”

The atmosphere in the meditation hall suddenly became tense, and time seemed to freeze at that moment.

A direct message from the emperor—even considering the empire's long history of tens of thousands of years, this is almost legendary.

Feralus's metal fingers unconsciously tightened, Hathor held his breath, and the two veterans of the Steel Hands stood as still as rocks, as if even the power armor's servo systems had stopped humming.

Saint Celestine's gaze never wavered; she conveyed herself clearly and slowly, each word like a brand, carrying an almost tangible weight:
“Tell His agent—”

The brief pause allowed the invisible pressure to rise to its peak.

"—Macado is right."

The words had barely left his lips when they seemed to echo silently between the black stone walls.

There were no further divine pronouncements or revelations, only these seven words, concise and obscure, like an unsolvable riddle.

Silence enveloped everything.

Ferrus Manus frowned, his silver-grey eyes reflecting pure confusion.

She searched through her vast treasure trove of memories spanning millennia: the Seal Bearer, Makado, the Emperor's right arm, the founder of the Terra Cabinet... What exactly did his "right" refer to?
Which past event or decision is it referring to?
How does this relate to the crisis in the Medusa Galaxy and the return of the Primarch?

This proverb, without a beginning or end, is like a key missing its lock.

She couldn't understand why the emperor would bring up a prime minister who had passed away ten thousand years ago at this moment, and acknowledge an old story whose details no one knew.

Hathor also looked puzzled.

She inherited fragments of Horus's memories and had some knowledge of Macardo's person and status, but the proverb was too vague to fit together with everything she knew.

She subconsciously turned her gaze to Chen Xi, trying to find a clue on the face of this judge who always seemed to have a keen eye for clues.

The two ancient warriors with steel hands exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with the same bewilderment.

For them, the name Makado is a distant and sublime symbol in the annals of history.

This message sounds more like a private judgment of a past secret than a guiding light for the future.

Only Chen Xi was different.

The moment those seven words reached the depths of his consciousness, his body stiffened almost imperceptibly for a split second.

It was as if a silent bolt of lightning pierced through the heavy defenses of the meditation hall and struck his soul directly.

The blood first suddenly turned ice-cold, then burned violently.

Outwardly, he tried his best to remain calm, but only his rapidly contracting pupils and his slightly trembling fingertips behind his back betrayed the turmoil raging within him. Macardo was right.

What was a mystery to others was, to him, the emperor’s perfectly clear response and approval!
He understood instantly.

This points directly to a top-secret story about the very beginning of the Primarch's creation, which has been completely sealed away!
It was a fragment of a setting that he had casually consulted and pondered when he initially decided to "invest" in the female archetype—

It is said that during the initial design phase of the Primarch Project, the unfathomably wise Marksman Macardo advised the Emperor to create one or more female Primarchs.

He believes that this may better reconcile the potentially intense conflicts and competition between the original brothers at the genetic level, and may even bring unexpected strategic perspectives and internal stability.

Now, this message has completely confirmed this secret!

The Emperor was clearly telling him that Macardo's advice from back then was correct.

The act of “creating” the female primordial body that you have undertaken is not a blasphemous path that you have blasphemed on your own, but rather, in fact, in an unexpected way, it realizes a potential possibility that He and Macardo had pondered ten thousand years ago.

This is not simply tacit approval.

This is the Emperor declaring: Your actions, by sheer coincidence, have confirmed and carried out an ancient and unadopted original plan.

You're not being unorthodox; you're filling in a design flaw in an unexpected way.

This is the highest affirmation, a direct endorsement from the Lord of Humanity, the Silent God-Emperor on the Golden Throne.

This means that Chen Xi's plan, his bold and even blasphemous behavior, is not only valid in the eyes of the Emperor, but even conforms to some ancient blueprint—at least, it is a necessary adaptation that the Emperor can accept to deal with the current desperate situation.

However, along with this immense affirmation came another thing that Chen Xi suddenly realized: the Primarch piece he had "invested" was not merely a creation or a substitute like the other pieces, but rather—the Primarch himself, who had already passed away, had reappeared here!
Old man, you've tricked me!
The thought flashed through Chen Xi's mind like lightning, but was immediately swallowed up by a surge of immense sense of responsibility.

The Emperor was undoubtedly supporting him, and this support itself meant that the Emperor was placing the heavy burden of the future of the human empire more directly on his shoulders.

In a short moment, a thousand thoughts churned through his mind.

He felt the puzzled looks from Feralus, Hathor, and others, but he couldn't explain, at least not at this moment.

This secret, concerning another possibility in the original design of the Primarch, may be even more shocking than the female Primarch herself.

He must bear it alone, at least for the time being.

He slowly and solemnly lowered his head, not toward Saint Celestine, but toward the great will that was far away in Terra, yet seemed to cast an endless gaze upon this place.

"I will obey the imperial decree."

Chen Xi's voice was slightly hoarse, but unusually firm.

"The Emperor's will is our direction."

His reaction contrasted sharply with the bewilderment of the others.

Felus's gaze lingered on him for a moment, a deep scrutiny flashing in her sharp silver eyes, but she did not press him for an answer on the spot.

The messages conveyed by living saints are often not immediately understood; their deeper meaning requires time and opportunity to be revealed.

Saint Celestine nodded slightly, as if the most important mission had been accomplished.

The holy light surrounding her flowed gently like ripples on water, and she said no more.

Silence fell again in the meditation hall, but this silence was quite different from before.

A proverb from the emperor, yet no one could decipher it, stirred ripples in everyone's hearts like a boulder thrown into a deep pool.

Chen Xi's unusual reaction added a layer of mystery and crucial importance to this message.

A storm seemed to be brewing quietly with this short sentence.

(End of this chapter)