Warhammer 40: Starting as a Rogue Trader

Chapter 274 Chaos at the Celebration
Under the protection of the Imperial Guards, the group boarded the ceremonial vehicles that had been prepared in advance.

Guilliman smiled at the crowd with his perfect face, while Feralus waved to the people beside him. The huge vehicle beneath him ensured that everyone around could witness the vehicle slowly heading towards the cathedral of the Great Primarch.

Countless fanatical citizens of the empire gathered on both sides of the avenue.

One by one, the great nobles of Terra from the Empire stood at the forefront of the crowd.

These nobles, who usually needed to be looked up to by others, were now also watching the two Primarchs.

They were well aware of what the Primarchs' return meant, and if they could become acquainted with the two Primarchs at this moment, they might be able to secure more benefits for their families in the inevitable changes to come.

Even if it doesn't work out, they hope their families won't suffer too much damage, since not everyone has the courage to oppose the Primarch like those High Lords.

When Guilliman and Firus appeared before the crowd, a deafening roar of cheers erupted from both sides.

The priests sang hymns of praise to the God-King, proclaiming to the people the return of the Son of God.

Meanwhile, the imperial officials who followed humbly walked to the side, introducing Guilliman and Felus to the high-ranking nobles in charge of important affairs in Terra.

Guilliman also memorized the names of some people he thought would be needed next.

The figures who only existed in legends have actually appeared before people.

The public, unaware of who Gao Yi was standing next to the original body, cast curious glances at him.

As for the various noble families, they also learned about Gao Yi through their own channels.

Being able to stand alongside the Primarch and participate in this triumphant celebration proves its importance.

These people all cast curious and kind glances at Gao Yi.

Gao Yi responded to their smiles one by one.

Some of these nobles will certainly be eliminated in Guilliman's upcoming purge.

But most people will compromise and survive.

They may be greedy, but the empire does indeed need these people for the time being.

Compared to making enemies for no reason, Gao Yi would rather not have anyone secretly trip him up in the future.

Watching Guilliman and Firus receive cheers from the crowd.

Gao Yi, meanwhile, looked around at everything on his own.

As the very center of the imperial state religion, it must be said that this place is solemn and magnificent.

But Gao Yi had absolutely no interest in these things.

The more ornate it was, the more decadent Gao Yi felt it was.

This is all hard-earned money from countless planets.

Guilliman’s eyes also kept sweeping over these fanatical believers.

He even felt a touch of madness...faith is a terrible thing.

Just as the group was about to reach the cathedral, Gao Yi's psychic senses suddenly detected something unusual.

He sensed that there were quite a few people with psionic energy nearby, most of whom were imperial inquisitors and psionicists.

However, the appearance of some malevolent psionic powers at this moment is particularly conspicuous.

And it wasn't just in one place; amidst the frenzied crowd, increasingly more and stronger psionic fluctuations emanated from all parts of the densely packed population.

"Guilliman! Chaos cultists are mixed in with the crowd!"

Gao Yi immediately told Guilliman the location he had sensed.

Trajan also overheard their conversation.

The expressions of everyone who had just finished the battle in Kadia instantly turned serious.

The Imperial Guard and Ultramarines immediately began their operation, but before they could evacuate the crowd...

And arrive at the location.

A huge explosion rang out from the crowd, completely drowning out their cheers.

Cheers were replaced by screams.

The explosion was not very powerful, but the cultists carrying bombs launched a suicide attack.

However, it still caused a large number of casualties within a hundred-meter radius. Some cult members directly used themselves as bombs, their poisonous and rotten flesh flying in all directions.

Those affected were either killed or injured, and blood flowed on the white marble floor. In an instant, there were severed limbs everywhere.

The panicked crowds trying to escape even caused a stampede.

The sudden chaos caught everyone off guard. The PDFs tried their best to maintain order, while the judges from the Inquisition and their attendants even began to use their psychic powers to forcibly control the will of the panicked crowd.

Besides the explosions, some people disguised as believers even took out inferior weapons and slashed and shot at innocent believers. Some even charged directly at Guilliman and Felus.

They shouted prayers to the gods of darkness.

However, before Astartes and the Imperial Guard could even make a move, they were shot into a pile of mangled flesh by the PDFs as they approached.

The intense shooting even affected innocent bystanders; more ordinary people were killed in the crossfire than the cult members.

The cultists' attack caused few casualties and was so poorly organized that it was like a child's game.

No one really thought such an attack could pose a threat to the Primarch, but the cultists' intentions were clearly not like that.

This is a demonstration, a slap in the face to everyone, and a pure disgust for Gao Yi and Guilliman.

The evil gods are telling Gao Yi and the Primarch not to think that just because they won the war in Kadia, they have truly won.

Even at the very heart of humanity, on Holy Terra, even in such circumstances, forces from the warp can still penetrate, and this is precisely what makes Chaos even more terrifying than its power.

Guilliman, who had been trying his best to maintain his composure, now looked horribly ugly.

Trajan walked to Guilliman's side and whispered, "Just now, large-scale riots broke out in all the hives of Terra."

One by one, extremely secretive and chaotic cults took the initiative to expose themselves and launch uprisings.

Even many officials in the Imperial Ministry of the Interior began to reveal their true colors.

They deliberately issued incorrect orders, preventing the riots from being contained immediately.

Among the vast amount of imperial documents, the followers, misled by Tzeentch, had already secretly planted a large number of erroneous data.

The destruction of some planets, or the receipt of their due support, is also the work of these lurking believers. Just one extra decimal point, one number, could be a catastrophe for planets outside of Terra.

Upon receiving the news, Guilliman looked at Gao Yi.

"Lord Gao Yi... I hope you can get the government system you mentioned online as soon as possible!"

"I've already got Kairax, Pavian, and Kaul working on it! There should be some results by now!"

The few who didn't attend the celebration stayed on the warship to develop the internet.

Moreover, rumors and gossip abound.

There are even rumors that Ferrus is a fake!

This clearly shows that Slaanesh took notice of the scene where Fuggen was fighting him.

What was supposed to be a celebration to boost the morale of the empire has turned into this mess.

Guilliman is normally very rational and is an outstanding commander, but similarly, once he gets carried away, he is also a typical example of someone who doesn't care about anything else.

Otherwise, the Honor Guard wouldn't be called the stretcher team; Guilliman really likes to rush in for close combat.

"Do everything you can to save the wounded! High Lords! Is this what you call a celebration? Is this your way of intimidating me? Is this the empire you claim to govern for the Emperor? How did those cultists manage to get past the inspection?"

What's going on with the riots in the hive right now?

Is this still Terra?

You all bear undeniable responsibility! I hope you've already figured out how to explain yourself.

The high lords also looked grim. This matter truly had nothing to do with them; they had done their best in everything, but unexpectedly, a mishap still occurred...

They themselves had an urge to send all those involved to the stake. Although they coveted power, they were not so greedy as to collude with Chaos.

Terra has many cult activities, even numerous ones, but they all take place in the lower nest.

"Primarch, this matter has absolutely nothing to do with us! My loyalty to the God-Emperor and the Empire would never allow me to do such a thing!"
We will have someone investigate and will definitely give you a satisfactory answer. We will not let anyone involved with Chaos get away with it!

However, Guilliman had no intention of listening to the High Lord's explanation.

Although he was furious at the actions of the Chaos Gods... the Four Gods handed Guilliman a sword, a sword to punish the High Lord.

However, rumors are sometimes just rumors, but when they come to the attention of those with ulterior motives, they can become weapons. The High Lords have also taken notice of the rumors about Feralus...

"Terra is truly the place with the most cults in the Empire, it seems that's not just a saying... Isn't it a veritable den of demons?"

Gao Yi couldn't help but sigh.

The celebration could no longer continue at this point. After assigning tasks, Guilliman turned to look at Trajan, who was still on guard.

"Trajan, take us to the palace."

"Yes, my lord."

(End of this chapter)