Warhammer 40: Doom

Chapter 141 The Emperor Tarot

The Fenriscoll sailed out of the subspace through the Gates of Hell and returned once again to the heart of humanity—the solar system.

To make contact with the War Council, to re-plan the Nineteenth Army's conquest route, and to fulfill the commitments made to them.

“Brother, I’m leaving.” Ruth stood at the palace gate and said goodbye to Doom.

"I have a lot to do. The wolves are waiting in Fenris. I need to go back and reorganize the legion."

Ruth put one hand on Doom's shoulder, his beastly eyes filled with reluctance, and said the reason for leaving.

"The current Space Wolves are just a name; they are not a real wolf pack. I need to transform the Legion and integrate Fenris culture."

Doom nodded to Russ and offered his sincere blessing: "Good luck."

"Now that I've finished dealing with things in Terra, I must leave and return to Nur Star to handle some matters."

"The Doom Legion is in Nur, they are conquering the stars, and I also need to deal with that. Legion integration is a big problem."

“Once you’ve finished your business, you can come visit Nur,” Doom said, opening his arms to invite Rus. “You’re welcome to visit my hometown.”

"Fenris welcomes you as well."

The two Primarchs embraced, exchanged a knowing smile, and Ruth turned and left with a flourish.

Doom watched Russ's figure until it disappeared around the corner from sight.

He took a deep breath; now he needed to meet the Emperor.

The mission to eradicate the psionic sand lizards is shrouded in too many mysteries, and we hope to receive a relatively normal answer.

Yes, a "relatively normal" response.

In Doom's eyes, the Emperor was a strategist who shouldered the banner of human revival and plotted a path to resist the Four Gods.

These achievements, listed separately, are unparalleled by any other emperor.

However, the emperor was also unreliable in some ways and had problems with his methods of doing things.

They always hide their true intentions in their words and actions, concealing half of what they say and revealing half of what they do.

He strode forward, found a guard to lead the way, and tried to choose the least traveled roads.

The appearance of a Primarch often sparks a frenzy of worship.

As the Great Crusade progressed, Terra's population grew, and nobles from other worlds gradually settled and made their homes on Terra.

For them, no wealth can compare to an inch of land in the world of the throne.

The Great Crusade spread the Emperor's glory across the galaxy and even into interstellar space, with the saying that the Emperor was a "god".

Apart from God, the reconquered human world and the mortals who were saved could not imagine what other being could have accomplished such a feat.

The Primarch, the emperor's own child, a demigod walking among mortals, was naturally an object of worship and gratitude for ordinary people.

Doom tore off the palace curtains to cover himself, as a disguise.

He lowered his voice and chatted with the guards along the way, learning about the interesting things that had happened in Terra recently.

With the Imperial Guards in place, even though the nobles waiting in line at the palace were curious about the tall figure, they were able to suppress their emotions and not rush up to kneel down.

Led by the Imperial Guard, Doom arrived at the Emperor's office for the first time.

This place is so big!
A massive gilded dome, ornately carved load-bearing stone columns, and Gothic windows on both sides that reach from top to bottom.

Those understated and elegant stained glass pieces, polished to perfection, are pieced together to form magnificent paintings that tell of the emperor's great achievements.

There were too many people, mostly elegantly dressed nobles, generals in full uniform and adorned with medals, and the commander of the Astartes Legion.

They lined up in long queues, their breath condensing in the dome and falling as raindrops.

Despite the enormous crowd, the hall was eerily quiet; the people lined up in an orderly fashion, not daring to overstep their bounds.

The Imperial Guards stood solemnly on both sides of the hall, the protectors of the Lord of Mankind, their silent presence exuding power and intimidating any villains.

Doom entered from the side, and his presence was quickly noticed, causing the crowd to kneel down.

Everyone here is shrewd and capable. The Imperial Guards personally led the way, and we had no trouble getting through. It wasn't hard to guess the identity of the tall man.

The Primarch—the Emperor's offspring—has returned.

They knelt down silently and bowed in various salutes—the Eagle salute, the Gear salute, the Warrior salute—all to express their respect.

Doom remained silent, without removing his disguise, and gestured for the Imperial Guards to speed up.

Upon seeing the Emperor, Doom frowned at the stark contrast before him. Those in line couldn't see the Emperor; at the end of the queue were the Imperial Guards, who delivered their master's message.

Behind the hall was a simple yet dignified little house, where Macado and the Emperor sat facing each other at a wooden table.

Macardo's appearance has never changed; he wears dark linen, holds a burning scepter, and sits in a chair opposite the Emperor.

The emperor wore a laurel wreath and a white robe with gold trim, and was fiddling with a tarot deck in his hand.

Doom peeked out from the doorway. The two people inside were acting mysteriously, like two wizards plotting an evil scheme.

The Emperor nodded to Doom and continued to manipulate the Tarot cards, arranging them in various combinations.

"Don't come in yet," the Emperor said, raising his hand to stop Doom from entering the room. "If you come in, this little thing won't work."

Doum took down the draped curtain, handed it to the guards, and instructed them to hang it up again. He then stood at the door with his arms crossed, waiting for the emperor to complete the ceremony.

Listening to the constant shuffling and dealing of cards, the two seemed to be playing a game, performing a psionic ritual.

"Please come in." After waiting for three minutes, the emperor's slightly tired voice came.

"What's wrong with you?" Doom entered the room and found the Emperor yawning, the golden light behind his head dimming.

"The empire's frontiers are expanding, and he needs to expend more psionic power to make the Star Torch shine even brighter."

Makado looked up, a kind smile appearing on his aged face beneath his hood, and gestured to the chair beside him: "Sit."

"I see." Doom nodded and sat down, gaining a clearer understanding of the Emperor's power.

One must constantly handle imperial affairs, maintain the Starlight with psionic energy, foresee major imperial events, and direct the direction of the Great Expedition.

That's a bit too powerful!
"What are you doing?" Doom lowered his eyes slightly. On the table was a card made of obsidian with gold outlines.

"Tarot cards," the Emperor said, rubbing his face to rouse himself, and proudly introduced them to Doom. "The divination tool I developed is quite accurate."

"It has wide applicability and can be used by all psionicists."

"Prophecy?" Doom frowned. Even though he knew about psionics, he didn't really believe in such vague and ethereal language.

"The Emperor knew through prophecy about the psionic sand lizards you destroyed," Makado began quietly, speaking as if he were a wise man:
"If we don't eliminate them, it won't be long before the aliens come into contact with humans and we experience a technological explosion. At that time, they will become a major threat to the Empire."

Doom gradually realized that the Emperor was eliminating future enemies.

"Is it really that simple?" He still couldn't quite believe that the Emperor, a shrewd and calculating man, would send him there for such a simple reason.

The emperor picked up a card from the table, and the two yangs emitted golden light as he spoke slowly and deliberately: "I have predicted many endings."

"Ruth's wolves will suffer heavy losses, leaving half of the alien offspring behind, and he will suffer a crushing defeat."

"Horus will destroy the aliens, but at the cost of most of the human population and the loss of the Legion."

"So you chose me?" Doom narrowed his eyes, shaking his head in denial of the Emperor's prediction: "I cannot be prophesied, so how can you be sure I will win?"

Doom knew all along that he would not be prophesied; Nur's psionicists had tested him many times, but all they saw was darkness.

“You truly cannot be prophesied.” Macardo also picked up the tarot cards, a smile playing on his aged face, his wrinkles crinkling together:
"So we predicted what kind of future mortals would face in those star systems."

"Without a doubt, the result was very good; ninety-five percent of the mortals survived."

“No.” Doom shook his head: “Since I cannot be prophesied, it is naturally impossible to make a comprehensive prophecy based on me.”

"So, I'm going with you, Parus, to investigate from the side."

"Just like solving a math problem, when I can't get the answer, I add new variables to corroborate each other."

The emperor rummaged around on the table for a moment, then drew a card with the image of a chariot on it.

“The chariot represents victory,” he said, throwing down a card in his hand, a “world”: “The world represents perfection.”

Macado played a card to pair with the Emperor, which was a "Sun": "symbolizing success."

"A perfect and magnificent victory." The emperor opened his arms and finally came to the conclusion.

“As for the reason for sending you there, there is actually another one.” Macado nodded slightly to the Emperor: “It’s for his personal reasons.”

The Emperor stared wide-eyed at Macado in disbelief. His most trusted friend had betrayed him at this crucial moment!

"It's mixed with someone's personal revenge, a kind of intense revenge that comes from wanting something but not getting it, so you want to smash it to pieces."

"He had been waiting for this day for decades, hoping that the alien world would be completely wiped out."

(End of this chapter)