Warhammer: Should I also sit on the Golden Throne?

Chapter 131 Why does it feel like the World Serpent is being bullied?

Guided by Ulte's psychic energy, Zhou Yun's soul once again broke free from his body, crossed the veil, and ascended into the realm. However, what he perceived was not that vast ocean, but lava, raging fire, scorching earth crust, and liquid metal—the core of Nocturne Star, buried deep beneath the earth.

Over countless years, the nomadic and migrating people of Nocturne whispered myths and legends. These tales sank into the soil, seeped into the rocks, and settled in the core of Nocturne, merging with the world's soul and transforming it into a realm that is both real and subspace.

The World Serpent is coiled above the heart of this world, composed of molten metal and flames, where colossal beasts made of pure energy coil together, breathing, inhaling, exhaling, and filtering the immense energy from the warp.

Look, they're dreaming!

Ulte's figure emerged from the flames, standing amidst the molten iron and nickel torrent, and spoke to Zhou Yun.

Zhou Yun, go and see! Your spirit is now linked with the Serpent of the World and the Nocturne Star!

Go see what the first dragon is dreaming of, see what this world is dreaming of!

Zhou Yun could see it, he could see the World Serpent's dream, he could see what the World Serpent was dreaming about.

"Fire, the World Serpent is dreaming of fire," he replied.

Yes, it is fire; the world is dreaming of fire.

Ulte spread his arms, his robe, woven from coarse fibers, billowing with the breath of the World Serpent, and the marks left by the branding iron appeared on his skin.

+Fire is everything in this world. During the trials, the earth's flames burn fiercely, drawing out ores and nutrients from the ground to nourish the creatures of Nocturne and nurture our flesh and blood. +

+When we die, the fire will consume us, turning us to ashes, and sinking us into the earth of Nocturne, awaiting the next burning, and then reborn in the fire in a new form. +

The world is fire, and fire is us. We are born from the earth and the fire, and we will meet again with the fire and the earth, in an endless cycle, the fire dragon eternal.

The fire was pumped into Zhou Yun's chest. He opened his eyes, and the hot wind of Nocturne Star lashed his face. The fire in Ulte's hand had gone out, but Zhou Yun's hands were left with intertwined burn marks.

Zhou Yun felt a connection between himself and the earth beneath his feet. The scorching flames connected him with the World Serpent deep within the earth, and the World Serpent shared its immense power with Zhou Yun.

This body's psychic talent has been fully developed. It has crossed the boundaries of the Tribunal in a way that is completely different from what the Tribunal has inherited. The Tribunal's methods are very similar to those of the Thousand Sons, and most likely they were also created by Prospero, the Thousand Sons, but after ten thousand years of evolution, some dangerous parts have been removed.

Now, what Ulte is teaching Zhou Yun is a completely different psionic system, which uses the World Serpent in the earth to act as an intermediary between the earth shaman and the warp.

In fact, even passing through the Soul of the World doesn't guarantee complete safety, as the Soul of the World is ultimately a subspace entity.

The body is not always benevolent; it often has its own thoughts.

However, the original and later earth shamans shaped the world soul into the form they desired by telling myths.

In this myth, the World Serpent is forever asleep and dreaming, and since it will never wake up, it is naturally not too dangerous.

The power brought by this system... Zhou Yun felt the scalding spiritual energy flowing through his body.

His psychic talent remains at level 13△, but he can borrow the power of the World Serpent to manipulate psychic energy beyond its limit.

However, his connection with the World Serpent is not strong enough, and his resonance with Nocturne is not strong enough, so the range he exceeds is not particularly large.

"Impressive. You've only just established a connection with the World Serpent, yet you already possess such power." Ulte gently patted Zhou Yun's shoulder, sensing the spiritual energy within him. "From now on, you'll call me your teacher and learn from me. In the mornings, come to me to learn the arts of the Earth Shaman, and in the afternoons, learn to be a blacksmith from Vulcan."

"...Teacher Ulte, I have a question." Feeling the power of the World Serpent and marveling at the wisdom of the original Earth Shaman, Zhou Yun couldn't help but wonder, "Since the Earth Shaman is so powerful, why did he allow the Twilight Ghosts to plunder?"

The Twilight Ghosts are a group of dark Eldar who periodically raid Nocturne. Relying on the abundant black resources on Nocturne, they started a slave trade in the thirtieth millennium, capturing people from Nocturne every so often and torturing them in Gamor.

Whenever they arrived, the people of Nocturne would hide in their shelters. Zhou Yun originally thought this was because the people of Nocturne were completely powerless against the Twilight Ghosts, but the power displayed by the Earth Shaman shattered Zhou Yun's idea.

"...They're dogs! They're dung! They're shit!"

Zhou Yun watched as Ulte's composed and dignified expression crumbled instantly, his dark gray skin flushed red, and his seemingly wise words vanished, leaving only pure anger and disgust.

"A dog that deserves to be examined for dermatitis with a sledgehammer from birth! A dog that bullies the weak and fears the strong!"

Zhou Yun understood from Ulte's cursing.

No matter how many myths are used to shape them, the power of the earth shamans ultimately comes from Nocturne itself, and is influenced and disturbed by Nocturne's own geological activities.

The geological activity of Nocturne is influenced by its satellite Prometheus, exhibiting periodic changes. When Prometheus approaches Nocturne, the connection between the Earth Shaman and the World Serpent becomes unstable, making it difficult to utilize their own psionic talents.

During the earliest incursions of the Twilight Specters, the Earth Shamans did indeed clash with them several times, and even repelled them at one point.

Until these Twilight Ghosts discovered the cycle of Nocturne's geological activity.

Now, the Twilight Ghosts always time their invasions and raids precisely when Prometheus approaches Nocturne, and at that time, the Earth Saturn...

Most of the Manchus had lost their power and were powerless to fight against the Twilight Ghosts.

No wonder Ulte is red-hot...

"Alright, let's not talk about those 'dogs' anymore!" Ult took two deep breaths to calm himself down, but when he talked about the Twilight Ghosts, his voice still unconsciously carried a strong sense of anger. "I'll teach you the Way of Fire."

According to the classification of the Thousand Sons, most of the spells of the Earth Shaman belong to the Fire Phoenix School, which is the fire control system mentioned by the Inquisition.

Although they belong to completely different systems, Zhou Yun can relatively easily make connections by drawing on the psionic knowledge of diviners, archaeologists, and the Warhound Think Tank.

By the time the dim sun of Nocturne Star climbed to the center of the sky, Zhou Yun had already learned several earth shamanic spells from Ulte.

It was at this moment that Vulcan climbed the boulder and stood beside Zhou Yun.

"How is it?" He squatted down and asked, looking at the marks left on Zhou Yun's hands by the flames.

Instead of boasting, Zhou Yun looked up at Ulte.

"He learns very quickly; he is the most talented earth shaman I have ever seen in my life," Ulte said with a smile. "Vulcan, you have found me a good successor."

"When the next trial comes, he can lead everyone to the City of Sanctuary."

This was the duty of the Earth Shaman, and Zhou Yun knew that this elder genuinely wanted to groom him as his successor.

"I am very grateful for your guidance," Zhou Yun said to Ulte.

Ulte's smile widened. "Then study hard, but don't just focus on the Way of Fire. You also need to learn the Way of Iron."

"Every great earth shaman must also be a great blacksmith."

"The first, nameless earth shaman told us that forging can temper a person's spirit and will, and the way of fire requires these qualities."

"Now, follow Vulcan, follow our best blacksmith and learn forging."

As he watched Vulcan and Zhou Yun's departing figures, the smile on Urken's lips never faded.

He was nearly two hundred years old. The World Serpent's blessing allowed the flames within him to burn eternally, but he could not refuse to step into the ring of life and death, nor did he want to. He was destined to turn to ashes in the fire, merge into the earth, and reunite with the flames.

That moment will come at most within this Nocturne year.

But the town cannot be without a high priest; otherwise, who will lead them through the trials? Who will predict the violent geological changes? Who will lead them across the Pyre Desert to the city of refuge?

He needed a successor, Vulcan... Vulcan himself was unaware of this, but he certainly had the talent to become the earth priest.

However, the flames within Vulcan were too powerful; they were an inextinguishable blaze, an eternal fire dragon. Ulken felt powerless to teach Vulcan how to tame the flames within him, and the out-of-control flames were not power, but only disaster.

Urken prayed in the fire, and through the dream of the World Serpent, he saw the future unfolding in the flames... If he chose to teach Vulcan, the flames within him would grow with the power of the World Serpent, engulfing Vulcan himself and causing him to fall to the side of the World Serpent, transforming into an inextinguishable fire dragon that would devour the World Serpent from the Earth's core, fusing with everything on Nocturne Star, becoming an inextinguishable calamity in the Milky Way.

If I hadn't taught Vulcan, and instead had chosen to lead him down the path of iron rather than the path of fire, then... Vulcan would live on forever.

In contrast, Zhou Yun's talent is also very strong, but far less dangerous than Vulcan's. He is also closer to the human side than the World Serpent side than Vulcan. He is a good successor, and a safe successor... Hmm?

Urken frowned; he sensed a subtle shift occurring in the World Serpent's dream, a dream now imbued with fear.

Urken's gaze was somewhat confused. The World Serpent was having a nightmare... What had frightened the World Serpent?

What puzzled Urken even more was that the World Serpent's fear was also strange.

He felt the vague emotions rising in the World Serpent's dream... If he had to use a metaphor, it was like dreaming of someone who had bullied him in his childhood in a nightmare, and thus feeling fear.

Urken scratched his bald head in surprise.