Your war hammer is too fake

However, consensus alone is far from enough, and adding a common enemy is still not enough. The enemy of my enemy is not necessarily my friend, and only common interests can bring about a stable bilateral relationship. More importantly, before discussing the principled issue of who should lead the so-called "NATO", the imperialists must first solve another problem: who can represent the empire?

Within the Empire, this issue can only be raised and openly discussed in places where neither the Cult of Ulric nor the Cult of Sigmar is dominant, otherwise the two sects will eventually end up fighting.

This was only a religious conflict, the secular conflict was even greater. Since the time of William III, the last few emperors of the Empire had all come from Reikland, from the Holswig-Schlistin family. The playboys of Reikland had held the throne for more than seventy years, and the followers of the White Wolf God were already extremely dissatisfied with this.

In the meeting to decide who would become the new emperor two years ago, if Boris Todbringer had not voluntarily withdrawn from the election for "certain" reasons, the Wolf Lord would have been fully capable of starting a civil war after losing the election, but he did not and would not do so. Unless the Empire can produce another "Pious" Magnus elected by both gods, the conflict between the two major sects cannot be reconciled, and this is exactly what An Jiyue is worried about.

NATO is an organization established to prevent the end of time. It must not become a makeshift team, let alone a laughing stock. However, the empire has its own national conditions. An Jiyue once had a headache over whether to absorb the empire as a signatory to NATO.

In the end, the Jiedushi thought about it and decided that he couldn't ignore the Empire. As the most powerful human kingdom in the Old World designated by GW, the size of the Empire determined that no matter who wanted to do big things in the Old World, they couldn't bypass them.

Now that the Bretonnian civil war has entered the countdown, the only human country of real weight in the Old World is the Empire. Tyrell? Unless Poggio can truly integrate these Warhammer idiots, the Southern Kingdom will be only slightly stronger than India in the eyes of the Lords of the Holy Scriptures: even in Warhammer, where the martial virtue per capita is abundant to overflowing, there are relatively weak chickens, such as Tyrell and Estalia, and the Indy Kingdoms.

What? Are you asking if anyone was missed?

If the Southern Kingdoms were not valued by the Lord of the Codex because of their lack of martial virtue and their scatteredness, then Kislev simply didn't want to even mention it. The Maozi in the real world is already abstract enough, and the Maozi in Warhammer is even more abstract than their original creations. Moreover, the overall strength of Kislev can only serve as a buffer zone for the Empire.

In comparison, the affairs of the empire are just more difficult to handle.

"The provinces and sects of the empire must truly unite, or at least be able to form a unified voice to the outside world," An Jiyue said, "I don't want to see the people of the empire undermining and accusing each other during a NATO meeting. Listen, I don't care how you guys quarrel privately, but your conflicts must be controlled within the empire."

"I will do my best, Ma'am," Karl Franz said solemnly, "I will try to persuade those restless Midden wolves, but I cannot give any guarantees. Since I introduced Dr. Arwen Duskstar to Boris, our relationship with the Midden people has eased, but this does not mean that we have become loving brothers. By the way, didn't Dr. Arwen come this time? If she had been present, I believe Boris would have been much more restrained."

"She went to see Boris," the girl thought. [Out-of-body] is really useful. "The most troublesome thing in the whole empire is you and the Midden people. Compared with you, other troubles are not troublesome at all."

"I must say," the emperor puffed up his cheeks a little, "it's not our fault."

"For NATO, what's important is not whether there are people in the Empire who oppose you, and how many people there are, but that such opposition cannot be made public. When NATO holds a meeting in the future, there can only be one voice, whether it's the Empire or other countries." The governor didn't want to discuss these things with the emperor or anyone else, but she had no choice. "The independence of the Dwarf Fortress is much higher than that of the Empire's provinces, but the Mountain Kingdom doesn't have these annoying things."

"The Imperials have their own unique understanding of 'loyalty', ma'am," Karl said. "We don't need to envy or be jealous of the dwarves on this matter."

"Since I came to the Old World, I have been trying my best to understand the differences between different races and countries, and try to find a balance between exotic customs and local culture," An Jiyue tilted her head slightly, supporting her cheek with her left hand, "I actually don't expect to achieve any practical results from my meeting with you. I will go to the Sigma Temple next to the palace later, and I will talk directly to the patron saint of the empire, and Arwen will do something similar."

"I bet, ma'am," the emperor looked at the governor's face, "even Walkermar or Luther Huss can't communicate with Sigmar so easily."

"So, does it matter? Sigmar and Ulric have a close relationship, yet their followers are so hostile to each other. There are always some fools who are confident that they are defending their beliefs, but they don't know that their actions will not have any effect except to cause trouble. Well, such fools are especially common in the Empire."

"Don't say these things in front of Walkerma, ma'am."

"Not only will I say it to that bald guy's face, but I will also beat him up if he dares to refute me," An Jiyue looked over with squinting eyes, her pupils filled with eagerness to try. "The differences will be resolved - since mortals can't do it, let the gods do it."

The author says:

Author's words: Second update

Chapter 424: Conversation with the Wolf Lord

At the same time, in the Temple of Yurik on the other side.

"Welcome, Dr. Arwen," Boris Todbringer took the initiative to come forward and extended his hand to Arwen. "I didn't expect you to be here at this time. Perhaps you can go to Middenheim. Stefan misses you very much."

"I'll go if I have time," the elf said, shaking hands with the Elector. "How is Stefan now? Oh, I'm not asking about his health. As long as he strictly follows the training plan and schedule I made when I left, he should be as strong as a bull now."

"Except for his beard not being thick enough, Stefan is undoubtedly a qualified White Wolf Knight." The Wolf Lord smiled slightly, which was quite rare for him. "He can already use the cavalry hammer, although he always said that he prefers the sword. I had someone make him a new set of armor, and he has always wanted to wear it for you to see."

Although it was just a magical clone created by [Outer Body], the girl who transformed into Arwen Duskstar still showed a subtle expression that was no different from her original body: "Didn't you remind him that I am an elf, a Kaldorei?"

"Boys always have the right to fantasize, even though I would have been a father at his age," Boris shrugged. "When he gets married and has children, he will mature and feel ashamed of some of his youthful thoughts. If you were a human, doctor, I would have sent someone to propose a marriage to your family long ago."

"Unfortunately, for some inexplicable reasons, I will never get married in my lifetime," the girl thought of Guiyin as she said this. The Queen of the Moon had also tried to sell her son or daughter to her. "Anyway, I don't have any trouble with heirs..."

"No? How is that possible? I have seen your army with my own eyes," the Wolf Lord said in surprise. "You have never talked about your family, but I am sure that your family must be very influential in your country. Even in the Empire, there are not many lords who can muster 5,000 soldiers. This is not an easy task even for many electors."

"I am the only one left in my family in this world, and I cannot have any biological offspring," the elf girl said faintly, "When the time is right, I will give up my territory."

"...Perhaps I should advise you to pay more attention to your family, but I think you must have your reasons for making such a decision," Boris murmured, "There are always some things in this world that we cannot understand. We don't have to figure out every detail of every matter."

"Well... compared to my personal problems, aren't you curious about why I'm here, Boris?"

"I heard that when the army of Ulthuan approached Marienburg and our emperor chose to watch and do nothing, in addition to the Cathay people, there was also a group of strange wood elves assisting Egwene's army in the battle," said the Elector Count of Middenland. "I may not know enough, but it is enough for me to make the right judgment. Have you formed an alliance long ago?"

"The idea of ​​NATO was born recently, but similar alliances have existed for a long time," Arwen nodded. "We, I mean, the Crucified Wood Court itself is a member of this alliance. Our allies include various countries and races, and even some existences that are difficult for the Imperials to accept. Regardless of whether the Empire can become a signatory to NATO, the Crucified Wood Court and other members of the alliance will contribute their own strength to protecting this world."

"You need the power of the Empire, but you don't expect the Empire to join you," Boris asked. "Why?"

"I don't think this question needs an answer, because you know the answer," Arwen replied. "When I was treating Stephen, I mentioned Rhodes Island to you once, although I didn't go into detail at that time. In the recent meetings of Rhodes Island, we have been arguing over whether to absorb the Empire into our ranks. To be exact, this debate has never subsided, because more than one big shot has questioned whether the Empire can fulfill its role."

Hearing this, the Wolf Lord first sneered disdainfully, then said: "Whether the Empire can fulfill its role does not need others to judge. We have guarded our homeland for 25 centuries. In the name of Yurik, no one can shake the Empire even after another 25 centuries!"

"Yes, 2500 years of history, and one-third of that time was spent in civil war," Arwen "admired" Boris' words, "How big was the territory of the empire during its heyday? How much is left now? If all the provinces of the empire could unite, there would be no Bretonnia or the Southern Kingdom in this world."

The wolf lord's face twitched a few times, but he did not refute. This was actually not in line with Boris Todbringer's temperament. Whether on the battlefield or in meetings, Yurik's followers were always the aggressive ones.

"The problem with the Empire is that the Emperor can't actually represent the country at all. He can only represent his own province," Arwen continued. "Rhodes Island will not waste energy and resources on the internal problems of member states. NATO is a strictly external organization. It has no right to interfere in the internal affairs of member states, even if someone wants to introduce foreign interference. Suppose the Empire joins NATO, and the Emperor makes a decision on behalf of the Empire at a NATO meeting, but someone in the Empire jumps out and strongly opposes it. What if?"

"Do you think the followers of the White Wolf God are just a bunch of unruly troublemakers who only hinder others from doing their work?" The Elector showed an angry expression on his face. If it wasn't Arwen standing in front of him, the Wolf Lord would have already cursed: "Do you think only the idiots who believe in comets will consider the overall situation, and Ulric's servants will only act like shrews and make trouble unreasonably?"

"Urik is both a brave and aggressive warrior and a calm and sharp wise man," the girl thought, with his sticky hands, just like the old man Huang in the next studio. "However, the followers of the White Wolf God usually only learn the first half, so don't blame us for being prejudiced against you, that's purely your problem."

"<Midden Territory swear word>! I cannot accept such accusations, ma'am!" Boris growled in a low voice, "What do you want us to do, be like the self-righteous Rick guy, and talk big all day long?!"

"Boris, Rhodes Island has finally decided to invite the Empire. I think this fully demonstrates our attitude and position," Arwen spread his hands. "The Empire's problems must be solved, even if it's just a superficial solution. Rhodes Island believes that if you want to have in-depth communication with you, I am the best person to go to, which is why I am here at this time. By the way, where is Great Urik? As far as I know, he should be here too."

"Preaching on the streets. Recently, the bishop of the Sigma Church has been spreading rumors (Note 1) outside, slandering our faith. Emil believes that we cannot allow those who believe in comets to smear the White Wolf God."

Arwen raised an eyebrow. "Judging from the fact that the citizens of Altdorf have not yet started a war, Great Ulric must have exercised maximum restraint."

"Or maybe those sissy Rick guys don't dare to fight," Boris said immediately. "Sigma is good in everything except that he likes to talk too much about 'restraint' and 'patience'. I think it's all bullshit!"

The elf girl couldn't help but rubbed her brows: "Well, I originally wanted to do this in the presence of Great Yurik himself... At least this time we won't wait for him."

"what?"

"We need a face-to-face meeting with your god," the Kaldorei said. "Right here, right now."

……

Note 1: A classic operation of the Church of Sigmar is to publicly hint during street sermons that the teachings of Khorne and the White Wolf God seem to be somewhat similar - of course we all know that this is pure nonsense.

The author says:

Author's words: Reply to the reader "Always Glowing":

The main reason for opening another group is that I don't have the energy to manage it, and I can't find anyone I trust and who is free to help me manage it. As for fan fiction, I don't care about it, as long as it's not ooc. As for military books, the links I know have been destroyed these days, and there is no place to recommend military books.

Answer to the reader "Vologda Officers' Corps":

The Styrians will not tear Imperial society apart, but the conflict between the Cult of Ulric and the Cult of Sigmar could.

Answer to reader "zzz17746":

Sigmar escaped, and then what? The two sides had to fight. There is an important difference between Warhammer and the general magical worldview, that is, the communication between gods and believers is very difficult. The latter usually have to guess the meaning of the oracle. This leads to the saying of "heresy" even though Warhammer clearly has gods.

Chapter 425: Bad Omens from Underground

Southland, underground world, Reflection Fortress.

When the beacon fire was lit, this fortress, which originally belonged to the Faceless Ones, was later captured by the Hive Clan, and is now under the control of the Dwarves of Plateau Fort, immediately entered a state of war. With the sound of a deep and long horn, the fully armed dwarf warriors lined up in an orderly queue and trotted out of the barracks. Their shiny armor reflected dots of light under the light of the electric lamp.

The thickened door of the armory slowly opened, and boxes of shells, barrels of black powder, and mixed fuel in sealed containers were taken out and placed in carriages. Steam traction engines transported them to various supply points in the fortress, and then dwarf artillerymen wearing steam exoskeletons carried them to their battle positions. The cannons, organ guns, and flame cannons were stripped of their gun covers, and the engineering master shuttled around each cannon, checking and ensuring that all war machines were in the best condition.

In an independent area of ​​the military camp, the Rune Blacksmiths completed a brief ceremony, and dozens of dormant Rune Guards were activated. The runes shone on their armor plates, and they were ready to go into battle at any time. In the Engineer Master Camp next door, several heavy armored teams were rushing to debug equipment, refuel, and pressurize micro boilers.

They are full-time professional soldiers, equipped with steam exoskeletons similar to those of the Plateau Fort artillery, except that their exoskeletons are larger, more powerful, and have thicker armor. With the power of exoskeletons, the heavy squad can use some heavy weapons that were originally impossible for a single soldier to use, such as the Dwarflings that are widely equipped on various types of flying warships, and other weapons designed specifically for them: heavy flamethrowers, steam harpoons, triple-mounted troll hammer rockets... and other unique weapons.

Since Plateau Fort began deploying heavy armored squads on the battlefield, the casualties of the dwarves in daily small-scale conflicts have plummeted. While the engineer guilds of other fortresses are still conducting strict and almost nitpicking reviews of these new equipment, under the direct intervention of Barrel, Plateau Fort has already popularized steam exoskeletons to the entire army's artillery and formed hundreds of heavy armored squads as infantry squad-level support firepower. Conservative old stubborn? Not true. As a former ranger clan, the Emberstone Clan's acceptance of new things is not much worse than that of humans.

Less than half an hour after the horn sounded, signaling an enemy alarm, the Reflection Fortress was ready to meet any challenge: loaded artillery pieces were ready to fire, layers of infantry took their positions behind the parapets, and the heavy armored squad stayed on the second parapet behind the infantry, which was higher and had a wider firing range.

"Have the rangers returned?" asked Morgrim Elfdoom, who fought in the entire Battle of the Longbeard and succeeded to the throne as the new High King after the war. He now serves as the commander of the fortress as the Reforger.

"The gyroplanes have already set off," the adjutant replied, "They will bring the ranger back."

In the Mountain Kingdom today, [Rangers] have become a rare species. Since An Jiyue proposed to formalize the rangers, except for the special origins of the Plateau Castle and the highly independent Norse dwarves, even the most traditional fortresses have reorganized the rangers into the Shadowbeard Brotherhood and made them a member of the fortress standing army.

As the gateway for the Lords of the Holy Scripture to guard the underground world, in addition to the main body of the fortress and the winding tunnel behind the fortress leading to Plateau Fort, Reflection Fortress also has multiple outposts connected to the deeper part of the underground world, which are guarded by the elite rangers of Plateau Fortress. Their role is equivalent to the beacon towers along the Great Wall. If the Nest Clan suddenly turns against the surface races and prepares to go to war, the only task of these peripheral outposts is to light the beacon fire and then retreat.

"Do you think the enemy is the Nest Clan?" Mogrim asked again.

"Who else could it be? I knew these slimy bugs were not trustworthy!" The adjutant spat, "Ever since they stopped sending caravans, I knew they were definitely plotting something!"

Mogrim remained silent. The sudden beacon fire was not without warning. According to the agreement signed by An Jiyue and Namtaru, the surface races would not go deep into the underground world without permission, so the trading place was placed in the Reflection Fortress. The Nest Clan would regularly send caravans to trade with the dwarves with supplies for barter.

Originally, this mechanism worked awkwardly, but at least it worked. But since the end of last year, the situation has changed. The caravans of the Brood were either late or carried less supplies than the agreed upon by both parties. In addition, there were several times when the Brood caravans arrived at the Reflection Fortress and had clearly experienced battles. Many Brood individuals had fresh scars on their bodies. However, when the dwarves asked about this, the upper node in charge of the team firmly denied that they had encountered an attack.

The dwarves were not a suspicious race. Although they found it strange, they did not say anything. After all, the Lords of the Holy Scriptures did not expect to make money from this trade. It was fine as long as they did not lose money. However, the strange things did not stop with the passage of time. Instead, they became more and more frequent: in the past two months, the rangers stationed at the outer outposts had discovered strange signs of burning near their territory more than once during their daily patrols.

After receiving the relevant reports, Morgrim sent the most experienced rangers to survey several scenes and concluded that battles had taken place in all these places, and the victors took away all the bodies after the battles, and finally burned the scenes completely with flames. This strange thing puzzled the dwarves. After the Faceless Man ran away, the Hive Clan was the only overlord of the underground world. Except for a few underground monsters with fixed activity ranges, the Hive Clan had no enemies.

Some long-bearded venerables speculated that other surface races, such as the lizardmen or greenskins of the south, may have come to the underground world through a passage unknown to them, and then clashed with the hives. The question is, is it necessary to hide such things from them? Some people also speculated that there may be conflicts or even civil wars within the hives. This view has been widely recognized. After all, the dwarves have encountered guys before who were clearly fighting a civil war that was so fierce that the sky and the earth were broken, but they managed to keep their close allies in the dark.

Considering the painful lesson of the Longbeard War, which the dwarves called the War of Revenge, the dwarves agreed that it was necessary to investigate the matter so as not to be involved in a war that did not belong to them. So the dwarves began to discuss whether they should send envoys to ask Namtaru in person about the matter. Before they could come to a conclusion, the beacon fires of the outer outposts were lit, and the war came unexpectedly, but not so unexpectedly.

"Has the messenger set out?" Morgrim asked again.

"Everything has been set off according to the plan, three groups of recasters and three groups of living people," the adjutant replied, "If everything goes well, the first group of recaster messengers will arrive at the Granni Temple in Plateau Castle in an hour."

"Although Prince Ragnar is young, he is as sharp and decisive as his father," Morgrim nodded, "We will never tolerate anyone threatening the safety of the Reforged Triangle."

"Yes, sir, of course!" The adjutant raised his right hand and pounded his left chest hard.

Mogrim wanted to say something else, but he heard the faint sound of propellers coming from afar. A moment later, a ranger from Highland Castle who had been coughing was brought over.

"My lord," the ranger said, coughing up some more blood, "those damn bugs broke the agreement! We were attacked by the hives... Those hives are very strange, with pustules, horns and other growths all over their bodies, looking like..."

The ranger hesitated for a moment. "Like followers of Nurgle?" Morgrim said. After that, the Reforger turned to look at his living lieutenant and said, "Send someone to check all water sources and supplies immediately (Note 1), hurry up!"

After a pause, the Recaster, who had once been a Supreme King, added: "Send people to the villages of the cavemen and inform them to retreat immediately towards Plateau Castle. They can't withstand the evil tricks of the Dark Gods!"

……

Note 1: The garrisons of Reflection Fortress are either the System Dwarves of Plateau Fort or the Reforgers, neither of which is afraid of Chaos corruption, but the former still need to eat and drink. As for the Reforgers, they still have the ability to eat, but eating is not necessary for them.

Chapter 426: The Empire Joins

Altdorf, the Great Temple of Sigmar.

There is nothing much to say about the process of entering the temple. There was no need for anyone sent by Carl to show up. An Jiyue put on the bronze badge given by the first generation hammer-wielding big guy on her collar. Along the way, all the church members who saw the girl were stunned at first, and then welcomed her into the temple respectfully. No one blocked her way, and no one said she couldn't enter.

As the headquarters of the Church of Sigmar, the Grand Temple does not refer to a single building, but a general term for a series of functional facilities. In addition to the magnificent hall dedicated to the patron saint of the empire, the neat corridors filled with statues, and the side halls with different functions, the building complex called "Sigma Grand Temple" also includes armories, barracks, animal pens, training grounds, bunkers, and thick walls. Religious armed forces affiliated with the Church of Sigmar, such as the famous Griffin Knights, are stationed here all year round. It is also the church's largest combat priest training center. In addition, the headquarters of the Purifying Flame Order (Note 1) is also located here.

In addition to the buildings on the surface, there is also a different world under the Grand Temple. As a Warhammer religious organization with the purpose of eradicating unclean witchcraft, the Church of Sigmar has always had a tradition of confiscating any dangerous items related to magic and then sealing them in a secret warehouse under the Grand Temple. For example, the famous "Book of the Dead", one of the "Nine Books of Nagash", was once stored here. Unfortunately, it was stolen by Nagash's disciple and external brain, "Black" Arkhan in 2453 Imperial Calendar.

Although she secretly complained about the security capabilities of these bald men, An Jiyue was not here to remind them to strengthen warehouse management. After leading Jin Zhifan all the way to the core of the Great Temple, the girl raised her head and looked up at the statue of Sigmar in front of her, which was carved by the best stonemason in the empire.

This statue shows Sigmar when he first became emperor: he is half-naked with a muscular body. If the cloak and greaves are not counted, he only wears a piece of animal skin decorated with a bronze belly guard around his waist. His upper arms are covered with bronze armbands, and a crown covers his flowing golden hair.

When the leader of the Outer Gods looked at the Warrior God, the Warrior God was also looking at the outsider. In the girl's field of vision, the slightly bluish stone statue had the texture of flesh and blood, and the head of the statue, which was looking up at the sky, turned around, and the blue of the wind of heaven appeared faintly in its eyes.

"Welcome to my temple, God of Killer Whales," the founding monarch of the empire said in a strangely pronounced Rikspell language. "I already know why you are here. NATO is a great initiative, but I still have some doubts about it."

"Wait a minute," An Jiyue said, "I have to explain it anyway, and I'm too lazy to explain it twice."

As soon as he finished speaking, nearly half of the spacious hall was transformed into a temple of a different style. Sigma looked to the other side and found that Yurik was also looking this way.

Arwen walked over, followed by a bewildered Boris Todbringer. The Wolf Lord completely ignored the two gods and stared straight at An Jiyue: "Young Moon Witch?"

"Haven't you promoted him to be your chosen one?" Sigmar asked.

"Could you have talked to me directly back then?" Yurik asked back.

"You two are just talking nonsense!" An Jiyue complained speechlessly. As she expected, Boris could not see the two gods. Since someone pushed him into the holy fire of the White Wolf God (see Chapter 272), Boris has become the chosen one of Ulric in name and in reality. This has given the Wolf Lord, who is already deeply loved by the Midden people, a huge influence among the Ulric believers throughout the empire. This influence even surpassed that of the Great Ulric to some extent.

However, if the spiritual vision is not high enough, nothing can be done. An Jiyue pretended to wink at her clone, and Arwen immediately put his left hand on Boris's shoulder. The next second, the Elector suddenly opened his eyes wide.

"Urik!" The Wolf Lord hurriedly bowed down to his god: "Who can tell me what is going on?"

"You will get your answer, Elector," An Jiyue said, "Oh, it's finally here."

The main door of the spacious hall was slowly pushed open, and Karl Franz and Volkmar walked in together. They first looked at Boris in surprise, and then simultaneously cast their eyes behind the Wolf Lord.

"The main hall of the Great Temple of Yurik?" Although he had never been to that place, Walkerma recognized it at a glance: "How could it be...what kind of witchcraft is this?!"

"I used magic to temporarily connect the two spaces together. Don't worry, I will restore everything after this meeting is over," the governor said before the high priest could protest. "Arwen, I leave it to you."

Under the vigilant and extremely repulsive gaze of the high priest, the Kaldorei girl came to his side and put her hand on his shoulder. When she realized what she had seen, the big bald head suddenly bowed down to Sigma: "Sigma, please wake me up!"

Without giving Karl Franz a chance to ask, Arwen then placed her hand on the emperor's shoulder and shared An Jiuyue's vision through the psychic link.

"Alright," An Jiyue clapped her hands, drawing everyone's/god's attention, "the necessary preparations are complete, and the meeting can begin. In view of the practical difficulties the Empire faces in joining NATO, we..."

"Wait," Boris interrupted, "Where's Emile? Do we really not need to wait for him?"