The Bizarre Adventures of Cloud Hammer

After the reunion, everyone talked about their own situations. After hearing that Eryu was pulled into the illusion, Awei asked worriedly:

"Eryu, are you really okay? Do you want to go back and get another checkup?"

"We must check it a few more times when we get back. We must be on guard against chaos." Even if Eryu didn't want to check, Luochen would force Eryu to check.

"Tell me what kind of hallucination it is? Is it similar to eating mushrooms?" Brother Ou asked curiously.

"If it's similar to eating mushrooms, then I might be charged for a longer time."

Eryu told what happened in the hallucination. When recalling it, Eryu felt something strange. She didn't feel so uncomfortable when she saw it with her own eyes.

"Alas, Empire."

After hearing about the fate of those slave laborers, Apu and Ou Ge could only sigh for the rest of their lives, because the human empire was like this, otherwise people would not have directly called it shit.

"But Eryu, you really aren't moved at all?"

Apu knew Eryu's character. Whether on the pirate ship or in the gathering place in the suburbs, Eryu could empathize with these hard-working people. But when he saw the people he rescued being abandoned like garbage, it was impossible for Eryu to have only this emotion.

"I find it strange too. Now when I think about it, I feel very uncomfortable. I wish I could give all those Imperial Navy to Tutu."

"This is because the insurance mechanism I set up worked." Gloria came out and said at this time.

On the pirate ship, Gloria said that she could block everyone's emotions so that they would not be affected by emotions when doing things. In addition to her active operations, she also set up multiple protection mechanisms in everyone's body. Once they encountered a situation like this where chaos invaded the mind, the protection mechanism would limit some of the emotional fluctuations in their heart, such as guilt and sadness.

Some extreme emotions can make people burst out with greater power, but they may also be used by people with ulterior motives. Eryu's sadness was suppressed, but the anger was still there. She would wait until she had defeated the enemy before commemorating the deceased.

"Look at it in a positive way, this is also a lesson for us." Apu said that they indirectly caused the incident.

Although everyone had their own reasons at the time, if they had not been in a hurry to leave, the Imperial Navy would not have killed the slaves after their arrival, the slaves' despair would not have attracted the Nurgle demons, the frigate formation would not have been corrupted, and they would not have come to Aitis and killed countless people.

If you think about it more carefully, the handling of the pirate ship was indeed everyone's fault. At that time, they had just arrived in this universe and were still in a panic about coming to the 40k universe. They had not thought about many things seriously. Looking back now, they could actually have done better.

"Only through personal experience can one understand how cruel this universe is. No matter what we do in the future, we must see it through to the end."

After reflection, everyone decided to return to the Blue Silver Sword first, and then deal with the things they couldn't let go of.

All the fragments of the battleship were burned, and Allen felt refreshed, but at the same time he was thinking about something.

"What are you thinking about?" Luo Chen saw that Alan had been standing still for a long time.

"I'm thinking about something, Master Dust." Allen came back to his senses. "This operation has benefited me a lot and made me understand the harm of demons. So I'm wondering whether I should follow my original plan and join the Order of the Heretic, or re-study and join the Order of the Holy Hammer."

"That's not necessary. Direct demonic invasions like this are extremely rare. Under normal circumstances, demons cannot directly enter the real universe without the help of heretics."

Before the Great Rift opened, there were only a few ways for demons to come to the real universe, and sacrifices by heretical cults accounted for the vast majority of them. Moreover, the strength of demons would also be affected by the scale of sacrifices. It can be said that during this period, as long as heretical activities could be curbed, there would not be many demonic incidents.

"The trial of heretics is also a form of defense against demons, but no matter which order it is, they are all sacrificing for humanity."

"I understand, Lord Dust."

The Astartes had set up incendiary bombs before leaving. Once everyone boarded the Thunderhawk gunship, the bombs would be detonated, and the flames would purify the most polluted area.

Seeing everyone preparing to pack up and leave, Allen stepped forward and asked:

"Master Daxter, what is the condition of the injured Astartes Brothers?"

He remembered that many Astartes were knocked away by demons. He thought they were sacrificed when he saw them lying motionless on the ground, but now they have returned to the team.

"They were just injured and fainted temporarily. Astartes' bodies are not that fragile."

In fact, that's not the case. The attack from the Nurgle demon just now directly shut down the fighter. If it were an ordinary Astartes, he would be seriously injured if not killed. If it were a Primaris, he could rely on Belisarius's Forge to make another wave, and the Primordials could rely on feigning death to survive, but if it was an Imperial Fist, there would be no hope.

But Luochen couldn't just say that the person was dead, otherwise he would have to ask the pharmacist to collect the gene seeds.

Gene seeds are the genetic material needed to create Astartes. The organs of new recruits undergoing transformation surgeries all require gene seeds for cultivation. In this era when the Primarch has not yet returned, it can be said that gene seeds are the lifeblood of an Astartes Chapter.

Two gene seeds will be cultivated in the body of each Astartes from the time they become a recruit until their death, one located under the throat in the neck and the other under the bone plate in the chest. The gene seed in the neck will be removed immediately after maturity, while the one in the chest will only be removed after the Astartes' death due to risk reasons. However, many times Astartes will die on dangerous battlefields, and recovering gene seeds is also a very dangerous thing.

If a battle cannot be concluded quickly, to prevent the destruction of corpses or the contamination of gene-seed, Astartes Apothecaries will take great risks to recover gene-seed on the battlefield. They must do so for the future of the Chapter, even if it costs their own lives. (For example, the Smurf Apothecary in the first episode of Tithe)

Oh, and gene seeds are one of the taxes of the empire. One of the reasons why a certain Badab tyrant was brought down was because he did not pay taxes or even violently resisted taxes.

Alan asked Apu again whether they had encountered the squad that stayed behind to cover their retreat when they came here. Apu replied that they had, and one of their combat brothers had died. The body had been sent back to the battleship, and the rest was the regiment's private matter.

After leaving the Lower Nest on the Thunderhawk gunboat, Apu said to Allen on the way:

"We'll take you back to the top of the tower. Tell your mentor for us that we hope to meet with the Planetary Governor again."

"To meet with the Planetary Governor, adults can go on their own. There is no need to accompany the teacher."

Alan was puzzled. With the authority of an Astartes, he only needed to say a word to see the planetary governor, so why did he need to notify his mentor?

Apu did not explain too much, but replied calmly:

"Just go and inform them. Inquisitor Credien will understand."

----

"Sir? Lord Diaz?"

"what happened?"

Diaz was awakened by his assistant. For some reason, he still felt tired, as if he had just run a marathon.

"Inquisitor Credien wants to discuss matters concerning the Hive City with you. I hope you can come to the hall to discuss it."

"I see. I'll be there in a moment."

Diaz asked his assistant to leave first and looked out the window. It had darkened outside without him noticing.

How long did I sleep? Diaz recalled that he had forgotten how long he had slept, and he didn't even remember when he started to rest.

"what is this?"

Diaz noticed a scar on his wrist, but how could there be such a mark on the body of the planetary governor?

He lifted his sleeves and found that not only his wrists, but his entire arms were covered with dense scars, and the scars were spreading to his upper body.

After taking off his shirt, Diaz found that the wounds were all over his body, as if he had been tortured. But who in Attis could hurt him without knowing it?

A cold feeling rose in Diaz's heart. He seemed to have missed something, but he could no longer remember it.

Diaz put his shirt back on and left the study only after completely covering the wounds on his body. Subconsciously, he didn't want Credien to see these wounds.

"Sorry for the wait, Inquisitor Credien, and...your Excellencies?"

When Diaz arrived, there was more than just Diaz in the reception room. Eryu and Xianyu were standing on both sides of Credien, and Allen and six combat nuns were also standing behind fully armed.

"We didn't have to wait long, Lord Diaz." Credien said as he placed a book decorated with blue feathers and looked quite worn on the table between the two parties.

"What is this?" Diaz asked.

"This is a demonic artifact I obtained during a mission to exterminate heretics."

"A demonic creation!? Why did Inquisitor Credien bring it in front of me!" Diaz's voice became excited. Demons are taboos that mortals cannot touch, but Credien actually placed a demonic creation directly in front of him.

"Since it's out, it's for use. Lord Diaz, please rest assured that the seal against the demon inside is quite complete."

An experienced Inquisitor inevitably has some things that are openly prohibited, such as heretics, aliens, and demonic creations. Inquisitors will use these things to assist in their work, and Credien is no exception.

Most Inquisitors, including Credien, knew that sooner or later they would be harmed by these things, but before that day they needed to make more contributions to the Emperor and humanity.

"I originally intended to use this item in my investigation of heresy at the top of the tower."

"But weren't those heretics eradicated?"

"That's true, but... Lord Diaz, can you put your hand on the real book?" Credien said, pushing the book towards Diaz.

Diaz understood what Credien meant. "Are you doubting me? Judge Credien."

"I'm just doing my job. I don't want to do this either. Please."

Credien made a gesture of invitation. If Diaz refused, Credien could also "help" Diaz accept it. Even if the person in front of him was a respected planetary governor, the Inquisitor was such an unreasonable existence.

Diaz's body was trembling slightly. He had nothing to do with heretics, but why was he afraid?

"Please." Credien said again.

"I got it."

If he refused a powerful judge, his situation would only become more embarrassing.

Diaz gritted his teeth and placed his hand on the cover of the book. He wanted to prove his purity to Credien.

The moment he put his hand on it, Diaz felt as if his hand was being burned by flames, and he quickly raised his hand.

A sharp bird cry sounded at this moment, and the book opened automatically. Several pages flew out of the book, igniting pink and purple flames in the air. After being burned to ashes, the pages fell on Diaz's body.

Credien's eyes turned cold as he watched this scene. "The demon sealed in this book is an interesting creature. For a demon, he actually has a serious case of 'mysophobia'. Once touched by other heretical forces, he will go crazy like this."

Credien closed the book and stood up:

"Lord Diaz, you have failed the Emperor."

"Impossible! How could I... You should know me, Inquisitor Credien. I can't be a heretic. My ideal is..." Diaz tried desperately to defend himself, but it was just a waste of words for the Inquisitor, and he didn't notice one thing.

"Maybe you are not a resourceful person, but your ideal is no longer achievable. Take a look at your body."

"my body……"

Diaz lowered his head. His shirt was burning with a faint blue flame, but he could not feel the temperature of the flame.

His shirt was burned, and the dense scars on Diaz's body were exposed to everyone's eyes. These scars were still flashing pink and purple light, and when connected together, they looked like strange tattoos.

"Let me explain, Judge Credien. These scars are..."

"That's enough of the acting, Flaroni."

When Diaz heard the name called by Credien, he immediately lowered his head and became motionless.

When he looked up again, Diaz's expression and demeanor had become that of another person, the chief heretic at the top of the tower - Flaroni.

Xianyu, Eryu, and the battle nuns all pointed their grenade launchers at Flaroni.

Flaroni raised his hands and asked:

"When did you find out?"

He was puzzled as to why his plan, which was so perfect, was discovered by Credien.

"It was not I who discovered you, but Astartes."

Before heading to the lower nest, Apu and the other two told Credion about this matter. Regardless of whether Credion believed it or not, they would handle it themselves before leaving.

Credien did not believe it at first. He had met Diaz many times during this period, and he did not find any trace of heresy in Diaz. However, Astarte's suspicion was not groundless, so he took the demon book to the destroyed altar to perform a divination.

The devil in the book told Credion nine sentences, and Credion extracted two relatively important ones.

For one, the ritual at this altar did not fail.

Second, the person who initiated the ceremony was not dead.

Regardless of whether the devil's words are true or false, Credien became suspicious, so he needed to test Diaz.

And now, the result is clear.

"Damn Astartes, damn the false emperor's lackey!"

Flaroni cursed, but Credien wouldn't listen to his nonsense.

Raise your hand and wave it down.

The sound of bolter fire echoed throughout the palace.

After a few seconds, the gunfire stopped.

Chapter 28 ended successfully...is it?

Purple Heart, the Flaroni family spent a lot of time and energy to build this manor. The site selection, layout, internal structure, materials and completion time are all serving the ceremony of the Dark Prince. When the time is right, this will be the most perfect altar.

However, due to the sudden invasion of Nurgle, the entire manor was destroyed by warship fragments, and the warp energy in the altar was exposed. Flaroni was forced to launch a rebellion and start the ceremony with a spare altar.

As long as the group of cannon fodder outside can delay for enough time, Flaroni will rely on his past accumulation to complete this ceremony. Although the specifications are far inferior to what he had imagined, at least he can complete his transformation.

result--

Hoohoo~ Astartes is coming!

Flaroni could never have imagined that the Astartes who came to behead him was so powerful that he killed all the demons he summoned as easily as cutting melons and vegetables. Fortunately, he still had a backup plan.

But it has to be said that this back-up plan of Flaroni involved a gamble. He was betting that Diaz's will was not so strong, that the medium given to Diaz was not destroyed, and that his soul could occupy Diaz's body after the transfer.

He won the bet.

Even though Diaz has ambitions and skills far beyond those of ordinary people, he is ultimately just a mortal, a mortal who is in the Storm Star Field and is not prepared for extraordinary means.