Warhammer: I don't want to become a stinky can!

Page 434

"Yes and no,"

The Imperial Regent said, “Hold Horus back…hold back the Four Gods, hold back the [Dead].

Mortalian fell silent, his amber eyes gleaming beneath his hood. Finally, he whispered something.

[This is quite difficult.]

But then, Mortarian casually looked away.

But I like it.

Makado coughed and laughed.

"It will only take a little while—until I remove that arrow."

"Yes," Mortarian said, "I understand."

[I'll go to the Vengeful Spirits and hold them all off, then you go to Kadia to rescue the dead.]

Mortarian paused for a moment, then said in a relaxed tone,

[I'll risk my life to make them all suffer.]

Makado smiled at Mortalian, "It's not as simple as you think—I now understand why the Death Guard leadership is so politically astute."

Makado continued,

“Did you see Horus’s fleet? He has gathered more than just an army from the dark side of the Empire: a fleet, knights, Titans… The Khan was able to board his ship earlier because Horus allowed him to do so.”

"The Death Guard's fleet is no pushover either," Mortarian said. "And there's the White Scar fleet. If it's just a direct assault, we can reach them after paying a heavy price."

“No,” Macado waved his hand again, “we will board the ship smoothly.”

Motalian narrowed his eyes. There were two things he didn't understand in Makado's words: one was "successfully boarding the ship," and the other was "we."

Makado continued patiently,

“As I said before, the Emperor and them have reached a temporary balance. The three gods who are eager to bring back the [Dead] will be able to let us board the ship smoothly. The Vengeful Spirit will then become a shining psionic landmark.”

“But after that…” Makado’s voice trailed off, “you and Khan must hold out until Guilliman and reinforcements arrive.”

"By holding off Horus, you are also preventing him from attacking Kadia as much as possible."

"Wait," Mortarion said, "why 'we'? Are you heading to the Spirits of Vengeance?"

Makado breathed a sigh of relief.

“Yes,” the old man said, “...to catch up.”

I don't understand.

“I need other, more power; Slaanesh’s alone is not enough.”

Mortarian understood. "I will share a portion of my power with you. Can this replace... the power of that being?"

Makado smiled.

"Can,"

Then, Mortarian pondered,

Do you want to catch up with Fugen or Alfa?

"alpha."

Makado said somewhat dejectedly, but the old man laughed again, which inexplicably irritated Mortalian. Makado was behaving like someone who was about to die and had come to terms with it.

“I once complained to the [Dead],” the old man said with a smile, “that if the Emperor had just talked to the Primarchs properly, many things wouldn’t have happened.”

“As a result,” Macado paused, “[the deceased] said I was not qualified to speak of the Emperor,”

In the original timeline, Macardo personally mentored Alpha and then trained the galaxy's number one riddler.

In this timeline, the reputation of Alpha and Mortarion, personally led by Macardo, has further declined.

Mortarian thought for a moment, then said, "Indeed."

Makado coughed and stopped laughing, muttering to himself as if to say something like, "What a sin!"

“Alpha…” The old man’s eyes were cloudy. “I don’t know if he is… really… or if that foolish child has believed it again…”

【What? 】

"nothing."

[So, the order is: we board the ship, you go to Alpha, gain power, and then go to Cardia to rescue the dead. I'll stay on the Vengeful Spirit and hold them off until you rescue the dead and reinforcements arrive?]

Makado affirmed Mortarian's summary, adding that...

"At that time, you won't be the only one... Luojia will also help you."

Luo Jia and Fu Gen will also be joining the game at that time.

But at the same time……

“You need to consider things further ahead, Mortarian.”

“If I succeed on the Cardia, then the dead on the Vengeance will depart—you will be under even more pressure. At the same time, you will also need to coordinate the evacuation of the dead, who may not be conscious at that time.”

Mortarian's heavy breathing filled the air.

I can defeat Horus.

“That was before,” Macado said dismissively. “Do you know what the dark side of the Empire is like now?”

Mortarian remained silent.

“Slaanesh has completely disrupted their plans. Now, on the dark side of the Empire, a massive extinction sacrifice is taking place on a planet controlled by a false god—once the ritual is completed, no life will exist on the entire planet.”

"They have completely disregarded future development; they acquire power from souls based on the number of believers they have."

"This means that they will also pour more into Horus—and the lack of Slaanesh power will make Horus more unstable."

A temporary balance has been achieved.

Mortarian repeated Makado's words in a strange tone.

“It’s just a temporary truce,” Macado said. “You can’t be so blunt anymore, Mortarian.”

Me? Frank?

"Not speaking, remaining silent, does not mean being tactful."

Makado pointed it out crisply, and Mortarian chuckled twice in a sarcastic tone.

Even now, I am still acting entirely according to the Imperial Regent's instructions.

"is it?"

Makado said in a mocking tone,

"Well—there is indeed one more thing. Before we head to the Soul of Vengeance, we need to visit someone who can save the [deceased]."

I will sincerely thank him for his help.

Motalian said he didn't catch the underlying meaning in Makado's words at all.

Seeing Mortarian's reaction, Makado laughed again.

But he quickly suppressed the urge to smile.

“Motalian,”

Makado said seriously,

"I will die while removing the seals from the dead, and the war will never end after the dead are rescued."

Motarian was taken aback, but Makado ignored him and continued,

"You, Khan, and Luojia, will need to receive the deceased and act when the opportunity arises—while retreating as much as possible."

"If you really want your friend to be safe and sound, you must learn to be patient—I know you're good at that, but I hope you truly understand what that word means."

"A few months, a few years, a few hundred years, a few thousand years... the price you may have to pay is more than this,"

Makado took a deep breath.

“You need to be… less straight, you understand, Mortalian? You can’t stand out like this, so conspicuously out of place.”

"You can no longer act based on your likes and dislikes."

Motalian, standing before him, stared lifelessly at Makado, his eyes unblinking.

Finally, Mortarian turned his unblinking eyes.

The being you mentioned that can save the deceased...

Who is it?

"Tarasin".

Alien or Chaos?

"Alien."

That's it! 5.5k words today, great!

Chapter 511 A Person Who Can Bend and Stretch

The sound of hurried footsteps rang out.

The Khan strode forward, followed by his envoys, including White Scar Fleet dispatchers, captains, and Space Marines.

And... a mechanical sage.

Tarasin.

Makado even used his psychic powers to send a message, specifically naming the person he was to meet.

After the last close encounter with Horus, the Khan led the remaining fleet to hide in the star system near Kadia, ready to flee or fight at any time.

Surprisingly, the Warlord's fleet did not make any major moves after that. The ships quietly drifted along the equatorial track of Cardia and did nothing else.

Of course, new ships continued to arrive from afar, constantly joining the warlord's fleet.

What is Horus waiting for?

According to reports from the Storm Prophets, chaos has suddenly broken out in the warp, which may be related to some kind of large-scale sacrifice or struggle. Could this be related to Horus's unusual behavior?

The Khan pondered that they could not leave Qadiya, the disparity in strength between the two sides was too great, and they could not launch a rash attack. Therefore, the Khan ordered the entire army to remain still and not to make any rash moves.

Fortunately, the first batch of reinforcements has arrived, and their speed has exceeded the Khan's expectations. The turbulence in the warp has no effect on their speed.

Without any hesitation, the Khan carefully avoided Horus's detection, the Eye of Terror, and immediately led his legion to join the reinforcements.

The servant opened the door for the Khan, and inside the conference room, two reinforcements who had come from afar were already waiting.

Khan glanced at it, his expression remaining calm.

On the long wooden table, Macardo naturally took his seat in the main position, no longer wearing a hood, and the staff in his hand at this moment seemed more like a symbol of royal power.

Mortarian sat to Macado's left with his head down, seemingly muttering something behind his gas mask, with wisps of mist swirling around him.

Upon seeing the Khan arrive, neither of them made any move to rise. Makado raised his eyes, gesturing for the Khan to sit down, while Mortarian continued to keep his head down as if he hadn't seen anything. However, after the Khan and his party had taken their seats, the Pale Lord's sharp eyes glanced through the edge of his hood at the people behind the Khan.

...Is he looking at Tarasin?

The Khan remained silent.

Makado coughed and began the meeting, explaining to the Khan the objectives for the upcoming operation.

Seven minutes later, Mortarian stood up, interrupting Makado's conversation with the Khan.

I already know.

Mortarian stated decisively, "I'm going out to check the warp fluctuations. You all continue."

Macardo glanced at Mortarian casually, waved his hand, and gestured for Mortarian to leave.

Mortarian got up and walked away, but when he reached the seats of the mortals, the Pale Lord stopped again.

【you,】

Khan watched as the sage, covered in machinery, shuddered as if he had been electrocuted.

Mortarian slowly bent down, his withered, tree-like body standing behind Tarasin's seat, his huge, pale, withered hands resting on the back of Tarasin's chair.