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Page 231
Mortarian let out a mocking laugh.
“I will! If lying can make me cut off wizards’ heads, then I will be better at manipulating language than any wizard!”
Hades clapped his hands, looked at the transfer list, and said, "Alright."
“Killiman instructed us not to alarm the people there too much, and there was no need for the entire Zero Company to be exposed during a reconnaissance mission. This operation, taking a portion of the Seventh Company, a portion of the Soulless, and myself, is enough.”
"I'll go as well."
Hades glanced helplessly at Mortarian.
"Then we'll have to trouble Garo and Vox to temporarily take charge of the legion again."
"That's one of their duties."
Two updates, second update at 7:08
Chapter 276 Mortalian thinks Guilliman is very fierce
Well, things still went beyond Hades's expectations.
But to some extent, Hades seemed to have anticipated this situation.
They rode the Stormbirds, soaring through the clouds and landing at the city's temporary airfield, where a small squad of Ultramarines awaited them, ready to guide them and prevent conflict with civilians.
Above the clouds, the Death Guard's Stormbirds circled in a tense posture, awaiting orders at any moment.
At least Guilliman permitted the necessary air force.
Above the atmosphere, in a place that Guilliman doesn't need to know, the Death Guard's drop pods are already ready.
Hades glanced silently at the blue-armored warriors and decisively chose to use Dark Domain stealth. Although this move wasn't very effective against those without psychic potential, he could still remain silent next to the massive attention-grabbing [Motalian].
“Very good,” Mortarion said, looking at the blue Ultramarines, “lead the way.”
The Death Guards marched in silence, saying nothing.
As per Mortarion's request, the Ultramarines will first take them to the Royal Palace, where the destroyed altars and the Queen await them.
They walked through an industrial area filled with low-rise buildings. People greeted the Ultramarines with delight and bowed in worship, but their eyes darted away when they saw the Death Guards, and they hid in fear in the old buildings.
The Death Guard remained silent, while the Ultramarines tried to comfort the frightened people.
Mortarian squinted at the narrow windows, where the uneasy shadows of people flickered on the walls.
They crossed the plaza, where Ultramarines were stationed. There were many people there, and children were running around. The humble and honorable Ultramarines were naturally welcomed by the natives. Mortalian could even see Imperial historians taking pictures of an Ultramarines and a native girl.
Mortarian frowned, but he remained silent, showing restraint.
Everything here made him feel somewhat disoriented, uneasy, and anxious, but the Lord of Death did not see the familiar things or smell the stench of witchcraft.
Finally, they arrived at the tallest building in the stadium, the Royal Palace.
The Queen was waiting for them in the square in front of the main gate of the palace.
He was an old man with snow-white hair and a face full of wrinkles. He wore a long, black robe embroidered with gold thread, the edges of which were clearly worn, indicating that he had been wearing it for a long time.
Her eyes were a deep blue, revealing an extraordinary sense of peace and tranquility. Upon seeing Mortarian, she didn't show fear or surprise like most people would. She simply gazed deeply at Mortarian before burying her face in her chest.
"Good day, sirs."
The Queen spoke with respect and calmness.
"Good day, Ms. Circe."
The leader, Gage, acted as a bridge between the two sides, speaking politely and warmly with Ms. Circe.
Mortarian listened attentively to their every word, but the witch did not pretend not to hear. She expressed respect cautiously and with restraint, and showed a slight concern for her people.
The Ultramarines patiently persuaded the hunched queen that the Empire would not commit atrocities without cause, and that as long as Arbus surrendered and believed in the Empire's truth, they would not be punished.
Mortarian didn't want to hear nonsense, but he was also waiting, so the Lord of Death unusually maintained his restrained patience, listening to the necessary nonsense while surveying the palace.
The palace was built of dark limestone, with exquisite materials and carvings, but the figures and animals carved on it have been transformed into hideous objects by the corrosive effects of acid rain.
Every so often, a towering spire would emerge from the palace, its pointed silhouette reminding Mortarian of the treetops where the pustule vulture would perch.
As they continued their conversation, Mortarian narrowed his eyes, observing the nine smaller towers surrounding a larger one. The numbers whispered in Mortarian's ear as the nine towers encircled the main building. Mortarian gradually realized something was amiss, and the Lord of Death fell into deep thought.
But no, that's not right. This structure is asymmetrical; it destroys the symmetrical beauty of numbers, Mortalian thought. It should be symmetrical; that's what makes sense.
"grown ups?"
Gage's voice rang out abruptly, interrupting Mortalian's thoughts. Mortalian frowned slightly in displeasure, but ultimately said nothing and gestured for Gage to lead them inside.
But just as the Ultramarines turned around, the Queen looked past one of them and gave Mortarian a deep look.
The Lord of Death responded to her with his gloomy, murderous gaze.
Damn wizard, there's definitely something fishy going on.
Mortalian gritted his teeth as he thought about it, but the problem was that he had no way of explaining it. Even Hades had advised him to stop being so obsessed with numerology, and he didn't believe that Guilliman could understand his numerology.
Mortarian gripped his scythe tighter once more. A hissing sound came through the private channel. He darkened his eyes, hoping Hades would discover something.
Led by the Queen, they entered the central altar of the circular palace, which is the main building surrounded by the nine-story tower.
Mortarian forbade the Queen from entering the room and had several death shrouds guard her. Everyone knew that a psychic could not be allowed to be near an altar, even if it was an abandoned one.
This is a remarkably symmetrical hall. The artisans applied geometry to create a dazzling visual effect, where everything seems dynamic and constantly changing.
The room was filled with silver runes, and Mortarian keenly recognized that these were the symbols from the Queen's robes.
This is a rather, rather, rather ominous place.
Even though the place has been destroyed, the blue paint is blatantly splattered on the runes, obscuring the patterns and designs. The necessary sacrificial offerings have also been smashed, leaving only a pile of debris.
This space can no longer be used.
But Mortalian could still smell the stench of psionic energy in the air, which lingered faintly around his nose, penetrating his gas mask.
Influenced by the Father of Genetics, the guards behind Mortarion secretly gripped the switches of the flame launchers.
"Lord Mortalian, it was here that our Primarch Father proclaimed the truth of the Empire and accepted Abster's peace terms."
"After the imperial truth was read aloud, Queen Abustu ordered the destruction of this place," Gage said proudly.
Mortarian glanced at Gage. To the Lord of Death's relief, the altar showed no signs of recent use, and the stench wasn't strong enough, which at least meant that the blind men hadn't been ambushed by the enemy.
Robert Guilliman, standing beside an altar, read Imperial truths to a psionicist.
Haha.
"Yes, it's really good."
Mortarion muttered something under his breath, then the Lord of Death cautiously withdrew from the hall.
Then he saw Hades talking to the Queen.
Great!
Good news! Paint removal saved my life.
Bad news, I spilled the paint wash.
Holy crap!!! That's all money!!!
Chapter 277 Who is the villain?
From the hall, Gage could see the Queen talking to a Death Guard behind an arched corridor.
From the perspective of Captain Gage, the Ultramarines 1st Company Commander, this would simply be a scene of a Death Guard trying to have a friendly conversation with the Queen.
Although the Queen looked a little off, she looked terrified, very terrified, so terrified that Gage thought she was about to scream at any moment.
Gage was puzzled, because even when the Ultramarines' fleet was pressing down on Abustu, the Queen maintained that rare composure and rationality.
Even when facing their father, Lord Guilliman, the lady was only slightly surprised.
But now—why is she so afraid?
Gage looked up and scrutinized Hades again, needing to make sure the Death Guard wasn't trying to disrupt the hard-won peace between the two sides.
Hades was smiling, a very kind smile, and speaking to the Queen in a rather approachable tone.
Gage was deeply puzzled, but seeing that the two were still talking, he didn't want to disturb them, so he waited with Lord Mortarion of the Death Guard. Lord Mortarion didn't seem interested in Hades and the Queen's conversation, and the Primarch was just looking around the hall with boredom.
Some of the snippets of Hades' and Queen's conversation drifted into Gage's ears.
Queen Circe took a deep breath and gripped her scepter, struggling to keep herself from collapsing.
Even though her body was trembling uncontrollably, and the sweat on her hands was sticky as she wiped it on the scepter.
It was embarrassing, but she knew she had shown superhuman courage.
Even after facing the unspeakable monster, she steadfastly maintained her courage, reason, and necessary politeness.
Her God did not abandon her; even in the darkest night, He still pointed out the guiding star of wisdom to her.
He marked the words for her, those sharp swords that could pierce the monster.
The Queen subtly bit her lower lip, forcing herself to look directly into the human eyes manifested by the indescribable thing, preparing to speak—
Seeing that she was about to speak, the being smiled at her, revealing white teeth. She was so frightened that she trembled again and almost knelt on the ground.
"There will be no war. The change in civilization will only be a subtle undercurrent. You cannot directly interfere here."
There will be no war.
She spoke the words with trembling voice, trying to be as firm as possible. The monster opposite her became even noisier, buzzing incessantly, as if a two-dimensional black thread was twisting erratically.
No, she can't let herself be consumed by the vision anymore, she'll go mad, she'll go mad! The Queen refocused her attention on her eyes, looked up, and tried to tell the other side that their brutal actions were doomed to failure.
Then she saw the one-eyed man opposite her, who was hiding murderous intent, looking at her with amusement—it was an inhuman gaze!
The Queen immediately lowered her head, hiding herself as much as possible under her hood.
"Yes, both sides are eager for peace talks, that's for sure."
The voice became distorted in her mind, like a sound coming from a coffin buried deep underground.
"But I worry that you and your civilization are not truly submitting to the Empire."
She opened her mouth, her vision began to blur, and a familiar, warm feather brushed against her lips.
She suddenly shouted, her voice echoing throughout the hall, as she glared angrily at the person opposite her.
“You may question our loyalty! But we have done everything! We have withdrawn our troops and changed our beliefs! What more do you want from us, invaders!”
"Destroy this civilization?! We've already reached an agreement! Why are you still questioning us?!"
Hades raised an eyebrow, his feigned smile fading as he silently watched the Queen's performance.
Gage suddenly rushed over and pulled the agitated queen away. He asked her to calm down, but also shielded the old woman behind him.
This was also to prevent Hades from being angered by the Queen and making unwise moves.
"Calm down, Ms. Circe. My cousin meant no harm; he was just taking necessary precautions."
Gage smiled apologetically at Hades.
"She was just a little agitated, which is common."
Hades extended a hand, gesturing for Gage to continue comforting the Queen.
The Queen began to weep, sobbing softly as she began to ramble on about their efforts and how the Death Guard's rude behavior had frightened her people.
Gage frantically tried to comfort the queen, who had suddenly started crying, but she continued to curse.
"Is this how the Empire is?! We originally thought your legions were all reasonable people, but now, with less than a week until the peace ceremony, why are you treating Abster like this—"
Suddenly, everything went black for Gage.
A short scream rang out in the hall, and the Queen collapsed to the ground. Her eyes were vacant, she covered her mouth, and leaned against Gage's legs, as if using him as a pillar, hiding behind him.
She pointed at Hades, her voice trembling, her previous incessant chatter completely gone.
Gage turned his head away.
Hades gave Gage an apologetic smile; the Death Guard maintained his impeccable manners.
"I apologize, I may have startled the Queen just now. I am indeed still not very good at diplomatic relations."
Hades smiled and gave the Queen a smile in return. This time, Lady Circe did not refute or curse.