r18novel Page 3
Page 3
Yes, the Emperor's Eye.
Lin Qi immediately guessed Gao Wen's true identity and breathed a long sigh of relief.
In the human empire, those who can be called the palace guards are only the Imperial Guards, who wear gleaming gold power armor, wield long halberds, and whose combat power fluctuates wildly and is quite mysterious.
The Emperor's Eye is the name given to the Imperial Guards after they felt their bodies aging with time, chose to remove their armor, don black robes, and exile themselves to various parts of the galaxy to contribute to human civilization.
If the Emperor dared to send him to extract Horus's soul fragments, then he had made corresponding preparations and would not simply discard him as disposable trash beneath the city after the fragments were extracted.
An Emperor's Eye is undoubtedly the best backup plan.
After all, in the ten thousand years of human empires that have been in turmoil, Astartes may have betrayed, and High Lords may have become corrupt, but the Guardians have never strayed from their duties.
Speaking of which, what about the fragment?
Lin Qi quickly put down his water glass and began to carefully feel the sensation.
Lynch's consciousness entered the subspace. He first sensed a golden barrier enveloping his soul, and then he sensed a small white figure beside him, also protected by the golden barrier.
The white figure is curled up in a fist-clasped shape, just like an embryo still growing in the womb.
Is this a fragment of Horus's soul? Or perhaps Horus Lily?
Although I don't know why I'm asleep, it's a good thing that I am.
After observing for a while, Lin Qi withdrew, and Gao Wen, who had been standing aside watching him, also spoke, conveying some of the Emperor's words to him.
"My lord wanted to tell me something, and he told me to tell him directly."
"First, regarding the soul fragments, they will gradually heal themselves over time, but it will take ten thousand years to return to their normal form."
"So later on, he will need you to go back from time to time to continue to extract and replenish him, so as to speed up his recovery process."
Lin Qi paused for a moment, then nodded.
He wasn't surprised by this request, and he also felt that after extracting this fragment, his ability to withstand soul pressure increased by a full 30%. If he were to do it again, he would probably still need the Emperor's help, but the duration of his unconsciousness should be much shorter.
Gao Wen took out the black notebook and handed it to Lin Qi.
"It reduces one page each time it is used."
Lin Qi flipped through it and found that there were about two hundred pages left in the notebook.
What happens after it's used up?
“Once it’s used up, that soul can return to this world… He’s still asleep and will need some time to wake up and communicate with people… But to be honest, I’m wary of his awakening.”
Disgust appeared on Gao Wen's face; his emotions were so complex that they were unlike the cold and ruthless Imperial Guards of legend.
It's clear that he dislikes Horus very much, and the only difference between him and the Holy Blood Angel is probably the Black Wrath.
After all, the masters served by these two families were transformed into handmade chicken sauce by Horus, the number one chef in the galaxy, and into top-quality dried cured meat after ten thousand years of aging.
"I understand. So, does he have any plans for my future? For example... leaving Badab?"
Gao Wen looked at Lin Qi and shook his head slightly.
"I don't have a spaceship."
"We can steal it! There are so many Star Claw ships in orbit. We can sneak into a supply ship..."
"..."
"We're going to leave Badab next, right?"
"My lord hopes you can stop the war that is about to break out."
As Gao Wen said this, he took out the gas mask that Lin Qi had originally planned to exchange for supplies in the black market.
"Everything is for the sake of the empire."
Chapter 4 Coconut Core Buns!
Imperial classic jokes.
If you can't kill them, use them to the point of exhaustion.
Lin Qi rubbed his temples, looked at Gao Wen, and made sure that the other man was not joking with him.
Well, the Imperial Guards don't joke around.
However, preventing the ensuing war...
Lin Qi's lips twitched; this was no small matter.
As mentioned earlier, in the year 904 of the 41st millennium, the Badab War began amidst various misunderstandings and conspiracies.
The initial conflict was between the Mantis Warriors and the Firehawks, two Astartes chapters, but it quickly escalated into a war between the Starclaws and their allies and the Imperium, influenced by various events.
The Battle of Badab did not break out overnight; its roots are deep and long-standing, closely related to the Maelstrom itself, Terra's actions, and Huron himself.
Now, in the 903rd year of the 41st millennium, with less than half a year until the war between Firehawk and Mantis Warriors begins, the task is to stop the war...
Lin Qi thought about it a lot, and finally looked at Gao Wen.
In his memory, the Imperial Guard did not appear during the Badab War.
"Gawain, if I hadn't shown up, would you have stopped this war?"
Gao Wen looked at Lin Qi and shook his head.
“I won’t stop them, but I will contact the marshal and have him send a squad over to help me kill all these traitors.”
Lin Qi looked at Gao Wen and blinked.
"Isn't this too radical?"
"The Empire cannot afford a second Horus, even if Huron is far from being as powerful as him, his actions still pose a threat to Terra and the throne."
Gao Wen began to explain the reason.
“If you don’t appear, and the lord doesn’t give me orders in my sleep, then I will do as I say. If the palace doesn’t send support, I will take matters into my own hands and kill that traitor named Huron.”
This perfectly aligns with the Guards' statement. They already disliked Astartes, and Huron's actions could easily trigger the PTSD in these guards, so it's normal that they wouldn't give him any chance.
However, based on the information currently available, in the unaltered historical context, the palace should not have received a request for support from Gawain. Therefore, Gawain chose to take matters into his own hands and assassinated Huron despite his advanced age and lack of equipment.
As expected, Huron was not known for his personal fighting skills, but he was not a pushover either, and his personal guard was no pushover either.
Furthermore, killing Huron shouldn't be done now. Twenty years ago, or even ten years earlier, killing Huron might have solved the problem. Now, with less than six months until the start of war, doing so will only exacerbate the conflict.
The Star Claws are now filled with Huron's die-hard loyalists, and once he dies, they will insist that the Empire did it.
Although the Imperial Guard's intervention was originally the Empire's doing...
But when the time comes, given the bond of brotherhood, the Weeping Ones, the Mantis Warriors, and the Executioners will still fight alongside the Star Claws against the Empire, only this time for revenge.
Even more seriously, if they make a big deal out of this, it could very well trigger the sensitive feelings of some people who were not involved in this war in history, causing them to join in as well.
After all, the things Huron is doing openly now aren't just things he's done; he's just the most conspicuous, which is why he's attracted Terra's attention.
Many people are watching Badab's movements. If the Empire doesn't even give them a chance to negotiate before assassinating him, then that would be a terrible move.
Therefore, to deal with Huron and prevent the next war from taking place, we must find another way.
For example... differentiation.
Lin Qi suddenly thought of many things. He took a deep breath, stood up, and spoke to Gao Wen.
"Gawain, I'm sorry to trouble you to play Oglin for a bit from now on, is that alright?"
...
Lin Qi strode into the noisy tavern in front of him.
The tavern was in complete chaos, or rather, in the Lower Nest, apart from the factories and the church, there was hardly any place that wasn't chaotic.
Three statues were placed in the tavern's shrine, with the Emperor naturally in the center. This was the unshakeable center position, at least until Star Claws had completely betrayed the Empire, and this position could not be changed.
To the left of the emperor's statue is a sculpture of an angel with wings on its back.
The crimson sunlight shone on the statue, draping its outstretched wings in a faint red veil. The stone spear held high above its head cast a shadow that obscured half of the statue's face. Combined with its expression of compassion, anger, and tranquility, the statue exuded a powerful sense of sacredness.
The Emperor's nine sons, the raw material for the delicacy from the fragment within himself, the Archangel Saint Gilles.
The appearance of an angel statue here is not surprising, after all, in the mythology of the empire, this perfect person is, in some ways, even more popular than his father.
It can be said that, within the empire, aside from the statues of the emperors, the second most numerous statues belong to this angel.
As for the third largest number...
Lin Qi looked to the right of the emperor statue, at the man with a dignified and serious face.
Mmm, coconut filling buns.
However, Lynch did not come to the tavern to admire the three men's heroic figures; the nearby church would have been a more suitable place for such a purpose.
He came here for another reason.
Standing before the statue, Lynch performed the Eagle Salute, then incongruously bowed his head and began to pray. Although his prayers were completely off-key, they still managed to attract the attention of those around him.
Gawain stood behind him, and as instructed, he was to disguise himself as an Oglin.
Through special methods, he successfully simulated Oglin's body proportions and facial features, and there were no problems with his appearance.
And the behavior of an Eugen...
When Gao Wen opened his mouth, saliva dripped out, and he looked like he was suffering from dementia.
At the same time, Gawain imitated Lynch in front of him and began to pray. However, compared to the latter, his prayer was not standard at all, and even contained many mythological allusions that would make senior pastors of the Church of England break out in a cold sweat.
People around watched, but no one stopped him. After Lynch finished praying, a tall man came down from the second floor of the tavern and stood in front of him.
The man straightened his back and performed a hawk salute.
"First, the nest has no secrets."
"Secondly, long live the Empire."
After exchanging the password, the tall man led Lin Qi and Gao Wen to the second floor.
The group entered a spacious room where an old man sat with his back to them.
"Boss, they're here."
"Okay, take that Oglin down there. I want to talk to someone I can talk to."