manynovel Page 35
Page 35
Just as Eric was looking at Lynch, about to reveal his assassination plan to get close to Salkota and launch a sneak attack, Lynch suddenly spoke, his gaze piercing Eric.
“There is another way, but to make this work, I need to go back to the room where Bell was imprisoned.”
Chapter 47 Thirty Minutes Before the Coup (Finally Finished)
Thirty minutes until the Star Claw Spring Festival.
Asford stood on the city wall, his power armor shimmering with a soft white light under the moonlight, as if he were draped in an expensive, bright silver veil.
Looking into the distance, thanks to his enhanced vision, which far surpasses that of ordinary people, and the auxiliary system located in his helmet, he could clearly see the sand dunes lying on the desert in the distance.
These sand dunes come in various shapes and sizes; some look just like small hills, while others resemble giants resting in the sand.
What would he think of this view?
As if seeing a ghost, Asford thought of that unrelated mortal again. His heart grew restless, so he took a deep breath to calm himself down.
Something was very wrong with him. He had clearly sensed something was wrong with that mortal that day, but for some inexplicable reason, during his daytime investigation of the enemy, he chose to conceal it and did not report it.
Asford knew he was wrong. As a member of the Starclaws, he should have protected the interests of his Gene Father, the Chapter, and the Empire, not acted as he did yesterday…
No, I'll wait until tomorrow and go find that mortal myself to ask him what he did.
Asford made up his mind and began his final inspection of the city wall, following his assigned task.
Ten minutes later, he successfully arrived at his destination, where the person responsible for taking over was already prepared and appeared to have been waiting for a long time.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Alma brothers."
“It hasn’t been too long. Go back and get some rest, Brother Asford. You seem a little distracted. If you have something on your mind, you can go to Ryan. As a Warband Priest, he will help you.”
Yes, Warband Priest.
Asford thought of that highly respected senior member of the chapter and nodded after a second of silence.
"I understand. If there's any problem, I won't keep it to myself."
"Ha, that's for the best. If all else fails, come find me. A good fight in the gladiator cage will definitely lift your spirits."
After a few casual words, the handover of work was completed shortly afterward.
Asford descended the city wall and walked along the empty, thorny avenue. In this place, he thought of that mortal once again.
That's where he brought the other person to the Thorn Royal Court.
Asford stopped in his tracks, took off his helmet, and held it to his waist. Then he closed his eyes and tilted his head back slightly, letting the breeze brush against his cheeks, allowing the unfiltered air to enter his nostrils...
Ten seconds later, Asford reopened his eyes and exhaled a long breath.
He needed to find the priest immediately; he couldn't delay any longer.
Asford changed direction, heading from his dormitory building to another. The entire way was completely silent, except for a few floating servo skulls and servants.
Upon entering the dormitory building, Asford stopped in front of a tightly closed door. He took a deep breath, then reached out a hand and knocked on the door.
One second, two seconds, three seconds...
A full minute passed, but the door remained closed, and no one responded from behind it.
Asford frowned. He didn't recall Ryan having any patrol or duty assignments today, or rather, as a warband cleric, these things weren't really his concern.
So where could he go so late at night?
After thinking for a moment, Asford shook his head. If he couldn't find it at night, then he'd try during the day…
"boom!!!"
A loud explosion came from afar, so loud it seemed to shake the entire dormitory building.
Asford froze on the spot for a full second before he regained his composure.
Without the slightest hesitation, Asford rushed out of the dormitory building, and then, looking at the building collapsing in the flames, his breathing became rapid.
That is……
He felt disbelief, but as the servo skull beside him emitted a sharp, piercing alarm, he realized that this was not a false dream, but a reality unfolding before his eyes.
"Everyone, terrorist attack! Enter immediately..."
This was Huron's voice, sending out an alarm through the servo skulls throughout the Thorn Court, urging all troops to move out immediately.
"Everyone."
Before Huron could finish speaking, another voice instantly took over the channel. This voice sounded incredibly calm, as if its owner were talking about something trivial.
“My name is Lynch. You may not know me, but that doesn’t matter. I hereby announce that Rufus Huron has been formally sentenced to death by Terra for serious violations of Imperial law.”
"Some loyalists of Starclaw have already cooperated with me. Everyone, please stay in your rooms now. I know that most of you have been deceived. In one Terra hour, we will hold a public trial for Huron in front of the main building."
"If any of you appear before us before this time, please immediately lay down your weapons and do not attempt to resist, otherwise we will treat you as traitors."
"Finally, I want to emphasize this! Finally, I want to emphasize this! This is not a terrorist attack! Nor is it an assassination by Imperial Insects! This is a coup d'état by loyalists against traitors! It is righteous! It is an action in accordance with the will of the Divine Emperor!"
"For humanity! For the Empire! For the Claw of the Stars!"
It's him.
Asford's breath hitched for a moment as he recognized the voice—Lynch—the warband servant he had brought into the royal court.
He thought of the pastor he had just searched for but hadn't found, and of the "loyal members of Star Claw" mentioned in the other party's long advertisement.
Is Ryan one of them?
Asford thought this to himself, he stood still, and after about a minute, he decided to take a step, but not towards his dormitory, but towards the burning and collapsing main building.
He carried weapons: a slingshot and a combat dagger.
But Asford had no intention of fighting, because what he craved even more than fighting was…
I want to know the truth about this thing that has been troubling me lately.
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Join the group, thanks meow
The group number is in the description, meow.
Chapter 48 Sibyl Sibyl Kudeta!!! (5000)
Rufus Huron sat at his desk, head down, and the way he handled documents gave him the air of a true extreme warrior.
Yes, Ultra Warrior.
After learning from the former chief think tank member that his warband had deep roots with the Lord of the Five Hundred Worlds, Huron, aside from making subtle statements to the outside world, privately worked hard to emulate the image of an Ultramariner.
The purpose of such behavior is unknown. Perhaps it was to make those forces eyeing him hesitate to act, reminding them of the nascent battlebands in the Five Hundred Worlds. Or perhaps he truly believed the Chief Think Tank's speculation, thinking that he was indeed an Ultra Warrior, and therefore naturally had to act like one.
But no matter what, one thing is undeniable.
That is, in politics, Rufus Huron does indeed possess a talent that most Astartes chapter commanders do not have.
Huron carefully reviewed the document before him, his brow furrowing slightly. It was a report about one of his military factories, highlighting the recent shortage of raw materials that had caused low production capacity. The person in charge requested Huron's approval for a batch of raw materials so that the production line could continue to maintain its previous peak output.
but......
Huron's expression immediately darkened, and a thoughtful look appeared on his broad, square face. His deep eyes gleamed with a dark, unfathomable light, giving the impression of a bottomless well.
"Almenus, what do those oil enthusiasts think?"
"They were too greedy; the price has increased by at least 30% compared to before."
Almenus Waltherus sighed, looked at his Chapter Master, and shook his head slightly.
"At this rate, we might not even have won the battle against the Empire before those oil guzzlers bleed us dry."
"Let them inhale. Agree to their conditions first. Once the conflict with the Empire is over, they will have to spit out as much as they inhaled."
Huron gave a cold laugh, and his words caused the Star Claw's master forging expert to shake his head slightly. Even if they won against the Empire, they would pay a heavy price. At that point, it would be completely unwise for them to want to fight against a forging world.
Almenus believed that Huron was aware of this, so he took it as just something Huron said in anger in private and didn't pay much attention to it.
"Then I'll talk to that oil guy later, but Huron... what should we do with that Imperial Guard? We already conducted a wide search during the day, and Salkota also tried to find traces using psionic powers, but we still haven't found anything."
Almenus took a deep breath and solemnly finished speaking the last part of his words.
“That guy saw the ritual we were performing with his own eyes… Once our connection with Abaddon and the others is exposed, none of our so-called allies—wailers, mantis warriors, or executioners who owe us favors—will continue to support us.”
Huron remained silent, putting down the official document he was reviewing. He crossed his arms and rested his elbows on the wooden table in front of him, making a gesture to cover the lower half of his face.
"...I have a plan."
"what's the plan?"
"Remember the fleet we requested them to send? Go and urge them to send it now, let me know when it arrives, and then I'll arrange the rest."
"..."
"Go quickly, I still have official documents to process."
"Yes, my commander."
Almenus stepped out of Huron's office, took a deep breath, and looked at the bright incandescent light in front of him, his brown eyes slightly narrowed under the light.
Although not explicitly stated, having followed Huron for so long, the master forge could already guess his next plan. By introducing external forces, he would eliminate both his enemies and wavering allies, then skillfully employ disguise and framing to secure the benefits he needed.
At that time, the intelligence that the Imperial Guards took out will only become another form of slander.
Almenus lowered his head, no longer looking at the blinding white light. He strode towards the elevator.
As the core building of the entire Thorn Royal Court, the main building has nine floors, which are connected by a rapid lifting device.
Almenus stepped into the elevator and stared calmly at the numbers changing as the elevator descended.
The number changed from nine to eight, and as he looked at this change, Almenus suddenly began to recall the people stationed on the eighth level.
Honor Guard.
They are veterans of the warband, and also the personal bodyguards of the warband leader and other high-ranking officers. Their equipment is among the best in the warband, and each of them is a true warrior, capable of becoming an impenetrable wall of defense in critical moments, blocking all dangers.
With their protection, Huron's safety is practically guaranteed, unless the enemy can secretly deploy heavily armored vehicles—specifically, siege armor—to the plaza in front of the building. Otherwise...
Almenus shook his head, somewhat puzzled as to why he had suddenly started thinking about such things. Before the walls of the Thorn Court collapsed, Huron's safety was not something he should have to worry about.
Could it be that I've been too tired lately? Has the frequent use of rituals to contact the Black Legion had some effect on my mental state?