Warhammer 40: Shattered Steel Soul

Chapter 26 Pottery Shard Election
"The last time I saw this scene, I was still very young. No, if my age at that time were compared to mortals in the same proportion, I would be considered an infant."

Morse looked at the scene on the stage and said to himself, then he was amused by his own joke and shrugged his shoulders.The knife rotated between his fingers, and the blade cut into the wood like water waves.

He doesn't talk much about his past with others, and it's limited to not talking to "people".

"They made a circle with wooden boards and left ten entrances on the circumference, corresponding to their ten tribes. Citizens from the same tribe entered through their entrances."

"Citizens transfer part of their power to him. If he can't use the power he collects in exchange for greater power for each citizen, he can only seek other methods to stabilize his status."

The vulture alighted and perched at Morse's legs.He raised his hand and combed the white feathers of the flying bird with his fingers wrapped in black cloth. When he let go, there were a few naturally fallen feathers between his fingers.

He observed carefully and verified that there was nothing special about the bird's feathers, so he relaxed, burned the feathers, and continued to watch the scene before him.

In the streets, soldiers were called to organize and carry out this whim.One by one, those with feather helmets combined the iron frame with the wooden boards, and temporarily paved a narrow passage leading to the top.Morse saw Miltiades in it, and it seemed that he was still at his post.

The number of citizens was counted nervously, and every hundred people were counted one by one by the soldiers. The next person was invited to step forward, dizzy to meet the envious eyes of others, stumbling onto the narrow path as if there was a net on the soles of his feet. aisle.

The remaining people retreated as hard as they could when the soldiers counted dozens. When the count approached a hundred, they pushed each other forward, vying to be the first to be summoned by the platform, trying to take the lead. A majesty that is rare in their lives.

They chanted Perturabo's name, and occasionally Morse could even hear "Lord Perturabo bless you" and "In the name of Lord Perturabo", which made him shake his head and sneer from time to time.

On the stage, there are already people who are talking.He is wearing a one-shoulder robe, maybe a farmer, maybe a shepherd, and he always has the authority to touch the land.

Anyone can see that this citizen is searching for all the elegant words he has learned in his life to add glory to his record.But the distance between his words and simple everyday language is probably only a few swear words and local slang.

"I think this woman is not as good-looking as these two men," he said hurriedly, grabbing his hair, being chased by the fear of embarrassment, "it must be more difficult for two people than one, right? I don’t understand either. And I think it’s a child defeating an adult at this moment. I’ve never seen such a look, it’s rare.”

He then picked up the pen handed to him by the waiter and carefully added a horizontal line on a piece of pottery handed to him.Four vertically and one horizontally form a small fence-like pattern, representing five bearer votes.

"That's it?" The citizen looked left and right, and after being confirmed, he was relieved, and was escorted off stage by the soldiers.He stared at the fingers that held the pen, as if he wanted to see some tricks from the inside of his knuckles. He was intoxicated by the experience that everyone was watching, and he would never forget it.

Accompanied by torrential applause, the next lucky person hurriedly went up to the stage.At this alternating moment, all the young people and old people in the audience would shout loudly.

Morse changed two sitting positions and was still uncomfortable, so he stretched out his hand and dragged out a wicker chair.He made the wicker chair stand on the edge of the wall, shaking comfortably.

"Now you have to choose the people who will participate in the meeting, and your reputation will increase." He said, "It was different when I was young. They wanted 6000 people to choose the person who was hated, and the name was to be engraved on the pottery tablets; People are expelled from the capital city and live in the place set by the consul. For ten years, he will no longer participate in the game, he is the alien of the powerful."

He thought for a while and murmured: "Should I instead call this matter the pottery election?"

Perturabo, Andos and Calliphon were whispering together, and they didn't know where they were talking.The boy's expression was visibly relaxed, and his brows relaxed naturally.

When he looked at the citizens on the stage, whether he saw those who were not familiar with literature or even knew nothing, or those who were engaged in art and talking, they all opened their eyes in shock, as if they were seeing this group of people for the first time.

Morse could guess how Perturabo viewed them in the past. In the boy's mind, he must have chosen a few words to summarize his people, treating them as the same vague and easy-to-manipulate entity. Slates do not contain enough wisdom and power of choice. They have the same nature in all directions and can only be used for accumulation and paving to carry the great undertakings of extraordinary people.

It didn't matter, he'd done it himself before.

Unlike Perturabo, Morse had never been indifferent to admitting his shortcomings.

He listened carefully and heard the conversation between the three people among whom Perturabo was sitting.

"You have won another praise, Perturabo." The female voice said softly, "My brother, you are going to lose."

"Ah, I know..."

"You didn't lose to me, Andos." The boy spoke very clearly, "I didn't really defeat you either. I will agree to compete with you again, but not now."

"Okay, I also need to practice..." the prince said slowly, smiling sheepishly, "They always say that I am very humble, but before I met you, I thought I was already the best in Lokos. artisan."

"You are," the boy said. "You almost won."

"But the people want to elect you," Calliphon said. "They see your masterpiece, and they give more praise to your hands. You hear the voice of the citizens."

"Perturabo, they don't want to get anything from you. Don't they know which one of your creations is yours even if you don't see them? They are just talking about their sincere admiration. If you can make the whole city praise you, I I think this is something even a tyrant cannot ask for."

"But," the boy's voice was full of unnaturalness, and he tried to find a reason to shirk, "Maybe they just thought that the two-person team is more powerful than the one-person stone statue."

"You have touched the interests of the citizens, Perturabo. You should win because of it." Carifon laughed.

The boy changed the subject: "Andos, I see something inexplicable in your works. Why do your stone statues have skirts decorated with small-petaled flowers? Where did you get this spirituality?"

"When I went fishing, I saw a woman patching up a patch to look like a flower, so I sculpted it..."

"Are you going fishing?" the boy said in disbelief. Is it such a simple reason?

"Well, yes... I will fish and bake it. Sometimes I don't know how to create works, so I do other things." Andos said.

"You know how to grill fish?" Perturabo's focus gradually shifted, and he didn't know what he thought of. The boy's face darkened, and he immediately turned his head and didn't want to speak.

Mors withdrew his gaze and stroked the feathers of the white vulture.He felt the empty box on the bird's legs, the contents of which had been removed.

Morse took down the locket, tickled the bird's beak, and let the vulture go.

"My child, they are all happy because you have done this." Morse looked at Perturabo and talked to himself. "But since when did I get into this bad habit of imitating the playwright's voice? Let me change it. I'm going to say something that someone else would say."

He immediately laughed loudly, and let the rattan chair fall upside down into the small courtyard surrounded by the wall on the second floor.

Then walking out of the door of the unknown courtyard was a laid-back young man wearing a blue robe and shawl.

"99... [-]... You, the last elected citizen today! Would you like to comment on the two masterpieces and record your vote?"

The young man in blue robe nodded positively: "Of course I do!"

(End of this chapter)