Warhammer 40: Shattered Steel Soul

Chapter 281 Juice

The equestrian event selected by Califon for the first day of the Games was equestrian competition.

Although this term is extracted from the classics and books of ancient cultures, no one can confirm whether the "horse" in the book is consistent with the creatures they can recognize in reality - God knows the four-legged mammal There are so many kinds of animals, which one is the correct one, or have the real horses disappeared in thousands of years?

In this way, the animal standard of this equestrian, or riding competition, can never be clearly defined.

Therefore, the restrictions on the animals chosen by the contestants in this equestrian competition were gradually reduced to having four legs and not undergoing a mechanized transformation process during serious discussions.

"How deplorable." Konrad Coates rarely took care of the mood of others around him today. He put on a suit of clothing made of real plant fiber and covered the upper half of his face with a hood as dark as night. Face.

He laughed hoarsely, with a sharp voice, "That one of our brothers has not returned yet. He has no chance to gallop in this green world with dense forests. He can only chase the storm alone in the grassland and drive away the eagles..."

"Who is that, Konrad Curze?" Rogal Dorn was always one of the only people who could answer Konrad Curze's rambling words. The other Primarch was Fulgrim Mu. "You can provide more information as a reference."

"I don't know." Curze immediately cheered up, glanced at Dorn provocatively, and looked over the edge of the hood at his brother's unwavering face with his dark eyes, "The thread of destiny cannot be touched lightly, and destiny exists. Yu Wuyan..."

Perturabo turned a deaf ear to Curze's voice.

From the brother who led Curze back to the Empire, to the one who ignored Conrad's words most often, some imperceptible changes seemed to have occurred in Perturabo, or maybe he was just becoming more aware that Conrad Co You need what exactly when.

"Because of our temporary rules," the Lord of Olympia let his voice drown out Curze's words, and he received a bored curl of his lips from the latter.

"You trust her," Angron said, his rough accent softened by the tone. In a sense, he feels somewhat similar to Vulcan.

"She... can almost be regarded as growing up with me." Perturabo replied, "Maybe she is a little like your female warrior Kleist, Angron."

"I'm a little curious too, Perturabo."

"Califon will make the arrangements." Perturabo's expression did not change, "I have not asked about such details."

"During the competition, contestants need to choose their own path forward and record their arrival times at several relay stations set in advance. The rider who first crosses a quarter of Olympia and reaches the capital city of Ax will win the equestrian competition— —I named it the Walk of Steel.”

"Thank you," Vulkan said without rejecting his brother's recommendation. "If possible, do you have any hot drinks?"

Perturabo nodded slightly, raised his right hand, and pointed at the pale snow peak at the end of his sight. Above the snow peaks, the Cheorwon space fortress anchored in low orbit hovered quietly in the sky.

Over the past ten years, it has become an indispensable and important landscape in Olympia, almost a permanent decoration on the top of the snow, embellishing and filling the empty sky with man-made spectacular beauty.

"Everything is fine," Angron said.

"Is that ribbon at the finish line yellow and black?" Conrad Coates asked.

"She is very independent and I have never interfered." Perturabo replied, "The fruit drinks in this shop are the best. Do you want to try them?"

"Really?" Fulgrim came from behind.

"What did the Archaeological Department of the Mechanicus do to you again?" Perturabo said casually. Before Dorn described the latest progress of the Mechanicus in detail, he immediately went on to ask other brothers, "Are there any other requirements?"

"No lemon juice," Roger Dorn demanded.

At the opening ceremony of the Games, the snake demon Medusa he played cast an indelible ghostly shadow - or enchanting yearning - in the hearts of countless people through servitors and Internet broadcasts across the entire star cluster. It depends on the acceptance level and interests of mortals.

He had just finished communicating with several mortal artists who particularly liked his performance, and he was in a good mood to remind these performance details that mortals could not see, in exchange for their sincere admiration full of surprise and joy.

"Among the participating teams, the most promising team is the Rumati No. 4 team from the Melantala Star Group under Olympia. The four-legged beasts they brought are worthy of this equestrian competition in terms of endurance and explosive power. The best."

"The western foothills of Mount Taylorfus are the starting point of this riding event. We still have time to walk through this market street before the official start of the competition."

"This may not be fair enough, but in the rush to prepare for the competition, this is the final plan chosen by the committee of this Games to be the most interesting and feasible."

"The strength of each planet is also part of the competition." Ferus said. Before he could get around the mortals who appeared on the side of the street, the small people retreated on their own initiative.

"Her face is weathered, my brother," Fulgrim walked closer. "If she is similar to you, then she has never had life-extending surgery. Why not let this youth The goddess’ beauty remains and her youth remains forever, or does she have other ideas?”

"Some red," Cozzi added with a suspiciously malicious laugh between the words, "bright red juice."

"I don't have to!" Magnus stood up on Perturabo's shoulders and said into the Iron Lord's ear.

"Of course, no matter how small the cup is, it is bigger than you, dear Magnus, oh, no, maybe the small toy tea cup specially designed for mortal babies is still bigger than you..."

Magnus made a small snap of his fingers, the red gold light flashed, and the noise made by Curze immediately disappeared. The red primarch sat down again, raised his chin, and crossed his arms on his chest.

"Let's have some drinks that Chemos doesn't have, brother. Even if I guess, Chemos may not have any of the fruits you have here."

"Same as him," Ferus finally replied. "Same as Fulgrim."

Considering the Primarch's height, Perturabo leaned forward against the doorframe of the shop, waiting for the mortal shopkeeper's employees to come out to him.

"Seven cups of hot berries," Perturabo said softly, to prevent his voice from causing too much harm to mortals at close range. He made a decision on the choice of drinks, "The bill can be sent to the palace of Lokos. .”

"My lord!" the mortal said cheerfully, "It's rare for you to come back to Olympia, how can I ask you to pay the bill? But... may I ask whether the container is..."

Perturabo nodded slightly, stood up again, and asked the other brothers to move closer to the side of the street to avoid blocking the vehicles traveling on the flat passage.

"You can rest assured, Curze and Fulgrim; some of the Iron Warriors stationed in Olympia live among mortals, so there are always clean barrels available in various shops in the Olympia star cluster."

"Where is Nocturne?" Fulgrim immediately thought of the home planet of the Fire Dragon Lord. "I heard that your warriors also live with mortals, Vulkan."

“We don’t have so many choices of fruits and vegetables.” Vulgan recalled the place where he grew up and shared what he considered to be a particularly representative feature. “Nocturnes are all over the volcanoes. There, we have about fifteen days a year. The length of the year. Gravity and geodynamics will cause the tectonic plates to tremble...Salamanders, the origin of the name of my legion, is a dangerous creature unique to my home planet."

"Half of Russ's Fenris is also full of volcanoes," Magnus said. "The name of his legion is also Dangerous Creatures... But why is Horus the Luna Wolf?"

He suddenly fell into confused thoughts.

"Our respective homes are really different," Fulgrim smiled, leaning carefully against the relatively flat area of ​​the wall behind him. "Conrad, your Nostramo is unique." Coze was unhappy. He snorted, pointed to his mouth, and stared at Magnus on Perturabo's shoulder with his dark eyes.

"You always abuse psychic prophecy," Magnus said seriously. "I must clarify your actions with the Emperor."

Curze raised a finger and shook it contemptuously, making a mouthful of words.

Excuse. An obvious excuse, he said, born of childish revenge and an immature brain, mini-Magnus. Now who is abusing supernatural witchcraft to silence his brother...

"...Words? Gee, should I thank you for removing the restriction on my language?"

"Yes, Konrad Curze. You can thank him for that," Roger Dorn said.

Angron laughed from the side. He does not restrict himself too strictly when perceiving positive emotions.

The Lord of Red Sand clenched his hand into a fist, blocked it from his mouth, and coughed: "Where is your mentor, Perturabo? He seems to have disappeared after the opening ceremony."

"I gave him a map," Perturabo said.

"A map of Olympia?" Fulgrim asked, "Give me one too, just a tourist map."

"To be specific, it's a review article published in a newspaper about the comparison of various indicators of the Lokos public bathroom, with a map in the appendix." Perturabo said, counting the time in his mind as the stopwatch hand reached the end. A small grid. "Fruit drinks are ready."

As soon as he finished speaking, the mortals in the room raised their heads and shouted: "Sir! Your drinks are ready!"

Vulkan bent down, lifted out two barrels, and handed them to Fulgrim and Ferrus Manus beside him. Angron gave Dorn a barrel. Perturabo handed Curze a bucket, "Your bright red wine, Conrad."

"Thank you, my brother," said Conrad Coates.

Before drinking it, he sniffed the liquid completely subconsciously, analyzed the chemical composition of this strange solution, and in an instant concluded that it did not contain any dangerous substances, was neither poisonous, nor hallucinogenic, nor was it a hallucinogen. Triggering a series of explosions and other conclusions.

He blinked his eyes, and suddenly felt that the bright and clear world in front of him had become so distant and unfamiliar in an instant, almost causing a slight sting.

"Give me a spoon," said Perturabo, fetching his own bucket, and holding the small mortal wooden spoon carefully between his fingers, he scooped up a small amount of the drink for Magnus to taste.

Conrad Coates took a sip. "It's too sweet," he said, deliberately showing disgust. "Oh my god, I must let my genetic children come to this store to taste it."

Magnus drank the fruit drink in the spoon in one gulp, handed the spoon back with satisfaction, and asked Perturabo to return it to the employee in the store. "You have hopeless taste, Conrad," he said.

"What does it have to do with you?" Coates said without hesitation.

"Speaking of Gene Sons, have you started recruiting troops, Konrad?" Fulgrim asked. Although he has not forgotten the shock when he first came to Nostramo, this did not prevent him from expressing his gratitude to this brother. Show concern, "I may be able to work with you to improve your recruitment plan..."

He was startled for a moment, then shook his head slightly, his long light-colored hair sweeping like feather tips on his purple robe, "No, I'm the one who said too much. I have no intention of interfering in the internal affairs of your home planet."

"I am...not really suitable for recruiting an army right now, hehe," Conrad Coates' eyes darkened, "Everything has a price, and now is the time to pay. Fortunately, the chips needed to pay are worth such a generous sum. The gift... Sol Sahar is enough, and the members of the current royal court are also worthy of use."

"When I returned, the Third Legion only numbered close to a thousand people," Fulgrim frowned, and the sadness in his bright, jewel-like eyes was more heartbreaking than the dust that covered it. "If you need my help in any way, please ask me as much as possible. There is a way to make everything more perfect."

"You can also ask me." Ferus said.

"Conrad," Perturabo said suddenly, connected to a cable that hung from his shoulder as a miniature brooding array operating as a robe buckle. "Your Thor Sahar sent a communication request related to a Mechanicum Grand Magus on your battle barge."

"I thought that the Primarchs who are close to you don't like the Mechanicus." Fulgrim spread a hand and joked.

Konrad Curze put down his fruit bucket on the spot. He knew very well the true identity of the so-called Great Sage of the Mechanicus.

According to the rules he set for himself, he would not take the life of a Dark Eldar who drank his blood without reason.

This is one of the few reasons why Hexakeris survives - another important reason is that he needs a partner who is loyal and trustworthy enough to assist him in the second transformation and exploration of his blood. .

"Goodbye for now, everyone, I'm going to the Lokos Palace communication tower," Conrad Coates said softly, "How about meeting you directly at the race starting point camp at the foot of Telefus Mountain later?"

"It's all right." Perturabo nodded and said after a pause, "Fulgrim, you also have a message from a pharmacist."

"I'll go with Conrad," Fulgrim smiled. "Has anyone else received the communication?"

Donn raised a hand, and when he raised his palm, his fingers were aligned, and he was meticulous. "I have something to say to Perturabo, Magnus and Angron."

"Let's change the corner." Perturabo nodded and put down his fruit bucket.

Vulkan and Ferus looked at each other and continued to drink their drinks after the others left.

Out of the hearing range of others, Dorn spoke, finishing all the main information at once: "The Emperor needs Magnus and Angron to return. After obtaining the map, the Emperor realized that there was an abandoned planet on the planet near Olympia. Instead of the collapsed entrance to the Webway, it is connected to the main trunk. He hopes to test the practicality of the Webway to a certain extent, that is, to restart this section of the road and reach Olympia directly through this path."

He went on to add secondary information: "The Emperor considers me, relative to you, to be idle in the conversation of my brothers, and therefore he communicates directly with me psychically."

"Oh, okay," Magnus said, jumping onto Angron's shoulders. Angron raised his hands near his shoulders, eliminating the possibility of him accidentally falling. "Are you leaving now?"

"The Emperor said he hoped to be in time to witness the closing ceremony of the Games. So, I think so," Dorn answered.

"I will send a small merchant ship to cover your secrets," Perturabo said. "Long-range warp navigation is up to you, Magnus."

"Okay, I understand." Magnus patted Angron, "Let's go. Let the camera servant leave us the video of the event... No, I will just send another one over. Change to a large mag. Come Nusi.”

He's clearly obsessed with Conrad Coates' bullshit.

"You can also say that I was called away by Kahn," Angron nodded to Perturabo, "Then, goodbye, brother."

(End of this chapter)