How can a retired savior be considered retired if his price drops to 40,000?

Chapter 377 I ordered a glass of beaten lemon while writing

Sigismund, who was left where he was, had no complaints about his situation.

First, after the Storm's Edge learned that Dorn (and Kronfulgrim) had been dragged back to Macragge by the two Lost Curses, Akuldona and Santo, Fujimaru Ritsuka had already made it clear that he would give him "home leave". Therefore, at least in Sigismund's cognition, this slightly abrupt "release" was not too sudden.

Secondly, he had already experienced many similar situations in the illusion, such as what kind of character Fujimaru Ritsuka was in. Although in the illusion, the direct victim in similar situations was mostly Shen, the valet and chief ceremonial officer of the Primarch, and in a few cases when Shen was not present, the Lord of the Black Armor Guard, Sevatar, took over, and he, "just" Sigismund (referring to the diplomatic crisis caused by being too outspoken several times), was only responsible for being a background board on the side. But in any case, even if he had not eaten pork, he was at least used to seeing pigs running, so he felt that this task that was suddenly thrown on his head was not difficult, and he had no complaints about the incident itself.

——After all, in the illusion, the direct reason why he appeared in the Midnight Lords Legion was that Fujimaru Ritsuka needed them to help her deal with some situations that she couldn't handle. If you look into it carefully, this is also considered as her job, and it's not worth making a fuss about.

So, Sigismund took off his helmet in front of everyone, revealing a face that had been weathered by time and war. Undoubtedly, it was a face that matched the reputation or glory of the first Grand Marshal of the Black Templars and the first Emperor's Champion in the Empire. But for most of the people present who didn't know the truth, the Black Knight had died after the glorious duel with the Great Plunderer Abaddon. It had been nearly ten thousand years, and the relevant deeds had long become a legend widely circulated in the Empire.

Regarding the "Sigismund" in front of us, taking into account the presence of the Chief Think Tank of the Ultramarines and thus ruling out the tricks of Chaos, a relatively more reasonable inference is still some kind of excessive coincidence that seems to be forced together - but, just as after Robert Guilliman, the Primarchs who had been silent for a long time like legends also returned to the real universe one after another and walked among humans again, why can't the Space Marines do the same?

Perhaps this is a wish that borders on blasphemy, but if it is fulfilled by a Primarch, a Son of God who once walked with the Emperor in the glorious era ten thousand years ago, then this wish should naturally be interpreted as a gift from the Emperor:

"...It's really you." Dorn sighed, the wrinkles on his face that remained resolute despite his age squeezing each other as his expression moved, and a complex emotion seeped out from the deformed ravines. "I had guessed it as early as when I met Akurdona of the Emperor's Son and Gabriel Santo of the Iron Hands, but I didn't expect it to be..."

The Primarch of the Imperial Fists spoke in a very calm tone, and only carefully examined Sigismund's face under his helmet. For a long-awaited reunion that transcended life and death, this reaction seemed a little too bland - even when Fujimaru Ritsuka was there to attack him unilaterally, Dorn's emotional fluctuations were much greater than now. But in contrast, whether it was because the Black Knight had expected it, or because he had already digested the shock of the initial meeting with Fujimaru Ritsuka, Sigismund's attitude also seemed quite calm:
"Father." He simply greeted his genetic father indifferently, as if this was not a reunion after ten thousand years, but rather it was not long after the end of the Heresy, when the Imperial Fists were split up by Dorn himself who had reluctantly accepted the Codex, and Sigismund had just been kicked out with the Eternal Crusade to form the Black Templars - there was an awkward and embarrassing feeling in the atmosphere of wanting to get close but feeling that it was wrong.

But considering that Dorn himself and his descendants had an average emotional intelligence level, in the absence of Fujimaru Ritsuka, this subtle embarrassment was only successfully passed on to the Ultramarines who were still present. The cyan-gold Astartes almost simultaneously felt a sense of "should I not be here?", and after the Primarch sighed, they woke up from their dreams and began to move slowly away from the focus of the incident under the silent leadership of Digris.

"You've aged." Surprisingly, it was Dawn who said this first. "A lot older. I didn't expect to be able to... It's a strange feeling."

"I have served my whole life in the military, and I can say that I have lived up to my mission." Sigismund's response showed that he clearly understood this sentiment from another more businesslike perspective. "If I can eliminate the Empire's greatest enemy in this second life, and present the head of the Chaos Warmaster to the Golden Throne, perhaps I can rest in peace."

Dorn was stunned by the far-reaching topic of this conversation, but he thought again that this was not a suitable occasion to reminisce about the past. Guilliman was on the track, and the meeting schedule was approaching, so Dorn had to make a quick decision. So he forced himself to put aside his mixed feelings, suppressed all the sentimental thoughts of love, and asked directly:

"So, you know all the details about the girl who just left?"

"Not really." Sigismund had no objection to the change of topic, but under this question, he still revealed an expression of thoughtfulness, "She... her name is 'Fujimaru Ritsuka'. From the most superficial perspective, she is a 'special talent' recognized by the Emperor, which also makes the Emperor willing to grant her a very special status in the Empire."

"Special talents." Dorn's tone was filled with suspicion and caution. "Explain."

"The most intuitive point is that as a person who is undoubtedly dead, I can now walk in reality in an appearance that is almost the same as when I was alive. In addition to the protection of the throne and the grace of the Emperor that have preserved my tiny soul to this day, I must also thank the lady for using the etheric secrets to weave a body for us that can carry our souls in reality. This includes me, Akurdona and Gabriel Santo, whom you must have met, and many other Astartes who, after returning to the throne, are still fighting in the warp in accordance with the Emperor's sacred will. And -"

At this point, Sigismund paused. He weighed his options in a split second and thought that what he was going to say next would not have any unexpected consequences, so he continued: "This technology can not only be applied to deceased Astartes, but also to mortals or Primarchs. It was through her hands that Konrad Curze, the Primarch of the Night Lords, and Ferrus Manus, the Primarch of the Iron Hands, were resurrected in reality."

The appearance of the name of the rebellious primarch did cause some ripples in the audience hall, but it did not surprise Dorn himself. As the primarch, his natural authority allowed him to have already learned from Digris these secrets that had not been made public for various reasons, so he just raised his hand in the midst of the noise, signaling Sigismund to continue speaking in the quiet environment.

"In addition, she also possesses other technologies that the Empire urgently needs, and is willing to release them. For example, the faster-than-light travel technology that can avoid the warp to a certain extent, and the technology that offsets the chaos in the warp to stabilize reality. There are many others, most of which can benefit the operation or conquest of the Empire." Sigismund picked out some projects that were obviously too much, and briefly described them in a vague way, "That is why the Emperor ordered me to stay by her side and protect her safety." Dorn was silent for a moment, then nodded in agreement: "If that is true, then it should be so."

His attitude remained calm and matter-of-fact, as if he had not been furious with Fujimaru Ritsuka himself a few minutes ago. Then, after another second of simple thinking, the Primarch suddenly spoke and continued to ask: "So, Sigismund, in your opinion, what do you think of her character?"

Perhaps when faced with a problem like the one Dorn is facing, the first thing most people would want to know is, "So what kind of 'special' status did the Emperor grant to this 'special talent'?" But in fact, the question raised by the Primarch of the Imperial Fists here is the one that really gets to the heart of the matter: if the person he is asking is of low character, or even simply "not good enough", the many technologies he possesses are likely enough for her to stir up trouble in the Empire, and she would be a headache even without the privileges granted by the Emperor; and if the person's character is noble enough, then even if she really abuses the sacred power granted to her by the Emperor, it is likely that she uses it to do good things - of course, this logical chain lacks the possibility of "doing good things with bad intentions", but this is a problem related to personal ability, and it will not be included in the current topic for discussion for the time being.

After hearing this question, Sigismund's expression once again showed more obvious thinking and hesitation. After a few seconds of thinking, which was quite long even for Astarte, he could only give an ambiguous answer: "I find it difficult to make a simple evaluation, my lord. In a nutshell, she is a 'human'."

This conclusion, which sounded too much like nonsense, made Dawn raise her eyebrows: "I saw it, of course she is a person. So I assume this is some kind of metaphor. Explain it."

"She is a 'human', so she has all the qualities that a 'human' should have. And vice versa," Sigismund said. "This is actually very difficult to imagine. Noble and mean, honest and lying, kind or cruel, tenacious and fragile... I can read many contradictory and opposing qualities from her, and even see myself reflected in her at a certain moment, just like looking in a mirror. She is the most humble and least fame-seeking person in the universe, as can be seen from the fact that she is not even willing to personally describe the name she has made in the empire; but at the same time, she is also the most arrogant and She is a person with insatiable desires, because in her chest, which seems too small even among mortals, there beats an ambition that dares to be on par with the Emperor; she is very stingy, and when commanding a battle, she will even carefully calculate the lives of every militiaman who has a temporary sign; she is also extremely generous, and never resents when the Empire takes away technical data from her rule. There are many other contradictory facts like this, which makes it difficult for me to list them one by one in a short time. There is no doubt that she is not perfect, but this imperfection strangely constitutes a kind of perfection in her, which makes her different from other mediocre beings and can be canonized by the will of the Emperor. "

This statement caused the scene to fall into silence again. Most of the people were thinking and digesting the information revealed in this statement, but a small number of people were simply shocked by the attitude revealed in this statement. Among all these people, Dorn certainly belonged to the former group. After a brief thought, he concluded and tried to confirm: "You think highly of her."

"She's worth it." Sigismund answered confidently, an attitude that made the Primarch of the Imperial Fists feel a little uncomfortable.

But these have nothing to do with the current topic, and extra emotions will only affect the judgment that should be made rationally and objectively. Dorn realized this, so he skillfully suppressed it again and asked, "You said she was canonized."

"According to the Emperor's will," Sigismund answered with certainty. "Under the announcement of the Imperial Guards, Fujimaru Ritsuka has been canonized as a saint by the Imperial Church, and walks the world as the throne's representative and spokesperson."

"Established Church." Dorne frowned unhappily when he heard the word. Even at the end of the Heresy, he witnessed the rise of this trend of thought that was originally despised by the Imperial Truth. "Then tell me, is she also an ignorant believer?"

This is a relatively dangerous wording, but Dorne has always been so clear-cut and unyielding since he set foot in the real universe again. He never concealed it, so everyone present knew what the Primarch's views and opinions on the state religion were; but he also made a certain degree of tolerance on this issue. At least in the past period of time, he never had any dirty dealings with the Black Templars, who obviously had fanatic tendencies, because of this issue. Perhaps it was because the iron-clad fact was there: the current empire almost entirely relied on the state religion to survive. Before a solution was really found, even if Dorne was the Primarch, he could only tolerate religious issues. Just like what Guilliman had done in the hundred years since his return.

"She has no faith," Sigismund said firmly.

The irony is that as the first Emperor Champion, the first fanatic who started the tradition of the Black Templars believing in the state religion, while he clearly expressed something that was almost equivalent to "this person is a heretic", his tone was actually filled with fanatical reverence: "She does not believe in any gods or idols, including the Emperor, of course. I originally thought this was an obvious flaw, but after walking with her long enough, I was able to clearly realize that she just chose not to believe in a specific idol, but she was by no means a weak person who was indecisive - the firmness of her faith is truly the only one I have ever seen in my life, and her will is even, no, she must be above me in this regard."

This statement obviously frightened everyone in the audience hall, including Rogal Dorn himself. Sigismund realized this, but he had no intention of stopping:
"Her 'unbelief' should be understood as a kind of penance, a penance that is even more severe than the Emperor's Champion's dedication of body, mind and soul to the Lord of Mankind. When the prophetic vision and the Emperor's divine power filled my body, my future was already determined - this made me feel at peace, because my life would be destined to become a tool in the hands of the Emperor, to pour out His wrath and inflict His punishment. This kind of peace of knowing that one's life will definitely be valuable is a reward that unbelievers will never get in their lifetime, because they do not walk on the glorious path of the gods, but walk in darkness. . There are countless thorns and bumps in the darkness, and countless beasts that devour people. Countless mediocre people will fall down or even die in the process of groping for the direction to move forward. Most people sink into depravity, while a few people follow the teachings of God, return to the light, and find the right path. However, there are very few people, like Fujimaru Ritsuka - she fell down countless times, and stood up countless times, and she stubbornly moved forward even after being covered in wounds, just to open up a wide and smooth path in the darkness, waiting for the successors who may or may not come, but she firmly believes that there will be, who will take over and continue her achievements after her death. "

Sigismund paused for a moment, and made his final conclusion with some emotion:

"Perhaps...perhaps during the Great Crusade, the Emperor ordered the spread of the Imperial Truth in the hope that there would be such people to practice it."

(End of this chapter)