The Emperor’s Angel of Death

Upon hearing Veronica's description, SoShun immediately recognized the stranger's identity. →

"Master Shi? Is he here to see you?"

"I don't know. He doesn't say a word, and his behavior is very strange. Is this Master Shi? The leader of the Thunderous Zen Sect you mentioned?"

"His identity isn't that simple. The Rogue Trader knows him and calls him Venerable Ananda. You remember I told you he's likely an immortal."

"Ah!?"

Veronica covered her mouth in surprise.

"Does he have a special reason for coming to me? But why doesn't he say a word? And how did he even get here?"

"Speaking of which, isn't your mentor very familiar with immortals? Could it be that he also knows Master Shi?"

"My mentor never mentioned it, but it's possible he does know him. My mentor was one of the leaders of the esoteric cult back then. The cult seemed to have a large-scale operation in the Maelstrom. You remember what I told you about the cult, right?"

SoShun nodded. Veronica had discussed the mysterious alien organization, the esoteric cult, from the time of the Horus Heresy with him for many nights, even touching on the concept of 'artificial immortals.' However, Eldrad didn't say much about it to Veronica, and her understanding was very limited. →

"Master Shi wouldn't do this for no reason. I just wonder if he's willing to say why. I have a feeling this unborn child will face many storms in the future."

"Hmph, the more nervous and disruptive they are, the more we'll give birth! Twenty! No! Twenty-one! Whoever tries to cause trouble, we'll let the children beat them up!"

"Hahaha, can't you say a more auspicious number?"

Afterward, he told Veronica about his encounter with the mysterious force in the space hulk, and he described in detail the strange facilities and structures on the two hulks, including the Daemon Engine manufacturing factories and Chaos portals.

However, Veronica said she had no memory or knowledge of these things, but the higher-ups of Craftworld Iyanden might know something, and she would ask them later.

"Alright, let's not talk about these things. I've prepared dinner."

After that, she took SoShun's hand and went to the second-floor dining room. As soon as the two of them sat down, a row of unfamiliar maids filed in from the side door.

SoShun was immediately shocked when he saw them, not because the plates they were carrying were large—Veronica usually didn't eat much, but SoShun was different, so each of the maids was carrying a huge silver platter.

What shocked him was the identities of these maids. They had completely undisguised pointed ears and distinctive pointed chins, and SoShun noticed that Dorlar's two daughters were among them. →

The older sister, Nestra, was slender, composed, and light-footed. She wore an indigo silk dress, and close to the dress was a long line of delicate spirit bone decorations. Her thick, smooth black hair draped behind her slightly round (by Aeldari standards) face, and her purple almond eyes clearly showed Dorlar's bloodline, adding a bit of Commorragh's coldness to her traditional Aeldari appearance.

Most of the maids paled in comparison to Nestra, but not her sister, Arouhan.

Nestra was more like their mother, Loreena, while Arouhan looked more like their father, Dorlar. Her skin was paler, and she was slightly shorter than her sister, but she was more voluptuous, even athletic. She had the same purple eyes and a straight nose, and her thin lips were often pressed into a thin, straight line, carrying a wild and unruly air, just like when SoShun first saw them in Commorragh. She was like a crazy biker.

She wore a dress woven from indigo and crimson, and her red hair was braided into braids that hung down to her waist, with strands of glittering spirit-stone pendants scattered on the braids.

Soon, the dishes were served, and the maids retreated. Only the two of them were left in the dining room. Veronica rarely sat across from SoShun. No matter how big the table was, she always sat next to him, and this time was no different.

"They—"

At this moment, Veronica's close aide, 'Vine Leaf Oracle' Loreena, walked in. Knowing that this was the central heart of the Imperial Expeditionary Force, and a large group of Aeldari had suddenly appeared, and perhaps even more had come, SoShun couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat, and he looked at Veronica.

"This is—"

"Lady Loreena said that I am pregnant and doesn't trust humans to take care of me. I thought about it and agreed. After all, it's my first time being pregnant, and there are always things I don't understand."

At this time, Loreena walked over and bowed slightly.

"Your Majesty, Your Highness."

Then she looked at SoShun.

"Your Highness, Her Majesty is now pregnant and must have someone to take care of her. Please forgive my presumption."

Hearing this explanation, SoShun was relieved and nodded with a smile.

"That's as it should be. I didn't think it through enough. Lady Loreena, you did the right thing. If you need anything else, please tell me or inform Lord Dorlar."

Loreena didn't say anything, just bowed slightly and turned to leave. At this moment, Veronica suddenly stopped her and asked:

"Lady Loreena, do you know about Soul Forges?"

Hearing her say this, Loreena fell into thought, then nodded and said:

"I know a little. I don't know which aspect Your Majesty is asking about?"

Veronica then repeated what SoShun had told her about the two space hulks. After listening, Loreena fell into deep thought, and after a long while, she slowly said:

"The Craftworlds have been at war with enemies from the Warp for many years. A long time ago, Jain Zar led us against a group of degenerate ape-men. Their armory contained a large number of Daemon Engines. After eliminating them, we captured a prisoner, and during the interrogation, we obtained key information. They claimed to serve an entity called the Creator, who is also the master of all Soul Forges. These huge foundries, existing in abstract form, exist in the Warp in a realm not belonging to the four Ruinous Powers. It is a kingdom made of gears and pistons, where all evil contracts concerning machinery are made. Any Daemon can come to these forges to seek out the soul traders who reside here and sign a contract with them. Some Daemons purely want to obtain a shortcut to increase their combat power and thus gain the favor of their patron god, while others want to seek a way to avoid bondage and not have to endure the shame of prolonged banishment. No matter what the entities seek, and no matter which god the Daemons come from, they must harvest mortal souls according to the agreed price and deliver them to the Soul Forge. In exchange, they will be stuffed into machines and then transformed into terrifying fusions of war machines and Daemons. But the amount of those contracts is often incredibly large, and most Daemons have difficulty repaying them on time. So many Daemons will try to sign installment contracts, but this means almost doubling the interest. Under the so-called snowball effect, a large number of Daemons eventually become slaves to their creditors."