The Emperor’s Angel of Death

"It's said that Viktor was a slave, just a small-time street thug in the past. Somehow, he started working for Olórin as a lackey, even wearing this thing. I never really cared about these kinds of characters, but Olórin praised him for being quick-witted, capable, and daring. You could also see that he was ambitious and a treacherous double-crosser. After we escaped from Commorragh, Viktor had already become one of the most important figures in Commorragh, and even became the true overlord of Commorragh in the future, sweeping away all the old nobles of the past. It's truly唏嘘."

"So, there's this layer of connection."

Solomon set down the collar.

"But it's just a memento. Why is it with you?"

"Well, Olórin was a lazy bastard. He made me carry everything so he could relax. When we parted, he gave it to me, saying it annoyed him to look at it. Solomon, this isn't just a memento. Although I don't pay much attention to those kinds of characters, I can tell from my usual words and actions that Viktor is very afraid of Olórin. Even when he joined the hunt for us when we escaped from Commorragh, he was easily frightened by a word from Olórin when he caught up with us, and the people he brought were instantly wiped out by the traps Olórin had set up. Olórin could have killed that guy with a flick of his finger, but he didn't."

"Why? Isn't he a traitor?"

"Olórin's exact words at the time were, 'Viktor, I know what you did. I can kill you now and cut you into a thousand pieces, but I won't. I will let you live because the fire of your ambition will be the tool of my revenge. Remember, you, Viktor, are forever a dog of the Phoenix. You are just my tool. You will complete my revenge for me, and after that, enjoy your brief freedom and life. Viktor, you can manage this fallen city for me, but I will return one day. Then I will thank you for tidying up a clean house for me, and then I will lock you in an eternal and silent prison, where you will find true freedom.'

Old Walker's voice wasn't very Aeldari, but his storytelling tone perfectly reproduced the scene at the time. Solomon seemed to see Viktor, pale and terrified, kneeling weakly in the pool of blood and corpses, looking up at a man with a sneer, his entire body shrouded in the shadow cast by the other man.

Old Walker spread his hands.

"So, this may be useful information for you."

Then, he stroked his beard with one hand and held his pipe with the other, and said meaningfully:

"The Phoenix will eventually return to its nest, and it's time to drive away those annoying crows."

Solomon thought for a while, then asked softly:

"Does Viktor know about Olórin's death?"

"I guess... he doesn't know. After Olórin left Commorragh, he always operated in human form, and when he died, Viktor was only a local tyrant, not yet the overlord of Commorragh.

Solomon nodded, with some calculation in his mind.

Then he picked up the spirit bone fragment.

"What is this?"

"A way to get to the Commorragh Armory."

"Hmm?"

Solomon's eyes flashed.

"What is that place?"

"Commorragh was originally a Webway hub established by the Aeldari Empire, so naturally there would be imperial military forces stationed there. Moreover, because Commorragh is related to the smooth flow of the entire Webway, the Aeldari Empire deployed a large number of... weapons of mass destruction there. Of course, many of them are now called artifacts by the Aeldari because their destructive power is indeed very powerful and very strange. In the past, the armory was occupied by the Commorragh general, that is, the chief family, but in order to prevent these weapons from being abused, the keys to the armory were scattered among the other seven ancient families. Olórin... ahem, by 'sleeping' with the wives and young ladies of the seven families, once collected copies of the seven keys, and then successfully entered the armory, but he didn't move anything inside, just left a secret door. This records the way to start that secret door. After Viktor occupies Commorragh, he will definitely take the armory as his own, and because of the complex defense mechanisms and solid structure inside, he will definitely choose to leave it as it is."

Solomon nodded.

"It seems that Olórin really intended to return to Commorragh. If it wasn't for that accident, the master of Commorragh might be..."

"There is a third thing."

"What else is there?"

"Something Olórin told me, but he didn't tell his descendants. Obviously, he knew they didn't have the ability, but you do, and you will need it very much."

"Please tell me."

"Have you ever seen a shadow creature called Mandrake?"

Seeing Walker's mysterious look, Solomon recalled that icy existence and nodded.

"I've seen them. I heard that they are the product of the Aeldari and demons... combining."

"I don't know that, but they have a leader, do you know that?"

"I know, I even fought him..."

Solomon tilted his head and recalled for a moment, then spat out the name.

"Is it called Khardulaakh? I killed him at the time, but I heard that he was resurrected... a very difficult thing to deal with."

Old Walker raised an eyebrow.

"Well, it's good that you didn't kill him, otherwise you might regret it a little now."

"Why?"

"Because his original name was Shadowblade Felruccio Qesnekh."

"Qesnekh..."

The corner of Solomon's mouth twitched.

"It wouldn't be such a coincidence, would it..."

"It's not a coincidence. He is Olórin's mother, Princess Seshet's brother, a master of the ancient Aeldari shadow path... that is, Olórin's uncle. When the Fall broke out, he fought the demons that poured out to cover the retreat of his family, and in a seriously injured state, he escaped into the very dangerous shadow dimension. When he reappeared, he had been twisted into a Mandrake-like shadow creature by the powerful shadow force. Not only his body, but his soul and mind had also undergone drastic changes, but this change was not complete. Deep in his heart, he still retained his eternal concern for his sister. He had been searching for her but had never found her. It wasn't until Olórin met him that he knew everything that had happened to his sister. Olórin was also the first relative to embrace him after he had been shadowed. According to Olórin afterwards, Felruccio cried very painfully, very sadly, but could no longer shed tears. He swore to Olórin that he would kill a son of the Human Emperor as revenge... Olórin's smooth sailing in Commorragh afterwards was also related to him, but when Olórin was hunted down, a noble family found a way to temporarily restrain the Mandrake, using an ancient diamond of light to temporarily force the other party back into the shadows, although he also killed the bloodline of that noble family one by one afterwards."

Solomon didn't expect that there would be such a hidden story in it, but he immediately noticed that there was a small problem in it.