Warhammer, Rogue Trader Notes

On the contrary, if this merchant from Xinghai takes a fancy to his goods, maybe he can make a lot of money.

"Thank you so much, what should I call you."

"Just call me Cleos."

Volume III Fear Pearl: Chapter 2 Valpolius ([-])

"My friend from heaven, what should I call you?" Cleos asked about Siegel's origin.

Siegel also directly told the other party his name. Unlike the judge and his acolytes, the Rogue Traders rarely hide their identities: "I am Siegel Foster, a man from the stars. Rogue merchant."

"I understand, friend." Cleos nodded, and he looked at Siegel's team, "Please come with me, Mr. Siegel, and we will go to Laendan together, although the residents here are Life is good under the Priest-King, but Valpolius is harsh on us."

Siegel and his party followed the caravan to their destination, and they advanced under the great shadow of Mu'kali, avoiding the malevolent sun in the sky.

"This is my first time here, Keleos, as a businessman, can you introduce me some customs and products here." Siegel and the leader of the caravan walked side by side. Talking, while observing the members of the other party's caravan.

"Every city ruled by the priest on Valpolius has different specialties." Cleos didn't notice Siegel's gaze. He introduced the planet and their city's specialties to Siegel. : "For example, Vail, their shapers there will produce a very beautiful woven cloak, I bet you will like it. The cloak is dotted with gems from Valpolius, which can shield travelers from the scorching sun."

"The Shaper?"

"Yes, the people ruled by the priest king are usually divided into five types: 'cutters' who defend the city, 'shapers' who process materials, 'scavengers' who recycle garbage, 'cultivators' who produce materials, and Dedicated to the 'Son of Water' of the priest." Keleos introduced the composition of the local city to Siegel, "We are a minority in the city, so we don't belong to any of these groups."

"Surviving on Valpolius is not easy. The Priest King needs to count every bit of material to lead his people to prosperity."

Siegel listened to the situation introduced by Keleos, and occasionally made some answering voices to show that he was not distracted.He keenly noticed that a figure wearing a cloak was quietly approaching him and Keleos, seeming to be eavesdropping on their conversation.

When Keleos talked about the son of water, Siegel noticed that the other person's figure was shaking unnaturally.

"Who is the son of water?" Siegel continued to ask in depth. The caste of this group of people looks completely different from others.

"They are the key to the priest king maintaining his rule and the people living in Wapolius." Kleos introduced to Siegel: "On Wapolius, the value of a person is measured by water. And the distribution of water is determined by the will of the priest-king."

"Without the King of Sacrifice, there would be no water. Sons of water are the key to keeping the well water flowing in the glass city. When the children are born, the subordinates of the King of Sacrifice will select some of them as sons of water. They will enjoy privileges and grow up without worry until Summoned by the Priest King."

"No one knows why the Priest King wants these sons of water, and no one knows what method the Priest King uses to keep the well water. The only clue we can find is that these conscripted sons of water have never appeared again."

[Sounds like some kind of living sacrifice method, no wonder it is called the King of Sacrifice]

"It turns out that there is still this layer of secrets inside. Although Valpolius is inaccessible, I know that there are many rogue traders wandering in this area. Haven't they recommended some water pumping equipment to you?"

"It's recommended, but those devices can't get even a drop of water from this desert, and it is a capital offense to control any water resources that are not under the management of the priest king, and the people in Glass City are not willing to break away from the rule of the priest king." Ke Laos explained to Siegel.

"In the legend of Vapolius, our ancestors arrived on this planet and were stricken by the lack of water. The ancestors tried to turn the desert green again, but they failed. They did find water once. Traces existed, but they couldn't find the reason for the loss of water now, until the first batch of priest kings appeared, they had cat-like characteristics, and at the same time had the ability to summon water. These springs are as good as I said before It will flow automatically, and only the sacrifice king can keep the spring water flowing. People built cities around the spring water of the sacrifice king. For thousands of years, these cities have become monuments to the sacrifice king and his spring water. They worship as gods."

"Let's talk about something else, Keleos. Believe me, a glass city's specialties may not satisfy my appetite. Are there any other products worth mentioning here?" Siegel grasped the point in the story. Some details, but he didn't continue to delve into it, because it would be rude to ask his own beliefs.

"Actually, if you are interested, there is a gemstone in Antal, the glass city where I live, that you may like." Keleos reached into his neck wrapped in fabric, and took out a beautiful crafts.

"The Gem of the Wind." He said the name of this gem to Siegel, "A desert traveler like me will like this kind of thing, wearing it will have a breeze around you, keeping your body temperature In a suitable range, it will not be dried by the sun."

Cleos handed his gem jewelry to Siegel, who took the gem and observed the appearance of the gem against the light.

For things like jewelry, the universe after 4 years is still considered a luxury, but the fashion circles of each hive world have more demands for various gems.

There are also a lot of jewelry on Siegel, most of which are used as the carrier of the position generator. He carefully observed the workmanship of the local jewelry. A servo skull also flew to Siegel's side, and the prosthetic eye also scanned the gem. accessories.

Soon, the gem appraisal opinion issued by the sage Mel was released.

"Judging from the local technological level, the current gemstone processing methods are only at a moderate level, but the gemstone seems to consider the status of Keleos as a businessman, and the value of this gemstone may have a stronger symbolic meaning. Of course, among them The constant temperature position is indeed good, and this technical method should be derived from the redemption period after the end of the apostasy era of the empire thousands of years ago."

"The overall quality of the gemstone is very average. Judging from the light response, it can only be used for the most common laser gun. It itself has no traces of artificial synthesis. The city of Antal probably has a gemstone mine."

"On the whole, maybe the content about the local culture of Valpolius on it may be more attractive to consumers." After the servo skull conveyed Mel's opinion, it flew back to its owner, leaving Siegel behind. Both of them looked embarrassed.

Siegel did not like this gem. The constant temperature stand is a relatively novel gadget, but the added value brought by this stand is very limited, and the Mechanicus is not without similar products.

"I'll think about it again, I'll think about it again." Keleos took his gemstone from Siegel, and then stroked his big bald head with his hands. He seemed very hopeful that he could reach a deal with Siegel .

It seems that the friends of this caravan are not so honest, but the bald local...

Siegel has noticed countless times that the eyes of his team members have swept over the heads of the locals...

They will arrive in La Landan soon, and Siegel has already seen the dazzling light reflected in the glass city, so he decides to ask the caravan leader what he wants to do: "Koleos, I am very grateful for the Help. It's good that you consider me a friend, and I'll have you as a friend too. Could you please tell me what you want from me?"

"I am not a native of Vapolius, what happens here has nothing to do with me." Siegel said this is true, although missionaries often come to the pagan stars to try to convert the humans here to the state religion, But the ruling power of the empire never arrived here.

Keleos said softly to Siegel, "Armment."

"You are a businessman, what do you want arms for? And the equipment of your soldiers looks very good." Siegel's words are correct, although the local political and cultural level is constantly regressing, and it seems at best to be at the feudal level, but Basic lasguns and autoguns are still available.

"There are not no contradictions among the priest kings. In order to ensure that their rule will not be affected by other priest kings, these people deliberately separate each city from hundreds to thousands of kilometers, but there are people who are afraid that the world will not be chaotic. I know one The Priest King is plotting a war."

"So you're going into the arms trade?"

"Yes, the output of each glass city is so much, and it is even more difficult for the priest kings to conquer each other. Therefore, in order to conquer each other, the local weapon production is non-stop. As long as someone can bring the arms to the If you sacrifice to the king, you can get several times the profit." Kleos did not tell Siegel the location of the glass city, or who the priest was.

This is a normal behavior, and Siegel will not feel unhappy because of this.

"I can provide you with some ammunition, Cleos. But not now." Seeing the other party's joyful face, Siegel interrupted his unrealistic fantasy in time, "I need a guide, come Help us go to the mountains in the middle of the continent, I don't know if you have any recommendations."

"Mountains? There is nothing there, especially water, so few local people go there." Kleos frowned and thought about how to solve Siegel's needs, "Well, Mr. Siegel, wait for us After entering Landan, I will help you find a suitable guide among the local residents."

"My people are all moving between cities, and have not gone deep into these mountains that divide the land."

"I understand." Siegel nodded, and he and Oleks continued to walk towards La Landan not far away.

Volume III Fear Pearl: Chapter [-] Glass City

About an hour later, Siegel and the others came under the huge glass city. Siegel looked at the city made of these glass buildings. Compared with the buildings of Egalia, the buildings here at least look more like human buildings.

In any case, there was at least a rudimentary order on Valpolius under the Priest King's rule.Only in this way can these people build such a large and magnificent glass building complex.

Siegel looked up and looked at the local characteristic buildings at a closer distance. The tall buildings composed of glass curtain walls and copper reflected the sinister sunlight.

The defense system of this city has quite the local characteristics of Vapolius, and Siegel adjusted the detection mode of his bird divination instrument.Under non-designated routes, the temperature outside the city walls reached abnormally high temperatures, and the excess heat radiation could kill attackers.

Siegel followed the caravan into this huge glass city. Unlike the dry and hot outside, the moment they entered the city, they felt a cool and moist breeze blowing over everyone's cheeks.

The city of Laandan looks particularly prosperous. Vendors are selling all kinds of goods in the market. Residents are picking out the items they need. Some citizens in shabby clothes are collecting abandoned garbage from the market, transported to a specific location.The city guards wear glass armor and hold unique ritual weapons with local characteristics to guard the basic order in the city.

From the goods in the market, Siegel can discover many details of the life of Wapolius. The local staple food is some kind of desert-specialized barley, which is ground and processed into various local specialties.Meat is provided mainly by small lizards and native birds, with occasional mukali meat sold as a commodity.

Mukali is the main animal power. The transaction of each Mukali is a big expense for the local people. Most of these Mukali died in accidents. Due to the lack of resources, these creatures will be used as food after death. Will be processed into various decorations.

Under the city's "ceiling", a large number of copper pipes transport the water needed by the city to all corners of the city.

In the distance, canals made of earth and mud transport water resources to the farmland and small pastures around the city. In this way, the entire city can barely maintain normal operation.

The appearance of the caravan attracted the attention of many citizens. People looked at the goods in the caravan curiously, but ignored the members of the Foster Dynasty among them.

In particular, the equipment and armor on them are obviously different from the local equipment of Vapolius, which makes them particularly eye-catching, and the citizens have abnormally ignored their existence.

Remulle looked at the surrounding city residents, their gazes were indifferent, since this planet was not included in the rule of the empire, such gazes were understandable, but it would be strange if everyone's gazes were like this.

I am afraid that the empire will not be able to allow its people to treat the alien with such a unified opinion, even in a small city, because there are always people with different opinions hidden in the dark.

"Your Excellency Siegel, my caravan is going to a fixed location to hand over the goods. Are you interested in traveling with us? After I complete the transaction, I will find a guide for you to go to the mountains." Ke Lai Oss invited Siegel to sit at the caravan's station, but Siegel chose to reject the other party's invitation.

"No, Keleos, I still need to take a look in this city." Siegel can see that the other party seems to have some little secrets on him, which is normal, without knowing the local situation of Vapolius Previously, Siegel decided not to get too close to some of them.

"Well, I will still find a guide for you. If you need anything, you can go to the caravan station in Glass City to find me at any time. If you plan to find a guide yourself, you can find it from the 'scavenger'. When the city lacks resources, these people will be sent out of the city, on the one hand to reduce the pressure on the city, and on the other hand to bring new material income to the city.”

Keleos didn't force it either. He led the caravan to leave after giving Siegel instructions, leaving the Foster Dynasty team alone in the city square.

As the caravan left, Siegel suddenly found that his team was particularly conspicuous in the city.As I said before, people here have an abnormal indifference to the existence of the Foster Dynasty team.

It is not surprising that there is such a look of indifference, but such a unified attitude is enough to make Siegel vigilant, and even he has a certain degree of doubt about the previous performance of Keleos.

The eyes of the guards in the town were a little different, but they only looked at the existence of the Foster Dynasty warily.Siegel continued to advance through the town with the dynasty's team.

After crossing the market near the city gate, they came to an environment similar to the factories inside the city. Siegel frowned and observed the processing factories that maintain the consumption of materials throughout the city. These processing factories were arranged in the artificially dug deep pits inside the city. and caves for glass and brass, and small pits for fabric, stone, and bone.

Siegel looked at the body of a worker. There were many wounds on his body due to the high-intensity labor, but he still insisted on his job and continued to work tirelessly.

This state is very interesting. Siegel looked at their fanatical working state. In this universe, he has not seen such workers, but most of them can only be seen in the projects of the State Church or the assets of the State Church. Even Foster Workers under the dynasty are not up to the working conditions of those state religion fanatics.

That state of unrequited, extreme dedication.

In a world of scarce resources, it is rare, and equally suspicious, for workers to have such working conditions...

Following the landmarks born out of the Low Gothic language, they were about to reach the center of the city, before the deep well summoned by the priest king, a local man wearing a cloth robe embellished with gorgeous ornaments walked up to Siegel.

"Are you the outsiders who arrived in La Landan today?" Although the question was used, the local said in a very affirmative tone, "I am the servant of the sacrificial king Ansai, you can come with me, my lord I will welcome you guys."

After finishing speaking, he didn't wait for Siegel to reply, and turned to lead the way, as if saying a word with Siegel would cause some serious curses.

"Siegel?" Remulle reminded Siegel softly, "I think it's a little strange."

"Me too." Siegel looked at the surrounding dynasty members, and everyone felt more or less strange, but it was not the style of a businessman to leave. Siegel still followed the so-called servant who sacrificed to the king, and walked around After passing the key well water, we came to the huge glass palace of the sacrificial king.

The royal palace is the most magnificent building in the city. Although the exaggerated reflective glass curtain walls are not visible inside the city, they are replaced by clay, copper, and other glass and precious stones to decorate rooms and palaces.

Copper seems to be the only metal that exists on this planet, whether it is their weapons or buildings, there is this metal.

[Siegel, look to the left. ] From the bottom of her heart, Liz's voice came out again.

A few people whose clothes were obviously different from those of other citizens came out. They looked like dudes from some hive noble families. In a city with relatively poor supplies, their style of painting looked quite different.

A person yelled for the servant to do something, but he couldn't hear it clearly due to the distance, but the servant's behavior quickly answered Siegel's doubts.

Servants held a huge clay vase to their mouths, and the men's greasy, wide lips held the mouth of the bottle.Siegel watched their throats move up and down, and judging from the water dripping from their mouths, he drank more than a liter of water in one go.

Such behavior is unimaginable on such a desert planet.

[They are the sons of water, they are all... spirits

those who can. 】

Siegel raised his eyebrows in surprise. He really believed in Liz's judgment, but he still looked at Skadi for further judgment.

Skadi also nodded slightly.

[Including the guard who eavesdropped on you in the caravan is also a psychic. 】

[But the spiritual energy in their bodies... was artificially distorted and suppressed. 】

Liz's discovery is undoubtedly very important, and Siegel seems to have found a clue to the secret on Valpolius.

"Interesting..." Siegel muttered softly, and followed the servants who worshiped the king into the gorgeous local palace.

The royal palace has the luxury of the ruling class, servants, wives, gorgeous silks and other fabrics, and a large number of artworks reflecting the local culture.

Siegel assesses the wealth status of the local rulers. As the person who controls the water resources in the desert, he controls a lot of local wealth.

But thinking of the performance of the workers in the city before, and looking at the extravagant palace of the priest... Siegel felt that the ruling model inside the glass city above Vapolius looked very... interesting.

Although the buildings and assets of the state religion are equally luxurious, their wealth is based on the donations of the huge believers in the empire. Whether it is more or less, it is all "voluntarily" donated by the believers.

Whether it was from the performance of the local residents or from the power and wealth controlled by the Priest King himself, Siegel realized that if he could not get the "blessing" of the Priest King, it would be very difficult to get anything from the city of.

As they went deeper into the palace, more and more "courtiers" appeared in front of them, and one of them stopped Siegel and others.

"Welcome, foreign guests." He said to Siegel: "I am the law enforcement officer of this city, you can call me Vic."

"Now, you will accept the blessing of my Lord Ansai."

As he spoke, a servant handed a glass bottle filled with water to Siegel.

"Please use."

To drink or not to drink...

Volume III Fear Pearl: Chapter [-] Holy Water

Siegel watched the servant hand over the glass bottle filled with clear well water, and he held it in his hand by the slender neck of the glass bottle.

He watched the well water through the glass. Judging from the existing news, Siegel had reason to believe that the well water summoned by these priest kings was problematic.Although this thing seems to be controlled by the psychic power of the priest king, it's just that Siegel still doesn't know the specific means of the other party.

After all, psychic spells also have different means. As a master of telepathy, Liz should have some understanding of this situation. The discipline of telepathy has very in-depth research on controlling and affecting people's hearts.

But then again, according to Siegel's impression, in order to control a city of this size, the so-called priest king should theoretically be a very powerful psyker.

"What if I don't drink?" Siegel tried to refuse the other party's request, but judging from the other party's facial expression that immediately changed from sunny to cloudy, it seemed impossible to refuse this "gift".

"You will be driven out of this city by us, outsider. Believe me, if you want anything, anything you need from a city of glass, you should not refuse the priest-king's blessing."

"You'd better think clearly, if you dare to claim that the gift given to you by the Priest King is poison...this kind of barbaric behavior will be hated by all the Glass City."

From the outside, this kind of water is really nothing special. Siegel unplugged the glass bottle, and the liquid in the bottle smelled nothing strange.

He decided to try it anyway.