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

Off topic: Although the old Chinese also asked "Can Lian Po still eat when he is old?", it proves that the ancients believed that the general's health was strongly correlated with his appetite (?). The same rule was probably observed in the Middle Ages in Europe, but the custom at that time was that feudal lords (perhaps also a kind of general) would overeat for a long time to show that they were in good health, and even eat until they vomited... Well, this attitude is not easy to evaluate.

Back to the point, in the novel about Mephiston (I lost my memory and forgot what it was called), there are some descriptions of Dante devouring the food at a private dinner party where he invited the admiral to dinner. At first, I thought in an old Chinese way, "This shows that Dante is still strong and healthy at an old age." But when my mind jumped to Western customs, I thought about the beginning of the book, which still described Dante's injuries from the Hive Tyrant that had not healed, and I couldn't help but think, wasn't the old man just forcing himself to eat at that time...

Speaking of Guda's whirlwind, in 2.6.5, she also had a silky combo record of finishing Salome's big bowl of porridge in a few seconds and saying "Thank you, it's really delicious"... Being a savior is really not a job that ordinary people can do, and the ability to eat may also be a standard...

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 255 Misappropriation of public funds is also a science

The Primaris Astartes' rapid thinking speed made the Blood Angels Chapter Master think a lot in that moment. After comprehensively considering the identity, status, age, possible personality tendencies, and education level of the person sitting across the table, he finally chose an answer that would stick to the ground no matter what:

"It's really heavy, but it's necessary."

Literally speaking, this answer can be connected in every aspect - whether the other party is simply talking about the weight of the protective suit at the beginning, or is using it as a metaphor for Dante's position as the leader of the Blood Angels Chapter. Long-term responsibility.

Dante originally thought that the conversation would continue on this topic, and he could judge the other party's attitude from the next reply. However, he didn't know what she heard from somewhere, and instead raised her head and looked at him strangely, thinking for more than a second, and then spoke:

"This sounds really weird for me to say, but I'm not the kind of Terran official who hides twenty meanings under one sentence, so please don't be too nervous." There was something hidden under her tone. A good smile, but unfortunately it cannot be hidden from Dante, "I am not here to inspect or accuse anything. I am not qualified in any way. Therefore, for the sake of communication efficiency, I prefer to be open and honest - after all I’m here to solve some problems.”

And in the process of solving some problems, it creates more problems. She followed the topic silently.

Dante, who couldn't hear the other party's slander, smiled and said: "This does sound a bit strange. In the past, at similar tables, I would always persuade the guests opposite me: 'Don't be too nervous.'"

Fujimaru Ritsuka also smiled back: "I assume that what you said is just stating an objective fact."

"That's right." Dante raised his glass in greeting, and Fujimaru Ritsuka responded with the same gesture across the table. They all simply raised their glasses, and when they put their glasses down, the latter noticed that the small opaque goblet in front of him was filled with freshly squeezed orange juice.

It's a bit strange, but considering the existence of Asclepius, it's acceptable.

The atmosphere around the table softened due to an unexpected development. Since Fujimaru Ritsuka has mentioned that he prefers "openness and honesty", Dante also chose to get straight to the point in the next question:

"Forgive me for being so direct, but I really need to ask you the specific reasons why you came to Bar and raised the issue of long-term stationing."

"So Vasilian did not mention this in all the documents he submitted before." Fujimaru Ritsuka complained almost unconsciously, "But I guess he should have at least mentioned it when signing the department's signature. The 'Chaldean Bureau' is affiliated with the Star Torch Hall, right?"

"Indeed. But this is also one of the reasons that confuses me." Dante admitted, "We rarely see officials or technicians of the Star Torch Hall outside of Holy Terra."

In fact, it’s not “rarely”, it’s “none at all.” After all, the main work of the Star Torch Hall is just like its name, focusing only on the maintenance and operation of the Star Torch itself. And because the only Star Torch in the entire empire is located in Holy Terra, there is certainly no need for anyone in this department to go on a "business trip" to other locations in the empire.

"It was like this in the past, but I think similar situations will slowly change in the future." Fujimaru Ritsuka calmly cut into the plate of meat steaks from unknown animals, "But in short, Chaldea Game The reason why I appear here as a subordinate department of the Star Torch Hall is that I will build a 'Second Star Torch' on Baal Prime that can illuminate the dark side of the empire."

There were some indiscreet clinking sounds of cups and saucers from Dante's place, and Fujimaru Ritsuka understood it and pretended that he didn't notice anything.

"You want to build the 'Second Astronomican'?" The Blood Angels Chapter Master tried his best not to sound too anxious, but his voice, which was unconsciously hoarse and inflected due to excitement, still betrayed him. "But are you sure?"

"I think I have, but I also think I'd better not make too many promises. If everything goes well with the site selection, bidding, engineering and construction, we will be able to see the results of the Star Torch in three years at most."

Although for Fujimaru Ritsuka, this part of the project was basically copying what the Emperor had done under the Himalayas, she still decided not to give a "100%" guarantee. After all, the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment.

"...You sound very confident." Dante's tone didn't sound so trusting. It's not that he thinks the arrogance of a kid like Fujimaru Ritsuka is unworthy of belief, but the countless disappointments that followed him in his long life have made him develop this cautious character of "question first, question later" .

"I'm not 'very confident.'" Fujimaru Ritsuka said calmly, "You should know how important this matter will be to the current empire. You should also know that where the responsibilities and obligations are placed, many things are not Because the parties concerned don’t have the confidence to do it, they don’t have to do it. By the way, don’t worry about the project payment, Chaldea will take care of it.”

——Theoretically, the emperor will indeed earmark funds for this project. In actual operation, if the corresponding funds are to be received, even if you use the green channel specially approved by the throne room, there will still be at least two or three years left. The confidence that allowed Fujimaru Ritsuka to dare to be so arrogant was Konrad Coates, who was kicked out of the team:

The Throne Coins accumulated in the Stormbound were originally taken out of the Emperor's personal treasury and prepared for the Night Lords' Primarch to rebuild the chapter. However, after the battle of Parmenio, he inexplicably had more heirs under his command who could support the strength of five battle groups, so of course this part of the funding was taken over by the rich man from Ultramar who watched the whole process. When Guilliman's expedition fleet took Curze away, because there was no shortage of supplies under his command, the person involved naturally did not think of this matter, and Fujimaru Ritsuka naturally did not mention it. As a ruthless person who dared to take kickbacks from King Gilgamesh and the goddess Ishtar, she had no psychological barriers to bullying Coze, the stupid son of the largest landowner in the galaxy.

In short, this is enough money to buy all the equipment including the battle barge for an entire Holy Scripture regiment. It should be easy to support the first phase of the project.

Fujimaru Ritsuka's idea here is simply "As long as no one blocks my funds, I am my own client. I can build whatever I like, so that the progress of the project will not be slowed down." However, Dante suddenly got stuck here: wouldn't the Blood Angels only have a piece of land on Baal Prime? In the absence of other checks and balances, what reason should they use to supervise the safety of each other's projects?

His momentary silence gave Ritsuka Fujimaru room to move on to the next topic before his brainstorming progressed to the next part. The little girl still said calmly: "We have written documents on various issues related to the project. We may need to add them after the site selection stage, so they have not been printed yet and can only be regarded as a draft. If you want to take a look at this If there is a draft, I will ask Priest Decker and the others to bring it with them when they deliver the coffin and report on their work, and some of the contents can be continued for discussion."

Dante thought briefly again and decided to put the relevant questions in the "continue discussion" section after reading the document. The weight of this topic was a bit too heavy. Perhaps he should hold a chapter meeting and listen to other people's opinions before making a decision - so he wanted to change the topic to a safer direction: "I haven't thanked you yet. The matter of rescuing the Blood Angels’ battle brothers from under the Hive.”

Fujimaru Ritsuka did not intend to take credit: "I do not take credit for this matter. In fact, when the battle was first ordered, the Auger array of the Emperor's Dream and the monitoring device of the Storm Frontier did not detect them. Even if I did not When they pass by Skyros at that time, Sanguinor will appear in front of them and lead them to win the war. Besides, Sergeant Cannon still died in the battle, and all we can do is bring his body back."

She picked up the cup while speaking, hesitated, and finally decided to continue adding: "And Priest Decker will definitely bring back a lot of work for your apothecary department, as well as more complex battle groups and sub-groups. Scheduling issues.”

"Has a certain type of Tyranid mutated again?" Dante speculated. "You don't have to worry. The Blood Angels are used to confronting ever-changing enemies."

"No, that's not the case. He is just working with my ship's doctor to try to develop a medicine that can relieve the 'red thirst syndrome'."

This time, Dante accidentally made a louder noise in his trance.

Meow meow meow (turn belly up)...

You didn't expect that, Dante! Even if you change the topic, there are still landmines everywhere!

Next episode: Dante is no longer calm (pun deduction!)

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 256 Dante can’t calm down

"It's okay, that's understandable." Fujimaru Ritsuka raised his head and looked diagonally upward at the sky, "When we told Priest Decker about this, his reaction was much bigger."

I think he carefully judged whether I was talking nonsense, and seriously considered whether to shoot me. She added mentally.

The good news is that even if it is a conservative estimate, Dante, whose emotional control ability is more than one level higher than Decker, obviously does not think so; but the bad news is that he does not seem to take it seriously. After a brief moment of surprise, he straightened his face and said, "Sir, this is not something you can joke about casually."

"...Do I sound like I'm joking?" Fujimaru Ritsuka's tone did not contain the indignation of "I was offended", but more of the introspection of "How could this happen?"

She turned her gaze across the table again and looked at the Blood Angels Chapter Master without fear. She felt that the atmosphere around her was significantly tense than before, but she did not become nervous because of it. She even discovered unnecessary details such as "Mr. Dante's irises are also light amber."

After all, Dante has been sitting in the position of Chapter Master for at least 800 years. He knew very well that although the defect of Red Thirst in the Blood Angels was kept as a secret by all the brothers of the Chapter who were connected to Sanguinius, there was no impermeable wall in the world. More than 10,000 years have passed since the founding of the war group, and the best they can do is to keep the information secret - for the top departments of the empire such as the Tribunal and the Council of High Lords, this is at most a "secret that is only disclosed to a small range." That’s all.

The status of the "Emperor's Chosen" certified by the Throne Hall is obviously on the same level as these departments. Therefore, he did not struggle with the part of "How do you know about the 'Red Thirst Syndrome'", but went straight to the point: "You don't understand this What does it mean to us.”

"Indeed." Fujimaru Ritsuka admitted without pause, as if he did not realize the change in the person's name when the other party addressed him, "I am not a Blood Angel. Naturally, I can only have some indirect opinions based on hearsay and guessing in this regard. Experience. If I have inadvertently offended any Sons of Sanguinius in my attitude because of my deviation in understanding, I must apologize for this. But at the same time, I must also reiterate: I am not kidding."

Dante's heart was beating loudly, but he couldn't tell for a moment whether it was because of anger, shock, or anticipation. He spoke again, and his originally low but smooth voice became hoarse and cracked again: "With all due respect, in my opinion, this sounds illogical. The Holy Blood Priests of the past generations have continued to work on this issue. It took ten thousand years, but no substantial progress was ever made.”

"Priest Decker also made the exact same opinion." Fujimaru Ritsuka lowered his head and looked at his plate, "In view of the fact that he has verified the words that I have refuted him and formed a more professional report. document, I will not repeat here my interdisciplinary views that cannot be explained in one or two sentences. To sum it up in a general way, it is 'scientific research is a very cruel thing, and you have all got the wrong research direction for ten thousand years.' "

Dante froze on the spot, and it took him a few seconds to successfully regain his thoughts after being blown away to the edge of the star zone. After regaining his ability to think, his first reaction was "What if Coblo knew about this?" and then he began to try to distinguish whether what Fujimaru Ritsuka said was the truth:

"What do you mean when you say we're 'going in the wrong direction'?"

"Literally. You see 'Red Thirst' as a curse or a disease that you want to 'cure', but it's more like a blessing, written at the very bottom of the base code of all of you. Any attempt to change it will have disastrous consequences, and the right approach is to try to live with it and take advantage of it."

This view once again challenges the "common sense" Dante has formed during his long service. He wanted to yell "This is impossible", but his reason told him that if he thought according to the logic of what Fujimaru Ritsuka said, it would indeed be logically self-consistent. There is no fatal contradiction in the other party's point of view for the time being to refute. After considering the other party's too noble status, Dante's rebuttal became sensibly milder and more roundabout:

"But what about the 'Black Rage'?" These two flaws in the Blood Angel are like twins. Since the other party obviously knows about the 'Red Thirst', Dante tacitly acknowledges that Fujimaru Ritsuka also knows something about the Black Rage, "They are both the same. It is a genetic defect that appears in all the sons of Sanguinius. Do you want to say that the 'Black Rage' is also a 'blessing'?"

"That's not the case." Fujimaru Ritsuka went downhill very quickly, and was more positive about this issue than when he talked about Red Thirst before. "'Black Rage' is indeed a curse. But I haven't discussed this issue with Priest Decker, because fundamentally, it is not a medical or genetic issue."

"What do you mean by 'not a medical or genetic issue'?"

"'Black Rage' is almost purely caused by occult factors." Fujimaru Ritsuka even put down the tableware and began to explain this problem, which is at least 90% in her professional field. "In this universe, any A 'heinous murder' in the echoes of the warp may give birth to a demon. We all know that at the end of the Great Heresy ten thousand years ago, Sanguinius died after confronting Horus. . His death should have been shaped into an entity in the subspace, but for some unknown reason, this did not happen - the echoes of his death were instead projected to all his genetic descendants along the bloodline connection. On the body, this kind of projection can even span time. This is the essence of 'Black Rage'."

Dante was speechless in shock, so Fujimaru Ritsuka, who was not disturbed, paused for a moment and continued to add:

"So, in the final analysis, although the onset of 'Black Rage' does produce physical symptoms, the only way to completely solve this 'occult' problem is to use the same 'occult' means. In this regard, two methods can be quickly thought of: First, because this curse is transmitted through the 'blood connection', for the person who is trapped in the Black Rage, all we need to do is to sever this connection occultly.

"If there are only one or two people, this is actually feasible in operation, but there are obviously many hidden dangers. First of all, people who are 'cured' in this way can no longer be called 'sons of Sanguinius' in any sense. Secondly, the curse of the Black Rage itself is evenly distributed among all warriors who rely on the genetic fragments of Sanguinius to become Astartes. If those who have already suffered from the Black Rage are separated from this distribution on a large scale, The intensity of the curse shared by others will be significantly increased - that is, the black rage will be more likely to attack the remaining people."

There was no need for Ritsuka Fujimaru to say anything more. Dante, a complete layman, could figure it out based on this information alone. This was a plan that could not be implemented. Regardless of how to "sever the connection of bloodline in mysticism", if this continues, either there will be no more "Sons of Sanguinius" in the Empire, or all Astartes with the bloodline of the Radiant Angel will fall into the Black Rage. He did not continue to think deeply about what "Black Rage" would become after losing the curse target. The part before this was absolutely unacceptable to him.

And Mephiston. Although the chief think tank of the Blood Angels is powerful and is the first person in the history of the Chapter and all sub-groups to successfully "control" the Black Fury, the "heroic deeds" that happened to him also made He became a time bomb for all the Sons of Sanguinius. If, as Fujimaru Ritsuka said, "the intensity of the curse shared by Mephiston is increased", even just a little, or if "Mephiston is freed from the curse first", Dante would not dare to bet. What happens next.

Even their chief think tank seems to have stabilized a lot after the successful Primaris surgery.

"There is another way, which is to 'find a way to cancel the black anger' from the source." Fujimaru Ritsuka, who continued to talk, used the slightly strange verb "cancel" here, "Since the 'black anger' 'It was created because of the death of Sanguinius, so as long as there is a paradox in the most basic conditions for its creation, it will naturally be weakened."

This sounds even more fanciful. Because it was so absurd, Dante, who gradually calmed down, even laughed at himself who was trying to think about "what to do" in the first moment: "But that is impossible. What you mean is, in your opinion, Is there no hope of cure for 'Black Rage'?"

"I didn't say that." Fujimaru Ritsuka shrugged, "If 'Method One' doesn't work, just try 'Method Two' - 'Black Rage' was caused by the death of Sanguinius. Curse, and the dead cannot be resurrected, so this curse will be established across time through the echo of the warp after Sanguinius' death. The normal logic is this."

Fujimaru Ritsuka presciently rubbed back on the chair, leaned on the back of the chair, and then spoke:

"—But what if I could prove again that 'Sanguinius lived after his death'?"

This time, Dante's hands hit the table with a bang, causing all the cups and saucers to tremble. He stood up suddenly in front of his seat, almost knocking over the heavy marble seat behind him. The Primaris Space Marine was about three meters tall, even though he was separated by an entire long table, there was a terrible sense of oppression. The angry, thunder-like voice of the Blood Angels Chapter Leader exploded in the empty banquet hall:

"Sir, I must warn you, this is not something you can take lightly as a joke!"

"I do not have."

Fujimaru Ritsuka, who was motionless under the support of the back of the chair, just responded with a calm but firm gaze:

"You see, 'there are only wrong names, not wrong nicknames'. They call me 'Empire Saint' instead of 'Star Torch Engineer', so my 'Saint' must have some unusual gold content, right?"

Meow meow (six o'clock)

Dante: I can’t stay calm at all!

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 257: Attacking each other should come and go

"First of all, we must clarify a major premise: 'resurrection from the dead' in the complete sense is not possible within my knowledge system. Sanguinius's own state also makes this point difficult to establish even in the psychic system. .

"After all, ten thousand years have passed since 'that time'. Even if he has really lived through these ten thousand years, unless he was placed in a stasis field like Mr. Robert, otherwise he would not be able to survive such a long period of time unless he was placed in a stasis field like Mr. Robert." Over time, he will inevitably change.

"The conclusion is: it is technically impossible to perfectly recreate a 'Sanguinius during the Great Crusade'. Please be mentally prepared for this."

Realizing that the other party was prepared to carefully demonstrate the feasibility, Dante gained stronger emotional control after becoming Primaris, so he calmed down faster and instinctively tried to turn on the recording function on his power armor. Then, after discovering that his mind could not connect to the servo system, he realized again that what he was wearing was not his exquisite power armor.

He then glanced at the servo skulls floating a little further away, confirming that they were still on and still recording the meeting conscientiously before he felt relieved. All this took less than half a second, occupying only the space used by Fujimaru Ritsuka to pause between sentences.

The girl sitting steadily across the dining table seemed completely unaware of what Dante had quickly confirmed during this period, and still narrated in her usual calm tone: "Secondly, the minor premise that needs to be noted is that ten thousand years ago. In that battle with Horus, Sanguinius was not only physically and almost irreversibly damaged—his soul was also."

Another shocking fact fell on Dante's ears. Even though this information about his genetic father sounded a little more "acceptable" compared to the previous ones, it still created a whirlpool of sorrow in his heart.

He suppressed the emotions welling up in his blood and asked, "What does 'soul-wise' mean?"

"Literally, he 'broke'." On this issue, Fujimaru Ritsuka carefully chose to only talk about the result. "Just like a mirror falling from mid-air, the broken pieces will fly everywhere, and Sanguinius's broken soul was also scattered everywhere in that battle. Most of these fragments have been collected by the Emperor and kept by his side for recuperation; a small part, due to strong cause and effect, is still inevitably stranded in the place where he died; and a part has not been found by the Emperor, and just disappeared in the waves of the warp.

"I think that in the last category, at least some fragments will be drawn by fate and drift to the vicinity of Baal Samsung over the course of thousands of years. But it should be noted that even so, if you want to collect 'all' fragments And it is almost impossible to restore Sanguinius' soul to its original state."

After saying this, Fujimaru Ritsuka paused the narrative, seeming to think that he needed to give the other party some time to react and digest. And Dante did choose to take a deep breath, and then slowly sat back.

Putting all of the above together, it doesn't sound like it's perfect. But it was those parts of it that made the whole thing "not perfect", which made it more believable to Dante's ears - unfortunately, only a little.

In the service experience of the Blood Angels Chapter Master, if some people tell about a future that sounds particularly good and make promises that will be realized, then you can often directly conclude that the other person is a servant of Chaos. If you shoot directly in this situation, ninety-nine times out of a hundred times it will not be a wrongful death. In one case, it is indeed a wrongful killing, but the person involved is also naive and provocative enough to lead more people to the It's a wrong path, so it's really damning - regardless of whether the speaker is aware of it or not.

However, is Fujimaru Ritsuka such a person?

In other words, could such a person obtain the certification of the Throne Room, restore the right to use the Emperor's Vision by some unknown means, and arrive in Baal with such a lavish ceremony surrounded by the Imperial Guards?

Those seemingly unnecessary ceremonies and rituals before now showed their significance. After much hesitation, Dante decided to just assume that what the other party said was true and allow her to continue speaking according to this logic.

"If what you said is true, then this theory can indeed explain some things that have happened in the past." Considering that the previous paragraph shows that Fujimaru Ritsuka does have some unknown knowledge, it cannot be said. Does the other party know those stories about "the father of genes once appeared"? Dante considered his words more carefully: "But what does this mean?"

"This doesn't 'mean' anything, it's just that everyone needs to carefully examine the question before solving it." Fujimaru Ritsuka replied, "If it is ordinary people - including the vast majority of Astartes who do not have psychic talents, Including the kind of 'ordinary people' - if they encountered the kind of thing that happened to Sanguinius, they would definitely be dead. But Sanguinius is the original body, so the matter is not There is no turning point at all. His situation is indeed more complicated than other Primarchs who are 'confirmed to be dead', but it is not completely impossible to return him to the material world in some way."

"You said 'returning to the material world'. What does that mean?"

Fujimaru Ritsuka paused and decided to simply skip this topic: "This is a bit of a long story, I think... I wonder if the Blood Angels Chapter has heard of some rumors from the Iron Hands Chapter recently. News? Specifically, rumors such as the resurrection of their genetic father?"

"No." Dante answered with certainty, "After the Great Rift unfolded, the communication efficiency of the dark side of the Empire was no longer what it used to be. What's more, the Medusa Sector and Baal are almost separated by half of the Milky Way. If It happened recently, so maybe the news didn’t have time to reach my ears.”

Fujimaru Ritsuka was therefore in a bit of a dilemma: for this matter, neither of the two ready-made examples (referring to Ferus Manus and Konrad Kurtz) was with her. It is still a bit difficult for her to tell things convincingly without physical performance.

Just when she was hesitating whether to call Sigismund to ask for advice, Dante spoke again: "However, I probably understand what you are talking about."

Now it was Fujimaru Ritsuka's turn to be confused: "I would like to ask, what do you understand? I haven't started to explain yet?"

"I noticed that there are some dark angels in your team." Dante said, "I wonder if you have heard any rumors among the dark angels since you entered the dark side of the empire - specifically, such as the return of Lord Lion El'Jonson?"

……ah?

Fujimaru Ritsuka finally showed a shocked expression from the bottom of his heart for the first time today.

Meow meow (pat your belly)

Timeline: In the official setting, Dante was photoshopped after he took the boat to pick up the Lion King. In the private setting, he did not participate in the next part of the battle because he received the star message after he was photoshopped, and directly called Mephiston to return to the court to prepare to welcome the emperor.

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 258 Orange Cat, go away

The sudden and silent appearance of a primitive body after disappearing for ten thousand years really shocked Fujimaru Ritsuka at the beginning.

But considering that Corvos Corax was in front of him, and that the man who quietly emerged from nowhere was Leon El Jonson, who had always practiced mysticism, Fujimaru Ritsuka was slowly recovering. After accepting the news, I was a little confused about how the Blood Angels knew the news.

But in the final analysis, this matter is probably not particularly related to their topic at the moment... Does it matter? Doesn't it matter?

Ritsuka Fujimaru tried very hard to clear this question from her mind, but she found that the weight of a Primarch was difficult for her to shake in every sense: the Lion King of Caliban just blatantly occupied most of her thinking threads, and stayed there and refused to leave.