Chapter 160: Warhammer: Lord of the Endless Monster Horde [160]

The three High Lords visibly let out a sigh of relief upon hearing this; at the very least, their lives were safe within the palace. Fortunately, this time, the people brought in by Damz and Kania proved reliable. This female scientist from the Golden Age managed to decipher the true function of the Golden Throne at a glance. To everyone's astonishment, the Golden Throne turned out to be a machine capable of carving out webways. "Thank you very much for your understanding, Captain-General Trajan. Everything we did was for the Emperor and the Imperium! Our loyalty is beyond question." "Captain-General Trajan, if you are willing to support us as well, then we would have the backing of four High Lords. Perhaps it's time for us to convene a meeting." The next topic for discussion was how to compensate the Eldar. Most other matters could be addressed, but when it came to the Custodes, that would be for Trajan to decide. "I will personally negotiate with the noble descendant of the ancient Aeldari Empire. As for the rest of you, follow me to have your memories wiped. Aside from these two, no one is exempt. This secret must not be leaked." Trajan spoke to the group. The Golden Throne's primary function as a webway-carving device was a secret that could not be allowed to spread. The three High Lords, along with the rogue trader Kania and the Grand Inquisitor Damnz, hesitated but eventually gritted their teeth and nodded in agreement. "As for the two of you, you may now leave the palace. Someone will escort you out. Tomorrow, have your master come here, and I will personally negotiate with him," Trajan said, addressing Rhodes and Salome. "Then we shall take our leave, Captain-General. My master will come in person at this time tomorrow to discuss the matter of compensation," Salome responded. Trajan gave them a meaningful look, nodded, and gestured for the Custodian guards at the door to escort the two out. "Emperor, I shall take my leave. I imagine convincing your Custodes Captain-General tomorrow will take some effort," Rhodes sent a telepathic message to the Emperor before leaving. ["Go. The female scientist under your command is truly remarkable. If she had been there to help me carve the webway back then, perhaps my plan would have succeeded,"] the Emperor said. Such a capable young woman—she recognized at a glance that the machine was for carving webways. Truly extraordinary. "Then it's settled. I'll handle the dark energy absorption issue and deal with the Custodes," Rhodes said with a smile. ["Be careful. My Custodes are not so easily persuaded, especially since you are coming as an Xenos,"] the Emperor warned. It was clear that Rhodes had done some investigation into the Imperium's internal affairs; otherwise, he would have approached in a more human guise. The two were soon escorted out of the palace by the Custodes. Rhodes did not bother hiding anymore, activating a teleportation bracelet with Salome to depart. During this conversation with the Emperor, Rhodes did not ask whether it was possible to have someone impersonate a Primarch. Nor did the Emperor reveal all his secrets to him. The two were collaborators, but the Master of Mankind had never trusted anyone. The two Custodes who witnessed this exchange glanced at each other and then returned to the palace to report the incident to Captain-General Trajan. By this time, the rogue trader Kania, Grand Inquisitor Damz, and the three High Lords had all had their memories wiped. They had forgotten the part about the Golden Throne being a device for carving webways. That memory had been encrypted as a classified repair detail of the Golden Throne, not to be disclosed under any circumstances. "Have they left? How did they leave?" "Captain-General Trajan, they used an unknown teleportation technology. It seemed somewhat similar to the Necrons' methods but was also different. This ancient Eldar faction appears to possess highly advanced technology," one of the Custodes who had escorted Rhodes out reported. Trajan had originally instructed that if their small ship arrived to pick them up, space defenses should be notified to let it pass. If they had no intention of leaving, they were to be directed back to their previous lodgings. But unexpectedly, they teleported away right in front of the Custodes. "I see. Issue an immediate order to the spaceport and conduct a full search. See if we can locate their flagship," Trajan commanded. The rogue trader Kania had mentioned that they had used the webway to return to the Solar system. This meant that these Xenos ships had managed to approach Holy Terra undetected, and as the Captain-General, Trajan had been completely unaware. "Captain-General Trajan, we should handle this matter politely and avoid provoking them further. They have demonstrated considerable goodwill this time," Kania suggested. This ancient Eldar faction had not demanded payment in advance, nor had they caused any trouble upon arriving on Holy Terra. Instead, they had conscientiously inspected the Golden Throne, quickly identifying the critical issue—so critical that their memories of it had to be wiped. "You have some nerve, rogue trader. This is the second time you've contradicted me. There won't be a third. Otherwise, I have the authority to revoke your family's trading rights," Trajan warned. "I meant no disrespect, Captain-General. I merely found the most suitable person to repair the Golden Throne," Kania replied. "You should have told me about this in advance. If I hadn't discovered that the one called Rhodes had such a pure genetic lineage, I wouldn't have even come. I wouldn't have discovered this matter at all," Trajan said. The other party had no malicious intent? Any Xenos force is untrustworthy. The mere fact that they could appear on Terra without anyone knowing is already the greatest threat and challenge to the Imperium. But this isn't the first time the Dark Eldar or other Eldar members have used the Webway to appear within the Solar System. Their understanding of the Webway is far too advanced, and it's practically impossible to defend against it. At least now they know there's a Webway entrance near Pluto. It seems necessary to build a fortress there. However, this isn't something Trajan could decide alone. The other High Lords wouldn't listen to him. "Captain-General Trajan, we originally planned to inform you immediately after the other party completed their repairs. We had no intention of hiding anything." "Enough! Let's end this matter here. I don't want to argue with you anymore," Trajan waved his hand and ordered his subordinates to escort them out of the Imperial Palace. Then he went alone to the Emperor's throne room. He removed his helmet, knelt before the Golden Throne, and began to pray. "Great Emperor, please forgive my mistakes. Please forgive my blasphemous actions! I had no choice but to allow these filthy Xenos to touch Your sacred Golden Throne! If there had been any other way, I would never have let this happen. Please forgive me!" Trajan knelt before the Golden Throne, praying for an entire day and night. Meanwhile, the Emperor's consciousness seemed a bit speechless, while the Dark Emperor laughed heartily. ... Elsewhere, after returning, Rhodes gave orders for Titus, three scientists, and Daram—who had altered his appearance—to accompany him to the Holy Terra Imperial Palace the next day. Rhodes did not plan to bring any other Space Marines. The Custodians had not yet fully lowered their guard. If there were any danger, those accompanying him could use teleportation bracelets to leave quickly, but others might not react fast enough. "Daram, tomorrow you'll disguise yourself as a human. I will enter as an Eldar," Rhodes ordered. "I understand, Master. Don't worry! My disguise capabilities are reliable. If I transform into a human, even genetic testing won't reveal anything," Daram replied. The giant race was truly remarkable. They could almost be considered pure energy beings, and altering appearances was a trivial matter for them. "Good. Prepare yourself. Tomorrow, I'll have you absorb dark energy. If you can manage it, try to keep the disturbance minimal. For example, disguise it as repairing the Golden Throne," Rhodes said. "If his dark energy isn't too strong, I can ensure that no one notices," Daram replied confidently. "Master, you mustn't underestimate the abilities of a dark giant. We are experts in manipulating dark energy. I can even transform into a device. Just place me there, and it will work." ... The night passed uneventfully. The next morning, Daram transformed into Rhodes' human appearance and followed him, along with the others, to the Holy Terra Imperial Palace. The group teleported directly to the palace gates where they had previously departed. A squad of Custodians was already waiting. "By order of Captain-General Trajan, I will escort you into the palace. But first, I need to ensure you are carrying no weapons," a Shield-Captain declared. "I cannot enter humanity's most secure location without any form of protection. I've already shown enough goodwill. If you still don't trust me, then this deal is off. Just say the word, and I'll leave. You can find someone else to repair the Golden Throne," Rhodes retorted bluntly. The more you humble yourself, the more they'll push you around. Some things must not be compromised. Let them handle the problem instead. If they don't want the repairs, so be it. The Shield-Captain was visibly angry but suppressed his rage, remembering the importance of Rhodes' task. He led the group into the palace, reasoning that there were only a few of them. No matter how skilled they were, they couldn't possibly overcome hundreds of Custodians unless every one of them was Primarch level.