Warhammer: Black Emperor

Chapter 159: Conferring the title of Rogue Trader on Von Valancius

Vostronia, Paragon City, King's Palace.

Nimrod sat on the black throne with thirty-three swords and a crown on its back, watching Lewis von Valancius enter the palace.

He held a half-height cage in his left hand and supported it with his right hand from below.

Nimrod's eyes were drawn to the colorful creature in the cage.

It was a parrot, half a meter long, with brightly colored feathers and distinct patterns, and a beak like a thorn.

It has a long, colorful tongue that sticks out of its mouth, sometimes swinging behind its head and sometimes wrapping around its neck.

Nimrod recognized it as a parrot, the main ingredient of the potion of "The Thief", the subsequent sequence 8 "The Swindler".

Lewis walked to the throne, placed the cage in his hand on the ground, and knelt on one knee according to Vostroyan etiquette.

"Lewis von Valancius meets the Primarch."

The parrot's tongue was like a long colorful snake retracting into a hole. In an instant, it retracted into its throat and it spoke loudly.

"Lewis von Valancius meets the Primarch."

Lewis spoke quickly.

"I heard that the Primarch likes all kinds of strange things. I discovered this special parrot during my voyage through the Wulf system and I would like to present it to the throne."

Ning Lu, who had obtained the missing main ingredients and completed the ingredients for the "Swindler" potion, said with a smile.

"I am very pleased with your gift."

"Only one?"

Lewis breathed a sigh of relief when he heard this.

"Sir, I have captured fifty-six in total, and they are being well cared for by the local people."

"I will send someone to deliver it to you later."

Nimrod smiled and nodded. Having harvested the ingredients for the potion, he looked at Lewis with admiration. He was indeed von Valancius.

"Get up."

Lewis stood up and stood respectfully.

Ningluo tapped the back of the chair with his fingers and asked.

"What did you discover on this trip?"

Lewis was well prepared. He immediately took out the data tablet and tapped with his fingers, showing a star map in front of Nimrod.

"Primarch, I have discovered five star systems and twelve habitable planets on this trip."

"Besides the Wolfe Galaxy, there's also the Maine Galaxy..."

"I submitted the star maps and the status of each star system to the Lord of Peering into the Mysteries. He is leading the Shadows of Order of the Ninth Regiment along the route to bring those planets under the jurisdiction of the Empire."

After listening to Lewis's report, Nimrod found no world discoveries worthy of special attention, but the route he explored during this voyage connected Vostronia and the Crystal Illusion, which was already a major contribution.

He said to Arsena, "This route will continuously deliver crystals to Vostronia. It's called the Crystal Corridor."

Then, the Primarch looked at Lewis.

"Lewis, I promised you that you would become a Rogue Trader after completing your mission."

"Arsene has prepared the canonization ceremony. You will become the first Rogue Trader I appoint."

Lewis knelt on one knee and said excitedly.

"Thank you for your trust, sir. I will do my best to serve you."

"Get up."

The Primarch raised his hand to signal, thinking of his memory of 10,000 years later when Von Valancius, one of the three major merchant dynasties in the Colonus Expanse and granted a trade license by Old Man Huang, only had one frigate, and he began to speak.

"The Vostroya Shipyard will begin construction of a batch of cruisers. The first cruiser built will serve as von Valancius's future flagship."

"Thank you for your gift, sir."

Lewis knelt on one knee for the third time to express his gratitude to the Primarch.

Three days later, Lewis von Valancius walked into the palace in a black suit with his head held high.

Three servo skulls with ribbons hanging from their heads flew above and on either side of him, chanting from their mouths.

"The Rogue Trader Creation Ceremony is about to begin! Primarch Nimrod will grant Lewis von Valancius the Trade Letters!"

"..."

On either side of the palace stood the new Primarch's honor guard, the Vostroyan nobility, and representatives of various social classes. Under the envious gazes of the Vostroyan family representatives, Lewis walked to the Black Throne and knelt on one knee.

Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at the marble slabs held by the two honor guards on his left.

Trade letters come in a variety of formats, including parchment, electronic documents on data tablets, and many others.

Nimrod chose the most traditional and solemn stone slab.

The Primarch's attendants represented the Primarch, and the content was imprinted on it with finely ground black onyx stone powder.

"I hereby declare that, by my own will and the authenticity of this document, I designate this person as the holder of the Trade Letter and entrust to him my great mission...

You will serve as a model for mankind, never yielding in the face of adversity, and forging a path forward in the darkness...

You will break the endless nightmare, flatten the thorny road, and achieve great things."

The brand in the lower right corner is an almost invisible signature: a chaotic black arc, followed by wings, spikes and an abstract crown above.

If Lewis had not happened to be kneeling to the right of the trade certificate, the black symbol would have been almost ignored.

But he would never ignore the name burned deep into the stone: Nimrod.

It was written by the Primarch himself.

Nimrod stood up and took the sword from Arsena, who was holding the ceremonial sword in both hands, and placed it on Lewis's shoulder.

"I, Nimrod, grant Lewis von Valancius a trade license. As a rogue trader, you will travel to the dark realms beyond the empire and explore unexplored areas."

Lewis placed his right hand on his heart and swore an oath of allegiance according to Vostroyan etiquette.

"I, Lewis von Valancius, am fortunate to have received the Primarch's kindness. I will strive to advance. The von Valancius family will forever serve the Lord King and expand your territory."

Representatives of the major families of Vostronia looked at Lewis enviously.

Vostronia thrives, but also faces fierce wars. As a Rogue Trader, Lewis is able to explore the unknown void, colonize, and conquer territories as long as he obeys the orders of the Primarch and pays taxes.

After the enthronement ceremony, Ningluo spoke to many nobles and representatives of major families.

"You are all meritorious individuals who have followed me in my endeavors. I will offer you and your descendants the opportunity to become Rogue Traders."

"Among the planets discovered by the 11th Legion, many worlds are isolated."

"Each family will receive a frigate, departing from Vostronia,"

Sixteen days later, Nimrod received reports of the arrival of transports from the Alert System, carrying some of the loot the First Chapter had found among the wreckage of Eldar ships and aircraft.

Nimrod saw thirty-six strong-brained cats on the list and ordered them to be brought to him.

Strongbrain cats are large cats with thick, fluffy ginger or orange fur and bright blue eyes.

Adult strong-brain cats are one meter long. They are not an intelligent species, but they have an amazing ability to resonate with other creatures and establish a spiritual connection with their owners - just like true friendship.

This mental connection is of great benefit to the owner of this animal. When the Strong Brain Cat is very close to the owner, the owner's thinking and action speed will actually improve.

Nimrod sat on the throne, staring at the Strong Brain Cats with his black eyes for a moment, and confirmed that they were not potion materials.

He was not disappointed, the Strong Brain Cat was a pet of extremely high value.

When they grow up, they can master six types of psychic spells, including rare spells like "freeze time".

In Nimrod's memory, traveling traders, large families and senior officials of Terra, as well as future inquisitors with psychic powers, would all keep strong-brain cats as pets.

The Primarch's consciousness swept over the many strong-brained cats in front of him and selected three from them.

Besides his own, the other two were for Maria Kornikova and Tierney.

The "assassin" and the "thief" should be kept out of sight and should be given by him privately.

He instructed the four strong-brain cats one by one, and then told Arsene about the distribution plan.

"Howard, Bukayo, Adams..."

Nimrod read out the outstanding people in the legion one by one. This did not include lords like Christian who he thought were not good enough, but included company commanders such as Szczesny and Bukawu.

"Arsena, you, Malena, and Diana should each adopt one."

To establish a mental link with a Strong Brain Cat, the owner does not need to have psychic powers. Dark Eldar who have given up the use of psychic powers often keep Strong Brain Cats in captivity.

Of course, the stronger the psychic power, the easier it is to establish a mental link with the Strong Brain Cat.

Ark Eldar most often keep Strongbrain cats in captivity, treating them as family.

The "Princess Regent," no, it was Evelyne, and her family member was called Rulinis.

Then, Ning Lu walked to the cage, opened the cage door, and picked up the selected strong-brain cat.

(End of this chapter)