Warhammer: Black Emperor

Chapter 45 Trani Surrenders

The bronze-skinned commander didn't dare look directly at Nimrod, but fixed his gaze on his chest, staring at the dark purple bloodstains.

"I am... Vieri Barrera, the leader of the Terrani... warriors... Our clan leader was killed by the evil aliens during negotiations, so I am temporarily taking over the position of clan leader."

As a high-ranking official in Trani, Vieri had come into contact with representatives of Vostronia and barely mastered Vostronia Low Gothic.

As he spoke, he gradually recalled the past.

Nimrod had previously read about the Cradle of the Sea, and the locals called their people Sicilians, in remembrance of their ancient homeland of Terra.

The Trani, the largest of the Sicilians, occupied the island of Castello and established a small kingdom consisting of one town and nineteen burgos.

"Thank you for your rescue. Without you, we would have been killed by the aliens."

Vieri said gratefully that without the arrival of the giant in front of them, Trani might have been destroyed.

"The invading aliens are called the Furao. They have established a nomadic empire among the stars. To put it more bluntly, they are pirates in space."

"I can tell you that one of the Flao people's main battleships and five escort ships escaped. They know the way to this world, and they will come again."

"There are even more terrifying aliens and evil creatures in the universe, and this beautiful world will suffer more disasters."

Vieri was stunned. He thought of the alien named Flao mentioned by the giant. Their warriors were more powerful than the tribal warriors. They also had evil wizards. If it weren't for Malena Terrani, they would have been destroyed.

When they invade again, can Trani survive this disaster?

He looked at the tall shaman anxiously, hoping to gain some comfort from him.

Malena's brown eyes became deep, and her tone was ethereal, as if coming from another dimension.

"He was right. I saw flames burning... and a sea of ​​blood rising..."

Ningluo keenly noticed the colorful light emanating from Malena's body and the tiny floating threads that seemed to appear and disappear.

[A familiar feeling... It's the Warp, the strings of fate, she's precognizing.]
He also noticed a hint of brilliance in the colorful light, and just as he was about to capture it, the colorful light dissipated.

Nimrod thought for a moment, and understood what he had seen before.

[Malena is a psychic and was just having precognition. The Emperor has endowed this body with keen perception, a supernatural perception that is not just physical, but also involves the warp.

But the Emperor did not like psychic power. He did not implant this knowledge into my genetic memory, but only hoped that I would use it vaguely based on instinct.

In other words, if I put some effort into this, I'll soon be able to develop the ability to perceive the subspace.]
Nimrod thought again of what Guilliman would tell Felix in the future: "Deep within the souls of all of us lies a fragment from the Warp."

[I should properly explore this ability and integrate it with the combat power and extraordinary abilities of the Primarch.]
As his thoughts wandered, Malena opened her red lips slightly, and her voice returned to its solemn and magnetic tone.

"I saw a broken fragment in the dark future, shrouded in black mist, but I believe it must be related to you."

Ningluo looked at Malena, whose face turned pale because of the premonition. He didn't want to waste time arguing, so he spoke directly.

"My name is Nimrod, I come from Vostronia, and I rule over four hives."

"I will also unify Vostronia and become the king of that world."

Vieri frowned, for he knew that Vostroya not only had the great noble families, but also the servants of Om Messiah, the members of the Mechanicum who served Mars.

He subconsciously wanted to refute the arrogant words, but the confidence and firm tone in the giant's words seemed to contain some kind of power, like a prophecy, a different kind of prophecy from the shaman's.

"Submit to me, Sicilians, and I will grant you asylum."

Nimrod held the heavy halberd lightly, and if Vieri refused, he would use force directly until the people of Trani faced reality.

The output of Cradle of the Sea was vital to Vostronia and the kingdom he wanted to establish. Without food, the flames of rebellion could erupt at any time. Cradle of the Sea, which he classified as an agricultural world, must be under his control.

Cold sweat broke out on Vieri's forehead. He felt the pressure as heavy as a mountain. Having witnessed the giant's god-like fighting power, he knew that if he refused, there would be only one outcome, which was death. Even Malena could not save him.

But he also remembered his responsibilities. As the leader of Trani, he should consider the entire tribe.

[If you refuse, the entire tribe will be destroyed immediately.

If we agree, we may escape the crisis temporarily, but we may also suffer a crisis worse than extinction in the future. He may even enslave us.]
Just as he was struggling internally, Marlena spoke.

"Vieri, submit to him. I believe he is the one who brings us hope for the future in the dark fog."

The shaman's words overwhelmed Vieri's last bit of determination.

"Shaman Marlena, I believe in your prophecy."

"On behalf of Trani, I pledge my loyalty to you."

"A wise choice," Nimrod said seriously, promising, "You will not regret your choice today."

He then issued an order, "Reorganize the warriors of Trani. We must wipe out all the Furao aliens in this world."

There was no need to collect food. Some of the supplies looted by the Flao people had not yet been transported to the ships. Based on what he had seen before, he initially estimated that, together with the potential spoils from other large islands, the cabins of his fleet would be filled.

Wojciech, under his command, had already organized the pilots and crew to begin the transport.

As Vieri carried out his orders, Nimrod turned his gaze to Malena.

"Are you a shaman?"

"Yes, my lord."

"Which god do you believe in?"

Marlena smiled and raised her hand to signal.

"Please come with me."

Maria and the other two looked at Malena warily, holding their weapons tightly. A shaman is a wizard, and in the eyes of the Vostroyans, wizards are dangerous and evil beings.

Nimrod followed Malena all the way to the seaside.

The female shaman looked ahead. "The people of Trani believe in the Coral Sea. Not everyone can sense its presence, but I believe you can."

Nimrod walked to the seashore and looked at the blue sea.

His eyes penetrated the sea water and saw the corals of various shapes and colors on the offshore beach.

Some of them are winding and stretching like deer antlers, some are round and plump like mushrooms, and some have tree-shaped corals standing tall, like a tropical rainforest on the seabed.

In the deep blue sea, the coral reefs appear in a variety of colors such as pink, emerald green, and white, as if they are nature's most exquisite palette.

Nimrod immediately knew why this sea area was named so, but he felt that there was a deeper meaning in Malena's tone.

He did not ask, his black eyes staring quietly at the sea, and there was nothing special in his spiritual vision.

Ningluo used meditation to calm his mind, and he tried to find the wonderful feeling he had when he discovered the strangeness of Malena before.

(End of this chapter)