A Game of Chess, Flagship Captain Selected

On the ground floor of the villa in the courtyard, after reviewing the information of the five captain candidates, the Primarch asked the Primarch's Attendants a question.

"Arsena, what do you think of these five players?"

The Primarch's Attendants raised his head and stated his thoughts.

Lion Touré, 42, is the most distinguished of the five, coming from a long-established and powerful family in Terra.

"But Lion himself is a typical traditional officer, as can be seen from his command log; his tactics are too conservative."

"A strategy of playing it safe in every battle may win those where you have the advantage, but it comes at a high cost, making it impossible to avoid avoidable losses."

Nimrod nodded slightly; Arsena Dunn shared the same assessment of Lion.

"Go on."

The "Reader" had already absorbed the information and completed the analysis. He analyzed the background, strengths, and weaknesses of each candidate one by one, occasionally citing their battle examples as evidence.

"Diana Boleyn, 33 years old, comes from the most ordinary background among the five; her family is not considered powerful or wealthy in Sabaudia."

"But Diana herself was exceptional; she possessed a sharp mind and excelled in every role she played."

"In her logistics role, she demonstrated meticulous attention to detail; she was able to process information accurately, quickly, and clearly."

"When she was in charge of the Expeditionary Fleet, she transferred large numbers of soldiers from one point to another, ensuring that they arrived on time, had sufficient ammunition, enough rations, and adequate support, and that everything proceeded smoothly."

Arsena recalled the battle examples on the Data Slate, "Her actions in fighting pirates and Xenos were swift, precise, and deadly, which aligns with your thinking."

Nimrod tapped the back of the chair lightly with his fingers and nodded in approval.

"She is indeed the right person."

He doesn't necessarily have to choose from the candidates, but if he does choose, he will definitely choose the right person.

"Set a time; I need to meet with her."

Ten days later, Nimrod met Diana Pauline, who was wearing a well-tailored military uniform with neatly arranged gold buttons and three gleaming medals on her chest.

Her blonde hair was neatly tied up, and her deep eyes appeared even sharper against the backdrop of her military cap.

Diana strode briskly towards the Primarch.

"Lord Nimrod, Diana Pauline is here to report to you."

The Departmento Munitorum has not yet been established and will not officially begin operations until the eve of Ullanor. Currently, both the Astartes and the Solar Auxilia only have ranks but no military titles.

The Primarch noticed that Diana's blue-green eyes wanted to look away for a moment, but she pursed her lips, suppressed her natural reaction, and used willpower to overcome her physiological instincts.

Nimrod nodded in satisfaction. "Sit down."

"Yes."

Diana sat up straight, and only after she sat down did she notice the two chessboards in front of her.

Regicide or Go?

Upon hearing this, Diana understood that she had to choose her own Primarch, and this was a test for her.

"Regicide."

Regicide is a board game popular among people of all social classes. It is similar to chess, but the board is circular.

The pieces in the Regicide include the Emperor, Empress, Prince, Priest, General, Steward, Fortress, Citizen, Warrior, and Samurai.

Diana explained, "I only have a slight understanding of Go."

"Regicide has a clear objective and a clear path—killing the Emperor will bring victory."

"But the Go board doesn't have the Emperor for the players to kill. Or rather, there are many the Emperors on the Go board."

"Let's begin, you go first."

Nimrod nodded slightly. Regicide was widely used in the Imperium Command, while Go was only becoming more popular in the future "White Scars".

Diana raised her hand in a gesture of apology, her expression solemn, and picked up the general's staff.

The Primarch and the female Commander initially moved very quickly, then slowed down.

Diana frowned. Every move she made was within her expectations, but she felt a sense of crisis and unease.

"You're about to lose after just one more move."

Nimrod lowered his voice and said, "I think you need to use the 'Priest' to break out of the 'Blind Man's Kill' situation."

Diana was immediately uneasy after the Primarch revealed her thoughts, but she used the opportunity to calm herself down and examined the chessboard piece by piece.

After a moment, she gave a wry smile and said helplessly.

"Your 'Prince' can step out of this 'Traitor's Gambit' at any time; I've lost."

Your performance was excellent.

The Primarch laughed and said that even if Diana was exceptional, she had the limitations of a mortal, and her ability to calculate and deduce was incomparable to his.

He looked at the dejected female commander, "You will be the captain of my flagship. Immediately hand over your current duties."

Diana was taken aback. She hadn't had high hopes before coming, and after losing the game, she had given up completely. She never expected things to take such a turn for the better, and she was Primarch appointed as the captain of the flagship by the Primarch.

A few seconds later, she came to her senses, stood up from her seat, and said excitedly.

"Primarch, thank you for your trust. I will do my best to serve you."

Nimrod and began to speak.

"Arsena will send you updates on the Eleventh Legion."

"If you have free time in the future, you can devote some energy to Go. It can teach you to perceive threats from all sides and deal with a variety of enemies."

"Taking all factors into account and understanding the situation promptly will make you a better commander."

Diana seemed thoughtful. "Yes, my lady. I will certainly devote my efforts to researching this area in the future."

"Then, I look forward to our next match."

At the same moment that Nimrod selected the captain of his flagship, the Upper Hive of Iphigenius Hive City.

A light drizzle fell, and Tierney, with a black hood covering his head, looked just like any other person strolling through the commercial district.

But the "Marauder's " seemingly aimless gaze is actually an observation. Having undergone Astartes' Occulobe surgery, he has an enhanced "Superior Observation" ability, allowing him to have a complete view of his surroundings.

The "Marauder" suddenly stepped forward and approached a middle-aged man wearing a blue robe with a gold Lion emblem on his chest.

Carles, the patriarch of the Reyna House, had just seen off the attendants sent by the Sigillite to inspect the commercial district when he led his guards toward where the airship was docked.

As he walked past the corner of a jewelry store, the guard holding an umbrella behind him suddenly slipped, lost his balance, and stumbled to the ground.

The Marauder had anticipated this; his "Superior Observation" caught a slight indentation in the slippery ground.

Tierney anticipated that one of Carles's men would inevitably slip and fall.

In that instant, the guards would panic for a moment, and that would be his chance.

With a gliding step, "The Marauder," his "Agile Hand" allowing him to maintain the stability and dexterity of his wrists and fingers even at high speed, extended his right hand toward Carles.

The Marauder easily "stole" the key from Carles' inner pocket—a lion-shaped metal key engraved with thirteen runes.

Unaware of what was happening, Carles frowned and angrily rebuked the guards as they restored order.

"Waste!"

At 11 p. m., while Carles was searching for the key in his bedroom and study, a dark figure silently climbed up the Reyna House's Hive Spire.