Divining Mordian

"The Nation of Disorder," Nimrod murmured, stroking the three-sided die in his right hand.

He could sense that he had established some kind of connection with the Dice of Prophecy, a mystical connection.

He was vaguely certain that the dice in his hand were the Mystical Item corresponding to Sequence 3 "Clairvoyant" of the "Hermit" Pathway.

The ambiguity lies in the fact that he only knows it stems from his connection with the Dice of Prophecy, but he cannot clearly perceive how to confirm it through that connection.

The certainty lies in his ability to ascertain that the Dice of Prophecy die corresponds to the "Clairvoyant," rather than the "Prophet" of Sequence 4 in Pathway "Fool" or "White Tower" Pathway.

After playing with and studying the Primarch gene for a while without success, he pondered to himself.

[The root of all connections should be rules; perhaps only when I advance through the Mid-Sequence will I glimpse their true nature.]

Nimrod gave up on further exploration and began to consider who to have his divination performed.

[As of now, no report from Sanchez has been received.]

It's possible he hasn't conquered Tanith yet, or it's possible he's just sent Astropathic Communication.

It's unlikely to return in the short term, so the divination at Catachan seems a bit of a waste.

His mind raced through all the worlds he knew that the Imperium had yet to discover.

Valhalla, Ventrilian...

The Primarch performs high-speed analysis on these worlds, determining their characteristics and whether they are suitable for a particular Chapter's traits.

A moment later, a name lingered in his mind: Mordian.

Bukayo House Arshavin, who discovered the Daxos Binary System and Cepra Mundi, deserves a reward.

Mordian is well-suited for the "Dark" Pathway, serving as a recruitment hub for the Third Legion.

Furthermore, Mordian is relatively close to Cepra Mundi on the Galaxy map, making it a strategic world that can protect the entire region.

Having considered this, Nimrod made a decision.

His mind raced through all the information he knew about Mordian.

[Segmentum Obscurus, Mordian System, Mordian Main Star]

Mordian's rotation period and revolution period are the same, so one half of the planet is always in darkness, while the other half is scorched by the Sun.

All life exists in the darkness, hence Mordian is also known as the "Eternal Night World".

Because the planet lacks rotation and therefore there is no Cori effect, any strong winds cannot form, resulting in a thick and dark atmosphere.

...]

After quickly reviewing everything Nimrod knew about Mordian, he silently recited it in his mind.

[Sampra Mandy's star map to Mordian.]

Sampra Mandy's star map to Mordian.

...]

After silently reciting it eleven times, he reached out and threw the Dice of Prophecy in his hand.

After tumbling several times in the air, the three-sided die fell downwards, landing in Nimrod's outstretched hand. At that moment, a scene that seemed like a holographic projection appeared before his eyes.

In the picture, stars are spread out.

The head of the winding "snake" is a metal sphere filled with densely packed, colorful threads, like a ball of yarn.

The tail is a sphere, half of which is bright and dazzling, while the other half is pitch black without a trace of light.

While memorizing the star map, the Primarch also used his knowledge of divination to interpret it:

The metal sphere is Cepra Mundi, which, thanks to the local industrial base, can quickly grow into Forge World with powerful production capacity, becoming a shipyard comparable to Mars.

The dense, colorful threads converged on the Warp route of Cepra Mandy, a world that, in my memory, would be chosen by the Imperial Navy as a base in the Segmentum Obscurus, possessing a uniquely advantageous geographical location.

The sphere of light and darkness symbolizes Mordian is forever half light and half darkness.

Nimrod then returned to the real world and, relying on his superhuman memories, reconstructed the star map and recorded it into the Data Slate.

It will be delivered to the Third Legion along with the supply ship.

Subsequently, the Primarch found Diana Boleyn, dressed in military uniform, commanding the ships.

"Your performance is commendable, and I will reward you. Come with me."

"My lord, it is my honor to serve you."

As the female captain spoke, the space battle with the Aeldari Craftworld in the Vigilant Star not long ago flashed through her mind.

The Primarch saw through the Aeldari's illusion of light during that battle, severely damaging and tearing apart enemy ships.

[Only the Primarch possesses such superhuman abilities.]

Just as Diana was marveling at the situation, Nimrod said with a smile.

"This is also for my own sake. Finding a suitable captain is no easy task, and I don't want to lose you."

Upon hearing that she was needed by the Primarch, the female captain's eyes lit up.

Yes! The Primarch needs people to manage the various affairs of the Shadow of the Throne, to liaise with other fleets, and to coordinate officers at all levels.

Ordinary enemies do not require his personal command.

He should focus his energy on more important matters.

Diana followed the Primarch toward his palace, past the outermost training deck, and onto the first floor.

Two honor guards stood before the black gate and bowed as the Primarch approached.

Nimrod placed his palm on the panel, the identification runes flashed, and the black alloy door slowly opened.

The Primarch led Diana to the area where the Ring Weapons were stored. "You can choose any of the Ring Weapons made by the Space Ape. You can wear them on all ten fingers like Arsena."

The female captain did not back down and immediately began making her selections.

Nimrod's dark eyes swept over his armory, where Space Ape had crafted Ring Weapons, Protective Orb, and Spy Fly, filling a third of the enormous vault.

The output of the Space Ape was indeed very high, but no special surprises appeared. Perhaps the "program" implanted in them by the Old Ones made the production of regular products the norm.

Relying on luck, it's uncertain how long it will take to obtain valuable items.

Fortunately, another Space Ape is pregnant. Once the newborn is born and contact is established, it can be designated for targeted research, the first area being Simian Field technology.

As Nimrod pondered, Diana, just as the Primarch had instructed, chose rings and adorned them on all ten of her slender fingers.

The blonde female captain walked up to the Primarch. "Thank you for your gift, my lord. I once saw nobles wearing precious rings in the taverns of Sabaudia. I never imagined that one day I would have both hands covered in them."

Her blue-green eyes sparkled. "I never expected your private armory to be stocked with so many Ring Weapons."

Nimrod raised his left hand and pointed to the area where the Protective Orb were stored.

"You can also choose any Protective Orb you like," he said after a pause. "As you said, they're just piled up here for decoration."

"I've decided to allocate a portion of the funds to outstanding naval officers; you will set the criteria."

The Primarch also decided to have his Primarch's Attendants establish standards and systems to reward administrators, Treasure Hunting Squad, and Auxilia in each world.

This can both enhance their self-defense capabilities and increase their loyalty through rewards.

Upon hearing this, Diana looked at the Primarch with reverence.

"On behalf of all the officers, I thank you for your generosity."

"Serving you is our honor and our duty; you do not need any reward."

Nimrod then returned to the bridge with the female captain.

The Shadow of the Throne returned to the Vostonia System after a five-week voyage.

As the ship sailed toward Vostonia Starport, Arsena Dunn came before the command the Throne.

"Sir, there is a report that was not submitted to you, but I believe it is worthy of your attention."

Nimrod his fingers lightly on the chair. "Speak."

"The transport ship Groningen has completed its supply mission for the Second Legion and is returning with a gift for you: a ship full of interesting creatures raised by Ork."

"After its warp-out from Warp, the Groningen did not proceed to a starport and ignored all communications."

"The Auxilia sent to investigate have all lost contact; their voice communications are filled with screams and howls."

The "Deduction Cadets" had a deep look in his eyes and spoke with certainty.

"I believe the organisms aboard the Groningen have encountered an accident during the voyage, and you will need to handle it personally."