Malcador's Gift to the Victor of the Fire Wheel

After the Battle of the Wheel of Fire ended, Primarch Leman Russ and Hannibal returned to Terra before Nimrod.

While preparing for the celebration, the Sigillite also launched a massive publicity campaign.

The people of Terra eagerly awaited the celebrations: the Emperor's return from the front lines of the expedition, the return of one Primarch, and the triumphant return of three Primarch —something they had been anticipating for months.

In the tenth Sun Moon of the 30th month, the celebrations finally began, with the Emperor and Primarch Nimrod and Manus arriving on Terra.

The people of Terra gathered around Lion's Gate Spaceport, looking up at the sky and watching the two Aquila Shuttle slowly descend.

Nimrod and Manus walked out amidst cheers.

Numerous Servo-skull, each equipped with megaphones and silk ribbons, were surrounding the area, chanting loudly.

"Praise be to the Emperor, he is the Master of Mankind, he is the Lord of the Throne Terra!"

"Homage to Lord Nimrod, son of the Emperor, Primarch of the Eleventh Legion, the Monarch of Vostonia, Xenos Slayer, Ork Purifiers!"

"Welcome, Lord Ferrus Manus, the Primarch of the 10th Legion, the Gorgon of Medusa!"

The Imperium Ceremonial Band played beautiful melodies, mingling with hymns played through the Servo-skull amplifiers and the cheers of the crowd.

Russ and Hannibal stood on either side of Malcador, welcoming the three.

Manus had never seen so many people; the crowd chanted his name like a deafening roar.

His passion surged like a torrent, temporarily breaking through his cold logic; his heart was in turmoil, but his face remained stern.

Standing opposite him, Russ saw a fleeting, intense tremor in Russ's silver-coin-sized eyes.

Nimrod intuitively sensed Manus's emotions, then looked at Malcador was striding forward.

"My lord, welcome back."

The Emperor looked at his old friend; compared to their last meeting, his nasolabial folds had deepened, and a genuine smile appeared on his face.

"My Sigillite, you've worked hard."

Nimrod discerned complex emotions in the Old Man in Yellow's simple words.

It shows both an understanding of the hardships endured by those in Sigillite and empathy and concern.

A smile appeared on Malcador's tired face.

"It is my duty, and also my honor."

Malcador then looked at Nimrod, his voice low and deep.

"Nimrod, your achievements are admirable; the slaying of the Ork warlord is a victory worth remembering."

Nimrod nodded in acknowledgment. "Glory belongs to the Shadow of Order. Their valiant fighting enabled me to confront the Ork and slay the great enemy for the Imperium."

He noticed that the Wolf King's gaze held both frank and sincere admiration, as well as a provocative and cold edge.

Malcador finally looked at Manus: "Welcome back, Ferrus Manus, from Gorgon of Medusa."

Manus, upon hearing Malcador's words, replied in a leaden voice, in cold, hard High Gothic.

"Sigillite, it's a pleasure to meet you. Nimrod told me that you coordinated the logistics of the entire Imperium, which is truly astonishing."

The group then boarded the open-top vehicles prepared for them and slowly moved forward amidst cheers from the crowd.

The journey ended, and everyone entered the Golden Banquet Hall.

For this banquet, Malcador used a marble circular table.

The Emperor took the throne, Malcador sat to his right.

As the second Primarch to return and the greatest contributor to the "Wheel of Fire" campaign, Nimrod naturally sat opposite the Emperor.

As the Primarch had just returned to the Imperium, Manus was given a position opposite himself by Malcador, closer to the Emperor.

Russ sat next to Malcador, with Hannibal opposite him.

Products from the various Agri World of the Imperium are cooked by Terra's top chefs and served on the table.

The Emperor extended his fork toward the crystal goblet, where five hundred Red Crane Tongue formed a coral reef.

He used his golden fork to pick up the Red Crane Tongue and put it in his mouth, his tongue absorbing the acidity of the Marsala Wine and the tenderness of the meat.

After the Red Sparrow Tongue fell into the stomach, the Emperor looked at Manus.

"Manus, Medusa is poor in resources, but today you shall enjoy the feast of the stars."

"Yes, Father." Manus forked a piece of Red Sparrow Tongue and then scooped up Salt-baked Snail with a silver spoon.

During our stay on the Shadow of the Throne, our diet consisted mainly of seafood, vegetables, and Kraken steak from the Cradle of the Sea.

Ferrus was now more interested in meat like snails, and as he was savoring their salty and tender flavor, he heard two shouts rang out simultaneously.

The chef standing before the lamb paused in his movements as he swung his crescent-shaped silver knife to cut the loin meat.

Russ's rebuke sounded like a roar to him, while Hannibal's voice was much more elegant, reminiscent of a court nobleman.

Russ slapped the cook with her large hand, shoving him away.

"No need to cut it, this is so delicious, just eat it as is."

He reached out to grab it, but Hannibal was faster.

"Your placement wasn't perfect; this is the perfect spot to make the cut."

With a swift, yet elegant, motion, Hannibal sliced through the air with his silver knife, releasing the sweet, pungent aroma of pine nuts and figs.

In the blink of an eye, he put the whole lamb into his mouth. Russ's eyes narrowed, and for the first time, he felt that his title of "big eater" was being challenged.

Russ immediately buried her head in her food, stuffing whole charcoal-grilled ribs into her mouth.

In the blink of an eye, he emptied the plate in front of him, watching Hannibal still move with elegance, but two plates remained on the table.

Russ grinned victoriously, raised the mead in his mouth, drank it all in one gulp, and then looked at Ferrus.

"Fenris mead, the wine of true men."

Malcador put down his knife, looked at Ferrus, and said with a smile, "You should give it a try."

Hannibal frowned slightly, took out a handkerchief, and elegantly wiped the corner of his mouth.

You'll regret it if you drink it.

Ferrus looked at the bronze drinking horn that Russ was pushing towards him, pondered for a moment, and then spoke to Hannibal.

"I'll give it a try."

Russ glanced disdainfully at Hannibal and said to Manus, "It's not drunk, mead is sipped."

Manus downed the wine in his glass in one gulp, the liquid sliding into his stomach.

Besides the burning sensation, he also smelled a familiar odor—the smell of engine oil.

The Fenrisian are so strange; their wine tastes like organic oil.

Manus said to Russ, who was waiting for his evaluation, "I still prefer Las-Vault of Vostonia."

Russ pursed her lips and said nothing more.

Away from the center of attention, Ferrus habitually observes the crowd, taking in their expressions, tones, and actions, and analyzing them according to his logic.

Hannibal was very close to Nimrod, and they had a good relationship.

Russ is reckless and belligerent, and has some disagreements with Nimrod. He wants to prove through competition that he is his father's superior son.

Nimrod little attention to Russ's provocation and did not respond.

The elegant Hannibal had a certain peculiar fondness for food. Unlike Russ, who simply wanted to fill his stomach, Hannibal was savoring fine dining. It seemed that because of this difference in philosophy, he had no liking for Russ.

Based on everyone's behavior, Ferrus analyzed their surface actions and gained a preliminary understanding of them. Malcador was the first to put down his cutlery.

He took a sip of mead, rose from his seat, and gestured to his attendants.

Two attendants followed the one in Sigillite and headed toward Nimrod.

Malcador opened the smaller box first, Nimrod, who had just stood up, saw that it contained Marionette about the size of a normal person's fist.

White arcs radiate outwards from the center of the Marionette's head.

In Nimrod's Spirit Sight, the Marionette shimmered with Spirituality light, he thought to himself.

[It's Mystical Item; its Spirituality radiance is weaker than the ring's, suggesting it's Sequence 5 Extraordinary item.]

As he pondered, Malcador spoke up.

"This Marionette is one of the artworks I collect. I always take it out and play with it whenever I'm feeling troubled."

"At this moment, my chaotic thoughts temporarily disappear."

Nimrod's eyes flickered as he secretly speculated.

[Marionette, slow-thinking.]

Does the Marionette correspond to the "Marionettist the Puppets" in Sequence 5 of the "Fool" Pathway?

As he pondered, Malcador continued, "This is a gift I've prepared for the victor who slays the Fire Wheel Ork warlord."

Nimrod ascended to the first level of Mindset and took the Marionette.

He felt his thoughts momentarily pause, but then quickly returned to normal.

Malcador Nimrod's dark eyes, he was stunned for only two seconds before regaining his senses, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

He then said, "Your willpower is astonishing."

Nimrod felt the gazes of the Old Man in Yellow and the others on him, and he spoke calmly.

"My offspring and I possess a perception far surpassing that of other Astartes. To prevent them from being overwhelmed by conflicting emotions, I have gleaned techniques for cultivating willpower from the Book of Thelema."

"Not bad technique," Malcador nodded slightly, then said, "I've also prepared a gift for you personally."

"Vostonia generously provided me with assistance, supplying the 'Great Crusade'."

"Now, five Forge World have been established in the neighboring sector, providing supplies to the surrounding Imperial Army, but I still want to express my gratitude to you."

"This is a gift I prepared personally." He gestured to his men to open another, much larger box, revealing a set of gleaming armor inside.

"This armor is one I acquired from the treasury of the false king Akkad during the 'Unification Wars'."

He gazed at Nimrod's imposing figure and continued speaking.

"You can have your offspring modify it into a half-body inner armor."

Nimrod looked at the shimmering Spirituality light on the armor and thought to himself.

[Spirituality radiance weaker than Marionette, Sequence 6 level?]

He hadn't expected to gain anything more, so he spoke up.

"Malcador, thank you for the gift."

The Emperor's voice was gentle. "Nimrod, you have made great contributions to the Imperium."

"Tomorrow, you, Russ, Hannibal will receive your awards at the celebration, before the people of the Imperium."

"Manus, the people will cheer for your return, and I look forward to your future achievements. I will hold a similarly grand celebration for you."