Refusing Manus's Suggestion

Upon returning to Vostonia, Nimrod had Gabriel represent him and accompany Ferrus Manus on a tour of the factory.

He should have been represented by Primarch's Primarch's Attendants, Arsena Dunn, but since the object of his affections was Manus, the Master of Ordnance would have been a more suitable candidate.

Immediately afterwards, Nimrod returned to the palace and summoned the "assassin," Maria Kournikova.

"My lady," Maria said with a bitter smile, "Even if I were to use the most stringent standards to select the best for Vosconia, there would be no one in the world who could be called your opponent."

"Our last assassination target was eleven months ago."

Maria sensed that it might not be long before her assassin organization would lose its meaning to Nimrod.

"No need to worry," Nimrod, looking down at Maria. "I have many enemies, and I need assassins to deal with them."

Maria's face lit up with joy, and she was about to ask a question when suddenly a flood of information rushed into her mind.

[Ritual... The Black Emperor?]

As she was thinking, a voice echoed in her mind.

"By performing the ritual, you will receive Revelation."

"Yes, sir..." Maria's long, golden braid fell down.

Maria then returned to the Tezwork Hive.

Yelena has moved the House Kournikova's headquarters to the political center of Vostonia — Paragon City, but Maria still keeps her base in Tezwork.

This is where Lord Nimrod started his career.

This Hive City has undergone tremendous changes compared to the past.

On the one hand, in addition to the nest dwellers who have lived in the Upper Hive for generations, there are also some residents from the Lower Hive.

On the other hand, the barriers between factories, and even between different Hive City, were broken down.

The Maglev Train physically connects the factories, and with the support of the Monarch, Yelena breaks down ideological barriers, allowing various industries to be organically integrated.

The assassin slipped into the shadows, avoiding the sight of the Nestlings, and returned to the Assassin Temple.

The Assassin Temple is located 350 meters underground and was built using marble.

The surface was concealed by the House Kournikova's warehouses, where purchased food and other daily necessities were stored.

Tsvetana and Dementyeva approached Maria expectantly upon her return.

Maria glanced around at the assassin Apprentice who were training. They had not yet received the power bestowed by the Black Emperor; only the three of them had.

"We'll talk about it later."

The three entered a secret room. After closing the door, Tsvetana activated Damping Field, Dementyeva asked impatiently.

"Lord Nimrod, what are your instructions?"

Tsvetana also looked at Maria with concern. Since Lord Nimrod returned to the Imperium and took control of the Legiones Astartes, he had not assigned them any more tasks.

Every day, they could only rigorously train their Apprentice, gather intelligence on the remnants of the kings of Hive City and the major families that had lost their interests, and then actively seek out targets.

But in the last three years, they have rarely been able to find targets, and Tsvetana even worries that the Assassin Temple, having lost its purpose, will soon perish.

"My lord..." Tsvetana frowned slightly, sensing that Maria's tone seemed different than usual, "... orders us to perform a ceremony."

"A ceremony? What ceremony?" Dementyeva asked, puzzled.

"My Lord..." Maria looked at the two of them and said in a deep voice, "It is the Black Emperor. We must pray fervently to receive His Revelation."

"..."

After Maria explained to the two women, Tsvetana and Dementyeva were invigorated. They finally saw a chance to continue serving Lord Nimrod, no, the Black Emperor.

The three immediately organized assassin Apprentice and began constructing the altar.

The altar was completed after fifteen Work Cycle.

Maria used a ritual knife to create a closed Spirituality before kneeling in the center, with Tsvetana and Dementyeva kneeling on either side of her.

They recited in unison, using the part of Dunnish they had just learned:

"The Black Emperor of the Shadow of Order"

I pray for Your watchful gaze.

I pray that You will give me Revelation, so that I may understand how to serve You.

"The Iron Law of the Monarch, the foundation of Kingdom of Disorder, please transfer your power to my incantation."

An invisible force surged within the altar, causing the candlelight to flicker.

As they chanted the mantra for the fifth time, black mist appeared and enveloped their bodies.

When the three came to their senses, they found themselves in a mysterious space.

As they were in Shock, Nimrod, who was positioned higher up, spoke.

"Drink the potion; it is the power I bestow upon you to advance even further."

Nimrod did not immediately drag them into the "Nation of Disorder" because he ordered the Space Ape to concoct the Assassin Sequence 8 potion, "The Instigator."

Upon hearing this, Maria and the other two bowed deeply in gratitude and said, "Thank you, Lord!"

They had long since become true "assassins," but after waiting for years, they received neither new missions nor new powers.

The long wait finally came to an end today. Without hesitation, they picked up the Purple potion floating on the black mist in front of them and drank it all in one gulp.

A moment later, the three withdrew their power and whispered, "The Instigator."

Nimrod, and said authoritatively, "Above Terra, there is a force that fabricates and slanders the 'Shadow of Order'."

"Your mission is to assassinate them and, using your new abilities, turn them against yourselves."

"Yes, my lord," Maria replied joyfully.

"I will definitely punish those evildoers." Dementyeva's eyes were filled with murderous intent; she couldn't wait to punish them with a sharp blade.

"Besides punishing them with death, you must also discover talented individuals to recruit," Nimrod said.

The successor to "Instigator," Sequence 7 "Witch," will be able to manipulate black flames and frost, and possess abilities such as invisibility. Nimrod will then have them accompany the Legion.

"Yes, my lord," Maria replied, Nimrod said finally.

"Three days from now, the escort ship 'The Glory of Vostonia' will be heading to Terra. You will infiltrate the ship and proceed to Terra."

After speaking, Nimrod severed his connection with the three women, and they vanished into the black mist.

He then went to the Third Layer Space and found that the Dice of Prophecy had been fully "charged" and could be used for a new divination.

Nimrod did not immediately perform divination. Instead, he returned to the palace, summoned the Primarch's Attendants Arsena Dunn, and gave him orders.

"Select a team of Shadow of Order members with leadership potential and send them to Terra to provide protection for House Visscher."

The Primarch's Attendants was taken aback; the Black Emperor's order was not part of the previous agreement with the Navigator family.

"Yes, sir." Seeing that the Black Emperor showed no intention of explaining or asking questions, he simply replied.

"Lord Manus's visit to Vostonia has concluded, and he is on his return journey, arriving in one standard hour."

"Prepare for reception." After Nimrod the order, the Primarch's Attendants carried it out according to the Primarch's command.

An hour later, Gabriel accompanied Ferrus Manus into the palace.

Nimrod rose to greet him, and they sat down in the reception area.

Manus took a sip of black tea and praised, "Excellent tea! The first taste is slightly salty and fresh, while the next sip is rich and mellow, with distinct layers yet a harmonious whole."

Grosseto, the Cradle of the Sea, has the greatest temperature difference between day and night, producing top-quality black tea.

"Arsena, prepare ten catties for Manus."

"The Primarch's Attendants immediately went to make the selection," Manus said, looking at Nimrod in a leaden voice.

Thank you for the gift.

His silver-coin-like eyes gleamed. "What impresses me even more than the tea is Vostonia's efficiency."

"I heard my father mention that the factories in Vostonia brought happiness and hope to the people, and that they were as efficient as Adeptus Mechanicus factories, which made me very curious."

"So, have you found the answer?" Nimrod Lu asked.

"The laws you establish provide institutional guarantees, the Shadow of Order and the execution by ordinary politicians provide safeguards, and the abundant resources of the Cradle of the Sea provide the material foundation."

"The Adeptus Mechanicus is unwilling to implement the same system in their Forge World; providing resources is a resource-intensive activity."

Manus made no mention of the Imperium's other worlds, and such resource supply was a "waste" for the Imperium, as the supply of supplies for the Great Crusade had already exhausted Malcador.

"What surprised me most was, based on my observations and a quantitative comparison with the Terra factory."

"The final calculation results, the resources consumed, and the corresponding compensation will be provided."

"In other words, the workers' enthusiasm is mobilized by the system you implement, and the increase in efficiency is roughly proportional to the resources consumed."

Manus's silver coin eyes lit up. "Besides those three determining factors, there are two more indispensable factors."

"I have heard that your Arbites Lord drafted the detailed rules and first implemented them at the Khanty-Mansi Dome."

"Your First Chapter and 11th Chapter, possessing the qualities of the Shadow of Order, ensure the implementation of all systems."

After expressing his admiration, Manus put forward his idea.

"While Vostonia's efficiency is admirable, I believe there is still room for improvement."

"By allowing the Vostonians to compete fully, and ensuring that only a minority enjoy the current benefits, rather than making them available to everyone, I think efficiency will be further improved."

"In Medusa, a similar strategy was employed, ensuring that only a select few were granted the right to a comfortable life."

"No," Nimrod resolutely refused, unwilling to Deprivation most people of their welfare in pursuit of efficiency, and also because such a strategy would reduce the fertility desire of the Vostonians.

Manus's methods of almost plundering people from other worlds were even more inappropriate, and he said, "That's not the Vostonia I want."

Black eyes met silver eyes, and after a moment, Manus stood up.

"Your world is yours to decide."

"I'm going back to Medusa."

After Nimrod, the Primarch's Attendants and representative of the Master of Ordnance, saw Ferrus off, he began to ponder what to divine using the Dice of Prophecy.