"Concept Substitution" Successful, Gaining a Star

Deep beneath the central fortress of Hearth-Fortress lies the largest Ancestor Shrine of the League of Votann, with a diameter of five kilometers.

Lorenzo felt that the huge Ancestor Shrine was empty, except for the statues, the complex machines with their intricate wiring, and the various decorations; he was the only one there.

Apart from the Grimnyr Magos, no other Squats may enter the Ancestor Shrine.

Lorenzo sensed that his other two great souls who belonged here, the chief and the second -Lord Grimnyr, were both dead.

He knew that the High Lord might also have died at the same time.

This means that, as the only surviving Lord Grimnyr, he must shoulder the responsibility of the League of Votann and protect his ancestor, Votann, ten kilometers below.

Lorenzo felt a heavy mountain pressing down on him; the strong will forged by the Clone Tapestry also made him feel lost in the face of the current situation.

His gaze lingered on a control panel, where bright red runes gleamed with a blinding light.

Lorenzo knew that it was the ultimate means of protecting Votann; once it was activated, no one would be able to threaten Vulkan.

The destructive weapon will be activated, and Votann, along with the entire planet, will be reduced to rubble in the blink of an eye.

The destruction of Votann will also signal the collapse of the League of Votann.

Lorenzo walked laboriously toward the control panel; Votann's destruction was better than him falling into the hands of others.

When he was four steps away from the control panel, he suddenly felt a spark of inspiration.

Lorenzo turned his gaze with delight to the screen in front of the statue, where he saw the runes dancing.

Praise be to our ancestors! They answered our prayers and inquiries!

Lorenzo strode to the display screen to check. Only the most outstanding Grimnyr Magos could become lords and be elected to the council. In an instant, he understood Votann's Revelation.

His pupils dilated sharply, his eyes filled with Shock, and he whispered as if confirming something.

"Nimrod, the Primarch of 'Shadow of Order,' bring hope to the League of Votann?"

"League of Votann should trade with his territory and send the Iron Oath to fight alongside the Shadow of Order?"

Lorenzo couldn't understand it.

Having experienced several years of brutal war, he knew that the forces calling themselves the Imperium of Man, after their diplomatic failures, had dispatched three Legiones Astartes, which were the main force for their conquest.

Of the three legions, the "Shadow of Order" had a combined strength exceeding that of the other two legions, inflicting the greatest casualties on the clans of the League of Votann.

Now, the ancestor's Revelation is to put aside hatred and form an alliance with him.

Lorenzo slammed his hands on the screen, his thoughts racing.

Why does Nimrod give us hope?

"He brings death to us, why should we ally with him?"

"..."

His thoughts raced, but he received no response.

After another ten or so breaths, Lorenzo raised his hands.

Although he didn't turn on the communication channel, having been in Parliament for over twenty years, he knew the situation outside; people were dying every second.

The will of our ancestors cannot be defied; having decided to submit, we must do so as soon as possible.

He opened the communication channel and issued the command:

"A communication has been sent to the commanders of the Imperium of Man: The League of Votann surrenders!"

"We accept the terms and submit to the Imperium!"

The communications officer was incredulous upon hearing the order; he would rather die than submit, but the Third Lord Grimnyr was the sole member of the council.

He was both the representative of the ancestral will and the supreme leader of the League of Votann; his orders were above all else.

Moments later, Nimrod received a message from the League of Votann that they had surrendered.

[Perhaps my use of "Concept Substitution" to mislead Votann, creating the illusion that the information I provided, had an effect, or perhaps the League of Votann realized that continuing the fight would only lead to their demise.]

Nimrod knew that even Lord Grimnyr couldn't obtain all the information from Votann.

Votann's Archives is vast, and when responding to the Grimnyr Magos, he only selects from the existing information to give his reply.

The information he provides as the Grimnyr Magos, once verified by Votann, will likely be presented as Revelation in Votann's voice, rather than being attributed to a specific "Grimnyr Magos."

Votann of the League of Votann is a young Ancestor Core who has just been promoted from the Ancestor Shrine, which means that his Archives will not contain much data on the dead Squats.

In other words, Votann reacts faster, and the Ancestor Core should be able to respond promptly to such a significant threat.

In other words, it's highly likely that my "Concept Substitution" has succeeded.

"I accept their surrender."

War is always just a means; now that the goal has been achieved, Nimrod will not continue fighting.

Moreover, the League of Votann still possesses considerable strength, and the tenacious resistance of the Squats will continue to inflict significant losses on his legion.

Nimrod met Lord Grimnyr the League of Votann, a sidereal time later.

"Greetings, Primarch the 'Shadow of Order,' Nimrod."

Lorenzo freed himself from hatred through meditation and adjustment, prioritizing the will of his ancestors above all else.

"Squat is willing to pledge allegiance to the Imperium and establish trade relations with your territory."

"Squat will also send the Iron Oath to fight alongside your army."

"We will present you with a mineral-rich star, to begin our friendship."

Nimrod smiled. He knew that the Squats could use their technology to capture stars, process them, and then drag them to other star systems.

Their trade list includes stars.

The "Baron of Corruption" became even more certain, through Lord Grimnyr's actions, that his "Concept Substitution" had achieved its purpose.

If Squat had only been forced to submit, he would never have given himself a star.

For the emerging League of Votann, dragging stars to distant galaxies requires a huge amount of resources.

"Welcome Squat to the Imperium."

"Looking forward to receiving a gift from Squat."

"My squire will represent me in negotiating trade contracts with the League of Votann."

Nimrod handed the negotiations over to Arsena Dunn, intending to use the time to continue mining Votann's technology using the Ancestor Shrine on the Forge-Ship.

He has begun exchanging information with Votann, League of Votann, about the Seismic Technology that the Imperium had long lost.

Nimrod boarded the Stormbird and returned to the Forge-Ship, giving instructions to the silver-haired Primarch's Attendants who had rushed over.

"Arsena, your mission is to ensure that the League of Votann secures the largest possible share of the transactions in the minerals mined at the Galaxy Center."

"Furthermore, they monopolize the production of goods, including not only weapons and equipment, but also civilian machinery suitable for ordinary people."

Besides mineral resources, the Squats' various civilian products are durable and will be very popular in the Imperium.

Alicia, Cepra Mundi, and Abyss Port are all located at the intersection of numerous Warp routes, and trade brings immense wealth to these worlds.

The Warrior of the three legions that were fighting in other star systems received orders to withdraw from the battlefield for rest and recuperation.

Perturabo and Magnus received news of Squat's surrender almost simultaneously, and their flagships set sail for the Squat System.

The War Council also received a report shortly thereafter that the Mars representative had eagerly boarded the ship and, together with the representative sent by Malcador, rushed to Squat.