Trani Submits

The bronze-skinned commander dared not look Nimrod in the eye, keeping his gaze fixed on the giant's chest, staring at the droplets of deep purple blood.

"I am... Vieri Barella, the Warrior leader of Trani... Our patriarch was killed by vile xenos during negotiations, and I am acting in his stead."

As a high-ranking member of Trani, Vieri had encountered representatives from Vostonia and had managed to grasp a rudimentary command of Vostonian Low Gothic.

As he spoke, his memories began to return.

Nimrod had previously reviewed the archives of the Cradle of the Sea; the locals referred to their people as Sicilians, in memory of their ancient home on Terra.

Trani was the largest of the Sicilian clans, occupying Castello Island and establishing a small kingdom consisting of one town and nineteen settlements.

"Thank you for your rescue. Without your arrival, we would have become ghosts under the blades of the xenos."

Vieri said with gratitude; without the arrival of the giant before him, Trani might have already been annihilated.

"The invading xenos are known as the Flao. They have established a nomadic empire among the stars; to put it bluntly, they are pirates of the void."

"I can tell you that one capital ship and five escort vessels of the Flao escaped. They know the path to this world, and they will return."

"There are even more terrifying xenos in the universe, vile things, and this beautiful world will yet suffer great calamity."

Vieri was stunned. He thought of the xenos the giant called the Flao—their warriors were stronger than those of the tribes, and they possessed wicked sorcerers. If not for Malena, Trani would have already been wiped out.

When they invaded again, could Trani survive the ordeal?

He looked anxiously toward the tall Shaman, hoping to receive a comforting revelation from her.

Malena's tea-colored eyes turned deep and unfathomable. Her tone became ethereal, as if her voice were emanating from another dimension.

"He speaks the truth. I see flames burning... a sea of blood rising..."

Nimrod keenly noticed the colorful light radiating from Malena, with faint, almost imperceptible threads drifting within it.

A familiar sensation... it is the Warp, the Threads of Fate. She is performing a divination.

He also noticed a flicker of strange brilliance within the colorful light. Just as he was about to capture this trace, the light dissipated.

Nimrod pondered for a moment, understanding the scene he had just witnessed.

Malena is a Psyker, and she was just performing a divination. The Emperor endowed this body with keen perception—a supernatural perception that involves not just the physical level, but the Warp itself.

Yet, the Emperor does not favor the Warp. He did not implant knowledge of this into my Genetic Memory, hoping only that I would rely on instinct to use it vaguely.

This means that if I invest some effort into this, I will soon be able to develop capabilities regarding Warp perception.

Nimrod then recalled the words Guilliman would one day say to Felix: "Deep within the soul of every one of us, there lies a fragment of the Warp."

I should moderately explore this ability and integrate it with the combat prowess and extraordinary gifts of a Primarch.

As his thoughts drifted, Malena parted her red lips, her voice returning to a solemn and magnetic tone.

"I see a broken fragment in the dark future, shrouded in black mist, but I believe it must be connected to you."

Nimrod looked at Malena, who had turned pale from the exertion of the divination. Not wishing to waste time on idle talk, he spoke directly.

"My name is Nimrod, from Vostonia, ruler of four Hive Cities."

"I shall also unify Vostonia and become the monarch of that world."

Vieri furrowed his brows. He knew that Vostonia was home not only to great noble houses but also to the servants of the Omnissiah—the members of the Adeptus Mechanicus who served Mars.

He instinctively wanted to refute the arrogant claim, but the confidence in the giant's words and his resolute tone seemed to contain a certain power, like a prophecy—a different kind of prophecy than that of the Shaman.

"If the Sicilians submit to me, I will provide you with protection."

Nimrod gripped his heavy halberd lightly; if Vieri refused, he would resort to force until the Trani people recognized reality.

The output of the Cradle of the Sea was vital to Vostonia and to the kingdom he intended to build. Without food, the fires of rebellion could ignite at any moment.

The Cradle of the Sea, which he had classified as an Agri-World, had to be under his control.

Cold sweat beaded on Vieri's forehead. He felt a pressure as heavy as a mountain. Having witnessed the giant's god-like combat prowess, he knew that if he refused, there would be only one outcome: death, even if Malena could not save him.

But he also remembered his responsibilities. As the leader of Trani, he had to consider the entire clan.

If I refuse, the entire tribe will be annihilated immediately.

If I agree, we might escape this crisis for now, but in the future, we might suffer a fate even more miserable than extinction. He might enslave us.

Just as he struggled internally, Malena spoke.

"Vieri, submit to him. I believe the hope in that mist-shrouded future is what he brings."

The Shaman's words crushed the last of Vieri's resistance.

"Shaman Malena, I trust your prophecy."

"On behalf of Trani, I offer you our loyalty."

"A wise choice," Nimrod said with a stern tone, making a promise, "You will not regret the choice you made today."

He immediately issued his orders, "Reorganize the warriors of Trani. We are going to purge all the Flao xenos from this world."

There was no need to requisition food; the supplies the Flao had looted had not yet been transported to their ships. Based on what he had seen, he estimated that, combined with the potential spoils from other large islands, his fleet's cargo holds would be filled.

Wojciech, acting on his orders, had already organized the pilots and crew to begin the transport.

As Vieri carried out the order, Nimrod cast his gaze toward Malena.

"Are you a Shaman?"

"I am, my lord."

"Which deity do you worship?"

Malena beamed, raising her hand in a gesture of invitation.

"Please, follow me."

Maria and the others watched Malena with wariness, gripping their weapons tightly; to the people of Vostonia, Shamans were synonymous with sorcerers, and sorcerers were viewed as dangerous and malevolent beings.

Nimrod followed behind Malena, walking all the way to the shore.

The female Shaman looked straight ahead. "The people of Trani worship the Coral Sea, yet not everyone can perceive His presence. I believe, however, that you certainly can."

Nimrod walked to the water's edge, his eyes fixed upon the azure expanse.

His vision pierced through the seawater, revealing the myriad shapes and vibrant colors of the coral scattered across the near-shore seabed.

Some twisted and stretched like deer antlers, others were as round and plump as mushrooms, while tree-like corals stood tall and straight, resembling a tropical rainforest beneath the waves.

In the deep blue water, the coral reefs displayed a palette of pink, emerald, and pristine white, appearing as if they were nature's most exquisite color palette.

Nimrod immediately understood the reason for the sea's name, yet he sensed a deeper meaning hidden within Malena's tone.

He did not ask; his black eyes gazed quietly at the sea, though his spirit vision revealed nothing out of the ordinary.

Nimrod employed a meditative technique to calm his mind, attempting to recapture the strange sensation that had first alerted him to Malena's peculiarity.