The visitor was none other than the chief of the Starrealm Knights, High Priest Nordodos.
This time, he wasn't wearing that stereotypically mystic-looking robe. He had on an utterly ordinary outfit and leaned on an equally ordinary wooden cane, looking just like any of the slightly older noblemen in the imperial capital.
Nobles of a certain age always needed to maintain their dignity. They tended to be elegant in every respect.
But Shali knew full well that he was the Empire's number-one old mystic, an enigmatic figure who held an extraordinarily special place in the imperial power structure and commanded considerable respect even from His Majesty the Emperor.
He was also a veteran eight-ring adept who had lived for over a century, a powerful psyker whom even the current Overmind couldn't stand against.
Yet Shali merely blinked and fixed her gaze on the old man. "Two hundred years ago, neither I nor that person existed. So Count Salvin had no choice but to stake everything on the future. His actions were groundbreaking, but his thinking was rather old-fashioned."
Nordodos didn't answer directly. He walked over to stand beside Shali, and together they gazed at the model in the middle of the museum. "Then what of the person you mentioned?"
"He's on his way. He'll be here any moment now."
Shali turned to look at the sky. Her gaze seemed to pierce the simulated blue sky and white clouds, pass through the sealed dome, and cross the tens of thousands of space cities across the Celestial Domain, directly detecting the gravitational waves stirring in the outer ring.
She tilted her head slightly, her gaze shifting to the Fist of Glory, where fierce fighting was underway. Through the swarm network, she could sense and perceive almost everything.
This was her hatching ground,