(Thanks to .Raven. for the donation. Bonus update 3/3.)
Warlock Daal and Atasha exchanged a glance. Neither had expected Li Qinwu to ask for that.
The Master Bonesinger Flute was the equivalent of a cutting-edge precision machine tool. It was extremely precious, and only master High Bonesingers could use it.
Warlock Daal said hesitantly:
"Powerful human Psyker, what do you want a Master Bonesinger Flute for? Without three hundred years of psychic training in bonesinging, you won't be able to make a sound with it.
Why not ask for something else in exchange for our cooperation? A master staff, for instance. It could greatly amplify your psychic power."
The Master Bonesinger Flute was a high-end means of production. Daal didn't want to give him one, and she didn't have the authority to do so anyway.
A master staff was a manufactured product. Though still valuable, it wasn't worth as much as a means of production, and she could dispose of one as she pleased. The staff in her hand was a high-grade one.
Li Qinwu shook his head.
"No. Give me a Master Bonesinger Flute, and I'll take you somewhere safe. Otherwise, you can stay here."
Warlock Daal took a deep breath.
"I haven't walked the Path of the Artisan, and I don't have a Master Bonesinger Flute. Only a master Bonesinger or a Farseer has the authority to allocate one.
So even if I agree, the Farseer might not."
Li Qinwu chuckled.
"Don't worry. Every one of you Eldar has lived for four or five hundred years. With all the knowledge you've accumulated, you're practically living libraries.
An adult Eldar who can't be replaced is worth far more than a Master Bonesinger Flute that can be made again. Your Farseer will agree."
As they spoke, Atasha, whom Warlock Daal