If this news was false, he would definitely execute the person who spread the rumors. Any negative comments involving the gene-father had to be eliminated.
And looking at the being taller than himself in front of him, Malakim really didn't know what to say.
"Greetings, Chapter Master. Thank you for your and your Chapter's support of Valentino. The underhive here has encountered some significant trouble."
"It is our duty. May I ask for your name?"
Malakim now felt it was truly necessary to return to Baal. This time, no matter what, he had to bring Dante to meet the person before him. If that didn't work, he would simply send the person before him to Baal.
He had seen people who looked very similar to Astartes before. Such probabilities could be explained by science.
He had also seen people who looked very similar to a certain Chapter Master, which could Sanguinius be explained by theology.
But someone like the person before him, who looked so much like the Primarch, was almost as tall, and could even make their gene-seed throb, could only be attributed to the Emperor's mighty hand at work.
If anyone dared to tell him that the person before him had nothing to do with their slumbering Primarch, he would definitely send that person to the Flesh Tearers or the Blood Knights.
"My name is Sanguinius, Chapter Master. I know what you are thinking, but please allow me to solemnly explain that I am not him. The glorious one still slumbers on Baal."
Can we please stop lying through our teeth?
Outward appearance indeed cannot definitively determine what a person is like, but the soul is different.
You have neither undergone modification surgery nor any genetic engineering, so please tell me, how did you become so similar to our father within a few months?
Moreover, the gene-seed does not lie. Only when near their own gene-father will an Astartes' gene-seed throb.
What's that? Did the Emperor give you some special buff?
Malakim didn't understand why his inner thoughts were so active when he was talking to the person before him. He had never felt this kind of excitement before, even when exchanging combat experience with the glorious Blood Angels Chapter Master Dante.
"We will put this matter aside for now. Regarding the question of your identity, we will slowly verify it later. Please tell me first, what happened in the underhive?"
The heavens are great, the earth is great, but the warp is the greatest threat. The immediate priority now was to deal with the trouble that the warp had brought to Valentino. As for bringing the person before him back to Baal, that could wait.
He should have gone directly to the Planetary Governor to inquire about this matter, but when the people of the Ordo Malleus told him that the upper hive was sealed off by the Planetary Defense Force, he realized that something seemed wrong.
Why did this feel like a coup? And one where someone was colluding with the warp.
"If there are no surprises, the local noble class of Valentino has traitors. They have established contact with the heretics hiding in Valentino, provided the heretics with supplies and armaments, and sealed off the Sisters of Battle, the Ecclesiarchy, and the Governor's mansion located in the upper hive."
Sanguinius nodded to the Arbites beside him, signaling the other party to first send Valerius to the Ecclesiarchy church in the mid-hive to receive medical treatment. If he remembered correctly, the Ecclesiarchy church in the mid-hive had medicae sisters stationed there.
"How did Valerius get so badly injured?"
As a Chapter Master who had once received a batch of extra precious supplies from Valerius, Malakim's personal relationship with Valerius was actually quite good. He knew Valerius's combat prowess well, and whatever could injure him to this extent must be no ordinary opponent.
"He was ambushed in the underhive, and then, while wounded, he was suppressed for quite some time by a joint offensive of traitor Astartes and heretics."
Malakim nodded, accepting this explanation. If traitor Astartes had appeared in the line besieging Valerius, then it was understandable that the old man was injured like this. After all, Valerius's strength was aimed at mortals and those daemons. If he encountered traitor Astartes, it might not work so well.
The injury of his old friend filled Malakim's heart with anger, but when he noticed the emergency cauterization treatment on Valerius's shoulder, he turned his gaze back to Sanguinius, or rather, to the sword at his waist.
After carefully observing the shape of the sword, Malakim was shocked, but he didn't say anything extra. Instead, he nodded to the battle-brother beside him.
The Lamenters who received the order went to take over part of the elevator shaft's defenses. Warp daemons had appeared in the underhive, and these mortals alone could not hold the elevator shaft. They needed to take advantage of this calm period to dig trenches around the elevator shaft as much as possible and prepare strategic depth.
"Is there something wrong with this sword?"
"No, it's just that I overthought things. Are you going to the upper hive next?"
Seemingly not wanting Sanguinius to see that something was wrong with him, Malakim gently shook his head and tried to change the subject.
He couldn't blame himself. Only the Blood Angels Chapter and its successor Chapters knew one thing: the sword that the Primarch used ten thousand years ago, kept on Baal, had actually been broken long ago.
And at this moment, the sword at Sanguinius's waist was exactly the same as that already broken relic.
Sanguinius had certainly never been to Baal, and the remains of the sword on Baal had not been stolen either.
So where did the sword at his waist come from?
"I do need to go to the upper hive. I have to find the Ecclesiarch Bishop of the upper hive. He has a Tzeentch daemon from the warp imprisoned. I need to get some useful information from his mouth."
"The noble class in the upper hive already has traitors. Your going to the upper hive now is putting yourself in a dangerous situation."
"Then I still need to go. The Ecclesiarchy and the Sisters of Battle are the forces we urgently need to integrate now. My relationship with Valerius and the Planetary Governor is not bad. I guarantee that guy still has a way to safely leave the upper hive."
Sanguinius and Malakim walked side by side on the road in the mid-hive. The combination of these two indeed made the pedestrians on the road bow frequently. Facing the angels of the Emperor, no one dared to be disrespectful, and facing Sanguinius, who had fought alongside Inquisitor Valerius several times, they were equally grateful.
The people in the mid-hive now more or less felt that something was wrong in the underhive. The tremors and sounds of battle even transmitted through the isolation plates between the underhive and the mid-hive. Some residents dreamed at night that they were killed by those heretics.
The arrival of the Astartes officially proved this point, and some sharp-eyed people had already begun to pack their belongings and valuables to prepare to leave Valentino by ship.
"Salazar Sacfiel, this guy is no simple character. Being able to stand out among so many vermin in the local nobility is enough to prove his ability."
"And there are rumors that this guy has some connections with Terra. The Sacfiel family has a relatively prominent position in the Departmento Munitorum. This family has already produced two Lord Generals, and Krad Sacfiel is even still in office."
Sanguinius and Malakim hadn't even approached the elevator shaft leading to the upper hive when the Planetary Defense Force responsible for sealing off the upper hive stopped them.
"Sir, the upper hive is currently under curfew and cannot be entered for the time being."
"We need to enter the upper hive to negotiate with the Planetary Governor. I am speaking to you as the Chapter Master of the Lamenters Chapter."
This scene was not suitable for Sanguinius to speak. Although Sanguinius himself had some reputation on Valentino, in the face of the real political system, this reputation was still not as useful as the identity of Malakim, an Astartes Chapter Master.
As a Chapter Master, he had the right to directly bypass others and meet with the Planetary Governor. Fortunately, he was talking to this soldier now. If it had been a Chapter Master with a bad temper, then this Planetary Defense Force soldier who stepped forward to stop them would have already had a bolter pressed against his head.
"Sir, we are only acting under orders, please understand."
"I don't understand. Whose orders are you following? Could it be that his orders are more sublime than the will of the Emperor? We have come to support Valentino according to the will of the Emperor. If you believe that your master is more honorable than the Emperor, then you can continue to obstruct us."
Malakim cast a shadow over the Planetary Defense Force soldier in front of him. His tall power armor stood before this soldier like a thick wall.
The more they obstructed them at this time, the more it showed that there was a big problem in the upper hive. Not even daring to accept inspection or organize a meeting showed that those guys had more than just a guilty conscience. Perhaps there were warp daemons lurking around them.
"Calm down, Malakim, let me talk to them."
Sanguinius gently patted Malakim's shoulder armor, then stepped past the Chapter Master's position and looked at the officer in charge of guarding the elevator shaft.
The other party's arrogance made him slowly descend from the watchtower at this moment. Logically speaking, the size of himself and Malakim was not small, and the other party, being in the watchtower, could see them from a long distance.
Even until he and Malakim had reached the front of the elevator shaft, he only ordered a soldier without any rank to come and speak.
"Sir, the upper hive is temporarily not allowed to enter."
"Look at what I'm holding in my hand, and then choose to answer this question."
Originally, this officer, whose belly was higher than his chest, was still somewhat disdainful, but when he saw the rosette of the Ordo Malleus in Sanguinius's hand, his fat body immediately trembled like a sieve.
"I am under the authority of Inquisitor Valerius of the Ordo Malleus, and I need to enter the upper hive to meet with the Planetary Governor. The matters to be discussed are top secret. If you can represent your superiors in disregarding the Ordo Malleus, then you can continue to obstruct us. I will return to report to Inquisitor Valerius."
This sentence not only frightened the officer in front of him until he trembled, but even Malakim beside Sanguinius was somewhat surprised at this moment. Hadn't Valerius fainted already? When did he authorize Sanguinius?
"Sir, please calm down. I will immediately notify the troops to let you pass."
"You don't need to go back to notify. Just open the way here, and we will enter immediately."
Want to go back to report?
Over my dead body!
If I let you consult the person above your head, wouldn't my method of falsely conveying orders be in vain?
Don't even think about it. Even if you want to consult, you'll have to wait until Malakim and I enter the upper hive.
"Sir, this..."
"Please consider carefully, are you really going to refuse the orders of the Ordo Malleus?"
Large beads of sweat flowed down the head of the Planetary Defense Force officer in front of him. Compared to the Astartes Chapters, those who had never left the planet Valentino were more afraid of the Ordo Malleus.
After all, the Astartes Chapters still had to abide by the relevant regulations, but the Ordo Malleus was different. They were the people who used the relevant regulations, and the final interpretation right was in their hands.
And to put it more realistically, the Astartes Chapters could not engage in large-scale killings on a planet, at least not without solid evidence to conduct a top-down purge of the planet's high-ranking officials.
But the Ordo Malleus was different!
Their duty directly derived from internal review gave them the power to kill first and ask questions later in any action. Even if someone wanted to hold them accountable, they would have to wait until after the matter was over.
But what was the use of holding them accountable at that time? People were already dead. What could accountability do?
Not to mention that most of the people killed by the Ordo Malleus had some problems. As long as a being was eliminated by the Ordo Malleus, not many people would think those guys were innocent.
The people who were killed knew in their own hearts that there was nothing good in their pants. Killing them was no different from suppressing rebellion and quelling unrest.
Alright, let those nobles play by themselves. He couldn't stop them anyway.
The Ordo Malleus and the Astartes Chapter stood on one side, and even a fool could guess that the Ecclesiarchy would definitely support Sanguinius, who was no different from a saint in their eyes.
The Sisters of Battle had been blockaded for too long, and they would definitely stand on the opposite side of the nobles.
From a certain perspective, if the Planetary Governor and the Astra Militarum General also stood on Sanguinius's side, then they would all have the authority to issue an exterminatus order on Valentino.
"Sir, we will open the elevator shaft immediately."
"Very good, a wise choice. Let me say one more thing, don't sacrifice your little life for some useless people. A wise man knows when to yield, and only in this way can you live longer. Do you understand my meaning?"
"Yes... yes, sir. I will hand over control of the elevator shaft to you now."
"Eh, that's right, sensible."
Only after the Lamenters came to control the elevator in the mid-hive leading to the upper hive did Malakim and Sanguinius, along with several Astartes warriors, head to the upper hive.
"Did Valerius really authorize you?"
"Authorize my foot. The power of the Ordo Malleus can't be given away just like that. It's just that I can take advantage of the reputation of Valerius and myself on Valentino to do such things a little bit, and whether it's the Ordo Malleus or any other force, they will choose to turn a blind eye."
After lightly stroking the Sword of Hope at his waist, Sanguinius answered Malakim's almost non-question. After all, one character in the name of the planet Valentino came from this fellow Valerius, so his status on this planet was quite high.
"Valerius was the first Inquisitor sent by the Ordo Malleus to Valentino. When he came to Valentino, this place was still a feudal dynasty planet ruled by what was called the Lombardi Dynasty."
"In fact, Valentino hasn't been part of the Imperium for that long. This planet was later reclaimed by the Imperium, rather than being conquered during the Great Crusade."
"The people who successfully reclaimed Valentino were mainly the Ordo Malleus and the Nox Merchant Dynasty, which followed the Ordo Malleus on their exploratory conquests at the time. To this day, both the Lombardi Dynasty and the Nox Merchant Dynasty have disappeared, leaving only old man Valerius as a glove of the Ordo Malleus."
The mechanical whirring sound of the elevator ascending continued to come. Even though the elevator shaft of this hive city had been operating for decades, it still maintained a relatively good operating condition under the maintenance of the Mechanicus and servitors.
The huge gear-shaped transmission devices at the four corners of the elevator shaft were constantly climbing upwards, and the control panel at one corner indicated the current height of the elevator.
Apart from the upper hive, where the nobles lived, there was actually an area called the Spire, which was the true power center of this planet. The Planetary Governor, the Astra Militarum General, and various high-ranking real power holders would discuss planet-related plans there.
He should actually go straight to the Spire, but the problem was that to get to the Spire, he had to go through the upper hive first.
"Do you smell a very strange fragrance? This fragrance is completely different from the perfumes and incense usually used by those nobles. It has a somewhat addictive quality."
Seemingly in response to Sanguinius's suspicion, the Sword of Hope at his waist was now faintly glowing, which meant that warp energy was spreading here.
"Put on your helmets and be vigilant."
The accompanying Astartes warriors immediately moved past Malakim and Sanguinius, standing between the two and the elevator car door. The bolters in their hands were already off safety, ready to unleash firepower on whatever was outside the car door at any time.
The fragrance permeating the upper hive was definitely wrong. Even if those nobles were thrown into a pool and marinated in perfume, they would definitely not reach this level.
The elevator car they were in was almost semi-enclosed. What kind of fragrance could penetrate a half-meter thick closed door into the elevator?
Sanguinius, holding the Sword of Hope, now only felt a particularly bad headache. This extremely rich fragrance had almost exposed the heretical cults rampant in the upper hive.
If this series of changes in the upper hive had nothing to do with the Slaaneshi cults, then Valerius would have to wear his pants backwards.
The speed of mechanical transmission gradually slowed down, which meant they had reached the upper hive area, and the fragrance that had originally permeated the elevator reached an even higher level at this time.
They had even seen the faint purple smoke constantly swirling in the air, and the Sword of Hope in Sanguinius's hand was like an oil lamp in this smoke, emitting a light sufficient to dispel it.
"What exactly happened in the upper hive?"
"No wonder those guys wanted to seal off the upper hive. Slaaneshi corruption has taken deep root in the upper hive. The reason they provided those heretics with supplies was purely to divert the attention of the Ordo Malleus and the Planetary Defense Force to the underhive, so that these people could safely enjoy pleasure in the upper hive."
As the elevator car door opened, what came into the sight of Sanguinius and Malakim was an indescribable scene. Various
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