Warhammer: Start with a dog

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Finally, before the goddess of dawn pushed open the curtain of the next day's glow towards the dark green earth, Kelly Fanny took the lead in bidding the Lord of Steel a temporary farewell.

"I have to hurry back to deal with some small matters first." The old woman said with a smile, "I can't let you see that Rocks is worse than Damikos in my hands."

The Lord of Iron granted her small request.

Later, in the afternoon of the same day, accompanied by some commotion in the city that was quickly suppressed, the tyrant flag that was originally flying on the wall of Rocks was replaced with the silver skull mask flag of the Fourth Legion.

One hundred and fifty years after his absence from his adopted home world, the Lord of Steel returns to the palace where he was raised.

"……oh……"

When LOGOS's steel boots stepped onto the marble steps of the palace, Ramizane's eyes lit up because of the well-preserved ancient palace buildings and various sculptures and artworks on them - this is the taste of old Greece and Mediterranean culture! Just like the one on Crete!

“It’s amazing…” Even after tens of thousands of years of time and tens of thousands of light years of distance, humans can still create equally beautiful works. Ramizarn looked at the quaint and exquisite gold and silver hammered reliefs on the palace gate, and all that flashed through his mind were the famous collections in museums on ancient Earth.

Kelly Fanny left the long line of people welcoming the new residents outside the door and led him into the gate of the Palace of Damikos. She waited until the distinguished traveler and visitor had seen enough of the palace before she slowly spoke.

"I thought you wouldn't like it here very much, Abo."

The black and white dog on the other side of time and space shouted, I knew it! I knew she must be suspicious! Once you are suspicious, you will be exposed! Damn it, don't ask her why...

"Why do you say that, sister? Look at the natural weathering of the alabaster into ivory color, and the traces of history left by people walking on the marble steps for thousands of years. It has a more natural and fresh charm than a brand new palace. Isn't it beautiful and worth my stopping for a while?"

"Because you lived here for so long before, and you admired this place when you first came here, but when you began to draw more magnificent and exquisite drawings than this one, you no longer liked it. So, I am surprised that you are now the same as when you first walked through here."

Ramizane's heart stopped beating.

His first reaction was to start making excuses, but it seemed that anything he said would be an excuse. She shouldn't have noticed, right? No, right? After all, my body is really original... right? With so many ships and legionnaires, I can't fake it! Yes, that's right, cheer up, with so many legionnaires, who dares to think that I'm not Perturabo?

He was about to say something vague about it, but then she continued, "And I thought you were dazzled by the bigger, more charming, more golden buildings above the sea of ​​stars and in the Milky Way."

"...That's not the case, sister. After all, there is an old proverb that says that a home is worse than any other... Ah, no, what I mean is..."

Idiot! Ramizane! She's playing you into her hands!

So she didn't say anything else, but led him to the main hall herself - there, there was something he must see when he came back this time.

Under the elegant dome of the temple painted with geometric patterns and coated with gold foil, in front of the tyrant's throne, in the center of the hall, there is a marble coffin finely carved in the local style of Olympia, on top of which is a coffin made of molten crystal with the hardness of diamond. In the coffin, the exquisitely embroidered velvet cushion supports the body of Damex, Perturabo's former adoptive father, the tyrant of Locus and the planetary governor of Olympia.

——This is a bit like the plot of Snow White. Fortunately, no one expects me to open the coffin and kiss him awake.

Someone's thoughts went astray at an inappropriate time when faced with such a tense and serious occasion, which immediately reduced the tension in the atmosphere.

Kelly Fanny stopped a few meters away from the coffin.

Ramizarn stepped forward cautiously, looking carefully into the coffin in the light of the hall.

He saw a pure human being who could only die of old age.

Damikos' body was well preserved in a special way. His face, which was full of wrinkles like a shrunken apple core, was calm, thin and slightly sallow. He wore the traditional dress of an Olympian tyrant. His figure had obviously shrunk a little due to his lifespan. His hunched body was stretched out as much as possible on the mat, without any signs of physical modification, mechanical enhancement or external mechanical equipment.

Although perhaps for different reasons, this extremely arrogant tyrant clearly has the same unpopular attitude towards the Mechanicus as his son.

After seeing the remains of Perturabo's dead foster father, Ramizane breathed a sigh of relief and almost took a step back, walking aside as was customary at the funeral home.

But then, amid the roar of a nonexistent background voice, he remembered that perhaps he should not express himself too awkwardly at this moment? By the way, if Perturabo himself were here, what would he do?

He searched his memory, trying to recall some relevant conversation or details, but unfortunately he found almost nothing except the series of death warrants and blood pressure-raising tables he had listed on the Iron Blood in the past few weeks. However, he knew very well that Perturabo was not without feelings for Damekos.

In that case...

He estimated, recalling the funerals he had attended, walked forward, and gently placed the iron glove with the quad storm bolter on top of the transparent coffin over Damikos' face, trying his best to put an expression of faint sadness and nostalgia on his stiff face.

Well... fortunately, Damikos's remains were quite peaceful and serene.

"You know that until his death he was still trying to take back his original power that you had won for him and rule here on behalf of the Empire?" Kelly Fanny's face was hidden in the shadows on the side.

"I've said it before. I can guess it. If he hadn't turned a blind eye and secretly encouraged the Olympians to be independent for many years, there wouldn't be so many civil wars. How could a planetary governor allow his subordinate territories to act on their own? Unless he doesn't have the courage and skills to pacify them. Damikos himself is so eager for power, he would never be the kind of person who can do nothing about this situation. The fact that these nobles can run to me alive and speak nonsense is problematic in itself."

"But you still intend to bury him with the scheduled funeral?"

"Opening the coffin and mutilating the body can neither turn back time nor do anything good for what I have to do now. Why should I do it? I might as well cut the funeral budget but just bury the wife peacefully." Ramizarn quickly took the opportunity to retract his hand and subconsciously wiped it on the side of his leg armor.

"Just let him rest in peace. Everything in the past will be buried with this funeral, which is appropriate, sufficient and ceremonial."

The Lord of Steel turned around, his silk cloak rustling across the ground. "Hurry up and finish the funeral. Everything else on my list... is more important than this funeral. Sister, we have to finish it before next year."

Kelly Fanny paused. "I'm beginning to wonder what's in your form, brother. Maybe you can tell me about it after you're done with these few days."

She stepped out from the shadows, still old and without beauty, but now looking full of new energy that refused to accept her age. She walked up to the Iron Lord and reached out to try to hold his arm - but unfortunately she was shorter than when she was young, and Perturabo's armored body was slightly taller, so she could only regretfully grasp a few of his fingers and pull him out.

"Come on, let's go out quickly and tell our men to get everything done. Now there will be no one in Rocks who will hinder your decrees, Abo."

The pigeon tilted its head and watched the phantom of the original body, who was incarnated as a black and white dog, gritted its teeth and crushed the data tablet in its hand with its mechanical hand.

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When the various large-scale statistics, hunts, and surveys that had been carried out vigorously in Olympia in recent days, as well as the scenes of crying and helplessness played out in villages and towns, finally came to an end, the moon goddess once again threw her silver veil over the mountains and lakes of Olympia.

Many people are destined to be unable to sleep these nights.

Ramizarn was drinking fermented juice in front of the window. He looked a little worried or tired, but his children who accompanied him were also silent.

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"I'm being hypocritical, right?"

"Because the Lord of Steel cannot tell them the whole truth. You and I know clearly in our hearts that Perturabo also bears half the responsibility for this. My decision was wrong and my idea was too naive. In fact, I also achieved my goal from their stupid behavior this time."

"For example, after Damikos' death, the civil war in Olympia and the rise of separatist forces, even if this is an excellent reason for me to immediately put down the war in my hands and lead the legion back, but in fact, I should only come to re-determine the succession decree and the successor of the title of planetary governor granted by the Empire, instead of taking the opportunity to reshuffle everything and rearrange everything according to my own ideas."

"For example, when I left 150 years ago, I should have made clear arrangements for those disobedient nobles and their allies. I had the ability and power to do so. It was the best opportunity. If I had acquired more relevant knowledge or thought and deduced more, I would have known what happened next. But I didn't do that. My heart and eyes were filled with the Emperor and the beauty he promised. Fricks, Dantioch, was it Perturabo's arrogance that harmed Perturabo, or was Perturabo's innate knowledge and acquired knowledge cursed?"

It seemed as if someone, on the other side of distant time and space, once again angrily smashed the documents in his hand.

And here, Fricks was obviously at a loss, but he only hesitated for a few seconds.

"This is not your fault, sir. You are not wrong, father. It must be the disrespectful words of those damned noble insects that made you uncomfortable. They do not deserve your mercy!"

He walked up to the Primarch under Dantioch's shocked gaze and spoke in a decisive tone.

"The acceptance points set up by the legionnaires in various places have already begun accepting applications from families in service, and our pharmacy department is also sorting out the lists and matching the names and information on the application forms to the names of soldiers in each camp. The earliest and latest batch of Iron Warriors have returned to their hometowns. Everything is being carried out as you ordered. There is no doubt, father, it is just as you expected."

"But will my orders be accepted by all the Iron Warriors, my son?" His Primarch, his father, his Iron Master turned to him, his voice and expression filled with moving worry. "Will you follow me and carry out my orders to the letter? Even if I ask you to follow me, even if it is such an impossible task, even if I ask you to follow me and break away from the Emperor's guidance?"

Fricks had been with Perturabo for one hundred and fifty years and had never seen the Primarch like this. He was stunned, and so was Dantioch, apparently. Such a weak gesture greatly diluted the content of his terrible words, and undoubtedly also made Fricks' heart, which had become as cold as iron or resigned to its fate as early as the Terra Unification War, waver.

But he only hesitated for a moment and then made the decision immediately.

He said, "You must not show any doubt at this time, my lord. Your orders have begun to be carried out. I beg you to trust us, trust your sons. We have carried out your orders meticulously so far. What you asked us to do is completely different from what we were asked to do before. Many of us... admittedly cannot face the fact that our family has undergone tremendous changes, but we all know the tasks you have assigned to us. Your sons are completing the impossible tasks you have given us. Therefore, you must be firm, my lord, and show them your unyielding will. If other warriors see your self-doubt, it will breed unnecessary hesitation in their hearts."

"Indeed, father."

At this moment, Dantioch also arrived beside the Primarch. Although the Primarch was sitting there, his icy blue eyes still looked down at his sons slightly, and the faint morning light coming through the glass window reflected bits of gold.

Dantioch knelt as well, and placed his hands on his father's knees in a docile manner, looking up at his Primarch. "It is most important to show everyone your determination that you are absolutely right at this moment, my lord. Self-reflection... asking our hearts is an ancient, humble and wise act, but it is not appropriate for everyone to learn from you at this moment. Perhaps, later, after your plan is fulfilled, my lord."

It was not known whether the hints from the Chief Trident and the Warsmith were in line with the Primarch's wishes, but there was no doubt that the Lord of Steel straightened his back and slowly exhaled a long breath.

"You are right, descendants of the Lord of Steel." He paused for a moment, with a hint of certainty and curiosity, "During the current advancement process, have you really all followed my orders meticulously? Without any accidents?"

Fricks choked, but before Dantioch could speak, the Chief Trident immediately said, "In a few cases, there were minor disputes, my lord, but they were only a few, and they were immediately suppressed."

"As for those guys," the Primarch smiled lightly and mercilessly, "take them back to the ship and split them up into the battle line squads. I hope they can learn more about life from the vanguard battles."

"Yes, sir."

"If there is any resistance or unnecessary deaths, they will be executed after a public trial. Send the verdict and the result to every village and town - I want the nobles' verdicts and the orders to send their children to the city for compulsory education to be delivered to these places before school starts."

A black and white dog murmured in the air that it was barely satisfied this time.