Chapter 869 - 868

"What's going on?"

Groupmaster Marran and the others stared in confusion at the crates of human supplies the Necrons continued teleporting into the enclosure.

"Did those xenos raid another human civilization world? Or did they destroy some Rogue Trader dynasty?"

These human warriors had suffered from hunger and deprivation for far too long. Yet when they saw the Imperial supplies, their first reaction wasn't excitement.

It was anger.

These supplies might mean that more humans had fallen victim to the xenos!

"This cargo couldn't have been produced in the silent systems. It must have come from beyond this region," the Ultramarines Librarian said after a quick inspection.

They understood the conditions within the silent systems.

The planets covered by the abominable veil had fallen into extreme chaos, and most production had ground to a halt.

Even if the xenos wanted to plunder them, there was little left to steal. They would be lucky to find stale bread, cans of ant-ox meat, or blocks of corpse starch.

These supplies, however, were brand-new. The crates still carried the scent of freshly applied paint and protective coatings.

"Damn it. Some unlucky Rogue Trader dynasty must have been raided by the xenos."

Marran sighed.

He felt sorry for the Rogue Trader. Their entire force had presumably been wiped out without a single survivor.

Otherwise, the surviving humans would have been sent to this Royal Menagerie as well.

After all, the xenos Phaerakh named Faehra enjoyed collecting living sapient beings to keep as exhibits.

"No. This was a trade. The xenos purchased these Imperial supplies from a Rogue Trader."

A Sister of Battle found a delivery manifest attached to one of the cargo crates.

The document stated in clear terms that the Govendi Rogue Trader Dynasty had supplied the Faehra Dynasty with these goods according to the terms of a contract.

Marran and the others became even more confused.

They hadn't expected the xenos to purchase supplies specifically for the humans imprisoned deep within this enclosure.

Perhaps the xenos Phaerakh was worried that her human exhibits would starve to death.

Several mortal soldiers had already succumbed to hunger and weakness over the past few days.

In truth, this had been Eden's idea.

Under his influence, the Faehra Dynasty was gradually becoming more peaceful and had begun treating all sapient life with kindness.

Only by doing so could these beings of living metal earn the favor of the new god, Pluto, and restore their souls and bodies more quickly.

"So it wasn't plunder. Those lawless Rogue Traders are abusing their privileges to trade so brazenly with xenos.

"This is treason.

"The Inquisition should purge every last one of them, along with the manufactorums that sold them these supplies!"

The Ultramarines Librarian slammed his fist into a cargo crate, leaving a deep dent in its side.

His voice seethed with anger.

He despised Rogue Traders who regularly traded with xenos and even secretly sold Imperial intelligence.

Worse still, he knew powerful figures within the Imperial hierarchy were probably using these Rogue Traders as intermediaries to line their own pockets.

"Battle-brother, this shipment appears to have originated in Ultramar's Five Hundred Worlds. The Govendi Dynasty ordered the supplies from the Planum Group and the Gantz Industrial Group.

"There are even...Ultramarines insignia here."

The Sister of Battle continued examining the documents she had found. The origins of the supplies were clearly recorded.

Planum was a major agri-world among the Five Hundred Worlds, while Gantz was a renowned Imperial Forge World closely tied to the Ultramarines.

Some cargo crates even bore the insignia of the Ultramarines and their gene-father, Lord Regent Roboute Guilliman.

The markings were impossible to miss.

The Sister's words—and the evidence right in front of them—nearly broke the Ultramarines' minds.

According to what they had just said, didn't that mean the Five Hundred Worlds, the Ultramarines, and even their own gene-father were collaborating with the enemy?

The Ultramarines fell into an awkward silence.

None of them spoke for a very long time.

Slandering their gene-father would be an act of blasphemy.

"Perhaps this is part of our Chapter's plan. They may have received intelligence about us and chosen this method to provide support.

"Hopefully, there are weapons hidden among these supplies. They might help us escape."

The Ultramarines Librarian's lips twitched slightly as he desperately attempted to salvage the situation, though his tone remained solemn.

If the cargo contained concealed weapons, the elite warriors among them might be able to break out of the phase-space and perhaps even escape the planet.

Then they could transmit intelligence about these Necron xenos back to the Imperium.

Before long, Marran and the others stood before the dazzling array of unpacked supplies and once again fell silent.

So far, they hadn't found a single weapon.

Instead, the shipment consisted entirely of luxurious foods and amenities beyond anything they had ever seen.

There were marbled grox steaks, every variety of canned meat and fruit, and sacks of finely milled grain.

The shipment also contained warm clothing stuffed with soft down, thick quilts, and even furniture.

In short, the supplies could satisfy virtually every survival need Marran and the other warriors had—and at a standard normally reserved for the nobility.

Even the Ultramarines rarely enjoyed such abundant provisions. Most of their resources were directed toward their armories and manufactorums.

"Have our Five Hundred Worlds really become this wealthy?" the Ultramarines Librarian marveled.

As a learned warrior, he could discern a great deal from the contents and quality of the shipment. He could even estimate the industrial development of Ultramar's Five Hundred Worlds.

He also remembered what those worlds had once been like.

Back then, the Regent had been exceptionally frugal. Even when he wanted fresh meat, he had to think carefully about whether he could justify it. As the Lord of Ultramar, he had been obligated to set an example for his people.

The fact that the Five Hundred Worlds could now produce supplies like these proved that Guilliman had ended the wars ravaging his realm and restored its prosperity.

"Gene-father, the Indomitus Crusade was victorious!"

The Ultramarines Librarian excitedly held up an elaborately decorated box of Sunwheat Crisp Biscuits.

The front of the box depicted their gene-father gazing heroically into the distance, with the Indomitus Crusade fleets arrayed behind him.

On the back was a short story:

Legend tells that after the victory of the Indomitus Crusade, the great Roboute Guilliman, Lord of Ultramar, returned to Macragge.

Beneath the sunlight, he beheld the gleaming fields of sunwheat, a treasure found only within the Five Hundred Worlds.

Grateful to the Primarch for defending the stars and safeguarding his people, the citizens of Ultramar ground the sunwheat into flour, blended it with local honey syrup, and baked it into crisp, delicate biscuits for his triumphal feast.

Lord Guilliman sampled one and nodded in approval.

"Crisp yet resilient, with sweetness lingering after every bite—just like the people of Ultramar, whose bones are forged of strength and whose hearts forever seek glory. This is the taste of victory!"

From that day onward, he declared that these biscuits would be eaten on every Victory Day. Their fame soon spread across the Imperium, making them an indispensable delicacy at celebrations throughout humanity's realm...

Note: This product is the Planum Food Group's special Victory Day edition and is officially licensed by the Primarch himself. (Primarch's Seal)

Let every crisp, fragrant bite preserve the sweetness of victory!

"Gene-father...we finally won."

The story printed on the box left the Ultramarines somewhat bewildered.

Nevertheless, the news that the Indomitus Crusade had achieved victory and the Five Hundred Worlds had returned to prosperity filled them with indescribable excitement.

These Ultramarines had fought for the Indomitus Crusade for two hundred years.

Even while trapped in this prison and growing weaker by the day, they had held firm, prepared to fight until their final moments.

Now, having finally seen news of victory, they dropped to one knee, tears streaming down their faces.

The Ultramarines divided the box of Sunwheat Crisp Biscuits among themselves and swallowed the sweet morsels with their tears.

Smiles appeared on their faces.

These sons of Macragge had missed the victory ceremonies, but they had still tasted the sweetness of triumph—just as their gene-father supposedly had.

Afterward, the warriors of the Indomitus Crusade used the supplies to hold a celebration in honor of their victory.

They feasted upon succulent steaks, assorted vegetables, canned fruits, and wine made from real grapes.

"Ha! I never thought I'd live to enjoy the treatment of a high-ranking noble."

Marran happily chewed a marbled grox steak and sipped sweet wine, utterly content.

The Indomitus Crusade had been launched under rushed and desperate circumstances. At the time, the Imperium had stood on the brink of annihilation, with even Terra itself in grave danger.

It had been the Regent's final gamble.

Consequently, the crusade fleets had suffered from severe shortages.

Even Marran, the commander of an entire battle group, had frequently gone without fresh meat due to the relentless pace of the fighting. At best, he had received dried meat or canned luncheon meat.

After his fleet entered the silent systems, their supply lines had been severed completely, forcing them to find their own provisions.

They had even organized scavenging teams to search the ships' lower sewage channels for food.

Conditions had been extraordinarily harsh.

Yet the pure, high-quality food before him was normally available only to nobles on prosperous civilization worlds.

More importantly, they were enjoying it after victory had been achieved.

Who could have imagined that in only two hundred years, the Indomitus Crusade would win and the Imperium would prosper to the point that ordinary citizens—not merely nobles—could eat food like this?

Marran and the others gradually pieced together the Imperium's current situation from the information printed on the supplies.

The Imperium had escaped widespread starvation and entered a period of rapid development. Its strength was recovering at astonishing speed.

Later, they discovered even more extraordinary news in the books, newspapers, and copies of the Scripture of Redemption packed among the cargo.

The Imperium was now ruled by the Savior, Eden Grant. Most of its fallen territories had been reclaimed, and the xenos and heretics occupying them had been driven out.

Moreover, additional Primarchs had returned to the Imperium alongside the Primarch of the Ultramarines. The Legions had been restored, humanity's strength continued to grow, and its armies were still expanding.

The Imperium had also established a magnificent Webway metropolis known as Dawn City.

The flourishing Webway transportation network and rapid economic growth had given rise to all manner of unfamiliar innovations.

Marran and the others could barely recognize the Imperium anymore.

More than anything else, the succession of great victories recorded in the Scripture of Redemption filled them with boundless excitement.

Under the leadership of the Savior and the Primarchs, humanity had conquered the T'au Empire, the Aeldari, and the Orks within its territory, freeing mankind from the threat of xenos attacks.

They had defeated Abaddon the Despoiler of the Black Legion and Huron Blackheart, Lord of the Red Corsairs.

Even Greater Daemons and Traitor Primarchs had been vanquished!

That meant the Savior and the Primarchs had defeated nearly all of the Imperium's greatest enemies.

Few meaningful threats remained. Humanity would soon eradicate its last enemies in both the galaxy and the Warp, achieving true dominion over all!

"Master of Mankind, what a glorious achievement!" the Sister of Battle exclaimed.

Marran and the others were equally exhilarated.

These warriors had never imagined that the Imperium could prosper again, much less achieve such extraordinary feats.

When they had joined the Indomitus Crusade, their greatest hope had merely been to preserve the Imperium's last embers and prevent humanity from being driven to extinction.

Yet in only two hundred years, the Imperium's situation had changed beyond recognition.

Everything sounded so wonderful!

Overcome with emotion, Marran and the others drank themselves into a stupor and then slept peacefully.

They no longer worried about anything.

These warriors understood the Imperium better than most. Given its current strength, it would probably launch a campaign into these silent systems before long.

The Imperium's vast armies would eradicate the Necron xenos entrenched here and put an end to their attempt to extinguish humanity!

After learning the truth, Marran and the others abandoned their plans to escape.

They decided to remain peacefully inside the xenos Royal Menagerie and await rescue. They no longer needed to worry about supplies, and the shipment had even included medical serums capable of treating their injuries and illnesses.

The warriors had deciphered the message the Govendi Dynasty intended to send:

The Imperium wanted them to remain where they were and wait for rescue.

This was a Tomb World. Even if they escaped the enclosure, they would almost certainly be wiped out.

As for the mortal soldiers of the Astra Militarum, they were now so comfortable that they had no desire to leave at all.

"By the Throne, these xenos aren't half bad! I've never had anything this good in my entire life.

"Even the nobles back on my world don't live this well!"

A Guardsman from an impoverished civilization world devoured an enormous steak and washed it down with delicious fruit wine.

Then he pulled a down-filled blanket over himself, feeling as though he were lying upon a cloud.

Who could have imagined that they would finally experience the good life while imprisoned inside a xenos cage?

"Ha! No wonder the nobles are so healthy when this is what they eat. After drinking that red wine, I feel like I've got some strength back!"

Another Guardsman spoke up.

He no longer felt as weak as before. His mind wasn't as foggy, and the fear weighing upon his heart had faded.

He wasn't the only one.

The other mortal soldiers experienced similar improvements in both their physical and mental condition.

"Something has changed. The xenos' abominable veil is receding. The black shroud covering the Immaterium has grown thinner..."

The Ultramarines Librarian had noticed it as well.

His eyes turned white, and nearly imperceptible arcs of psychic lightning wound around his raised hand.

The psychic warrior could once again reach through the Immaterium and draw upon a faint trace of psychic power.

"Could an Imperial fleet have already broken into the system? Are they dismantling the xenos abominations?!"

The news sent Marran and the others into an excited frenzy.

They hadn't expected rescue to arrive so soon.

Perhaps the Imperial fleet would quickly destroy the Faehra Dynasty, dismantle every blackstone structure in the surrounding region, and free the warriors imprisoned here.

Rumble—

The warriors suddenly sensed something and looked toward the heavens.

Flickering sparks of energy appeared against the dark void, then rapidly spread across wider regions of space.

They were witnessing the flames of void warfare.

An extraordinarily fierce battle had clearly erupted within the star system. The fighting was so intense that its energy fluctuations were visible from the planet's surface.

The warring fleets were also drawing steadily closer to the planet.

"No, those aren't human ships. They're xenos vessels—the Necrons are fighting among themselves!"

The Ultramarines Librarian abruptly noticed something, and his expression changed dramatically.

This wasn't good news for them.

From what he could discern, at least three fleets belonging to other Necron rulers were approaching the planet.

Their emerald-lit tomb fleets had joined forces and were closing in with overwhelming momentum.

The Faehra Dynasty might not be able to stop them.

That meant the planet itself could be completely destroyed.

And every human imprisoned within the Royal Menagerie would perish along with it!

(End of Chapter)

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