69novels Chapter 26 Is Perturabo a psionicist?
Chapter 26 Is Perturabo a psionicist?
Magnus smiled and patted him on the shoulder: "That's more like it."
After a moment of silence, Li Wei suddenly thought of something.
His arrival on Dawn Star was Magnus's arrangement.
Could Ahriman, who had previously acted as a shield for Magnus and taken on most of the trivial military affairs, have also been deliberately transferred away by Magnus?
The goal is to force myself to step forward and take responsibility.
Li Wei's heart skipped a beat, and he took the initiative to ask:
"My lord Archmage, was Ahriman also transferred away voluntarily by you? Was it to force me to take over the legion's affairs?"
"That's...that's true."
Magnus said somewhat embarrassedly that it was indeed his arrangement.
But he also noticed that Ahriman had been sullen ever since he returned from the Knight Planet Warnum II.
So they proactively sent him to the edge of the star system to clear out strongholds, and also to let him relax.
Looking at Magnus's slightly embarrassed expression, Li Wei felt a mix of amusement and exasperation.
It turned out that his instruction to the blind cult of Ammon to keep an eye on Ahriman was nothing but a self-indulgent farce.
......
Two hours later, Levi and Magnus stood on the highest observation deck of Peturabo's flagship, the Ironblood.
Perturabo stood with his back to them, one hand resting on the cold alloy porthole, gazing out at Dawn Star, which was heading towards its end.
The planet, once covered with gray rock layers and black mineral veins, is now shattered, with orange-red magma gushing from every crack in the crust, like a piece of burning amber that has been smashed.
Countless massive rock fragments, accompanied by smoke and dust, scattered and flew in all directions, leaving long fiery tails in the dark space.
Li Wei gazed at the magnificent yet cruel scene of destruction outside the window and sighed softly.
Just hours before, there were cities, mines, and more than two million people struggling to survive there.
Now, everything has turned into dust in the universe.
"A planet, just like that, gone," he whispered. "If we had arrived a moment later..."
"There are no 'ifs'," Peturabo interrupted him. "The outcome is good, and that's enough."
A brief silence fell on the deck, with only the low rumble of the ship's engines echoing in the air.
After a long while, Peturabo slowly turned around, his gaze falling on Magnus, his face bearing an extremely awkward expression, as if he were saying something difficult to say.
He clenched his fist, cleared his throat, and spoke stiffly:
"Magnus, my brother, I need your help with something."
Magnus raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised: "I never expected the great Lord of the Olympics to ask me for help? Tell me about it."
Peturabo's voice remained cold and hard, yet carried a hint of seriousness.
"I want to establish a think tank unit in the Fourth Legion. The Dawn Star incident has taught me that some things cannot be solved by steel and gunpowder alone."
"I need a group of people who can handle those 'invisible things.' I'd like you to send a few of Qianzi's think tanks to help me train the first batch of personnel."
He thought Magnus would agree immediately, or take the opportunity to make some demands.
Unexpectedly, Magnus simply smiled and shook his head: "Petrulabo, you don't actually need to consult us."
Peturabo frowned. "What do you mean?"
"What I mean is, you can train them yourself."
Magnus's gaze fell upon him, a hint of understanding in his eyes.
"From the first moment I saw you, I knew you were also a psionicist. Moreover, your psionic talent surpasses that of the vast majority of psionicists in the Thousand Sons Legion. If you wish, you can completely build and train the Fourth Legion's think tank on your own."
The air froze instantly.
Li Wei stared wide-eyed in shock at Peturabo.
He never imagined that the Lord of Steel, who habitually said "all psionicists are charlatans," was actually a powerful psionicist himself.
Peturabo showed no surprise, as if he had known this all along.
He merely scoffed, his tone filled with disgust:
"Yes...no, I do have the ability to see ghosts. But all I can see is a huge, bloody eye, forever hanging at the darkest end of the universe, staring intently at me."
"I named it the Eye of Fear."
Magnus's eyes narrowed suddenly, then a knowing look appeared on his face, and he said confidently:
"This is actually one of your psionic manifestations. As long as you let down your guard and recognize your true nature, you will definitely be able to obtain the power of the warp."
Peturabo chuckled self-deprecatingly after hearing this, looking at his calloused and scarred hands, his voice low and deep:
"I will not become a psionicist. Because psionic power is the most uncontrollable thing in the world. It can suddenly go berserk, backfire on the user, and turn perfectly normal people into madmen. I have seen too many psionicists lose control, killing themselves and their comrades."
"I only believe in steel and gunpowder," Perturabo said firmly. "These things are controllable. A bolt gun won't suddenly explode and blow your own people's heads off, power armor won't suddenly betray you, and every blow from an engineering hammer has a definite result. As for psionic energy? Nobody knows what it will bring next."
He paused, looked at Magnus, his gaze complex:
"I established the think tank not because I believe in psionicism, but because I need people to handle these problems so my warriors don't die in vain. But I will never allow psionicism to become the mainstream of the Fourth Legion. Steel inside and out is the eternal faith of the Iron Warriors."
"I'm sorry, I can't grant that request."
Magnus spoke with apology but unwavering determination.
"What?" Peturabo's eyes widened suddenly, his tone turning icy. "Magnus, are you kidding me?"
He wondered if Magnus's aversion stemmed from the disdain and contempt he had shown towards psionics in his earlier remarks.
His face instantly darkened to the point of being dripping with water. He wanted to open his mouth to refute, but he swallowed it back.
He really needs a knowledgeable psychic to help him solve those bizarre problems that steel and gunpowder can't handle.
Just as Peturabo finally suppressed his anger and prepared to humble himself and beg again.
Li Wei forced himself to say:
"Your Excellency Peturabo, I apologize, but the Thousand Sons Legion does not currently have any additional think tank members. If I had to say, I would be the only chief think tank member."
Li Wei also looked helpless, both amused and exasperated. He glanced at Magnus's self-righteous "you figure it out" attitude.
He knew in his heart that only he could answer this question.
He also knew that Magnus was pressuring him to go back and formally establish the think tank headquarters, creating a think tank unit for Qianzi.
He has been putting it off for a long time.
This wasn't because Li Wei, the chief think tank member, was being lazy or irresponsible; rather, it was because he had too many secrets and it was inconvenient to have subordinates around him.
Moreover, the Thousand Sons do not actually need to be think tanks in the traditional sense, although this definition was agreed upon by Magnus and Levi.
Since everyone in the Thousand Sons Legion is a psionicist, the psionic support unit in the think tank, which was specifically set up for ordinary legions, is completely redundant for the Thousand Sons.