svetikya Chapter 51 Debate
Chapter 51 Debate
Mortarion stood up abruptly, coldly scanning all the Primarchs present, his gaze finally settling on the Emperor clad in holy gilded armor.
He had long known that some of his brothers and even his father were psionicists, but he still stubbornly insisted, his voice hoarse:
"I saw those so-called psionicists in Barbarossa! They sacrificed the souls of innocents, fed the monsters of the warp with their flesh and blood, and turned the entire planet into a living hell!"
At this point, recalling the bloody tragedies of the past, he completely lost control of his emotions, slammed his fist on the table, pointed at Li Wei, and shouted angrily:
"You call them blades? They're venomous snakes that will turn on their masters at any moment! Today they fight for the Empire, tomorrow they'll betray humanity for the lure of the Warp!"
As soon as he finished speaking, several Primarchs with conservative stances nodded silently.
But they didn't dare to be as outspoken as Mortarion; their father, the Golden Throne, was still watching, and he himself was the strongest psionicist in the galaxy.
Li Wei listened to Mortarian's roar, but felt nothing; he even found it somewhat laughable.
Mortalian, the Primarch of the Death Guard, really does lose his mind and become hysterical when it comes to psykers and the warp.
He paused, then his tone suddenly turned stern:
"I understand your pain, and I have heard of the deeds of those fallen psionicists in Barbarossa, but have you considered your father's feelings when you make such unfounded accusations against all psionicists? His Majesty the Emperor is also a psionicist, and the most powerful one at that!"
He took a step forward and said sharply and bluntly:
"This is utterly rebellious! You are openly defaming the Emperor! You are hating the Emperor!"
Li Wei's earth-shattering words and uncompromising attitude shocked everyone present. The previously relaxed atmosphere instantly turned icy cold, so cold you could hear a pin drop.
Mortarian turned deathly pale, looking in terror at the expressionless emperor on the golden throne.
He opened his mouth slightly, but couldn't utter a single word; cold sweat instantly soaked his back.
Even Magnus couldn't help but shrink his pupils. He had originally planned to intervene and help Levi when he couldn't hold on any longer.
But he didn't expect that Li Wei would be so fierce, daring to completely expose those unspoken taboos in the open.
Mortarion hated psionic powers, but he hated the Emperor even more. He resented the Emperor for interfering and depriving him of the opportunity to personally kill his demonic foster father.
Although the events that happened in Barbarossa were kept secret, most of the higher-ups knew about them, but no one dared to expose them.
Li Wei didn't think that much about it, or rather, he didn't care at all.
His thinking was quite straightforward. In any case, everything he said was true. Although the emperor was majestic, he wouldn't punish him for such a small matter.
As for what Mortarian thinks, since the pretense of civility has already been laid bare, it doesn't matter whether he offends him or not.
Time passed, and the emperor on the golden throne remained expressionless, as if he had not been affected by Li Wei's words at all.
The stagnant atmosphere continued to spread. After a long while, Horus, the most tactful and prestigious of the Primarchs, slowly spoke, saying gently:
"Brother Motalian, if you're opposing the establishment of think tanks, you should point out specific issues instead of getting into personal attacks."
As soon as he finished speaking, Horus glanced at the composed Li Wei with his deep eyes, his lips twitching slightly, but he said nothing.
Li Wei's words were even more outrageous and frightening, and he deserved to be punished.
But he didn't want to get into a verbal argument with this madman, and Li Wei's mouth was too sharp; he really dared to say anything.
Mortalian, his face alternating between pale and flushed, felt as if he had been granted a pardon. Taking advantage of Horus's offer, he quickly changed his tune:
"Indeed, the Horus brothers are right. The biggest problem with psionicists is their lack of control..."
He sighed helplessly, his voice noticeably weaker, his momentum greatly diminished.
He didn't want to argue anymore; he just wanted to end this embarrassing farce as soon as possible.
As for the idea of promoting the think tank throughout the entire legion, he can simply ignore it. After all, he is the genetic prototype of the Death Guard Legion, and no one can force him to accept it.
Mortarian's momentum plummeted, but Levi's enthusiasm surged. His plan hadn't even begun, and he couldn't let it end like this.
He continued, following Mortarian's lead:
"Psionicists are indeed prone to losing control and are easily corrupted by the warp, so I propose to establish a new psionic management system, to uniformly recruit all psionicists in the Empire and send them all to Prospero, the homeworld of the Thousand Sons."
"After undergoing rigorous training and assessment by the Five Great Schools of the Thousand Sons system, they are then sent to departments of the Empire that require the support of psionicists. This is to address the root cause of the potential for psionicists to go out of control, while also meeting the Empire's various needs for psionicists."
"What?"
"That's absolutely unacceptable!"
"That's utterly wishful thinking!"
......
Immediately, discussions arose.
Livy's shocking remarks were even more astonishing than his previous accusations that Mortarian had slandered the Emperor.
This time, it wasn't just the eighteen Primarchs who were moved; even the Primarchs' Honor Guard and squires who were with them couldn't help but whisper among themselves.
Even Magnus, who knew the general outline of Li Wei's plan, was taken aback. He had already abandoned Li Wei's previous suggestion to acquire more soldiers.
But what Li Wei proposed now was even more outrageous.
If this were to proceed according to Livy's plan, the influence of the Thousand Sons in the Empire would not be limited to that of the ordinary Astartes Legion, but would reach a level that would rival that of the Sealholder, Macardo, in the Empire's power structure.
While many in the Empire do fear and reject psionicists, their role and value should not be underestimated.
Many departments of the Empire are in dire need of the support of psionicists. If all the psionicists in the entire Imperial administrative system were actually from the hands of the Thousand Sons, then the Thousand Sons would completely control the empire's psionic lifeline.
Then the Thousand Sons were no longer a simple fighting legion, but a privileged class that controlled the real power of the empire.
At the same time, the emperor on the golden throne's expression shifted slightly, as if he were considering whether Li Wei's suggestion was feasible.
But the other Primarchs in the council chamber could no longer bear it and spoke in unison with the ashen-faced Mortarian:
"Li Wei of Qianzi Think Tank, isn't this going too far?"
"We are discussing the establishment of a comprehensive think tank for the entire legion, not allowing the Thousand Sons to monopolize the entire empire's psionic resources."
Li Wei, however, remained completely calm, showing no concern whatsoever for the unanimous rebukes from the Primarchs.
This matter is none of the Primarchs' concern; it only requires the Emperor's judgment.
His calm gaze was fixed on the emperor on the golden throne, hoping to gain his approval. In this way, the think tank promotion meeting ended far more successfully than expected.