Alexander pulled the Body Clay out of his four-dimensional pocket and placed it on the ground.
He took a large lump of clay and put it on his face, making his head appear very large.
Under his manipulation, the clay did not turn into human skin color; instead, it gradually became blue and white with a metallic sheen.
He then reached out and pinched the area of his nose, forming a red spherical shape.
Alexander continued to apply the clay to his body, molding a small bell at his neck and shaping his body into a round, plump form; even his arms were encased in white spheres.
"Is this your reflection in the Warp?" Sanguinius asked, a hint of surprise in its voice.
In its sight, Alexander and his reflection in the Warp were gradually becoming identical.
"How should I put it? It's a bit peculiar."
Alexander turned his head, molded a red tail for himself, admired his appearance, and then pushed the door open and walked out.
Reyna stared blankly at the thing that pushed the door open and walked out.
Was it a plump, blue, bipedal raccoon dog?
No, upon closer inspection, it seemed to be a cat without ears.
This cat had a metallic-looking shell, a round, plump face with whiskers and a red nose, a large mouth below the nose, and an even larger head that housed its features.
Its body was even rounder, as if four cylindrical limbs were attached to a sphere, with a bell tied around its non-existent neck, and two spherical hands at the ends of its arms.
On its belly, there was also a crescent-shaped pocket, its purpose unknown.
How should I put it? It didn't look like a Death Chosen at all. Instead, it was a bit cute?
"Praise the Death Chosen!"
Dixus, dressed in a tight black leather outfit, knelt devoutly on the ground, her forehead pressed firmly against the floor, praising with genuine emotion:
"Great Death Chosen, you have finally descended upon your loyal Ashford!"
"Your devoted servant, Dixus, will pledge loyalty to you."
"This is the damn Death Chosen!" Reyna muttered, her face twitching as she looked at Alexander.
She knew Alexander had the ability to change his face, but she never expected him to transform into such a… a form that was almost unrecognizable as human!
To Dixus, who knelt at Alexander's feet, appearing devout and obedient, Alexander's current appearance was as if the Emperor himself had arrived.
Her entire body trembled uncontrollably with excitement, and hearing Reyna's words, she indignantly raised her head.
"In the visions the Emperor granted me, Lord Death Chosen appeared in this very form."
"Look at that perfectly round head! Look at those sharp, round eyes! Look at that scarlet, blood-red nose!"
Dixus spoke with deep adoration in her voice:
"This blood-red mouth seems capable of devouring all life in the world, this body is like the shadow of the Grim Reaper, and the bell hanging around its neck is the sound of impending death."
"And that pocket hanging on its belly, as if it contains an endless, desolate, and gloomy realm of death."
"The Grim Reaper's gloomy protection covers this place; all mortals must die, and you are the embodiment of death."
"The winds of death entwine around your body."
Alexander looked at Dixus, who was prostrating on the ground, feeling a bit numb.
He truly wondered what kind of mindset the Emperor had to make Alexander appear in this current form, becoming the so-called "Death Chosen" in the hearts of the Dying-worshippers.
What if he had said that his current appearance was that of the Omnissiah?
"I am Death, I am Repose, I take lives as easily as extinguishing a lamp, your bones are not yet cold, but your souls are already in my grasp."
"You shall rest eternally, forever existing within my domain."
"Thus, this is the authority of I, Doraemon."
With that, Alexander spread his arms.
Dixus' eyes were filled with worship; she couldn't help but kowtow and perform a grand Rei to Alexander.
"Praise the Death Chosen Doraemon, praise your great authority."
She said devoutly:
"May we, under your guidance, bring more death."
"Does death need guidance? Death will eventually visit everyone, whether sooner or later… and death always has patience."
Alexander, wearing Doraemon's face, said solemnly.
Dixus' face became even more reverent.
As for Reyna, she stared dumbfounded as Alexander spread his arms and uttered a string of bizarre words.
If it weren't for the awkward atmosphere, Reyna really wanted to tell Alexander,
she thought Alexander was more suited to evangelism and being a charlatan than she was.
He was too good at bluffing.
And how did he come up with that strange name, Doraemon?
Reyna's urge to complain was almost uncontrollable.
"Tell me, who dares to make you bring death to Death?" Alexander asked with a serious expression.
Dixus' face showed panic, and she quickly said with a trembling voice, "governor Augustus Flax."
She hadn't even mentioned this yet, but the Death Chosen already knew.
This made Dixus even more reverent towards Alexander.
But at the same time, she felt worried, fearing that the Chosen would not grant her death because of this.
" Ah?" Before Alexander could speak, Reyna, who was beside him, widened her eyes, looking as if she had misheard.
"Go and announce my arrival to your sisters." Alexander nodded slightly to Dixus.
Dixus trembled as she bowed respectfully to Alexander, then vanished from the spot in an instant.
" Alexander, what's going on?" Reyna's face was filled with confusion and bewilderment.
"Why are you the Death Chosen? And what's with this appearance of yours?"
"What's going on with governor Augustus Flax? Did he introduce us here? Why does he want to kill us?"
Reyna blurted out a string of questions.
"Not only that, governor will also have to send us money tomorrow."
Alexander said with a smile:
"And a large amount of weapons and equipment, enough for you to arm the Ark Gang."
"Huh?" Reyna was even more confused.
How could someone try to assassinate you and still send you money?
Augustus trembled as he lay on the crimson sofa.
Every muscle in his body expressed fear and dread.
He had a terrifying dream.
In this dream, Alexander, like a shadowy, formless figure, walked out and entered his underground palace.
The underground palace was filled with the roars of the Tyranid, and Tiberius' voice was mixed in.
Then, Tiberius' voice turned into a wail.
Alexander, holding Tiberius' head, came before him.
"Your brother sends his regards."
He threw Tiberius' head in front of the terrified and limp Augustus.
Then an invisible immense force struck, crushing Augustus bit by bit under Alexander's gaze.
Augustus woke up from the nightmare.
He was drenched in sweat, which streamed down his wrinkled skin.
But even after waking, Augustus still felt fear.
This was because he was born with a unique ability to distinguish between falsehood and truth, illusion and reality.
It was said to be a genetic trait of the Flax family, a unique mutation obtained from the crimson twin suns shining on their homeworld.
They could not be deceived by dreams and illusions; they could discern truth in falsehood and determine if a person was lying.
And this ability grew stronger with each generation, reaching its peak with Augustus.
It was precisely because of this that Augustus was not swayed by the psychic powers of his xenos brother, nor did he become its puppet slave.
Similarly, Augustus could always determine whether he was in a dream.
But the nightmare he just had felt incredibly real, like a tangible future.
Augustus almost wanted to throw up.
Just then, the data slate on his desk suddenly made a cold, mechanical sound.
Augustus shivered, fearing it was Alexander calling through One-Eye.
He picked up the data slate from the table with trembling hands.
But what was displayed on the data slate was a communication from the Dying-worshippers.
Augustus almost felt like crying tears of joy.
Never in his life had Augustus so eagerly anticipated the chilling voice of the Dying-worshippers.
Even though that death-filled voice once made him tremble all over,
now, Augustus yearned for that voice.
"Death greets you, governor."
Then, a man's voice came from the other end of the call.
The voice was not chilling at all; instead, it was full of pleasure and mockery, as if teasing Augustus.
It was Alexander's voice; Augustus recognized it instantly.
How could he?!
Did he single-handedly fight his way through the entire Dying-worshippers church?
This monster! This madman! This heretic!
Augustus was already considering whether to report Alexander to an Inquisitor to save his own life.
Currently, there was one on the neighboring planet of Lexio from Ashford.
This might expose some of the things he had done, but as governor, he at least had more chances to survive than Alexander.
An Inquisitor should at least give a governor some face… right?
"I had a cordial exchange with the Dying-worshippers, and now they and I are close partners, like family."
This was true! Augustus judged with joy.
This meant he hadn't discovered the Dying-worshippers' true intention to assassinate him.
Everything now must be a facade created by the Dying-worshippers.
How professional, Dying-worshippers!
"About the weapons and equipment, let's discuss that now."
Alexander rested his chin on his hand, sitting in front of the data slate, with Reyna and Dixus standing behind him.
Alexander said with interest:
"I thought about it carefully. You see, weapons will always have wear and tear, right?"
"And the Ark Gang personnel will also need replenishment, right?"
"So, just double it."
"Double?" Augustus' voice suddenly rose: "Why don't you just rob me?"
"I am robbing you," Alexander said with a grin.
"Shameless…" Augustus gritted his teeth.
He inexplicably had a suspicion.
Could Alexander really have cooperated with the Dying-worshippers?
No, that's impossible.
Augustus had studied the Dying-worshippers' doctrines.
They believed that nothing could refuse death, except death itself.
So these fanatics would definitely not refuse to give death to Alexander.
Augustus calmed himself, as if gritting his teeth, and said:
"Double, at most double, no more."
"Alright, alright, then double the money." Alexander said leisurely.
" Fine, this is my final bottom line." Augustus said, feigning extreme anger.
But in reality, his bottom line was almost limitless now.
After all, Alexander was about to die, to die by the assassination of the Dying-worshippers.
"Oh, by the way."
Alexander on the other side of the data slate seemed to suddenly remember something, smiling as he looked at Dixus beside him:
"Dixus, has governor paid the bill for assassinating Reyna and me?"
Upon hearing this, Augustus' body stiffened, wondering if he had misheard.
"Sir, he hasn't paid," Dixus said, bowing respectfully.
"Remember to settle this bill; you can pay it directly to me."
Alexander said with a light chuckle:
"Thank you for supporting the business activities of the Dying-worshippers. Thank you."
"I hope we… cooperate more in the future."
Then Alexander hung up the call, leaving Augustus' body trembling with fear.
He knew everything!
Augustus quickly retreated to the crimson sofa.
He pulled a blanket over his shriveled body.
This blanket was one his mother had once personally covered him with in his childhood, occasionally making him feel safe.
Augustus still couldn't stop trembling.
He thought of ways to save himself.
His PDF and psyker forces were strong enough.
But they might not be able to stop the Dying-worshippers and Alexander, not to mention Tiberius waiting for an opportunity in the shadows.
He knew that Alexander hadn't come to kill him yet for only two reasons.
The smaller reason was that he was still the official leader of the Ashford Imperium; if he died, the transfer of power to the Astra Militarum would become difficult later on.
The larger reason was that greedy fellow, Alexander, still wanted his equipment and money.
What made Augustus most uncomfortable was that he not only had to give, but he had to give more than Alexander demanded, and he had to give frequently.
He had to constantly prove to Alexander that he still had value, that he could contribute more resources, weapons, and money.
Alexander even hinted that Augustus should "cooperate more."
But this would only delay Augustus' death.
He would eventually lose value to Alexander.
At that time, "death would greet him."
"I need to find a way, I need to find a way…"
Augustus gritted his teeth, frantically racking his brain for ideas.
Suddenly, an idea popped into his mind.
That Inquisitor on the neighboring Lexio…
Although he didn't know which Inquisition convent the Inquisitor belonged to,
it didn't matter.
This Alexander fellow, colluding with illegal psyker and mutant cultists, would be of interest to both the Ordo Malleus, which combats daemons, and the Ordo Hereticus, which judges heretics, to punish him.
Even the Ordo Xenos, which specializes in fighting xenos—hmm, Alexander didn't seem to truly collude much with xenos.
But that didn't matter either; Inquisitors didn't always act according to their specific Ordo when meting out punishment.
Of course, doing so also meant that Augustus had a good chance of exposing his own actions.
But he was, after all, the governor of the Imperium, and he hadn't truly been corrupted…
All in all, there was still some room for maneuver; he had to use his channels to contact this Inquisitor.