The Aeldari fortress was slender and delicate, like an icicle hanging between thick clouds, resting on a soft sea of snow, contrasting sharply with the Imperial Knights standing beside it.
The Imperial Knights were made of heavy, coarse steel, covered in dark red paint and various intricate insignias, like iron giants from a barbaric age.
The Expeditionary Force temporarily used the ancient Aeldari fortress, guarded by the Blood Angels, as their base.
The Aeldari, who claimed to be there to support humanity, complained incessantly, declaring that humans had occupied what belonged to them.
But the Harlequin, Hilandri Weimuxingzhe, and Belisarius Cawl were old acquaintances; she was the one who guided Cawl to Cadia.
This Harlequin mediated, and both the Expeditionary Force and the Aeldari agreed to hold further discussions tomorrow.
After all, due to some unexpected situations, both the Expeditionary Force and the Aeldari needed some time to process things.
And the source of this unexpected situation was currently walking through the Aeldari fortress, guarded by twenty-two of Doraemon's chosen.
The twenty-two Doraemon's chosen were the most excellent warriors selected from the Blood Angels, serving as Alexander's bodyguards and carrying a certain number of tools.
Due to the rendezvous with Captain Karlaen, the composition of Doraemon's chosen temporarily changed.
Captain Karlaen also became one of them, his shoulder pads painted metallic blue.
A small number of Blood Angels patrolled inside the fortress, with only about a company's worth of personnel stationed there; the other warriors had already retreated into Alexander's four-dimensional pocket before the Expeditionary Force returned to the fortress.
In the eyes of the Expeditionary Force, Alexander had only brought a company of Blood Angels, and with Captain Karlaen's half-company, it totaled about one hundred and sixty or seventy people.
One hundred and sixty or seventy elite Blood Angels were already enough to control the entire fortress.
The voices of mortals were far louder than those of the Astartes; most of the warriors of the One Hundred and Eighty-Fourth Regiment originated from the hive city of Ashford, and even after receiving training from the Cadians, some habits remained.
On the battlefield, they were almost identical to the Cadians, but off the battlefield, their hive city hooligan side emerged, with many gathering to smoke lho cigarettes, play cards, or hold shooting competitions.
These warriors noticed Alexander walking by in the open corridor above and waved to him.
"Boss Alexander! Want a smoke?"
"Boss! How are One-Eye and Old Lager doing?"
"Champion! Come down for a few shots?"
"I don't smoke."
"If I take two shots, there won't be anything left for you guys; just give me all the prizes."
Alexander shouted downstairs:
"One-Eye lost an arm, but he got a bionic replacement."
"Old Lager has returned to the Golden Throne."
After speaking, Alexander waved his hand, indicating he still had things to do.
Belisarius Cawl, Reyna, Celestine, and Greyfax were waiting for him in a room in the fortress.
"I don't know what means he used to deceive the Blood Angels."
Greyfax's voice came from the door; Alexander heard it before he even entered.
"But his blasphemy is unquestionable. The Dying-worshippers themselves are a grey area, and his so-called Saint Doraemon Sect has not been recognized by the Adeptus Ministorum at all; it is a thorough heresy."
"I recognized it!" Saint Celestine gently retorted, "I believe the Saint Doraemon Sect is undoubtedly one of the sects within the Adeptus Ministorum, and its purity and loyalty are beyond doubt."
"I am a Living Saint; I have the right to recognize another person as a Saint."
"You are all false saints!" Greyfax immediately countered.
"But don't forget, many warriors of the One Hundred and Eighty-Fourth Regiment believe in the Saint Doraemon Sect. Are you going to accuse these loyal warriors who fought the Tyranids in the Underworld and the Black Legion on Cadia of being heretics too?"
"They were just deceived! Just as you deceived the Battle Sister and the Archmagos."
Listening to the argument inside the door, Alexander shook his head, a little helpless.
Could these people be a bit more harmonious, like himself? He never resorted to crude methods.
Alexander kicked open the door.
"What's all the fuss about?"
He sternly rebuked:
"If you keep arguing, get out of my house!"
With that, Alexander strode into the room, followed by twenty-two tall Blood Angel Doraemon's chosen, equipped with secret tools, instantly filling the entire room.
Captain Karlaen, holding the holy relic Baal's Wrath with both hands, stood guard beside Alexander with a serious expression.
This place was occupied by the Blood Angels, and the Blood Angels obeyed Sanguinius and Alexander, so Alexander saying this fortress was his home was perfectly fine. At least, Alexander himself thought so.
And as long as Archmagos Belisarius Cawl's Knights didn't stand against Alexander, the more than a hundred Blood Angel Astartes currently in the fortress would be enough to hold the fort.
However, there was no actual need to hold the fort.
Reyna and Alexander, of course, were old comrades.
Celestine had probably received enlightenment from the Emperor and should not stand against Alexander either.
As for Archmagos Belisarius Cawl...
Ever since Alexander entered the room, the Archmagos had silently moved his massive body to stand beside Alexander, his mechanical arms extended, holding various strange machines, not knowing what he was doing.
Alexander looked at Belisarius Cawl, his eyelid twitching slightly.
Just as he was about to speak, Cawl noticed Alexander's gaze and bowed respectfully to Alexander.
"Archmagos," Alexander deliberated on his words, then said, "You know, I'm not some kind of god or anything."
"Mmm, mmm, mmm, whatever you say, my lord." Cawl nodded repeatedly, then stopped speaking, merely waving his machines around Alexander.
".."
Alexander was silent for a moment, deciding it was best not to say too much.
He turned his head and looked at Inquisitor Greyfax.
"Heretic," Greyfax said in a low voice.
"Now you're the only one who thinks I'm a heretic," Alexander said with a hint of helplessness.
"They've been deceived by you," Greyfax insisted.
Then the Inquisitor looked at Reyna: "Reyna, can you vouch for his loyalty? Can't you see the marks of blasphemy on him?"
"Of course I can vouch for Alexander's, er..."
Reyna was about to say that Alexander was absolutely loyal, but her eyelid involuntarily twitched, as if remembering some of the slightly disloyal, blasphemous things Alexander had once said, and her voice imperceptibly paused.
"Alexander is absolutely loyal!"
Alexander and Greyfax both noticed the slight hesitation in Reyna's words.
Greyfax snorted, seemingly taking this as one of the pieces of evidence of Alexander's disloyalty.
Alexander couldn't help but frown.
Six-Armed Two-Rooted Spaghetti Emperor above, how could someone as loyal as him be suspected of disloyalty?
Damn it, how can the Imperium be managed well with these insects!
Alexander took a slight breath, then said, "I don't want to talk to someone whose body is controlled by Necron nanomachines."
".." Greyfax's face immediately twitched; she simply couldn't refute Alexander's words.
If someone else had Necron nanomachines in their body, Greyfax would definitely suspect them too.
"Abaddon called that flaxen-robed figure who came out of your pocket 'Father'!" Greyfax threw out her trump card.
Greyfax had originally expected this statement to be effective.
After all, at that time, besides Greyfax, Reyna, Celestine, and Belisarius Cawl must have heard it.
It was just that Reyna, for some reason, had a remarkably normal expression, as if this wasn't the first time she had seen such a situation, and the Archmagos seemed not to care at all.
To Greyfax's surprise, Alexander's expression was also calm.
"..Alright, then do you want to talk to him yourself and confirm the loyalty of that flaxen-robed figure?"
Alexander shrugged, saying calmly:
"As long as you go into my pocket, you can see him."
At these words, Greyfax hadn't reacted yet, but Reyna's expression began to falter.
In her memory, once inside Alexander's pocket, even high-level Tyranids creatures, whose consciousness could theoretically return to the Tyranids hive mind for resurrection, would die completely.
He wasn't trying to kill the Inquisitor to silence her, was he?
Reyna quickly shot Alexander a look, indicating there was really no need to kill to silence.
Greyfax's suspicion was one thing, but she couldn't actually do anything.
On the contrary, if Greyfax went in and didn't come out, it might cause others to suspect Alexander.
"Good."
But to the surprise of everyone present, Greyfax agreed without hesitation to Alexander:
"I will enter and confirm the loyalty of that flaxen-robed figure."
"I don't mind the dangers within your pocket; if I die or am corrupted, it will only prove that you are indeed blasphemous."
Greyfax thought it was worth the risk; she couldn't miss this opportunity.
After all, there was only one person Abaddon would call 'Father,' and no matter how great the risk, Greyfax had to confirm if it was him.
"As long as you dare to let me confirm," Greyfax said in a low voice, "in the name of the Inquisitor, in the name of the hero Malcador, I will not slander you."
"If you and that flaxen-robed figure are both loyal, then I am willing to become your loyal servant and proclaim you a Saint."
"Wait," Alexander raised his hand, interrupting Greyfax.
"Are you scared?" Greyfax asked with a frown.
Alexander shook his head: "It's just that before you go in, some troublesome things need to be removed first."
With that, before Greyfax could react, Alexander gently extended his finger towards her.
The Lockheart Scarab, an extremely small Necron nanomachine, could be implanted into a victim's body to control their body from a great distance—Trazyn the Infinite, who once collected Greyfax, used these machines as a means to control his collection.
As Necron machines, they originally had no machine spirit, but this did not affect Alexander's operation.
As long as it was a machine, as long as it had power, Alexander could control it. He gently awakened a simple and nascent machine spirit in the Lockheart Scarab, and then used it to control these Necron machines.
Under Greyfax's astonished gaze and Belisarius Cawl's devout eyes, the Lockheart Scarab cut a small wound on Greyfax's arm, and all of them crawled out of the Inquisitor's body.