Alexander summoned Ahriman to the bridge of the Light Lord for two main reasons.
One was about Khayon's deck of daemon Tarot cards.
That was a unique enchanted weapon of Khayon, with numerous Warp daemons and even Greater daemons bound to it by Khayon for his own use.
Not long ago, Ahriman had retrieved this deck of daemon Tarot cards, hidden within Khayon's flesh, and gifted them to Alexander.
Alexander initially treated it as an interesting collectible, with no real intention of using it as part of his combat power.
Until Alexander, in his leisure, was looking through this deck of daemon Tarot cards, and made an unexpected discovery.
This discovery was very important and would surely prove useful at a crucial moment.
But the problem was, Alexander found that these daemon Tarot cards couldn't be used by simply throwing them out and shouting, "I usually summon a Bloodthirster!"
To use these daemon Tarot cards, a certain amount of daemonology knowledge was required.
Alexander naturally didn't possess it, and within the Imperium... most people within the Imperium who knew daemonology had already been slow-cooked over a white phosphorus pyre.
So Alexander thought about it and decided to directly ask Professor Ahriman to teach him.
The other reason for summoning Ahriman to the Light Lord was that Ahriman had discovered some traces of Erebus.
Through a complex and vast spell, Ahriman had detected a strange energy flow in a certain part of the Warp, and from that, he discovered that Erebus was weaving a massive ritual on a planet in the dark side of the Imperium.
He came here to report this to Alexander.
However, even Ahriman couldn't identify what the ritual Erebus was weaving was, or what its purpose was. Ahriman could only conclude that it originated from the deep, chaotic wisdom of the Dark Gods and was a unique spell of the Word Bearers.
"..'daemon' is an ambiguous term. A more formal way would be to call them 'the Unborn,' or, in the Aeldari fashion, 'the Primordial Annihilators.'"
"daemons are born from the Sea of Souls. Some are born naturally and belong to a certain deity, some are born naturally but are masterless, and some are deliberately created by the Gods. But essentially, daemons are the distortions of our dreams, emotions, and obsessions; they are reflections in the Warp of a certain moment, a certain period, a certain ideology, or a certain extreme emotion in the real world."
"For example, the Khorne Greater Daemon 'Hunched Knight' bound within the daemon Tarot is essentially a reflection of the massacres that occurred during the Ancient Terra Crusades."
"You might wonder, how could the Crusades, which were merely primitive wars on a small continent of one planet, give birth to a Greater Daemon?"
"The answer is that the key is not the size of the event itself, but the impact it brings."
"The Crusades, to a certain extent, shaped certain human concepts and perceptions. As humanity developed, these concepts and perceptions expanded across the stars, naturally sufficient to give birth to a Greater Daemon."
"Another example is drach'nyen, the daemon born from humanity's first murder."
Ahriman, in an elegant, calm, and progressive tone, imparted knowledge of daemonology to Alexander:
"It is precisely because of humanity's current prosperity that the impact of humanity's first murder is so unparalleled, and the power of drach'nyen is so immense."
"Relatively speaking, the daemon born from the Tau's first murder is probably quite insignificant."
Ahriman's teaching was excellent. Alexander already had some understanding of daemonology in his mind and roughly knew how to use Khayon's daemon Tarot cards.
"Very clear instruction," Alexander nodded in admiration.
This made Ahriman chuckle softly, as if Alexander's praise had satisfied his ego.
"Numerology is nothing but superstition, the way of the Word Bearers is nothing but slavery to the Gods, and Fenris Runes are secretive and obscure."
"Only the knowledge of us Thousand Sons is the true path, a rigorous and reliable system of knowledge."
Ahriman's tone was clearly a bit smug.
"Ah?" a bewildered gasp came from the entrance of the bridge.
Alexander froze for a moment, then turned his head and saw a Space Marine wearing Ultramarines-painted power armor, with short hair, a resolute face, and service studs on his head.
The Space Marine stood at the bridge entrance, looking at the scene before him with some confusion and bewilderment.
Titus?
Alexander instantly recognized this Space Marine as the famous Titus, the Emperor's chosen.
He had returned from the Deathwatch, following Alexander's summons, to serve as one of Alexander's twenty-two personal guards.
Coincidentally, today was the day he was supposed to report to Alexander... but Ahriman's teaching was so vivid and interesting that Alexander had completely forgotten about it.
"He's actually just an Ultramarines Librarians who likes decoration and dressing up... You believe that, right?" Alexander asked earnestly.
Titus' mind was buzzing, and he was speechless for a moment.
Ahriman also tilted his head slightly in confusion. Although bewildered, he was a person with a service-oriented spirit.
Since Alexander had said so, he naturally followed suit.
"Hello, I am Chief Librarian Tigurius," Ahriman turned to Titus and said with a serious expression.
Titus suddenly understood.
Why his gene-father had said that this mission required a will as unyielding as steel, resistance to Warp corruption, and flexible adaptability.
"Khârn, you piece of traitorous scum, take my Chainsword!"
Seth roared wildly, his fangs bared, looking ferocious and terrifying, a bit frightening.
The famous Khorne chosen, Khârn the Betrayer, wielded his axe with ease, fending off Seth's fierce attacks.
"Not enough, Seth."
Khârn growled:
"Amit was much stronger than you back then. I never beat Amit in our duels of first blood."
"Don't mention my ancestor's name, you traitor, you piece of scum, you're not worthy!" Seth seemed to be enraged, kicking at Khârn's knee.
The daemon on Khârn instantly lunged out, grabbing Seth's outstretched leg and blocking his attack.
Then it kicked back at Seth's supporting leg, causing Seth to lose his balance and fall face-first into the dirt.
Titus sat by the gladiatorial cage, his hands on his knees, silently watching the battle.
In less than twenty-four standard Terra hours since entering the Light Lord,
Titus had already seen two Saints.
Tzeentch chosen Ahriman,
Khorne chosen Khârn,
Titus somewhat doubted whether he was on the Light Lord or the Vengeful Spirit.
"It is indeed hard to accept, isn't it, Senior Titus?"
A gentle voice, speaking high gothic with accurate pronunciation, sounded beside Titus:
"That we would become comrades with warriors of the traitor Legions, it feels somewhat strange."
Titus saw a Space Marine wearing elegant purple power armor, with golden phoenixes and helmet patterns emblazoned on his shoulder pads.
"Saul, Primaris Company Captain of the Doraemon Battle Group, and soon to be Chapter Master of the newly formed Primaris Chapter, the Phoenix Son."
The elegant Space Marine introduced himself:
"I am not yet one of the twenty-two doraemon Chosen. Lord Khârn believes I still need more training before I can shoulder that responsibility."
".." Titus stared at this Primaris Space Marine named Saul.
This purple power armor, this phoenix pattern, this elegant posture, and also the Phoenix Son...
"Are you perhaps a son of Fulgrim?" Titus asked.
"That is truly an impolite question."
Saul suddenly raised his eyebrows, seemingly displeased by Titus' words.
"I am a son of Rogal Dorn!" Saul emphasized firmly.
Titus had seen Space Marines from Imperial Fists successor Chapters in the Deathwatch. Saul looked completely different from them.
However, Titus wasn't that difficult to accept the current situation.
There were also many Space Marines with hidden identities among the Blackshields of the Deathwatch.
They might have come from loyalist factions of certain renegade Chapters, and some even vaguely resembled descendants of traitor Legions.
What was presented before Titus now was just a bit more exaggerated than what was found among the Blackshields; there was nothing to be surprised about.
Hmm, nothing to be surprised about... absolutely nothing to be surprised about.
"Would you like some wine?" Saul suddenly asked.
Wine?
This made Titus pause.
"Are Ultramarines all as serious as you?"
Saul couldn't help but smile:
"Lord Sanguinius taught the Blood Angels to pay attention to beauty, art, and noble sentiments outside of combat. This tempers our minds and restrains our actions."
"I believe the Archangel was absolutely correct, and tasting fine wine is also part of cultivating one's sentiments."
"I am not unfamiliar with alcohol," Titus said truthfully, "I just haven't partaken in a long time."
Although Ultramarines were serious, they weren't to the extent of abstaining from alcohol. At occasional banquets, Ultramarines would still consume some alcoholic beverages, as most alcoholic drinks, unless they were something like Fenrisian Mead, simply couldn't affect a Space Marine's nervous system.
However, after joining the Deathwatch, Titus hadn't really tasted alcohol.
Life in the Deathwatch was simply about slaughtering xenos, simple and pure.
Saul chuckled, picked up a bottle of beautifully packaged red wine from his side, and even produced two stemmed glasses, clearly having planned this in advance.
He poured himself a glass, then handed one to Titus.
Titus awkwardly raised his glass slightly, toasting Saul; he had seen this gesture among the nobles of Macragge.
Then, at Saul's urging, Titus drained the crimson liquid in one gulp, a strong grape sweetness exploding on his tongue.
"Delicious. Is this Baal wine?" Titus asked curiously.
"Bullshit! Baal wine tastes like Dante's piss!" Seth, in the gladiatorial cage, heard Titus' words and roared at him.
Saul's lips curved into a smile: "This is Prospero wine, brought by Lord Ahriman some time ago."
"It is said that he cultivated a vineyard on a steroid planet, isolated from Warp radiation, growing his own grapes and brewing his own wine."
Titus' expression suddenly stiffened.
"Don't worry, Lord Sanguinius has also drunk it, and he confirmed it's harmless. Saint Doraemon also judged it with the Truth and Falsehood Divination Machine," Saul reassured him.
Titus' expression became even more peculiar.
A will as unyielding as steel, resistance to Warp corruption, and flexible adaptability.
My Father, you were right.
This mission truly requires these qualities.