[Item Name: Infernal Map (Fake)]
[Origin: Webway - Black Library]
[Appraisal: The Infernal Map is a Webway navigation system created by Adeptus Mechanicus members trapped in the Webway during the Webway War, using the skin of a Sister of Silence.
However, this one is one of nine fakes meticulously crafted by Cegorach over a century. It will only guide the user to the Haemonculus Guild at the bottom of Commorragh.
As the God of Trickery and one of the longest-lived and most historically knowledgeable beings in the galaxy, Cegorach is also a unique master forger of artifacts, and this is one of the sources of funding for Harlequin's daily operations.]
[Production Time: 705. M37]
[Status: Pure Aeldari craftsmanship, but it is not a fabrication.]
[Value: 168,000 credits]
Alexander's face immediately darkened.
A fake, it was indeed a damn fake.
What kind of galactic National Treasure Guard was Cegorach?! He actually forged nine such fakes!
"This is a fake," Alexander said, looking at Cegorach.
Cegorach's expression stiffened, then he suddenly turned to Sylandri Shadowseer: "How could you mess this up?!"
"Let me say it again, this is my beloved friend, Cegorach, and you try to fob him off with a fake! Sylandri, as the Laughing God, I am very disappointed in you!"
Sylandri Shadowseer pointed at herself, looking bewildered.
Should she have brought the real one? Was she supposed to bring the real one? Did the Laughing God really want to give Alexander the real item?
Sylandri Shadowseer was full of questions.
But she still hurried into the library to retrieve the true Infernal Map.
Seeing Sylandri Shadowseer leave, Cegorach quickly flashed a brilliant smile at Alexander.
"My apologies, my apologies. I previously created nine fake Infernal Maps to attract attention and prevent anyone from spying on the Black Library."
"Sylandri Shadowseer must have taken the wrong one."
"Was the one Inquisitor Chevalac took also a fake?" Alexander raised an eyebrow slightly, asking with curiosity.
Inquisitor Chevalac was an Imperial Inquisitor who had once entered the Black Library. He took the Infernal Map, which could serve as Webway navigation, but was consequently hunted by Tzeentch's Chosen, Ahriman. That Tzeentch's Chosen always yearned to enter the Black Library.
But now it seemed that Inquisitor Chevalac's process of taking the Infernal Map was too smooth, almost as if the master of the Black Library had deliberately arranged it.
Furthermore, the Infernal Map in Chevalac's hand also had an excessively powerful anti-psyker field attached to it, almost as if it was specifically targeting Ahriman.
"Hehe, not only do you have keen insight, but you are also very knowledgeable about matters in the galaxy."
Cegorach bowed slightly, praising without reservation:
"The Infernal Map in Lord Chevalac's hand is a special version I created. It not only integrates a strong anti-psyker field but also has my authority applied to it."
"Anyone who approaches or pursues that fake will become more susceptible to deception, act more aggressively, and be prone to doing ridiculous things."
"Of course, what truly deceived him was not my authority or my forging skills."
At this point, Cegorach showed a playful smile:
"Ahriman destroyed his legion with the red word spell, turning his brothers into puppets trapped in armor urns. He yearned to atone for his mistakes."
"Even if he suspected it might be a fake, his heavy psychological burden prevented him from dismissing any possibility."
Alexander nodded approvingly.
Among the four Chosen—Ahriman, Khârn, Lucius, and Mortarion Typhus—Tzeentch's Chosen, Ahriman, as a psyker, had a strength that was a cliff-like drop from the others.
But just as avenging Angron was Khârn's weakness, the opportunity to reverse the red word was Ahriman's weakness.
As long as there was a chance to reverse the red word, this Chosen, who should be full of wisdom, would abandon his intellect and try at all costs.
Conversely, Lucius and Typhus had no weaknesses precisely because of their shamelessness.
A moment later, Sylandri Shadowseer came before Alexander, holding a large book almost identical to the previous one.
Alexander took the heavy, metal-covered book and immediately put it into his four-dimensional pocket.
[Item Name: Infernal Map]
[Origin: Terra - Imperial Palace Webway]
[Appraisal: A Webway navigation system created by Adeptus Mechanicus members trapped in the Webway after the Webway War, made from the skin of a Sister of Silence.
The Sister of Silence who willingly sacrificed herself never died physiologically; her flesh and skin remain physiologically active and circulate blood. The intricate arteries, veins, and capillaries within symbolize the labyrinthine paths of the Webway.]
[Production Time: 018. M31]
[Status: Still physiologically active]
[Value: 13,000,000]
This time, it was the genuine article.
Alexander's eyes moved slightly, and he took out the thick book from his four-dimensional pocket again, gently opening its metal cover.
Exposed before Alexander were layers of skin and flesh stretched almost transparent, with densely intertwined blood vessels, like a maze.
This skin and flesh even retained warmth, trembling slightly in Alexander's hand. A pump-like device on the spine was supplying oxygen to it.
Alexander couldn't help but get goosebumps, not because of the appearance of this Infernal Map, but because the moment he touched the flesh-and-blood pages, he felt as if he had touched an empty space.
This sense of emptiness made him slightly uncomfortable. Clearly, the Sister of Silence, who was sacrificed to be made into this Webway map, still maintained physiological activity, and her untouchable nature was constantly at work.
Seemingly sensing Alexander's touch, the blood vessels on it suddenly began to change, weaving together, as if the Webway was forming in the Warp.
"Terra," Alexander said to the Infernal Map, whose blood vessels were constantly changing.
The blood vessels on the Infernal Map gradually took shape, and scars appeared on the skin, revealing patterns, annotations, and text.
The Solar System, once very familiar to Alexander, was outlined by scars on the skin, with the positions of planets and stars roughly marked.
Blood vessels extended into the Solar System, converging into a gate on the Moon, and one blood vessel struggled to spread towards Terra, but it was always broken at the last moment before touching, with internal bleeding spreading at Terra's location.
The tactile sensation was only emptiness, but from the blood vessel constantly spreading towards Terra, Alexander seemed to vaguely feel a certain emotion, a certain resonance.
Home, let me return to your side
Terra, Terra, Emperor
My homeland, the homeland of humanity.\
Fragmented voices seemed to echo in Alexander's ears, like the voice of one person, and yet like the chorus of many.
Alexander's heart gently skipped a beat; a certain emotion in his heart resonated with the Infernal Map.
He didn't know what that group of Adeptus Mechanicus and Sisters of Silence, trapped in the Webway, had experienced, or where they had acquired such incredible technology.
They might have trekked for long years in the Webway. The Adeptus Mechanicus' wise men had painstakingly found a way to navigate the Webway, and a Sister of Silence had willingly offered her body to become the Infernal Map, humanity's first Webway navigation tool.
The Infernal Map was not a map to hell, but a compass to escape hell.
But in the end, they still failed, unable to return to the longed-for Terra, falling within the Webway.
This precious Infernal Map thus entered the Black Library.
Alexander reached out and placed his hand on the location of Terra on the Infernal Map.
"I will take you back," he promised softly. "I will take you all home."
"Back to Terra, back to Earth, back to our homeland."
For a moment, the sense of emptiness on the Infernal Map seemed to dissipate greatly, and those voices no longer echoed in Alexander's ears.
But there was still a certain emotion within it: worry, asking about the current state of the Imperium.
"Sanguinius has returned," Alexander said softly, and instantly the uneasy emotion conveyed by the Infernal Map almost completely vanished.
"Roboute Guilliman has returned," he added.
Unease surged again, telling Alexander to be wary of Guilliman's ambition and similar sentiments.
Alexander's mouth twitched involuntarily.
"This," Cegorach had been observing Alexander's reaction. He hesitated for a moment before speaking: "Since I have presented the Infernal Map to you, do you think you still have..."
"What do you mean 'presented'? This Infernal Map is clearly human property. I haven't even settled accounts with you for stealing our human property!" Alexander said, stuffing the Infernal Map into his four-dimensional pocket.
Cegorach opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but then felt that what Alexander said made a lot of sense and was completely unrefutable.
The Infernal Map, this Webway navigation, was different from the Aeldari's Great Labyrinth.
The Great Labyrinth was a Webway map meticulously recorded by the Aeldari over long ages, while the Infernal Map was a navigation system entirely created by humans themselves; the two were not the same thing.
But Alexander did not put any more pressure on Cegorach. Instead, his tone softened, and he spoke in a persuasive manner:
"I want to discuss the issue of Ynnead with you."
"You should know that the Emperor, I, and Ynnead are all essentially in the domain of Erosion and Destruction, and my occupation of the Erosion and Destruction domain comes entirely from what the Emperor threw to me."
"The only ones who autonomously and originally ascended to the domain of Erosion and Destruction, competing for the fifth position, are the Emperor and Ynnead. Of course, currently, it seems the Emperor would already be there if he wanted to."
"One is the true human God of Death, the other is the Aeldari God of Death."
Cegorach frowned slightly. He didn't quite understand what Alexander was trying to convey.
"I am merely curious to ask the master of the Black Library, what would happen if the Emperor successfully ascended to godhood?"
"Humanity would die, a complete death," Cegorach replied. "After the Siege of Terra, the Emperor himself is the totality of humanity. He is the collection of all humans, and all human souls not plundered by the Four Gods converged into him."
"Then I ask you, how was Ynnead born?" Alexander asked with a smile.
...Ynnead was born in the infinite circuits of the Aeldari Craftworlds. The infinite circuits contained the pure Aeldari souls not corrupted by Slaanesh."
Cegorach seemed to vaguely understand what Alexander was expressing.
The Emperor and Ynnead, humanity and the Aeldari, there was a certain corresponding relationship between them.
"Do you still remember the two conditions for Ynnead's resurrection in Aeldari prophecy?"
"All Aeldari die, and the five old crone swords are gathered. You seem to believe that as long as one of these is achieved, Ynnead can be resurrected."
Alexander said, pulling out a red circle and a blue cross from his pocket:
"Then tell me, according to the style of Aeldari prophecy, could these two conditions actually be one?"
Listening to Alexander's words, Cegorach's expression suddenly became serious.
"What are you trying to imply?" he asked in a low voice.
Looking at Cegorach's expression, Alexander knew that he must have had the same conjecture as himself.
"Let's review the two prophecies about Ynnead: 'When the last soul of the last Eldar returns to the Infinity Circuit, Ynnead will be born from the death of the Eldar.'
'When the five old crone swords are gathered, Ynnead will awaken.' Is it possible that these are actually the same prophecy?"
"Just like if the Emperor were to rise from the Golden Throne, he would become the Dark King, bringing death to humanity."
"The true face of the prophecy is that if the five old crone swords are gathered, and Ynnead, formed from the pure souls of the Eldar in the Infinity Circuit, truly comes into being in this world, the Eldar will also face complete destruction. All Eldar souls will merge into the Infinity Circuit and gather within Ynnead's body, allowing Ynnead to ascend."
This was a conjecture Alexander had since a long time ago.
The old crone swords themselves originated from the finger bones of the Eldar Crone Goddess Morai-Heg.
This Eldar god, who controls souls and destiny, enticed Khaine to chop off her five fingers. Vaul, the God of Artisans, then forged these five fingers into the five old crone swords.
Yvraine believes that by gathering the five old crone swords, Ynnead can truly be born in the Warp and destroy Slaanesh, and without the Eldar having to sacrifice their entire race.
But the power of the old crone swords comes directly from Morai-Heg, Khaine, and Vaul. Two of them were easily devoured by Slaanesh, and one was shattered into pieces. How could their power enable Ynnead to gain the strength to defeat Slaanesh?
So Alexander's conjecture is that the old crone swords are the condition for awakening Ynnead, and when Ynnead is awakened and born, it will be like when the Emperor rises from the throne, leading the entire Eldar race to complete destruction.
At that time, Ynnead's power will span through time. All deaths of the Eldar, from ancient times to the present, will become her power. She is the embodiment of the destruction of the once-great Eldar race. By then, she might indeed be able to defeat Slaanesh, who was born from the Eldar's debauchery.
And presumably, the Cegorach before him also held this conjecture in his heart and had concerns about Ynnead's existence.
"This is just your conjecture." Cegorach's face no longer held a smile; his voice was low and deep.
"So I brought this." Alexander presented the circle and cross in front of him to Cegorach.
"This is the Truth and Falsehood Divination Machine. Anything it determines to be correct is definitely correct."
Alexander slowly began to speak:
"After Ynnead resurrects by gathering the five old crone swords, the Eldar will all head towards death, their souls returning to the Infinity Circuit."
The moment Alexander's words fell, the red circle suddenly bounced up into the air, swaying gently a few times, confirming that what Alexander said was correct.
Cegorach was dumbfounded and couldn't help but retort, "I know you have many magical tools, but relying on such a circle whose effect cannot be proven, a circle that could possibly be controlled by you—"
He hadn't finished speaking when his expression paused slightly.
Cegorach had always paid close attention to the fate of the Eldar.
It was a tangled and constantly weakening fate, the fate indicated by the Crone Goddess Morai-Heg during her last prophecy before her death.
For over ten thousand years, that fate had remained unchanged, but at this moment, the tangled mess in Cegorach's sight suddenly became orderly.
With the present as an anchor point, the fate before Cegorach's eyes split into two strands.
One strand extended out, then dispersed again into tangled messes, making it impossible to see clearly.
The other strand, however, broke, dissolved, and was destroyed in the near future.
Cegorach saw it: the second strand of fate that met destruction was… the future where Ynnead was born.
In that future, Ynnead rose amidst the wails of all Eldar, the Infinity Circuits on all Craftworlds solidified into her body, and countless Eldar souls roared within the circuits.
Subsequently, Ynnead and Slaanesh intertwined, and the future of the Eldar abruptly ended at that moment.
Cegorach couldn't smile anymore.
"Anything it determines to be correct is definitely correct." So that's what it means!
It directly anchors the future, causing the possibilities of the future to converge.
It's not because the future will definitely be this way that it is judged as correct.
Rather, it is because it is judged as correct that the future is forcibly made to be only this way.
With this kind of tool, this kind of power, what is the Lord of Change supposed to do?
Cegorach once again put away his smile and looked at Alexander.
"I saw that future. Ynnead's resurrection indeed leads the Eldar to destruction."
"But I had long suspected this. With Ynnead, the Eldar at least have a chance to perish together with Slaanesh."
"Don't say such things, Clown God." Alexander looked at Cegorach, knowing that he had already tipped the scales in his heart: "I know what your final laugh is. You never intended to truly allow Ynnead to be born, to destroy the Eldar, and to perish with Slaanesh."
"You planned a highly ironic ending: Slaanesh, to prevent Ynnead's birth, would have no choice but to protect a portion of the Eldar, becoming the Eldar's protector."
"The irony of the final laugh is not only that Slaanesh protects the Eldar, but also that Cegorach, who most despises Slaanesh in this galaxy, simply cannot bear to sacrifice the Eldar to exact revenge on Slaanesh."
"In your heart, the Eldar are more important than revenge. As long as the Eldar can survive, even if this survival means being kept by Slaanesh and completely losing their future, you can still abandon complete revenge for this."
This is the contradiction between Cegorach and Ynnead.
Ynnead yearns to be born, then kill Slaanesh to take revenge on her. The destruction of the Eldar is acceptable in this process. She is closer to a symbol of Eldar vengeance and desire for destruction.
Cegorach, on the other hand, is the opposite. He only sees Ynnead as a deterrent to Slaanesh. In his heart, the survival of the Eldar is more important than revenge. He is actually a symbol of Eldar continuation and the desire for survival.
The two will eventually have conflicts; for now, they are merely cooperating with difficulty.
Thinking of this, Alexander extended his hand to Cegorach, smiling as he said,
"Cegorach, you pride yourself as a clown and an actor, adopting a frivolous demeanor, but I know you are one of the few Eldar worthy of respect."
"If humanity is to cooperate with the Eldar, I believe cooperating with you is better. Of course, this only depends on whether you are willing to choose a better future."
"A future better for the Eldar than the final laugh you planned."
"That depends on your price." Cegorach's lips curved into a smile.
He vaguely saw that in the future where Ynnead was not born, at the end of that tangled mess, the Eldar seemed to receive the protection of some kind of light.
Cegorach was ready to exert his abilities as the God of Deception to secure more benefits for the Eldar.
As the most eloquent among the Eldar gods, Cegorach was the most excellent negotiator in the entire Eldar race.
This was his advantage; Alexander seemed to have no authority or symbols related to negotiation or deception.
"Let us discuss the specifics of our cooperation in detail." Cegorach said with a confident smile.
Alexander nodded slightly, then placed his hand on the anywhere door and gently pushed it open.
On the other side of the anywhere door, Roboute Guilliman was revealed, buried in a pile of documents. He noticed the anywhere door opening and lifted his slightly tired face.
"It seems it's my turn?" He stood up, walked through the anywhere door, and stood before Cegorach.
"This is my negotiator." Alexander gently pointed to Guilliman, smiling as he said.
The confident smile on Cegorach's lips faded.
If there was anyone in the galaxy who made Cegorach fear as a negotiator, Roboute Guilliman, by Alexander's side, was one of them.
Watching Cegorach haggle with Guilliman over every little thing the Eldar would have to give up, Alexander suddenly felt a bit bored.
Professional matters should be handled by professionals. Negotiation, or rather all state affairs, was Guilliman's specialty.
Alexander confidently handed over the responsibility of negotiating with Cegorach to Guilliman. With nothing else to do, he and Sanguinius began to wander around the Black Library.
Cegorach granted them partial access. In fact, according to Cegorach, he did not fully control this Eldar treasury of knowledge either.
"The power of the Eldar Pantheon still remains here, including the barriers set by Asuryan. These remaining powers are unwilling to accept me, the clown." Cegorach thus warned Alexander and Sanguinius, hoping they would try not to touch the sealed books.
Alexander said he would try his best.
"Your compatibility with him seems quite good." Walking among the intricate bookshelves, Sanguinius said with a smile.
"With Cegorach?" Alexander couldn't help but shake his head: "How did you figure that out?"
"He seems to know something about you." Sanguinius said to Alexander while pondering with his head down: "This is very unusual. Perhaps you haven't noticed, but the Emperor has obscured much of the history of humanity's third millennium. Only those granted his permission can see information about Doraemon."
Alexander frowned upon hearing this.
The Emperor obscured the history of the third millennium? Did he block information about Doraemon in the Warp?
But Cegorach seemed to know something about Doraemon, just not a lot.
"Do you think the Emperor sent some information to Cegorach?" Alexander asked, stroking his chin.
"He is the most likely one." Sanguinius said while pondering: "But to know the truth, we can only go to Terra and ask him directly."
Alexander nodded gently.
Guilliman had already been resurrected. After completing the reconquest of Ultramar, the three of them should consider going to Terra.
"Let's not think about these things for now." Sanguinius said softly: "This is the Black Library, the galaxy's treasury of knowledge. Let's find something valuable to take with us."
With that, Sanguinius, as if guided by his Psyker intuition, casually pulled a book from a nearby shelf and handed it to Alexander.
Alexander glanced at the book's cover, found that he couldn't understand the text, so he casually stuffed it into his four-dimensional pocket.
"Item Name: Magnus' Book (Copy)."