A bottle of red wine, for the five Space Marines present, perhaps only Wolf Team's Olfa would disdain it.
After all, to experience the sensation of drunkenness, the wolf cubs dared to add anything potent to their wine barrels, brewing Fenrisian Wolf Wine that only Space Marines could handle.
If a mortal dared to taste it… if you've undergone full body augmentation with the Adeptus Mechanicus, then you might be able to try it.
As for the remaining four, though not all could, like The Great Angel, discern the growth process of the grapes used in the wine's production, these four Chapters were all connoisseurs of wine.
Ultramarines were like court politicians; wine tasting was a lesson in etiquette.
The Blood Angels' own Primarch had a preference for red wine, and Baal's red wine was among the Imperium's most luxurious.
As for the Dark Angels, though people joked that among the Wolf Lord, Lion Lord, and Khan, only one was a true barbarian, the BA's sons still understood wine tasting—who made them Knights of Caliban back then?
Only the Black Templars, as Rogal Dorn's wildest sons, weren't particular about this, but it wasn't to say they couldn't drink.
So when the five glasses of wine were placed before them, though the five Astartes had varying expressions, they all still raised their glasses.
The wolf cub downed his first, then cursed, "This sour grape juice can be called wine? Even the women of Fenris drink something more potent than this!"
"A rich and fragrant fruity aroma, a sweet and mellow aftertaste; this is a good wine." Although he suspected it was a new trick from the Inquisition, with poison in the wine or something, once the wine went down, Titus still offered a proper evaluation and praise.
On one hand, the wine was indeed good; on the other hand, the Ultramarines' diplomat attribute was activated, showcasing his eloquence.
As for Darius and Beren, they said nothing, merely pouring the wine into their mouths.
But Kyle Stross seemed a bit off, struggling to endure something, his muscles tensed, even crushing the wine glass in his hand.
Noticing his appearance, the other four subtly positioned themselves between him and the three Inquisitors.
"Kyle Stross, what's wrong?" Titus asked with concern. He had noticed Kyle Stross enduring Blood Thirst earlier, which made Titus very worried if his Blood Thirst had flared up.
The four of them separating Kyle Stross from the three Inquisitors was also to prevent him from truly having a Blood Thirst episode and attacking the three Inquisitors.
Of course, this also included the intention of protecting a brother in arms; after all, if the three Inquisitors took this opportunity to do something to Kyle Stross, they could at least act as a buffer.
However, just as they were deeply worried and the three Inquisitors showed frowning and perplexed expressions, Kyle Stross, after a roar, seemed to recover.
"Kyle Stross, I remember you are a monk of the Blood Angels Chapter, correct? Explain why you reacted this way after drinking the wine?" One of the three Inquisitors spoke, questioning Kyle Stross.
And Alex playfully echoed, "Don't think about hiding it. The Inquisition knows about Blood Thirst, and Black Rage, and even knows that none of your five Chapters have clean backgrounds!
However, the Inquisition is not interested in these little secrets; as long as you remain loyal to the Imperium, the Inquisition is too lazy to delve deeper.
As long as it's not betrayal of the Imperium, as long as it's not heretical corruption, the Inquisition can tolerate some of your minor issues, so confess honestly! Don't think about hiding it."
Under normal circumstances, Alex would, of course, not dare to say this; after all, knowing the First Legion's little secrets could truly lead to death, and even the Inquisition's South Pole Grand Hotel couldn't stop the Dark Angels' determination to silence them.
The Blood Angels also kept their Blood Thirst and Black Rage very tightly concealed and would usually resort to killing to silence witnesses.
As for the Second… forget it, that's a topic that cannot even be mentioned.
But did the Imperium know about these things? One could only say that everyone knew the Inquisition was pretending not to know.
So, although the five Astartes' expressions changed after Alex finished speaking, no one reacted. Only Kyle Stross stood up, walked in front of Alex, looked down at the Inquisitor, and then said, "Inquisitor, I want to know what exactly the wine we just drank was? It suppressed my Blood Thirst curse.
Since you know about Blood Thirst, you must also understand how important this is to the Blood Angels! As long as it can be confirmed that it truly has an effect on Blood Thirst, all of Sanguinius's sons will owe you a debt of honor!"
Only then did the others present realize what a significant matter this was!
If the wine they just drank could affect the Blood Angels' Blood Thirst, even if only temporarily suppressing it, this would be a matter so huge for the Blood Angels that it could shake the heavens!
If word got out to the Blood Angels, Dante would likely come rushing over with Mephisto, Sanguinius, and all the Blood Angels' successor Chapters the next second.
This was no joke; Blood Thirst for the Blood Angels was a curse rooted in their genes, and even Sanguinius himself had no solution for it back then.
Sanguinius had even almost considered turning to Khorne to solve the Blood Thirst problem, simply because Khorne promised to resolve it.
If someone could truly solve Blood Thirst, it would be a monumental kindness, like being reborn parents, for the entire Blood Angels. All Chapters of the Blood Angels lineage would remember his benevolence.
One should know that even Chapter Master Dante, the legendary Blood Angels Chapter Master who lived for sixteen hundred years, had a perpetually aged face due to his long struggle against Blood Thirst.
If something could suppress Blood Thirst, Dante would absolutely be willing to pay any price he could to acquire it.
"That is 'loyalty'." Alex looked at the Space Marine, who was at least three heads taller than him, and handed the wine bottle to him: "A kind of wine produced on this planet beneath your feet. It has received the God-Emperor's blessing and has been recognized by the Ecclesiarchy as sanctus wine; it is a miracle bestowed by the God-Emperor.
I named it 'loyalty' because heretics who drink it will burn from the inside out into a charred corpse.
I had you drink it to ascertain whether you were still loyal to the Imperium and whether you had any inclination to fall to Chaos.
But I didn't expect such an unexpected gain; 'loyalty' can actually suppress Blood Thirst. Its importance is somewhat beyond my expectations."
Alex had originally only intended to use 'loyalty' to endorse Titus, but he hadn't expected such an unexpected benefit.
sanctus wine can control Blood Thirst? The Blood Angels will surely buy it out!
The competition between the Inquisition and the Ecclesiarchy for market share was already intense enough; now the Blood Angels would also want a piece of the pie!
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T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
patreon.com/TripleCrown07
If you guys wanna check it out.