Emperor's Bane

Chapter 1033 The Embryo of the Second Empire (Part 2)
A... guarantee?

This is really not something Zhuang Sen would say.

Guilliman narrowed his eyes and pondered for a moment.

Zhuang Sen's words resonated deeply with him.

The lion was worried that he would provoke trouble on the border, and although it was unclear what his reasons were for thinking so, the Makulaq people were also worried about the same thing.

He was also worried that once Johnsen had complete control of Ava's military forces, he might disregard the consensus on armed neutrality throughout the Far East and forcibly lead his troops westward.

At that time, the entire Far East will likely be directly drawn into the Galactic War by this move.

Guilliman was terrified of this future.

Zhuang Sen is right.

This is unlike any other problem; they must reach a basic compromise now.

The Lord of the Five Hundred Worlds pondered for a moment.

He was not entirely unprepared for this.

As one of the most astute individuals among the Primarchs, and a seasoned politician, this problem was no challenge for him.

So, after about half a minute, Guilliman, having regained his confidence, looked at his brother.

……

"Commander, how is it?"

……

"what?"

Zhuang Sen almost thought he hadn't heard clearly.

When he realized what the Macurags had just said, an inexplicable sense of shame caused anger to flash across Zhuang Sen's noble face.

At a time like this, does Guilliman still think these things can be used to distract him?

I am really looked down upon!

"This is not the time for jokes..."

"I'm not kidding."

This time, it was Guilliman's turn to interrupt Johnson.

"I'm telling you this very seriously, brother."

For some reason, despite his calm tone, the Macurag man's voice seemed to possess a kind of magic: even though Johnson still harbored some anger, he obediently sat up straight and listened to his brother's words.

It was as if at this moment that he realized: Guilliman was not only the eccentric Primarch, but also a monarch who ruled over countless subjects, and he was just as adept at using warnings and winning people over.

"The reasoning is simple, Zhuang Sen."

After clarifying his thoughts, Guilliman's voice was filled with unwavering confidence.

"There's no need to argue any further. We've already made our terms very clear."

"Ultimately, we are all worried that each other might suddenly launch military operations against each other, which could affect the entire Far East."

"At this point, what we need to do is to re-establish a consensus: a condition that can put both of us at ease for the time being."

"The condition is: War Commander."

"The war commander of the Far East".

"That sounds very tempting."

Zhuang Sen smiled.

“If it were fifty years ago, you might have actually impressed me with that title, Guilliman.”

"But now, I need real money."

"Of course it will."

"The Primarch promised."

"This Far East War Commander: If you want, you can also be the highest military commander, or the Duke of Protectorate or something."

"But whatever his name is, we can get the Midnight Lord to issue a joint statement to the outside world: declaring that this position has the highest command authority over all military forces in the Far East: higher than me, higher than Severta, and can command our troops without regard to rank."

Only then did Zhuang Sen's expression soften.

Of course he knew what that meant.

"You're willing to make such a concession, Robert?"

The Caliban found it hard to believe.

"no way."

Guilliman shook his head helplessly.

"Why is it that my trust in you ultimately outweighs your trust in me?"

"..."

The lion seemed choked and remained silent.

"Anymore?"

"Have."

Guilliman stared intently at Johnson.

"At least one sentence should be added to the announcement."

"Although the warlord can control all the troops in the Far East, he must also consult with friendly nations."

"What do you mean?"

"In other words, everyone will know that whether it is Holy Terra, Horus, or the Far East, they all know that I should not send troops out alone without your permission, otherwise I should be punished."

"But at the same time!"

Guilliman emphasized his words.

"As the war commander, whether you want to mobilize the forces of the Far East countries to take collective action or only use the Avalon people, you must consult with us first: otherwise, everyone will know that it was you, Zhuang Sen, who broke the rules first."

"...Very interesting."

After a moment of silence, the lion nodded.

He thought about it carefully and found that the proposal did not conflict with his core interests.

His goal was to ensure neutrality in the Far East and to ensure that Guilliman's legions would not act arbitrarily, which was just right.

but……

Why did you specifically add this clause?

Zhuang Sen still asked.

"Is it to let certain people know that you haven't broken the neutral tradition of the Five Hundred Worlds?"

"Or is it to fulfill... some kind of alliance that we are unaware of?"

Guilliman simply smiled and did not respond.

"So, you agreed, Leon?"

"I can't think of a reason to refuse."

Zhuang Sen responded with a smile in return.

"I must say, this may be the best idea you've ever come up with, my dear Robert."

"I even want to make it up to you."

"Is there anything you desire? I am the War General, perhaps you wish to declare yourself Regent?"

"I will not be the regent."

Guilliman shook his head.

"This is only the first phase. Terra and the Wolf God will always be the rightful rulers: the word 'regency' is too rebellious."

Such arrogant behavior will confirm all the suspicions of those who doubt us.

“And I am content with where I am now, Johnson.”

"If you really want to give me any compensation."

Guilliman stood up.

"Well, I do have a small request."

"explain."

"After this meeting, you're planning to go back and have your next meeting with Saint-Gilles, right?"

"Yes."

"Can I come with you?"

The Makulaq people left their positions.

"I also want to meet my brother Barr."

"You want to see Saint Gilles?"

Zhuang Sen's expression turned amused.

What do you want to see him for?

Does this even need a reason?

Guilliman spread his hands, seemingly unconcerned.

"I just wanted to see my brother. The empire is in such a state now, this might be the last time I see him."

"Or perhaps, I want to see for myself whether he poses a threat to the entire Far East: is that a valid reason?"

"can."

Zhuang Sen nodded.

"But I think there's a third reason."

“For example, you want to confirm whether you can use this outside help to counterbalance me, right?” Guilliman smiled but did not reply.

"Then why did you decide to see him? I don't recall you being the kind of person who likes to entertain guests."

"For the same reason as you."

Zhuang Sen remained unfazed.

"In order to see him for what may be the last time, and also to assess the extent of his threat to Avalon."

"And while we're at it, let's see if we can use Saint Gilles to keep me and my five hundred worlds in check, right?"

"..."

Zhuang Sen did not respond; he simply smiled.

The two Primarchs opened their arms and embraced each other tightly, just as they had when they first met.

it is more than words.

……

"So what do you think Saint Gilles thought?"

"I do not know."

"But I think the archangel's purpose is probably not that simple."

“He couldn’t have come just for Ahriman; perhaps he has other motives hidden behind the scenes.”

“I even suspect he was acting on Horus’s orders.”

“Very likely, Leon: after all, he is not as steadfast and loyal as you.”

"None are as generous and frank as you, Robert."

“Sanguielles will be a tough guy.”

"That's right: we may have to join forces to deal with him."

“Saint-Gilles is no easy opponent.”

Do you have any ideas?

"There is one."

"Leon, come and see this Second Empire..."

------

"grown ups."

"Latest news from Avalon."

“Speak, Melos.”

The Archangel Baal leaned back in his chair, his perfect face showing visible fatigue, which drew frequent glances and expressions of concern from the Holy Blood Angels on one side.

Melos's deep voice came through.

"Lord Guilliman and Lord Johnson have completed their private meeting and are returning to Avalon together."

"Together?"

The archangel noticed the word.

"Guilliman is here too?"

"Yes."

Melos nodded.

"According to Avalon, the two lords have reached an agreement on many issues, and have also re-established a tacit understanding on some of the most crucial aspects. They will soon issue a joint statement to the public. They also mentioned that Lord Guilliman's reason for coming to Avalon this time is specifically to meet you."

“Guilliman wants to see me…”

Saint Gilles pondered for a moment.

"No one comes to the temple for no good reason."

"I have no affection for Guilliman."

"He probably just wanted to spy on me, or see if he could use me against Zhuang Sen."

"Jonson?"

Melos found it strange.

"of course."

The angel laughed mockingly.

"You don't really think those two guys can reach an agreement so quickly, do you? Morgan isn't here now."

"Even when she was around, the two of them only had a good personal relationship. In terms of official business, their conflicts were surprisingly large: and neither of them were the kind of people who would put personal matters aside for the sake of official business."

"Moreover, they definitely share common interests in dealing with me."

"Whether it's Guilliman or Johnson."

“They certainly don’t believe my reason for coming here is just to meet with Ariman.”

"They must be trying to spy on me, and maybe even use me against each other."

Saint Gilles leaned back in his chair, wearily rubbing his temples with his fingers.

Good heavens, thinking is so tiring.

Did the message say when we're leaving?

"A ship departing from the nearest sector capital will arrive in approximately four Terran standard days."

"Great: I've been fed up with the smell of cooking oil in this world for a long time."

A hint of joy finally appeared on the angel's face.

“Then, Melos.”

“Write a letter in my name, and remember to be respectful in tone and use elegant language: repeatedly emphasize that we respect their sovereignty and are here as guests for a completely harmless visit.”

"I understand, my lord."

Melos nodded.

“But we have sent similar letters to Avalon many times before, is it necessary to do it again?”

"It's always better to be careful; things are really chaotic right now."

The archangel shook his head and sighed.

“You know how many good words I said to Horus in private in order to get to the Far East.”

“But even so, I think my brother still has some reservations: he may not care, but his Shadowmoon Wolves will definitely have something to say about it.”

Saint Gilles didn't want to continue.

Seeing this, Melos had no choice but to take his leave.

But before leaving, perhaps out of curiosity, the Holy Blood Angel still mustered up the courage to ask a question.

"My lord, are you really... not scheming?"

Saint Gilles did not respond to him.

Only after Melos quietly took his leave did the archangel Baal's somewhat bitter voice echo in the room.

"Hahaha... What other purpose could there be?"

Ignoring the chaos before him and long since tired of the lifelike depictions, the angel gazed out at the universe.

He is not Melos, he is the Primarch, and he knows the current state of the Legion and Baal better than anyone else.

To maintain their faith, ordinary blood angels are unaware of the extent to which the thirst for blood has become rampant; but Saint Gilles knows.

"My two brothers may be disappointed."

"This time, I have no ulterior motives and no intention of playing any political tricks."

"I'm just here to... ask for help."

"Let them do what they want."

"If I don't do something, I'm going to die."

"..."

"No, that's not the case."

"Even those two guys: I'm afraid they'll soon be too exhausted to do anything anymore."

With that thought in mind, the angel looked down.

Before Saint Gilles lay a mountain of documents: firsthand information gathered from all corners of the galaxy by informants loyal to the archangel.

The war included the Battle of Betangamon: the rebel offensive against the main star Betangamon was repeatedly thwarted, and Lemanrus's counterattack almost drove them back to the heavens.

The Khan has not shown his face for a long time, the morale of the Fifth Legion's frontline troops is wavering, and their conflict with the Sons of the Phoenix has intensified, showing signs of a civil war breaking out on top of the main battle.

And then there's the situation in Minerva: Horus is methodically chipping away at Dorne's defenses, and although every step he takes requires countless efforts, the banner of the Shadowmoon Wolves continues to advance.

It is still unknown when the battle will end, but according to accurate intelligence, small-scale use of poison gas and biological weapons has already occurred on the front lines of the clash between the two legions.

It is not yet known who used it first, but neither legion has issued a formal ban on it: even Dorn has remained silent.

However, none of these seemingly important pieces of information could attract Saint-Gilles' attention as much as the last one.

That's about the Ghoul Stars.

It is said that the riots and external impacts of the Ghoul Stars have reached their peak in a century, an effect that even Ulanhuda did not have back then.

The Night Lords committed almost all of their available fighting force to the front lines, yet they barely managed to hold the line on Nostramore's side.

Clearly, in the darkness of the ghoul stars, something audacious must have disrupted the few remaining rules of that already chaotic world.

Could it be Conrad?

Saint Gilles couldn't help but ponder.

Could it be that midnight ghost who has finally achieved the ultimate goal of his expedition?

(End of this chapter)