Emperor's Bane

Chapter 234 Hello, Guilliman ([-])

Ultramar!New Empire!

distant!rich!free!hope!Unite!Gritty!

Come to Ultramar, to the new frontiers of the galaxy, and share the future with us.

Build your new life in Calth, settle in Octavia, enjoy the air and forest in Ulysses, and the most outstanding contribution will get the seat of Macragge, Primarch and Ashtar Tepene, and your bloodline will be honored to be candidates for the Emperor's Angels.

New world, new destiny!
Everything is in your choice.

------

【…】

[Killiman. 】

[Has it ever occurred to you that, as a propaganda poster encouraging immigration, it seems a little... inappropriate? 】

"Immigration posters of this type have been distributed throughout the empire for at least thirty standard years, and no official institution of the empire has given feedback on them. So... is there anything that is not in compliance with the rules?"

[... Forget it, pretend I didn't say it. 】

The Spider Queen's eyes swept over those disloyal but quite appropriate words, and witnessed Macragge printed on immigration posters and leaflets: the green continent, the rich ocean, the sweet air, it is true It is worthy of the [New World] imagined by most people.

Beneath this rather wonderful picture of heaven are the austere poems written by the propaganda tongues kept by the Lord Macragge: Given the talent and aesthetics of the Primarch, these less gorgeous hymns are indeed They can be called simple, but they are definitely specially processed, and they can accurately grasp the weakness of ordinary people. In front of their goals, vulgar language is more important. Anyway, the destination of these leaflets will not be ordinary people. The great library of Spero and Macragge.

Morgan curled her lips, and she opened another leaflet, on which several undeveloped worlds with few traces of civilization were impressively drawn, but they were also highlighted as recommended places to live. Then, she saw a string of small characters.

[Would you still distribute this leaflet to the Imperial Auxiliary Army? 】

"Yes, the veteran of the auxiliary army who is willing to settle in Ultramar, no matter which army he served in, as long as he can provide the corresponding documents, honor ribbon, and official seal on the service record book, he will be in the Ultramar is welcomed, and a land divided according to his years of service."

【land? 】

"Yes, land, twenty acres of land on the colonial world of Cowes for every eighteen years of military service recognized and officially stamped, those lands by the river have fertile black alluvial soils that can produce these Veterans enjoy the wealth of their old age, and the only thing they need to pay is hard work."

[Very good idea, but if my guess is correct: Veterans like this are rarely able to adapt to pastoral life, they would rather exchange land for wealth, and then go to those more prosperous civilized worlds, or simply work in wealth management After all, you can't expect a professional soldier who has served for more than ten years or more to become an expert in agriculture before starving himself to death. 】

"...There are indeed many such examples, Morgan, how do you know?"

[Familiar with Roman history, Guilliman, it is not difficult: I think you know the disadvantages of this system, you should be grateful that you are more like Sulla, Caesar and Augustus than Cicero and Pompey With little Cato. 】

"There's something wrong with your words, my dear blood: I don't want to be August, and I don't want to be a father sitting in the Temple of Concord, and my idol is Cincinnatus, yes, Cincinna in every sense of the word Tooth."

"As for this system: of course it has some problems, but what you pointed out is not the main problem. Any system about land has only one gate, and that is that sooner or later the land will be divided up, and all the ideas surrounding the land And advocacy will also become ridiculous castles in the air."

"The land system of Rome was killed by the waves of the Rhine and Tigris, and then turned into other bad news, but the same fate will not befall me for a while. After all these years, I have not allocated enough land For Cowes to be completely reclaimed, I have to think of more ways, such as letting the administration exempt the travel expenses of the Cowes pioneers."

The Lord of Macragge talked eloquently, and although he mentioned a sad topic, his face was relaxed and even a little bit joyful: obviously, it was he who discussed these meaningful topics with a blood relative. The novel experience that I have never had before is enough to dilute the moderate troubles caused by the problem itself.

Morgan paused the subject with a well-meaning grunt, and once again turned his attention to the bewildering array of posters and brochures that the Lord of the Second Legion saw as a form of learning. Skills, she believed that her Avalon would be useful sooner or later.

And across from her, at a place separated by only a long table, Guilliman was sitting in front of his contemplator, dealing with some temporary emergencies: temporary and urgent, these two words are like a For lovers who always quarrel, they will appear abruptly, but naturally appear anywhere.

He handled it quickly, more ruthlessly and efficiently than any precision instrument Morgan had ever seen, but much more primitive than those darlings of the Mechanicus: the lord of the five hundred worlds stubbornly refused to use For those more high-tech items, he is not used to the crackling keyboard, tape recorder and auxiliary review equipment of the thinker, and the latest memory pen and thought recorder are placed beside his crumbling book nest. side, but never picked up.

He holds a pen, which can always be grasped by the most ordinary hands, without any peculiarities, an antique-like pen, with which he records countless information on the electronic board, and handles any He is like a statue, only his right hand is constantly moving, capturing, processing and recording everything he cares about: whether it is the continuous reports on the electronic board or the information on the secondary display screens on the left. Thousands of announcements and data updates came out, and he watched and recorded them all.

Information is victory.

Inadvertently, Guilliman used his actions to speak this sentence to his blood relatives, and explained its truth over and over again, as Morgan blinked, observing the ruthless and efficient operation of his blood relatives. At that time, she used the shortest time to come to a conclusion: in terms of handling government affairs, receiving data, and archiving information, there is a huge gap between her and Guilliman.

She can indeed achieve Guilliman's current state, but that requires seriousness and concentration without impurities, and the calm demeanor of the Lord of Macragge at this time shows that all this is just a trivial matter to him, He even had time for a normal chat with Morgan and invited her to taste the wine that was placed in the alcove.

Morgan didn't answer, she just quietly read the last page of the poster, chewed all the art and essence in it, and after slowly digesting it, she got up and walked to the corner where the bronze wine jug was placed: this is amazing. It's not an easy job, because Guilliman's small office is not a good place to be neat and tidy. Stacks of precariously piled books and messy notebooks are scattered in every corner as far as the eye can see. The instruments for collecting all kinds of information were locked in this office by Lord Macragge, as a method for him to extract corresponding information at any time in the future.

Guilliman is organized, down to the last detail.

Guilliman was a mess, a mess.

Completely contradictory words, but in this room, they are so harmonious and united, as if it is the only master of this room: the great Lord Macragge specially set up for him all the state of affairs in every aspect. The corresponding office of the office has brought his efficiency in handling things and tracing back to memory to a peak, which is his rigorous attitude.

But looking at any individual office, his layout of these places is so poor and chaotic that it would make even the most diligent cleaning staff feel sincere despair. He greedily collected all the information and documents he could. , until they filled every inch of space, turning the whole room into a cluttered storage den: this was his ravenous craving.

Rigorous attitude and greedy curiosity: These two attributes, which are almost incompatible, have achieved a strange tacit understanding and balance in Guilliman. It was manifested in time, shaping himself into a somewhat contradictory aggregate, and for a while he couldn't tell which one was the innate instinct and which one was the acquired educational achievement.

Morgan realized this, just like she realized that under the appearance of the steady and mature Macragge Consul, there was an extremely violent warrior hidden. The performance of Guilliman in the duel is enough to show that his life path may be biased towards an efficient fighter and martial artist at the beginning, but there is no doubt that the acquired education and care he received will be permanent. Changed that and made him a ruler worthy of respect in every way.

His nature is changed by those external factors called family affection and education, suppressing those bad parts, while preserving and even developing those good parts.

Thinking of this, even in the spider queen's still cold and stubborn vicious heart, a trace of sourness and jealousy visible to the naked eye could not help but arise.

However, she didn't show it.

Although I feel an inexplicable touch because of the few normal people in the Primarch, this does not mean that the Lord of the Second Legion will show more sincerity to this brother who has only known each other for more than a day, Morgan Always wishing I could hide more and get more from others.

It's like in the tactical duel with Guilliman, she used the tactics of the Iron Warriors without hesitation, used the ruthlessness of the Mechanicus, and used everything she witnessed in the Dark Angels, but she never In the battle, the second legion's truly devastating blows, efficient annihilation tactics and fast three-dimensional coordination were reflected in front of the Lord of Macragge, so that he had the opportunity to learn this true background.

On the contrary, it was Macragge's consul, who was so frank that he had almost no information and clearly revealed everything about his legion, including the deployment of firepower, armored troop numbers, and preferred tactics, to his sisters: Although he always Morgan's strategy can be quickly countered, but in general, his own strategy is similar.

Morgan can now completely write down the establishment of the entire Ultramarine Corps with her eyes closed, and what each of their warbands will do in which corner of the battlefield. What kind of reactions and decisions will be made when the situation arises, because Guilliman has shown her too many times.

At this point, Morgan seems to have won. If it wasn't for her preaching obsession in front of Guilliman, which made her expose more things that she shouldn't have revealed, she thinks she might have won more thoroughly .

Morgan walked in this chaotic literal hell, and for a moment, the impression that Guilliman gave her changed from the radiant King of Macragge to some kind of life in his storage cave before winter came. Crazy busy and screaming furry rodent, it almost makes her want to laugh out loud.

Morgan didn't use her psychic powers. She dragged tall wine jugs and utensils on a tray, and stood patiently by the Primarch's side, waiting for him to process the last bit of information.

Through the bronze shell of the jug, she can clearly smell the smell of fermented grape juice, and a lot of information is wrapped in this somewhat sour and sweet taste: alcohol concentration, color, acidity and other elements, or It is the soil in which it is grown, the genetic code and nutrients of the vines, and the trace minerals mixed with the water.

This is the information that Morgan can capture from one breath, and it is also her natural ability as the Primarch, and it is for this reason that she never dares to play tricks on her so-called [classical wine] in front of other blood relatives. ] and 【Atalanta Wine】, because she knew the risks of doing so.

Generally speaking, the Spider Queen is still a cautious character. When she was not so close to her blood relatives, her thoughts would survive well in the combination of caution and conservatism.

Morgan blinked. She was standing to one side of Guilliman, which allowed her to see the secondary monitors on Guilliman's other side, and spotted a problem in time.

[Omissions. 】

"what?"

[An omission, Guilliman. 】

"where?"

The Primarch sincerely asked his questions, and when he followed the guidance of his blood relatives and found out what the problem was in the transmission of information about the last second on one of the secondary screens, the expression on his face There was a genuine joy in it.

"Thanks, Morgan."

【nothing. 】

The Spider Queen smiled, and in her bland blue pupils, there were tens of thousands of wailing alien souls that Guilliman could never hear, including some steadfast followers of the orc twin gods By.

Yes, orcs: Although Morgan's attempts and efforts in cooking the souls of these weird creatures have failed, but in the last attempt to not give up, she accidentally discovered that although these souls born for war cannot If they stay in her mind for a long time, they can't be swallowed by her, but if they are burned as a simple consumable, they can avoid the counterattack launched by their weird twin gods in time. , just remember not to take too much at one time.

If there are still some residues that can't be solved, then she can throw the burned garbage next to the golden sword. Although it will make an unpleasant roar, it will still help the Spider Queen clean up the mess.

[This is a question about the direct governance of the Astartes? 】

"Yes, the heir of Ulysses I sent to the forest world is a somewhat immature ruling official. There is a logical loophole in his report that shouldn't exist, but I ignored it out of habit , Thank you for your reminder just now, Morgan."

[Direct rule of the Astartes? 】

"No, it's not that direct, it's more about supervision and indirect management. Ulysses is a world that has just begun to be reclaimed on a large scale. The mortal government is enough to manage it well. There is no notable solidification and corruption. The Cartel has emerged on this planet, and its mortal governor is also a man I have personally chosen to be a powerful man."

[Then when the problems you mentioned arise, are you going to use some more brutal means? 】

"I'll consider it, but I won't put it into use right away."

Guilliman's answer took a moment of thought and concern.

"Even the slightest violence should take precedence over the most serious verbal warnings, and I've made sure of this in my mind when I first started integrating and promoting my Ultramar."

My Ultramar.

How radiant and inviolable is the face of this Lord of Macragge, when he uttered these words, he took it for granted without realizing it.

It made Morgan think of that rather disloyal phrase she'd seen on a poster: The New Empire.

The interesting thing is that no one has a more radical reaction to these phrases. Whether it is inside the New Empire or outside the New Empire, it seems that everyone is silently acknowledging the disguised rationality of this strange situation. They're all ignoring its oddity, just as they're ignoring those Martians singing their hymns to the gods of metal in a place where Imperial truth prevails.

That's like saying that the greatest, most legendary empires always belonged to the Universal Empire, didn't they?

Morgan laughed in her heart because of her thought, but she didn't show any flaws on the surface, but continued the small topic between her and her blood relatives.

[Ah, I have indeed heard of this. They said that after you joined the empire, you used diplomatic means and a community of interests to form a federal system group, and gradually reorganized it into today's Five Hundred Worlds. 】

[I think this is all about the art of negotiation and politics? 】

"Not quite."

Guilliman shook his head. He finished processing the last document in hand, and took the wine glass handed over by his blood relative. The right amount of wine in it was enough for ten mortals to quench their thirst and anxiety at the same time, but for one For the Primarch, this is only a small amount that can give him a taste of it.

"Among the five hundred core worlds, some are unwilling to give in. They can't accept my claims and proposals anyway, and I can't bypass their existence to implement my next plan, so some violence and Coercive means, even extermination orders, are also essential."

[I guess, there are not many places like this? 】

"It's not too small, 38."

Guilliman spit out this number very clearly, as if he was repeating all this in his heart all the time, when he spit out this number, his face became a little gloomy, Lord Macragge rubbed his Eyebrows, took a sip of wine, and then sighed silently.

"Actually, when I think about all this in the future, several of them can be solved by other methods, instead of having to go to such a serious point, I once regarded efficiency and speed as too important , while ignoring other more important things, such as fresh life and brilliant culture, as well as those precipitated histories.”

[This kind of thing can’t be entirely blamed on you, can it? 】

Morgan let out a chuckle.

[Even the master of the Ultramarines can't stop the torrent of the entire galaxy. The Great Crusade is too tense, and everyone is crazy, eager to invest in more conquests and expeditions. 】

[When it took me less than a year to conquer a star area, everyone was praising my efficient killing, but when I stopped for a while and started some unimportant things, the army Suspicious again, and more worried about the next plan. 】

[I don’t know when it started, everyone is eager to embrace the entire galaxy in their arms tomorrow, and then start to build an eternal empire the day after tomorrow. 】

"You're right, Morgan, that ruins and a people full of hatred can't build an empire, but we are now having to face more and more cases where the empire's sword burns the prosperity of the resisters, And then taxing them even more for another world to burn: that's not the way to go in the long run."

The Lord of Macragge showed a somewhat weak smile. His noble status and powerful country gave his words innate credibility. After sorting out the last pile of scattered books, he put himself Those golden eyes were truly directed at the blood relatives.

"I have studied your conquest near your home planet Avalon, and am glad to see that you will put negotiation and political compromise before actual war. There are quite a few human colonial forces, and except for those hopeless pirates, you have shown great patience to every one of our scattered compatriot regimes, and the only few remaining wars are both highly effective with compassion.”

Morgan blinked: Why didn't she feel the so-called [compassion within her power]?
【If I say this is a helpless move, will you believe it?Killiman? 】

Lord Macragge didn't answer, but his kind smile said it all.

"You needn't be humble, my blood, nor feel like an outlier for it, though most of our brothers are as obsessed with conquest and glory as if only the blood on the blade and the submission of all enemies could make them feel I am serving the Emperor, but even so, there are still several noble brothers who follow the same path as you."

"For example, Horus and Sanguinius, no one will deny their nobility and power, and no one will refute that they always put negotiation and political compromise before the real battle, and their progress has not To be so far behind, and so far ahead, is enough to show that peace is not some laughable lie, but a practical means.”

"When one world refuses to surrender because of its prejudice against us and its arrogance, ten or more worlds see our fleet as protection and blessing from the human home planet, since all this is true It exists, so why not use it?"

Morgan laughed.

[I can imagine, Guilliman, you may have said this many times, but it is not always popular. After all, a quick, fierce and successful conquest may not even take one night, and one One negotiation could create a legacy that lasts decades or more. 】

"Doesn't conquest bring disaster?"

A strange color flashed in Guilliman's pupils.

"Massacre and terror, they may be effective within ten years, and may deter the nerves of a generation, but when the new generation grows up, the power of this deterrence will be faster than the spring ice and snow If we can't think of the rule of a generation from the first day of conquering a world, then the empire we have built together will hardly last until then."

[Do you have a better method than massacre? 】

"Loyal bureaucrats, restoring the organization's production structure and productivity, and a certain amount of propaganda and military deterrence that can arrive in time: Of course, none of this is as effective as the real benefits. For now, this kind of Interest can be a guarantee of security, something most of the world aspires to."

Morgan nodded.

[It sounds like there is a set of profound theories behind these words. 】

"Do you need it?"

[If my country stops at one star sector, then I really don't need it, but just before my visit to Ultramar, several of my long-range fleets have already set off. 】

The Lord of Macragge laughed, pride and humility flashed across Guilliman's face.

"It's okay, we have more time to discuss this topic. If you need any help in this regard, Ultramar will always be a trusted choice."

[Won't this hinder your progress in the Great Crusade? 】

"No, I haven't encountered any real problems in terms of manpower. I have chosen a more effective and stable method to replace those indifferent military operations. When I'm in trouble, I have more children to devote to other important things."

【…】

[Your words seem to be criticized by many people. 】

"Yes, but they don't have more evidence to criticize me. After all, they are often inferior to me in terms of efficiency that they praise and value. This is one of the few places where I can surpass other brothers."

[Not as good as all? 】

"Mostly, but not entirely, I admit that there are still a few people who are better and more effective than me, and their names shine in the middle of the Great Crusade."

For a moment, a hint of sinisterness flashed in Morgan's pupils, and she clearly felt Guilliman's almost uncontrollable arrogance. This arrogance was not malicious, or even acquired, but a kind of innate The perfection is accompanied by Lord Macragge's gestures, and it is most clearly displayed.

In his unwelcome outside gossip, this innate arrogance may have carried as much weight as Ultramar itself, though Guilliman may have been more obtuse in it.

Amidst Morgan's silence, Guilliman dealt with the last little matter at hand, then he patted the table, stood up, and looked at his blood relatives apologetically.

"Okay, Morgan, let's start our sightseeing plan while there is still time. I'm sorry that this plan has been delayed for a while due to my reasons. I hope you are not impatient."

【how could be. 】

Morgan's smile immediately shattered Guilliman's worries, and he saw in that smile a kind of reliability and sincerity that he could not doubt or think about.

[I even want to make this a little longer, Guilliman, I have a lot of questions I want to ask you. 】

"We can talk as we go."

So, the Lord of Macragge led his blood relatives through the magnificent corridors of Hera Castle. They did not immediately go to the city of Macragge, but entered a quiet hall first. There are no more decorations in the hall, only a stunning and perfect work of art in the center: it is a scale model of the city of Macragge.

"Thousands of years of history and efforts to shape this city from generation to generation, my blood relatives, compared with those hard-working pioneers, my rule is just an insignificant process."

"Now that you see all this, most of it was born before I came, and nothing says Macragge better than their weather-beaten and hard walls: let me give You point out the most important buildings, Morgan, and together we can plan the best sightseeing route."

"This is Hera Crown Hill, the highest point in Macragge City, where you can overlook everything in Macragge City."

"This is the Crown Baths, the public bathing place with the longest history in the entire city of Macragge. It is said that it was established along with it in the first year of the city's founding."

"This is the Ptolemy Library, the largest knowledge storage place in the entire eastern part of the galaxy, and the collection and distribution center for books."

"This is the Baths of Caracalla. It is the first attempt in the history of Macragge to combine baths with recreational equipment. It is only one street away from the Ptolemaic Library."

"This is the Military Square. It is the center of all public activities in Macragge City. It is not too far away from the inner court and the barracks of the Central Guards. It is very convenient to go to any place in the city from here."

"This is the Macragge Central Bath. It is a new type of bath that I built after I adopted the proposal of the Macragge Council. It integrates bathing, entertainment, public activities and sports events. Although it has not yet been filled with water. It is not for official use, but it is completely sufficient as a place for us to rest and chat temporarily."

"This is Maxylus Hall..."

"This is the Maxylus Great Bath..."

"This is the revision temple..."

"This is the Temple Union Baths..."

"This is Trajan's Forum..."

"This is the Memorial Baths of Trajan's Square..."

"Here are the marble baths built in honor of the Memorial Baths of Trajan's Forum..."

"here……"

-

……

Ok.

Rome.

So roman.

(End of this chapter)