Emperor's Bane

Chapter 235 Hello, Guilliman (End)

"In the farthest future, the flames of war will eventually cease, and at that time, in the galaxy, there will be only peace."

"We will finally usher in such a day, my blood relatives: all the stars and the world will be bathed in the glory of the emperor, wars and sacrifices will become ethereal legends, ignorance and faith will no longer be needed, and all newborns will no longer be threatened by poverty, disease, and barbaric aliens. Those once lost achievements will be picked up and recast as the immortal cornerstone of the peaceful future of mankind, until ten thousand years and ten thousand years later."

"All of this is not a dream, nor is it a far-fetched raving. We are getting closer to this goal every moment. Every successful recovery and victory is a firm progress, like building a great spectacle that can be sung for thousands of years with bricks and tiles."

"One day, we will succeed, we will achieve our mission, let the age of rationality and order come, let the justice and peace I pursue come to every world, and come to every mortal: All this is destined to be accompanied by many tears and pain, and experience inevitable sacrifices and trials, but the end has already appeared in front of us. Although it seems far away, as long as we can continue to move forward, 100 years, 200 years, it will finally be in our hands."

"At that time... Maybe we can rest, do something we like to do, live the life we ​​want to live, and experience life other than warriors and conquerors."

When Lord Macragge spoke his last words, a rather obvious and innocent earnest smile appeared on his sharp-edged face. Morgan could see where that smile belonged: it did not belong to the magnificent palace of intrigue, nor did it belong to the great poem of militarism. It was a more humble smile, with a kind of ordinary satisfaction.

Morgan has seen them, in those corners that she never cared about: in those fertile fields and mountain valleys, on the rough faces of those sweating laborers with their backs to the sun all day long, she has seen similar smiles, and it can even be said that they are exactly the same.

The Lord of the Second Legion was not sure whether her blood brother had any valuable experience in the primary industry, but from his smiling face, Morgan was able to draw a somewhat ridiculous conclusion: her blood relative, Macragge's consul, seemed to have an unrealistic desire and pursuit for the life of facing the loess and facing the sky.

【…】

If it was before, Morgan might have laughed at this kind of smile as a cheap disguise, but now, she is very clear: her blood relatives really think so, this is his most instinctive expression of true feelings and inner desire.

Morgan blinked, a slight mania flashed through her pupils, almost uncontrollable.

Well, a irascible warrior, a thoughtful consul, and a laboring people eager to kiss the fragrance of the soil, how do these three souls fit into one body and live in harmony?

Even with the Primarch's husk, that's hard to do: Morgan can swear on every brother she's ever met.

And Guilliman did it?

Why is he so special?

Could it be that Guilliman was the one carefully crafted by the Lord of Humanity?Is he the Holy Number or Son of the Emperor?Could it be that when all of them were scattered in various desperate situations, the Macragge in front of him was being stuffed into the arms of his adoptive parents by the big golden man?
Is it true that a happy family and childhood are so miraculous that he can become the most special one among the primarchs?
【call--】

Morgan took a deep breath, and it took her a moment to suppress the fire of jealousy in her heart. Although the flame was too weak to affect anything, it was enough to make the Spider Queen understand one thing: why she couldn't get a positive comment about Guilliman from every brother she had met and communicated with.

【Ambitious】is only part of it.

And jealousy is an element that cannot be ignored.

When these two major reasons are mixed with all the extra and miscellaneous shortcomings, such as the indelible achievements and great achievements created by the Lord of the Ultramarines, all the resentment and dissatisfaction can only be turned into rumors of the same caliber, and jointly build the separatist party in the five hundred worlds, who is ambitious and expands and attracts all the time...

……

and many more……

Again, Morgan blinked.

She suddenly thought of something, and thought of a wonderful idea about the Lord of the Five Hundred Worlds, a wonderful idea about waste utilization.

Thinking of this, Morgan couldn't help but glanced at her blood relatives. In a dark corner that Guilliman couldn't see, a smile that could make anyone's spine shudder was gradually creeping up the corner of the mouth of the Lord of the Second Legion.

Yes.

Guilliman, the lord of the Ultramarines, the separatist king of the five hundred worlds: Ambitious, evil-minded, deep-minded, hard to talk...

And Morgan, master of the Dawnbreakers, overseer sent by the Emperor, a soul drinker who has been devoted to war, and rightly like the other Primarchs: not too keen on politics and governance.

Under such circumstances, when most people in the galaxy, especially those with high positions and weights, have already had such a distinct and extremely profound first impression of the two Primarchs, wouldn't some of the problems that appeared on Morgan just slide to Guilliman as a matter of course?

After all, those who are close to the flame always have to bear the possibility of being burned: as the special envoy sent by the Lord of Humanity to supervise the Five Hundred Worlds, the Lord of the Second Legion, who is not good at intrigue and speech, was unknowingly influenced and deceived during the silent confrontation with her ambitious brother.

Totally makes sense, doesn't it?
As long as it is not too much, as long as it can accurately grasp the heartstrings of the holy Terra, as long as it is not so brazen as to write "New Empire" and other words on the immigration posters, then relying on the huge shadow of the five hundred worlds that stretches across the east, how many people will care about the little blasphemy that happened in Avalon?
A huge mortal auxiliary army?This is something necessary to carry out the mission, and from any point of view, it is not a violation.

An aggressive policy?It was just a helpless move that had to be done in order to fight against the powerful national power of the five hundred worlds of Ultramar.

Some broad alliance?If you don't even have these, what else can you use to fight against the unscrupulous and aggressively expanding separatist vassal king?
These are all necessary, all are prerequisites for fulfilling the mission, all are loyalty and reliability that can be disbanded immediately at any time due to a single order from the emperor, just like the love that the Spider Queen has for her genetic father in her heart.

Everything is temporary, everything is transitional, and everything is an effort to complete the Emperor's silent mission: before the Lord of Humanity ends Morgan's mission, she will never disappoint her genetic father, no matter how terrible the abyss it will plunge her into, no matter how many puzzles and rumors it will make her bear, she will become Holy Terra's nail in the Far East, faithfully fulfilling the illusory mission entrusted to her by the Emperor.

Makes sense, doesn't it.

As for Guilliman?Oh, of course, he can continue to work hard to cultivate his country, and he will receive sufficient assistance from Avalon with peace of mind. His territory will continue to expand, and his legion will continue to expand until the east of the galaxy is completely dyed with a light cobalt blue.

After all, if Guilliman's body wasn't strong enough and his back wasn't broad enough, how could he help Morgan carry Avalon and the Second Legion on his back while carrying himself and the five hundred worlds of Ultramar?
Ambitious, scheming, separatist...

How could she have the heart to snatch these powerful words from Guilliman? On the contrary, she would give the part she got to her blood relatives as a testimony of their steadfast friendship.

Although there was no formal or even verbal agreement, the Lord of the Second Legion could clearly confirm that Guilliman was absolutely willing to do this, so there was no need for her to ask extra questions.

In this way, Morgan smiled and finalized the plan in her heart. She even thought about how she would admire and even admire the prosperity of the five hundred worlds when she reunited with those brothers again, and she firmly believed in certain [Words of Reason] of Guilliman.

It is indeed difficult to do this: but it is not more difficult than helping Jonson manage the logistics, accompanying Magnus on a tour of the warp, or making Perturabo happy. She has experienced even these difficulties. She has even tolerated and even become accustomed to the three guys in her mind who communicate closely all day long. Can she encounter more terrible things?
Could it be that the only big golden guy in the whole galaxy that she can feel afraid of can give her more surprises?

a madman?Or a skinner?

what!
The dark idea came to an end with a deliberate question and answer. Morgan rubbed her neck, allowing her attention to come out of the suspended thinking time and come to reality again.

But at the last moment when he stopped to think for a while, a ray of clear self-cognition still hurt the spider queen's heart that had been frozen theoretically.

------

really.

She was still a little jealous of Guilliman.

------

The Lord of Macragge is sitting on the bottom step. He is wearing a ceremonial armor. The huge golden laurel wreath on the breastplate is the most obvious symbol. Not far from him, the queen of Avalon is also sitting on the same level. She is still wearing a sleeveless bust and a long skirt. Her legs are raised. You can see that she is wearing a pair of women's Roman sandals. .

[Is this the life you want?my dear brother. 】

The master of the Second Legion caressed the steps and seats made of marble, and smiled at the brothers beside him, while Guilliman was silent for a while before answering a secret in a low voice.

"Actually, when I first arrived in Macragge, I was not interested in the city's many bathhouses, but when I grew up and realized that these public buildings actually had some necessary value, my body prevented me from easily entering these buildings."

【We have walked this way, and I have seen eleven large bathhouses in the city of Macragge alone. Are they all unable to accommodate your body as a Primarch? 】

Guilliman sighed.

"If I could, I wouldn't bring you here, Morgan, I wouldn't bring you to this Macragge central bath that hasn't been fully built yet, and there isn't even water in it. What kind of bath is this?"

Morgan smiled. She stretched out her legs and knocked on the marble floor tiles in front of her intentionally or unintentionally. Some wondered where this city of Macragge, which was almost entirely made of marble, got so many raw materials?
But after thinking about the Emperor's ship, the [Emperor Illusion] that piled gold and marble directly into the void, she felt that such a problem was actually not important.

[It doesn't matter, I won't be poor enough to come to Macragge City to solve my personal hygiene problems, and as a pure artwork and building, everything in front of me is enough to open my eyes, isn't it? 】

Morgan's words were not a lie: even in her heart, she already had some basic understanding of Guilliman and his people's fanatical pursuit of baths or other Roman-style everything, but when she actually saw this Macragge central bath, she still had to admire it.

The life of the Ultramarines is really good.

A public bath covering an area of ​​more than [-] square meters, or a complex of buildings, is where Morgan and her blood relatives are now. This wonder that has not yet been officially put into use, apart from its own job: dozens of cisterns, elevated water pipelines, cold bath halls, warm bath halls, hot bath halls, steam rooms, and gym-specific washrooms, it also includes a lot of things that the Primarch himself did not think of.

Libraries, lecture halls, game rooms, playgrounds, small theaters, shops, galleries...

Everything is available.

Calling it a bath would be an understatement: even the most hedonistic and social Macragge could have all their needs met in this building.

For example, the main bath where the two gene prototypes are now, although there is no water, but its semi-circular structure is no different from the ancient Greek theater, so that it can take on the duties of a theater, a parliament hall, and even a bloodless duel field without water. Every inch of the ground is inlaid with smooth and shiny colored marble from different regions to form an exquisite mosaic.

"No, Morgan."

Guilliman raised his head, enjoying the refracted sunlight. He had just toured the small half of Macragge City with his blood relatives. Even the Lord of the Ultramarines needed a real rest time at this time.

"Bathing, especially a hot bath, is a very formal activity. It is not only a means to solve personal hygiene problems, but also a kind of relaxation and exercise."

【Appreciate further details. 】

"First of all, people who take a bath should do pre-bath exercises, and then enter heating rooms with different temperatures to make the bathers evaporate and sweat. After sweating all over the body, take a bath with warm water, and finally rinse with cold water."

【cold water? 】

"Enhancing your physique is a must."

【So, this is the future life you dream of? 】

Guilliman seemed silent for a while.

"That's it."

"When we complete this great expedition, and when the great cause of mankind is re-established under our efforts, I think that at that time, whether it is our genetic father or ourselves, they will gradually fade from the center of the galaxy's stage and enjoy a more ordinary life: to some extent, I regard this as a well-deserved reward after the end of our long mission."

Guilliman raised his head. He quietly enjoyed the very suitable sun rays near dusk, and regarded it as a long-lost relaxation. The Primarch was sitting on the steps like that, like a marble sculpture that could make people laugh.

[Do you think this is a reward? 】

Morgan's actions were almost identical to Guilliman's. She no longer bothered to observe the most subtle expressions and movements of her blood relatives when they spoke. The Lord of the Second Legion was confident that he had figured out some of the background of the Macragges. She only needed to hear and accept his words to get what she wanted to know.

In other words: she, too, is enjoying some relaxation and small talk.

【After defeating all the enemies, conquering all the worlds, and draining our innate blood and energy, we will retreat from the center of the stage that we created with our own hands. Do you think this is a...reward? 】

"Isn't it?"

"After all, from the very beginning, the purpose of this great expedition was not to make the galaxy kneel down again under the rule of a human lord or twenty deputy kings. Our genetic father did not allow any of us to indulge in the power of reality. Obviously, this was something he decided from the very beginning."

Morgan frowned slightly. Guilliman's words made her feel a little uncomfortable, but a certain instinct in her heart told her that everything Lord Macragge said was right.

worldly power...

The Lord of the Second Legion tried it, trying to make her arouse her greed for secular power, but after the shortest experiment, Morgan once again realized that the so-called secular power, to her, was just a means to increase her own strength, and power itself had nothing worthy of her nostalgia. She was a derivative of power.

but……

[Have you ever said such things to other brothers?After all, I think such a topic is a bit too...serious, isn't it? 】

Guilliman paused again.

"I told Dorn once, that is, Rogg Dorn, the lord of Inwitt. You probably haven't met him yet, but he is the most reliable of our brothers. His ideas are roughly the same as mine, or he doesn't care about these things at all."

[It's normal to not care, my brother, to be honest, you care so much about this matter, and you still seem a little abnormal among us. What gave you the motivation to think about this issue? 】

"..."

"The future, Morgan, is the future."

[The future of the Great Expedition? 】

"The future after the Great Crusade."

【Oh... That's a bit too far away, it will be a century or two centuries later. 】

"No matter how many centuries it is, don't we all have to face this problem in the end? War cannot last forever, and no matter how great an expedition is, it will end one day. We can't start worrying about how to find the answer until the moment before the problem comes, right?"

"At that time, characters like us will of course be able to gradually fade away from us and live well in any world, but apart from this, we still have to consider some issues."

[For example? 】

"Our sons, the emperor's angels, tens of thousands of Astartes warriors, tens of thousands of people who were born to conquer and kill, and paid the greatest price for the arrival of peace, without them, we can do nothing, and the Great Crusade is even more empty talk."

"However, such sacrifice and dedication has an obvious hidden danger: most of these warriors who bring peace are addicted to killing. When peace really comes, how will they, who have long been accustomed to killing and fighting during the Great Crusade, get along with the era of peace?"

"The makers of peace will not be in peace. They are building a paradise that will shut them out. This is what our children will face. A terrible future."

[The future of our respective heirs? 】

"I don't think we need to add [respectively] to this question."

Guilliman's words were already contained in a spontaneous trust and closeness, but Morgan didn't care about this obvious trend now, and her mind was haunted by the question Guilliman had just raised.

The future of her offspring?
The future of her estate?
……

It's not something she should worry about, is it?
The Second Legion is not important enough yet, and she needs to continue this topic.

------

[Okay, Guilliman, let's talk about this topic. 】

【what's your plan? 】

------

Morgan's unhesitating words caused a happy smile to bloom on Guilliman's face. The Lord of Macragge opened his eyes, and he looked at his blood relatives seriously. After a period of necessary thinking, he said his thoughts word by word.

"You should still remember, Morgan, just a few hours ago, you witnessed how I handled those government affairs, and the mistake you pointed out is my solution to this problem."

[Let Astartes warriors serve as the management class of mortal society? 】

"Yes, but not quite."

"I don't intend to let my heirs serve as bureaucrats or managers. After all, the greatest advantage of the Astartes in politics, apart from their superhuman computing power, is the morality shaped by honor and the purity of being separated from mortal society without any interest. If we let them directly integrate into the bureaucracy system and destroy the latter two, it may cause a very bad result."

"What an Astartes warrior should really hold is a position that is free from the bureaucratic system, has supervision, arbitration, and a position that can hold power when necessary."

"In normal times, he may not be the supreme authority in the society in which he lives, but at a necessary moment, he must rely on the wisdom and determination in his mind to do whatever is right."

[Dick pushes more?Temporary Supreme Ruler of the Roman Republic? 】

"It's not that exaggerated."

Verbally, Lord Macragge denied the words of blood relatives, but his face was clearly immersed in another kind of joy because of that Roman-style noun.

【Have you implemented it? 】

"not at all."

Guilliman shook his head.

"As you have seen before, I have just started the experimental operation of this idea. The son I sent to Ulysses is the first batch of soldiers I assigned to other worlds for management. Their achievements and progress will directly determine my future considerations and changes in this idea."

[Currently, what is the result? 】

"It's not bad, but the experimental report proves that I have overestimated the administrative ability of the Astartes. Maybe in the future, I must strengthen my training in this area."

[At this point, maybe we can reach a cooperation, Guilliman. 】

The Lord of Macragge turned his head, his pupils glowing with gold.

"Do you also think my idea is feasible? My blood relative?"

[Feasibility is one aspect. I think this matter is more necessary. As you said, we should really think about how to solve this kind of thing. However, before that, I think you should think clearly about one problem, Guilliman. 】

"what is the problem?"

【You are thinking about the future of the entire Astartes fighters, so the scope of your experiments and considerations should not be limited to the Ultramarines Legion or the five hundred worlds of Ultramar. Maybe you can ask other people to help, those who are interested in this area, capable, and willing to help you. 】

"..."

"except you?"

【…】

Why do these words sound familiar?

[I implemented a set of experimental structures in my own territory, and thus gained some experience and ideas, do you want to hear it? 】

"Appreciate further details."

【simply put……】

[Do you know about reforming the land and returning it to the people? 】

"……what is that?"

[A not-so-Roman thing. 】

------

[She is in the five hundred worlds? 】

The words of the lord of mankind echoed in the ears of the handprinter. The old man who was over 6000 years old raised his head, took a moment to accept and deal with the question, and then answered, and answered his lord accurately.

"If the timing is correct, she is now about to complete her own visit to Macragge, then conduct a survey on those important planets in the five hundred worlds, and finally return to her own country."

[Do you think she can handle the kingdom I gave her? 】

"..."

"We used to discuss and analyze that unique chess game day after day, Apocalypse, this question is just the most insignificant component of that chess game, and we already know the answer to this question."

"In terms of territory alone, she may be far behind the Primarch of the Ultramarines, but on some issues related to the depth of domination, she has a cruel, ruthless and arrogant determination that NO.13 does not have."

The Emperor laughed.

[Yes, Guilliman is a complex mix of peasant mentality, conservatism, and glorious isolation when it comes to their own state within a state, and we even now know what he'll do on his Macragge once things get a little bad on Terra, hopefully someone will choose to cooperate with him then. 】

[But my daughter is different. Her future is not as colorful as her brothers, but she is never clear. She is a Machiavelli with a less cold heart. In my controlled experiment, the group that I can still master. 】

The Handprinter blinked, he knew the Emperor too well, so when he heard these words, he directly skipped the unnecessary red tape and pointed to the focus of the next topic.

"So, how do you plan to use your daughter? Have you forgotten the backlash and damage her rampage caused to your plan in the chess game? Apocalypse?"

"You know that you are not the only one who has a huge plan for her."

"You know that among those who cast their eyes on her destructive power, the pair of deadly enemies who are addicted to change and decay certainly do not have more ambitions and fantasies, but the youngest one, he loves your daughter so much that he can even patiently hide his love until this moment, and the longer he hides, the less likely he is to let go at the end."

【But He is not incapable of dealing with it. 】

[But she is not irreplaceable. 】

"..."

The handprinter sighed.

"So, what do you want to do?"

[Relax, old friend, I know my relationship with her is not friendly, and I'm also thinking about how to improve this: maybe I should give her a new gift, this will be the fifth gift I gave her. 】

"Besides those three, what else?"

[Ten years with Zhuang Sen. 】

"...?"

"Wait... Well, I think, I can probably guess what the fifth gift is. This time, which problem are you going to solve on her? Her heart?"

【decide as things go. 】

The human lord replied casually, and then he stretched out his metal claws and poked at a certain place on the star map.

That is the northeastern frontier of the Milky Way.

It was the hell called Nostramo.

(End of this chapter)