Emperor's Bane

Chapter 246
"Do you know the Predator Forge?"

"what is that?"

"A monster that feeds on the planet."

"A rumor, a frightening legend, a darkest historical story, it originates from the outside of the eastern frontier of the Milky Way, it is the fear that is born in the edge of the edge, and it is the projection of those distorted creations in reality."

"It is said that if a charter captain is too brave and greedy to be content with the comforts of Salamas, he can cross the fertile territory of the Aegis sector and the continuous fortress of the Gulgrad protectorate, and head to the sea. Plunging into the outer void in the northeast direction, in the end, he will face the most terrifying chaos that can appear in the entire real universe, and pay the most painful price for his own foolishness."

"There have been countless crazy actions like this in the past thousands of years, but in the end, only a few panicked survivors were able to run back from the darkness, leaving behind a series of almost crazy ravings and nonsense."

"The most distant darkness is called [Huda Bay] by the people of Salamas. It is the outer void just north of Salamas, and it is also an extremely chaotic area extending from the ghoul stars further north. The Badlands, from which monsters have plagued the worlds of the Far Eastern Frontiers for centuries."

"According to the historical documents I have recorded and collected along the way, the inhabitants of that outer void are likely to be more terrifying and barbaric than we imagined. There may be twisted variants of the Ogryn barbarians there, and generations of study A wizarding empire with crazy spells, and all kinds of ogres and psionic aliens, their huge numbers are enough to flood a dozen galaxies at the same time."

"Of course, the scariest words in the record point to two unimaginably terrifying opponents: the first is Kraves, a kind of psychic alien that can initiate mind control from the subspace to parasitize. It is said that they are the oldest The lightless lair is hidden in the darkness in the deepest part of the outer void, a wasteland that not even the light of the astronomical torch can reach."

"And the second is that rumor hidden in dark legends, that horror that only the bravest explorers dare to whisper: its name is [Ulan Huda], but more people like to follow The craziest part of the legend, it's called the [Predator Forge]."

"It is said that at the very beginning, Ulan Huda was nothing more than an ordinary forge world, but their location was very bad: they built their own furnace in the Ghoul Stars and never left, and when When the storms of the age of strife spread to the eastern part of the galaxy, they could no longer contact any rational human world. In the following thousands of years, Ulan Huda was overwhelmed by all kinds of madness among the ghoul stars. Surrounded, with no escape."

"In the end, they made the only choice in desperation: If they want to survive the boundless horror, then they can only become the scariest one."

"It wasn't until thousands of years later that Salamas saw Ulan Huda again, or the melting pot of predators: at that time, it had become an unprecedentedly large heretical forging world, and all kinds of ordinary people could not tolerate it. The distorted technology has strengthened its power, making it a world that can sail in subspace, poisoning countless galaxies, and devouring the entire world to satisfy its hunger and greed. The land and steel of the swallowed world finally let It has become extremely huge and hideous, and all the defeated will be transformed into machine slaves and consumables, used for the most evil witchcraft, so that the heretic sages of Ulan Huda can live forever and spread terror."

"It's hate, it's fear, and in the end, it's hate, it's fear."

"It eventually became a part of the boundless terror, a member of the ghoul star, whose profane creations roamed the eastern fringes of the galaxy, periodically harvesting humanity with their legions of monstrous titans and abominable droids civilization of the world."

"It is said that they depart from the Ghoul Stars every 100 years to carry out a great massacre and desecration: and their last sighting record was nearly 100 years ago."

"...Is this also a rumor?"

"Who knows."

Ahriman closed his notepad, picked up the teacup at the side, and patiently observed the expression of his friend on the other side of the table: the time when navigating in subspace is always boring, and the depression brought by Geller's position Under the atmosphere, no matter what academic research you do, you can't calm down, so it's better to find some entertainment.

Of course, Hector may not be a suitable pastime: Although Magnus's sons have indeed developed good swordsmanship in the past few years, Ahriman still has a valuable self-knowledge. In close combat, he is definitely not an opponent of a physical monster like Hector, not to mention that the latter doesn't seem to be in a good mood right now.

It is said that he was eliminated in the first round of the statue competition?

That statue is obviously very realistic, and Abaddon's charm was carved out with just a few knives.

Ahriman drank the alcoholic drink he made himself, and all kinds of wonderful thoughts were rampant in his heart: the Far Eastern frontier is indeed a treasure land full of dangers, and in the short period of the [Frontier March] accompanied by the Second Army In just a few months, Ahriman's knowledge had grown substantially, and his first and second notebooks were quickly filled to the brim.

The experience in Manlok occupies the largest space: the Lord of the Second Legion stayed in that huge world full of nomadic tribes for a whole month, and even recalled Ahriman and Cortez specifically, Study with her ancient relic communities all over the world, dotted with relics that constantly hint at the artificial origin of some unknown alien evolutionary tree, and get permission from the large-scale investigations from the panicked local population, and even need the genetic origin The body appeared in person.

Ahriman did not go deep underground with Morgan's main team. This was a simple act of avoiding suspicion. He was content to wander among the huge inscriptions on the surface, recording those talisman paintings that had been passed down for countless years, and even discovered a An ancient self-portrait of an alien race.

He was not sure whether he was an abstract self-copy, or a precise depiction of a robot: the main content of that [self-portrait] was a metal skeleton, and he could even see the endless despair in those empty eyes And madness, this kind of madness is also reflected in the text on the side. Ahriman didn't even have the heart to record those twisted carriers. He could only speculate wildly that it might be the words of a mental breakdown after encountering a terrible catastrophe.

The Lord of the Second Legion's exploration of the underground ruins lasted for thirteen days. When she came out of the ancient tomb, her face fell into an indescribably serious and gloomy expression. Ahriman noticed, The team following the Primarch seems to have had some negligible attrition, and their armor is also more embarrassing than imagined. Those fighters did not say a word about this mission, and they have clearly established an inviolable promise.

After that, the Spider Queen uncharacteristically gave the residents of this world extremely high self-control rights. Avalon’s rule over this place was limited to a few heavily armed space stations in orbit, and it seemed that he did not intend to invest more And garrisoned, and amidst the joyful celebrations of the locals, Ahriman smelled the indifferent breath of the Lord of the Second Legion, which was called "Abandonment".

Kind of scary, isn't it.

But what did that matter to him?

Three days later, the sons of Magnus forgot about all of this, and Morgan's favored sons also focused all their attention on the statue contest held quietly after the completion of the battle in the Aegis sector. In addition to the ten winners, Morgan will decide the final lucky winner himself.

Among the ten people, there are many old acquaintances of Ahriman: Bayar and Diarmuid's victory is not amazing, after all, they have always had wild artistic talents, their statues of the goddess of victory and the huntress It has been unanimously praised by everyone, and the descendants of Magnus even went to watch it specially. They are indeed very good works, but they all have a face that belongs to Morgan alone.

Maybe Hector lost here: there was a problem with his selection of materials, how could another legion's fighters be able to compare with his own legion's Primarch? A face belonging to the Shadow Moon Wolf is really not a plus.

Of course, out of consideration for the friendship between each other, he didn’t say it. During the subspace jump from the Aegis sector to the Gulgrad protectorate, the topic of Ahriman and Hector always revolved around the various things along the way. Strange anecdote, and gossip about what happened to other Legions.

"My battle-brothers in Prospero have told me an interesting thing in recent letters: envoys from the Word Bearers Legion arrived in Prospero not long ago, and they borrowed the Legion's artistic taste The most outstanding fighters are used as a necessary exchange activity between the two legions."

Ahriman's words were a little emotional.

"Amon told me that if I hadn't been on a mission in the Second Legion, this mission of communication about the Word Bearers Legion would have definitely fallen on my shoulders."

"Are you sorry?"

Hector held the wine glass specially made for him by Ahriman. Although this wine glass was considered worthy for an Astartes warrior, and more like a keg for a mortal, Morgan's favored son still vaguely noticed that it was in the His palm seemed to be getting smaller again: apparently, he seemed to be growing again.

Unknowingly, the constant burly body has changed from a kind of unexpected joy to a kind of worry with ups and downs. Fortunately, his genetic mother sent a promise not long ago, and she has noticed his problem. All Hecht needs to do is wait for a solution to come out.

"I'm not very sorry."

Ahriman shook his head, his voice was irrefutable sincerity.

"It's just that I heard another rumor: the reason why the Word Bearers Legion borrowed the most artistic Astartes warriors and mortals is because among their legions, a... new idea began to circulate ?”

"idea?"

"Yes, an idea incompatible with the Great Crusade: their desire to find a suitable world and build a great city on it to demonstrate their... fanatical belief in the Lord of Men."

Hector was silent for a moment, and his answer later became affirmative.

"I think that the emperor might not like this kind of behavior. After all, this is a great expedition, not a prosperous era of peace and prosperity. The war orders from the holy Terra can pile up like a mountain in an instant, and there is no building for us at all. Time for a great city."

"Who said it wasn't."

The son of Magnus continued his sigh with emotion in a soft voice. This kind of attitude of always being out of the world made him actually not have many friends, but the friendships he had were often heavyweight.

"However, the issue of the Word Bearers Legion has always been so strange. They have made very little achievements in the Great Crusade, and they are marginal figures that not many people will care about. The biggest topic of conversation will not be their blatant faith."

"The Emperor doesn't like this."

"Yeah, the Lord of Humanity obviously prefers his imperial truth: Speaking of this, I think of a question, a small question, Hector, I hope you can help me answer it."

"But it doesn't matter."

Ahriman put down the already empty cup, and first recalled and thought carefully for a while, confirming the prudence of his words and the possible future: After a gaffe in the arena caused a little unpleasantness, he developed this good habit. new habits.

"A question about the Imperial Truth and the Federation of Avalon, Hector: According to what I saw in Avalon, you seem to have little interest in spreading the Imperial Truth, and you don't put spreading the Imperial Truth at the top of your daily work at all. , you know, the spread of the empire's truth is one of the dead orders of Holy Terra."

"Is this..."

Hector stroked his chin.

"I'm afraid it's hard for me to answer you, my friend. After all, you see, I'm just a small Astartes company commander. This kind of specific governance strategy can only come from the great mother of genes, and we have no right to speculate on her." idea."

"Then you can always have some personal ideas of your own. I remember that Your Excellency Morgan encouraged you to try and think for yourself, so as to ensure the combat effectiveness and autonomous initiative of the Dawnbreaker Legion in a dispersed state: I remember she said this to everyone proclaimed."

"Indeed, if you want to ask me what I think: look, Ahriman, although our Avalon Federation is stable and prosperous, but to the north of us is the notorious ghoul star in the legend, and to the south is the Dalai Lama. The weird waves of Mocles Bay, the east side is close to the edge of the Astronomican Torch, and then there is boundless darkness and madness, only the west is far away from the core control area of ​​​​the empire."

"In this case, the assistance that Holy Terra can give us is as illusory as its control, and our own most important task is undoubtedly to resist danger from three directions: military presence, political stability and Sufficient logistical materials, there are too many things that are more important than the truth of the empire at the moment, and to take a step back, isn’t the spirit of seeking truth from facts cultivated and maintained under such circumstances just including the truth of the empire?”

"Your Excellency Morgan thinks so?"

"Yes, this passage comes from a regular Legion meeting."

Ahriman nodded. He himself didn't care much about this issue. As a senior psychic master, the attitude of Magnus' sons towards the truth of the empire is like that of Thousand Sons and Prospero. Like people, it is the easiest way to ignore and avoid.

"You seem to have a lot of interest in the Federation of Avalon, Ahriman. Recently, you have asked a lot of questions about it, which does not match your previous image as a scholar."

"Society itself is the greatest institution of learning, especially when our esteemed Lord Morgan is obviously preparing to conduct an unprecedented sociological experiment. As a scholar, nothing attracts me more than the future of the Avalon Federation .”

"I have to point out to you: The Avalon Federation is a gift from the Mother of Genes to countless people in the Far East. This is a sacred mission and burden for her, not some sociological experiment."

"They don't conflict, Hector, and my respect for Sir Morgan is absolutely no less than that of anyone in the galaxy. Many of her actions reveal a kind of rational kindness, which is a method sufficient for long-term stability. It's rare in other places, haven't you noticed that when many worlds fell into dead silence due to the military actions of the empire, what the Second Legion left behind was often sincere cheers."

"Because we have brought them some benefits, even if only temporarily."

"Yeah, so who's going to pay for these benefits?"

"Those who don't want to cheer."

Self-evident laughter echoed between the two Astartes warriors, and as the long bottle on the table set off layers of micro waves due to a strange fluctuation, both of them felt a familiar feeling Vibration.

"Ah, it's time to stop."

------

"Crossing Mandeville Point."

"It has been confirmed that the destination is the fortress galaxy [019]. This place is part of the original Gulgrad protectorate, and there is a family of knights who are loyal to the foundry world."

"A welcome fleet sent by the foundry world Gulgrad is in the space near Mandeville Point at this time. The message they sent claims that the mechanical sage of Gulgrad himself is in the fleet, eager to To be able to meet our genetic mother."

"It's really rare. It's the first time that such a passionate and low-profile foundry world is. Although Tigress, Corinth, Karagat, and Belus Lord Star have bowed to our genetic mother one after another, they are at least still alive. Has some strange reserve."

"It doesn't matter whether you are reserved or arrogant. A group of small forge worlds that don't even have a garrisoned Titan Legion are just poor people shivering in the storm of the age of strife. They are all covered in the shadow of the triple galaxy, picking up the leftovers The soup is cold, the huge order from Avalon is enough to make them grateful to Dade."

"Yes, but it is precisely because of this reason that we can choose the items we need at will. Compared with Reza, the service attitude of these small forging worlds is almost scary, and their asking prices are also very low."

"But Rizal is a must. We can't rely entirely on shabby settlements like Gulgrad to build the Avalon Federation. Mother's great plan requires amazing production capacity. The orders brought by this production capacity are enough to make those small worlds The furnace has been running day and night for many years."

"After all, it's just a small world that has long since declined. It is said that they only have a foundry furnace and a few customer worlds left. For a foundry world, it is definitely the end of the road."

"Sounds like us a few years ago."

"No comparison, you idiot, they don't have a Primarch to look forward to."

"When you mention the mother of genes, you look extraordinarily proud."

"Aren't you too?"

The jokes among the subordinates reached Lana's ears. The always serious chief old guard opened one eye, glanced at it, then closed it again, turning a deaf ear.

The march to the Far Eastern border has been going on for several months. Although most of the situations are one-sided fighting and surrender, it is not impossible for them to have a little time to relax under the exhaustion of boats and horses. Although Lana maintains Long and serious, but he still knows the truth that when the moon is full, it will be short.

For a long time, although the Old Guards never waited for the great battle they were destined for, their organization and comrade-in-arms friendship were actually created, and all their stubbornness and arrogance were under a greater common goal , is gradually twisting into a strange unity.

Especially when Reza's more than 200 sets of Hades-type Terminator armors all arrived, the silver torrent formed by the Old Guard has gradually become one of the most trusted killers of the Second Legion. The unrivaled power in the world in the melee, and proved it with countless burning ruins.

They performed very well, and naturally deserve short-term rewards and relaxation. Lana has been learning from the mother of his genes in governing the army all the time, and he also discovered that the master of the Second Legion is best at controlling his subordinates. It is full trust and relaxation.

Therefore, the Chief Old Guard took on the important task of guarding the throne room alone, and his gene mother was meeting with the archbishop of Gulgrad inside. This will be a long negotiation and surrender, and the attitude of Forge World is very good Enthusiasm, so they will become less easy to deal with.

The Primarch had only her Handmaiden and Chief Champion Bayar on either side of the Silver Throne, and she spent about two Terra standard hours conversing with her visitors, making this key position with promises and orders. The foundry world of the old man completely fell to himself, and in the voice of the archbishop full of hatred, he knew the ancient and current hatred that belonged to Gulgrad.

To put it simply, this is nothing more than a story about loneliness and hatred: Gulgrad was once the darling of the golden age of mankind. It has a vast territory called the Gulgrad Protectorate on the eastern edge of the galaxy. Dozens of fortress galaxies north of the Aegis sector are the legacy of this mighty kingdom, but this glorious day only lasted until the first storm of the age of strife came, and the forge world suffered a terrible loss in the torrent of destruction , the ensuing alien invasion and corrupt marauders destroyed the small empire of the Gulgradians.

Over the next millennia, Gulgrad's seat of power was shattered, it was forced to fight a constant battle with nasty invaders, irreparably damaged both its manufacturing capabilities and its armies, and at the same time, it Find yourself compelled to be a line of defense, the first line of defense against the southward invasion of the dreaded hordes of ghoul stars.

Behind it, the three forging worlds of the triple galaxy joined hands, enjoying the protection of Gulgrad, and devouring the mines and fortresses that once belonged to the former. All diplomatic efforts were ignored by the powerful three brothers. Because Gulgrad, which has declined so far, has long since lost the capital to fight against the powerful triple galaxy.

And so, in anger, in despair, in ancient contradictions, hatred was finally born, and Gulgrad did not become part of the endless terror like its counterpart in the ghoul-stars, but it also became A monster, a monster determined to pay everything to exact revenge on the triple galaxy.

This madness made them kneel at Morgan's feet without hesitation, offering their loyalty, knight family, and Titan Legion. Although these gifts have long since declined like the Forge World itself, the Primarch is still fancy. For some of their value, she accepted this small gift and gave Gulgrad a somewhat different franchise agreement.

Of course, because of Gulgrad's fiery passion, the Lord of the Second Legion took advantage of this agreement, and the only promise she needed to make was the ultimate hostility to the triple galaxy: just right, Morgan She was extremely happy about this, and she didn't want to see such an existence that was too powerful to submit to in her own Far East frontier.

In the words of the Primarch, who was so subtle that there were almost no promises, the people of Gulgrad left with gratitude, and their former protectorate area became the northern frontier of the Avalon Federation, and [Frontier March ] will also pause here. After regaining those fortress galaxies, the Second Legion will not continue to march north, because there is nothing valuable there except for the barrenness of the Trail of Tears and the madness of the ghoul stars.

Next, turning around and heading east and south to the Salamas area is the most valuable choice: but before that, Morgan wants to solve another thing, she must first go to a place that has been left behind by her. , a galaxy named Attila, to ascertain a few things.

Thinking of this, the Primarch glanced at the chief champion swordsman aside, he was one of the characters who had followed Morgan for thirteen days of underground exploration, and voluntarily forgot everything in it.

【Do you remember Attila's Yemenga Stele, Bayar. 】

[Or the Thanatos Dynasty and the Bright Star Map. 】

The sudden inquiry from the Mother of Genes made Bayar look up in a daze. He frowned and searched hard for the records of these words in his mind: of course there was only a blank.

The Lord of the Second Legion rubbed his hair, feeling a bit of self-irony for his ubiquitous cautious attitude, and after another moment of silence, Morgan gave the order.

[To inform the legion council, let Marshall lead ten companies to continue the expedition in the Gulgrad area, and let him maintain close communication with the foundry world. On the one hand, we must monitor their mentality, and on the other hand, we are also listening to these local snakes Advice, plus, under no circumstances would I allow any further march to the Ghoul Stars. 】

"Understood, my lord."

[In addition, assign an additional fifteen companies, divided into three teams, to launch exploration operations towards Salamas and the triple galaxy, avoid large-scale firefights as much as possible, and just conduct exploration, negotiation and investigation. 】

"...Is that too much, my lord?"

Bayar frowned: After several years of expansion and unscrupulous military expansion, the Second Legion now has 44 Astartes companies, each company has about [-] fighters, ten of them are stationed in the original Avalon and its surrounding star regions, and nine other garrisons and patrols in the newly conquered Far East frontier, minus the fifteen companies that Morgan randomly assigned...

【Ten companies, [-] soldiers, enough, I will bring you, Cortez, Hector and Diarmuid, oh, and of course Lana's old guard. 】

When the Primarch opened his mouth, the Chief Champion naturally did not need to continue to refute. After Bayar nodded, he began to ask about the purpose and reason of this operation.

[We are going to the Attila galaxy, there are some things I care about, there should be no battles, but just in case, I still ask them to bring everything, especially Cortez and the others, let them put Take out those that are easy to carry. 】

"all?"

【all. 】

"I see, my lord."

Bayar resigned, and the moment he closed the door, Virgo looked at his creator.

"Why are we in such an emergency?"

[It’s not urgent, my genetic father just sent me a message that his fleet is heading to the Far East border, ready to pick up another brother of mine, and at the same time, he will also have no respect for Mrs. Kraut outside the Astronomical Torch. The lair launches an expedition. 】

[If there is really any hidden danger in the Far East Frontier, then I'd better figure it out before he arrives. 】

"why?"

【…】

[Although I don't want to admit it. 】

[But once something really exceeds my ability, the only way I can do it is to ask him for help, and look forward to his help and strength. 】

"Is this a compromise?"

[This is reality. 】

------

"I heard that your mother chose you as one of the judges for the sculpture competition?"

After conveying the order, Bayal and Lana witnessed the already desolate surface of the Fortress galaxy.

"Yes, this is my mother's order, and your work is what I personally passed."

"That said, I also want to thank you."

The Chief Swordsman smiled, while the Old Guard just shook his head.

"No, your victory was created by your own ability. All I did was to conduct a fair referee. The gene mother of the image of the goddess of victory is indeed impressive."

"The deepest one, I suppose?"

"...not really."

Lana's face twisted slightly for a moment, which aroused Bayal's interest.

"Is there something better?"

"No, I just thought of a... off-topic work."

"Off-topic? There are still off-topic competitions like this?"

"There is only one, and that is the masterpiece of Hector, the commander of No.20's third company."

"Ah, the big man, what happened to his work?"

"He didn't sculpt our mother, even though he said that was it, but obviously it wasn't."

"Then who did he sculpt?"

Facing Bayar's question, Lana could only smile coldly.

"Hector said his statue had the face of the Gene Mother, and Ahriman said in private that it was a statue of Abaddon, but they were both lying."

"I saw the statue."

"That's obviously Magnus."

"..."

"... If it's not troublesome, can you take me to have a look?"

"Of course, all the works are in the room behind us."

"..."

"..."

"Who do you look like? Abaddon or Magnus? It can't be our genetic mother anyway."

"Well, I feel like... Guilliman."

"..."

"..."

"Is that kid really a genius?"

(End of this chapter)