Emperor's Bane

Chapter 254 A Four-Character Joke

"Gentlemen, who do you think the Emperor will put in charge of teaching our new brothers: me, or Lorgar, or Ferrus, or even... our stone-like Dorne?"

Fulgrim's gaze stayed on his blood brother in golden armor for a moment, and he smiled, adding Dawn to the options.

Although the latter was completely oblivious to the topic Phoenix brought up: in fact, after witnessing the Night Ghost and his kingdom, only the Primarch of the Third Legion still sincerely discussed the new brother, And the few blood relatives beside him were just listeners with little sincerity.

"Fulgrim, my brother, don't try to guess the will of the Father."

The first person to answer the Phoenix's words was the Master of the Word Bearers. He may be the second most caring person among the Primarchs present here. Under the appearance decorated with tens of millions of golden runes , is a pair of gentle and pious pupils, and equal love for all brothers.

Yes, even Guilliman.

"Please, Luo Jia, don't be so rigid. Father won't be angry. Didn't he let us express our feelings before expressing his will and judgment?"

“It was in our gatherings, under God’s gaze and permission, to reveal to Him the thoughts, confusions and truths in our hearts, so as to get the honor of listening to the revelation and holy words of God the Father: this is a A serious and formal act, my brother, does not apply to such loose private occasions."

The giant wrapped in golden light spoke the most earnest words, but it made the other people in the room sigh inwardly. Ferrus remained silent, and Morgan hid himself in a corner. As for Dawn, he It seems that a verbal offensive is already underway.

Instead, Chemos' Phoenix, after a moment of embarrassment and silence, showed a friendly smile that could accommodate his brother's paranoia. He stood up, spread his hands, and firmly grasped the initiative of the topic. By the way, it silently strangled the possibility of Dorn instigating a new verbal dispute.

"Well, Lorgar, I have no intention of arguing with you about the correctness of this point of view, and you don't need to take this as a formal vote: this is just a long-lost conversation between brothers, and the content of our conversation happens to be another one. brother."

The golden giant smiled and nodded.

"As it should be, brother, we have been separated on the waves of the galaxy for too long, each scrambling for the great cause of the Father: we can talk about some lighter topics instead of involving the sacred discussions of the Father, after all we are What qualifications does his creation have to figure out his will?"

Phoenix's brows twitched, he didn't pick up the words, but picked up his goblet, took a sip, his pupils shone like quicksilver.

"So what do you think, Lorgar, if you came to teach our new brother, how would you teach him? Or, what do you plan to do to his home planet?"

"Is this a high priority topic?"

"Almost, after all we're leaving here soon."

Phoenix smiled, telling about the disintegration of the huge fleet in the void.

The First Expeditionary Fleet, which belongs directly to the Lord of Humanity and is capable of razing an entire star region to the ground in an instant, only stayed in the sky above Nostramo for three days before leaving quickly, because this galaxy and even this star The district has no more value, and it is worthwhile for the Lord of Humanity to waste his time and energy.

The Emperor's next destination is the Salamas sector, where he will stop for a short time before launching an expedition to the dark regions of the Outer Territory to destroy the lightless lair that inhabits the Kraff aliens: in the expedition fleet, this It's no secret.

"Maybe in two days, we will leave this gray-white galaxy."

Looking at the huge and pale dying star outside the porthole, and at the silent world that has always been shrouded in shadows, Fulgrim, who was recalled, had a few traces of emotion in his voice, which was unbearable. reject.

Luo Jia was silent for a moment. He didn't answer immediately, but after the shortest thought and self-persuasion, he proudly placed his book of "Holy Words" in front of several blood brothers, as if That's the perfect answer to everything.

Fenghuang looked at the book, his beautiful face appeared most clearly in the auditorium full of fireworks, even the slightest detail could not escape: therefore, he kept silent and had a very low sense of presence The Lord of the Second Legion could clearly see that on the face of the Phoenician, there appeared an emotion distorted by the two meanings of "as expected" and "why this again", which made Phoenician Jiren's deliberately perfect face had cracks that were clearly visible for a moment.

And at the moment when the rift was fleeting, the proud voice of the Lord of the Word Bearers rang in everyone's ears.

"That's my answer, bro."

"The way of salvation lies within."

"..."

"The Holy Word?"

Although it was a question sentence, the tone of the Phoenician was firm.

"You think you can change Nostramo by relying on your...books?"

"of course."

In Luo Jia's gentle smile, there was something indescribable but enough to make everyone frown. It was a mixed creation of paranoia, arrogance and fanaticism. For abrupt.

"My brethren, we cannot deny the true reality: God our Father created us, created our empire, and shaped our destiny, who is strong enough to hold the past and the future, and wise enough to see the glory And shame, His will is sufficient to decide whether countless galaxies and worlds should prosper, or will be reduced to dust in His wrath."

"All along, we have been advancing under the guidance and instructions of God the Father, and have created such a great cause: I don't deny that there are countless painstaking efforts belonging to us and countless fighters in this cause, but if there is no will of God the Father, None of this would have been possible without the Father's judgment, without the Father's grace to take the galaxy back into his hands again, we would have never been able to do this, we would have never been able to take such a long jihad."

"The great cause is forged by our sweat and blood, but the cause of this cause, and even our own existence, is all because of the grace of God the Father, all because of His incomparable will and strength: in such a world In front of Wei Li, all the sins and filth in the world are but ashes between the fingers, how can they resist the glory from Him."

"The world in front of us, even though it is a parent star belonging to the Primarch, even if its death and silence are enough to shock us, but in the face of the words and wisdom brought by the will of God the Father, It will eventually be reborn in the nirvana brought about by faith, and thus bathed in supreme brilliance."

【…】

Morgan turned her head and looked at her shining golden brother in the silence of her Primarchs. The extraordinarily sober psychic power in her mind faithfully told the Spider Queen what she had discovered.

Luo Jia is sincere, every word of his is sincere, he really thinks that the book in his hand is the only answer to solve all the problems in Nostramo and even the world.

"What are you trying to express, Lorgar."

On the other side, the Primarch of the Fist of the Empire had already frowned, and he used his voice like a rock in the mountain to forcefully plan the next words of the Lord of Colchis, and Lorgar did not get angry because of this, He turned his gaze to his brother, repeating his point with equal seriousness as Dorne.

"I am answering the question Fulgrim posed to me, Dorne, and I am outlining how the Father has chosen me to teach our brother, how I will lead him to the right path, and how I will make the foot of our feet The world came alive.”

"Rely on your book?"

"It's faith, Donne, the only true faith in this ignorant galaxy."

"I will spread the gospel of God the Father to this land, and let every Nostramo bathe in the light of God the Father. Their exhausted hearts will be nourished, and their confused future will be illuminated. They He will become the most loyal servant and believer of God the Father, and by that time, the disappearance of sin, obscenity and ignorance will be nothing but a matter of course."

"That's my answer, and I think I've made it pretty clear."

"No, Lorgar."

Don stood up.

"You are not answering Fulgrim's question at all, you are just listing a lot of useless and dry words to praise the so-called [Father God] in your mouth: not to mention that this ignorant belief is The emperor’s repeated orders and prohibitions are a real betrayal, and your book alone is impossible to improve the status quo of any world.”

"Listen to me, Lorgar."

"An iron fist can rule a world, order can create a society, and a fortress can stabilize an entire galaxy: but the book in your hand full of religious creeds can do nothing except make the people of the whole world Become a waste who only knows how to worship the gods, and the spirit of hard work and hard work will no longer appear in people's hearts, because they have already admitted that they are just slaves of a so-called god."

"Not a slave, Dorne, but a follower of God the Father, the cornerstone of His great cause."

"A slave is a slave: can you put a deceptive paint on a piece of rusted scrap iron so that it can be re-forged into a fortress?"

"The completion of any fortress does not rely on scrap iron, just like the great cause of the emperor cannot be built by a group of slaves. Your words are the most blasphemous and unforgivable lies to countless sacrifices for the empire, supporting them for the great expedition What burns everything is not so-called beliefs, but the noble qualities inherent in people's hearts, such as loyalty and dedication, selflessness and courage."

Donne's words were straightforward and firm, but they didn't make Lorgar fall into anger. The Lord of the Word Bearers had one of the best gentle dispositions among the emperor's children, and he had infinite tolerance for his brother.

"Then, the noblest emotions you praise: loyalty, devotion, selflessness and courage, of course I do not deny their existence and value, but I also want to remind you of the simplest fact."

"It is precisely because of the existence of the Father God, and precisely because of the will and grace of the Father God, that mortals have these noble things in their hearts, and the core of this noble quality is only when they dedicate everything to the Father God , it’s just the outward appearance: isn’t that also part of faith?”

"Don, my brother."

"How reckless your accusation is, you have completely missed the real fact: In the western part of Holy Terra, in the countless universes near my hometown Colchis, I have already implemented my ideas Countless times, make hundreds of worlds believe in the Gospel of God the Father: When your Legion burns those worlds of infinite value with fire, and wastes a lot of military power for their discontent and rebellious hearts, I recover Every world can repay the great cause of God the Father at the fastest speed, and become a loyal servant who can never betray."

"They are not slaves, Dorne, they are loyal servants of the Emperor, they are the great cornerstones like you and me, they are the greatest contributors to the Father's will that can be played in the galaxy, and they are also the father's rule that will last forever Best proof."

After Luo Jia's speeches, even the imperial guards on duty in the corridor outside could clearly feel the endless coercion emanating from the Primarch of the Imperial Fist.

Don spoke.

"Do you know what the hell you're talking about, Lorgar?"

"Reduced the nobility and courage of the victims to slaves' fanatical worship of their masters, distorted the common great destiny of mankind into the sufferings deliberately set by the emperor, and desecrated the bright future our father planned for all mankind as his own. The ambition to build eternal assurance."

"Every word you say is undoubtedly a word of betrayal."

"A betrayal of the Emperor."

The Emperor Fist's voice exploded in the room like a thunderbolt. Except for Ferrus who seemed to have no interest in all of this, all the Primarchs could not help but frown because of this too straightforward accountability , even Luo Jia couldn't keep the original smile.

"What are you trying to say, Don?"

"You want to accuse me of distorting the divine will of God the Father?"

"This is not a complaint, and I have no right to file a complaint against you. This is a statement of facts."

"fact?!"

The tone of the Lord of the Word Bearers finally took on a hint of gunpowder.

"You tell the truth, do you want to say that I distorted the will of God the Father? Do you want to say that my belief is ridiculous blasphemy and pollution? Or do you mean that I am using the grace of God the Father to benefit myself?"

"All right, Lorgar."

Fulgrim put on his perfect smile first, and stretched out his hands, eager to stop the storm.

"I believe Donne is not this..."

"No, that's what I mean."

Dorn interrupted Fulgrim's words of persuasion, and said firmly, he glared at his brother Colchis, not wavering at all because of the gradually aroused anger.

"You distorted the Emperor's will, you disobeyed the Emperor's orders, you disregarded the request from the Holy Terra, and persisted in walking on the wrong path, your so-called piety only made it worse Only flames, and sooner or later you will be eaten back by them, or the Emperor's punishment before then."

"If you are really as loyal to the Emperor as you said, then you should complete his mission, rather than define him with your own thinking. Did the Emperor clearly tell you that he is God? He never said so, what right do you have to claim that he is a god?"

"This is the truth! This is God's test and selection for us!"

"This is not true, this is just your delusional delusion."

"Delusion? Then how do you explain the great power of Father God, and how do you explain why the entire galaxy is falling into corruption and division, but only our Father God can gather such great power and formulate such grand plans and plans?" plan to master the galaxy for mankind once again."

"You can't refute the facts, Dorne, the mighty power of God the Father is truly manifested in front of all of us, surrendering and following his power is the only right way for mankind, and this right way has brought a new galaxy to mankind Empire, and the future is destined to bring more."

The rage of the Lord of the Word Bearers was accumulating in a manner visible to the naked eye, but it was far from reaching the point where he would go to war: Even though he was already extremely angry, Luo Jia's upbringing and habits since he was a child limited the upper limit of his rage, making him unable to do anything. Out of a more intense conflict with his brother.

But even so, before Fulgrim could successfully use this to calm the situation, Dorn had spoken again.

"Rogar."

"First of all, we are only generals and heirs of the Emperor. We have no right to explain that his power has never come, and we have never been qualified to dictate his plans. This is your first mistake: you did not Instead of obeying the Emperor's orders, you have twisted the Emperor's will with your own mind, placing your desire above your loyalty to the Emperor."

"This alone is enough for the Emperor to punish you, just like our lost brother. Your actions are destined to bring shame to the Emperor."

"No! Dorne! I am the most loyal servant of God the Father, and I cannot be punished by him!"

"When you have this idea, you deserve to be punished, Lorgar."

"you……"

"Enough! Two!"

Fulgrim said sharply, and he slapped his palm on the table, making a loud noise: After realizing that gentle persuasion could no longer quell the raging flames in the room, Phoenix had to adopt this method he didn't like.

After throwing a look, and asked Ferrus to push Dawn on the seat, the Phoenician walked between the two primarchs who were tense with swords, keeping their distance from each other, and did not forget to take the opportunity to give Lorgar a hand. Morgan gave a look: Although he is not particularly familiar with these new blood relatives, Fulgrim is sure that Morgan understands what he means.

And the Lord of the Second Legion did not disappoint her blood relatives. Morgan, who had seen enough of the show, stood up, dragged Luo Jia to the seat, and resolved his anger with only one sentence.

【Your book of holy words, can you show me, Luo Jia? 】

"Huh? What... Ah, of course!"

As one of the best-tempered Primarchs on the surface, Lorgar actually dissipated most of his anger the moment he sat down: In the past few decades of missionary career, the Lord of Colchis has not touched Having seen stubborn people like Dawn, he has long been used to keeping calm and controlling his anger in front of such people.

Only this time, the person who blasphemed his faith so bluntly was actually his blood brother, which inevitably made the Primarch of the Word Bearers fail for a while.

But even so, after hearing the obvious interest in the Holy Word in Morgan's words, Luo Jia's anger disappeared completely in an instant, and it did not spread to another blood relative at all. On the contrary, he couldn't wait Holding his book with great enthusiasm, he dedicated it to his blood relatives with the most enthusiasm.

"Actually, this is a gift I prepared for you, Morgan. I personally wrote every word of this book of holy words, and completely purified it with holy water. It is a unique book of faith. An orphan that I can no longer reproduce."

The words of the Lord of the Word Bearers flowed into Morgan's ear uninterruptedly like a long river of babbling, and was drained out of the other ear by her with a smile, but on the surface, the Spider Queen did give Luo Jia what she wanted in her heart. The courtesies that came to mind: She took the book solemnly, listened to every word of Lorgar seriously, and asking back questions from time to time also showed that she was indeed thinking about the words of the Lord of the Word Bearers.

In just a few minutes, the original anger of the Primarch turned into a chatter about another blood relative, which made Fulgrim on the side look at Morgan quite approvingly, and then turned his head and talked with Ferrus. Let Dorne be as quiet as possible together: in any case, the words of betrayers or lost ones must never appear on the Emperor's warships.

And after enduring Luo Jia's most passionate introduction for a few minutes, seeing that the praise of the Holy Word was about to turn into another sermon on the so-called God-Emperor belief, Morgan asked a question that she had always cared about.

[Luo Jia, my brother. 】

[I just heard you say: You only need this book of holy words, and you can govern the entire Nostramo. 】

"Yes, Morgan."

【why? 】

"Because God the Father's will encompasses all things, no matter what original sin and blasphemy the world under our feet possesses, they will all be within God the Father's prediction and wisdom, and cannot resist the glory from God the Father."

[You mean to say: the Emperor has already anticipated everything, and already knows the answers to all questions: this includes how to make Nostramo better. 】

"Exactly, blood relatives."

【So, you only need your book of holy words to practice the wisdom of the emperor and let the Nostramo people know the words and will of the emperor? 】

"Yes."

【Then, does this book record the words and will of the Emperor? 】

Loggar shook his head.

"I haven't had the honor to be able to listen to so many wills of the Father God. This book is the firm evidence I have obtained through countless observations and practices, and a clear manifestation of the countless miracles and legends of the Father God."

【Ah, so...】

Morgan blinked.

[To put it simply, although you have not received the will and affirmation from the Emperor, you have written a book through your hard work, collection and observation, announcing to the people with your own words and conclusions that the Emperor Is the emperor actually a god? 】

"I just had a revelation."

【What did he say to your own mouth? 】

Loggar shook his head.

[What kind of revelation is that? 】

There was a morbid frenzy on the face of the Lord of the Word Bearers, his pupils radiated a burning light, which was even more dazzling than the countless golden runes on his face.

"Most obvious revelation, Morgan, could mortals have legions and empires so great? Could mortals have created beings like you and me, could mortals have shone as brightly as the sun, and traveled through the deadly void Are you comfortable?"

"Although our Father God has not issued a formal decree, but Morgan, my dear blood relative, any of his actions, any of his victories, are great miracles that cannot be disputed, and all of them contain The powerful divine power, and the existence of miracles and divine power like this, isn't it a god?"

【…】

[So, Lorgar. 】

【You think the emperor is a god because he is so powerful? 】

"That's just part of the reason."

[Is it really one of the main reasons? 】

Luo Jia didn't start, but nodded.

[Then, after you thought he was a god, even though you didn’t get the words and affirmative expression from the emperor, you still proclaimed yourself as the apostle of the gods, took on this great responsibility, and explained the emperor’s words with your own thoughts. The behavior of the emperor, arbitrated the identity of the emperor with his own judgment, and explained to people why he is a god? 】

"It's my calling, Morgan, it's what I was born to do."

[I think that although the emperor did not recognize this responsibility, his silence and non-refutation came from the acquiescence of the gods. 】

"Gods seldom really admit one thing, blood relatives, because it has too much impact on mortals. Our Father God is merciful, and He doesn't even care whether the world really appreciates His grace."

【I think, this is also your point of view from self-exploration? 】

"Obvious facts."

Morgan was silent for a while. She looked at the brother in front of her who was talking and praying in a low voice, and thought about the figures of the other blood relatives in her mind. Which one of them falls into one category.

After a while, with the possibility of the last hope remaining, Morgan looked at the Primarch who bowed his head in prayer, and asked her one last question.

[Then, Lorgar. 】

【What do you think, why do human beings follow the emperor, the god? 】

The prayer sound stopped abruptly, and the Primarch of the Word Bearers opened his eyes silently, looked up at his blood relatives, and stared silently at Morgan's blue pupils.

After a few seconds, he smiled.

"You can think of this question, which shows that you are really talented, Morgan, and you must have listened carefully to what I just said, and have some insights."

[I think I am far from your talent in this respect. 】

"No, there is no need to be so humble, my dear blood relatives, we are all believers in God the Father, and we are equal before Him. Although I am the forerunner of the belief in God the Father, the only difference between me and you is that I have the same respect for the Father. Divine revelation has a more authoritative understanding."

authority……

Morgan whispered the word in her mind, which caused a silent sarcasm to slip across her lips.

[So, what's the answer, Luo Jia? 】

"The answer is simple, Morgan."

Luo Jia's pious face was like a sinful saint who was bathed in the blood of countless innocents, threw down his sword, and was forgiven by the gods.

"The galaxy is so dark, the void is so terrifying, and the hegemony that human beings were once proud of is so fragile in the face of the world's malice: all of them prove that only by following the greatest gods It is the real future and road of mankind."

"Only by worshiping the great power of the Emperor, can mankind obtain the best future in the galaxy."

[So, we believe in the Emperor because he is the most powerful existence in the galaxy, can give us hope, shelter and the future, and can make us safe under his wings. 】

"At this stage, it is enough for you to have such awareness, Morgan."

Luo Jia's smile was gentle, but also sincere and joyful from the heart: until he caught a glimpse of the weird twitch at the corner of Morgan's mouth, this sincerity did not disappear, but there was a fleeting hint of confusion.

"Are you still confused, sister?"

【...Ah, not at all. 】

[I just remembered something that made me happy. 】

"whats the matter?"

[That's not important, Lorgar, that's not important at all. 】

Lorgar blinked, and he wanted to ask more carefully, but Fulgrim beside him had already strode over, hugging his two blood relatives.

"Glad to see you are no longer angry, my dear brother."

"I've never been angry, Phoenix."

"Maybe."

The Phoenician did not dwell on the words of the Lord of the Word Bearers, but looked at his other blood relative and winked at her.

"Ah, a book. Is this a gift from Lorgar, Morgan?"

[Yes, but it is also a gift I asked for on my own initiative. 】

"You can take the initiative again, or twice, because Ferrus and I have also prepared a gift for you, but my gift is a bit huge, and I can't take it out yet."

【Your kindness has already made me very grateful, Fulgrim. 】

Morgan's smile was as perfect as Chemos Phoenix's. After saying that, she stirred the gap in the space beside her, and a few books slowly floated out of it.

[This is my memory: Fortunately, I was prepared. 】

"Ah...another book..."

"Okay, what's this book about?"

[Just look at its name. 】

"Okay, let me see."

Fulgrim glanced at this plain to a bit excessive book.

"Basic tutorials on think tank professionalism and reference to solutions to various common psionic out-of-control problems"

"……Good name."

"Does Conrad have one too?"

【certainly. 】

"I thank you for your generosity on his behalf, dear Morgan, after all...the meeting between you seems to be a little unpleasant."

[It's not really...very unpleasant, after all, it's just a few impulsive words. 】

"Yeah...it's just a few words, but I think this is enough to create a gap between you, just like what I said at the beginning, it is unlikely that my father will list you as Curz's education By."

[Yeah, I can't imagine getting along with Conrad. If it were me, maybe I would teach him a bad way. 】

"How bad is it?"

[Probably... Like our Ultramar brother, or our Caliban knight, and the inferior integrated version of the two of them, maybe even worse. 】

[Okay, some exaggeration. 】

[If I really want to say it, I might teach him to be a normal person who is no different from ordinary mortals. 】

"That's really bad enough."

(End of this chapter)