Emperor's Bane

Chapter 271 Vashtor: I'm here to make a condition
Morgan went to Nukedia.

Let's just take a trip.

She was still a little uneasy: Although her blood relatives in Ultramar had repeatedly guaranteed the reliability of their envoys, she did have a different trust in Guilliman's guarantee than other brothers.

But encouraged by her innate and increasingly magnificent cautious attitude, the Spider Queen still felt that only the clear truth she had seen with her own eyes could dispel the uneasiness deep in her heart.

Under the control of this kind of mentality, when the large fleet of Dawnbreaker and Ultramarines flocked to the edge of the Storm Starfield, looking for the whereabouts of the Osiris Psionic Seed at all costs, a team directly belonging to the Lord of the Second Legion The small fleet carried a mortal mission, and came to the galaxy where Nukaidia was located in a low-key manner.

The scale of this mission is very small, a total of more than a dozen envoys, a squad of Dawnbreaker guards, and a few small warships, but they are covered with the Spider Queen's spiritual vision, allowing her to be as far as possible. Observation of everything on Nukaidia.

Of course, it is impossible for the Primarch, who is busy with everything, to leave her blood relatives and fleet, and go to an unknown marginal galaxy just because of a twitch in her heart: this mission is all she can do now.

Perhaps because of the contact with the Ultramarines' envoys before, the slave owners of Nukaidia warmly entertained Morgan's envoy team, and even held a grand gladiatorial banquet for this, killing hundreds of lives .

Although these touboblords still avoided talking about joining the human empire, they showed great interest in the extravagant gifts carried by the envoys. In the friendship brought by these gifts, they led them without hindrance. Morgan's missions visited every corner of their world.

In this way, through the psychic vision placed on each envoy, Morgan observed the world quite carefully. She even used a psychic in the mission as a base station to release a Large-scale probing.

And the result: nothing.

The slave owners did not lie. There were indeed no miraculous sons who fell from the sky on Nukaidia, and there were no people who were talented enough to stir up the situation. The Spider Queen also did not detect any of her own in the barren sand of this world. The breath of blood.

This can't help but make Morgan start to doubt her instinctive perception. Could it be that her instinct has gone wrong?This was something that had never happened before.

Or, was she simply early?Maybe in the future, one of her blood relatives is destined to be connected with this world, but now...

He hasn't landed yet?
……

It's not impossible.

After a short period of confusion, Queen Gene could only give up. She still had too many things to think about and master, and she couldn't invest more because of a conjecture in front of her. Some unexpected changes come.

Although they have always been unwilling to join the system of the human empire, these treacherous and wise slave owners on Nukaidia still saw the power of this powerful regime during several visits to the empire, and they were not willing to fight with the emperor. The Emperor's legions turned against each other, and they heard of the bloody massacres that took place in the distant starry sky.

So, when Morgan's envoys returned to the Primarch to report on their work, they also brought with them a terrible gift of goodwill from the Nukaidian slaveholders, and an ambiguous The statement is full of poor language traps and the art of lies.

The statement was used by the Primarch to wipe the water stains from the rim of the teacup, but it was the gift that made her take a second look: and quickly frowned.

In the words of those slave owners, this gift is the crystallization of their wisdom and culture.

……

【So, that group of slaves are in charge of the crystallization of their society, called Butcher's Nails? 】

[I think, I can already imagine what kind of society this is. 】

During the breaks between work, when the Spider Queen had some free time, she took out this disgusting gift and threw it on the desk in front of her.

Butcher's Nails: The history and sophistication of this creation is far thicker than the Primarch imagined. Although the Spider Queen scoffed at this bloody creation, she also had to admit that this kind of creation is composed of a large number of rope-like threads. The psychic surgical implant made of cables, like the long hair of a ghost, has a level of complexity and academic value that amazes her.

With this stupid gift, the Gene Queen might learn a lot, and maybe even lighten up some research lines that had been blocked before: that was the only reason Morgan could tolerate such a creation.

After all, for the Spider Queen who likes to formulate strict plans and careful systems, this kind of thing used to create blood, madness, and irreparable organizational collapse is the most annoying thing in the galaxy.

[Judging from the memory of my lost brother, this so-called butcher's nail is very likely to be one of the derivative technologies used to control biochemical humans in the dark age of technology: it's just that in the era of crazy strife, this This technology has been reversed to humans. 】

The spider queen's psionic energy turned into an invisible palm, playing with dozens of vicious cables in mid-air, while Virgo, who had already recovered, stood by her side, recording this in her memory array. It symbolizes the unknown ancient creation.

"Do you have any thoughts on this creation that need to be recorded, my lord?"

[There is one, very shallow. 】

Morgan snorted softly, as a response to the maid, she lazily lay on the soft couch, brought the Butcher's Nail closer, looked at the sophisticated structure of the device, and felt in vain for the rough craftsmanship.

[Can you imagine that such a small creation can destroy one of the greatest scholars in an instant: as long as it is nailed into the brain, all emotions except anger can be erased. 】

[What's more, this Butcher's Nail from Nukaidia is not even the most sophisticated version, but just a poor imitation in the hands of those slave owners: even I can't imagine the peak state of this thing , What kind of pain and madness will it cause. 】

[It even has a charm: Whenever I see it, I think of things that I hate, and I'm happy to pin this kind of thing in their minds. 】

"Are you going to do that?"

【No, I have a better idea. 】

[Just as I was sorting out the souls of those Eldar bastards who dared to attack me at the Yemenga Stone Monument, I accidentally got a complete technology from Comoros, and quickly recovered it . 】

"Have you been able to fully restore the spirit technology?"

[No, because this kind of technology itself does not belong to Comoros, but it was snatched by them and taken as their own: it is very likely to be a product of the dark age of technology. 】

[This technique is called: Chanting of the Slaves, and it is an unpopular technique even in Comoros. It is only spread in the mouths of a small number of Dark Eldar, and one of them is already in my stomach inside. 】

[To put it simply, this is a technology specially created for high-level sadism. It can completely transfer the pain of an individual to other individuals through some kind of perceptual interaction based on equipment: in Haemonculi Among the research disciplines of the Comoros, this is an elementary technology, so it is not valued by the Comoros. 】

"...is there any use for this technology?"

[According to the memory fragments of the Dark Eldar, when certain high-level officials want to punish subordinates who have made mistakes, they will install this technology on their subordinates, and change the identity of the pain bearer at any time, and blur the real victim. to appreciate who the recipients are, and to appreciate the distorted faces that wait. 】

[Of course, there are still some high-level executives who just want to keep their brains awake during body modification surgery to deal with various situations. In the case of refusing anesthetics, this kind of pain transfer is an excellent panacea. 】

"..."

"What a unique race."

With a blink of her eyes, Virgo jotted down the words of her creator.

"Is there any connection between this technique and the Butcher's Nail in your hand?"

[No, but I was wondering if I could combine them: based on the butcher's nail, I could design a pair of nails with a master-servant relationship, so that the servant's nail could bear all the pain for the master's nail. 】

【Then, on the basis of this technology, I can further promote other technologies for the sense of pain, and finally use the harmless batch of results to strengthen my army. 】

"..."

"There is a question, my lord."

"If the damage suffered by the Master's Nail is too severe, wouldn't it be easy for the bearer of the Servant's Nail to die? This is a bit too wasteful."

[... makes sense. 】

【Forget it, this is just an idea in itself, you can record it for now, my Arnia, and when we actually encounter an occasion about the Butcher's Nail, you will remind me of related things and ideas. 】

"Understood, my lord."

The Spider Queen, who received a firm answer, stroked the maid's hair with satisfaction, and rubbed against her soft cheeks. Although Virgo maintained an almost eternal indifference at the moment of birth, as her creator, Spider The queen naturally has the power to ask for anything from her maids.

The Butcher's Nail was casually thrown on the shelf aside, and Queen Gene stretched out on the soft couch with disheveled hair, looking at the maid who was making tea.

[Is there anything important to report recently, Ania? 】

"A few things, my lord, but nothing urgent."

[One piece at a time. 】

"Okay, my lord."

"First of all, His Excellency Marshall, who is in charge of staying in the Avalon sector and taking an overview of the military affairs, sent a message not long ago: He claimed that there seems to be some kind of Hidden resistance, the residents there seem to be mentally controlled by some kind of existence, but no further rebellion measures have been taken."

[Is it very large? 】

"Several companies may need to be dispatched."

【Then let him leave it alone. When I go back, I will be in charge of directing it myself. 】

"clear."

"Rule [-]: It is reported that your genetic father has returned from the void southeast of Avalon. He is currently rectifying his forces in the Salamas sector and is about to launch an expedition against the darkness outside the domain."

【Let him go. 】

Morgan yawned lazily, with a hint of dissatisfaction in his tone.

[I can already imagine the result: my father will make a big fuss in the darkness outside the territory and wipe out a lot of terrifying existences, but he can't wipe out all the monsters and monsters in there, because there are too many of them. 】

[When he has won the honor and praise of the people, left the darkness outside the territory, and returned to the center of his great expedition, those monsters who survived still need my Far East frontier as the first line of defense? 】

"Think about it, my lord, at least he has announced that the Salamas star region will be divided into your jurisdiction, instead of planting such a nail in your Far East border: from Avalon to Salama Si, in terms of territory alone, your country is enough to compete with the five hundred worlds."

[Yes, but in a core world like the five hundred worlds, I may not even have a hundred under my command, so how can I bridge the gap in national strength between me and Guilliman? 】

"Um……"

"There are only a hundred worlds in Ultramar?"

【...What a great idea. 】

Virgo shook her loose twintails, a little confused.

"Do you want to be an enemy of Guilliman's five hundred worlds in the future? My lord?"

[I don't want to be his enemy, but my power can't be much weaker than his: these two points are not contradictory, are they? 】

[Okay, what else is there? 】

"There are still some trivial matters."

"The main fleet of the Ultramarines is gradually approaching the Blame sector. His Excellency Guilliman speculates that the main force of the Osiris psychic species is most likely hiding there, and he is likely to call you in the near future."

"General Erwin's mortal army encountered an army of green skins that was forty times larger than himself near the Ad Anse galaxy. He successfully beheaded the green skins general by dropping a special version of the Poison Blade tank from a low altitude. crushed them."

"In addition, it is said that legions such as the Emperor's Children, Iron Hands, Luna Wolves, and Salamanders have all begun to organize experimental think tank troops in the recent period. There are also rumors that His Excellency Leman Russ has persuaded His rune priests have read your Librarian manual, and the response has been pretty good."

"Furthermore, the think tank troops of the Imperial Fist Legion have been put into actual combat on the battlefield. It is said that the response has been very good, and it has become a regular military organization of the Seventh Legion: After hearing this news, the Iron Warriors Legion also quickly appeared established an experimental think tank force."

[Where is the Thousand Sons Legion? 】

"It is said that Jaghatai Khan went to Prospero of Magnus after receiving the library manual, but we have not yet heard the reaction of the Thousand Sons."

"In addition, it is said that Jaghatai Khan once called his storm prophets and held a meeting with a high level of secrecy. The content of the meeting is unknown, but after the meeting, the think tank manual you wrote was recommended as Required reading for the Librarians of the Fifth Legion."

[What about Ahriman? 】

"According to the feedback provided by Captain Hector, although His Excellency Ahriman is not very interested in the think tank manual, he does not have any more ill feelings: he just thinks this manual is too conservative and childish, and does not reflect the needs of adults at all. What you have mastered is profound psychic knowledge and profound arcane skills."

【……interesting. 】

Morgan stroked his cheek, showing a trace of emotional smile.

[In the beginning, this was just a random move on my part. I didn't expect it to cause such a huge response, and the speed of transmission was faster than I imagined. 】

Virgo tilted his head, not more surprised by this.

"It's normal, my lord: after all, the [Awakening of Psykers] that broke out in the era of strife has made the proliferation of psykers a very real problem. Every legion has to face some of its fighters with uncontrollable powers. Facts of Psionic Potential: At this time, this manual of yours can be said to be a product of the weather."

[But it will also be a big project. 】

Queen Gene laughed and tapped her maid on the forehead.

[Think about it, my Arnia: Will the think tank troops needed by the Iron Hands and the think tank troops needed by the White Scars be exactly the same?Such an overly simple think tank manual can allow them to start to create their own think tank organization, but when this organization is to be integrated with the characteristics and culture of the legion itself, many problems will inevitably arise. 】

"The localization of imported products?"

[That's right, and there are two ways to solve this problem: either, their legion will be lucky enough to have a character who can solve this contradiction, and there may not be more than ten psionic masters like this in the whole galaxy . 】

[or...]

[I'm about to receive a lot of letters from readers, or, think tank exchange students from various legions. 】

"Is this good for you?"

[In the short term, there is no such thing, but who would not want to have a little more right to speak?And in a way, it's an opportunity for me to scale this high ground. 】

"This seems to go against your low-key original intention, my lord."

[Low-key doesn't mean you don't need friends, my Virgo, you have to realize that in this era of the Great Crusade, the Astartes Legion means absolute strength and support, and the Primarch can absolutely represent your own Legion . 】

[In other words, I only need to get a few blood relatives, and then accumulate a certain amount of reputation through means such as think tank manuals, and then I can win enough support and strength: I don’t even need to use them for anything, just their own existence is enough. 】

[When I have enough interest and friendship with several Primarchs and several Astartes legions, this friendship network alone is enough to repel those secret hatred eyes. 】

"...Why do you have such a sense of crisis, my lord?"

[You have to know, in the final analysis, I am a primarch who is biased towards psychics, and I am a certain kind of heterogeneity among the emperor's children, and although my father is the most powerful psyker in the galaxy, but I I can feel that his attitude towards psychic energy is not friendly, and among my brothers, there are also some who hate psychic energy. 】

[Perhaps one day, my brothers who hate psionic power will attack the psionic power I have mastered. I don't think the emperor will stand by my side at that time. He may keep silent, but he will definitely Will not take my stand and speak for me. 】

[So, I need friends, I need support, I need other legions who have also benefited from psionic energy, I need a reputation that may not be dazzling in the empire, but is good enough: for that that may come in the future Prepare for trouble. 】

"..."

Virgo frowned.

"However, my lord, even if they get benefits, they may not stand with you at that time. Psychic power is an extra power for them, even if they are abandoned under the order of the emperor, it is not enough to make people despair."

【I know, and I never expect them to stand with me, but at least I can prevent them from being my enemy, welcoming me with a smile on the surface, but actually making trouble. 】

[Whether it’s for the sake of the former friendship or my reputation, as long as they maintain a neutral attitude, it will be the greatest help to me: I may not be able to make my friends more, but I can do it Make my enemies fewer. 】

[Just like now: I can at least guarantee that as long as I maintain the cautious posture I am now, my brother Leman Russ will basically not speak ill of me, and without his wild declaration, I currently need Mortarion was the only one left to worry. 】

[Isn't this much simpler? 】

[From one-on-two to one-on-one, it can be called a leap in quality. 】

Virgo nodded, but she still had one last doubt.

"Then why don't you discuss this issue with Lord Magnus? If you distinguish the offspring owned by your genetic father from a spiritual point of view, Lord Magnus may be your only companion and comrade-in-arms .”

[Yeah, this is also the place that gives me the most headache: I would rather fight alone and defend the reputation of psionic power with Magnus, just like fighting side by side with Guilliman and comforting the people with Johnson. 】

"You are not going to inform him?"

[Why do you want to inform, Magnus's current state is the best help for me: when everyone compares his attitude towards psionic energy with mine, they will find that what I do is completely okay endured. 】

"..."

"Makes sense."

"However, are you treating Lord Magnus as a target to attract firepower?"

[Can you think of a better use for him? 】

"..."

"No."

Virgo shook her head quite honestly, and then, she found that she was feeding back a message in the operation sequence connected to the central system of the battleship.

She blinked her eyes, a flash of data and electronics flashed in her pupils, and her voice temporarily turned into a low-pitched grind like gears rubbing against each other.

"The battleship is about to arrive at the designated destination, my lord. The target fleet has been found to be staying in low-earth orbit, and the identity has been confirmed as: Zhao—the sage of the Forge World of Arkada."

【very good. 】

Morgan laughed. She brushed her long hair lightly, and the psychic energy flickering at her fingertips instantly gathered the scattered hair, allowing Queen Gene to return to the noble Primarch's appearance.

[Let's see, this forge world at the southernmost tip of the galaxy, this forge world that claims to be walking on a unique path, is not in vain. 】

------

【…】

[I'm not sure, whether they are in vain or not. 】

[But I'm sure: there seems to be something wrong with this world. 】

The first second she set foot on this desert world named [Antagonis], Queen Gene slowly spit out this conclusion. Her voice was so low that only Virgo who was following her, Can barely catch this broken whisper.

But on the surface, it seems that the Spider Queen is not unusual. She came to the ground of Antagonis with a guard team that was neither too large nor too small. She landed on the stone square, and the mechanical priest who came to greet her maintained a perfect smile and proper communication.

If Virgo hadn't been able to clearly perceive that her Creator had turned on all the firing mechanisms on her body the moment she landed, she would probably be the same as the Dawnbreakers behind Morgan, not aware of this world at all. on the question.

Because there is no problem in this world at all. If you really want to say it, the mechanical priests, cathars, and machine servants who greeted them are really indifferent and mechanized, and even the necessary words are just like The monotonous relaxation of gears: But for the believers of Omnissian, this seems to be a normal 【Feature】.

Only Lana's brows were raised because of some uneasiness, but until the group came to the gate of the stone hall above the mountain, they did not encounter any more strange situations.

"The sage is inside, he is guarding the important cargo you specified, please forgive me."

The priest's voice sounded like an ancient machine being forcibly pulled, but this did not shake the Spider Queen. She put her hand on the stone door and chanted spells until her psychic vision could see clearly inside. everything of.

Then Morgan laughed.

She turned her head and ordered her imperial guards to stand guard in front of the stone gate. She will lead her maids to discuss with the sage: Since she already knew the purpose of this trip, Lana did not refute more, he just After observing the gate quite carefully, it was determined that it was just an ordinary door and could not be closed again.

So, Morgan stood still, adjusted his breathing, adjusted his appearance, then easily opened the door and walked into the wide stone palace inside.

At the moment the gate closed, a golden flame seemed to flash in her pupils.

------

The main hall is just like the hall of any Omnissian believer. Although there are no more gorgeous decorations, it looks a bit crowded and has a unique orderliness.

Foundry World Zhao—the sage of Arkada sat at the round table in the center of the hall. There was an empty seat opposite him. On the wide table were boxes of strange materials that Morgan had never seen before. The breath of psionic energy.

The sage lowered his head, looking as if he was in a deep sleep, and even the undisguised footsteps of the Primarch did not allow his metal body to respond in the slightest.

Beside Morgan, Virgo was already quietly calling for his firepower wings, but it was at this moment that this creation made by Morgan and Perturabo suddenly had a strange feeling.

This was a feeling she had never felt before. At first, she felt that her limbs were a little stiff, and the calculation logic seemed to fail in an instant. Then, it was as if an invisible hand was rewriting her running code, something that had never existed before. The previous instructions appeared out of thin air, and began to impact and wash away the old data logic in her mind.

She felt it, she heard it, it seemed like she should...

Open the firepower authority, open the spiritual energy authority, open the firepower wings, approve the unlimited destruction mode, approve the extinction order mode...

no no!No!No!

This is not allowed!

Damn!

Everything seemed to happen in an instant. When Virgo's most sensitive computing thinking started to activate, she suddenly found that she had already activated half of the force equipment in the left arm area, and the target was the silver-haired figure beside her.

"..."

Virgo was silent for a moment: maybe not, but in the next moment, before the order to fire was issued, her highest authority had forcibly regained control. When this authority was quickly eroded by unknown data, Virgo executed an unshakable instructions.

She pointed the gun at her own head.

She has threatened the ontology: start self-destruction.

【enough! 】

Before the first fatal suicide bullet was fired, Virgo's consciousness caught the cold tone with a hint of sullenness, and she felt the hand on the top of her head, and the next moment, those who made trouble in her calculation logic The virus code receded like a gentle tide.

Morgan's words were still heard in his ears.

[If you want to talk about it, just use the body you prepared honestly, and don’t touch my things. 】

The icy voice wandered in the hall and did not get a timely response, but after a few breaths, the static noise in the air turned into a certain roar, and the seemingly sleeping sage's body also began to Intermittent Mechanicus binary lingo and screams came out, and it stood up quickly. The already layered metal structure seemed to grow a lot out of thin air, dragging streamers of steam and arc-like energy beams, A sound like the combination of blood and metal began to echo in every steel creation around the hall.

"Salute to you."

"I am the Ark Temple—Vashtor, Lord of the Furnace of Souls, Creator, Your Opposite and Complementary Achiever, Ruler of Skills, Chief Prince of the Realm of the East."

"Here, I salute you."

"My mirror image."

"My kind."

"The cage of destruction."

"The fickle prince."

"Greedy nightmare."

"The master of the two realms."

"The princes of the three kingdoms."

"A man who devours relatives, a minister who kills the king."

"The king of Zhengxi, the honor of Zhengnan."

"I have been waiting for you for a long time."

(End of this chapter)