Emperor's Bane

Chapter 534 Holy Potato Meeting
"So, do you often help peel potatoes at home, Corax?"

"Occasionally, after all, we rarely get to eat rare foods like potatoes."

"Yeah, too."

"It's you, brother Conrad, did you often peel potatoes when you were a kid? Why do I think your way of peeling potatoes is a bit strange: you look more like you are peeling the potatoes whole... Come down?"

"Ah...get used to it! Just get used to it..."

After a moment of astonishment, Midnight Ghost coughed in embarrassment. While waving his hands repeatedly, his slender arms swung downwards, and he knocked the entire potato peel under his feet into the nearby garbage pile.

Corax was absolutely right: while Conrad was concentrating, talking to his brother and peeling absentmindedly, he opened a gap in the steel-hard potato skin and used the tip of his knife and his claws to The act of peeling off the whole potato skin is indeed very similar to his original craftsmanship on Nostramo.

But Midnight Ghost felt that he was excusable. After all, over the years, neither he nor the Eighth Legion regarded fear tactics as the primary core, but in some special missions, especially in the case of ghouls. In the Star Territory, some places really require a little skinning and cramping: Therefore, Conrad has never put down this skill, and has even become more and more skilled.

Compared with him, the Lord of the Redemption Star's methods are much more delicate. The blade in Corax's hand is as light as the fluttering wings of a hummingbird. It is so fast that even Conrad cannot catch it completely, and the skin he peels off is even thinner. Cicada wings are not as crude as Conrad's, and they also come with a lot of edible parts.

Really frugal.

After saying that, the peeled and naked potato was placed in front of Corax.

And this time, he was lucky.

Not even Guilliman's Five Hundred Worlds has imitated this technology.

Instead of making a fuss because of his indifferent onlooker, his brother quickly adjusted his mood: when Conrad held another potato and finished peeling it quickly, he first carefully looked at the potato in his hand. This little guy then started laughing strangely for no reason, which made the Crow King very uncomfortable.

"But it was wasted by me: dropped at my feet like trash."

"Uh... potatoes?"

Whenever he stayed in public for too long, or encountered a dilemma, Corax would do this: retreat into his own corner and stay quietly. Perhaps to outsiders, this is called self-control. Close, but in his opinion, this is just normal solitude.

"Do not."

"This looks like... Horus!"

Midnight Ghost just shook his head meaningfully, and the expression on his face was ferocious because of the smile he was trying to suppress: The Lord of the Redemption Star can only be thankful that because they are both too big, the kitchen is not crowded here. The other people in the room seemed quiet, so no one would be frightened by Conrad.

"Well...a little bit."

"……what?"

"Let me tell you, Corax."

Having said this, a warm smile flashed across Corax's face.

But even so, when Corax saw such abundant civilian food for the first time, the shock and excitement in his pupils were still indescribable, and the way the original body looked when holding these potatoes was even more like that of Lorja Holding his Book of Words with the same piety.

“The fighting and life back then were hard: but also fondly remembered.”

But it is a pity that this great invention that can completely solve the food crisis still has fatal shortcomings: whether it is its inherent [weak] toxicity or the hard tuber that can make dents in steel, it is determined that this invention It may be a specialty of the Astartes, but it has not become popular outside Avalon.

Once again the Crow King had to explain, though Conrad just looked at him with a smile.

“Back on the Redemption Star, my brothers and I could only eat synthetic food that was about to expire and artificial meat with unknown ingredients, but even so, there were endless incidents of violence among prisoners trying to snatch these foods. And in After the uprising broke out, Chiava even cut off these only sources of food.”

"It's just a habit developed since childhood."

“A good meal, a well-prepared meal, a sign that someone cares about you, is willing to work hard for you, and goes out of their way for you: when we are surrounded by a world that is desperate enough, or have just come from such a When the world comes out, a meal like this, no matter what it is, is always unforgettable.”

"You don't know, Corax: I was a bastard a long time ago."

"Well, don't think about all this: come look at this, brother."

"I can understand that feeling."

"..."

Corax was a little confused as to what his brother was up to.

"Have you ever had a similar experience?"

Before the Crow King could react, Conrad was already squatting on the ground holding the naked potato, laughing so hard that his legs were shaking.

Corax was silent. He opened his mouth, but he didn't know what to say. The Lord of the Redemption Star has never been a good communicator, and he is not like some idiots who believe that he has unique powers in speech: What's more, he really knew nothing about what Conrad said.

"Forgive me, brother."

"The first time I ate potatoes, a year after my arrival on the Redemption Planet, my caregivers celebrated my birthday by taking out their personal treasures, which had been stolen from the guard's storeroom. What a treasure, those potatoes were no bigger than my thumb, but their taste was unforgettable.”

When he saw his blood relative staring at the potatoes in his hand with a strange look on his face, Corax explained with some embarrassment, and then carefully placed the peeled potatoes into the food bowl in front of him: this kind of potato was used by the Far East The ancient tuber food that the mechanical magi of the frontier had carried out the re-breeding project was so huge that even one hand of the Primarch could barely hold two or three of them. When they were stacked up, they would Like a low wall.

"Of course there is..."

That is also missing.

On the other side, Conrad resisted the urge in his heart and tried hard to peel the potatoes in his palm into pieces. However, when he looked at his brother, the Midnight Ghost still had a trace of joy on his face. A smile that is sincere, without any impurities other than blood and family ties.

"Look, what does this look like?"

And so, just like before: Corax retreated into his corner, working.

Immediately afterwards, Midnight Ghost stretched out his arm, patted his brother on the shoulder, and then placed the potato standing in front of him in front of the Lord of the Redemption Star like a treasure. His voice had returned to joy.

"So, as punishment: I will never know what that meal tasted like until the end of my life, and I'm too embarrassed to even mention it."

Conrad's words made Corax's pupils flash with light. His first impression of the brother in front of him was quite good. Therefore, the Lord of the Redemption Star was naturally happy to see the possible similarities between the two.

Conrad squatted on the ground. He did not put the peeled potato in his hand into the food bowl. Instead, he stood it on the edge of the food bowl, like a small mirror on the ground, and then looked at the potato. He smiled in the mirror, but his smile was full of bitterness.

After all, they are all bare...

Corax thought about the weight mural about Horus he saw on the Emperor's Dream. Comparing the two, even he couldn't help but laugh a few times: Although this is somewhat sorry for him The Wolf Shepherd God Brothers.

"It's not over yet, Corax."

After laughing for a while, Midnight Ghost turned around again and took out a new potato: the skin was also peeled off, but on the surface of this potato, many potato sprouts could be seen, even It’s also a disturbing purple-green color, symbolizing the toxins within.

"What do you think this looks like?"

Conrad shook the rotten potato in his hand.

"what……"

Corax still couldn't guess.

"The answer is: also like Horus."

"...?"

Amidst Conrad's rampant laughter, Corax was left with a confused look on his face.

"Is this...a joke, bro?"

"That's it."

Conrad wiped the tears from his eyes.

"It will look very interesting in the future."

"That's it..."

Corax smiled dryly, as if he agreed with his blood relatives, and then lowered his head and continued to peel potatoes silently: Although the conversation with Conrad was pleasant, there is this kind of professional job that is more important. What makes him like it, especially for the Lord of the Redemption Star, is that being able to see so much food flowing into people's mouths and allowing more hunger to be solved will in itself bring a simple sense of happiness.

Because of this, when Conrad finally wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes, sighing that no one could understand his joke, he put the spoiled potatoes aside and prepared to take them back to feed the Warmaster: When he turned his head and accidentally glanced at Corax's achievements, he suddenly realized that the low wall in front of the Lord of the Redemption Star was more than three times higher than his.

"Tsk!"

Looking at Corax's face that was very similar to him, an inexplicable desire to win made Midnight Ghost's good mood fleeting.

"You are quite ingenious, brother."

"?"

Clarks looked at Conrad and naturally understood the sourness in his words: The Crow King seemed hesitant to speak, but in the end he stretched out his hand, pointed at Midnight Ghost's belly, and responded with a smile.

"Brother Conrad, if it weren't for the fact that every time you peeled a few potatoes, you would gnaw one raw without peeling it, I think the results of your work would be more than mine by now: you are really not afraid of eating it like this Are you sick?"

"I've had worse."

Conrad blinked and pointed at the poisonous potato behind him.

"Like this, like some cute rodent friend, or moldy potato skins: Do you know how to deep-fry potato skins to get that crispiness of potato chips, man? I'm good at that. Home Hands.”

"……sharp."

"Of course, compared to our great Wolf Shepherd, these things are pretty good."

"Ok?"

Corax didn't understand why Conrad changed the topic to the Wolf God so abruptly. Although he had heard this name countless times on the Emperor's Dream: from the contemptuous tone of the Imperial Guard, or from the mortal He had heard of this most beloved son of the Lord of Mankind countless times in people's respected explanations, or from the Emperor's doting smile, but he didn't think there was anything wrong with it.

Horus is indeed excellent.

And he remembered that there should be no grudges between Conrad and Horus, right?

"Of course I have nothing to do with him."

Midnight Ghost laughed, as if he could read Corax's thoughts.

"On the contrary, brother, you are actually the one who has something to do with the Wolf Shepherd God."

"How to say?"

The Crow King's curiosity was aroused. It happened that there were not many potatoes waiting to be processed in front of him, and in the canteen, which was only separated from the kitchen by a wall, the conversations of the first batch of diners could already be heard. . Even though they were separated by walls that were theoretically very soundproof, Corax could still hear clearly: he heard at least sixty-two different accents in these conversations, mentioning fourteen Different Legions of Astartes. There are also countless world names and proper nouns.

Just like what Conrad told him before: Because of the active atmosphere within the Dawnbreaker Legion, every canteen in the Second Legion is like an information exchange center that is neither rigorous nor formal.

In this regard, the descendants of Morgan formed a very sharp contrast with their neighbors in the five hundred worlds: although in the eyes of Holy Terra and the Empire, the Far Eastern Frontier was far less conspicuous than Ultramar, but in the eyes of these two countries Within the country, the Ultramarines have very little interest in the empire, while the Dawnbreakers are just the opposite. They will pay close attention to everything with Terra as the core. Intelligence from all corners of the galaxy will also be captured on the Dawnbreaker battleships. It spreads in every corner.

Especially: the canteen.

"Specifically: the cafeteria."

Conrad raised his lips and signaled his blood relatives to be quiet. Then, they listened to the voices of the first group of diners who came to take their meals. Judging from their accents, they did not seem to be the Daybreakers. , but instead come from other legions, and are the legion think tanks who are learning psychic knowledge here.

During the conversation between the two diners, Corax heard [Legion 19], which made his spine tense up. The original body knew that this was his legion, and finally remembered: Now The 19th legion seems to be under the command of his Wolf Shepherd brother.

Is this what Conrad said about his relationship with Horus?

Is this the reason why Conrad wants to involve the topic so abruptly?
Before the Lord of the Redemption Star could figure this out in his mind, he had already heard the discussion between his two heirs.

"Hey bro, did you hear that?"

The sound penetrated the walls and sounded particularly loud in the primarch's ears.

"Not long ago, our legion commander, Lord Alkas Farr, sent a unified message to all legion squadrons: the emperor told him that our genetic father had returned to the empire, and he would never live again. After a while, he will be able to meet with us."

This man's accent made Corax feel inexplicably friendly, but the content of the conversation made him frown: Why was the commander of the 19th Legion a Lord? Is this their internal title? But there seems to be no habit of using this kind of noble title within the Dawnbreaker Legion, even within other legions and even the Forbidden Army?
noble……

Corax didn't like the word: it meant too much.

But before his brows could relax, another voice came as expected.

"Really, that's just right. When we finish our studies here, we should be able to return to Lord Horus's fleet and meet our genetic father: I hope he can be like Lord Horus. great."

"..."

Such words made the Crow King feel a little mixed, but what happened next made him truly find it difficult to accept.

"I'm a bit pessimistic, brother. It is said that he grew up on a prison world and was taken away by the Emperor before he was a minor: I think he may not reach the level of Lord Horus. I hope Horus Lord Si can educate him, after all, among all the Primarchs, who is better than Lord Horus?"

"You're right: what can those mortal prisoners teach you?"

"Mortals are unworthy, let alone a group of scum among them: when I was on Holy Terra, the mortal prisoners I saw were only worthy of being slaves. Now, they are not even worthy of being slaves of the Legion. , the auxiliary army is more qualified for the job of servants than them."

"But I feel that our auxiliary army is not as good as the one here in Avalon."

"It's obvious: maybe we should train them harder when we go back."

"Inflict new punishment torture?"

"Sounds like a good idea..."

In the midst of countless bloody and dazzling discussions, the voices of the two legionnaires gradually faded away, leaving Corax's face hidden in the shadows. Only his deeply frowned brows could be seen: The original body is like this , and was silent for a full ten seconds. When he raised his head and looked at the smiling Conrad, Corax's voice had changed from the previous caution to a completely different seriousness.

"So, that's what you're here for, brother: to tell me these things?"

"Yes, there are always some things that you need to determine personally."

Conrad didn't deny it, he just sped up what he was doing.

Corax remained silent.

"Do you mean to say that under the leadership of Horus, my descendants developed such a character of contempt for mortals?"

"Ok?"

Midnight Ghost turned his head.

"You actually pay attention to this? I thought you would be angry. Your status in their hearts is not as good as Horus: after all, few Primarchs can endure such humiliation."

"I don't care about that."

The Crow King looked as usual.

"I have heard about the experience of the Wolf God and his contribution to the empire. I think that I am far inferior to him in this aspect: Horus is indeed better than me. To admit this, for me It’s not a shame to say it.”

"An enviable mentality."

Conrad snorted.

"So, what you really care about is that your descendant is not friendly to mortals?"

"I can't hear any goodwill in their discussions."

Corax's movements seemed a little impatient, and his sword blade left a hideous scar on the potato.

"Then you have wrongly blamed our Horus brothers on this issue."

Conrad winked at him.

"As far as I know, a considerable number of the soldiers of the 19th Legion are from certain slave-owning tribes on Terra. They have received this kind of education since childhood. This is no wonder Horus: but this does not This means that our Brother Wolf Shepherd is flawless in this aspect. He has indeed brought some bad influence to your legion, but not in this aspect, but in other aspects. "

"...You're not going to tell me directly?"

Corax just thought about it and understood the deeper meaning of Conrad, which made Midnight Ghost look at him with some jealousy: His blood relative of the Redeemer Star is really smart, and his understanding is so high that he is ashamed of himself.

Now, he can understand the importance Morgan places on Clarks.

"indeed so."

Conrad nodded.

"I don't intend to tell you everything at once, brother, because it will only increase your troubles and resentment, and it will not do any good: when you have been trained under Morgan's education for a period of time, After we have our own means and determination, we will confess things to you bit by bit. Anyway, you will have to face them."

"I believe you still have some patience, Corax."

"……certainly."

After a moment's silence, the Crow King lost his hostility, and his peeling movements became gentle again, turning into that harmless little transparent person again.

"But anyway, thank you for worrying about me, Conrad."

"it's okay."

Midnight Ghost laughed.

"In the final analysis, this is just my whim: my original plan was to change into tattered clothes, put on blind glasses, hold a broken guitar, and carry a broken bowl. Sit down and board the ship while you Next to the place, I will give you a bit of shocking philosophy of realism.”

"Oh, maybe I'll even hold up a sign to ask you for some food."

"..."

At that moment, dumbfounded was the best way to describe the Crow King's face.

"But...you changed your mind?"

"Yes."

Conrad pursed his lips.

"While my brain thought this was a sweet idea, my heart and my lungs thought otherwise: their threat was effective, and some things were better off not happening again. "

"After all, that woman's mood seems to be at a low point."

"Even Rana is avoiding her."

"You mean: Morgan?"

"That's right: Triple Fal's side makes Morgan very angry."

Konrad smiled, mocking some of the self-destructive forge worlds.

"Originally, our Avalon blood relative planned to put away his fangs, pretend to be a good guy just like the legend, and peacefully bring that treasure land under the jurisdiction of the Far Eastern Frontier: But it is a pity that , The local snakes in the Triple Galaxy obviously believe too much in the false rumors about Morgan, and really think that she is easy to bully, weak, pathetic, weak and helpless.”

"A bunch of smart fools..."

Conrad shook his head.

"For more than twenty years, I have enjoyed all the benefits of the Far Eastern frontier, but I have always held on to my independence. If Morgan hadn't been busy with other things. How could they have been so frustrated to this point: now Well, you dare to take advantage of Avalon’s military orders, mix things up, deceive the superiors and the inferiors, and even dare to cause the investigator sent by Morgan to crash. "

"...Crash?"

"Ah, none of your business, Corax."

Midnight Ghost smiled and finished peeling the last potato on hand.

"However, you have indeed caught up with a good time: just wait quietly. In a few months at most, we can see another Ulan Huda-type drama, with three whole forging worlds. , this time the situation is much more lively. ”

"After all, my sister has big plans now..."

"She is plotting three forging worlds?"

Corax also threw the last potato in his hand into the food bowl.

"Do not."

Conrad shook his head, and heartfelt admiration flashed across his pupils.

"She is plotting..."

"A piece of private property."

"But on this private land: there just happen to be three forge worlds."

(End of this chapter)