Emperor's Bane

Chapter 538 Queen Morgan is bold and generous

kill.

This was never an unfamiliar word to Savita.

In the cruel university called Nostramo in the past, the Prince of Crows had already mastered this most popular subject. He was born with the seed of murder. Not only did he understand every skill in it, he also learned from it. I don't hate the smell of blood when it splashes on my cheeks.

Long before the gang's seniors taught him how to cut off a trachea, Sevatar already had a wealth of practical experience. He learned the secrets of killing without a teacher, as well as the key points to pay attention to: concentration. , pay attention to skillful energy, pay attention to sound, and pay attention to the flow of sweat and breathing.

Of course, afterward, occasionally you have to pay attention to the heat.

Otherwise supper would be hard to chew: like those Catachan roasts.

"……Ah!"

Sevatar was amused by the memories in his mind. His whispering giggles came from behind the visor painted like a helmet, attracting the battle brother walking next to him: this man was also a company commander, It's just that the Prince of Crows is a little unfamiliar with him, but he can still recognize that this guy is definitely a Nostramo.

Although more than twenty years have passed since the Midnight Ghost came to dominate the entire Eighth Legion, the Terran and Nostramo people in the legion still have not been completely integrated: healthy competition has been eliminated. The voices, behavioral habits, cultural traditions, and even some inadvertent instinctive actions still clearly distinguish the two groups of people.

But the good news is that this difference has not become the beginning of conflicts: although it is far less than the well-known internal harmony of Dawnbreaker, among Conrad's descendants, birthplace is not something worth looking at. .

Just like Sevatar is a Nostramo, but after he threw dozens of Terran veterans in the arena and used them as human cushions under his buttocks, no one cared about his black armor. What objections did the leader of the defense raise?

Therefore, the Crow Prince has always believed that the seniors in the legion are still very open-minded.

"what are you laughing at?"

Savita laughed again, and Midnight spoke directly. His voice sounded very soft to Savita. He could even tell the indecision in this person's heart. This made the Prince of Crows a little curious: Although the current The Eighth Legion, like most of its brothers, relies on military exploits and a somewhat twisted sense of honor to distinguish between high and low, but it is basically impossible to hear such a soft voice.

Driven by curiosity, Sevatar looked at this brother carefully: he was slightly shorter than the Crow Prince, had a heroic face, held a bolt gun, and his dark cloak was neatly trimmed. Very clean.

Sevatar had no impression of this man.

But he still nodded, maintaining the courtesy he learned from Daybreaker.

"It's nothing, I just suddenly thought of something from the past."

"Are you... the commander of the 46th company?"

Conrad's beloved son recalled a little and found out his identity in a vague impression.

"Just took office five days ago."

The man raised the corners of his mouth and showed an honest-looking smile. Savita thought that maybe he was dazzled, but he did feel a certain simplicity, or honesty, in this Nostramo man: in Is there an honest guy among the Nostramos of his generation?

This is more shocking than a Death Guard who practices psionic powers: no, it is even more shocking than a Captain of the Death Guard Legion who practices psionic powers!

The Crow Prince was confused, but he still nodded.

"I remember you, your name is..."

"Shen."

The man spoke directly.

"Just call me Shen."

"It's a very unique name. I think I will never forget it from now on."

Sevatar tilted her head.

"So: What's wrong with you?"

"Ahem...that's it."

Shen coughed and seemed a little nervous about what he was about to say, but he still managed to speak them out. His posture was like those mortal children wearing thick glasses on the battleship of the Dawnbreaker: Savita couldn't help but think maliciously.

So, he laughed again, and the scar at the corner of his mouth cracked into a ferocious arc.

"Say it, I'm listening."

"Okay, Sevita: I want to know what you can do next?"

Shen pointed forward. They were not far away from the final goal that Sevatar saw in the psychic vision. The number of automatons and skitarii chasing them along the way was enough to prove that the Prince of Crows was right. : Even the black-armored guards were injured a few.

The advance continued until the roar of Titans sounded outside the horizon. They were already within the attack range of these divine machines, but Sevatar still did not order a retreat. He seemed to be waiting for something, and Shen obviously lacked the same patience as him. , and courage.

"I seem to have told you before we set off."

Sevatar hissed from between his exposed teeth.

"Look, Shen, the other company commanders have never questioned my vagueness."

"Because they have worked with you, and I lack such experience, brother."

Shen's tone was straightforward.

"When our Legion was in the Ghoul Stars, I was responsible for serving as his attendant at the Primarch's side. He said that he took a fancy to my ability to deal with paperwork, as well as some inherent talents: but after the expedition, , he sent me down to the company with a strong attitude. This is not a punishment, brother, he hopes that I can learn relevant experience.”

"Therefore, I lack the experience of fighting alongside you, Prince of Crows."

"I think you still lack the necessary strength to be a company captain, right?"

Sevita grinned, not hiding his sarcasm, but instead of making Shen angry, the sarcasm made the honest warrior lower his head in shame, because there were indeed two Yukang standing behind him. The subordinates assigned by Ladd himself are observing this place at the moment: their personal force is even better than that of Shen, and they are actually serving as the company commander's bodyguards.

For any Astartes warrior, this is a humiliating thing, but Shen was unable to resist the decision of the Gene Father, just like he couldn't understand why Conrad had to send him to company, and repeatedly asked him to completely master a team before returning to be his attendant military attache.

Midnight Ghost gave a vague explanation for this, and spoke in a literate manner in front of Shen, saying that prime ministers must come from states and counties, and strong generals must be sent to the ranks. Only those who have trained enough at the grassroots level can Only with experience and having trustworthy weapons can you better complete your tasks at the top: Shen doesn't quite understand these words anyway.

But in the series of actions of the original body, including dispatching guards, giving him special equipment, and even personally instructing his martial arts, Shen still discovered some clues: his genetic father seemed to be particularly afraid of him because of his weak strength. , and died inexplicably.

Really...

In addition to being grateful, this made Shen even more ashamed.

"okay."

Sevatar's rough voice interrupted the Night Lord's scowl.

"Are you always so sorry for yourself? There are enough pessimistic philosophers in this legion!"

"It doesn't happen often. The last time was when I lost to Lord Dantioch in a competition."

"Ah, that's not surprising."

Looking at the silly face in front of him, Sevata became more and more sure of his judgment. Nostramo might have been lucky. The entire planet's crust was emitting smoke, so that such an honest man could come out of it. guy.

"So, if I still don't plan to tell you the answer, what are you going to do: Do you want to have a brotherly duel with me on this battlefield? For your clean face, this is inevitably a bit unfair. "

In Seveta's laughter, Shen's voice seemed firm.

"I will report directly to the Primarch."

"..."

Oh, standard good boy answer.

Sevatar shook her head.

"Do you have a way to contact the original body?"

"Everyone has some connections."

"Is it?"

Although he had already judged it, when he heard this answer that was too honest, Savita said nothing: during the interval between questions and answers, the arm of the Prince of Crows had already touched Shen's shoulder, so , he turned around, stood next to Shen, and guided the company commander's eyes to the dark brown steel sky.

As the Imperial Army continues to advance, the sky that was once filled with artillery fire has returned to silence, telling that the triple Fal's air defense force has been completely crushed, and some real big guys have also been transported to the battlefield.

Under the guidance of Savita, Shen could see those surprisingly large black shadows. He couldn't tell whether they were special airdrop pods or huge transport aircraft, but he was very sure that transport equipment of this size, The passengers among them had only one answer.

"Titan Legion?"

Shen's voice was a bit shocked.

"Sevita, you..."

"Yes."

The Crow Prince grinned and shook the unique communicator in his palm.

"Everyone has some connections, just like you said, Shen, and my connections are tougher than you think: During the time when I was studying abroad in the Dawnbreaker Legion, the Lord of Avalon still had an impression of me. Not bad, she gave me some amazing little things.”

"For example, the communicator that can directly communicate with Reza's Titan Army was made by Mr. Morgan himself to ensure that there will be no interference: I hope you will get used to fighting side by side with me, brother."

"You...provided them with coordinates?"

"This is one of my tasks."

Sevatar raised her neck.

"Do you know who they sent?"

Shen shook his head.

The Prince of Crows smiled cruelly.

"The Militants, the Militant Legion, that Ms. Morgan really spent a lot of money. She doesn't care about Triple Farr as much as she seems. The force that Reza mobilized is greater than we imagined: you know "How many divine machines did the militants bring this time?"

"...I don't know." "So, do you know the size of an ordinary Titan army?"

"It depends."

On such a professional issue, Shen's voice immediately became confident.

"Generally speaking, it ranges from dozens to more than a hundred. A first-level Titan legion such as Death Skull, Fire Bee or Warmonger may have more than two hundred Titans of various models, and with The Ember Wolves fighting alongside the World Eaters only have more than ninety War Dog models.”

"That's a good answer. Let me tell you the truth."

Sevatar leaned close to his brother's ear, and the rumbling artillery fire in the distance seemed so small compared with his whisper.

"Just the part of the Militant Legion that has invested in the Triple Fal, there is..."

------

[Two hundred and sixty units. 】

[To be more specific, there are 264 units: more than the strength on paper of the famous Mars Tridents such as the Fire Bee Legion or the Death Skull Legion. 】

The Spider Queen sat slanted on the chair, wrote this string of energetic numbers on the paper in front of her, and then watched the shocked face of Corax with satisfaction: After all, after spending some time with the Emperor, the Crow King knew What exactly does this number mean?

"how did you do it?"

Corax hesitated.

【What to do? 】

"Let Reza dispatch so many Titans in one battle: According to what you told me before, the benefits they received are completely unequal compared to this kind of effort. Such a large-scale deployment will definitely be criticized. Mars has caught the clues, and for Reza, there will definitely be more pressure from Mars from now on."

"But they still..."

[But they are still willing to dispatch so many Titans for my benefit, and even do so at the expense of exposing their trump cards to the sight of Mars: You want to know how I did it, right? 】

"...That's right."

The Crow King looked at his blood relatives. In front of Morgan's leisurely eyes, he suddenly felt that he actually had a lot to learn.

[It's simple, Corax. 】

Morgan smiled.

[It is precisely because I can make the Militant Legion dispatch more than two hundred Titans at once, or even more, like now, that they are willing to mobilize troops and mobilize forces like this for me: even if they know that this time the gain outweighs the loss. 】

"what do you mean……"

The Crow King frowned.

"Because you have given them enough benefits in the past years, they are willing to pay for you in this operation: even for them, if they only look at the gains and contributions of this operation, they will lose money. ?”

【Yes. 】

Corax's revelation always made Morgan's heart happy.

[Because the great sages of Reza know that these short-term losses are nothing compared to their long-term friendship with me, and they are also convinced that I will definitely find opportunities to make up for these losses for them in the future. 】

"Can you?"

【of course. 】

The primarch laughed, waving a piece of paper she pulled from her side.

[Look, this is an edict handwritten by the Emperor himself. In the name of Omnisiah, he affirmed Reza's outstanding contribution in assisting the Empire in conquering the Eastern Galaxy, and approved Reza's convenient actions in the Maelstrom area: When Reza deems it necessary, their authority to operate in the Maelstrom area can even be higher than that of any imperial unit. 】

[Includes: Mars. 】

[In other words, as long as Reza deems it necessary, all their actions in the Maelstrom area can be kept completely confidential, and there is no need to report to anyone except the Emperor: and if Mars dares to pry, Reza could take the lawsuit all the way to the emperor and he would definitely not lose. 】

"..."

[Guess, how many more times are warmongers willing to go through fire and water for me for this piece of paper? 】

"I do not know."

[Then guess again, when will I give this piece of paper to Reza? 】

"...After using them?"

【No. 】

Morgan shook his head.

[Don't think of me as one of those stupid contractors on your home planet, Corax. 】

[Then let me tell you, when I happen to pass by Reza next time, I will hand this piece of paper to them, and it will be in the grandest welcome ceremony, in front of all Reza’s interest groups, Hand this paper edict into their hands with great fanfare: let the whole Reza and even the whole galaxy know that this is the future that Avalon brings to them. 】

"hiss……"

The Crow King took a deep breath. He narrowed his eyes cautiously and pondered over what Morgan had said word by word. The Primarch, who was born smart, could naturally figure out some ambiguities from these words, but He couldn't fully understand it in a short period of time: even Conrad, who was holding a long loaf of bread beside him and gnawing happily, was giving him constant winks, but it still couldn't alleviate Corax's confusion.

Finally, he simply asked directly.

"Is this what you said...dividing the spoils?"

[Almost: You can just learn this superficially for the time being. 】

Morgan adjusted his sitting position.

[Don't think that sharing the spoils is simply dividing the profits among your subordinates. This is just a simple way of saying it to take into account your status as a beginner: distributing profits is a basic and complex subject. Even if a mortal only masters a little bit of the trick, he can establish a dynasty in their world that is worthy of being written into history books.]

"indeed so."

The Crow King nodded.

"So, which part of it do you think I can learn at this stage?"

【Very simple. 】

Morgan raised his finger.

[In the first stage, I hope you can understand this truth, that is: distributing benefits will not be a short-term matter, nor is it a one-way matter, which means that if you want to, you can By distributing benefits, an interest group can be tied to itself for a long time. 】

"Just like you did to Reza."

[Yes, but they prefer to call this method the spirit of contract. 】

Morgan smiled.

[In this process, both parties delivering benefits need to maintain a long-term attitude of integrity and share weal and woe. Over time, trust and even mutual dependence will arise between them: it should be noted that this kind of trust and dependence is very important. Don't destroy something fragile unless it's very critical. 】

"Then this time you..."

[The reason why I was able to get Reza to assist me regardless of profit this time is because of the trust we generated during our cooperation decades ago, which made Reza’s great sages believe that I would make up for them in subsequent actions. This part of the loss: And if I had not done this, but had caused them to suffer losses again and again, then it would only take a few years to wipe out the decades of friendship between Reza and I. 】

[The human heart is a very fragile thing: even the Iron Heart of the Mechanicum is the same. 】

"I can understand that."

The Crow King nodded.

[So, integrity is also a benefit that you need to distribute. 】

“Can integrity also be a benefit?”

[Of course, there are many ways to show integrity, such as shared ideas or beliefs, or a group’s simple admiration for you: when you only need the most basic materials and enough integrity, you can When you satisfy a group, that group becomes your base and the core strength of your business. 】

[Simply put, you only need a blank promise to make these people live and die for you: losing them is no different from losing your career. 】

"So……"

The Crow King tilted his head.

"How should I determine what kind of people can become my base?"

[This is another question. 】

Morgan snapped his fingers.

[But if you want to listen, let me get the textbook first. 】

[After all, this question involves my vivisection in front of you. 】

"Well, do I need to wait for a while?"

【No need. 】

Morgan shook his head, then...

She looked at Conrad, who was sitting nearby and happily chewing bread.