Emperor's Bane

Chapter 547: What's the point of this? I feel like I'm the only one who's redundant!

Chapter 547 What’s going on? I feel like I’m the only one who’s redundant!
"Are we almost at the station?"

[About the same. In about two or three hours, our fleet will arrive at Mandeville Point in the star system where the Perfect City is located. The Emperor and Leman Russ' fleet are already waiting for us there.]

"That's great...wait, where's Jonson?"

[He and his Dark Angels stopped in the Millhand system, where there was a small forge world that allowed the First Legion to rest for a while: you know, unless the worst happened, Jonson and his troops would stay there.]

"Ah, I see."

A playful smile folded onto Midnight Haunter's off-white face. He was not wearing armor, but an exquisite dark blue gown. In his arms, he was holding the half-asleep Warmaster: This strong-brained cat, who was deeply loved by Morgan, had lost its former liveliness as it grew older. Instead, it liked to curl up in a corner and spend a long time napping and resting.

But what’s interesting is that compared to his previous vitality and wandering around, the Warmaster now likes to hide in any place and is more difficult to find: even Midnight Haunter himself had to wander around the ventilation ducts and various corners for almost half an hour before he held this old friend in his arms.

"Even so, it's still dangerous."

Midnight Haunter pulled out a chair and sat next to Morgan. He first watched the Lord of Avalon review various documents quietly. After making sure that the most important batch had been dealt with, he smiled and interjected his own topic at the right time.

"When I found it, it had curled up into a ball and looked like it was dead. But after a careful observation, I was sure that this old fellow was not only alive, but also awake. If it had not been familiar with my breath, it would have run away or jumped up and pawed me."

Conrad grinned, and when he shook his head, his fingers did not forget to gently stroke the Warmaster's hair that was no longer shiny. His long gown hung on the ground, and the hem was piled up in the water stains that had just been mopped, causing Virgo, who was holding a cleaning tool beside him, to frown.

So, what do you want to say?

The Spider Queen finished reviewing the last document on hand and handed it to Virgo. After her eldest daughter left, she turned around and looked at Conrad, while not forgetting to check the itinerary on the corner of the desk again.

[Whatever you want to say, limit yourself to fifteen minutes. After fifteen minutes, I will have a projection conversation with Guilliman as the last collusion before meeting the Emperor: I don't want to let him down again.]

"Don't worry, it's nothing serious."

Conrad waved his hands, teasing the snoring Warmaster, and he leaned back in his seat, imitating his sister, crossing his legs in a lazy posture, but revealing a different kind of dangerous aura.

"When I saw your pet curled up in the corner, I suddenly understood why my father hinted that you should call Jonson and his First Legion together: and this was on the premise that he had already brought the Space Wolves and the Custodians."

【Did it take you so long to figure out this simple truth? 】

"After all, I'm stupid."

Conrad didn't care.

"So, I was really confused at the beginning. Why did the Emperor call the Dark Angels and Space Wolves together? Isn't this redundant? But now, I understand: Do you know what your Warmaster was doing when I found him?"

【sleep?】

"Yes, but it has a mouse in its claws."

Midnight Haunter licked his teeth excitedly.

"I was very curious at the time. With its status and fame on the battleship, it obviously didn't need to catch mice itself: it only needed to find a crowded place, lie there, and naturally be fed until it became fat and plump. But your old cat still caught mice, not to fill its stomach, but for more complicated things."

"It's like a kind of..."

【instinct?】

“That’s right, but we can also understand it as a positioning of oneself.”

The primarch nodded.

“No matter how respected your old cat is, in its simple and primitive beast mind, it still needs to patrol its territory, catch prey, and do things that seem meaningless to us in the most serious manner: because this is its self-positioning, and in its eyes, the meaning of its existence in this world.”

【……so what? 】

"So: even real beasts are like this."

Conrad raised his chin and deliberately dragged out his next sentence.

"Not to mention: our brother who disguised himself as a beast."

【You mean: Ruth? 】

"Could it be Zhuang Sen?"

The Midnight Haunter chuckled.

"We all know, Morgan, that our brother Fenris has never changed his position since returning to the Great Crusade: he has convinced everyone, both internally and externally, that he is the Emperor's executioner."

But he is not.

"It doesn't matter: if everyone thinks he is, then he is."

"Then, here comes the question: Regarding the handling of the Perfect City, the Emperor will undoubtedly carry out a punishment. This can even be said to be the most formal and destined to be the most famous punishment our father has ever given to a single Primarch since the Great Crusade began."

"That guy, after all, cannot be known to the world."

"So, it can only be Luo Jia, it can only be the perfect city this time."

【then?】

"So, if he and his Space Wolves were absent from this punishment, then how would our Fenris brothers deal with their own position? The Emperor's executioner was absent from the most important punishment of the Emperor on the Primarch and was forgotten aside: such a joke, even for Russ, is too much."

Conrad held the cat in one hand and gestured in the air with the other. When he found that his Avalon relatives were already immersed in the logical network he had conceived, the pupils of the Midnight Haunter turned, and the palm that was suspended in the air reached out to the plate full of desserts.

"Snapped!"

“…I’ll just eat one.”

【……On a.】

Morgan snorted and took out a pile of new documents from the side.

[So, you mean that the Emperor called Russ and his Space Wolves not because they would be of any use in this incident, but simply to take care of Leman Russ's self-esteem? ]

“This is definitely the main reason.”

Conrad stuffed the dessert into his mouth: Morgan's afternoon tea today was a French cheese puff pastry custard pie called [Flan] on Terra. The ground caramel biscuits were thoroughly mixed with butter, and then accompanied by a filling made of egg liquid and dough, dancing lightly between the lips and teeth, making the Nostramo people want to lick every tooth clean.

So, as the Midnight Haunter continued to explain, his unyielding fingers once again began to advance towards the dessert plate: The Lord of Avalon, who had seen all of this, had a blank expression on his face, but simply turned his head away, focusing on the documents, and acquiesced to the greed of his own blood relatives.

"Russ is the Emperor's scepter. It symbolizes the Emperor's authority and anger, but it cannot be stained with blood. After all, blood is too unsightly for a scepter. But the Emperor cannot throw it aside, as that would call into question the existence of the scepter itself."

"So, the Emperor will take Rus with him, but he won't let him take action. Even if Rus is the only one fully armed and standing beside the Emperor, everyone will know that the Emperor's action is a punishment for Lorgar. But Rus can only do this. He can't be responsible for the worst-case scenario of silencing people."

"Our Fenris brothers were not born for this purpose."

"If the Emperor really wanted to slit Lorgar's throat, he would not use his scepter, but his dagger: so he asked you to bring this dagger with you, and hid it in the Millhand system where no one can see it."

【You mean Jonson? 】

"of course."

Conrad nodded with a grim smile.

"Russ is just a majestic scepter, and Jonson is the deadly dagger hidden in the dark, which can be pulled out at any time: Therefore, the emperor will never pull out this dagger before the situation becomes the worst, because once the knife is unsheathed, it is destined to shed blood."

[So, our Gene Father did not summon Zhuang Sen in person, but summoned the Dark Angels through me. He did not let the First Legion go directly to the Perfect City, but let them hide: if Luo Jia could confess in time, then no one would know that the Dark Angels were also involved in this incident. ]

"That's it."

Conrad lazily tossed the second piece of pastry into his mouth.

"Simple truth, but unfortunately, I didn't figure it out until just now. And in this case, I am still very curious, why did the Emperor summon the Custodes when the Dark Angels and Space Wolves were present?"

"Russ is a majestic scepter, and Jonson is a murderous dagger. What are the Custodes?"

【The Imperial Guards are armor.】

The Lady of Avalon smiled scornfully at her Nostramo kin.

[Do you think it is easy for the Emperor to deal with the Perfect City? Even if the situation develops as he wishes, it will be a bloodless war: isn't it natural to be fully armed in the face of war? ]

"...That's it."

Conrad suddenly realized.

"Did you understand it from the beginning?"

【Roughly the same. 】

The Primarch frowned, looking as if he was recalling some unpleasant scenes.

[When the Emperor hinted to me in the low-Earth orbit of the Redemption Planet, I had already thought of all this: but even if I broke these principles apart, crushed them, and explained them clearly to him, our great gene father still refused to give me any positive response. He always didn't know what to say and when.]

"It's an old problem."

Conrad carefully placed the Warmaster in his arms on the soft couch next to him, and this time, it really fell asleep.

"The only thing to be thankful for is that although our father's words are not good, his actual actions are still very reliable: he at least knows to take care of Russ's self-worth, and he also knows not to put the Dark Angels in the open. If he really pulls the Imperial Guards and the four legions over the Perfect City, no one will be able to control the situation."

Conrad's laugh was sharp.

"As for now: On the surface, there are three legions and the Imperial Guards, and behind the scenes there is a real killer that can attack at any time. At least from the perspective of the situation, there is no problem."

[But it was still too hasty, and it also exceeded his ability limit. ]

Morgan picked up a document and shook his head as he looked at it.

[Otherwise, he wouldn't have had to summon me from so far away, and I wouldn't have had to start planning for him so early: Do you know how much effort I put in behind the scenes to make things go more smoothly in Perfect City? ]

"Hmm... I don't know."

Conrad shook his head honestly. He stretched out his finger and hooked the whole plate of pastries in front of him, but he still kept at least half of the plate.

"What have you done?"

【check it out. 】

Morgan took out a thin file from the safe nearby and threw it directly to Conrad next to him. Midnight Haunter caught it steadily, then unfolded it and read it thoroughly in just a few breaths. Then, he frowned deeply.

"Is this... a script?"

There was something uncanny about his voice.

【Yes. 】

Morgan nodded, his fingers almost leaving afterimages as he reviewed the documents.

[Let me tell you: In the low-Earth orbit of the Redemption Planet, our Gene Father explained to me his ideas about the Perfect City and his intended approach to it. How should I tell you, it's like...]

"It was like throwing the dignity of the entire Word Bearers Legion to the ground and stomping on it again and again."

Midnight Haunter grinned and added the second half of the sentence for his blood relative.

"I have seen that future, dear sister, and I know our Gene Father's approach even better than you do: and I can assure you that no matter how bad the scenario he tells you is, Morgan, the reality will only be worse than any version you have heard."

【Not surprising.】

The original body frowned.

[So, I was thinking at the time, if we let our gene father play freely there, then this matter will definitely lead to the worst outcome: if this matter has nothing to do with me, I will just sigh and sigh a few times on the side, but who asked him to drag me into it now? ]

[Since it has something to do with me, I have to fool around even if it means fooling around.]

Morgan rubbed her eyebrows. This sentence represented her true opinion of the Perfect City: the Spider Queen had no interest in pulling Lorgar back from the wrong path of faith; and she did not have many malicious thoughts towards the Word Bearers Legion and the Perfect City itself.

Morgan, like Guilliman, was simply an unlucky worker dragged into this mess by the Emperor, and was forced to work overtime here: Therefore, Morgan's purpose towards the City of Perfection was also very simple.

That is: to get away with this matter at the lowest cost, with the most reliable method, and with the means that least affects her interests. It doesn't matter even if the Emperor and Luo Jia are not satisfied, as long as it doesn't collapse when Morgan is present.

As for after she leaves? Love whoever you want!

Anyway, this is an overtime task imposed on her by the emperor. Which worker would do his best on such an imposed task: don't make it too ugly, and that would be the only way to be worthy of the emperor, this unscrupulous boss.

[So, ever since I returned from Redemption, I have been collecting data on the Word Bearers and the City of Perfection through various means, and then deducing in the virtual device, deducing one ending after another, deducing every mistake that the Emperor could make.]

Morgan raised his chin in triumph.

[Finally, after countless repeated experiments and based on big data, I finally came up with this script, the most perfect script: the emperor only needs to get this script, memorize it, and then when dealing with Luo Jia and the Perfect City, he will read the script in a methodical manner, and the situation will not get too bad no matter what.]

“…I believe your point of view.”

Conrad took the script and couldn't help reading it again and again. After carefully studying these thin pages of paper for nearly ten minutes, Midnight Haunter nodded, admiring his blood relative's wisdom and decisiveness from the bottom of his heart.

"Anyway: this is indeed the most suitable script for our genetic father."

"There is just one small problem, though." The Primarch raised a finger, his smile turning dangerous.

"Does your behavior count as an attempt to manipulate our genetic father?"

Do I have it?

Morgan smiled kindly.

[I just provide the script. Whether it is adopted or not depends entirely on the Emperor's own ideas.]

"That's what you said, but if we talk about this openly, aren't you planning to use your own ideas to influence the Emperor's will? As alarmist as it sounds, you are planning to completely manipulate every move of our Gene Father in one thing."

"If Horus or Leman Russ knew about this, their legions would attack Avalon the next day, and they might even be followed by a group of ten thousand Custodes."

[They don’t need to know, and they can’t possibly know.]

The Spider Queen blinked.

[Besides, as long as our Gene Father doesn't speak, this matter will be a secret between the three of us forever: Oh, no, it should be four people. After all, in order to ensure that the Emperor can adopt this script, I have won over a heavyweight ally in Holy Terra. ]

"I think I can guess who he is."

Conrad narrowed his eyes.

"How interesting: you and that old man can actually become allies?"

【As long as there are common interests. 】

As she spoke, the Lord of Avalon pulled out a letter from her files and handed it to Conrad, while the Midnight Haunter returned the script in his hand to its original owner, and then took the ornate letter with interest.

"This is……"

【Fulgrim.】

Morgan smiled.

[A brother who has no deep connection with you or me, but this does not prevent him from writing me a letter with such gorgeous words, inviting me to become his temporary ally: You see, in the face of common interests, the closeness of personal relationships is insignificant. ]

"That's really interesting."

Conrad smiled.

"Let me see...ah?"

"What is Fulgrim planning?"

"Is he trying to win you over to get votes for his Gorgon?"

【pretty close.】

Morgan stared.

[After all, the news that our Gene-Father is about to leave the Great Crusade has now been known by all the Legions. Everyone knows that the Emperor will definitely decide on the Warmaster before leaving the Great Crusade. In other words, if Ferrus still wants to sprint for the final selection of the Warmaster, then the time left for him is not much. ]

"So, he plans to make a name for himself with a glorious victory?"

[That's right, our Gorgon brother has even changed his past style and reached a thorough cooperation with the Third Legion. He recently encountered a pocket interstellar empire called Gardenar, which is a rich place that can be called the crown of the star field. As long as it can be incorporated into the empire, then the possibility of Ferrus's election to become the warmaster will definitely increase by several percentage points. ]

"That's what I said..."

Midnight Haunter licked his lips.

"But the situation is a little different from what I had expected. Ferrus is working with the entire Emperor's Children this time, not just the Second Company of Akudona? Fulgrim has given you a letter specifically for this purpose, hoping to relocate those Emperor's Children who are visiting Avalon back in advance?"

[Understandable: After all, Ferrus does not have much time. ]

Morgan waved her hand. She was no stranger to Conrad's strange words: the Lord of Avalon was sure that the Midnight Haunter had foreseen Gardenar's story in advance, but reality seemed to have once again deviated a little from the future that Conrad had foreseen.

[Because time is urgent, Ferrus probably only has this one chance to show himself before the Emperor selects a warmaster, so he will naturally pursue the safest option: the third and twelfth legions fighting side by side is the plan with the highest success rate that Gorgon can think of.]

"He even summoned a special Ultramarines to assist him?"

[He did not summon him: Guilliman approached him on his own initiative.]

Morgan smiled and shook his head.

"Then he is deeply in love."

Conrad grinned and let the papers in his hands float back onto the table.

"I would rather Guilliman put his phonograph in front of Ferrus and Fulgrim, and after they have fallen asleep, he would lead his Ultramarines to help Ferrus defeat Gardenar. Isn't that Macragge always trying to get close to Ferrus?"

【…】

[The most interesting thing is that your plan is very feasible. ]

Morgan didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

Neither she nor Conrad would probably ever forget the scene when they woke up that morning: the four Primarchs were all bleary-eyed in sleep, but when they opened the door, they saw half of the Round Table Guards lying at the door. Apparently, they had realized something was wrong and were knocked down by the phonograph that was still playing while they were rushing to rescue them.

The remaining half of the Round Table Guard, together with the reinforcements, stood guard more than ten meters away and even erected a tight shield wall: if the battery of the phonograph itself could only last for one night, there was no telling how long this ridiculous scene would have lasted.

The Spider Queen patted her head.

[Okay, Conrad: When you see Guilliman later, don't tease him about this. He already feels guilty.]

"Do not worry."

Midnight Haunter nodded.

"Even if I really want to make fun of him: I have a better way."

【…? 】

------

"Are you serious, Conrad?"

Even though they were separated by an astronomical distance that could not be calculated at all, the excited faces of the Macragge people could still be clearly revealed by the specially modified holographic projection: whether it was the fatigue between their brows or the relief and excitement in the depths of their pupils.

"You mean, although both Jonson and Leman Russ have been called upon by the Emperor, we do not have to act with Jonson, we only have to fight with Russ: Jonson will be on the sidelines?"

"correct."

Conrad chuckled.

"I am glad to hear it, Guilliman: even Russ is better than Jonson?"

"..."

The Lord of Five Hundred Worlds did not respond, but his smile said it all.

"If it is as you have told me, brother, then it is not unacceptable. Russ came as a symbol of the Emperor's punishment, and Jonson came to prevent the worst from happening: although neither you nor I think this will happen."

Guilliman shook his head: Even though he knew the worst-case scenario Conrad had mentioned and the consequences of Johnson's attack, it was obvious that the Lord of Five Hundred Worlds still believed from the bottom of his heart that this situation would not happen, and he still felt that this was just an inappropriate joke.

"But if that's the case, what is our position?"

"good question."

In response to Guilliman's question, Conrad laughed wantonly, and before answering, he deliberately glanced at the Lord of Avalon who was silent beside him: After Morgan finished discussing those necessary topics with Guilliman, he shrank into his seat, seemingly focusing all his interest on the remaining dessert.

In other words: no one will stop the King of Nostramo from speaking freely.

"Morgan's role is self-evident, my brother Macragge: our sister serves as the Emperor's advisor and representative when necessary, and she is visiting the City of Perfection to replace Malcador. After all, when it comes to matters concerning the Primarch, the Lord is ultimately too insignificant."

"Understandable."

Guilliman nodded.

He agreed with Conrad's statement. Morgan's ability indeed ensured that she could help the Emperor in many things. This was also the reason why she was recruited: compared with the role of the Lord of Avalon, the Dawnbreaker Legion seemed insignificant. The main reason why they could go to the Perfect City was that the Second Legion would not allow their Gene Mother to cross the entire galaxy without protection.

In short: giveaways.

"What about you and Corax?"

"The two of us are even less important."

Conrad grinned.

"Corax is still reviewing his lessons in his room, and I don't plan to show up in front of the Word Bearers. We didn't even bring any soldiers with us. We just appeared as spectators. In the history books of the future, Corax and I will not have anything to do with the Perfect City."

"indeed so."

The Macragge frowned, feeling vaguely that something was wrong.

"If you put it that way, each of us has a very clear position."

"Yes."

Conrad grinned.

"Some are responsible for protecting the Emperor himself, some are responsible for being the symbol of the Emperor's punishment, some are the blades that the Emperor holds tightly in his hand, some help the Emperor deal with various problems: and some are simply spectators."

"...Wait a minute."

Guilliman hesitated.

"Who will handle Perfect City then? They don't sound like they'll actually do the job."

"Of course."

Conrad couldn't hold it in any longer, and his words were accompanied by laughter.

"So, the Emperor specially dispatched a large number of Primarchs and their legions, who seemed to know everything but also seemed to know nothing, and who obeyed his orders, to carry out the specific work of this operation: such as blocking the city, evacuating the people, or serving as a background board in the event, just to do these odd jobs."

"That makes sense."

The Lord of Five Hundred Worlds nodded and clapped his hands excitedly.

“It all makes sense.”

"The Emperor's Guard of Honor."

"The Emperor's punishment."

"The Emperor's Blade."

"The Emperor's Voice."

"There is another one who does odd jobs."

"Yes, a handyman."

Conrad chuckled.

"Sounds like the extra one?"

"Of course: you know what, it really sounds like the superfluous one."