Emperor's Bane

Chapter 833: Dragged into a small dark room by Sanguinius
"No problem at all."

"If it helps you understand the dangers of Chaos, we will be happy to take the Nemesis Blade out of the Military Museum. As for our fellow Cainblaich people, they will definitely not refuse this reason."

Things were going better than Morgan had expected.

She was originally worried that given the Federation of Kings' vigilance against their old enemy's blade, there was no way they would give up this murderous blade.

But in fact, after the Primarch made a tentative request, before Morgan could add some false promises, she received a response from the envoys of the Federation of Kings.

"It is only a weapon: if you want it, you may take it."

It was impossible for the three ambassadors to be unaware of the peculiarities of the Nemesis Blade, but except for the general who was slightly hesitant, the other two quickly agreed to Morgan's request.

In fact, they made the promise lightly, as if they were discussing an insignificant piece of metal: considering their previous extreme importance to the enemy blade, this discrepancy made Morgan suspicious.

The ambassadors responded with smiles.

"To be honest, if your country still knows nothing about Chaos, or if you are really a minion of the evil god, then we will never hand over the Enemy Blade to you. But the reality is not like that."

"During the previous negotiations, your knowledge of the Warp and your determination to resist the Chaos enemy were enough for us to hand over the Nemesis Blade to you with peace of mind. Rather than letting it continue to lie in a museum, it is better to play its role in another land."

【…】

Morgan was speechless.

After all, from a certain point of view, the idea of ​​the Federation of Kings is not wrong: since they cannot make full use of the effectiveness of the Nemesis Blade, then handing it over to the hands of the Primarch will always stir up greater waves in the galaxy.

Since a compromise had been reached, the topic was quickly passed over, and the Primarch began to communicate with the envoys of the Federation of Kings on every possible term of cooperation regarding Chaos and the Warp that they could reach.

Unlike Horus before, Morgan did not suffer any setbacks in the negotiations: except for a few areas that the Federation of Kings regarded as basic national policies, which remained unshakable, this human regime dominated by xenophobia could make concessions on almost any specific clause.

But on the other hand, the victory of the Spider Queen also had a share of credit with the Wolf God: all the peaceful treaties that the two sides were able to reach were the result of Horus repeatedly mentioning and showing goodwill in the previous few months. If the Federation of Kings had not been wary of the problem of Chaos, they would have chosen to sign a contract with the Warmaster long ago.

If that's the case, there's certainly no reason for Morgan to take all the credit, and there's no point in her taking the credit.

The two sides reached an agreement that the Federation of Kings would finalize these terms in the next formal talks with the Warmaster, allowing Horus to return to the Great Crusade with peace of mind.

As for the content of this meeting: it is better for the Wolf God to never know.

This was something Morgan had proposed on her own initiative, and she had no psychological burden at all: deceiving superiors and subordinates, colluding with foreign dynasties, she had already been very skilled at it when the emperor was in power. Now it was just that her boss had changed, but the Spider Queen's business ability had not declined.

From this point of view, this was probably one of the few benefits that the Emperor's departure from the Great Crusade gave to Morgan: without that unreliable but experienced veteran, the young Imperial Warmaster had no way to limit the Spider Queen's performance.

Not to mention the means, just in terms of the understanding of Morgan, there is a huge gap between Horus and the Emperor: the Lord of Mankind and the Spider Queen know each other inside and out, and although the Warmaster's understanding of Morgan is not the same as the previous version, he has missed several patches.

Compared to his father, Horus is still too weak now.

However, because of this, Morgan was always willing to favor Horus slightly, either overtly or covertly, so that the Warmaster would mistakenly believe that this sister could be on the same side as himself, thereby creating a more relaxed atmosphere for the Spider Queen to perform.

This time is no exception.

If she played her cards right, she could even make Horus owe him a favor.

The War Marshal's favor is very valuable.

Although it is not always possible to do a favor as great as saving Sejanus, if Horus frequently relies on her small help, given the wolf god's overly self-esteem, he will definitely find an opportunity to repay her with all his heart.

As it happened, Morgan did have a few problems that needed Horus's assistance, mostly concerning her Far Eastern frontier: as the Warmaster gradually gained a foothold in the Wolf Realm, this most extensive of the Primarch realms was destined to become a behemoth that would stir up the entire eastern and northern galaxy.

If nothing unexpected happens, the Far Eastern Frontier will maintain a long northern border with the Wolf Kingdom, and many important allies of the Spider Queen, such as Ryza, Nostramo and Valhalla, are also within the influence of the Moon Wolves.

Therefore, even if it was to open the door to convenience in governing the country and making allies, Morgan did not mind maintaining friendship with Horus: a peace treaty that seemed to be obtained by the Wolf God alone, but the Warmaster privately knew that she had helped, wasn't it a good gift?

As for whether Horus would feel jealous because of this?
Ha! If the Emperor could only choose such a narrow-minded person in the end, Morgan would not mind telling the Warmaster to face reality.

Horus will realize that the forces that closely border the Wolf Realm, apart from Holy Terra and the Blood Angels, the remaining ones are the Dawnbreakers, Dark Angels, Iron Warriors, Space Wolves and Night Lords.

If the two sides really were to fight, even if Horus had the largest force, Morgan would not necessarily be the one at a disadvantage.

Of course, this is all later: the immediate problem lies with the Federation of Kings.

In the end, the Spider Queen chose to take away from the Alliance of Kings detailed records of their battles with the followers of Chaos, as well as the Warp knowledge that Cainbridge and the Eldar had taught them: especially the latter, Morgan also took away as many Eldar books as possible on the pretext of studying Chaos.

Maybe it will be useful in the future.

This decision also reflects the Spider Queen's concerns about the Federation of Kings.

Yes, on the surface, they did reach a lot of agreements, but when it came to any clauses related to alien forces, the envoys across the table would only talk about other things: even if they reached an agreement on the issue of chaos, they were unwilling to compromise on the alien side.

Morgan could understand: If the Emperor encountered a force that could join forces with them to fight Chaos, but this force required the Empire to abandon its policy towards aliens, then the Lord of Mankind would most likely be unwilling to do so.

Even if you are willing to compromise: that is just a prelude to being stabbed in the future.

Unfortunately, this is the state that the Empire and the Federation of Kings are in now.

In Morgan's eyes, this meant a tragedy was bound to happen: even if Horus could reach a compromise with the Federation of Kings, the two sides would most likely split in the end. When the Warmaster and the Federation of Kings came into contact again, that might be the time when they officially went to war.

Morgan will not intervene in this war, but she can foresee the destruction of the Federation of Kings.

However, this brings up another issue that the Primarch has always been worried about.

The Spider Queen has always suspected that the emergence of the Federation of Kings was no coincidence, a country that was highly deviated from the Empire's ideas but could just about get along with it, a country that had such a deep understanding of chaos but had such inferior means, yet had remained safe and sound for thousands of years.

Could such a coincidence really happen?
The Primarch thought of the Ravens: if the Chaos God didn't mind sacrificing a loyal race just to meet him, then if the Federation of Kings had been taking the opportunity to corrupt Horus or other Primarchs from the very beginning, then their existence would be reasonable.

Why can such a despicable method always work? Because Chaos has never used its true power. They want to use the Federation of Kings as bait, and wait for the right time to let the Wolf God swallow it in one gulp.

It was this possibility that Morgan feared.

But more importantly: she really couldn't come up with any good solution for the time being.

[Tsk… Really…]

The Primarch felt some remorse.

And she only now realized that she actually had a shortcoming: she rarely acted as a true leader.

Although she has played an important role in various events in the Empire for a long time, and although many times she seems to have played a greater role than the Lord of Mankind, it is undeniable that Morgan has always been just an executor, and the Emperor is the one who leads the overall situation.

Although in most cases, the Lord of Mankind seemed to do nothing, it was enough for him just to sit in that position: he had enough courage to start a war and enough courage to make decisions, and all of this was not possessed by the current Spider Queen.

It is true that Morgan can act arbitrarily in matters concerning a sector's war or the governance of Avalon, but when the situation rises to a higher level, to a fight with Chaos or a conflict with the Four Gods, Morgan ultimately lacks the courage and necessary experience.

She was used to hiding behind the Emperor when it came to these important issues.

Because this is indeed the safest option.

Just like now: no matter how much she disliked Lucy beside her, if that old guy were still there, Morgan would not be as passive as she is now. The fate of the Federation of Kings could be decided with just a nod of the head.

Lucy would make the decision and give Morgan an order, and the Spider Queen would just have to figure out how to execute it.

Thinking of this, the Lord of Avalon felt somewhat amused.

It was really ironic. For a long time, she had always hated the oppression of the Lord of Mankind, but when she lost this oppression, she found that she really needed him in many cases: this strange feeling was like the relationship between the various worlds and the Human Empire.

【…】

Forget it, there's no point in lamenting.

Let's just... take safe measures first.

The Primarch made the decision, and at this time, only an hour had passed since the start of this secret meeting. Zavisa and others outside the door only asked twice in secret: but the really important topics had been discussed.

The ambassadors began to pack up the documents, whispering to each other. Morgan didn't care what they discussed in private. She only needed to tap the table with her fingers, and the people of the Federation of Kings would shift their attention.

【Gentlemen.】

The Spider Queen smiled.

[Please forgive my offense: But I just had a very good idea.] "..."

The ambassadors glanced at each other.

"What is it, Mr. Morgan?"

------

"Exchanging state gifts?"

The Wolf Shepherd God raised his brow.

And the great joy on his face had not yet faded.

The Warmaster certainly had reason to be happy: ever since the diplomatic ambassador with full authority to represent the Federation of Kings arrived in Zenobia, Horus had immediately requested a negotiation to end this already somewhat delayed diplomatic journey.

As he had expected, the long tug-of-war that was supposed to last at least a month according to the Wolf God's plan came to an end in a very short time: perhaps the Federation of Kings finally felt his sincerity?
Of course, they are still unwilling to compromise on the issue of aliens, but the harmony between the two sides in the remaining areas is enough to support a peace treaty.

The most important point is: although the Federation of Kings will not actively declare it, they tacitly allow the Empire to call the Federation of Kings its vassal state in diplomacy. In return, the Warmaster naturally promises a high degree of autonomy, allowing the Federation of Kings to maintain its independence in fact.

Horus thought this was fine: an Agreement of Attribution was a good start, and they still had a long time to bring the Commonwealth of Kings back into the arms of the Imperium of Man and to make peace with those less pleasant issues.

This will take time, perhaps several generations or even more than a dozen generations, to slowly change their minds, but the Warmaster knows very well that what the empire lacks the least now is time: the galaxy is already in their hands, and now all they have to do is slowly digest it.

Everything will be fine.

When he signed his name to the treaty that would bring an era of peace, Horus did not forget to add the glory of the Imperial Warmaster: his mind was filled with joy, and his generous smile inspired everyone present.

At this time, the Foreign Minister of the Federation of Kings came before the Primarch and was respected by the Warmaster: because it was his arrival that finally brought this long diplomatic tug-of-war to a perfect resolution, and for this, the Wolf God was willing to listen to the other party's wishes.

Then he got a plan for exchanging state gifts.

“That’s a good idea.”

When the Warmaster turned around and confessed this to his warriors, none of the followers had any objections. Even Abaddon remained silent: Although he still did not want to see the signing of the contract, Abaddon was also happy to see that the difficult time in the Federation of Kings was finally coming to an end.

As for more realistic warriors like Sejanus and Loken, they were already thinking about what kind of state ceremony they should prepare.

"It's not easy."

Loken frowned.

"According to what they said, they will give us the priceless historical text and the precious Nemesis Blade as part of the state gift, and will also give us a large number of books and works of art. The value of this gift is too high, and we must show equal sincerity."

"This is indeed a problem."

On the other side, Sejanus, who had always been the most shrewd and capable, also fell into trouble.

"Especially considering that we, the Luna Wolves, are not known for our...collections."

In the blink of an eye, the distress brought by the problem began to dilute the joy of contract shaping, and the change came so quickly that soldiers like Abaddon and young Horus could not even react: the captain of the first company frowned directly and took it for granted to say his own good idea.

"This is not easy!"

As they returned to their hotel, Ezekiel's voice echoed through the corridors.

"The Luna Wolves have won countless victories in the Great Crusade, and each victory has brought us great trophies. We will give them the most noble of them, which will surely make them feel our sincerity."

"For example, when they defeated the Ullanor Orc Empire, Lord Horus and the Emperor cut off the head of a greenskin legionnaire. It was taller than a building. Those people in the Federation of Kings must have never seen it. I have visited their military museum, and there is no collection that can compare to this head."

"Why not just treat it as a state gift?"

Abaddon patted his chest, feeling proud of his genius plan, and was completely unaware of the pitying looks from the Primarch, including Sejanus and Loken.

"Good thought, Ezekiel."

Horus sighed.

"But have you ever thought about how much time it took us to convince our fellow countrymen in the Federation of Kings that the Empire is not a country that is good at nothing but war? And your plan can perfectly undermine this."

"..."

Abaddon stopped talking. He opened his mouth like a goldfish, and after a while, he opened his mouth like a deflated balloon.

"Then what do you think we should do?"

"Hmm...let me think about it..."

During the walk from the conference center to the hotel, the Wolf Shepherd God already had a vague plan in his mind.

"Perhaps I can't accomplish this by myself."

He first admitted it frankly.

"I need the help of others: have any of you seen where Sanguinius is?"

"I saw it."

Returning to Horus was Abaddon, who was at the front of the procession.

He pointed his finger forward.

"That's the one in front of us who is dragging Master Morgan into the small dark room."

"..."

"what?"

Horus raised his head quickly.

Then, he saw...

[Quack! Horus: Save me! ]

Less than two hundred meters in front of the Wolf God, four strong hands were holding the dishevelled Spider Queen tightly. No matter how she struggled on the wall, they dragged her into the darkness behind them without any explanation.

"Sanguinius? Fulgrim?"

The Wolf Shepherd God's brow twitched.

"What are you doing?"

【wryyyyyyyyyyy! 】

【Horus! 】

The scream of the Lord of Avalon made everyone present shrink their necks involuntarily. After a long silence, it was Abaddon, who seemed to have nothing to do with the matter, who was the first to stick his head out and asked his father tentatively.

"Father, should we go... help Master Morgan?"

"..."

Horus was silent for a moment.

"Um……"

"Let's go back to the battleship first: see if there's anything in our collection that would be suitable for a state gift."

After saying this, without waiting for his other offspring to react, Horus turned around and left.

As for Morgan?

Ok……

No care.

(End of this chapter)