Emperor's Bane

Chapter 866 Life-Saving Talisman

And so, because of the hospitality of a certain Spider Queen, the Lord of Macragge's routine visit to the Far Eastern frontier had to be extended for a few days beyond the original schedule.

As for the reason for keeping Guilliman, Morgan only gave a vague answer, not to mention that Guilliman himself didn't care much about it.

He is very confident.

Up to now, the Three Kingdoms of the Far East, which was founded by Great Avalon and the Five Hundred Worlds and later absorbed Nostramo, has a history of more than 120 years: even for the Primarch, this is a long time that is enough to make people feel at ease.

And if we look at it from the perspective of mortals with shorter lives, this covenant has been upheld for almost five generations.

A century of close alliance has made the relationship between the Far Eastern Frontier and Macragge a little too inadequate even to be described as historical friendly countries: to a certain extent, although they still maintain their respective independence, the territories of the Ultramarines and the Dawnbreakers can already be regarded as a disguised federation.

For Morgan, she can confidently and boldly build some important industrial facilities that do not involve Avalon's fundamental interests directly near the raw material production areas in Ultramar, so as to save costs and avoid losses during transportation.

For Guilliman, a long stay in Avalon or Nostramo would not affect his rule over the Five Hundred Worlds: the Ultramarines were already accustomed to their Gene-Father staying in his friendly kingdoms in the north for several months or even years at a time.

Not even the most cautious Ultramarines would be fazed by this.

What's more, in order to better maintain communication with each other, the new recruits of the Primarch Guards of the three Far Eastern Legions are actually trained at the same place, and their instructors are also the elites from the three Legions, and they are not trained separately from each other.

The biggest advantage of doing this is that you can help each other and learn the experience you need from your brother legions.

For example, if the Dawnbreakers' Primarch Guard wanted to know how to protect their Primarch if he were attacked by a powerful hostile psychic, they would find no reference material in their own Legion's archives.

But in the database of the Primarch Guard of the Ultramarines Legion, the Sons of Morgan can find a vast amount of information and practical experience.

Of course, for the Primarch, this behavior of his offspring was just a small episode. Even the most humble Primarch would not expect his personal guards to play an irreplaceable role in his time of crisis: not even Vulkan would think so.

Guilliman certainly wouldn't either.

Although the Lord of Macragge does not consider himself a professional warrior, he is still very confident in his fighting ability.

His greatest reliance comes from his competition with several of his closest brothers over the past few decades.

Although he is not a battle maniac, in daily life, even the Lord of Five Hundred Worlds can't help but feel itchy: Although Macragge is famous for its marble council hall and baths, there is actually no shortage of arenas in this city.

Not to mention, Guilliman also has a perfect virtual combat device in his hands.

Therefore, every Primarch who had ever visited Macragge had been invited to the tournament arena by its master: Morgan and Konrad had experienced it most often, followed by Jonson and Corax.

Even Angron had to reluctantly compete with Guilliman several times due to Guilliman's kindness.

After all, the Lord of Macragge agreed to the aid to the World Eaters without even looking at it, so facing Guilliman's excited eyes, even the Void King could not say no.

He even had to say something nice.

For example: I often watch and study Guilliman's battle highlights, etc.

The Lord of the Five Hundred Worlds' understanding of his own combat capabilities is based on these competitions between brothers: although it is not as good as real swords and guns on the battlefield, by analyzing his own wins and losses on the arena, Guilliman believes that he can also infer his approximate ranking among his many brothers?
First of all, one thing is certain: he is not as good as Angron.

Although the Lord of the World Eaters might be the least enthusiastic of all the contestants, he was still able to easily knock down Guilliman and take the lead in the battle: his rich combat experience and diverse weapon selection were an eye-opener for the Macragge people.

What made him even happier was that even though the gap between him and Angron was obvious, Guilliman was still able to actually hurt Angron before he was knocked to the ground: this was enough to prove that the gap between him and the Void King was not despairing.

However, the Lord of Five Hundred Worlds seemed to have forgotten one thing: when he was carefully planning his killing move, he naturally did not notice that Angron always maintained a calm and compassionate face.

Moreover, when he wounded Angron: the World Eater Lord simply did not even try to hide.

It's like being a volunteer playing with kids in a kindergarten.

Under Angron, Guilliman admitted that Jonson was also better than himself: this was not something he could say easily.

But Guilliman did not think that the Lion was stronger than Angron: compared to Angron's diverse and varied fighting methods, the Lion who could only wield a sword was too monotonous, and the Caliban people did not even have a decent trump card.

What is particularly strange is that although the relationship between Jonson and the Spider Queen is visibly close, Jonson has never used even a single psychic technique in his fight with Guilliman.

Why can't he use psychic powers?
Could it be that he doesn't know how to do it?
But despite this, Jonson was still able to defeat him relatively consistently.

And if according to the fact that Morgan had told him before, that Angron and Jonson's fighting abilities were enough to rank among the top five among all the Primarchs, then Guilliman believed that he could rank around seventh or eighth.

At worst, it’s still around tenth place: at least it’s at the top among the brothers.

This confidence comes from the fact that he has defeated Corax and Conrad many times.

Of course, the case of Corax is not completely convincing. After all, the Raven King always seems a little restrained in the fight between brothers, and Guilliman never thinks that he has exerted his full strength.

But Conrad: This guy's fighting ability is really speechless.

Obviously, he was quite difficult to deal with when fighting with him, but why was he knocked to the ground with just three or two punches when they faced each other in the arena: He has been with Jonson and Morgan for so long, could it be that the Midnight Haunter didn't learn even a single trick?
Speaking of this, of course there is Morgan.

Morgan...

Well, forget it.

Guilliman smiled.

Anyway, if Morgan had psychic powers, no one would need to worry about him. If he didn't have psychic powers, with his combat power ranking among the top ten among the Primarchs, Guilliman was confident that he could protect Morgan.

If the two of them join forces, even Horus can be defeated.

Isn’t this the perfect example of how the Five Hundred Worlds and Avalon complement each other?

Thinking of this, Lord Macragge's steps became much lighter.

Five days later, Guilliman pushed open the door of Morgan's office again, but before he could walk in, he almost bumped into someone.

Looking closely, isn't this Conrad's half-sister?

"Good afternoon, little one."

The Lord of Macragge nodded towards Virgo in a friendly manner. He naturally knew his sisters' most beloved eldest daughter. Although his relationship with this eldest niece was not as pleasant as that with Uncle Conrad, Guilliman would occasionally bring gifts.

But not today.

And Virgo doesn't seem to have time to look forward to her gift.

"what are you doing?"

Guilliman glanced at the box in Virgo's arms, which was as tall as him. The three-meter-high box seemed quite top-heavy in front of a thin little girl.

The Primarch observed carefully and found that these boxes were all uniformly labeled with certain labels, which were full of words such as daily necessities and souvenirs.

"Mother wants to tidy up her personal living room a bit."

Virgo nodded, then walked around Guilliman.

"She has plans to travel far away recently."

"Travelling?"

Guilliman raised a brow.

"at this time?"

The Primarch felt a little unbelievable: Everyone knows that the entire galaxy is holding its breath, paying attention to the situation on Holy Terra. Although Horus will take a few more days to arrive in the solar system, his every move will affect the future fate of the human empire.

The various Primarchs who were in high positions and had little chance of escaping this catastrophe either took part in it personally or sat perched on their thrones, staying up all night and closely following the development of the situation, fearing that they would miss out on the latest intelligence.

But why did the Spider Queen choose to travel so far away at this time?

Isn't she afraid that something might happen to Terra and she won't be able to react in time?
Or had Morgan already obtained accurate information that allowed her to be certain that the Terra crisis would be resolved peacefully?

Or maybe Morgan had already made his own judgment on this crisis in his heart.

No, that's not right. He knew Morgan. Even if she had made up her mind, Morgan would not make such an arbitrary decision. She had never been an overconfident person.

Or maybe the Spider Queen is going to do something more important now?
But right now, what could be more important than the Terra crisis?

Because of Virgo's words, Lord Macragge's old habit of daydreaming suddenly came online again. He stood there, frowning, and was stunned for several minutes, until his stiff calf seemed to be touched by something.

"?"

The Primarch lowered his head and found a little man in a green robe: he was struggling to lift a box that was taller than himself, and it seemed that he was helping Virgo.

Sensing that the Primarch was looking at him, the little man in the robe raised his head. Under the dark green robe was a dark, empty area that made people feel uneasy. For no reason, the Primarch actually felt fearful in front of this thing that was not even as tall as his calf.

Fortunately, the same fear was also shown on the little man in the robe. He first stared at Guilliman blankly for a while, then lifted the box, moved his body with great effort, quietly bypassed the Primarch, and then hurriedly ran behind Guilliman, jumping like a spirit apple.

The Lord of Macragge watched the scene in front of him in a daze, feeling that his scientific ideas, which he was so proud of, seemed to have been challenged a little at that moment, until he noticed that Morgan's pet cat was also carrying a box on its back and holding a box by its tail, swaggering past him. "Meow~"

The Warmaster grunted contemptuously at the Lord of Macragge, then disappeared from sight in a few final strides, too fast even for Guilliman to react.

"..."

Why do these things Morgan raises always make him feel a little weird?

Guilliman pondered the question before turning back to continue his journey.

Without much hindrance, the Primarch soon found his sister in the same position as a few days ago: it was as if Morgan had not moved at all in all those days.

However, compared to before, Morgan now looks more lazy. Although she is a strong Primarch, Guilliman can feel a liquid-like flow in his sister's body.

"You haven't slept for a few days?"

[Hmm... I'm a bit busy...]

The Spider Queen's dark circles and constant yawning made her words sound completely unconvincing to Guilliman.

"Ok."

The Primarch opened his mouth, wanting to persuade his sister, but then he remembered that when Morgan was stubborn about something, no amount of persuasion would be of any use: so he turned his attention to another topic.

"You said in the communication that you had something important to give me."

【Ah, that’s right.】

The Spider Queen nodded, and then almost with great effort, she climbed out of her chair.

She searched left and right, muttering something.

[Where did it go? I remember I put it here just now... ah, right! ]

[Here! ]

When the Spider Queen held up the object she had been looking for, the Macragge people instinctively closed their eyes: because what Morgan took out was too dazzling, it emitted a sun-like light, instantly illuminating the entire room.

"This...what is this?"

[Wait a moment, I will use my psychic power to adjust its brightness. ]

After a while, the dazzling light finally disappeared from the Primarch's sight. Guilliman opened his eyes with difficulty, and then he realized what Morgan wanted to give him: it was a dagger that was very crudely made even from a primitive man's perspective.

A golden dagger.

"What's this?"

【A gift.】

The Spider Queen crossed her hands into a web and placed them under her chin.

【A gift that can protect you when I am away from home. 】

"Thanks?"

The Primarch blinked and grabbed the dagger with some curiosity: it was a bit of an exaggeration to call it a dagger. It was more like a piece of metal that had been peeled off by various means, and then roughly shaved a few times, barely outlining the outline of a knife.

Holding it in his palm, Guilliman felt a faint warmth. Although he did not feel any substantial changes, his brain told him that his defense against certain darkness seemed to have improved.

However, the Primarch could not feel more details, and he could not tell what the darkness was referring to: but the golden dagger did give him a sense of security.

So he smiled and nodded sincerely to Morgan.

"Thank you, sister."

【You're welcome. 】

Morgan was holding her temples. She was in worse condition than five days ago and seemed to have a severe headache.

[You must remember that you kept it with you after returning to Macragge.]

"I will."

Guilliman had begun to study the golden dagger carefully, and he soon discovered the problem.

Although this metal looks like gold, its texture and touch are definitely not gold. It is not even any metal known to the Lord of the Five Hundred Worlds.

The Primarch blinked, unable to contain his curiosity.

"Can I ask you something, Morgan?"

"The raw material of this dagger comes from some remote world?"

【That's not true. 】

Morgan leaned back in her chair again, and even though she did nothing, the Macragge could still see beads of sweat on the Spider Queen's bare arms, as if Morgan had just been through a battle.

[In simple terms…]

The Lord of Avalon smiled and pointed to his head.

【It came from here: from inside my head.】

[To be honest, I didn’t have high hopes at first. After all, I wasn’t sure whether the thing really existed or was just a virtual illusion in my mind: it turned out that our father was quite a craftsman, and he really put something there.]

[As my control over my mind grew, I was able to actively get some benefits from him, regardless of whether he agreed or not: but this time, it seemed that he was in real trouble and actually ignored my behavior throughout the whole process. ]

【But that’s all I can dig up. 】

"..."

Guilliman opened his mouth wide. He did not understand a word Morgan said: but the word Emperor was enough to put him on guard.

"You mean the Emperor..."

【Shh! 】

Morgan extended a finger and pressed it to Guilliman's lips with a weak smile.

【This is my business.】

"..."

Guilliman nodded.

[But, then again. 】

Before Guilliman could ask anything else, Morgan smiled and took control of the conversation.

[If you still want it, I can't do it in a short time: to be honest, it's quite tiring to dig it out. ]

[Especially considering that I haven't had a good rest recently because I've been looking for that old bastard.]

[But its power is unquestionable, Guilliman: keep it with you, it will save your life in times of crisis.]

"Save me?"

The Primarch blinked, his sharp mind instantly becoming active.

"Or, whoever carries it will be saved by it."

【Well, that should be the case. 】

The Spider Queen nodded.

[What? Do you have a new idea? ]

"No, I was just thinking."

The Macragge was silent: a thin figure flashed through his mind.

【If it is really as you said. 】

【Then there is one person: She will need this dagger more than I do. 】

(End of this chapter)