Emperor's Bane

Chapter 887 Kneel down, Daddy begs you for something
【Actually, I have another question for you. 】

+…said. +
How did you convince Guilliman?

……

"Robert? Robert?"

"My dear little Robert."

"Wake up, you shouldn't be sleeping here."

"Hmm! Hmm... hm?"

Guilliman felt his consciousness becoming hazy.

He was sleepy and dizzy, and he kept rubbing his eyes and yawning. From time to time, he felt a tingling sensation on his back and shoulders: the Primarch could feel as if he was lying on a bed or a sofa, and was awakened from an unexpectedly long sleep.

Who is calling him?
Guilliman forced himself to open his eyes, only to find that the face in front of him was a very familiar face that often appeared in his memory.

Although there seemed to be some discrepancies, Guilliman would never forget this kindness and sense of security.

"Eudun...Ms. Euden?"

That extremely familiar outline and that smile that he had long been accustomed to: Although the adoptive mother in front of him seemed to have suddenly become a lot younger, and although he didn't know why he came here, Guilliman still instinctively felt a sense of security.

He wanted to sit up, but found that his limbs were somewhat out of control. He turned his head and realized that his palm seemed abnormally small: this was not his hand, at least not the hand he should have now.

His limbs were so slender and his voice so childish: it sounded as if he were only three or four years old.

How is this going?

The Primarch was briefly stunned.

He turned into a child again, and the lady in front of him also became so young. Moreover, he was now lying on a sofa, surrounded by books. On the ceiling, he could still see the glorious symbol of Macragge: but he could not find the legion emblem of the Ultramarines.

And in the Primarch's memory, the solemn voice of King Connor seemed to be coming from the next room, intermittently: as if he was talking to someone.

Guilliman blinked.

Oh……

It turns out he was dreaming!
What a novel experience!

He must be dreaming about his childhood: those were indeed days worth remembering.

His adoptive father was still alive, and the misfortune that had befallen him had not yet begun to trouble everyone, and Lady Euton was still young and beautiful, with no wrinkles on her face, and rheumatism and backache had not yet had time to torment her body.

Even Guilliman himself had no trouble: perhaps he was not satisfied with his status as a child at the time and wanted to formally participate in politics and management to prove to others his talents in these more serious fields, but now, Guilliman, who had the chance to do it all over again, would not have such an idea.

He is still willing to take responsibility for Macragge, and even the entire Five Hundred Worlds of Ultramar, but in his eyes, this will be just a simple responsibility: if the price of gaining power is the current loneliness and the departure of his adoptive father, then perhaps staying in these better and more carefree days is a better choice?

Guilliman couldn't figure out the answer.

He simply closed his eyes, like a real child, and felt Ms. Euden caress the blond curls in his hair.

Such a real touch.

Could dreams be so realistic?
The Primarch was sighing in his heart, but he heard his adoptive mother seeming to mock him gently.

"My little Robert: Did you not behave yourself again last night? You secretly read a book until midnight."

Guilliman smiled but did not respond: This was indeed something he could do when he was a child.

Now?

Now he can legally review documents until midnight.

The Primarch murmured in a nasal voice, as a response to his adoptive mother: he knew Euden, and he knew that given the nagging lady's character, he would surely be greeted with a long speech.

as predicted.

"How many times have I told you this?"

“Go to bed early, get up early: No matter how healthy you are, you can’t stay up late every night.”

"You are in such good health now and can endure this hardship, so what are you going to do in the future..."

Young Guilliman might have felt his ears were callused from hearing such rambling words, but the current Lord of Five Hundred Worlds thought it was just right: even though what Lady Euton said next was obviously repetitive.

Maybe it’s the limitation of dreams?
"It's not just you. You'll have to take over your adoptive father's business in the future. Not only will you have to take care of yourself, but you'll also have to take care of others, everyone you see. You have to take care of their health, and you can't let them stay up all night like you do now without a break."

"Let them go to bed on time."

"..."

Ok?
Did Ms. Euton say anything like that?

Maybe he didn't remember.

Guilliman did not suspect anything: after all, anything that happened in a dream was normal.

He simply closed his eyes, enjoying a rare rest in his dream. Lady Euton's words, almost identical in content, flashed by his ears over and over again. Even though the Primarch had no intention of listening, he had remembered the general content of the words unconsciously.

So he nodded slightly.

"Yes, Ms. Euden."

"Did you really know it or did you pretend to know it?"

“Really…really…”

"Well, what did I say?"

"Maintain a good lifestyle and don't stay up late."

"anything else?"

"Also, if you see people who don't have a routine and don't sleep well, you should let them sleep."

"I know, I know. I'll remember it."

"I...um...I think I actually have a choice."

------

【…】

[Is this how you convinced Guilliman?]

On the empty sea, even one person's voice can drift far away.

【Pretending to be his mother? Ms. Euton? And then misleading him to come to me?】

+The word "misleading" is too ambiguous. +
The Lord of Mankind sat on one side of the fishing boat, his eyes fixed on the deeper parts of the sea, as if he was still thinking about his giant grouper weighing more than 400 kilograms.

+I was just giving him some direction, in a way that he could relatively accept: Any questions? +
[Huh…ha…]

Morgan took a deep breath.

Well, it might take her a while to get used to being with the Emperor again.

[Nothing, I just want to tell you: Ms. Yuton is one of the few people in this galaxy who deserves respect.]

+I know.+
The Emperor nodded.

+She raised Guilliman well: his childhood was blessed with opportunities to guide him everywhere. +
+I just went with the flow, and besides, I didn't do anything weird: at least not this time. +
【? 】

The Spider Queen was somewhat helpless, but the Lord of Mankind did not intend to allow her to continue to be confused.

+Okay, now that you have no questions...+
【Wait, I have another question. 】

Morgan raised her hand, and then she felt a creepy look from the Emperor's direction.

【The last one... the last one! 】

+Say.+
The voice became much colder.

[Since it's all a dream, why don't you go find Conrad instead of Guilliman? ]

+……+
------

"You said you were my father?"

Midnight Haunter took off his bloody claws and glanced with satisfaction at Jonson lying at his feet, and at Morgan who was having a headache over a pile of homework not far away and whose hands were covered with red marks from being beaten because he did not do well in the exam, as well as Guilliman and Corax who were being scolded by their adoptive mother and godsister respectively.

Mmm…enjoy.

This is the only reason why he does not resist the [Dream].

+……+
The Emperor did not reply, but simply nodded.

The Lord of Mankind was not a fool. He also knew that as the only son raised by Morgan himself, Conrad had a very similar personality to the Lord of Avalon to a large extent. When facing him, it would be a good choice to adopt the same strategy as facing Morgan.

It's never wrong to keep silent, right?

"And you want me to rush to Avalon right now and let Morgan go to bed early?"

+That’s right: it’s a lot of things.+
The emperor did not make his words very clear: this actually made Conrad begin to believe him a little.

"I do have plans to go to Avalon soon."

Conrad touched his chin and sat on Jonson with a proud look on his face.

"But how do I know you are truly the Emperor and not some imposter?"

"What if letting Morgan fall asleep is harmful to the Emperor?"

+Why do you doubt this.+
"Because I'm not Magnus: I can still think before I make a decision."

Conrad looked the man in front of him up and down.

"And I am certain: I cannot afford the consequences of this incident."

+So what do you want to do? +
After hearing such calm and self-restrained words coming from the mouth of the Night Haunter, the Emperor could not help but sigh in his heart: Perhaps the assumption made by Malcador at the beginning was correct.

If they had met Morgan first and given each of the Primarchs to Morgan for education, things might have turned out differently: What would be the worst possible outcome? Would Morgan rebel? That would have been a good thing for both of them!
Thinking of this, the Lord of Mankind even showed more patience. He quietly observed Conrad standing there thinking: Obviously, even for this cultured Conrad, thinking was a difficult thing.

"I...um..."

“This is my dream, right?”

+Created based on the data in your mind.+
"Then there must be that thing."

Muttering quickly, Midnight Haunter quickly felt his entire body, then, in a place that made the Emperor look away, he took out what he wanted with satisfaction.

"Aha!"

"see this!"

Conrad proudly waved the photo in his hand three times in front of the Emperor, but all he got was the Lord of Mankind's bland face and confusion in his eyes.

+What happened? +
"…You are not my father!"

The disappointed Midnight Haunter immediately came to a decisive conclusion.

"This is a work photo of Orpei Matsumitsu's upper body that I took with great difficulty. There is no way my real father would remain indifferent to this."

+……+
The Emperor was silent for a moment.

He decided to take back what he had said: leaving all the Primarchs to Morgan to raise might not be a good idea.

"Um, wait, wait!"

Before the Lord of Mankind said anything, Midnight Haunter suddenly hesitated again.

"Maybe it's not exciting enough. Wait: I think I have an even more exciting one here."

+! +
"You know how much effort I put into sneaking into the auxiliary army's collective bath..."

"boom!"

------

【Let me guess. 】

Morgan was playing with a bullet with her back to the increasingly dazzling sunlight. Although the rolling waves made the small boat sway continuously, the Spider Queen still stood stubbornly instead of sitting down.

If you look closely, you will find that the Lord of Avalon's clothes appear a little messy: as if she had just experienced something very bad.

【This is why Conrad suddenly fell into a coma for several days on the way to Avalon.】

+Someone will always pay the price for speaking without restraint. +
The emperor looked at his only daughter with a gloomy face, and there was already some impatience in his eyes.

+And you: There shouldn't be any new questions, right? +
[No more, no more.]

How could the Spider Queen, who was already familiar with the Emperor's tone, not hear the danger: Morgan instantly became the most well-behaved daughter.

[But you...really don't care about Olpersong anymore?]

Damn it, she was hoping to use this information to get some benefits from this old man.

The Emperor simply glanced at his daughter teasingly.

+The reunion between close friends is just a matter of fate, without the need to rely on the help of others. +
【Oh……】

+Then sit down and let's get down to business. +
【sit down?】

+Sit Down! +
The voice was slightly raised, and even the Spider Queen had to obey. Morgan clamped her legs together, moved carefully, and slowly bent down. However, although she was as cautious as possible, when her hips were about to slowly land on the edge of the fishing boat, a sudden gust of wind and waves caused the entire boat to suddenly lose control: the Spider Queen lost her balance and sat down directly.

【hiss! 】

The intense pain made Morgan jump up and he covered his butt without caring about his image.

+Hmph…+
The Lord of Humanity, with a golden light flashing on his fingertips, seemed to be resting with his eyes closed, but a smile flashed across the corners of his mouth: As the emperor put down his fingers, the wind and waves that came from nowhere disappeared for no reason.

+As a Primarch, you are too delicate. +
The obvious sarcasm in the words of the Lord of Mankind caused the Lord of Avalon's face to flash red with anger.

【Trust me, father.】

Morgan grinned with gritted teeth. [No matter which Primarch, his body cannot bear your wrath.]

【Especially... a certain part of the body.】

【Not to mention that you secretly used your psychic powers in the process. 】

+How do you know I used psychic powers? +
【My butt is glowing! 】

【Golden light! 】

The Lord of Avalon roared at the top of his lungs, and could be heard clearly across the entire ocean.

The emperor turned his face away, but his slightly shaking shoulders still betrayed his true nature.

+Sit down. +
The voice was no longer cold.

+We really need to talk.+
【…】

After making sure that the Emperor was not looking at her, the Lord of Avalon gave her father a fierce look, then sat down carefully, clamping her legs tightly together.

Fortunately, nothing happened this time.

[Say it. 】

The Spider Queen twisted her waist and hips uneasily, sighing as she adjusted to the numbness and soreness.

What went wrong?

------

[In other words: you and your so-called Webway Legion are now trapped in the Webway by the Four Gods? ]

+It cannot be said to be a complete siege. +
+We have only lost our way back to Terra, but the Four Gods cannot stop us from going elsewhere. +
By the time the Emperor had finally explained to Morgan everything that had happened in the Webway, the fishing boat they were on had already moored at the coast. The father and daughter walked along the endless gray beach, discussing the vitality of the galaxy in the sea breeze wrapped in the sunset.

The ship was abandoned aside: two obvious convex and concave depressions could be seen on one side of the ship's side, as well as a handprint shining with light golden color in the depression.

[A web gate that can corrode everything. 】

Morgan nodded.

[Sounds like Nurgle's work: but even you can't bear the damage? ]

+I can.+
The Emperor nodded.

+The four gods have proven in their previous actions that even if they cannot truly break through the webway, they can still use external pressure to cause devastating landslides and structural collapse inside the webway: Therefore, I must always stay in the webway to fight against their erosion. +
[Does this work? ]

Morgan frowned.

[Even if you stay inside, they can still attack you: even trap you. ]

+That was indeed the case in the past. +
The Emperor smiled at his daughter.

+But now, I have figured out a way: Want to hear it? +
[Wait a minute: I want to confirm the answers to a few other questions in my mind before I draw any conclusions.]

Morgan counted on his fingers one by one.

【First, I have to consider the reality. 】

+What is it? +
[How big is your Webway Legion? ]

+If they stayed in the real universe: enough to defeat the rebels of nine legions. +
[Exaggerated metaphor?]

+If you don't count the Primarchs. +
[Well then: In that case, how do you maintain this army in the webway? ]

[Even if it's the Custodes, the Sisters of Silence, the Adeptus Mechanicus or something else: they can't not eat and need any consumables, right?]

+You don't have to worry about that. +
The Emperor chuckled, he seemed unable to understand why Morgan was worried about these issues.

+You know what Tyra has been doing all these years, right? +
[That’s too many: which one do you want to talk about?]

"The most important one."

[Are you levying heavy taxes on the entire galaxy? ]

The Primarch scoffed.

+Across the Galaxy: Do you and Guilliman still pay taxes to Holy Terra on time? +
[It won't be handed in on time, but you will always have to complete the task every once in a while: the number is also amazing. ]

Morgan shook his head, not wanting to mention it.

She knew that since the Emperor's departure, the High Lords Council of Holy Terra had nominally ruled the entire Empire for a full fifty years: and their heavy taxes and the Tithe Tax Fleet, which was hated by countless people, had also been rampant across countless stars for a full fifty years.

During these fifty years, even big countries like the Wolf Kingdom, Avalon and the Five Hundred Worlds occasionally had to consider international image and other factors and pay a considerable amount of taxes to Terra: not to mention that the vast majority of countries in the Primarch would actually pay as much tax as possible.

In a sense, Holy Terra is indeed sucking the blood of the entire galaxy.

Not to mention the big taxpayers like the Word Bearers and the Iron Hands: it's painful to look at.

Over the past half century, the amount of money that the High Lords have extorted from the people has become absurd: this is also the reason why their prestige has become so shaky that Horus only needs to push it lightly to make the whole of Terra devastated.

Such an absurd number, no matter how legitimate the reason is, it is impossible to convince people, not to mention that after earning so much money, Terra did not come up with anything that could stop people from talking: Can you even build a few world wonders that are famous throughout the galaxy?

No: No one knows where the supplies have gone.

It was as if they had disappeared into thin air.

+They certainly haven’t disappeared.+
The Emperor shook his head smugly.

+They are all still there, in the Webway: there is no place else where so much could have accumulated. +
Wait, so you mean...

As one of the smartest Primarchs, this one sentence alone was enough for Morgan to analyze a lot of things.

+That’s right.+
The emperor nodded, and his long dark hair was now dyed with the pale golden glow of the sunset.

+The tithe collected for the webway is not what you think: every time the webway is built to a new node, the tax required for this node is collected from the galaxy. +
+I let Malcador adopt another model: the collection of tithes is unlimited, and as much as can be collected, it will be collected. In a short period of time, as long as it can raise as much supplies as possible, no matter what means are used, I will allow it. +
【…】

Morgan blinked.

He rubbed his eyes carefully again.

Well, the person in front of her is her father: not the Ring of Slaanesh's Greed that jumped out of the warp.

[But... then what? ]

+And then? +
The Emperor smiled.

+Then, although the four gods successfully trapped me and my webway army in the webway, the abundance of materials stored in the webway can not only support my army to continue living for more than ten or even decades, but also have enough building materials for us to continue digging: even now, the webway project has not stopped. +
[Hiss… I have to say it, father.]

[You always manage to break through some of the limitations in my understanding of intelligent life.]

For a moment, the Primarch was at a loss whether to laugh or cry: Is this a good thing or a bad thing?
[Did you know that Malcador's tithes caused millions of worlds to suffer a direct setback: no less than during the Age of Strife?]

+But it turned out to be worth it. +
The Emperor simply looked toward the distant skyline.

+The current situation is that although the four gods can trap us in the webway, they cannot stop us from continuing to open up new webways for humans. And although I cannot escape from the webway now, I have found a way to support the webway instead of myself. +
【! 】

Morgan's pupils lit up.

[Really? What is it? ]

+It's simple: the shield machine told me...+
【etc! 】

Morgan raised a finger.

[Tunnel boring machine: Is it reliable? ]

+Trustworthy? +
The Lord of Mankind looked at his daughter.

+Have you forgotten, Morgan: I wouldn't have gotten this without your help. +
【I know, that's why I asked this question. 】

[The Tuchucha Engine, Plague Heart, and Ouroboros are collectively known as the Three Artifacts of the Subspace: just by hearing the names, we have enough reason to doubt their safety. ]

[The potential harm these three things can cause to the Webway is much greater than that of a stupid Primarch.]

+I understand your concerns.+
The Emperor looked extremely confident.

+And I took precautions. +
+You don't really think that I've just been living in the palace for the past fifty years, do you? +
【Isn’t it? 】

Morgan blinked, she had never really thought about this question: in terms of time, the Emperor has disappeared from people's sight for a full fifty years, and perhaps more than ten years of that time was indeed used to build the Webway, so what was he doing for the remaining thirty years?

Preliminary preparation? That's taking too long, isn't it?
+I did something very important.+
The Lord of Mankind looked at the surging waves and sighed.

+In the thirty years since I left Ullanor, I have made all the preparations for the Webway, and the most important one is: in the thirty years, I have spent a lot of time accompanying the TBM, communicating and understanding it in ways you can hardly imagine, satisfying its curiosity and questions about the world, and making it willing to help our cause from the bottom of its heart. +
【…】

The Primarch was silent for a moment: it would take her some time to comprehend the full meaning of these words.

[So, can I assume that you spent more than thirty years alone with that tunnel boring machine?]

+……+
The Lord of Mankind frowned and turned to look at his daughter with some disgust.

+If you really want to think so: yes. +
+So? +
【No, nothing more.】

Morgan shook his head hastily.

She had to admit that the Lord of Mankind was indeed confident that he would win this matter.

After all, the emperor has already put forward his most sincere plan.

Even in the words of the Warmaster who was accustomed to boasting about himself, the time the Lord of Mankind had spent with him was only a short thirty years. And now, the Emperor actually spent even longer time with a machine.

If this doesn't work, even Morgan can't think of a better way.

As for whether the world of two people for more than 30 years can impress this Webway TBM?
Morgan was not worried about this: Don't forget that the Lord of Mankind has another identity.

Omnissiah, the incarnation of the God of All Machines, the entity of all data logic walking in the human world: as long as it is a machine, the Emperor has plenty of ways to make its machine soul happy.

Wasn't the Lord of Mankind's rich and wonderful life of more than 30,000 years prepared for this moment?
[If the shield machine is reliable, what solution does it provide you? 】

[It found a node that can be stably transmitted right in front of the network we are digging. ]

[Then teleport the army back to the real universe? ]

+No, that's a waste, and it doesn't solve our problem. +
The Emperor shook his head firmly.

+In fact, we have determined that this node in the webway can be directly connected to: Comoros. +
[Comoros of the Dark Eldar? ]

+That’s right.+
The Emperor nodded.

He then laid out his plan.

+That's what I thought, Morgan. +
+As long as I remain in the Webway, the Four Gods will not be able to destroy it immediately, even though Comoros, who is in the Dark Eldar clan, does meet this condition: More importantly, Comoros can continue to expand in the Webway without having to worry about problems like landslides, because their cities have the pillar materials we need. +
+In other words, their cities themselves are the pillar materials we urgently need now. +
So, you want to start a war?

+That’s right.+
The Emperor nodded: Morgan saw the finality in his expression.

+We will teleport directly to Commorragh instead of walking through a tunnel, so even if we have a conflict with the Dark Eldar, they will not be able to threaten the human webway by tracing our way back, because we will teleport directly away. +
【What if they have this technology? 】

+Then beat them until they are hurt! Beat them to pieces! Beat them until they never dare to harass us again. +
[Is this too arbitrary? ]

+No, quite the opposite: it is the only way to keep the Dark Eldar in awe. +
【Okay: What about the purpose of war? 】

+I will concentrate the entire Webway Corps into a large city in Comoros: considering that the Dark Eldar are generally an aristocratic republic, each large city has different rulers, so when the war does not spread, they cannot unite, and we can tear down the entire Comoros land in the large city and take it back to use as a support pillar for the human Webway. +
【Replacing your role? 】

+They can do this: I have already done this in the Comoros in my early years and have written several papers on it. +
[Very good, let me sort it out.]

Morgan thought for a moment.

[So, your plan is: knowing that the four gods will continue to exert pressure, while resisting the four gods, you lead your army into the capital of an ancient race empire that has been passed down for tens of millions of years, fight with them, grab a piece of land that may be the size of a galaxy, and then return to build the support for the webway of your dreams.]

[During this period, you have to deal with the Four Gods and face the unknown technology of the Dark Eldar. ]

+I'm not sure I can do this.+
The emperor's expression was somewhat gloomy. He could certainly hear the sarcasm in Morgan's words, but he didn't care.

+That's why I need you: and your legion.+
【…】

Cold sweat suddenly broke out on the Primarch's head.

[You should know that due to your disappearance, war may break out in the galaxy at any time: this war will definitely spread to Avalon. ]

+I will give you more in return. +
+And if I fail on my part: do you think your Avalon can survive on its own? +
【…】

Morgan was silent for a long time.

【Hey……】

Then, there was only a sigh.

[Okay, what do you want me to do?]

+Gather your legions, I will need them in the battle for Comoros soon. +
+Of course, the most important thing is you: I can't use my full strength to fight against the four gods at the same time, you will be the most important pillar of support in this war. +
+Don't forget to bring your spear.+
Is this enough?

Morgan frowned.

[Your Webway Legion and my Dawnbreakers: Are these two forces enough to fight against all of Commorra?]

At this time, Morgan didn't care about the small number of the so-called Dawnbreaker Legion.

She knew what was more important: even more important than the continued survival of the entire Dawnbreaker Legion.

Just like the Emperor said.

Without him, who can survive?

+Only one part needs to be fought. +
【We always have to prepare for the worst, don’t we?】

+…That’s right. +
The Emperor nodded and looked towards the distant horizon.

Seems to be seeking tranquility.

+In that case, I will hand over the power to you. +
【that power?】

+That’s right.+
In the voice of the Lord of Mankind, Morgan heard something she had never heard before.

trust.

+This war is about the survival of mankind. +
+Who to get involved. +
+Who is qualified to know the truth? +
+Which army is trustworthy and reliable? +
+Who will shed blood on Comorian soil for the future of humanity? +
+It's up to you, Morgan. +
+Look for them.+
+Summon them.+
+Command them.+
+War calls for the glory of Astartes.+
+……+
+I'll be waiting for you in Comoros. +
+Remember: we don't have much time.+
+Before Malcador and Dorn collapse: we must sort out our problems.+
(End of this chapter)