Emperor's Bane

Chapter 894: 3 Trillion Lives

Chapter 894 Thirty Trillion Lives

"……well!"

After a long silence, Perturabo sighed heavily.

"I have been in your room many times, my sister Kelly Fanny."

"Not very many times: thirty-seven times."

Kelly Fannie's voice was choked.

"Every time, you hurt me more deeply."

"Because you decide to taunt me every time, don't you?"

Faced with the Primarch's somewhat dissatisfied questions, Kelly Fanny only revealed a rather weak smile.

“What can a defeated politician do?”

"When your guards barged into my office and took me away rudely to prevent me from interfering with your subsequent atrocities, chirping like a sparrow was all I could do, Perturabo: I could only sit here and watch you do whatever you wanted."

"This is my country. I brought them peace and prosperity. I have the power to do everything."

"But I also have the power to stop you."

"Let them rebel against their king?"

"No, as a sister, I have to stop my brother: I can't just watch you fall into the abyss."

"..."

Perturabo was outraged.

He wasn't sure whether he was angry that Carleigh Fanning would degrade herself to a politician, or that his adopted sister never understood the purpose of his great cause.

He has clearly stated this many times.

Every time there are so many details: most of the mechanical priests who came from afar and were willing to give everything for this great cause were not qualified to know the full picture of Perturabo's plan, but on the first day she came to this world, Kelly Fanny already knew clearly what Perturabo wanted to do.

The Primarch himself told all the plans, and he hoped that his adopted sister would support him.

He believed that Kelly Fanny was wise enough to see the precious fruits behind the blood.

But the results were always disappointing: no matter how many times he came to this room.

"I guess I shouldn't expect you to come to your senses."

The Primarch's anger came quickly and went away quickly.

The Lord of Steel has changed after all. What happened in the past few decades has made him no longer the madman who would indifferently issue an eleven-draw kill order: Perturabo will no longer be blinded by anger in his heart, and will not do anything that he will regret for the rest of his life.

"I've told you this many times, but you just can't see the huge value behind this."

"You know very well that this is a great cause that will benefit future generations."

“You always want to keep the status quo, keep the status quo: until everything becomes a hopeless puddle of mud.”

"That's better than a river of blood."

Kelly Fanny's voice was very soft.

"And Perturabo."

She looked the Primarch straight in the eyes.

"Tell me: Do you really believe that what you are doing now is just?"

"Why shouldn't I believe it?"

“If you believe this, why don’t you tell this to your brothers and your father?”

"Tell Morgan: why not tell her?"

"..."

Perturabo was silent.

After a long while, he responded with a hoarse voice.

"There are complicated reasons for this: too complicated to even tell you."

"Trust me, Kelly Fanny, not everyone should know the truth behind the galaxy."

"Even if he is the Primarch."

"So: you can't tell it?"

"You are too fragile!"

The Primarch's fists clenched until they made a creaking sound.

"You have no idea what the true horror of this galaxy is! You have no idea what is hidden behind that huge eyeball! You have no idea what kind of madness and chaos is hidden in the subspace that you think is just empty talk!"

"You have no idea how much pressure and pain I have endured over the years."

"You have no idea what I've faced!"

"You don't even know what I'm rejecting!"

"You have no idea..."

"Why don't you tell them?"

"Because I don't even dare to tell them!"

"Because I don't know if they can bear it like I can!"

The Primarch laughed in mockery, his body slowly leaning forward, towards his sister.

"Look at me, Kelly Fanny."

Perturabo spoke each word with great emphasis.

"If I told you that I once refused to become a god for the sake of all we have: would you believe it?"

"……what are you saying?"

Kelly Fanny was a little bit incredulous: no normal person would believe what the Primarch said.

"There was a throne that invited me once."

“He is intoxicated by everything I do.”

The Primarch's tone was very light, as if he was talking about someone who had nothing to do with him.

“But I rejected Him: though this did not prevent His calm from haunting me all the time.”

"It whispers temptation in my ears, it brews malice in my heart, it wants to drag me into the abyss of chaos and madness all the time, its energy far exceeds the concept of time and space: there is no need to imagine it, because you can't imagine it at all."

"Why do you think I am so sure that the so-called third dimension exists?"

"Because I've witnessed the same thing."

“Because I have collected enough information.”

"Because... I have been experiencing and bearing the truth of this world personally."

At this point, the Lord of Olympia suddenly felt that everything had become dull.

Especially when he saw Kelly Fannie's shocked and confused look.

He smiled.

Yes.

Why is he saying this?
How could his poor adopted sister possibly know the truth about the subspace? If he told her more things, would there be any better result than putting Kelly Fanny in danger?
He had witnessed with his own eyes how vulnerable ordinary people were in the face of the madness of the subspace.

Even his descendants would probably not perform any better than ordinary people.

Well, let them remain ignorant.

There was no need for Kelly Fanny to know that.

She didn't need to know...

Vicious skills.

Anyway, that is something that the Lord of Steel despises.

------

"Don't like it?"

"Why do you say that?"

Amid the mountain of notes and lab reports, Perturabo raised his head and looked at the other Perturabo.

“That gets to the heart of the sandwich theory: its origins.”

The youngest, Perturabo, wrote furiously, recounting the complicated past, and at the same time, smiled at the newcomers who had just arrived.

"You had doubts, didn't you?"

"Yes."

The newcomer nodded.

“There’s so much that can be misleading.”

"Let me give you a simple example: How do you know that you are going to the third space? And not the illusion of the subspace?"

"Give him a little hope, let him think he can be the hero who turns the tide, and then after paying a huge price and trying his best, it's all in vain: this sounds like the drama that the warp likes."

"And the worst possibility: If the Emperor is really carrying out a cause related to the Warp now, then they may use this as bait to make the main body inadvertently destroy the Emperor's cause. After all, the main body is a Primarch, and the Primarch must have this ability."

“Right: These are all worthy of consideration.”

Perturabo, the youngest, nodded.

"However, long before the experiment began, the main body had already begun to eliminate these concerns one by one."

"So how does he know he's right?"

“Through archaeology.”

"archeology?"

"That's right, archaeology: the most stable means of acquiring wisdom in this crazy galaxy."

"I spent a long time exploring the historical documents of several of the oldest civilizations, including the Eldar and the Necrons, the two former overlords. Through them, I learned about a race called the Old Saints: these ancient creatures are the origin of all known civilized races in the galaxy."

"Including us?"

"There's always going to be a market for creationism, isn't there?"

"Okay, so: Ancient Saint?"

"Yes: the Old Ones, the Eldar, and the Necrons."

“They have all been exposed to the third space.”

The narrator's lips curled up into a smile.

"But for various reasons, they ultimately chose not to expand into the third space."

"why?"

"It's very simple. Just like I said, the real universe is the boundary between the subspace and the third space. The subspace tends to be emotional and imaginative, while the third space tends to be logical and calculating. So, in fact, it is much more convenient to explore the former than the latter."

"If you want to explore the subspace, you just need to make sure you have enough emotions and soul sources."

"If you want to explore the third dimension, your race needs to have extremely advanced technology and computing power."

"For the Old Ones, they have both, but they prefer the former, so they choose the Warp."

"And the Eldar are just the successors of the Old Saints. They don't have the spirit of pioneering and enterprising, so they also chose the Warp."

"As for the Necrons, they are the most suitable chosen race to explore the third dimension. They have also conducted a lot of research and exploration on the third dimension, and are only one step away from truly setting foot in it. Our research is largely based on their progress, so we have achieved amazing results so quickly."

"But unfortunately, when they were able to explore the third dimension, the Necrons were more concerned about their short lifespan and physical pain, and were destroyed in the resulting Battle of Heaven. After that, the Necrons, who were able to enjoy eternal life and had no souls and were not afraid of being troubled by the warp, naturally had no motivation to explore the third dimension."

"Is there not even one fan?"

"That, I don't know: there is very little left of the Necrons."

“It’s just a pity.”

"and many more……"

After hearing this story, the newcomer immediately became aware of a problem.

"In other words, the third dimension today is a pure land that has never been explored by anyone?"

"Yes: as it was in the Warp before the Old Ones."

"Calm, stable, even dead silent."

"This is also one of the Primarch's confidence: even if there is a very thick veil between us, we cannot confuse this dead silence with the chaos of the warp."

“We will open up a new world.”

He smiled, and on his childish face was the same arrogance as the real Perturabo.

"Now: do you understand why Perturabo despises the Old World throne of the Art of Viciousness?"

"I can understand that."

The newcomer nodded.

"But I'm more worried about something else."

"What is it?"

"I don't think the Subspace will watch the main body complete all his plans."

"Do you have any defenses?"

"This?"

He laughed.

"For now... you don't need to know."

"So what should I know?"

------

“You just need to know one thing.”

Perturabo tapped the stone surface impatiently.

"My current cause is justice."

"The Warp, including everything related to it, is harmful to humanity. If humanity wants to have a truly beautiful future, we must distance ourselves from the Warp as much as possible. Believe me, the reason why the Emperor did not show up for so long must be to fulfill his dream of completely separating from the Warp."

Thinking of this, and the rumors that had been coming from all over the galaxy, especially Terra, in recent days, the Lord of Steel shook his head nonchalantly.

"My brothers, you have pity on me. They actually think that the Emperor cares about the so-called empire and power. I can even tell you that the Great Crusade is just a tool in the eyes of the Emperor. What he did after Ullanor by hiding himself on Terra is his real dream and most important goal for a long time. Before that, everything was paving the way for this."

"And I believe that his real goal is to allow humans to be completely isolated from the warp."

"Although I don't know what he can do, my father and I have the same goal."

"And I have my own way."

"Although it is still very immature, it is an object that needs to be carefully protected."

"I couldn't even tell my closest brothers about the whole plan."

"Because I'm not sure they can withstand the pressure of the warp like I can."

"I remember Magnus' fate."

"And he is the one who knows the most about the Warp among all of us."

"If even he could only end up like this, how can I trust my brothers?"

"Even Morgan: would she have fared better against the Warp than Magnus?"

"I can only trust the Emperor."

"But now, how can I find him?"

"I shouldn't disturb his grand plan."

"I shouldn't have sought his help without having sufficiently stable experimental results."

“So, I chose to be self-reliant.”

"I will explore that world."

"I'll make sure it exists."

"Then I will go to my father and seek his strength and help."

"After all, if you just want to confirm its existence or explore it, then I am enough."

“And if we want to achieve true ascension for mankind, we will need the power and price of the entire galaxy.”

"..."

Kelly Fanny just sat there, listening quietly as Perturabo described his grand plans.

Like many times before, she actually couldn't quite understand what Perturabo was saying. Many of the Primarch's technical terms were far beyond her knowledge. But Kelly Fanny could do another thing: although she didn't understand what Perturabo was saying, she could feel whether the Primarch's intentions were sincere?
When he was talking about the subspace, the depression and worry in his heart were not fake.

When he mentioned his brothers, his helplessness and necessary vigilance were real.

And when he began to talk about the bright future of mankind in his mind: in a trance, Kelly Fanny seemed to see the brother that made her proud.

However, at other times, the Lord of Steel is simply putting on a brave face and trying to deceive himself.

He was less confident: but Perturabo would never admit to cowardice.

At least not in front of Kelly Fanny.

Kelly Fanny shook her head and sighed.

"All right, Perturabo."

After sensing that the Lord of Steel's almost complaining narration was finally coming to an end, his adopted sister interrupted him.

"That's not what you came for, is it?"

"let me guess……"

She glanced at the somewhat silent Primarch.

"Your visits are regular: this is not your regular visit time."

"So: what happened?"

"..."

The Primarch was silent for a moment.

"Indeed, there is good news."

He smiled.

"I can tell you this, Kelly Fanny: I have determined the shortest path to the Third Dimension."

"We can start the actual process now."

"Believe me, it won't be long: maybe a few years will be enough to make the final push."

"..." Beads of sweat flowed down Kelly Fanny's face: she knew the hidden meaning of this sentence.

Because before this, Perturabo had told her the whole process of the plan.

Kelly Fanny was not stupid, she could remember most of the contents after just one listen: although she did not understand the so-called third space theory, she could recite the experimental process mentioned by Perturabo fluently.

Because it's really too scary.

"You mean..."

The Primarch's adopted sister was breathing with some difficulty.

"Are you going to start... [raising] computing power?"

"Not going to."

The Primarch smiled, and then he gently spit out the names of several worlds: Kelly Fanny had a deep impression of each world.

"These worlds have been collected."

"...Gudong."

Kelly Fanny swallowed.

"You killed them all?"

"That's understandable."

Perturabo nodded nonchalantly.

"Why? Do you think this is cruel?"

Kelly Fanny sneered.

"Because I can't think of another word to describe a criminal who massacred the entire world."

"You have killed billions, Perturabo."

"Now, you are a criminal."

"criminal?"

Perturabo retorted.

"On the contrary: they are the criminals."

"Don't you remember what our initial conflict was?"

"Of course I remember."

The Primarch's adopted sister clenched her teeth.

"That tax you collected to build your Abyssal Throne is simply a crime."

"If I had committed a crime, then the High Lords of Terra would have been dragged to the execution ground long ago."

The Primarch slowly stood up.

"Look, Kelly Fanny, you know there's absolute science behind that tax."

"Every world I collect taxes from is the one I personally planned for development. I personally sent out immigrant ships and built a bureaucratic system. I know their situations better than any of you. I know exactly where their endurance limit is."

“The taxes I impose on them, although seemingly unbearable, will in fact only make their lives difficult. They will neither cause a major setback in their level of civilization nor cause any humanitarian crisis on their planet.”

“They can totally handle it.”

"They will just be poor for a few years: no more people will even starve to death."

"What's more, I am not raising taxes. I am only collecting taxes for several years in the future in advance and promising to compensate them in the corresponding period of time to avoid taxation."

At this point, Perturabo snorted coldly.

"But you know what?"

"Some worlds and some governors actually tried to deceive me about their true situation, and cried poor to me, saying that they were not so rich at all and could not pay the amount I had calculated, but they never mentioned their own corrupt lives and extravagant pleasure districts: they actually thought they knew my wealth better than I did."

"But there are still some people who dare to accuse me of betrayal and want to resist my fleet."

"You know, Kelly Fanny."

"Under the laws of the Empire, this is treason."

"My advance taxation is a special case. As the Primarch, I am qualified to do so."

“But they rebel: that is rebellion.”

"They are far from dying."

"So, I have the right to do anything to them."

"Including cutting off everyone's heads?"

"Old man? Child!"

Kelly Fanny scolded harshly.

"You are killing people."

"Tell me, Perturabo: are you going to do more of the same thing in the future?"

"Impose unbearable taxes and then chop off the heads of those who resist?"

"The law allows you to do this anyway: be a ruthless and heartless tyrant?"

"What? Of course not!"

The Primarch laughed.

"Come on, do you think I'm some kind of lunatic?"

"In fact, I don't want to chop off their heads: this is just a... comparative experiment."

"Comparative...experiment?"

How ridiculous this word can be.

"Yes."

Perturabo nodded.

"There are several rebellious worlds. One of them chops off all heads, another captures people alive, and the third conducts cloning experiments. Then see which of these worlds produces the most efficient results. That's when I'll choose that method in the future."

"As for turning these worlds against each other: of course not."

“It’s so wasteful and not efficient at all.”

"If I kill them all, where can I raise the resources to maintain the Throne of the Abyss?"

"You know, it costs a lot to maintain the Creation World and that big guy."

“I may have to impose a few more rounds of taxes: I’ll try to make sure no one starves to death.”

The Primarch stood there, muttering to himself, completely ignoring the increasingly devastated expression on Kelly Fanny's face.

"Actually, I thought about cloning at first."

"Many Forging Worlds have already achieved very mature technology in cloning humans."

“But it didn’t work: very badly.”

“Clones lack the imagination of real brains: they can only wander within a set range.”

“It’s not on my terms.”

"And in the short term, we cannot make new breakthroughs in human cloning technology."

"I lack time. The galaxy has become increasingly turbulent, and something in the warp is indeed chasing me closely. So, I can only make up for it somewhere else."

"But despite this, I don't want to kill too many people."

"I cut off their heads just because..."

The primarch hesitated.

"Just do it."

"smoothly?!"

"That's right. I needed an experiment, and they chose to rebel at this time. Since they rebelled, their fate was naturally destruction. I just took an extra step in choosing how to destroy them, allowing them to make some extra contributions before they died."

"They didn't have to die!"

Kelly Fanny's lips trembled in anger.

"You know, the Empire's punishment for rebels is not just death penalty."

"Even if I am stripped of my citizenship and forced to serve ten generations of hard labor in a highly dangerous mining world, it is much better than this kind of destruction!"

"I am the Primarch."

"I am a vassal king appointed by the emperor himself."

"I have the power to choose any one of several customary laws in the lands I rule."

The Primarch smiled and shook his head.

"Trust me, Kelly Fanny."

"This was an accident: I had no plans to commit mass murder on my worlds."

"How are you going to convince me?"

Kelly Fanny sneered.

"Use your conscience."

"No, this is the reality."

The Primarch denied it solemnly.

"In reality, this kind of mass killing and collection is very inefficient."

“What I really think is: take the test.”

"I will conduct the test in the Hive World, take away those with high scores, and raise computing power. Those with low scores will continue to raise resources for me. Of course, this will inevitably involve some deception and false propaganda, but I will try my best to make these victims go without pain."

"They are not rebels."

"Cutting off heads alive is just my way of punishing the rebellious world."

"But believe me, I don't want a rebellion world either."

"If they all rebel, who will raise the resources to maintain the Abyss Throne for me?"

"That is why I will accurately control the amount of each tax levy so as not to let them collapse completely."

“But they do have to pay a price.”

"Just for the sake of: the prosperity of the previous generation."

"And the future of all humanity."

"Blood or sweat: they have to choose one."

“This is for a greater cause.”

"..."

Kelly Fanny stared at Perturabo: it was as if she were staring at a monster.

"Do you know what you're talking about?"

"Of course I know."

The Primarch tilted his head indifferently.

"Do you think I'm telling you about some evil plan?"

"No, Kelly Fanny: The experimental process officially started more than ten days ago."

“Like I said: We have to move fast.”

"Because the situation in the galaxy is becoming chaotic: the threat from the warp is growing."

"Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures."

"After all, if you want to break through the boundaries of the third space, the computing power you need to raise is not a small number."

"..."

Kelly Fanny blinked nervously.

"How many people are you going to kill?"

"You sure you want to know?"

"..."

Silence is the answer.

"Ok."

The Primarch coughed lightly.

"Listen carefully, and then forget it quickly."

------

"Ideally: 30 trillion people would be needed."

------

“…Three…Three…”

Kelly Fanny's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Thirty trillion? People!"

"Do you think that's a lot?"

Perturabo kept a proper smile, took the wine glass from his adopted sister and took a sip slowly.

"What if I tell you that an ordinary hive world has at least 100 billion to 300 billion people?"

"Let's make a compromise: 200 billion."

"So, in other words, Kelly Fanny."

------

“I’m looking for a future for humanity.”

"A beautiful future that can isolate the warp."

"My mind is clear and my will is strong."

"I have proven that what I pursue is not a fantasy that the Warp has bewitched me into believing."

"It is the light that can truly transcend the warp."

"At this moment, I have seen the trajectory of the third dimension ahead. I know how to break through the chaotic ocean in front of me and reach the other side: my eyes have seen where the glory is. Now all I have to do is to prove that it really exists and set foot on this new continent."

“For this, I have to take the biggest risk: I have to bear the possibility of never coming back, and I have no idea whether when I decide to set out for the other side, I will be greeted by a brand new world, or an obscure fall, or a worse fate.”

“But for this purpose.”

"I am steadfast."

"I need to consume: about one hundred and fifty hive worlds."

"Yes."

------

"One hundred and fifty hive worlds for a future without the Warp."

------

"You feel……"

"If it were the Emperor: What would he choose?"

------

Five minutes later, Perturabo, who had just walked out of the room, closed the door without hesitation.

He stood there, thought for a while, and finally sighed helplessly.

"really……"

"It's still too dangerous to let her know this."

He coughed, and scarlet veins like blood vessels naturally appeared on the wall behind him.

"grown ups?"

"Execute Z-01."

"clear."

"Z-01."

"Authorization source: 00001."

"Implemented by: 00002."

"Authorization approved, execution begins."

"..."

"Execution completed, sir: all memories will be completely erased within one hour."

In just a few minutes, the powerful artificial intelligence gave the Primarch a satisfactory answer, but its next words made the Lord of Iron fall into thought.

"Excuse me: Are there any further instructions?"

"Do you need to release tranquilizer gas?"

“Or: Do you want to start a new round of communication work?”

"..."

Perturabo hesitated for a moment.

------

"Kelly Fanny."

"My memory center tells me that you have been resisting reasonable treatment procedures recently?"

------

This time, let’s not talk about subspace.

He needed some real talk.

Real, stress-relieving conversation.