Emperor's Bane

Chapter 911 Interlude: The Land of the Skinners

No matter how many times he had ventured into the deepest reaches of these ghostly stars, he would still tremble and hesitate whenever the Midnight Wraith led his fleet to the very edge of the ghoul territory: it was a physiological instinct that could not be taken away by an acquired strong will, a coldness that even the Primarch could not overcome.

As a creature, a wild animal whose instincts, devoid of higher intelligence and civilized concepts, were merely for breathing and survival, screamed in resistance within his dark heart: it resisted entering this desolate space isolated from the starlight, where the cold light would awaken the deepest stirrings of its soul.

Even for the Primarch, overcoming all of this was no easy task.

At least in Conrad's own view, this was indeed a very challenging problem.

Especially if you've already ventured deep into the Ghoul Stars, surviving unspeakable supernatural threats, ancient alien civilizations, and bizarre weather disasters even more terrifying than all of them combined, leaving behind the corpses of your companions and the fearless courage of the ignorant on this all-consuming land.

Given this premise, it would be somewhat insane or foolish to try and lead the same group of people into the Ghoul Swarm a second time: but Conrad has done the same thing no less than twenty times.

Even within the Eighth Legion, some individuals possessed experience roughly equivalent to that of their Primarchs.

Even so, it would be no easy task to get these veterans to go on another trip to the Ghost Stars.

Even the steely will of Astartes cannot always withstand the madness of the ghoul stars.

Needless to say, Conrad couldn't possibly complete this expedition with just the Midnight Lords: he would need to bring at least the Mechanicus and navigators, while the Star Speakers and the Merchant Ronin would be optional depending on the situation. But the most important thing would be the large number of mortal sailors, who would be the most vulnerable to the madness of the Ghoul Stars. Sending them to fight against the madness of the Ghoul Stars would be tantamount to suicide.

Especially for those mortal veterans who have been to the Ghoul Stars once or several times, their experience and abilities are crucial in this final expedition.

However, their mentality and willpower weakened after they had visited the Ghoul Stars once.

Just like the proverb says.

The first attempt was made out of ignorance.

The second one was the most difficult.

By the third time, it had become a habit.

Therefore, despite the urgency, the Midnight Wraith did not rush toward the Ghoul Stars.

He first issued a call to arms, informing his captains and sailors of the expedition's objectives and itinerary months in advance, giving them ample time to process their fears. At the same time, he mobilized all of Nostramore's resources to satisfy the every need of the mortal expeditionary warriors: whether it was the most expensive wine and delicacies or the most luxurious comforts, whether it was unfulfilled dreams or the well-being of their families, the Genesis would do everything in its power to fulfill your desires.

At the same time, it's essential to promptly educate the somewhat inexperienced newcomers about the dangers of the Ghoul Stars and the various arduous challenges encountered in past expeditions: although often, this preparation is futile, because the Ghost Stars will always unleash madness you never imagined.

Only when everything was fully prepared would Conrad lead his well-prepared army, along with millions of sailors who seemed to have no regrets in life, on a grand journey from the starport of Nostradamus. Amidst the cheers of the crowd, they marched toward the dying star at the edge of the galaxy: at this moment, the orchestra would play its most solemn and tragic music, a hymn to the warriors and a tribute to the martyrs.

Everyone knows that at least half of them will never return to their hometown.

In return, they would completely isolate the shadow that threatened the entire Nostramore and even the entire Far East Starfield from the land abandoned by the Emperor. Even if they could not keep the enemy outside the borders, they could at least give warnings before the disaster struck: the people living under the rule of the Night Lords had long been accustomed to such heroic sacrifices and rewards.

In their eyes, this might be a blood tax paid to this mad galaxy.

Some people must live, while others must die.

The Primarch's mission is to ensure that those who might otherwise be immortal survive as long as possible.

This is not an easy job.

Fortunately, Conrad was already very experienced.

Since the third expedition, the Midnight Ghosts have gradually figured out a safer route and established several stable strongholds on the periphery of the ghoul horde, which can be maintained for a long time. Some of them have now lived peacefully for more than a hundred years, continuing for four or five generations in the shadows.

Strictly speaking, the Nostramore sector under the Midnight Lord, as well as the Gulgrad and Salamas sectors under Avalon's rule, can all be included in the broader scope of the Ghoul Cluster. However, through Midnight's persistent efforts, he successfully narrowed this vast area down by an entire circle.

Today, the Empire has become accustomed to using the fortress worlds of Orask and Greeddis as the frontier between human civilization and the Ghoul Stars, which are also the safest routes into the Ghoul Stars. The Midnight Wraiths have established fortresses and amassed large armies on these two worlds, even going so far as to station several companies and Titans there.

At the same time, he also spent a great deal of effort to reclaim the Tiss Sector from the Ghoul Cluster. With six successful expeditions, he completely wiped out the alien threat in the Tiss Sector. Now, the safety of this vast area is almost comparable to that of the Imperial interior, and it has also become a fulcrum for the Legion's stability.

It was thanks to these forward bases, won back with sweat and blood, that Midnight Ghost became increasingly adept at dealing with enemies and threats within the Ghoul Stars during his sixteenth to twentieth expeditions: all of which took place after the Emperor's Ulanor investiture ceremony.

Compared to the first few expeditions, which were essentially gambles and groping for progress, each time forcing the abandonment of large numbers of corpses and heavy weapons, and the subsequent exploration phases that were still fraught with setbacks and where the slightest mistake would result in extremely heavy losses, Conrad only began to reap real rewards from the tenth expedition onwards.

Now, he is not only able to precisely avoid any unnecessary casualties, but also to achieve real results in the later expeditions.

His best achievement was annihilating a massive remnant fleet of the Kraf aliens: these ferocious races, extremely skilled in psionic energy, had escaped the relentless pursuit of the Dark Angels and the Emperor's personal campaign. Although they had lost their home planet and most of their civilization's wealth, they had never been completely wiped out.

Conrad did it. He wasn't sure if the fleet he slaughtered in the Ghoul Stars was the last large-scale fleet of the Kraf Xenomorphs, but judging from their madness and despair, these Xenomorphs were indeed the last remaining force with the ability and mindset to rebuild the race's past glory.

After the Legion slaughtered them and, most importantly, completely destroyed their leaders, the Kraf aliens never again appeared on the frontiers of the Empire, nor did they disappear from the Ghoul Stars: these troublesome aliens may still exist in some individuals, but they no longer deserve to be called the Empire's adversaries.

The same fate befell the Tologan Blood Demons, who were equally notorious for their brutality. They were responsible for the destruction and disappearance of at least 140 Imperial worlds: the Midnight Lords captured and destroyed their homeworld, annihilated all their legions and fleets, killed billions of alien warriors and civilians, and plunged ten surrounding star systems back into utter desolation through an extermination order.

Thus, of the myriad threats that once hung over the Empire, the ghoul constellation has been forever eliminated.

These are all achievements that the Midnight Legion can be proud of.

Destroying the enemies of the Empire, fighting on the most dangerous battlefields for the millions of worlds behind them—all of this not only satisfied the Astartes' sense of honor but also fundamentally changed the psychological identity of the Midnight Lords Legion: even though the expedition to the Ghoul Stars was dangerous and insane, no one would feel it was not worth it when faced with the reality that the Legion was indeed fighting for true honor.

Veterans from Terra, as well as the first generation of Nostramore warriors, were delighted to see the Eighth Legion, which in the past could only suppress mobs behind the battlefield and tarnish its reputation with blood and terror, now transformed into honorable Imperial warriors: although it was indeed regrettable to abandon some of the traditions of the past, no one thought it was a good idea to be bound to fear.

Regardless of their past deeds—the veterans from the underground prisons of Terra, the horrific crimes they committed in riotous cities like the Crimson Enclave; the recruits from the depths of Nostramore's hive, the countless transgressions and taboos they crossed to survive in the madness of the Night Star—when they are finally able to fight for humanity as honorable warriors in the Ghoul Stars, they are eager to forget the unpleasant past and present a new face to the Empire and its people. They know that as long as everyone keeps silent, as long as no one dwells on the past brutality and bloodshed, one day, the Night Lords' Legion will undergo a true transformation.

This may be their only chance.

Live as a fighter, not a thug.

The change is obvious: among the new generation of warriors from Nostramore and the Legion's fresh blood recruited from all over the galaxy, the perception of fear tactics and bloodshed has long faded. It has been proven that the bloodlust does not exist in the blood of the Midnight Lords. As long as they grow up in an environment full of pride and honor, they are no different from ordinary fighting brothers.

When they take over the mantle, the Eighth Legion will eventually become what the older generation dreamed of.

And for all of this, they were willing to once again travel to the ghostly stars that would eventually devour them.

They believed that the Primarch would not let them down.

And Conrad certainly didn't intend to let them down.

He will consume them, make them sacrifice themselves: but for the greatest benefit in this galaxy.

The final expedition to the Ghoul Stars is destined to be very different from all previous expeditions.

This time, the goal was not exploration, nor to figure out whether any logic still remained in this crazy region, nor to clear out a new area for advancement, nor to eliminate an exceptionally rampant alien force: Midnight Ghost commanded his loyal fleet, like a wild horse, sailing towards the deepest part of the Ghost Stars. From the very beginning, he had a very clear goal in mind.

His destination was the land of the skinners.

That was the most insane corner of the galaxy, darker than even the Eye of Terror could claim. It was a cold world illuminated by a dying star, a place only the most distant nightmares in the galaxy would venture to: even in the ghoul kingdom filled with horrors, the place where the Skinners roamed was the most terrifying.

The Derazak Bone Dynasty.

Even in the dark ages of technology, in those extremely barbaric historical records, the detailed descriptions of this name could only be described as cautious and timid. It was as if mentioning those metal zombies covered in flesh and bone fragments was a great blasphemy. And the lord of the skinners, known as the Lost King Valgul, was a lost word that only appeared in forbidden objects.

They were unwilling to even mention its existence.

Even in the tombs of other fearful people, its name is never mentioned.

And that is precisely Conrad's goal for this expedition.

The midnight ghost's destination is the throne built by this lost lord with broken bones and charred skin, and the army of soulless people who are imprisoned under his mad order and whose loyalty is maintained by blood taxes.

He needs them.

Or……

Emperors need them.

But this is not an easy thing.

Even if Conrad made ample preparations, charging directly into the ancient homeland of the Drazac Bone Dynasty, which had long been inherited by endless madness and barbarity, was not a feasible idea, even for an entire Astartes army: on the contrary, there was a high probability that the entire expeditionary fleet would be lost there.

This is not okay.

They are still useful.

They could die on this journey, but such a large-scale death would undoubtedly be a waste.

He needs... a more clever way.

Conrad knew what that method was.

He was lucky because he had successfully recorded and deciphered the timeline used by these mad ghoul dynasties to maintain themselves during his previous expeditions: the flesh reserves of the skinners could not be endless, and every few months to a few years, their rotten funds would be consumed or torn apart by themselves.

At that time, the Lost Lord Valgul will announce the arrival of the so-called bounty moment: hordes of Drazak raiders will bring destruction and suffering to the entire Ghoul Star and even thousands of worlds beyond the Ghoul Star in their quest for the tithe, which is made of blood.

This used to be the nightmare of the Midnight Lord.

But now, Conrad absolutely loves it all.

He knew that all he needed to do now was to keep a close eye on the stopwatch and wait patiently.

Waiting for the bounty to arrive.

Waiting for the army of skinners to break out of their cages.

Waiting for them to leave their terrible homeland, which deterred the entire legion.

Arrive at the hunting grounds of the midnight lords.

At that time, the Midnight Ghosts would only need to employ a few more tricks and schemes to make this fearsome army make some small but incredibly important contributions to the unstoppable rise of the Emperor and all of human civilization.

This time, they are no longer skinners.

They will be unwilling: [the rescuers].

(End of this chapter)