Emperor's Bane

Chapter 967 The Current Situation of Avalon
The monsters of Caliban have returned to the galaxy.

An unidentified destroyer, its enemy or ally unknown, is advancing toward the Far East.

The Lord of Dark Angels has entered Nostramore.

The Lion's fleet is sailing into Hell Rock.

His Excellency Johnson has arrived at the border of Avalon.

The supreme First Regent will arrive at his loyal Aurora today!

"..."

"interesting."

"I thought only Ultramarines newspapers would be so interested in other people's news."

After spending less than five seconds reading today's front page headlines and making his own comment, Rana calmly rolled up the newspaper in his hand and returned it to its rightful owner.

The poor wretch standing next to him looked so excited he was about to faint.

You look a little unfamiliar.

He placed the rolled-up newspaper on the other person's plate and looked him up and down with interest: short, light silver hair that was almost white, a typical, handsome face of a Dawnbreaker, a large and delicious meal that would be condemned as decadent by several ascetic legions, and everyday clothes that were very ordinary, rather than the power armor that other Astartes almost never took off.

In addition, there was a silver pendant engraved with Morgan's image hanging on his chest, and a bunch of small, seemingly useless items in his jacket pocket that were in very good condition.

Very good: This is a typical Dawnbreaker.

And it's highly likely he's a new recruit who hasn't finished his training.

"What's your name?"

"Rana asked."

"Didier, sir."

The person in front of him slammed his heels together, standing ramrod straight, even leaning back slightly, causing the newspaper and food on his plate to jiggle noticeably. Rana was even worried that the little guy might get so excited that he would forget he was holding something and salute him instead.

"I am a reserve recruit in the 13th Company."

"Ah, they are Diarmuid's men."

Rana always had a deep impression of his most handsome combat brother, and at the same time, he also keenly grasped the meaning of the word "reserve".

In other words, the little guy in front of us has just completed the gene seed implantation surgery and hasn't had time to undergo further training and surgery.

New recruits like these are often not formally regarded as members of the Dawnbreaker Legion.

Because, although the probability of this happening is extremely low, in the long history of the Second Legion, there have been people who survived the most difficult part of the entire surgery—the gene seed implantation—but failed to survive the relatively simpler training and further surgeries that followed.

Of course, those who were eliminated at the last minute were not because of any physical problems: the Spider Queen's gene seed was the best of the best, more effective than any medical device in the galaxy, and those who were qualified to be favored by Morgan could not be weak.

The biggest problem with these substandard products often lies in their mentality: even the most talented warrior, if he shows obvious weakness and selfishness in the holographic simulation, and even goes so far as to betray his colleagues to protect himself, then such a person is certainly not qualified to win the favor of the Spider Queen.

Of course, the Dawnbreakers will not kill directly.

That's so undignified.

They preferred to discover, during subsequent surgeries, that these individuals were extremely rare secondary misfits, and then send these lost souls out of the Legion, placing them in a more suitable position within the ranks of mortal auxiliary troops: their lives would not be particularly miserable afterward, but they were also assured that they would not have the opportunity to wield key power.

In this respect, the Morgan sons' moral standards even reached the point of being obsessive-compulsive.

They were unwilling to make the slightest concession. Perhaps the Emperor's Son of Forgrim could accept a murderer like Lucius into their perfect team, but the Dawnbreakers could not: even though they were severely understaffed, they were unwilling to back down on such a fundamental issue.

(Before joining the Third Legion, Lucius had already shown obvious sadistic tendencies, deliberately leaving permanent scars on his opponents on more than one occasion. He even tore his opponent to pieces after being injured in a fencing match.)
On this issue, Rana has always been the staunchest supporter of his genetic mother: he would rather see a weak but noble army of Dawnbreakers.

Therefore, subconsciously, the commander of the guards began to scrutinize the recruit who had not yet passed the test, until he was sure that there was nothing wrong with him except that the trembling of his lips and cheeks was a bit excessive: but this was not because of guilt or fear, but because of surprise.

He probably never imagined that he would encounter such a legendary figure as the Chief of the Imperial Guard during an ordinary breakfast.

"Alright, I won't take up any more of your time."

After satisfying his brief curiosity, Rana realized he had been somewhat out of line. He noticed several new recruits watching him intently from a distance, their eyes filled with envy and worry: presumably no one dared to come and remind the Commander of the Guards that these recruits were going to be late for their next training session.

"Go ahead and do a good job."

As compensation, the Grand Master of the Guard patted Didier on the shoulder encouragingly, and then, after watching the excited little fellow walk away with firm steps, Lana turned his gaze away and, unsurprisingly, saw a familiar face across the table.

"You've come to have breakfast too, Your Excellency Rana?"

Bernard picked up his morning tea and gestured towards the Chief of the Guard as a greeting.

"If you were asking me an hour ago, then that would be true."

"But unfortunately, it's 8:30 now."

Rana glanced at the time.

He glanced around again.

The public canteen, which wasn't large but could still accommodate several thousand people, now had only a few scattered diners enjoying their meals or chatting with their cups in hand. Meanwhile, the food service area at the other end of the room had begun replacing the remaining plates and utensils and was no longer replenishing the dishes and snacks.

This made the freshly served breakfast on Bernard's plate look rather meager; but for Bernard, this was already commonplace.

Since becoming the Primarch's servant, he has hardly had a proper meal.

"This is indeed sad."

Bernard took a bite of bread without changing his expression.

"But you know, as the head of foreign affairs, I have to watch the daily diplomatic news as soon as possible to get the latest intelligence: and they usually start broadcasting at eight o'clock."

"Humph……"

Rana has learned to dismiss such typical Bernardian jokes with disdain.

However, when it comes to diplomacy...

Have you read today's newspaper?

Rana's fingers traced the rough rim of the cup.

"His arrival at Lord Zhuangsen has brought more than just a sense of security to Avalon."

"Many people are worried about his reputation."

"Isn't this normal?"

Bernard chewed the bread with some difficulty, then spat out a piece of insect shell.

"damn it……"

He cursed under his breath.

"Are those same Qatari people on duty again today?"

"As for Zhuang Sen."

“Don’t forget, Senior Rana.”

“We have a good relationship with the Dark Angels, and the Primarch and Lord Johnsen have an even better relationship; but these are just our personal relationships.”

"In fact, throughout the entire Great Expedition, it seems that Lord Johnson never formally visited the Far Eastern frontier. Each time, we took the initiative to go out and support him. He himself did not leave any reputation in Avalon. On the contrary, many people received notices of the deaths of their relatives after the battles he personally commanded. Given his consistent style, isn't this kind of concern justified?"

Rana hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

"Indeed, it was my oversight."

Bernard patted his chest, picked up his teacup, and hurriedly took a sip.

"However, speaking of newspapers..."

"Which newspaper did you read it in?"

"It's the official report, what's wrong?"

"Don't watch that anymore, it's not accurate."

"Read the internal report: the one that's thrown into your room through the crack in your door every morning."

"What's the difference?"

"Is this..."

Bernard shrugged.

To put it simply: the official newspaper is prepared for those who believe they are entitled to read the internal newspaper.

"So it's only issued to high-ranking mortals?"

"No, quite the opposite."

"It was distributed to all social classes; in fact, the official newspaper was one of the highest-circulation newspapers in all of Avalon."

"one?"

"That's right, there are several other newspapers with circulations that rival it: they all have amazing cover girls."

"..."

"By the way, what's their headline today: Is the Warmaster of Avalon about to arrive at his loyal Aurora?"

"Not a war commander, but the first chief executive."

Rana raised his eyebrows in displeasure.

"Shouldn't the War General be exclusive to Horus?"

"You see, we've been discussing this recently."

Bernard fiddled with the shredded sausage on his plate with his fork.

"The Primarch did indeed leave behind a very complete system of succession before he left: the three Primarchs, Johnson, Conrad, and Guilliman, succeeded him in turn, followed by you, Lord Marshall, and me, as well as the Council of Avalon. It basically took into account all kinds of unforeseen circumstances."

"But she did leave some loopholes."

"For example, the Primarch did not specify in what capacity Johnson or Lord Conrad ruled the Far East frontier."

“The concepts of war general, regent, first consul, or temporary dictator are completely different.”

"..."

Rana's face was somewhat stiff.

It wasn't that he couldn't understand; on the contrary, he immediately grasped Bernard's implied meaning.

The chief guard then gave a cold laugh.

"Ultimately, are you trying to tell me that some people don't want Lord Johnson to command them?"

"No, I'm not that rebellious."

"They're just...worried."

Bernard slowly chewed on the shredded sausage, then gave a remarkably innocent smile.
"You see, Your Excellency Rana."

"Although the official newspaper is not the most authoritative newspaper, it is indeed the newspaper with the largest circulation: this shows that it can at least represent the thoughts of a part of the people."

"As for these people, they don't mind calling Lord Zhuang Sen 'War Marshal,' since it's a purely military position with relatively little power and no responsibilities outside the military field."

"There can only be one Warmaster of the Empire: Horus."

Rana corrected him, dissatisfied.

"This is just a figurative analogy."

Bernard shrugged.

"Compared to the War Marshal, the First Regent is a more advanced but also more dangerous concept, because the War Marshal's functions are limited to military issues, while the First Regent's governing power naturally includes people's livelihood and other aspects: he can not only decide how many soldiers each world should hand over, but also has the power to require the planetary governor to build what kind of factories and grow what kind of food in the next quarter."

"If being the first ruler is dangerous, then the titles of regent and temporary dictator are enough to make the governors of those planets have their hearts stop."

"why?"

Rana was somewhat puzzled.

"This involves a cognitive issue."

Bernard put down his knife and fork and answered in a more serious manner.

"Please allow me to repeat it first."

"The Dark Angels and Lord Johnson are such trustworthy allies to both us and the Primarchs."

"But to Avalon and the Far East frontier, to the mortals and planetary governors under our command, the First Legion Commander is a complete stranger."

"Therefore, they will respect him."

"But they will also look down on him."

“I can understand the awe.”

Rana nodded.

"After all, Johnson's reputation has always been terrifying."

"But what does it mean to despise?"

Upon hearing this, Bernard simply laughed.

"Senior Rana: You don't actually think our planetary governor is some kind of honest, simple guy, do you?"

"Indeed, I admit: ever since Lord Morgan decided to establish the Far East Frontier, we have been optimizing the bloodlines of the governors of our planets. Over the years, the results have been remarkable. Avalon has not seen any large-scale internal intrigues for more than sixty years, and the governors of the planets are completely subservient to the Primarch's rule."

"but."

Bernard then changed the subject.

"This does not mean that the mortals under our command exist in the form of an atomized society. On the contrary, despite our best efforts to stop it, these mortals are still able to form interest groups of all sizes, bound by blood, marriage or friendship: the Primarch initially wanted to curb this state, but soon realized that doing so would do more harm than good."

“You can’t expect every talented mortal to be selfless: even for the sake of convenience at work, mortals will form interest groups.”

“These interest groups can certainly be crushed.”

"But this concept, this concept called the 'bureaucratic group,' is something that even an emperor cannot contend with."

"Therefore, the Primarch began to systematically tolerate the existence of these groups. The only red line she set was absolute loyalty to her: to this day, mortals have remained steadfast in this rule."

Do you know what this means?

Rana nodded: Of course he knew. As the Spider Queen's most trusted follower, even after more than a hundred years of exposure to politics, Rana couldn't possibly be completely ignorant of it. The reason he asked Bernard so many questions was simply because, after the Primarch left, Rana and Bernard, the two highest-ranking officials temporarily in charge of the entire Far East frontier, reached a consensus in the shortest possible time.

Division of labor.

Rana was in charge of the military.

Bernard was in charge of the others.

Out of mutual trust and a desire not to complicate matters further, neither party interfered further in the other's responsibilities after the division of labor was completed; therefore, many issues required private communication.

This kind of communication is not troublesome.

Both Rana and Bernard were quick to grasp the implications in each other's words.

Like now.

"This means that the mortal groups and planetary governors who have always followed Lord Morgan's lead may not necessarily have the same respect for Lord Johnson: after all, they have never been instilled with the idea of ​​loyalty to a second person, and in their eyes, Johnson lacks sufficient merit and authority, and his reputation may even become a fatal flaw."

"This is where the problem lies."

Bernard shook his head somewhat helplessly.

Who could have imagined that unwavering loyalty to the Spider Queen would one day become an obstacle?

They can't even blame anything for it.

After all, the mortals of Avalon are indeed very loyal. Even though the Primarch has been gone for some time, the nobles and officials, big and small, remain law-abiding. This is why Rana and Bernard's management is so smooth: Morgan's centuries of discipline and training have not been in vain.

"For the Mortal Group and the Planet Governor, they can accept a General Johnson."

"After all, the Primarch never delegated real military power to these mortals, and the governors of those planets hadn't led troops into battle for generations. In addition, the Primarch had always been good at training them, so they didn't mind an outsider taking charge of Avalon's army: even if they had to take on double the military service and orders."

"Really?"

"Really: I've sounded it out."

Bernard nodded seriously.

"Even with that Johnson's personality, Avalon could absolutely provide him with the army and supplies he wanted."

“The governors will not stand in the way.”

"But the executive power of the first government has already effectively interfered with the rights of the governor and bureaucrats."

"You know, even Morgan doesn't use excessively harsh methods to deal with bureaucratic groups."

"As for the Regent and the Temporary Dictator, just as I said earlier, if the War Marshal is limited to military matters and other matters still need to be discussed with the bureaucrats, and the First Consul has some connotation of recommendation and appointment, and his will is not so unshakable, then the Regent and the Dictator can really have the final say. The Avalon people will not adapt to this kind of high-pressure environment."

"Morgan's rule has always been moderate: at least it appears to be moderate on the surface."

"And Mr. Johnson: We all know his style."

"We also know that mortals don't like that."

“They were afraid that Johnson would take everything from them, whether they wanted it or not.”

"But mothers do the same: when necessary."

Rana asked, puzzled.

"That's because the Primarch was very intelligent."

Bernard smiled.

“If the Primarch wants something from mortals, unless it is extremely urgent, she will not be too anxious. She will spend some time and effort to get those mortals to present what she wants entirely out of their own subjective will.”

"This is a very clever technique."

“And I do not believe that Lord Johnson has the ability or the interest to do the same thing.”

Bernard paused for a moment.

"Clearly, I'm not the only one who thinks this way."

"..."

Rana pondered for a while, his thin eyebrows furrowed tightly, until the tea in his cup had gone cold.

“You know what, Bernard?”

"I kind of regret our initial division of labor."

"It doesn't seem like a good idea to leave domestic affairs to you and then have me handle all the military matters."

“I’m glad you finally realized that.”

Bernard sighed softly.

"Actually, I only realized it myself."

“In Avalon, the political and military aspects cannot be separated.”

"Because the Primarch always held them in his hands and never tried to distinguish them."

"But thankfully, the two of us didn't cause any trouble during this time."

Bernard put down his teacup, pointed at Rana with his long, slender fingers, and then at himself.

"Senior Rana."

"Although you can only barely maintain the army in the Far East, you have done a good job in this matter. Not only have you ensured that Avalon can pull out a fighting force at any time, but you have also been carrying out a slow but steady mobilization. Not to mention that you have also selected the replenishment of troops for the Dark Angel Legion in advance for the sake of the overall situation."

"I believe Lord Zhuang Sen will thank you for this."

“You’re not bad either, Bernard.”

Rana's lips curved into a slight smile, barely accepting his comrade's praise.

His gaze swept over Bernard's forehead.

The difference between silver and white is quite obvious.

“When I was in charge of the military, you stabilized all areas of Avalon except the military.”

"It's just my duty."

Bernard smiled.

"Moreover, I can't handle everything well."

"For example?"

Rana became interested.

"For example, the Iron Warriors."

Bernard sighed.

"Do you know, senior? Not long ago, the war blacksmiths from those Iron Warrior camps deployed on our border with Olympia secretly sent envoys, using Lord Danteok as an intermediary, hoping that we could ask him to allow them to enter the country for asylum if necessary."

"Entering the country for asylum?"

This word made Rana's brow twitch.

He knew the Iron Warriors weren't in good shape, but had they gotten this bad?
"why?"

"I've heard that the Fourth Legion is now in a state of extreme division and infighting. Lord Peturabo hasn't shown his face for a long time, but his ever-increasing tax demands are tearing the entire legion apart: in order to make up for the taxes demanded by the Primarchs as much as possible, the various camps are fighting each other for the people and resources under their jurisdiction, and armed conflicts and bloodshed are now commonplace."

"And those camps that were inclined to our side were besieged."

"Because they are outcasts?"

"Do not."

"The main reason is that these camps that are biased towards us have continued Avalon's management principles, so the territories under their rule are more prosperous and have a larger population. It can't even be called hostility or siege; it's just that each camp tacitly robs people and resources in their territory, making it impossible for them to defend against."

"Aren't the Tridents going to do anything about it?"

"Trident initially attempted to maintain order."

"But now, they are already in a predicament, and the Damocles of Peturabo are hanging over their heads."

"..."

"So what do you think, Bernard?"

"I'm also struggling with this."

Bernard shook his head helplessly.

"This kind of thing must be done with utmost care, but these steel camps have always been biased towards us."

"Both allowing and refusing have drawbacks."

"Not to mention Lord Danteok's side..."

"Anyway, who knows, one day I might cause some big trouble for you and the other brothers."

"You are being far too modest."

Rana interrupted him, her tone encouraging.

Do you think I can't tell?

"Let's not even talk about the Iron Warriors."

“Take those ordinary people for example.”

"No matter how much dissatisfaction the various mortal groups and planetary governors harbor towards Lord Johnson, this outsider, for such a long time, not one of them has attempted to do anything to truly hinder all of this: of course, the Primarch's reputation is a powerful factor, but I believe your mediation is also indispensable. Without you, those mortals and governors would not be as obedient as they are now."

"I was just following the script: I did see some of her actions during the years I was around the Primarch."

Bernard leaned back slightly.

"Moreover, compared to mortals."

"What really worries me is Lord Zhuang Sen."

Are you worried that he might do something irrational?

"It's not a matter of worry: he's already done it."

Bernard's ten fingers were crossed together.

"Didn't you notice, Lord Rana?"

"Lord Zhuang Sen: Speed."

"..."

Rana nodded
"He came too fast."

"Although the newspaper was joking, the speed at which he returned to the galaxy and arrived in Avalon was indeed astonishing."

“This is not the kind of efficiency a normal rapid march should have: I suspect he even used secret technology.”

"I'm more worried about other things than these."

Bernard rubbed his temples with a hint of exasperation: this was one of the things he had learned from his mother.

"Not to mention the uproar that the Dark Angel Lord is rushing to the Far East at all costs, how much of a ripple will that cause within the galaxy?"

"What I'm more worried about is..."

Why did he do that?

Bernard's words made Rana seem thoughtful.

“We all know Lord Johnson: he is a strong man whose rationality outweighs his emotions.”

"He wouldn't have done something so out of line without a particularly compelling reason."

“He should know very well that the situation is not yet so dire that he needs to get here so quickly.”

"This will only alert the enemy."

"But he did it anyway."

"Why do you think this is, Lord Rana?"

"..."

The chief guard narrowed his eyes slightly.

"I think... it might be because of our Primarch?"

"Perhaps she said something to Lord Zhuang Sen?"

"I think so too."

Bernard nodded.

"But I'm more curious."

"What exactly did Lord Morgan say that made Lord Johnson so flustered?"

"Or rather, what deeper meaning lies behind Lord Zhuang Sen's anxious arrival?"

"..."

For a moment, both of them fell silent.

"never mind……"

In the end, it was Rana who spoke first.

"We don't need to know, Bernard."

He stood up and interrupted his comrade's worries in an unquestionable tone.

"The Dark Angel Legion's fleet will arrive in two hours."

"Whatever they want."

"We'll find out then."

(End of this chapter)