Emperor's Bane

Chapter 982 The Emperor's Son Through the Eyes of an Old Chinese Medicine Practitioner

Chapter 982 The Emperor's Son Through the Eyes of an Old Chinese Medicine Practitioner
The year 179 of the Great Expedition Calendar, on the day of month x.

After three years of reorganization, I finally cleared away all the traps left by that rebellion: it was much more troublesome than I had initially anticipated.

The main problem lies with the experimental subjects.

That damned Imperial Guard, through his actions, proved to me that the entire Imperial Guard was not entirely useless: besides being muscle-bound brains who only knew how to wield swords and spears, they were also capable of making achievements in interpersonal communication and leadership, which truly surprised me.

Looking back now, this carelessness was indeed the main reason why I capsized in the gutter.

I underestimated the Imperial Guard.

When I successfully reverse-engineered the first Imperial Guard work using their flesh and blood, I naturally regarded myself as a creator of a higher order than them: such an arrogant mindset is undesirable.

So, right under my nose, he spent years cultivating the supply chain in the lab, successfully evading my notice.

I thought those captured fools, under the suppression of my drugs, would have long since lost any will to resist, but who would have thought that he would have a way to awaken their rebellious spirit: according to the statistics afterward, all the test subjects participated in this rebellion, and their deaths were a rather staggering loss for me.

I had to spend more time and use every means to fill my warehouse again.

And that involves the thing I hate the most.

I communicated with my group of colleagues.

……

be honest.

I have always been very self-aware, and I have always known that I am not a good person in the conventional sense.

By any standard of goodness, I am a complete villain and need no redemption.

Even I, with my background, was astonished by the depth of depravity among some of my fellow combat comrades when I witnessed their actions.

Each meeting was only a few years apart, but they always managed to redefine the limits of what I considered the lowest possible level of crime.

Hopefully, these guys will never run into Conrad or the Midnight Lord in their lifetime.

The most tragic thing is that within the Legion, those who can readily provide me with experimental subjects are precisely these extremely depraved colleagues: while Acudona and Tavec are still holding onto their principles, if they knew what I was doing in their own labs, they would surely cut off my head themselves.

The world is truly absurd: I've actually stooped so low as to associate with these despicable people.

However, in retrospect, perhaps from the moment the Primarch decided to completely dismantle the Legion, this corruption and internal division were inevitable.

……

To this day, no one knows the fundamental reason that prompted Lord Forgrim to completely dismantle the Legion.

Many people want to know the reason behind this. Acudona and Tavitz tried to stop the Primarch from doing so, and even Edoron and Lucius thought it was inappropriate. I also tried to persuade him. But my main goal was to understand what my father was thinking.

Of course, none of us could stop his decision.

It is obvious that what prompted the Phoenix to issue this order was a factor more important than us, its offspring.

Some say he viewed this as a competition to select the best among his offspring.

Some argue that choosing this laissez-faire approach was a last resort for the progenitor.

Of course, some people firmly believe that there is no complicated reason behind this: Lord Phoenix is simply imitating the methods of the person he loves most in this world, Lord Felus, and the Iron Hand is simply dividing and conquering their own territory, with the degree of internal division even more severe than ours.

Give the simplest example.

There has always been a controlled civil war among the various clans of the Steel Hand.

However, in my opinion, none of these statements are correct.

I believe that Lord Forgrim's decision to divide up the vast majority of his territory was less a product of his whims or careful consideration, and more a result of his inherent laziness: he simply chose the easiest way to achieve his dream.

Long before the Great Crusade ended, when Horus was still waiting for his Warmaster's laurel on Uranor, Lord Forgrim had privately revealed to us that he dreamed of making the Phoenix Court the most prosperous land in the entire galaxy, surpassing even Holy Terra and Macragge, and setting a benchmark for human civilization.

Even ten thousand years from now, people will remember the second name of Heaven: Chemos.

He said it was his lifelong dream.

I believe that statement.

But at the same time, I know all too well Lord Forgrim's deepest weaknesses.

He is not a nostalgic person.

Rather than repeating a challenge that has already been undertaken, or scoring another 99 or 98 on a test paper that was once perfect, Lord Phoenix prefers to take on a new challenge and continue to approach perfection by solving the new challenge.

If he were to devote all his energy to Chemos and the bustling world around it, honing his talents on this small piece of land and eventually creating a dream world comparable to half the galaxy: I believe Lord Phoenix would be infinitely enthusiastic about it.

However, if the territory he needs to govern is expanded to dozens of times or even more, and those poor and backward worlds are also considered his responsibility, and he has to carefully adjust the balance and disparity between them, then the equivalent of several generations' time and energy will be spent on helping one world after another get rid of poverty and famine.

Those things are a bit too much to ask of Lord Phoenix.

It's not that he can't do it.

After all, he was the one who single-handedly brought Chemos back from the brink of collapse.

But that's precisely where the problem lies.

Chemos's redemption was absolutely perfect; it was a flawless, perfect answer.

For Lord Forgrim, saving those worlds struggling on the brink of poverty and famine no longer brought him any challenge or sense of perfection; those were things he had already experienced. Instead, he could only travel back and forth between hundreds of the same impoverished worlds, repeating the history of Chemos over and over again.

For someone who strives for perfection and constantly seeks to challenge their limits, this kind of repetitive labor is enough to stifle their aesthetic sense and their life.

I think this is why Lord Phoenix was willing to grant away most of his territory.

All he needed was Chemos and that small, incredibly rich and prosperous area around it. Transforming this land into a galactic star was an unprecedented challenge, far surpassing the efforts to save hundreds of repeating impoverished worlds. It was indeed a somewhat selfish choice, but I believe the Primarch did not do it out of pure malice.

Deep down, he truly believed that his company commander and lord commanders would handle everything.

But it's a pity.

I am absolutely certain of this.

Most of my colleagues have botched the responsibilities entrusted to them by the Primarch.

……

As the Legion's chief apothecary, even though the position is now practically defunct, I enjoy many hidden perks that others don't notice. One of these is the ability to roam freely throughout the Third Legion's territory as a completely irresponsible bystander.

Those company commanders who are responsible for defending the territory do not have the same freedom as me.

That is why almost no one can observe the world under the rule of the emperor's son as objectively as I can.

I can say this responsibly.

Most of the lords who are sons of emperors can only be described as above average in governing their territories: if 100 is the maximum score, then they are probably in the 60 to 70 range. They are indeed effectively alleviating poverty in various worlds, but at the same time, they also retain a lot of surprising backwardness.

Give the simplest example.

Apart from a few people such as Tavic and Vespasian.

In most of the princely territories, slavery and the buying and selling of people remained legitimate and legal practices.

Many company commanders, such as Caesaron, the commander of the First Company, and Marius, the commander of the Third Company, could not understand why slavery should be abolished: they had long been accustomed to the de facto slavery of legionary servants, and were therefore oblivious to the hierarchical system among mortals.

The most typical example of this is Lucius.

A sad fact is that although Lucius was almost completely inept at governing his territory, the several populous and barren worlds under his rule were renowned tourist destinations throughout the Maelstrom region: every year, countless dignitaries would come specifically to visit them and then frantically flock to the various arenas in Lucius's territory.

That's right.

Gladiator arenas and slave gladiators.

It's as if we're still living tens of thousands of years ago.

Fortunately, the territory of the World Eaters' Legion does not actually border us. I have heard that Lucius has at least several million officially registered slave gladiators under his command, and even more unregistered amateurs, who maintain this bloody prosperity with an astonishingly savage wisdom: this killing contest is not merely a form of exploitation, but has evolved into a sophisticated commercial system.

In Lucius's capital, I saw gladiator academies springing up everywhere, and movie posters and textbooks were full of scenes glorifying bloody battles. All sorts of souvenirs and star gladiators brought considerable profits to his country and its people.

Even more so, many people are willing to spend a lot of money to fight those renowned slave gladiators.

So, if we exclude those slave gladiators who were forcibly taken in: yes, some slave gladiators were completely voluntary, then the standard of living under Lucius's rule was actually quite good. He could even be said to have completed the task given to him by the Primarch, using his methods to help his territory escape poverty.

I can not understand.

I was shocked.

But for me, the most important thing is that in every civilized world under Lucius’s rule, there was a huge slave market where you could easily buy any kind of slave you wanted: even aliens were not impossible.

At my best, I was able to import three thousand psionic slaves from Lucius at a discounted price.

In my progress of restoring the laboratory, this strange swordsman can be considered the second greatest contributor.

As for the largest?
It's Idolon, of course.

Of all the Third Legions, only the slave markets and human trafficking under his rule were more prosperous than those under Lucius.

Surprisingly, at least in my opinion, Eldoron's governance of his territories was neither a failure nor particularly abnormal.

He sought to preserve slavery as a matter of course and reduced the vast majority of the population to slavery, but within this simple pyramid structure, he did indeed manage a healthy and vibrant society: if it weren't for seeing those three-year-old children being led around with pigs and dogs, I might have a higher opinion of him.

To slash the faces of nursing infants to mark them, and then make them clean burning chimneys when they are two or three years old: even I, who have fallen to such a low level, find this a bit too much.

Of course, while I feel some pity, I will not spend money on such useless slaves.

After all, Idorlon is never generous when it comes to prices.

We all know that among the tributes paid to Chemos by the various territories, Edoron has always made sure that he is the one who contributes the most: if it weren't for the astonishing exploitation he incurred for it, the world under his rule would not be so rich yet so distorted.

With Edoron's administrative abilities, he could have made more of his subjects live better, at least allowing slaves who were only supposed to live to forty to live for another ten years: but he would never do that. He needed to control the population and let slaves die before they could provide any more value, thereby squeezing out more taxes for Chemos.

Sadly, he's not the only one doing this.

With very few exceptions, not a single princely lord would refuse to pay taxes to Chemos; on the contrary, they would do everything in their power to pay more, even if it meant squeezing their own territories to the point of destitution. If it weren't for this morbid trend, my average score for them would have been eighty to ten points higher.

Even so, I have to admit it.

in a sense.

Their atrocities were meaningful.

Because they really did support Chemos.

A deformed, twisted, insane being.

Yet, she was a monster of unparalleled beauty.

……

I can proudly assure anyone.

Chemos is the most beautiful world in the entire galaxy.

That's right, it surpassed Avalon, and decades ago it had already surpassed Macurag, and not long ago it was enough to surpass Konya and Holy Terra.

She is the Empress of Ten Thousand Cities, clad in a purple robe.

I was born in the sacred Terra, and I have personally visited Macragge and Avalon, as well as every world worthy of praise in this galaxy. Therefore, I can assure you that Chemos is far more prosperous than any of them. It is the closest place to heaven in this galaxy, a real utopia built by the Phoenix with all her wisdom and the blood and sweat of billions of people.

I haven't had the opportunity to visit Chemos many times.

But every time I go, I linger and never want to leave.

Every inch of her land is perfect, every inhabitant lives in bliss without ever having trouble, her sky is made of silk, her rain is jade dew, and even the smallest piece of floorboard is a work of art that could be exchanged for an entire remote world: and no fool would make such a foolish deal.

She lives in the most bustling city.

The most verdant environment.

The most elegant people.

The noblest art.

Even the gentlest sun.

Even if you have no special skills, as long as you are fortunate enough to be born on the land of Chemos, you can live a life that even the High Lords would envy.

The only thing that's bothersome here is the endless infighting among the mortal officials within the palace. Aside from that, I can't find any fault with it: Lord Phoenix has indeed created a paradise on earth, and no matter how heavy or bloody the price may be, in my opinion, it's all worth it.

Or rather, anyone who sees Chemos would believe it was worth it.

We can proudly declare that Holy Terra is nothing but a shadow that should be forgotten, forever trapped in its past sins and madness, a Rome that can only wander in slums and sewers.

Moreover, Chemos: it is a new Rome rising from the ground in a brand new world, a destined eternal city.

It is the destiny of the emperor's son.

It is also the only place in my eyes that is worthy of being the home of the "new humans" in my plan.

Of course, these are all things to be discussed later.

Every trip to Chemers gives me a chill: I consider my conviction in science and truth to be unwavering, but even so, as I walk through Chemers' magnificent marble gardens, I've thought more than once about abandoning my career and wandering forever in this beautiful world.

I stopped thinking about anything.

Just like those mortals lying on the grass, they sleep forever in boundless comfort.

This is really scary.

Fortunately, I managed to break free once again.

After touring the prince's territory and obtaining the expected number of slaves, I met with Lord Fugrim again in Chemos. Unsurprisingly, he still had no interest in the lands outside Chemos, because in his eyes, Chemos was far from perfect, and countless challenges awaited him there.

I can only hope that he hasn't forgotten his original aspirations.

Anyway: I didn't.

After leaving Chemos, I returned to a brand-new laboratory in the territory.

Just as I expected.

When I returned, my assistant did indeed report some rare good news.

……

The flesh and blood of the Imperial Guards that I had meticulously crafted did indeed bring me unexpected prey.

A subspace... physical being?
……

well.

I have seen the true secrets of the entire universe, beckoning to me on the horizon.

Before that, I only need to confirm one thing.

……