The giant corporations that started from Night City

Chapter 450: The Sword of the Empire Loses Its Edge! The Study Room with a Somber Atmosphere!
At this moment, Guilliman fell into deep thought.

He knew that Horus had been busy forming a cabinet recently, and now he suddenly asked him to return to Terra, probably because he wanted to win him over to fight against the High Lords and their gang of old foxes.

Guilliman was not very interested in the power struggle on Terra at the moment, because no matter how fierce or intense the fight was, the results would be washed away sooner or later.

"Never mind. Just consider it as a favor to Horus."

After thinking seriously for a while, Guilliman turned to his 11th Captain Felix and asked, "How long does it take to get to Terra from here?"

Since the Macragge system was the first region to cooperate most actively with the new channel project of the world giant, it is also the star region that enjoys the convenience of the new channel the fastest.

However, Guilliman had never returned to Terra using the new route, so he was not sure how long it would take to return. According to past practice, the fastest time would be three months.

"It's about 18 hours. If the new waterway project is fully open to traffic, it will probably only take 12 hours, or even less."

Felix responded truthfully, saying that he had obtained these data from the giant companies, and that he had also witnessed the efficiency of the transport teams with his own eyes, which was indeed much higher than before.

"So fast——!"

A hint of surprise flashed across Guilliman's face, but he quickly restrained it. The era of revival with rapid changes has arrived, and there will be more strange things in the future. He must adapt as soon as possible.

"Then let's prepare to return to Terra now. It's a good opportunity to check on my good brother Horus."

Guilliman waved his hand, signaling the Ultramarines below to make arrangements as quickly as possible.

It's funny to say that during the Great Crusade, Horus was the one among many Primarchs who hated Imperial bureaucrats the most, and he often framed and cursed those mortal officials.

As a result, not long after the Great Crusade ended, Horus became the biggest bureaucrat in the Empire and held the power of the Empire, which made many of his Primarch brothers complain about Horus behind his back.

However, despite his grumblings, Horus, who had already maximized the favorability of these Primarchs, did not forget to provide benefits to his brothers by granting them titles and lands, even after becoming the Regent of the Empire.

Except for a very small number of Primarchs, most of them had a good impression of Horus and were willing to support their big brother.

However, since Horus took office as regent of the Empire, the Empire's political system has not changed much.

Only with the rapid construction of the new waterway project has the efficiency of the empire's political orders been greatly improved, allowing the empire to have stronger control over various star regions.

But this political achievement has nothing to do with Horus.

On the contrary, if it were Malcador or the Emperor who came to power, they would be able to accomplish more and more meaningful things than at the current stage.

Horus was completely led by the Cosmic Corporation. From the very beginning, the Corporation's fleet resisted the threat from the warp, and new channels were provided to improve government order processing, which greatly reduced Horus' political pressure.

Coupled with the help of the High Lords' Council and cabinet members, to be frank, the position of Imperial Regent can be filled by a dog.

The only thing Horus wanted to do was to seize the fruits of victory of the Empire alone and kick out other political factions on Terra first.

[Heading towards Terra——! ]

At this time, the already prepared Ultramarines Legion controlled the fleet to change direction and head towards the nearest new route.

After waiting for 17 hours at the battleship's central console, Guilliman finally saw the familiar solar system. The majestic Glory of Macragge passed through layers of customs gates and finally arrived at the administrative district of Terra.

At the space docking port on Terra, Horus saw Horus' flagship, the Vengeful Spirit, at a glance.

This warship, which had experienced countless battles, no longer had the solemn and murderous atmosphere it once had. With only a few faint signal lights flashing, it looked particularly lonely.

War machines will always become dull and rusty if they are left unused for a long time.

Ever since Horus ordered the warriors of the Luna Wolves to follow him to Terra to serve as officials, this majestic and domineering warship has been covered in dust, and usually only a few hundred mortals are responsible for taking care of and cleaning it.

Seeing the Imperial Sword losing its edge, Guilliman couldn't help but shake his head and sigh: "Horus should have been the Warmaster instead of staying on Terra as the Imperial Regent."

This is not because Guilliman looked down on Horus and thought he was not capable of being the Regent of the Empire, but because everyone's talents are destined to be limited.

Compared to political work, Horus' talents are undoubtedly more suitable for use on the battlefield. This natural imperial warlord can only display his greatest value on the battlefield.

Staying in Terra is a complete waste of time.

"Respected Lord Guilliman, the Regent has been waiting for you for a long time. Now please follow me to meet him at the Terra Palace."

At this moment, the warriors responsible for meeting Guilliman had arrived, led by Abaddon.

Looking at Abaddon, who was wearing the uniform of an Imperial senator and had a completely different temperament, Guilliman stared at him for several seconds before recognizing him. He had never seen Abaddon without power armor.

This muscular man didn't want to engage in a fight, but instead imitated mortal officials and wore an awkward and incongruous uniform, and was so polite... This was nothing like the impression I had of a soldier of the Luna Wolves Legion.

"Abaddon, how come even you are employed on Terra? Is Horus really that short of manpower?"

Guilliman spoke bluntly, saying that he was not looking down on Abaddon, but a rough guy like him was simply not suitable for this job.

This is totally torturing the other party.

Abaddon was not angry after hearing what Guilliman said. He just smiled helplessly and said, "I am honored that you still remember my name. Not only me, but all the Luna Wolves officers are now serving on Terra."

To be honest, Terra is not that short of people. In fact, with the gradual completion of the new channel system, officials in many regions have an easier time than before, and there was a period of redundancy of officials.

But these people do not belong to Horus, and their immediate superiors are more or less related to Malcador.

Horus, the parachuted leader, has no roots of his own in Terra.

The weight of a leader without a personal team or confidants can be imagined. The mortal bureaucrats under him only know how to obey in public and will not really work hard for Horus.

It was because Horus saw this that he allowed Abaddon and other generals of the Luna Wolves to occupy various key positions. Even if they were just figureheads and knew nothing, they still had to occupy the position.

It doesn't matter whether or not some "good stuff" can be pulled out, as long as an atmosphere of large numbers and power can be created, so as to enhance Horus's prestige on Terra.

But this would cause hardship to many soldiers of the Moon Wolf Legion.

After all, Terra is the power center of the Empire, and the storm of political struggle here will not stop because of the arrival of a certain person.

On the contrary, the emergence of the Luna Wolves and the cabinet created by Horus directly led the High Lords to band together and constantly trip up these young warriors in secret.

For example, deliberately distributing various long-suppressed difficult cases and high-difficulty government affairs processing documents to the Shadow Moon Wolf warriors.

In the officialdom, it is much more difficult to avoid making mistakes than to solve problems. Sure enough, only a few months have passed, and the Luna Wolves generals including Abaddon have already committed "numerous evil deeds."

They also wanted to contribute to the empire, but political work only looked at the correctness of the decision, not the original intention of the person. The enthusiasm of this group of rough guys was met with ugly results.

If it weren't for Horus, who was protective of his own people and worked hard to clean up the mess for his soldiers, these Astartes would have been kicked back to Cthonia to stand guard long ago.

But even so, Horus never thought of abandoning Abaddon and others, and still let them stay by his side and work.

Under the high pressure of internal and external attacks, the Astartes did not want to make any more mistakes and let the Primarch be held responsible for their mistakes. They were also actively learning how to handle government affairs, but they had no talent.

At least in the short term, they would never be able to be a match for the mortal bureaucrats who have been struggling on Terra for half their lives.

After learning about the true situation of the Luna Wolves on Terra, Guilliman frowned and his expression subconsciously tightened.

It seems that the environment in Terra is worse than I expected.

It was hard for him to imagine how the Luna Wolves, who had hacked the aliens to pieces on the battlefield, could be insulted and pinned to the ground by a bunch of mortal officials.

"Excuse me, but you shouldn't stay here. As the most powerful warriors of the Empire, it is a waste of resources to let you huddle in this small piece of land on Terra." Guilliman sympathized with Abaddon from the bottom of his heart.

Astartes were born to fight, to wipe out alien races in the galaxy and expand the territory of the human empire, not to compete with mortals on how to handle government affairs.

Political work is also important, but if mortals can serve the Astartes, why should they compete with mortals for this position and waste their precious time.

What is above power is called force.

Absolute force is absolute power, and it is also force that can ensure the stable development of the human empire.

What Guilliman could be sure of was that even the bravest Luna Wolves would become weak and helpless if they stayed on Terra for too long.

A comfortable and cozy environment cannot create a strong warrior. No matter how strong the physique is, it will be eroded by the gentle environment.

Horus is destroying the Luna Wolves with his own hands!

"Alas..." Abaddon sighed helplessly. He certainly knew this truth, but who could go against Horus?

"Don't worry, I will go to see your Primarch now, and I will definitely say a few fair words for you then." Guilliman solemnly promised Abaddon.

According to normal ritual procedures, the first thing the Primarch should do after returning to Terra is to rest and bathe to relieve the fatigue brought by the long voyage and facilitate the subsequent communication.

But Horus was eager to see Guilliman, and Guilliman also wanted to have a long talk with Horus and persuade him to leave Terra as soon as possible.

After all, they are brothers who have lived and died together on the battlefield, and their relationship in private is also quite good, so these unnecessary formalities are simply avoided.

"I thank you for your righteous words on behalf of Luna Wolf."

Abaddon bowed to Guilliman, then ordered his subordinates to arrange the rest of the itinerary, and he left the Macragge's Glory first.

On the way to the office area of ​​the Imperial Regent, Guilliman kept thinking in his mind.

He believed that Horus must be aware of the situation of the Moon Wolves, but Horus still did it, and he must have his reasons.

When it comes to handling government affairs and political work, Guilliman is the most skilled among the Primarchs.

He understood the unknown ways of politics more thoroughly and clearly than any other Primarch.

This is mainly due to the fact that Guilliman has a good father who is the planetary archon. Guilliman has experienced everything from grassroots officials to the top administrative head.

Influenced by his father, Guilliman's political experience far exceeds that of his other Primarch brothers.

When the Emperor retrieved Guilliman, he was still serving as the chief administrator on Macragge.

However, no matter how good Macragge is, it is only a small world after all. Terra is the power center of the entire human empire. The difficulty of managing planets and government affairs is exponentially doubled.

Although Guilliman did not have a specific understanding of the administrative processing system of the human empire, he could roughly guess how busy the regency department of the empire would be.

"I hope Horus will stop thinking about the Imperial Regent, otherwise he will be lost in the vortex of power sooner or later."

Guilliman repeatedly speculated in his mind about the real reason why Horus asked him to come to Terra, whether he wanted him to help do something, or whether he wanted to form a clique to fight against the High Lords.

It is not impossible to work for Horus, but Guilliman does not want to stay on Terra for too long. After all, this place does not belong to him. Macragge is his foundation.

He can provide Horus with some experience in political struggle, but he will not stay with Horus on Terra for too long, as the Empire's political system is a mess.

Everyone was forced into this, and he was not the regent of the empire, so why should he create trouble for himself?

Soon, the Luna Wolves warriors escorting Guilliman drove the spaceship into the Regent Department. Before entering Horus' administrative district, Guilliman saw several familiar Luna Wolves officers.

Their expressions were the same as Abaddon's, tired and a little confused. These warriors who were once invincible on the bloody battlefield were actually corroded by government affairs and became like this.

With an indescribable feeling in his heart, Guilliman came to Horus' study.

Crunch-!
Pushing open the heavy door, several familiar Luna Wolves generals came into view, such as the Shadowmoon Council member Seamus, the Seventh Company Captain Serhan Tagost, Gail Gladon and others.

They were wearing heavy combat power armor and had serious expressions on their faces, as if they were waiting to interrogate a criminal. The atmosphere in the entire study was particularly solemn and depressing.

Seeing this scene, Guilliman subconsciously wanted to turn around and run away. This didn't look like he was looking for him to discuss government affairs. It was clearly like he wanted to chop off his head!
For some reason, Guilliman, who wanted to escape, froze at the critical moment, but his legs continued to move forward involuntarily.

This made him look like a funny penguin.

It was only then that a low, hoarse voice came from deep in the study, and Guilliman recognized it as the voice of Horus.

"My good brother, you finally came to Terra."

In the dim light, Horus, who was sitting upright, had an extraordinary demeanor. Guilliman could see that under his robe uniform, Horus was also wearing a power armor that was only used in wartime.

Wearing power armor inside and the exclusive uniform of the Imperial Regent outside, what kind of look is this? Is it implying that he wants to handle both military and political affairs?

Guilliman could not guess what Horus was thinking, so he asked him why he had been asked to come to Terra.

"Horus, why are you wearing power armor here? Is there a war going on somewhere, so you plan to ask me to rule for you?"

After thinking for a while, Guilliman felt that his guess was closest to the truth, otherwise there was no way to explain the strange behavior of Horus and these Luna Wolves generals.

But even if there really were an invasion by alien races or evil gods and demons from the subspace, it would not be their turn to worry about it. Didn't the Universal Corporation deploy an expeditionary corps to guard against these entities?

With Jack Wells's troops watching over them, there was no need for them to worry about fighting.

"Guilliman, please sit down first. I will only tell you that the relationship between you and me cannot be compared to that between other Primarch brothers."

Horus did not answer Guilliman's question, but instead played the emotional card with the other party.

Soon, Guilliman sat down in the chair reserved for him by Horus with doubtful thoughts. He wondered if Horus was not dressed like this for war.

Could it be that he is looking for trouble?

But he never provoked Horus!
If he were honest with himself, Guilliman was sure that he was definitely the most Buddhist, calm and friendly among his fellow Primarchs, although he was not as close as Horus was to all the Primarchs.

But at least it can be said that there is no conflict of interest or fundamental contradiction.

There is absolutely no need for Horus to bully me.

This in the end is why……

At this moment, Horus did not communicate with Guilliman, but dealt with the government documents that needed to be resolved first. After a long while, Horus spoke to Guilliman.

It was not until the light in the study became brighter that Guilliman could see Horus's expression clearly.

In his impression, Horus's eyes were always confident and brave, and his temperament was upright and positive. Although he was a little arrogant and cold, his overall image was still quite upright.

But not long after that, Horus became gloomy and silent, with a perverse and cruel look in his dark eyes, just like a villain.

Coupled with Horus's conspicuous bald head, this made Guilliman even more convinced that Horus had been seduced by power and turned into an out-and-out conspirator.

Although it may not be scientific to say that appearance is determined by the mind, it definitely makes sense.

At least Guilliman would not believe that Horus in the past would be like this.

(End of this chapter)