The giant corporations that started from Night City

Chapter 454: The wheat is ripe for thousands of times and mankind is free for the first time!
"There is such a thing."

Guilliman was very surprised. From the information revealed by Paul, he learned that the fragment of the Star God sealed on Mars seemed to be a Void Dragon.

The Void Dragon represents the entity of technology and machinery among the Star Gods. It can manipulate machinery and distort the laws of physics, so it is also called the God of Technology.

Among the Star God clan, the Void Dragon can be regarded as the technical leader.

After the Emperor defeated the Void Dragon and sealed it underground on Mars, he also, in a sense, promoted the birth of the Mechanicus of Mars.

Because of the existence of the Void Dragon, it will always exude a kind of mechanical divinity, which will subtly influence the humans on Mars. This is why those oil men worship the God of Machinery so fanatically.

In addition, the Void Dragon has always been one of the Emperor's trump cards against the entities of the Warp, because the species of the Star Gods are purely material entities and they are not affected by the Warp.

"Regarding the issue of the Star God fragments, we will discuss it with the Emperor. No matter what the result is, I will inform you as soon as there is news."

Paul looked towards Guilliman with a firm tone. They must get the Star God fragment, whether by trade or coercion. This thing can only play its greatest value in the hands of the giant cosmic enterprise.

"Okay, I'll go back and wait now."

Guilliman nodded. Although he didn't know what use the Star God fragment would be to the giant enterprise, he hoped to use this thing to achieve a deeper strategic cooperation with the giant enterprise.

Even if it means learning the other party's system in its entirety, it would be worth it.

"This matter must be kept secret and must not be known to anyone else. The void dragon under Mars is very dangerous and requires a professional scientific expedition team to go in and explore."

"If we act rashly, it will only make the situation worse."

Paul specifically reminded Guilliman that even the Emperor had to rely on his own powerful psychic power to barely seal the Void Dragon. Now that Magnus was imprisoned, there was no other powerful psychic in the huge Terra.

If Guilliman acts on his own and accidentally releases the Void Dragon, it would be a big problem.

In order to avoid such unnecessary mistakes, Paul specifically reminded Guilliman.

"Don't worry, I know what to do." Guilliman is not a reckless fool. He will never easily get involved in things he is not familiar with.

Since the Emperor had not told them, the Primarchs, anything about the C'tan, he must have had his reasons.

As long as the Corporation can get the Emperor's permission, Guilliman will not stop the Corporation from sending a scientific expedition team to the underground of Mars to subdue the Void Dragon.

Soon after saying goodbye to Guilliman, Paul immediately reported the situation here to the headquarters of the Ten Thousand Worlds Base, and asked the headquarters to send someone to negotiate the matter with the Emperor.

At the same time, Xu Shiming had received news from the headquarters and knew about the next transaction to be discussed with the emperor.

At this moment, the Emperor was still following Lucy to understand the political system of the Universal Corporation and the operating procedures of each department, and he also read the development history of the corporation.

The Emperor has a photographic memory and can remember any knowledge exactly after just one review in his mind, but there are many places where the Emperor will pause for a long time when thinking.

This is mainly because the social environment of the Universal Corporation and the Human Empire is completely different.

For example, due to the great abundance of material things, many giant corporate people no longer consider the traditional way of getting married and living together, but instead pursue the ultimate personal independence and freedom.

If a man customizes his girlfriend or wife with AI, or marries his neighbor's wife and then divorces her and marries another neighbor's wife, no one will morally condemn the man for this.

As long as you can ensure your own personal safety and not cause trouble to others, these jaw-dropping orgy operations are completely reasonable and legal.

The traditional family model is no longer the only option.

Brave explorers travel the universe on giant companies' spaceships, timid cowards live a life of drunkenness and dreams in the matrix, and promiscuous prodigals travel back and forth between Super Dream, AI, and their lovers and cannot find a home.

The conservative and autistic internet-addicted boy rests his head on the snow-white long legs of his two-dimensional AI wife, immersed in the online game "Oasis" all day long.

These things were extremely depraved and self-destructive in the eyes of the emperor, but they were commonplace in the giant corporations of the universe, which made him very confused.

“Everyone has the right to choose their own life, but slave society, feudal society, semi-colonial and semi-feudal society, and capitalist society have never given humans this choice until today.”

“Wheat ripens a thousand times, but mankind is free for the first time.”

Lucy's explanation is simple and profound. Although the world's giant companies do appear to be capitalist and extremely centralized, Leon's actions embody the four words "the world belongs to all".

Under this seemingly contradictory yet extremely harmonious system, a trend of thought called megacorporationism has taken over every corner of the human world.

The core theory of gigantism is all interpreted around the four words "equivalent exchange".

With the help of Lucy's explanation, the emperor has gradually understood the system and development process of the world's giant companies.

After learning about what Leon had done, the Emperor couldn't wait to meet this great leader.

But just when he wanted to ask Lucy for an earlier meeting with Leon, Xu Shiming found the emperor with a mission and explained the content of the transaction.

"Are you interested in the Void Dragon fragments? I didn't expect you even knew about this." The Emperor was very surprised.

Only he and Macador knew that the Void Dragon was sealed underground on Mars. Logically, this matter should not have been leaked out.

But it is incredible that a global giant company knew about this.

But if you think about it carefully, there are many incredible things happening in the world giant company, so what does this matter? They even know clearly that Magnus has been corrupted.

"Yes." Xu Shiming answered truthfully, "Regent Horus has entrusted his duties to the Primarch Guilliman, but Guilliman hopes to optimize the ruling procedures of the Empire, so he found us for help."

"And the Star God fragments on Mars are the content of the deal between us, but whether this deal can be reached depends on your attitude."

The Emperor couldn't help but raise his eyebrows at Xu Shiming's frankness. It wasn't that he disliked the idea of ​​the Cosmic Corporation regarding the Star God fragments, but he didn't expect that Horus would throw the government affairs to Guilliman.

He just ran away and became a hands-off boss.

Originally, the Emperor thought that Horus would hold out until he returned and then return this difficult power to Malcador. But now it seems that he overestimated Horus's determination.

Horus only wanted to show off his power for a while, so he wanted to become the Emperor's regent. But when he actually sat on the Throne of Thorns, he jumped away with a grimace in pain. He really has no sense of responsibility.

"That's all..."

The Emperor shook his head and sighed. In fact, he had thought that Horus would not be able to withstand the pressure of the Empire's political affairs. In order to relieve Horus' pressure, he planned to let Malcador go back to assist Horus today.

To avoid any unexpected events in the empire.

But Horus, this useless guy, outsourced the Human Empire to his brother Guilliman. Is it really so easy to give up the power of the Empire?

"Guilliman, this guy is really thoughtful. He can find a universal giant to solve the problem." The Emperor's mind flashed with the image of Guilliman. This young Primarch did have some political insights.

If we give him the position of imperial regent, he might be able to achieve some extraordinary achievements.

"If you are willing to hand over the fragments of the Void Dragon to us, the Universal Corporation can optimize and contract some of the government affairs for the Empire and reduce Terra's burden."

"Or we can upgrade Terra's government affairs processing system. This process will take three to five years at the fastest and twenty years at the slowest. I can guarantee that the Empire's government affairs system will be as simple and efficient as that of a giant enterprise."

Xu Shiming promised the emperor.

"I can agree to this deal, but I must remind you that even if it is just a fragment of a Void Dragon, its power is still unimaginable."

"Do you have relevant technological devices to limit it?"

The Emperor no longer cared about the fragments of the Void Dragon. Over the years, the Void Dragons on Mars have no longer been of much value. It is still quite cost-effective to use it to exchange for the political clarity of the human empire and the deep cooperation with the Universal Corporation.

However, the Emperor was worried that the Void Dragon fragments would take the opportunity to escape. After all, even he had spent a lot of effort to subdue this thing, and there might not be psychics as powerful as himself in the Universe Corporation.

"If you operate improperly and the Void Dragon escapes from its prison and merges with other Star God fragments, then even if I try my best, I may not be able to subdue it."

The Emperor knew the origins of the Star God, and he also knew how terrifying the Void Dragon was at its peak. The ultimate weapon of the Necrontologist had long been lost.

If this ancient god really gets away, I'm afraid no one will be able to deal with it.

"Don't worry, we will take it to another universe and it won't cause any waves." Xu Shiming smiled calmly.

In the Warhammer universe, the Void Dragon might still have a chance to develop, but in the specific areas arranged by the giant enterprise, even if a Void Dragon in its peak period comes, it has no chance of escape.

Thanks to the space-time technology provided by the AI ​​Iron Man Fleet of the Golden Age, the scientific research department of the Universal Corporation combined the hyperspace suppression field with space-time technology to generate a space-time retrospection with a range reaching the star system level.

In this specific space-time force field, giant companies can limit the speed of light and arbitrarily shape the speed of the passage of time. They can both accelerate time and reverse time.

Although this expensive force field device will burn a lot of resources and energy every minute and second of use, for today's global giants, these consumptions are already affordable.

With this technology, it is impossible for the Void Dragon to escape from the clutches of the giant company.

"Well then, when do we set off?" the emperor asked.

"It's best to do it now. As for visiting the Ideal City, we still have a lot of time to proceed slowly, but the Void Dragon fragments need to be transferred to other universes as soon as possible."

Xu Shiming did not bother to exchange pleasantries with the Emperor and immediately urged him to follow him to Mars in the Warhammer universe to take away the Void Dragon fragments.

"Well, it just so happens that I haven't been back for a while. I might as well go back and see what 'good things' those primarchs have done behind my back, hehe."

The Emperor smiled wryly, and Malcador, standing by, could tell from the Emperor's expression that some of the Primarchs were likely to be in trouble.

……

……

At this moment, the Spirit of Vengeance, which was anchored at the port of Mars, had already set off, and Horus was leading the warriors of the Luna Wolves Legion, rushing back to Cthonia.

Everyone felt a sense of relief and ease as if the clouds had cleared and the light had appeared. Terra was really not a place for people to stay. Their own doghouse was more comfortable.

In order to celebrate their escape from the sea of ​​suffering, the Moon Wolves spontaneously held a banquet, and then squandered and ate and drank the supplies on the fleet, trying to sweep away the previous haze.

Unfortunately, this joy did not last long. Just when everyone was enjoying themselves, Abaddon came to Horus with orders from Terra.

"Lord, we have received an order from the Imperial Regent. He requires us to return immediately and dock the fleet at the Mars Port!"

Abaddon looked nervous, as if he had encountered something serious.

"Don't pay attention to him. Just tell him that we have returned to Cthonia. The battleship is still under repair and we won't be back for a while."

Horus thought that Guilliman had changed his mind and wanted him to go back to continue serving as regent of the Empire, but how could he go back to that cage again?

"No, Lord, the Emperor has returned. This order was sent by the Imperial Regent in the name of the Emperor. We must return as soon as possible!"

As Abaddon finished speaking, the huge hall suddenly fell silent. The warriors who were drinking and having fun turned their heads to look at Horus, their expressions filled with doubt and nervousness.

Horus stood up from the throne with a jerk. His brain was buzzing at that moment. He thought it would take at least one or two years for the Emperor to return.

How come the emperor and empress arrived just as I left? The timing is too coincidental. I'm afraid this old man is deliberately messing with my mentality!
Abaddon repeated the contents of the order, and although the Emperor did not curse or rebuke Horus with harsh words, everyone knew it.

Often, the presence of swear words in an order actually means that the matter is not that serious. The real big things are always “few words, clear meaning”.

Now the emperor wrote this order in extremely calm and restrained words. I am afraid that the next punishment will not be light!

Soon, Horus personally checked the order sent from Terra, and after confirming that the content was exactly the same as what Abaddon said, his face immediately turned gloomy.

'It's over...'

In an instant, Horus felt his whole body go limp, but he dared not show any panic, as this would only allow the Astartes below to see his cowardly side.

After a long while, Abaddon cautiously stepped forward and asked Horus: "Lord, are we going back now? If we sail at full speed, we can reach Terra in two days at the fastest."

Abaddon certainly did not want to return to Terra, but judging from the content of this order, if he disobeyed and insisted on not going back, the Emperor would definitely be furious.

By then, maybe Cthonia will suffer the same fate as Prospero!

"Turn around and head back to Terra immediately. I want to personally apologize to my father." Horus also knew that it was not too late to make amends now.

If he really pretended not to have seen this order and deliberately delayed time, the punishment he would face would be ten thousand times more severe than it is now.

"Yes!"

As soon as the words fell, the Luna Wolves warriors immediately prepared to return to their respective posts, and the Spirit of Vengeance also turned around and returned to Terra along the original route.

The new route has been completed, and the transportation system of the human empire has been improved a lot. The return trip took only two days, and the Spirit of Vengeance appeared in the solar system.

Soon, Horus received a request for dialogue communication from Terra, and when the holographic screen received the signal, Malcador's image appeared on the screen.

[Regent Horus, how are you? It seems that the political affairs of Terra have made you too bored, so you took the Moon Wolf out for a walk. ]

Looking at Malcador who appeared in the holographic projection, Horus was immediately furious. If this old man hadn't deliberately lured him into a trap, he wouldn't have ended up in this situation.

"Malcador, didn't you go to visit Utopia with my father? Why are you back so soon? Are you unhappy there?"

Horus suppressed his inner anger. He knew that insulting Malcador would not help the situation at all. It would be better to dig out some information from him and see if he could save the situation.

[The Emperor has always been concerned about Terra's every move. He suddenly returned this time for other important matters. However, the fact that you entrusted Terra's political affairs to Guilliman made the Emperor very dissatisfied.]

Although there was no emotion in Malcador's tone, everyone could feel the gloating feeling he exuded.

That was true. After all, Malcador and Horus had long been at odds with each other. The fundamental conflict of interest between the two was the contradiction between the mortal bureaucracy and the Primarch.

Malcador is the leader of the Council of High Lords, and Horus is the boss among the Primarchs. They represent the interests of their respective groups, and it is not just a simple personal grudge.

Now Malcador's design had made Horus lose all face, which undoubtedly exacerbated the conflict between the Primarch and the mortals, and brought the contradictions between the two factions directly to the surface.

But Malcador no longer cared. He was about to retire anyway, and it would be best if he could disgust Horus while there was still a chance.

Seeing that Malcador seemed to be trying to scare him, Horus snorted coldly. He did not curse at Malcador, but continued to ask patiently:

"Malcador, tell me the truth, what does my father intend to do with me?"

Horus was not afraid of being punished, but he still understood the principle of paying a heavy price for a small punishment. What if the Emperor suddenly went crazy and punished his own Luna Wolves like he did the Thousand Sons?

He would rather risk the wrath of the world than accept the emperor's judgment.

(End of this chapter)