Warhammer: Don't Call Me the God of All Machines

Chapter 750 The Imperial Truth Disguised as a State Religion (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
Guilliman left his office in Terra Palace.

This magnificent and imposing palace held no appeal for him whatsoever; it only brought him endless pain and anguish.

All who enter this palace must bear the heaviest burden of responsibility in the world and endure the constant torment of their own hearts.

If you want to wear the crown, you must first bear its weight.

Bound to power is responsibility, the heavy burden of the fate of countless people throughout the empire.

As Guilliman walked through the long, decorated corridor, he felt no interest in the exquisite artworks collected from various human worlds, but rather a deep sense of oppression.

At each gate and corner he passed, an Imperial Guard would emerge from nowhere, constantly watching Guilliman's every move.

Their gazes were unusually cold, devoid of any emotion, as if they were staring at a prisoner at the Primarch.

“You see? They don’t trust anyone: including me, including the Space Marines, including the High Lords.”

"They are the jailers of this magnificent palace; everyone except the emperor is a prisoner."

As Rosie and Guilliman walked, they talked, with Enrico of the Imperial Fist following behind.

"He came for Dorne, didn't he? Your appearance has given them a long-lost hope."

Guilliman said softly, having long seen through the Fist of the Empire's intentions.

"Don't hold back anymore. The Empire needs Dorn back now. Terra's politics alone are keeping me very busy. If there are any changes, we will be in a very passive position."

"After a century of encirclement and suppression, although I have killed most of the rebels in the galaxy, there is still one place that I am powerless to reach."

Guilliman didn't say the word, but Roche already knew what he was worried about.

Eyes of Fear.

This is the largest subspace rift in the Milky Way, a scar on the real universe that has been slow to heal.

"Those rebels have all gathered at the Eye of Fear, using its unique geographical environment to fight against the Imperial Legion."

"If we fight head-on, these remnants of the army will naturally be no match for the Imperial regular army."

However, the Eye of Terror is a place where the warp and the real universe merge, and there naturally exists a strong corrupting force of the warp.

"Even if Astartes were strengthened by the thought imprint and were absolutely loyal to the Empire, they could not guarantee that they would be completely immune to pollution if they went there."

The real threat to humanity isn't those insignificant rebels; with Horus dead, those rebels are naturally no longer capable of stirring up any trouble.

However, the traitors are hiding in the Eye of Fear, a veritable "cosmic cesspool," and anyone who wants to take action against them risks getting themselves covered in their excrement.

Chaos corruption is never an immediate phenomenon; often, chaos is more like planting a seed in the human heart.

As one's personal experiences and inner changes occur, this seed slowly takes root and sprouts.

During Guilliman's expeditionary force sent to quell the rebellion at the Eye of Terror, there were more than one instance of Space Marines becoming corrupted and turning against him.

The number of cases where mortal auxiliary troops went out of control was several times that of Space Marines, and even the thought imprint could not guarantee 100% safety.

"So all along, I've been trying to figure out how to control the Eye of Fear in a gentler and more harmless way."

"Unless we have a way to completely shut down the Eye of Fear, close the subspace rift there, and restore the distorted rules of the real universe there, all our actions will only be treating the symptoms, not the root cause."

"Therefore, I mobilized the Empire's power and resources to establish a formidable defense on a planet called Kadia, located on the edge of the Eye of Fear."

"And around Cardia, there is a defensive chain consisting of interlocking links based on the planet."

"Kadia will become the gate to the Empire, firmly keeping the Chaos rebels and warp demons from the Eye of Terror at bay."

As Guilliman spoke, he clenched his fist and suddenly swung it in the air in front of him.

His eyes burned with a fierce fire, as if he could already see how the fortress world built around the Eye of Fear had locked this malignant tumor tightly.

Rosie raised an eyebrow, having discerned Guilliman's unspoken thoughts.

"You want to build a wall in the Eye of Fear, a Great Wall that stretches across the Milky Way, measured in light-years."

"Just like what a dynasty called Qin did more than 30,000 years ago, using the Great Wall to block the nomadic tribes from the north from raiding southward."

Guilliman nodded in satisfaction. It was so convenient to talk to Losi; he didn't even need to spell things out clearly for her to understand what he hadn't said.

When speaking with those high lords, not only must both parties adhere to strict etiquette, but one must also worry about whether the other party will misunderstand one's meaning and make a wrong judgment.

When talking to Rose, you don't need to think about any of these things. You can completely empty your mind and just chat with friends.

"And within the Empire, no one is more skilled at building the Great Wall than Roger Dorn."

With him guarding Kadia, there's virtually no need to worry about the rebels' underhanded tactics within the Eye of Terror.

Listening to Guilliman's grand vision, Rose couldn't help but gasp in amazement.

The difference between Terra Guardians and Cardia Guardians is simply too great.

If it were Peturabo, he might have started to suspect that Guilliman intended to exile him, oust him from the center of power, and begin to imagine a whole series of complex and thrilling political games.

"It's fortunate that it's Dorn; if it were anyone else, they would have already started calling you arrogant," Rosie said with a laugh.

"No, Lord Losi, we unconditionally obey the Imperial Commander's decision."

"Whether it's Terra or Kadia, whether it's the heart of the Empire or a cancer within it, we will face it with the best attitude."

Enrico, who was following behind, spoke up, his tone resolute.

This was also the first time he had heard Guilliman talk about the arrangements and positioning of the Imperial Fist.

In fact, they would rather go to the most dangerous front lines and fight for their own glory than stay in Terra.

As a Terra Guardian, Enrico may enjoy the glory of defending Terra in the eyes of many of his brothers, but he also envies those brothers who have made great achievements throughout the galaxy.

Moreover, listening to Guilliman's description of the Cadia defense, Enrico was already feeling excited.

He even began to fantasize about working with his brothers in arms to make Kadia indestructible, trapping the enemies in the warp.

"It's best to leave all of this to Dorn; otherwise, I can't really feel at ease without a Primarch in charge."

Guilliman's concern lies with those few traitorous Primarchs who have yet to be brought to trial.

There was no distinction between the Chaos Demon Prince Loga, the Khorne Demon Prince Angron, and the Slaanesh Demon Prince Forgrim.

These traitors have indeed vanished without a trace. According to information from Guilliman's special "Demonic Intelligence Army," these Primarchs are all fighting for their respective Overlords in the Warp.

In an environment like the Eye of Terror, the Primarch can easily appear on the battlefield and slaughter the Empire's army.

Loxi smiled wryly.

"Alright, alright, it's not that I don't want to help, the problem is I just got back and don't know much about the situation."

"After I've taken the time to settle some more important matters, it won't be too late to find Dorn."

"So much time has passed, what difference will another ten days or half a month make?"

Having received Rosie's personal assurance, even the usually aloof and emotionless Imperial Fist couldn't help but blush.

Enrico was already thinking about how to notify Sigismund as quickly as possible so that he could bring the Black Templars, who were on expeditions elsewhere, back to Terra.

Sigismund was present when Dorn disappeared and witnessed everything.

The group finally left Terra Palace. As Guilliman's footsteps transitioned from the glittering golden tiles of the palace to ordinary roads, he even began to relax and stretch his muscles.

The bones and fascia crackled and popped, while Guilliman let out a long, satisfying roar.

"Well……"

Guilliman took a deep breath, as if trying to sweep away the pent-up frustration he had felt in the palace.

“I still prefer the outside world,” Guilliman said softly, gazing at the towering towers outside the palace.

Terra is completely different from the worlds that Roshi saw along the way.

This place has gathered the best technology and conditions of the human empire, and has undergone earth-shattering changes compared to the devastation it was a hundred years ago.

Originally, Terra was inhabited by hundreds of billions of mortals who lived in cramped, dark, and damp hives, many of whom never even saw the sky above Terra in their entire lives.

Of course, even if they saw the sky of Terra, they would find that the human world was not as wonderful as they had imagined.

Terra's resources were depleted starting from the Dark Ages, and after the end of the Unification Wars, humanity built numerous foundries on Terra.

The exhaust gases and toxic gases they emit accumulate directly in Terra's atmosphere, with dark clouds constantly looming over the sky, and the occasional rain that falls is also highly toxic acid rain.

The Emperor devoted all his energy to the Webway Project, even handing over important matters like the Great Crusade to Horus. Naturally, he had no energy left to manage Terra's natural environment.

However, Guilliman's governing style was more meticulous and nuanced. Horus had razed almost the entire surface of Terra to the ground, which made it easier for Guilliman to rebuild Terra.

The Lord of Macragge does not wish for the human throne world to see the ugly, colossal structures of Hive City reappear.

This architectural style was designed and built by humans during the colonial expansion era in order to maximize the use of resources and accommodate the largest population with the smallest amount of land.

Therefore, many human worlds have ancient and dilapidated hive towers, which are traces left by the first colonists.

The cost of demolishing a hive city is even more staggering than building a new one, which is why they have survived the erosion of time and have remained on the planet's surface.

Guilliman adopted a spiral-shaped architectural model provided by the Advanced Technology Community, which extends from tens of kilometers underground all the way to near-Earth orbit on the surface.

It is equipped with an extremely efficient space elevator, which enables the efficient and rapid flow of personnel and materials from underground to near-Earth orbit.

Unlike the Nest City, these new mega-buildings do not have natural fault lines.

Furthermore, it ensures that the residents inside can enjoy sunlight and natural air circulation to the greatest extent possible.

Numerous plant factories capable of efficiently purifying the air and accumulating pollutants are distributed throughout the world.

Many people have even incorporated free-range animals into the food chain to ensure that the human living environment is as close to nature as possible.

Guilliman is the Primarch of all the genetic prototypes whose personality and way of thinking are most similar to those of humans.

In his mind, he would place greater emphasis on human feelings and the realization of value.

Each person is a living, breathing individual, not some walking, flesh-and-blood machine.

What a tragic reality it is to live a lifetime in a world where there is no sunlight, where the air and water are constantly circulating, and where one toils away every day for a living, never seeing real sunshine or rain until death.

Horus reduced everything to ashes, allowing Guilliman to unleash his power and rebuild a prosperous world from the ruins.

Hundreds of ring worlds have sprung up on Terra, aided by new technologies and new productivity, all of which have become a reality in a century.

"I used the planetary terraforming technology you left behind to completely reshape Earth's atmosphere and clean up those deadly pollutants."

"Planet-level filtration systems handle waste and toxic clouds, while geomagnetic field controllers stabilize the continent, reducing the occurrence of earthquakes."

“I moved all the highly polluting factories out of Terra, leaving only the foundries that use clean energy and produce low-pollution products.”

Guilliman said with a smile that Losi noticed the Macurag's eyes were shining as he faced the blue sky, white clouds, and the magnificent new Ring World.

His captivating cobalt blue eyes sparkled with hope, like stars.

“When I’m tired, I’ll occasionally take a break to look at this, and whenever I see all of this, I’m filled with motivation again.”

"I hope that one day, the millions of human worlds in the galaxy will all become like Terra."

No one can remain calm when a charismatic Primarch is talking about the future and sharing his jewel-like idealism.

Even Rosie was no exception.

“You’re a madman, Guilliman.” Rose lowered her head, but couldn’t help but smile.

"I'm willing to work with you to achieve this goal. So what if you're crazy? There will always be people in this world who do things that seem unbelievable."

"This universe is bad enough. Without a spark of idealism to illuminate it, it would be so dark that we could not see anything ahead."

To Guilliman, Roche's arrival was more like the arrival of an examiner after a century-long examination.

He excitedly and enthusiastically described the miracle he had created to Loxi, one of the few lights and hopes in this dark universe. "You may not know, but in order to unite and rally humanity, and also to help my father, Makado personally elevated the Imperial State Religion to the rightful position before he left."

"The era of Imperial Truth has ended, or rather, Imperial Truth has donned the cloak of what is known as the Imperial State Religion."

Guilliman sighed, recalling how vehemently he had opposed Luo Jia and his beliefs in the past, but now he was going to take it all back, give it a new skin, and use it again.

"I had to open the book of sacred words written by my rebellious brother. At that time, Luo Jia gave each of his brothers a copy that he had personally copied."

I also admit that this guy's understanding of divinity and faith far surpasses that of ordinary people, reaching an extremely profound level.

"But after reading it, I added some of my own insights and perspectives to make it more suitable for our empire."

"I have been vigorously promoting a state religion with imperial characteristics that incorporates the essence of imperial truth in Terra and other human worlds."

A sly glint flashed in Guilliman's eyes. This seemingly honest and straightforward Macuraq man, who never cheated, actually possessed his own wisdom.

"On the very first page of the Imperial State Religion's canon, I told the world: God does exist in the world, but there is only one God, and that is the Emperor."

“Apart from the Emperor, all other beings are false gods.”

False gods use their power to disguise themselves as omnipotent, but in reality, they would find it difficult to even appear in our universe.

"And on the second page, I tell the world that the world created by the emperor is material, not idealistic."

"Therefore, we must uphold our faith in the emperor. All other existences besides the emperor are false and disillusioning, and humanity can view and confront them with a scientific and rational attitude."

As Rosie listened to Guilliman's words, she suddenly realized the subtlety of his meaning.

This is practically exploiting a bug in the system of faith.

In the past, emperors firmly denied that they were gods and demanded that mankind face all things with an objective and rational attitude.

Its starting point was good, but it is clear that Imperial Truth has many flaws.

When faced with living, breathing subspace beings, the Imperial Truth's absolute materialism becomes nothing more than empty rhetoric.

Doubts give rise to speculation, and speculation gives rise to heresy.

Many who firmly believed in the truth of the Empire experienced a collapse of their worldview after witnessing the power of the Warp, allowing Chaos to take advantage of their vulnerability.

Guilliman's current state religion is quite simple and brutal.

There is only one true god in the world, the Emperor. All other gods are false beings. The world created by the Emperor is materialistic, so we should naturally view the world through a materialistic lens.

Moreover, the more fervent their faith in the emperor, the more objective and rational they become in facing the world, because this is what the emperor requires them to believe and act upon.

If they were to see any more subspace creatures, mortals who worship the Emperor would understand that this was simply a normal phenomenon from the High Heavens, and not some kind of supernatural occurrence.

"If Luo Jia knew that you had distorted his teachings to this extent, and that you had replaced him in his original position in the Empire, he would probably go completely insane with rage."

"From Luo Jia's idealistic monotheism to Guilliman's materialistic monotheism, it's like shitting on the head of the Great Manifesto."

"For a fanatical believer, heresy is often more hateful than heresy, and you are no longer an ordinary heretic, so we must strike hard."

"And most importantly, you now have complete control over the interpretation of the scriptures."

When Guilliman's version of the Book of the Word began to circulate throughout the galaxy, you became the original, while Luo Jia's became the pirated version.

Guilliman laughed heartily, "There's nothing we can do about it. Humans can't live without religious beliefs, so let's just replace all the ignorant and superstitious content in religious beliefs with materialistic and scientific content."

"Apart from the small section at the beginning where I described the emperor's divinity and greatness, I devoted the rest of the text to describing objectivity, science, and rationality."

"If this were placed in the time of ancient Terra, it would be like using the name of a sage called Confucius to compile a book called 'The Principles of Confucianism in Natural Philosophy,' or analyzing Dirac's 'The Divine Principles of Quantum Mechanics' from a theological perspective."

"After all, according to the ancient texts I've read, didn't Newton, one of the founders of classical physics, simply stitch his classical physics system into Christian theology and philosophy?"

"And by doing so, he can use the name of righteousness to completely overthrow anyone who opposes his doctrines or objective reason, as a heretic."

“The original Christian theological system was based on personal God, but Newton cleverly incorporated his belief in Deism into it, and stitched his science into Deism.”

Guilliman's understanding of human history was perhaps the deepest of all the proto-genomes.

You'll never know just how ancient human texts are hidden in the Ptolemaic Library in Macurag.

These ancient texts contain many records about the early stages of humankind.

Guilliman clearly drew inspiration from Newton.

Upon hearing Guilliman's words, Rosie was left speechless, unsure whether to laugh or cry.

Yes, how could a staunch materialist like Guilliman so easily surrender to religious faith?

Although he cannot stop the state religion, he can shape its core into the form he desires.

"In fact, we have also begun to promote the belief in the Emperor in other parallel universes."

"The compass that the Emperor gave me can only be accelerated by absorbing the faith of intelligent life forms in the Emperor."

"In that sense, we are quite similar."

Guilliman paused for a moment, then burst into laughter.

“Then I suggest you use my set of sacred words to spread the faith. If this can make Luo Jia more vulnerable, I will be very happy.”

"This will both strengthen faith in the emperor and prevent humanity from becoming utterly ignorant."

Tarasin, who was standing nearby, also became curious. He was now eager to know where the original of Guilliman's adapted version of the Book of the Word was.

His museum would welcome such a collection if possible.

“If you broadcast the location of the Holy Word in your possession to the Milky Way, then Luo Jia will definitely try every means to steal and destroy this original.”

"It's not impossible that we could even take this opportunity to catch this traitor who has already ascended to demonhood."

Loshi added that Guilliman, after hearing this, had already begun to consider the possibilities.

Guilliman's victorious guards were already stationed outside the palace, and upon seeing their Primarch appear, they immediately lined up in neat formation to greet him.

The leader was also an old acquaintance of Roxi's, none other than Auguston, the Ultramariner who had fought a bloody battle with the Midnight Ghost and nearly died.

"Lord Rosie, it's been a long time!"

Auguston was much the same as Losi remembered, except that he now had a golden service stud on his forehead.

"Do you remember Plarks?"

In response to Auguston's tribute, Losi blinked and asked with a slightly teasing tone.

"Of course I remember, sir."

Although Auguston didn't understand why Rose was suddenly saying these things, he still answered honestly.

Although it has been more than a hundred years since I last saw Plarks.

However, Auguston still had an indelible impression of the Imperial Fist, who was even taller and more imposing than himself.

Besides, the other party had saved his life from the clutches of the midnight ghost, so he could never forget him.

“You can probably reach Plarks’ chest now, son of Guilliman.”

"This may be bad news for you."

Loxi gestured as he spoke.

Auguston's mind raced, and he eventually came to a conclusion.

That ridiculously large Imperial Fist has actually grown taller again?
Is there any justice left!
Guilliman's guard commander appeared extremely dejected at this moment, and even his steps as he followed Guilliman seemed incredibly unsteady.

"Why are you trying to discourage him? Auguston is the son I'm so proud of," Guilliman joked, a hint of displeasure in his voice.

He was known for being fiercely protective of his son, and when he saw his son being attacked by Rose, he immediately started speaking up for Auguston.

Seeing that Guilliman had taken the bait, Rosie slowly said...

"In other universes, thanks to the unique conditions of those universes, we were able to accelerate the original Space Marine modification program."

"In the original plan, Akan Rand and Belisarius Kaul would spend hundreds or even thousands of years to complete this technology."

As Rosie slowly revealed more information, Guilliman lost interest in whether his simple-minded son was psychologically hurt.

Anyway, this guy is tough and thick-skinned, so a little injury won't be a big deal.

His mind was filled with thoughts of whether the Prototype Space Marine upgrade plan that Loshi had mentioned had actually been successfully implemented.

Guilliman was naturally aware of the highly secret Advanced Technology Community project, and many of the resources were even personally approved and transferred by him.

If this is true, then the military power that humanity can wield will achieve a tremendous leap.

Meeting Guilliman's intense gaze, Rosie nodded.

"it is good!"

"We'll head to Ganymede right now. I'm sure Sage Rand and Caul will be overjoyed when they hear this news!"

Guilliman quickened his pace, even grabbing Rosie's arm and dragging him onto the airport.

Aboard Rosie's Red Alert, the group quickly headed towards Ganymede, which was not far away.

"In another parallel universe, we are using new Prototype Space Marine modification technology to mass-produce more powerful second-generation Astartes."

"As for the original [eldest sons], they can still be enhanced a second time through a special upgrade surgery, although the success rate is much lower than that of the original casting surgery."

During the journey, Rosie also shared some basic information with Guilliman.

Lord Macurag listened intently, and when he heard Loshi describe how this new technology could help the Astartes legions, which were struggling with replenishment, improve their expansion efficiency, he became even more excited.

"Rus will absolutely love this news. His Wild Wolf Legion suffered heavy losses in that war and hasn't recovered even today."

"However, he seems to have some kind of secret with Ryan and Chagatai. All three of them disappeared without a trace, and I haven't heard any news about them for a long time."

Guilliman was particularly interested in and sensitive to the secrets between the three Primarchs.

The root of this may be related to the little secret he shared with Ryan and Saint Gilles back in Macurag.

"I really look forward to seeing what my sons will look like after they complete the original casting upgrade."

After reviewing his brothers' legions one by one, Guilliman finally turned his attention back to his own legion.

Hearing his mutterings, Rosie immediately had a bad feeling.

The Ultramarines are now the most numerous Astartes legion in the Empire.

If combined with the extremely high success rate of the original casting modification surgery, how fast would their troop production reach?
Never mind, this is not my concern. The more Ultra Warriors there are, the safer humanity will be.

The high lords should be the ones who are worried. After surviving the most difficult years of war, they are beginning to feel dissatisfied with the power they hold.

Although Guilliman didn't say it explicitly, Roche could sense it.

The Highlords felt wary and cautious of the Primarchs blocking their way and the Astartes Legion, which was beyond their control.

“Nyos, you want Astartes to become humanity’s blade, humanity’s protector, and between the two, you will always favor humanity.”

"But can humanity truly tolerate and accept Astartes and the Primarchs as you wish?"

Rosie thought to himself, this time he returned to find both a welcome sight and a turbulent undercurrent beneath the surface of peace.

One of the fundamental causes of the Horus Rebellion—the conflict between the Astartes and mortals—was not resolved but instead accumulated and festered.

Roche only hoped that through his and Guilliman's efforts, this conflict could be gradually eliminated or reduced.

Otherwise, one day in the future, a second conflict will inevitably erupt between humans and Space Marines, dragging this race into the abyss once again.

P.S.: I have some swear words to say.

(End of this chapter)