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

Chapter 766 The Great Purge of Nostradamus (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

"First of all, it must be stated that dealing with the rising ghoul orc empire is the common responsibility of all mankind, and every Astartes legion must obey the overall command and strategic arrangements."

"Some legions are meant to hold the line and draw enemy fire, while others are meant to take the initiative and attack directly to take the enemy's head."

“Even if Koz were here, he would completely agree with my decision, do you understand?”

Just as they were about to get down to business, Rosie gave Macalion and the others a direct heads-up.

After all, his subsequent arrangements severely damaged the interests of the Eighth Legion and Nostramore, pushing them into a precipice.

If they are unhappy and secretly sabotage things, or even turn their backs on you, then it will be difficult for Rosie's arrangements to continue.

"We have already said that we will completely obey your arrangements."

"This is a solemn promise, not empty words."

"Our father of genes trusts you so much, so naturally we will trust you too."

Macarion solemnly stated that his mindset had undergone a tremendous change in this short period of time, and he had even begun to reflect on whether he had truly disappointed the Primarch over the past century.

His only concern was preserving the legion and preventing the ancient and glorious name of the Midnight Lord from being lost in the vast galaxy.

After purging the rebel faction led by the Tattooed Earl Jando Scarlevok, he completely consolidated the Legion's power in the space region centered on the Nostramo Sector.

He worked hard to expand and reorganize his legions, restoring the number of legions lost in the Horus rebellion, so as to create a sufficient deterrent to those who might try to harm him.

He oversaw the construction of the Midnight Court and made the territory belonging to the Midnight Lords as impenetrable as possible.

However, as Loshi mentioned, he was simply powerless to reverse the current state of corruption and decadence in Nostramamo, to better manage the tense relationship with the Empire, and to resolve the problem of the Legion's stagnant and rigid tendencies.

Macalion was just an Astartes, and even with the help of Talos and Shen, he couldn't reverse the deep-seated problems that had plagued the Eighth Legion from the very beginning.

If he really has that ability, then Guilliman would be happy to transfer him to Terra and assign him a whole host of administrative tasks.

"Since you've said that, then I won't hide anything from you."

As he spoke, Loxi used the holographic projection equipment at Midnight Royal Court to give a demonstration.

Putting aside other things, due to their persistent adherence to conservatism and xenophobia, the Midnight Lords' smart devices are still stuck in the era of the Great Expedition.

The Thinker computers, which are distributed in large numbers in the central command room, have computing power that is far behind the computing power equipment currently used by the Empire.

Numerous servant and server skulls roamed the dimly lit, somewhat eerie hall.

The exposed, withered flesh and cables swayed like the ropes of a hanged ghost.

The most horrifying and repulsive of them all is a type of flesh-and-machine chimera called the Cherubim.

When these "angels," who resemble human children, drift through the midnight royal court, uttering their cries, it is more hellish than hell itself.

To enhance the atmosphere and lighting, the Midnight Lord used numerous skull-shaped burning candles on the greyish-black walls of the Legion Monastery.

The ash and odor produced when they burned accumulated in the room, giving one an instinctive sense of decay.

"I have never considered an aggressive approach to dealing with the Ghoul Greenskin Empire, such as directly attacking the Ghoul Stars."

"Although we humans have achieved the status of galactic overlords, we should never underestimate these powerful enemies who survived the war in Heaven."

"In war, intelligence and information are key. I will never launch a large-scale attack before I have a clear understanding of the enemy's situation."

Loxi spoke eloquently to the high-ranking officials of the Midnight Lords, and also gave a demonstration using holographic projection.

He was not a military strategist; he thought about problems more from perspectives outside of war.

"I understand that the best way to deal with the greenskin orcs is to find their orc warlords and then carry out a decapitation strike."

But this time the situation was different; their leader was a Kork orc who had survived the War of Heaven.

"Let's not even talk about what kind of assault force we need to decapitate the Kork orcs. This is even more difficult than killing a Primarch under the heavy protection of the Astartes Legion."

Given the enemy's tactical acumen, they will undoubtedly deploy heavy defenses around us, and may even use us as bait to mislead our strategic direction.

What Loxi wanted to break was the human empire's ingrained mindset towards the green-skinned orcs. Even with repeated orders, completely erasing their influence was still extremely difficult.

"When imagining green-skinned orcs, we must measure them using the highest level of expertise, the strongest command capabilities, and the most extreme tactical thinking."

"The Ash Claws, who used the old-fashioned way of thinking, have paid a heavy price. They have failed miserably, and the chapter was almost completely destroyed."

Macarion immediately showed a serious expression; he was, of course, aware of this traitorous warband that roamed among the ghoul stars.

Their fierce fighting prowess and style made them someone even the Night Lords didn't want to offend.

Ash Claws is finished? That's absolutely terrible.

"Based on the spatial and geographical location of the Ghoul Cluster, we have decided to form a front against the Greenskin Orcs, starting from the Misty Starfield in the west, and the Nostramore Sector and the Ultramar 500 Worlds in the south."

On the holographic star map, a shimmering line lit up where Rosie's finger passed.

Composed of heavily guarded planets, this star chain will firmly imprison the ghoul stars and keep the war at bay.

"The Misty Starfield will serve as a secondary battlefield, where the allied forces of Dark Angels, Space Wolves, and Steel Hands will harass and intercept the waves of Greenskin Orcs from the flanks."

"We also have an army of space necromancers who will join the war, and they are also launching their attack from the Misty Starfield side."

When Roche mentioned the Necromancers, Macarion's eyes widened in disbelief.

He hadn't expected that Lord Loshi would be so powerful as to have allies among the undead in space.

They then turned their attention to Tarasin, who was standing to the side.

Suspicion gradually turned into certainty, and Macarion's eyes began to gleam.

They initially thought Tarachin was just a strange iron man, but now it seems his true identity is actually a space necromancer.

"Besides the Necromancers, this time our allies also include a small legion of Eldrad Uslan, who is their leader. Remember not to let them get away with it."

"Although they cannot provide much help on the main battlefield, they can provide us with some valuable intelligence assistance."

Lothie showed Uslan's personal information to Macalion and the others.

Loxi was already used to Ganymede's clean, bright, tidy, and spacious working environment, and now, in the Midnight Lord's command hall, she felt extremely uncomfortable.

He snapped his fingers, and a perfectly bright fusion fireball appeared on the ceiling, turning the room into daylight.

Macarion and the others immediately squinted their eyes, like vampires exposed to the sun, to minimize the effects of the light.

The Midnight Lord and the Raven Guard, these two cousins, both had pale skin and jet-black eyes, looking completely bloodless.

"Since Ryan Johnson is also unreachable, the commander of the Western Front has been appointed as Luther of the Dark Angels."

When Macarion and the others heard the name Luther, they nodded inwardly, knowing he was definitely a formidable character.

Luther was the Lion's adoptive father and his most trusted left hand. During the Great Crusade, he became the deputy commander of the Dark Angels.

Although he was only a Space Marine who had not undergone the full Astartes modification surgery, his swordsmanship and strategy far surpassed those of ordinary people, and he was even comparable to the Primarch in terms of command ability.

"On the Extreme Starfield front, I have gathered the strength of five legions: the Midnight Lords, the Ultramarines, the White Scars, the Salamanders, and the Holy Blood Angels, as well as direct aid from Holy Terra."

"The Imperial Navy and the Imperial Star Force have also diverted a significant portion of their forces to this war."

"If we can contact those Primarchs, they will personally lead the battle. This is arguably the largest war the Empire has waged since the Great Rebellion."

As Rosie recounted her story, Macarion and the others gradually became excited.

Although the Midnight Lords have kept a low profile due to their dark past, they have even retreated to the Nostramo Sector.

But they are also Astartes, with fighting blood flowing in their veins.

The thought of joining this grand war made the blood of Conrad's sons almost boil.

They would rather die in a fierce battle than drown in a vortex of intrigue and conspiracy.

"In the Extreme Starfield, the most important world closest to the Ghoul Cluster is Nostramore, so you want to establish a frontline here to directly confront the Greenskin Orcs."

"You even plan to launch one or more major battles in Nostramore just to find out the war strength of the greenskin orcs?"

Macarion looked into Roche's eyes and then shared his guesses and judgments.

“Indeed,” Losi admitted directly. “Nostramamo is the most suitable choice. It has an established defense system that can be transformed into a fortified stronghold with only minor modifications.”

Shen and Talos exchanged glances, both knowing that if this were to happen, the entire Nostramo Sector might be completely destroyed.

But what about that?
While the Night Lords may have a dark past, that doesn't mean they'll be afraid of the cost of war and thus hesitate to fight.

Even if Nostramore is destroyed, it would be worthwhile, even extremely worthwhile, as long as it destroys the orcish empire of the Ghoul Stars.

“I agree to your plan, Lord Loshi.”

Macarion spoke slowly and deliberately, and then he stated his conditions.

"But we must fight under your command; you must be the supreme commander of the Nostramo defenses."

"Even if the actual commander is someone else, it doesn't matter; the nominal commander is none other than you."

"If you can agree to my condition, then all the military forces of the Midnight Lords Legion—the Astartes, the mortal auxiliary forces, the space fleet, and the Titan Legion—will be under your command."

Loshi had not expected Macalion to be able to do this; in his original estimation, getting the cooperation of the Eighth Legion was already the limit.

Judging from his current attitude, even if the Eighth Legion is dragged into filling gaps and used as cannon fodder, they would be willing to do so.

But then a thought flashed through Rosie's mind, and he understood why Macarion was so insistent on this.

For a force that has always been isolated from the core circle, the best way to integrate and truly become one of their own is to pledge allegiance.

Relationships without bloodshed are false; only by paying the blood tax can the Night Lord's traces of betrayal be washed away, allowing the Eighth Legion to be fully reintegrated into the Empire.

This task should have been completed by Conrad Coates a century ago.

However, because Coates was on his deathbed, it was dragged out and became a historical problem that remains unresolved.

Macalion knew that this couldn't go on forever; the Empire might decide to dredge up old grievances at any time and plunge the Eighth Legion into an abyss.

The appearance of Loshi was the perfect opportunity: he was friends with Koz and his influence and prestige in the Empire were terrifyingly high.

Under Loshi's command, at least they didn't have to worry about being used as cannon fodder by the Empire.

After all, Roxi's "name of benevolence" was widely known throughout the empire, and most people who had experienced the great rebellion had heard some of the details.

In order to reduce casualties among the mortal auxiliary troops, Loxi spared no expense in arming those cannon fodder with expensive equipment.

It's important to understand that in the empire's tradition, equipment has always been more valuable than people; trading human lives for equipment is practically a steal.

He also created a powerful army of Iron Men, and even obtained the Emperor's permission to use the sacrifice of these Iron Men to reduce the sacrifice of Astartes and mortals.

Moreover, by attaching themselves to Roxi, the Eighth Legion will have a powerful backer. If the Empire wants to touch them, they will at least have to consider Roxi's reputation.

All these factors combined explain why Macarion was so certain and resolute; it was truly a highly profitable deal.

Rose had to admire these sons of Conrad; after a century of trials and tribulations, they had learned to be low-key and adaptable.

They have developed their own unique philosophy of life and are no longer the traitorous legion and brutal butchers of the past.

"it is good!"

"I promise you."

Loshi also made his own promise; he had originally intended to protect these children of the Coz, and now he was just going along with it.

"I will take over and transform this sector. The first step will be to clean up the darkness and ugliness of Nostramore."

"This damned space Gotham is about to have its dawn."

The three of them, including Macarion, had already stood beside Rosie.

After losing their Primarch, they hadn't felt that sense of having someone to rely on for a long time.

As for Rosie wanting to change Nostrama, let him do it. What they can't do, let those who are capable do.

...After gaining recognition from the high-ranking members of the Night Lords, Loxi settled down here temporarily.

The first thing he did was to continuously expand the number of spaceports and orbital space stations in the Nostramo system.

This place will become a crucial hub on the front lines of the war, where a large number of warships will need to undergo final resupply and repairs to meet the needs of the war.

The number of spaceports and orbits that Nostramo currently possesses is far from meeting Roche's needs.

This time, Loshi brought more than 1600 space warships, most of which were capital ships capable of being deployed in war.

During the Horus Rebellion, the Empire's navy suffered a devastating blow, with many ships being completely destroyed in the war, and the heavily damaged warships being scrapped and rebuilt after the war.

For the advanced technological community and the Mechanicus under Lothie's leadership, building new warships was far simpler and faster than repairing the old relics built during the Great Crusade.

Guilliman also took this opportunity to promote naval reform, directly decommissioning a large number of battleships and cruisers that had design flaws and problems.

The future empire needs new warships that are larger, more powerful, better defended, and more versatile to maintain its rule and deter external enemies.

Apart from battleships like the Emperor-class, Retribution-class, and Apocalypse-class, which are still in production and service, many other warships whose performance is outdated have ceased production.

The newly launched "Void Annihilation-class" battleships have become the new main battleships. These battleships, with a standard length of 34 kilometers, have surpassed the former Glory Queen-class battleships.

The Glory Queen-class battleships symbolize the glory of the Great Expeditionary Era.

After the Great Expedition came to an end, Guilliman ordered the Empire to stop producing new Glory Queen-class warships, except for retaining the existing Glory Queen-class warships.

They have become symbols of the legion, but are no longer the most powerful warships.

The most powerful warship is still the Thundercloud-class planetary warship that Loxi originally produced and built.

In just a century, humanity has only been able to absorb the experience of building Thundercloud-class planetary warships, but it is still not mature enough to build even more powerful warships.

The fleet led by Admiral Raeder included a Thundercloud-class planetary warship named Emperor's Wrath, as well as more than fifty Void Annihilation-class warships.

Since the Eighth Legion did not receive supplies from Mars, their most powerful capital ship was still the former flagship, Nightfall.

This is why Macarion was so anxious when he first realized that the Imperial Navy had arrived, and even suspected that the Empire was there to settle scores with him.

It can be said that, setting aside the impact of boarding and close combat, in a pure space naval battle, the Eighth Legion could not even defeat this detachment of the Solar Fleet.

With the support of the STC, a product of the Advanced Technology Community brought by Roche, a vast amount of material resources within the galaxy are being transformed into usable infrastructure at an unimaginable speed.

The Advanced Technology Community has recoded and modified the ancient STC based on the recovered artifacts, and has also made network modifications to it, making the STC increasingly resemble its Golden Age appearance.

The ability to manufacture new STCs is a testament to the burgeoning technological power of the Empire.

Loshi wants to transform Nostramo, and a crucial aspect of that is transforming the humans on this sinful planet.

Loshi believed that some people are born evil, such as Eribus and Colpharon.

But it's clearly impossible that all the hundreds of billions of humans on Nostramo were born criminals.

In his view, the human species are inherently contradictory and complex; evil people can do good, and good people can do evil.

However, the environment on Nostramo is simply too suitable for the breeding of evil.

The entire planet has been controlled by giant corporations, nobles, and gangs, and even universal values ​​have been distorted into extreme negativity.

This extreme negativity even resonated in the subspace, causing Nostrama to truly become a "crime capital" in concept.

This effect is bidirectional: a deteriorating environment encourages more people to turn to crime, and the increasing number of people turning to crime further worsens the environment.

In order to survive, many people who were born neither good nor bad are forced to turn to crime.

People only have two choices:

To be a good person who suffers endless bullying, and then, after reaching the limit of endurance, become a hanged corpse; or to join the evildoers and become one of them, and then oppress other, even weaker people.

Since many people are forced into depravity by their environment, Rosie will take most of the humans who can still be saved from this planet.

They will get a job that can support themselves, and if they work hard, they can even support their families.

Only by cutting off the source of criminals can we curb the rampant spread of crime.

"Killing criminals cannot fundamentally reduce the crime rate. It is a completely piecemeal approach, like cutting off a person's shadow while fantasizing that you can kill that person."

"When Coz was in Nostrama, he used a violent approach to reduce the crime rate to zero. However, after he left, the suppressed crime returned at a rate several times higher."

"This proves that his method is problematic."

Upon hearing Rosie's explanation, the high-ranking members of the Midnight Lords were immediately thrown into confusion and doubt.

Talos, in particular, is extremely similar to Coz not only in appearance but also in ability.

He also believes that the only way to ensure the smooth functioning of society is through deterrence through harsh punishments.

The way Roche changed Nostrama was something he certainly didn't approve of.

However, given his prior agreement with Loxi, Talos had no choice but to reluctantly comply, no matter how dissatisfied he was.

The purge of Nostramore began quickly.

As massive transport ships broke through the thick clouds and landed around the slums of Nostramore's haunt in the drizzling acid rain, horrified crowds scattered in terror.

Some people were screaming, some were running away, and some were standing there dumbfounded, grinning foolishly, as if welcoming death.

No one thought that these huge spaceships that suddenly fell from the sky were bringing anything good.

The most likely explanation is that the midnight lords have come to capture slaves again.

They selected strong teenagers for surgical modifications, while those who were unsuitable were turned into machine servants or ordinary human slaves.

Their guess was correct; the Midnight Lords and their mortal auxiliary forces went out together, capturing anyone they could find in the lower and lower hives of the hive capital.

The stun guns and sleeping gas knocked large numbers of Nostradamus unconscious.

They were then taken to specialized equipment and, after undergoing hypnotic examinations, were screened out to find those without major criminal records.

Those who passed the screening were taken directly to an orbital space station outside the planet, where they were given an identification card and assigned work.

The Night Lords were well aware of the nature of these Nostramas.

If you tell them that you're going to take them somewhere and offer them stable jobs in exchange for enough money to support their families, 99 out of 100 people will scoff and think it's a clumsy trap.

The remaining person, having exhausted all other options, decided to take a desperate gamble, hoping for the best.

Only by taking them to experience it directly in a simple and direct way can they know if it's true or not.

So the first group of Nostramas captured and brought to the orbital space station quickly adapted to their new life with unimaginable resilience after a brief period of fear.

Apart from the blinding sunlight, everything here is like paradise.

There are no ruthless gangs and giant corporations that exploit people, no dark and damp environment with corrosive acid rain, and no beatings and kicks from thugs.

Many people even drank pure, unpolluted water and ate fresh food that wasn't made from recycled starch from corpses for the first time.

Having witnessed these generous treatments, even if the Midnight Lords were to send them back to Nostramore, they would probably rather die than go back.

If one has never seen the light, one can at least endure the darkness.

This is not just a description for the people of Nostradamus, who have lived their entire lives under the shadow of darkness.

Under Loshi's orders, the Midnight Lords and the Mortal Auxiliary Army were efficiently scavenging the lowly mortals clinging to life on the planet's surface.

At first, the nobles, gangs, and giant corporations were just watching the show.

Anyway, even if all those scum at the bottom die, they'll be everywhere again in a few years.

They are like weeds growing haphazardly; once you cut one crop, another will grow back.

Although the infamy of the Midnight Ghost has faded into the past, not everyone has forgotten that person once existed in this world, and that person's descendants still live on this planet.

But as more and more people left, and even the once crowded and noisy city became somewhat empty, they finally began to worry.

The Midnight Lords are digging up the soil from which they grow, severing the very foundation of their existence.

Only they knew that the largest mineral deposit on the cursed planet Nostramo was not actually adamantite.

What is more precious than adamantite is the renewable, low-level human race.

Without so many struggling people at the bottom of society, who would they rely on to mine the fine gold in the planet's mines?

Who will they rely on to smelt gold from raw minerals into industrial raw materials that can be used directly?
The extravagance and prosperity of Nostradamus's upper class were all built upon the countless bones of the lower class.

They force the humans in the lower, middle, and lower nests to fight desperately for a bite to eat and a sip to drink, while they stand in the hanging gardens of the upper nest, arrogantly mocking the ignorance and barbarity of the lower-class people.

For the past century, the nobles and midnight lords of Nostrama have maintained a fragile balance.

During the Great Crusade, Earl Jando Scallewalker conspired with the Scallewalker family on Nostramore and had been plotting to corrupt the new blood conscripted by the Night Lords with the prisoners, thugs, and slaves of this sinful star.

They plotted to overthrow Coz's rule and were extremely rare exceptions who had no interest in the Primarch and even wanted to replace him.

After Coz purged the traitors in these legions, and Macarion and others carried out several more purges, the nobles of Nostramare also realized the reality and had no choice but to lie low and lie low.

They provided the Midnight Lords with soldiers and supplies, while the latter, in turn, offered them some form of protection.

When representatives from the Nostramor leadership went to question the Midnight Lords about why they had been plundering the planet's population, another great purge began.

While the Night Lords' fear tactics are not very effective against other Space Marines, they are the most competent inquisitors and cruel officials when dealing with mortals.

Direct orders from Legion Consul Macarion led tens of thousands of Night Lords to swarm into the upper echelons of the hive city to capture the most notorious nobles.

Macarion and his men had always known what these nobles had been up to, but their Midnight Lords were no saints either, so they were too lazy to meddle.

But under Losi's orders, they had to make changes.

The military police, composed of midnight lords, easily tore apart the defensive line made up of bodyguards and private soldiers, like a skinning knife, easily dismembering and dividing it.

After capturing someone, the Eighth Legion's think tank directly used psionic energy to extract their memories.

If the think tank deems the other party to be gravely guilty, then they will be executed on the spot.

But the truth is that this screening was a complete waste of time; not a single Nostramo nobleman could pass the think tank's screening.

One by one, nobles dressed in luxurious and elegant attire, their bodies covered in precious perfumes from other planets to mask the stench of decay and extravagance, were slaughtered in terror.

The midnight lord's military police perfectly peeled away their fearful faces, deftly pulling out an entire spine, even stubbornly extending the nerves from the spinal cord.

"Why, why are you making enemies of us?"

“Our family has supported you. Without us, who will govern Nostramamo?”

When the head of a large family was driven to the brink of despair by the Lord of Midnight, and all his means of survival were broken, his desperate roar echoed throughout the magnificent castle.

"You parasites dare to talk about providing for us?"

"Nostramore has changed, and you are nothing but scrap swept into the dustbin," the Midnight Lord replied emotionlessly.

One bloody massacre after another unfolded on this eternally dark planet.

The ancient nobles, who had been high and mighty for hundreds of years, were slaughtered by Conrad's son.

This killing frenzy was even more exaggerated than when Coz used the name Midnight Ghost to intimidate the entire planet.

After all, even if Koz was strong back then, he was still just one person.

When the news reached the orbital space station, countless Nostramas who had been oppressed and enslaved instantly erupted in jubilation.

Some even began to sing praises to the Midnight Lords, applauding their actions.

They seem to have forgotten that Coz had also brutally slaughtered and judged them in the same way.

They were only concerned that the nobles who oppressed them and acted arrogantly received the same treatment.

In everyone's eyes, Nostradamo will usher in an unprecedented dawn after the Great Purge.

(End of this chapter)