Warhammer: In the Name of Nirvana

[My friend, are you asleep? 】

The voice of the Lord of Mankind resounded in the bright lights in the deepest part of the Terra Palace. It was a loud horn that could command the galaxy. No one could remain silent in front of such a call.

Not even Machado can.

Just because, when the Lord of Humanity called out the Palm Pattern with his voice, his figure burning with golden flames had already rushed into Malcador's private lounge, and by the way, he gently put the heavy The iron door leaf flew to the other wall.

The Palmist, who had just closed his eyes on his bed, only felt the ton-heavy door brush against the tip of his nose, the roaring wind tearing at his cheek, and a real pain.

He opened his eyes.

For a moment, Malcador really wanted to pick up his black iron scepter and destroy something in his field of vision: anything would do.

But when his monarch came to his bed like a whirlwind, asking him again if he was resting, and already grabbed his arm and lifted him up, even though the face of the palm-printer was already like his black iron Like a scepter, he could only grit his teeth and spit out the answer slowly.

"Yes, Apocalypse."

"I...I haven't started to rest yet."

Makhado didn't go to bed either.

[Okay then, come with me, I have very important information to share with you. 】

"..."

"Aren't you at the Far Eastern border? Why now..."

[This is my projection. I have something very important to tell you, right now. 】

The Lord of Mankind patted his best friend on the shoulder, and then disappeared at the end of the corridor like a whirlwind. He didn't seem to worry about whether his best friend would follow: behind him, the palm-printer sat On the bed, using his black iron scepter burning with psychic fire to support his old body, he lowered his head and was silent for a while.

Then, finally, there was a sigh.

Malcador slowly stood up and began to follow the emperor's long-lost guidance to the room where they used to communicate important matters. On both sides of him, the Imperial Guards were spread out among the splendid corridors of the palace. squint.

The Imperial Palace of the Human Empire was built at the end of the Terran Unification War. It is an architectural behemoth that is still expanding today. It will still take a long time before it is truly completed: because its owner is obsessed with the big world. The course of the expedition rarely returns to this theoretical center of supreme power.

But even so, the Imperial Palace of Terra is still a giant beast that has swallowed up a large area of ​​land. It is integrated with Terra's once most majestic mountains and most magnificent plateaus. It is a behemoth that can even be clearly visible in low-Earth orbit. The size is likely to exceed any hive structure known to mankind.

However, for beings like the Lord of Mankind and the Palmist, it was only a blink of an eye to move from one side of this behemoth to the other. It only took a split second for the Emperor's best friend to move himself His body spanned a distance of tens of kilometers and accurately entered the secret room that only he and the Master of Humanity could enter and exit at will.

There is nothing special about this room. It doesn't even have a special furnishing. There are messy documents and notes everywhere, covering the empty walls. There are only a few tables and chairs stacked in the center of the room. It looks like It doesn't look like it's used very often either.

But only the truly wise understand that even the most inconspicuous volume in this room, if spread outside, can easily start a war that can burn down several sectors. For these to be able to be sealed by the Emperor and the Palm The war machine of the Imperium of Man will not hesitate to use all its strength to seize, defend or obliterate anything.

And now, the room welcomes one of its most important guests.

"Discordant engine..."

The Seal Holder whispered the name, and his brows also wrinkled. The real second-in-command in the human empire was silent, and began to search his six thousand years of memories, and began to search for the former [Hand Seal Holder Organization] In the countless books and literature he collected, he was looking for the clues he needed now.

He was silent for a while, then slowly shook his head.

"I have no memory related to the so-called Discord Engine, Apocalypse."

The Lord of Humanity nodded, not feeling any more disappointed. He just walked around the room anxiously, circling around the old wooden table, and explained to Makado bit by bit what he had just done. Witnessed everything.

The Sealmaster listened and remained silent. The story told by the Emperor was not complicated, but it never made his brows sooth, because when the Lord of Mankind finished telling the story about the demon demigod and its deal, he faced the pair of Looking forward to recognition, Machado just chose to shake his head after hesitating.

"I don't really agree with this deal."

"Because all this is too coincidental, Apocalypse: a treasure that can perfectly solve our current predicament has just come to us, and compared with its value, the price we need to pay to get it And so...insignificant?"

"Attracting the attention of those evil gods? The moment we step into the Webway, we will attract their full attention. In this case, whether we have the Discord Engine or not will not make any difference. "

"In other words, we don't even have to pay extra to get paid?"

"When did such a good thing happen in subspace, or even in the physical universe?"

"An unknown power is right in front of us, easily obtainable, and has the greatest benefit to our plan? Don't you think this is too coincidental?"

"I don't think there will be any God of Luck in this world, and even if there is a God of Luck, I don't think it will take care of us, because it is most likely to be another evil god in the subspace."

"You know, Apocalypse, even if the demon demigod is limited by its power and cannot weave lies and traps everywhere like its kind, it is still a demon in the final analysis, a demon that cannot be trusted."

"We are to treat every word that comes out of its mouth with suspicion, and to treat it as an absolute lie: this is never too much to do with a demon."

Malcador spoke his suggestion with a serious face, but he also saw that such words did not waver the face of the Lord of Humanity in the slightest. The emperor's projection only showed a smile. When he looked at it again When he turned to the palm print maker, he actually felt a trace of emotion.

[Did you know, my friend, that these words of yours are exactly the same as those of a person? 】

"who?"

[Morgan, my second creation, when she heard these transactions from the mouth of the demon demigod, her words were almost a copy of yours: Unknown power that is easily obtained must contain danger, because subspace Never a generous place. 】

"I hope your descendants will all have the same awareness."

[From this point of view, my shaping of No. 2 was even successful. She was originally modeled after you, and now she does have some similarities to you in her movements. 】

"At least on this matter, I will be her invisible ally."

The Palmist coughed a few times. He felt that his throat was inexplicably dry. While grabbing the document handed over by the Emperor and carefully reading everything about the Discord Engine, he did not forget to continue to ask the Emperor. Ask questions.

"So, you agreed to this deal."

【I have no reason to refuse. 】

"Isn't the reason I mentioned enough? Tianqi, this is very likely not a transaction, but a trap. In the eyes of the demons in subspace, is there any essential difference between these two words?"

[Everything comes with risks, my friend. If we want to be absolutely safe, then we can't do anything at all: just like everyone knows that subspace navigation comes with risks, but what about that? What can we do? Do we have to give up this most efficient mode of transportation? 】

"..."

[And, my friend. 】

[Do we have other choices? 】

"..."

Malcador took a deep breath. He did not refute, because he knew that it was meaningless to continue to argue about this issue. The emperor's decision was unshakable, and even he only had the power to make suggestions.

But nonetheless, he decided to find out as much as possible.

"You believe so much in the power of this Discord Engine because you know it exists?"

[I once traveled in subspace for a long time. I saw a lot in the broken fragments of time. I know which existences are correct and useful, and which ones are tricks played by fate to play tricks on me. 】

[In a sense, I can actually be regarded as half a prophet, my friend, but this identity has never brought me any benefits, because all predictions are just another way to show those terrible futures? 】

"How come I didn't know you had done these things in the warp? Is it safe?"

[Before I met you, I have spent hundreds of centuries of life. During those years, there are still many things you don’t know now: even if I tell you some of them, you won’t Will believe it. 】

[As for safety issues, you don’t have to worry about this, my friend, I know it well. 】

"That doesn't seem to be a reason for you to wander alone in the depths of the Warp: don't tell me you don't know your current responsibilities, Apocalypse, and that there is a Galactic Empire that exists because of you."

[It doesn’t matter if you do it once in a while, my friend, reasonable use of subspace is indeed the most efficient method at certain times. I can ensure that what I see is true, and I can ensure that I will not be corrupted or misled. Then I can use this method: for efficiency. 】

"……hope so."

What else could Macado do? He could only lower his head and carefully read all the information about the Discord Engine. Although these instructions written by the Emperor himself told everything clearly, from ancient times to From that battle in heaven to the identity of this demonic demigod, everything seems to have been expected by the Lord of Humanity. However, after understanding all this, the master of the seal still has the last trace of concern in his heart.

However, this concern has turned into a worry about reality: after confirming that he cannot hinder the determination of the Lord of Humanity, the Master of the Mark promptly changed his identity and began to view this ambition from the perspective of an actual operator of the Human Empire. Exuberant plans.

As a result, his brows quickly wrinkled again.

"According to your idea, you want No. 2 to be responsible for the transaction with the demon demigod, and you will only meet it remotely once, but will you interfere too much in this transaction?"

【Yes. 】

"Why?"

[Because the current No. 2 is equal in strength to it, if I were to come into contact with it personally, it would shrink back, fearing that it would gradually lose the initiative due to the gap in strength. 】

"Is there another possibility: You made too much noise in the subspace, which caused this demon demigod to have a very bad... positioning for your name and image?"

【……】

[It’s not impossible. 】

"Okay, let me continue and see: the Plague Heart has been obtained, and the Ouroboros and Tuchulcha Engines seem to have very clear clues. In addition, we still need to find some additional Warp artifacts, they're probably scattered across the galaxy."

"Are you planning to hand over this task to No. 2 and her legion?"

[Yes, she cannot always stay in her far eastern frontier, and she has a certain talent in finding these treasures, and fate favors her in this regard. 】

"destiny?"

[Have you forgotten, there is more than one god watching her. Although the Changer's gaze on No. 2 is weak, it has always been there. I'm not sure what it is going to do, and it's not what I'm thinking about now. when. 】

"The best way to deal with the mutator is not to speculate. If you try to find a solution, you will only fall into its trap: What you did is correct, Apocalypse."

"And No. 2..."

【What's wrong? 】

"There have been some voices in the Terran government recently. Some people are worried that No. 2 may become the second Guilliman. Her far eastern frontier seems to be looking more and more like the Five Hundred Worlds, and the speed of expansion is very alarming. ."

"If the Great Expedition continues for another century or so, I am afraid that the land and size of the Far Eastern Frontier will not be much different from that of Five Hundred Worlds. Considering some of the characteristics of No. 2 herself, her savings His power may exceed that of the Lord of Ultramarines."

[Do you think this is a problem worth worrying about? 】

"It's not really a worry, it's just that I think we need to pay attention: although we all know that Guilliman will be a vassal king limited to his five hundred worlds, and will be an [uncrowned king] who is content to rest on his laurels, But now that we have sent No. 2 to his side, everything may go in a different direction."

"Don't forget, her name is [Kingslayer]."

[Yeah, I'm looking forward to it. 】

"……What?"

[No, it’s nothing. 】

[You want to say that you are worried that Number Two may affect Guilliman and even allow the power of Five Hundred Worlds to be used for her? 】

"Yes, although she will also be influenced by Guilliman in the opposite direction, we are not sure what the results of their interaction will be, but the worst result we can think of is that they One of them has embarked on the wrong path, and with the almost destined bond between the two of them, it is very likely that the other will also embark on the same path under its influence."

"Based on their respective experiences, I am worried that the Far Eastern Frontier has affected the Five Hundred Worlds."

"And once the Far Eastern Frontier unites with the Five Hundred Worlds, even if they do nothing but segregate one side and resist the rule of Holy Terra, it will be a more terrifying catastrophe than the Randan War: they will occupy at least Eight hundred or more core worlds, with two powerful Legions of Astartes, countless mortal auxiliaries, a Primarch unparalleled in coordination, and another second only to you. of powerful psykers."

【Eight hundred? 】

"Judging from the expansion speed of the Far Eastern Frontier and the various methods Number Two has displayed in ruling mortals, I believe that at the end of the Great Crusade, there will be at least three hundred core worlds under her command, or even more ."

"If we look at it from a territorial point of view, once a huge alliance created by the Five Hundred Worlds and the Far Eastern Frontier breaks away from the control of the empire, then we will lose one-third of the Far Eastern Star Territory at that moment, which is at least seven One half of the galaxy: This is under the condition that only the two Primarchs and the Legion join forces, without any other factors involved."

"If they had chosen to turn against the rebels during the civil war at the end of the Great Crusade: I really worry about whether we would be able to solve this problem."

[Are you worried that I can protect my crown from the ambitions of my heirs? 】

The Lord of Humanity pointed to the empty top of his head, and the Palmist read a hint of familiar joking in his smile, and he just nodded as an old minister.

"So be it."

[Then you are wrong, my friend. 】

[I don’t care about this crown, even if it represents an empire that can span the entire galaxy, but this is not what I want at all. I will not draw my sword to protect this crown. If my heir burns If his greatest ambition is to inherit my throne, then that is even good news for me. 】

[If he comes to my throne as a secular challenger, not as a puppet of Chaos, then I will be happy to tell him that the throne is his. 】

[No matter who is the person who happily takes over this throne, he will soon find out what a mistake he has made: this will not even hinder my process of allowing mortals to truly hold the highest power in this country. 】

[Perhaps then, we can all retire, and I can take you to the holiday villa area on Venus. We can fish in the artificial lake there. I forgot to tell you, a long time ago, my fishing skills were quite good. Not bad. 】

"Don't joke about these things, Apocalypse."

[I'm not joking, my friend, I'm serious: sooner or later I will step down from the throne, and just after I have put everything in order, this throne will be an absolute burden to me, and I will avoid it. . 】

[In fact, I can’t avoid it now. 】

"..."

"I don't care what you think about your power, Apocalypse, but as long as I sit in the position of the Seal Master, you must take your responsibilities seriously: now."

[Okay, I will. 】

The Emperor smiled, a smile that Malcador was extremely familiar with and hated, because whenever the Lord of Mankind finally showed this expression, the Palmist who had lived for more than 6,000 years would [Squeeze] One word, with more profound insights and feelings.

[But I want to remind you, my friend, you seem to be off topic: we should obviously be discussing things about the Discord Engine, not the future of No. 2. 】

[That is not something we can change. Even I can only guide and side attack the future of No. 2, but cannot really intervene in it: This is also the reason why I am so indifferent to her. I have not gotten closer to her. We belong to different fields in terms of the authority to have close or even long-term contact. 】

"I guess I don't have time to listen to your bitter parenting lessons, Apocalypse, and you've actually avoided a lot of my questions about Number Two: just like before."

[Don't be so harsh, my friend. 】

"Then you should be more merciful to me first."

Machado pointed to his own cheek. The face that had gone through more than 6,000 years of wind and frost, and even the best rejuvenation surgery could not bring youth back to it, was now covered with ravine-like wrinkles and aging, especially on the There is a layer of faint traces of darkness below the eyes of the person holding the seal.

Macado pointed to the traces, his tone somewhat dissatisfied.

"In order to support your Great Crusade, your Galactic Empire, and your descendants who are full of wonderful actions, I spent a total of less than a hundred Terran standard hours in deep sleep in the past Terran standard year. .”

"If you want to give me any extra work, my lord, maybe you are going to be prepared to lose your Terran government director. Maybe I should give you a roster now, recording those who can Reluctantly succeeding my malleable talent?”

[No one’s ability can truly replace yours, my friend, you are unique. 】

Faced with the somewhat angry joke of the palm holder, the Lord of Humanity could only lower his head, cough lightly, and then patted his best friend on the shoulder to comfort him.

[My descendants, have they caused you any trouble again? 】

"There hasn't been anything too serious recently: but I want to remind you that according to my intelligence sources, a basic training manual about think tanks has become popular in most legions recently. In fact, except for the Thousand Sons Legion, and Death Guard Legions, none of which have chosen to reject this book."

"Even the Space Wolves, the Warhounds, and the Dark Angels."

[I know, that is a book written by No. 2, have you read it? 】

"Having read it, if you look at it from a pure educational value and a cautious attitude, this book is a priceless treasure. I even think that we can use an official attitude to promote the popularity of this book. Most of the books written in it The content can even be applied to mortal psykers, which is extremely valuable."

[Do you rate it highly? 】

"Your sons, Dorn, Jaghatai Khan, and Magnus, have publicly declared the superiority of this book: although Magnus' declaration seems somewhat reluctant."

[You know my attitude towards psychic powers and psykers, my friend. 】

"Of course I know, but the current situation is that the empire is far from being able to escape the power of psykers. A large number of psykers is a problem that every world and every legion must face. Under this premise, this book can To a large extent, it helps us control the proliferation of psykers. Every psyker who passes basic education will pose much less danger."

"If we operate it well, we can even temporarily change our attitude towards psykers and the Astartes Think Tank. Facts have proved that most legions can still coexist with the Think Tank organization. The existence of the Think Tank may not be what we thought. So bad, even though they are involved in subspace, most of them can still control themselves."

[Okay, I will consider the issue of the think tank. As long as all the legions will not cause trouble with psychic powers, then I think I can tolerate this organization: I have endured too many things, haven't I? ? 】

"Wise choice, Apocalypse, maybe you can convey this attitude to your descendants in a subtle way. If the think tanks know that their existence depends on your tolerance, the probability of them causing trouble will be subjectively smaller. "

【I will think about it. 】

【Is there anything else? 】

The Lord of Mankind looked somewhat absent-minded. He kept flipping through the information about the Discord Engine in his hand, making the eyelids of the palmer twitch from time to time.

"Not for now... So, what do you want to discuss with me?"

Makado narrowed his eyes.

What was supposed to come came.

I hope this time... it won't be such a shocking surprise topic.

[I want to discuss something with you, my friend. 】

coming!

The palm-printer's eyelids twitched.

This was the tone: since the last time the Emperor spoke to him like this, Malcador had inexplicably become the sole helmsman of the Terran government and even the human empire, and his rest time jumped from hours to seconds in an instant. Cliff fall.

Makado coughed and tried to stabilize his mind.

"What's the discussion?"

[About the Discord Engine: Although you have been avoiding the topic about it, my dear friend, we have to face such a realistic situation. 】

[When No. 2 successfully brings back all the core parts, allowing us to master this discord engine, our original plan for the network channel will definitely be completely scrapped: fortunately we did not invest in it How much irreparable cost. 】

Malcador nodded. He knew that the Lord of Mankind was obsessed with the Webway. This was an imperial dream that he could not give up.

"In our original plan, you planned to activate a lost webway entrance at the core of the palace, and then build a... barely qualified webway passage to connect to the webway masters left by the ancient races. channel and, after patching those vulnerabilities, allow it to resume some operational capabilities."

[It is equivalent to installing a new joint on a rusty water pipe. Although the condition of the connection is very bad and the water pipe itself is crumbling, for us at that time, this was the only option. 】

[But now, things are different, my friend, we have a new approach. 】

"What are you going to do?"

[It’s very simple: I plan to use the Discord Engine as a pioneer to dig out a brand new road on the hard wall of the third space where the Webway is located, a road that will not be disturbed by any demons or ancient creations. It will be far away from other The ancient network channel has become an exclusive channel that only belongs to us humans. 】

[As long as all this is accomplished, my friend, all our dreams and ambitions will be within reach, and human beings will truly control their destiny forever. 】

Makado was silent.

Although thousands of stars are far away, the palmer can still clearly see that when his master speaks out this grand plan word for word, the high dissatisfaction flashes in his pupils. The flame of destruction.

For a moment, Malcador was even truly touched: a long time ago, he was touched by this flame, and he chose to follow the Emperor's footsteps without hesitation.

But now, such a touch can only last for a moment, because as the steward of the entire human empire, after the initial excitement and common hatred, the Printer quickly realized a brand new problem.

"A new... webway?"

"Apocalypse."

"Have you considered the cost?"

"This is not about repairing those ancient roads and cities, or creating a small section of barely usable interface: this is about building a new network channel, and just stabilizing the road dug out by the discord engine will probably be necessary. An astronomical cost.”

"Have you calculated it?"

[Of course I have calculated it, my friend, that’s why I came to you. 】

A smile appeared on the face of the Lord of Humanity again, and his smile made the palmer feel that his blood pressure seemed a bit high.

"You... figured it out?"

[Just a rough estimate: Judging from our previous investment in the network channel, the materials needed for our current new plan will probably be the same as before...]

【double. 】

"!"

[At least twice. 】

"!!!"

As soon as the lips touched and closed, they could softly spit out such terrible words, which made the palmer almost faint. He gripped his black iron scepter tightly, and he could even hear his own voice coming out from between his teeth. Extrude bit by bit.

"Twice? Or at least?"

"You know, the tithe tax levied on those worlds just to fully fund the Great Crusade and previous Webway projects has caused strong dissatisfaction on a large number of worlds: What are you going to do now? Delay the Great Crusade? "

[The Great Expedition must not be delayed? 】

"Then what should we do? Raise the 10% tax even higher? Do you know what this will cause?"

【……】

【……】

The emperor didn't reply. He just walked up to the palmer, nodded solemnly to Malcador, who was in a daze, then patted his shoulders with both hands, looked directly into the muddy eyes of the palmer, and spoke with a He spoke slowly with the most serious tone.

[I believe in your ability, my friend! 】

"..."

"..."

"I do not believe!"

[It doesn’t matter, I believe it, and even the worst case scenario will not be unexpected, my friend. 】

"Have you really considered the consequences of making the entire world dissatisfied?"

[Did these worlds surrender to me from the beginning? Malcador, since I can conquer them once through the Great Crusade, then I can do it a second time, or even more. 】

[However, my friend, an opportunity like the Discord Engine that can change our predicament is something that even I have to sigh with emotion. It is something that can only be met: we must seize this opportunity, no matter what we will lose because of it. . 】

"Even the entire empire?"

Malcador's question was almost an instinctive impulse, and facing this unthinking question, the Lord of Humanity just smiled, as if he was amused by this real question.

He looked at the person holding the seal and answered his questions word for word.

[Makado, my friend. 】

[The Human Empire has never been something I wanted. 】

[It was not the case before, it is not the case now, and it will never be the case in the future. 】