40k: Midnight Blade

Chapter 81 79. Ultramarines (3, 3k)

"I didn't expect you to say that." Conrad Coates said, breaking the silence.

At this moment, there were only two of them left in the banquet hall. The long table was empty, but the soft lights were still working firmly overhead, casting light. The decoration of the banquet hall is not gorgeous, but the eight flags staring quietly on the wall have a certain momentum.

As for why the Ultramarines left the meeting so quickly, to be honest, after Khalil's speech, they fell into a strange state that anyone with a discerning eye could see.

On the one hand, they want to continue asking, but they don't seem to know whether to ask or not. On the other hand, they don't want to lose etiquette and delay what they have to do.

So, with that complicated and strange emotion, Lucretius Corvo made it clear their main purpose of coming here and Robert Guilliman's attitude. After that, they left in a hurry.

Conrad Coates wanted to tell them that it was okay to ask directly, but when the words came to his lips, he swallowed them back.

An instinct told him that it seemed not good to be so direct.

Khalil did not immediately answer Coz's words. He just calmly held a dinner fork with two fingers and forked a piece of Glocks steak that was almost cold. After putting it into his mouth, chewing it carefully and swallowing it, he narrowed his eyes and spoke.

"What did I say?"

".Nothing." Conrad Coates replied unnaturally.

He originally wanted to eat and talk like Khalil so that he wouldn't look so nervous, but he had already finished his portion.

The Ultramarines didn't waste their food, and neither did he. Everyone ate very quickly, and for a while it even looked strangely like they were competing against each other. Only Khalil ate slowly. He drank porridge first, then mead, and now, steak.

Khalil smiled calmly, and then immediately let the smile disappear. He raised the can, which was a bit small for him, and drank all the remaining minced meat porridge in one gulp.

"Since there's nothing, let's talk about business." He put down the completely empty can and said. "Like that letter written by your brother Roboute Guilliman - aren't you going to read it, Konrad?"

"The dinner is not over yet." Conrad Coates replied stiffly.

He didn't want to expose the fact that he really didn't want to read this letter now. Something was hindering his ability to think. In fact, he wanted to laugh now, but he didn't want to. And all these reactions were naturally seen by Khalil.

He didn't expose it, just sighed silently in his heart.

"It's over, isn't it?" Khalil continued. "The guests have left and by the standards of a banquet it is now over."

"But you are still eating."

"I finished it quickly down to the last steak."

"."

Conrad Curze silently picked up the letter handed to him by Lucretius Corvo himself, and the list of supplies rested quietly on his right hand.

The main body of the letter was contained in an exquisite envelope. The gilded fonts rested quietly on the surface of the milky white paper. The opening was sealed with a mixture of blue and gold paint. The logo of the Ultramarines Legion was in the center. shine.

Curze stretched out his right hand and opened the fire seal with the nail of his index finger. He could do this without a letter opener. He took out the letter and began to read it silently.

"A word is like a face, my brother I have never met, Konrad Curze. I am Robert Guilliman, one of your many brothers you have not yet met."

"My father's ship passed Macragge on its way back. Through holographic projection, I talked with the four brothers you have met. Frankly speaking, I have some admiration for you."

"When I was the same age as you, I was still studying and still trying to control my emotions so that I wouldn't get angry at the endless homework. But you have already taken office and shouldered the most important tasks on our shoulders. Responsibility."

"This almost makes me feel ashamed, but I have to say something at the risk of being disgusted by you. If you intend to make Nostramo better, environmental modification alone is far from enough. "

"You should already know that there are three Mechanicus ships in the logistics fleet. The precious machines they carry can remove pollution and recreate a planet suitable for human habitation and survival."

"Fulgrim described the environment of your home planet to me. He has always been a master of language, but he seems to be very reticent when it comes to mentioning the environment you are in."

"Thanks to him, I can't exactly imagine what Nostramo really looks like, but I can roughly guess something."

"I returned earlier than you. I have been fighting in the galaxy for a long time. I have seen planets like this, and I also understand the real difficulty in transforming them."

"Removing environmental pollution is always just the first step. Removing pollution in people's minds is the key."

"Therefore, I took the liberty of sending five hundred ultramarines to go with your logistics fleet. I don't know if you have heard of it, but in the empire, my legion is quite good at managing the planet."

"This is a difficult stage for anyone, and I hope their experience with these matters can help you in the early days of your tenure, and if you feel this is inappropriate, I apologize in advance."

"Their commander is Lucretius Corvo, a man of integrity, honesty and reliability. In any case, I hope they can help you. In three or five years, if Nostramo's situation has any As things get better, I hope you can take time out of your busy schedule to visit Macragge."

"I will sincerely look forward to your arrival."

"—Your faithful brother, Roboute Guilliman."

Kurtz put down the letter in silence. At that time, Khalil finished the last piece of steak just as he said. He wiped his mouth with an unscented wet tissue and asked, "How was it?"

"...He wants those five hundred Ultramarines to assist us in helping govern Nostramo."

"No, I didn't ask that, Conrad." Khalil smiled slightly. "I'm asking, what's your impression of him?"

Konrad Coates looked over blankly: "This is just a letter, Khalil"

“Words can sometimes best reflect a person’s true character.”

"But why do you ask?"

"Because he is your brother." Khalil said. "And you're going to have to deal with him sooner or later, aren't you?"

"...I think he's pretty good," Conrad Coates said. "But I'm actually not sure. I mean, I haven't even seen him in person."

Khalil couldn't help laughing: "Judging from that letter alone, you think he's not bad, right?"

"It just seems a little proud. But I don't hate this kind of pride." Coz muttered. "If I fought for a long time like him and saved many people, I would be proud too."

He said, reaching out and handing over the letter. Khalil raised his eyebrows and refused without even looking at the letter: "This is his letter to you."

"Aren't you going to take a look?"

"Listen, Conrad, your brother respects you." Khalil shook his head. "I don't need to read the letter to feel these things. The list of supplies, the escort of five hundred ultramarines."

"A person's character is hidden in these details. He respects you, so you should respect him too, right? If you want to respect him, you shouldn't show me the letter he wrote to you. "

"What's the problem?" Conrad Coates asked blankly.

Only at this time did he act like a one-and-a-half-year-old child - he was very professional about the Code. He also has ample ideas for the future of Nostramo. Only in terms of human relations and sophistication, he still didn't know much about it.

Khalil smiled.

"Unless it's an open letter, any letter is private, Conrad. He's writing to you, not me. My name shouldn't be mentioned in that letter, right?"

"No."

"That's it, this is a letter written specifically to you. Therefore, it can only be read by you."

".I seem to understand."

"If you don't understand clearly, let's talk about it later." Khalil smiled slightly. "It's a bit interesting to help govern Nostramo. In a way, it solves an urgent need."

"Our clerical officers have less than five hours of rest every day these days. A lot of people's bodies are already showing signs of being overloaded. So if they can help, that's a good thing. It's just that .”

"only?"

"I don't know if they are willing or not. Besides, you are the leader of the Eighth Legion." Khalil said, he glanced at Konrad Coates, then stood up with a chuckle, Start collecting cans and tableware along the long table.

This action was so sudden that Conrad Coates was stunned. He didn't even have time to refute the second half of Khalil's sentence.

"What are you doing?"

"Do what you can." Khalil replied calmly. "It's better to leave this task to the servitors. They also have a lifespan, Conrad."

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