Warhammer: In the Name of Nirvana

"In the most distant future, the war will eventually cease, and by then, there will be only peace in the galaxy."

"We will eventually come to such a day, my blood relatives: all stars and worlds will be bathed in the glory of the Emperor, wars and sacrifices will become vague legends, ignorance and faith will no longer be needed, all Newborns will no longer be threatened by poverty, disease, and barbaric alien races, and those once-lost achievements will be picked up and recast as the immortal cornerstone of mankind's peaceful future for thousands of years and thousands of years."

"None of this is a dream, nor is it an unattainable rant. We are getting closer to this goal every moment. Every successful recovery and victory is a determined advance, just like building a building brick by brick. A great spectacle that can be sung for thousands of years.”

"One day, we will succeed, we will achieve our mission, let the age of reason and order come, let the justice and peace I pursue come to every world and come to every mortal: this Everything is destined to be accompanied by a lot of tears and pain, and experience inevitable sacrifices and trials, but the end has already appeared in front of us. Although it seems out of reach, as long as we can continue to move forward, one hundred years, two hundred years , it will eventually be firmly in our hands.”

"At that time... maybe we can rest, do something we like to do, live the life we ​​want to live, and experience life other than warriors and conquerors."

When the Lord of Macragge spoke his last words, his angular face revealed a rather obvious and innocent eager smile. Morgan could see where that smile belonged: it neither belonged to The gorgeous palace of intrigues is not a great militaristic poem. It is a more humble smile, with a kind of contentment that is willing to be ordinary.

Morgan had seen them, in corners that she had never cared about: in those fertile fields and mountain valleys, on the rough faces of sweaty laborers who turned their backs to the sun all day long, she had seen similar smiles, and even It can be said to be exactly the same.

The leader of the Second Legion was not sure whether his blood brother had valuable labor experience in the primary industry, but from the smile on his face, Morgan could already draw a somewhat ridiculous conclusion: Her blood relative, Marku The governor of Lage seems to have an unrealistic desire and pursuit for the kind of life with his face facing the loess and his back turned to the sky.

【……】

In the past, Morgan might have sneered at this smile as a poor disguise, but now, she knew very well: her blood relative really thought so, and this was his most instinctive expression of true feelings and inner desire.

Morgan blinked, a slight mania flashing through her pupils, almost uncontrollably.

Okay, a violent warrior, a thoughtful consul, and a working people who long to kiss the fragrance of the earth. How on earth do these three souls fit into one body and still live in harmony?

Even in the shell of a Primarch, it would be difficult to do this: Morgan could swear by every brother she had ever met.

And Guilliman did it?

Why is he so special?

Could it be that he, Guilliman, was the one carefully crafted by the Lord of Mankind? Could he be the Emperor's Holy Number or Son? Could it be that when all of them were scattered in various desperate situations, the Macragge in front of him was being stuffed into the arms of his adoptive parents by the golden man?

Could it be that a happy family and childhood were so magical that he could become the most special one among the Primarchs?

【call--】

Morgan took a deep breath, and it took her a moment to suppress the flames of jealousy that ignited in her heart. Although the flames were actually too weak to affect anything, it was enough to make the Spider Queen understand one thing better: why she was in the position where she was. She could not get a single positive comment about Guilliman from every brother she had met and communicated with.

[Ambitious] is only part of it.

And jealousy is also an element that cannot be ignored.

When these two major reasons are mixed with all the additional and miscellaneous shortcomings, such as the indelible achievements and great deeds created by the Lord of the Ultramarines, all the anger and dissatisfaction can only be reduced to one line after another. The rumors together build up the story of a separatist, ambitious, and ever-expanding person in the Five Hundred Worlds...

…

etc……

Again, Morgan blinked.

She suddenly thought of something, a brilliant idea about the Lord of Five Hundred Worlds, a perfect way to utilize waste.

Thinking of this, Morgan couldn't help but glance at her blood relatives. In the dark corner that Guilliman couldn't see, a smile that could make anyone's spine crawl was slowly creeping onto the lips of the Lord of the Second Legion.

yes.

Guilliman, the Lord of the Ultramarines, the separatist king of five hundred worlds: ambitious, evil-minded, deep-minded, and endlessly evil...

And Morgan, the master of the Dawnbreakers, the overseer sent by the Emperor, the soul-drinker who has always been devoted to the war, and of course like other Primarchs: not too keen on politics and governance.

Under such circumstances, when most people in the galaxy, especially those in high positions, have had such clearly different and unusually deep first impressions of the two Primarchs, some of them had a different impression of Morgan. Couldn't the problem that arises just fall on Guilliman's shoulders?

After all, those who are close to the flames always have to bear the possibility of being burned: As a special envoy sent by the Lord of Humanity to supervise the five hundred worlds, the Lord of the Second Legion, who is not good at intrigues and even less good at speaking, is in conflict with her ambitious When the brothers had a silent confrontation, they were unknowingly influenced and deceived. They ate the vicious honey under the mask of beauty, and thus did some things that were not quite right.

It totally makes sense, doesn't it?

As long as it is not too excessive, as long as the heartstrings of Holy Terra can be accurately grasped, as long as it is not so blatant as to write words like [New Empire] on immigration posters, then relying on the five hundred worlds that span the east Under the huge shadow, how many people will care about the small desecration that happened in Avalon?

A vast army of mortal auxiliaries? This is necessary to carry out the mission and is not a violation by any stretch of the imagination.

A drastic policy? It was just a helpless move that had to be made in order to fight against the powerful national power of the Five Hundred Worlds of Ultramar.

Some broad alliance? If you don't even have these, what else can you use to fight against the separatist king who is unscrupulous and aggressively expanding?

These are all necessary, all prerequisites for completing the mission, all loyalty and reliability that can be immediately dissolved at any time with an order from the Emperor, just like the love the Spider Queen has for her genetic father in her heart.

All is temporary, all is transitional, all is an over-the-top effort to fulfill the Emperor's silent mission: until the Lord of Mankind ends Morgan's mission himself, she will never live up to her genetic legacy. Father, no matter how terrible the abyss this will plunge her into, no matter how many misunderstandings and rumors this will cause her to bear, she will become the thorn of Holy Terra in the Far East and faithfully fulfill the orders entrusted by the Emperor. Her false mission.

Makes sense, doesn't it?

As for Guilliman? Oh, of course he can continue to work hard to cultivate his kingdom, and receive sufficient assistance from Avalon with peace of mind. His territory will continue to expand, and his legions will continue to swell, until the east of the galaxy is completely stained with light. Cobalt Blue, until any high-ranking official of the Human Empire sees the Milky Way Star Map, he will never be able to ignore the [Five Hundred Worlds] that spans thousands of star fields.

After all, if Guilliman's body is not strong enough and his back is not broad enough, how can he help Morgan combine Avalon with the Second Legion while carrying himself and the entire Five Hundred Worlds of Ultramar? What about on your back?

Ambitious, evil-minded, separatist...

How could she bear to take away these powerful words from Guilliman? On the contrary, she would give the part she got to her blood relatives as a testimony of their firm friendship.

Although there was no formal or even verbal agreement, the Lord of the Second Legion could clearly confirm that Guilliman was absolutely willing to do this, so there was no need for her to ask extra questions.

In this way, Morgan smiled and finalized the plan in her heart. She even thought about how she would admire and even admire the prosperity of the Five Hundred Worlds when she reunited with those brothers, and how she would appreciate Guilliman's Certain [sage sayings] that I firmly believe in.

It is indeed difficult to do this: but it is no more difficult than helping Jonson manage logistics, accompanying Magnus on a tour of the warp, or making Perturabo happy. She has experienced even these difficulties, and she has no brain. The three guys there who communicate closely with each other all day long have tolerated it and even become accustomed to it. Could she have encountered something more terrifying?

Could it be that the big golden guy in the whole galaxy, the only one she felt afraid of, could give her more surprises?

A madman? Or a skinner?

ha!

The dark thoughts came to an end with the deliberate self-questioning and answering. Morgan rubbed her neck, letting her attention get out of the paused thinking time and come to reality again.

But at the last moment when she paused to think, a clear ray of self-awareness still stung the Spider Queen's theoretically frozen heart.

——————

really.

She was still a little jealous of Guilliman.

——————

The Lord of Macragge is sitting on the bottom step. He is wearing a ceremonial armor. The huge golden laurel wreath on the breastplate is the most obvious symbol, and not far from him In this place, the Queen of Avalon is also half leaning and half sitting on the same level. She is still wearing a sleeveless half-armor and a long skirt. With her legs raised, you can see that she is wearing a pair of women's Roman pants. Sandals with hollow cross-straps covering the entire foot and more than half of the calf.

[Is this the life you want? My dear brother. 】

The Lord of the Second Legion caressed the steps and seats made of marble, and smiled at the brothers beside him. Guilliman was silent for a while before answering in a low voice a secret.

"Actually, when I first arrived in Macragge, I wasn't interested in the city's many bathhouses. But when I grew older and realized that these public buildings actually had some necessary value, my body And it makes it impossible for me to easily enter these buildings."

[On our journey along the way, I saw eleven large bathhouses in the city of Macragge. Are they all unable to accommodate your body as the Primarch? 】

Guilliman sighed.

"If I could, I wouldn't have brought you here, Morgan. I wouldn't have brought you to the central baths of Macragge, which haven't even been built yet. With water flowing through it, what kind of big bath is this?"

Morgan smiled. She stretched her legs and knocked the marble floor tiles in front of her intentionally or unintentionally. She was somewhat suspicious of where the Macragge city, which was almost entirely made of marble, found so many raw materials.

But after thinking about the Emperor's ship, the Emperor's Dream, which piled gold and marble directly into the void, she felt that such a problem was not actually important.

[It doesn’t matter, I’m not going to be poor enough to come to Macragge City to solve my personal hygiene problems, and as a simple piece of art and architecture, what I see in front of me is enough to open my eyes, isn’t it? 】

Morgan's words were not lies: even in her heart, she already had some basic understanding of Guilliman and his people's fanatical pursuit of baths or other Roman things, but when she actually saw When visiting the Macragge Central Bathhouse, she still had to admire it.

The life of an extreme warrior is really good.

A public bath covering an area of ​​more than 100,000 square meters, or a comprehensive building complex, is where Morgan and her blood relatives are now. This wonder that has not yet been officially put into use has other than its own job. : In addition to dozens of reservoirs, elevated water pipes, cold water baths, warm water baths, hot water baths, steam rooms and gym-specific bathrooms, there are also a lot of things that even the Primarch himself had not thought of. s things.

Library, lecture hall, recreation room, sports ground, small theater, shop, gallery...

Everything you need.

To call it a bathhouse would be an understatement: even the most indulgent and social Macraggean could satisfy all his needs in this building.

For example, although the main bathing pool where the two genetic entities are currently located has no water, its semicircular structure is no different from that of an ancient Greek theater, making it capable of hosting a theater and a parliament hall without water. Even in the bloodless duel arena, every inch of the ground is made of smooth and shiny colored marbles from different regions into exquisite mosaics, and the large windows above the head ensure that users here can Enjoy the most glorious sunbathing.

"No, Morgan."

Guilliman raised his head and enjoyed the refracted sunlight. He had just visited half of Macragge City with his blood relatives. Even the Lord of the Ultramarines needed a real rest time at this time.

"Bathing, especially hot bathing, is a very formal activity. It is not only a means of solving private hygiene problems, but also a kind of relaxation and exercise."

【Appreciate further details. 】

"First of all, bathers must do pre-bath exercises, and then enter heated rooms with different temperatures to make the bathers evaporate and sweat. After all the sweat is gone, they can take a bath with warm water, and finally rinse with cold water."

【cold water? 】

"Enhancing your physical fitness is a must."

[So, this is the future life you dream of? 】

Guilliman seemed silent for a while.

"So be it."

"When we have completed this great expedition, and when the great cause of mankind has been established again through our efforts, I thought that at that time, both our genetic father and ourselves will gradually... Fading away from the center stage of the galaxy and enjoying a more prosaic life: to some extent, I see this as a well-deserved reward at the end of our long mission.”

Guilliman raised his head. He quietly enjoyed the particularly suitable sunlight as dusk approached, and regarded this as a long-lost relaxation. The Primarch was sitting on the stairs like a powerful statue. A marble sculpture that makes people smile.

[Do you think this is a reward? 】

Morgan's movements were almost exactly the same as Guilliman's. She no longer bothered to observe the most subtle expressions and movements of her blood relatives when they spoke. The Lord of the Second Legion was confident that he had figured out Markula. She only needs to hear and accept his words clearly to get what she wants to know.

In other words: she is also enjoying some relaxation and chatting.

[After defeating all enemies, conquering all worlds, and draining our innate blood and energy, retreating from the center of the stage we have built with our own hands, do you think this is a...reward? 】

"Isn't it?"

"After all, from the beginning, the purpose of this great expedition was not to make the galaxy bow down again under the rule of a human lord or twenty deputy kings. Our genetic father did not let the genes of any of us become addicted. Regarding the power of reality, obviously, this was something he decided from the beginning."

Morgan frowned slightly. Guilliman's words made her feel a little uncomfortable, but some instinct in her heart told her that every word of the Lord Macragge was right.

Worldly power…

The Lord of the Second Legion tried to arouse her greed for worldly power, but after the briefest experiment, Morgan once again realized that the so-called worldly power, to her, It's just a means to increase her own power. Power itself is nothing worthy of her nostalgia. She is a derivative of power.

but……

[Have you said this to other brothers? After all, I think such a topic is a bit too...serious, isn't it? 】

Guilliman paused again.

"I talked to Dorn once. It's Rogal Dorn, the Lord of Invite. You probably haven't met him yet, but he is the most reliable among our brothers. His ideas are roughly the same as mine. , or he doesn’t care about these things at all.”

[It is normal not to care. My brother, to be honest, you care so much about this matter, but you still seem to be a bit abnormal among us. What gives you the motivation to think about this issue? 】

"..."

"The future, Morgan, is the future."

[The future of the Great Crusade? 】

"The future after the Great Crusade."

[Oh... That's a bit too far away. It has to be a century or two centuries later. 】

"No matter how many centuries it takes, don't we have to face this problem in the end? War cannot continue forever. No matter how great the expedition is, it will end one day. We can't start until the moment before the problem comes. Are you worried about how to find the answer?"

"At that time, people like us can of course gradually fade away and live well in any world. But apart from this, there are some issues we still have to consider."

[For example? 】

"Our children, the Emperor's angels, the tens of thousands of Astartes warriors, the tens of thousands of people who were born to conquer and kill, and paid the highest price for the arrival of peace, without them, We can do nothing, and the Great Crusade is nothing."

"However, such sacrifice and dedication have an obvious hidden danger: most of these warriors who brought peace are addicted to killing. When peace truly comes, what will happen to them who have long been accustomed to killing and fighting during the Great Crusade? How about living in a time of peace?”

"The peacemakers will not be part of peace. They are building a paradise that will exclude them. This is what our children will face, a terrible future."

[The future of our respective heirs? 】

"I don't think we need to add [respectively] to this question."

Guilliman's words were already contained in a spontaneous trust and closeness, but Morgan didn't care about this obvious trend now. Her mind was lingering on the question Guilliman had just raised.

The future of her heirs?

The future of her estate?

…

This isn't a problem worth worrying about, is it?

The Second Legion was not important yet and she needed to continue this topic.

——————

[Okay, Guilliman, let's talk about this. 】

【what's your plan? 】

——————

Morgan's words without hesitation caused a happy smile to bloom on Guilliman's face. The Lord of Macragge opened his eyes. He looked seriously at his blood relatives, and after some necessary thinking, he After that, he expressed his thoughts word for word.

"You should still remember, Morgan, just a few hours ago, you witnessed with your own eyes how I handled those government affairs, and the mistake you pointed out was my solution to this problem."

[Let Astartes warriors serve as the management class of mortal society? 】

"Yes, but not entirely."

"I do not intend to let my heirs serve as bureaucrats or managers. After all, the greatest advantage of the Astartes in politics, besides their superhuman computing power, is their morality shaped by honor and their separation from mortals. If we destroy the purity created by society and have no interest in it by integrating them directly into the bureaucracy, it may cause a very bad result."

"What the Astartes warriors should really hold is a position outside the bureaucracy, with supervision, arbitration, and power when necessary."

"In normal times, he may not be the highest power in his society, but at a necessary moment, he must rely on the wisdom and determination in his mind to do whatever is right."

【Dick push too much? Temporary Supreme Consul of the Roman Republic? 】

"It's not that exaggerated."

Verbally, the Lord of Macragge denied the words of blood relatives, but his face was obviously in another kind of happiness because of that Roman-style term.

[Have you already implemented it? 】

"not at all."

Guilliman shook his head.

"As you have seen before, I have just started the experimental operation of this idea. The descendant I sent to Ulysses is the first batch of warriors I assigned to other worlds for management. , their results and progress will directly determine my future considerations and changes to this idea."

[So far, what is the result? 】

"It's not bad, but the experiment report proves that I overestimated the administrative capabilities of Astartes. Maybe I will have to strengthen training in this area in the future."

[At this point, perhaps we can work out a partnership, Guilliman. 】

The Lord of Macragge turned his head, his pupils glowing with golden light.

"Do you also think my idea is feasible? My blood relative?"

[Feasibility is one thing. I think this matter is necessary. As you said, we should really think about how to solve this kind of thing. However, before that, I think you should Think about one thing first, Guilliman. 】

"what is the problem?"

[You are thinking about the future of the entire Astartes warriors, so the scope of your experiments and considerations should not be limited to the Ultramarines Legion or the Five Hundred Worlds of Ultramar. Maybe you can find other people to help, those Someone who is interested, capable, and willing to help you in this area. 】

"..."

"except you?"

【……】

Why does this sound familiar?

[I have implemented an experimental structure in my own territory and gained some experience and ideas. Do you want to listen? 】

"Appreciate further details."

【simply put……】

[Do you know how to change your native land and return to your hometown? 】

"……what is that?"

[A not-quite-Roman thing. 】

——————

[She is in the Five Hundred World? 】

The words of the Lord of Humanity echoed in the ears of the palm bearer. The over 6,000-year-old old man raised his head, spent a moment to accept and process the question, and then answered, and accurately answered his Lord.

"If the time is correct, she is now about to complete her own visit to Macragge, then conduct an inspection on those important planets in the Five Hundred Worlds, and finally return to her own country."

[Do you think she can handle the country I gave her? 】

"..."

"We have been studying and analyzing that unique chess game, Apocalypse, day after day. This question is just the most insignificant component of that chess game, and we already know the answer to this question."

"In terms of territory alone, she may be far behind the Primarch of the Ultramarines, but when it comes to certain issues related to the depth of her rule, she has a ruthless, cold and arrogant determination that No. 13 does not have."

The Emperor laughed.

[Yes, Guilliman is a complex mixture of small-scale peasant mentality, conservatism, and glorious isolation when it comes to their own state within a state, and we know even now that once things change on Terra It's a bit bad what he will do on his Macragge, and I hope someone will choose to cooperate with him. 】

[But my daughter is different. Her future is not as colorful as her brothers, but it is never clear. She is a Machiavelli with a less cold heart. In my control experiment, that is not the case. A group that I can master. 】

The Seal Holder blinked. He knew the Emperor too well, so when he heard these words, he directly skipped the unnecessary red tape and went straight to the focus of the next topic.

"So, how do you plan to use your daughter? Have you forgotten the backlash and damage her rampage caused to your plan in the chess game? Apocalypse?"

"You know that you are not the only one who has a huge plan for her."

"You know that among those who have set their sights on her destructive power, the pair of sworn enemies who are addicted to change and decay, although they have no more ambitions and illusions, the youngest one, who is obsessed with your daughter, But the one who loves someone so much can even patiently hide his love until this moment, and the longer He hides it, the less likely He is to let go at the end."

【But He is not incapable of dealing with it. 】

[But she is not indispensable. 】

"..."

The palm bearer sighed.

"So, what do you want to do?"

[Relax, old friend, I know that my relationship with her is not very friendly, and I am also thinking about how to improve this: maybe I should give her a new gift, and this will be my gift to her. The fifth gift. 】

"Besides those three, what else?"

[Ten years with Jonson. 】

"...?"

"Wait... Okay, I think I can probably guess what the fifth gift is. This time, which problem in her are you going to solve? Her heart?"

【decide as things go. 】

The Lord of Humanity responded casually, and then he stretched out his metal claw and poked somewhere on the star map.

That's the northeastern border of the Milky Way.

It was the hell called Nostramo.