Warhammer: In the Name of Nirvana

"Eat on the sly?"

"Of course."

"Of course some people dare to eat it secretly."

"In fact, in the past five months alone, I have dealt with two hundred people who dared to [steal food] throughout Ultramar: one hundred and twenty-seven death row prisoners, and forty-eight sentenced people. They were sentenced to life imprisonment, and the remaining twenty-five were exiled to the fringes of Ultramar to perform punitive colonial labor, with sentences ranging from twenty to fifty years."

"Of course, these are only the first offenders. They often have high status and reputation in their own fields, or are simply part of the administrative system, so they are important enough that I need to personally sign the execution document: In addition, there are There are tens of thousands of accomplices, and their guilt is judged by the various high courts of Ultramar or the World Court."

The monarch of the Five Hundred Worlds recited this judicial file at a fast speed, like a ruthless administrative processing machine. He and Morgan sat face to face on both sides of the table, each taking the seat of honor: When the King When Liman was narrating a large and complex judicial trial record in a clear and coherent manner, he could accurately depict the frontier areas of Avalon and the Five Hundred Worlds on the star map with one hand, while the other hand He grabbed a tall wine jug and personally poured the wine for his guests. The grace of his movements surpassed that of the best mortal masters.

Each of these three actions occupied part of the original body's energy. They started one after another, and progressed in different orders. In the end, there was not even a second of error, and they came to an end at the same time: when Guilliman finished telling this judicial record , he had also drawn all the key points on the star map, and at the same time, he steadily pushed the wine glass filled with fine wine in front of Morgan.

Along with the wine glass came an apologetic smile on Guilliman's face.

"I'm sorry to tell you this, Morgan, but the vast majority of these crimes arise around the trade between Avalon and the Five Hundred Worlds: the sudden emergence of a chain of interests not only brings huge Profits have also brought about immature systems and gray spaces that can be manipulated. Although I have been working on cracking down on corruption, it seems that those who are willing to take risks for huge profits will never be eliminated."

At this point, the original body sighed.

"Although in the past, the prison world of Ultramar was often overcrowded: after all, although our crime rate is already very low, the huge population base still brought extremely high absolute values, which forced me to issue orders several times. , transforming more of the world into a prison world.”

"But in the last ten years, the frequency of orders has increased several times."

"Our cooperation has indeed brought convenience to the people under our command, but it seems that not every mortal can remain calm in the face of the huge profit space: this may be a drawback that we have to accept."

"I have systematically classified and summarized those worlds with soaring crime rates, hoping to eliminate the soil of corruption from the source by improving their quality of life and moral standards: However, this method is very slow to take effect, at least it takes Fifty years or so.”

“Moreover, the speed of strangulation may not keep up with the speed of expansion.”

The lord of the Five Hundred Worlds discussed this matter with his sisters with some regret. His sadness was even sympathized by Morgan, because in Avalon, the Spider Queen also faced the exact same situation: [ The Avalon Legal Department, managed by Orion, has been expanding its manpower in recent years, but it has always been in a state of nervous overload, and even experienced a large number of non-combat attrition.

However, Morgan, who has a more flexible bottom line than Guilliman, has some additional methods: Don't forget, in order to expand the borders of the Far Eastern border at the lowest cost, the Spider Queen signed cooperation terms with a large number of Rogue Traders. of.

These [Sword Merchants], who walk in a gray area both in terms of morality and methods, need a large amount of cannon fodder all the time. At this point, they will accept anyone who comes, and they don't care whether it is the slaves they captured or the prisoners sent by Morgan. : After throwing most of the prisoners to these Rogue Traders, the number of prison worlds under Morgan's rule was only less than a quarter of the 500 worlds.

The Spider Queen doesn't mind telling her blood relatives about this method. Although Guilliman does not have alliances with a large number of merchants, doesn't he also have several forging worlds under his command? Don't these believers of Omnissiah need to Is there a stable source of machine slaves?

The only thing that hinders this is Guilliman's own moral bottom line, and this is the only thing that Morgan cannot change: Therefore, after hearing Guilliman's concerns about the soaring crime rate, the Lord of Avalon just gently After taking a sip of wine and thinking for a while, he decided to shift the direction of this discussion to another more possible idea.

[My brother: Maybe, we can change our mind. 】

"...for example?"

The Lord of the Five Hundred Worlds rubbed his hands and looked at his blood relatives with some expectation: The reason why he made this somewhat heavy phenomenon the first topic in his meeting with Morgan was because he wanted to gain from his blood relatives. some different problem-solving ideas.

Morgan laughed.

[I admit that your method is a good medicine to fundamentally solve the problem, Robert, but as you just said, this method is too slow, and it may not be able to cure the problem: after all, according to the information I have here, depending on Corruption is only a small part of the illegal and undisciplined behavior in our bilateral trade operations. The greater part is activities such as smuggling contraband or absconding with criminals. 】

[Of course, there are also piracy and plundering activities against legal merchant ships: but not many young people dare to do this, and they often can't survive for long. Compared with this, the smuggling industry is like a maggot in the tarsus. It has never been effectively cleaned up. 】

[Compared with the huge profits from these criminal activities, no matter how much the standard of living improves, it will always be too dull: there will always be people who are unwilling to work hard, eager to make a quick buck, and invest in it. 】

[And, more importantly: the cost of these smuggling operations is very low. 】

Having said this, the Lord of Avalon raised her finger and pointed to the areas marked by Guilliman on the star map, which is the intersection of the Far Eastern Frontier and the Five Hundred Worlds: because of the Gulf of Damocles Yes, this intersection is relatively small compared to the national borders between the two sides, but it is still filled with a large number of unguarded galaxies or universes.

After all, whether it is the Dawnbreaker Legion or the Ultramarines Legion, the number of troops deployed on this [national border] is very small. Even the police force used to patrol the border is already so sparse on this star map that it is stretched. the point.

【This is where the problem lies. 】

Morgan bent her fingers and knocked on the sparsely guarded fortresses. She believed that Guilliman had understood the meaning of her words, and the next thing to do was to let Guilliman take the initiative to take the first step in Morgan's plan. step.

[Robert, my brother, I don’t know if you have noticed this: because of the good relationship between you and me, during the more than twenty years since the borders of our respective countries were determined, we have all been on the same border. Not many armed forces have been deployed. Although this is a sign of trust in each other, it also creates a shortage of border patrol forces. 】

"……you mean……"

The original body narrowed his eyes. He had already guessed what Morgan wanted to say, but these words were somewhat contrary to his code of conduct, so the Lord of the Five Hundred Worlds seemed a little hesitant.

"Let's increase patrols at the border and make the security costs of these smuggling operations unbearable to deter these criminals?"

[Not just a deterrent. 】

Morgan laughed.

[We must also focus on the key points, do publicity, and shoot the first one: find the most notorious criminals, let our warships smash their smuggling ships into pieces in space, and record their cries before death on video. Play in turn at every trade transfer station near the national border. 】

[This not only tells the legal businessmen our firm confidence in fighting crime and maintaining the safety of shipping routes, but also tells the smugglers hidden in the crowd that the days of impunity are over, and what will greet them next will be ruthlessness. Kill. 】

“No arrests and convictions?”

[Of course: if they can cooperate with us. 】

"..."

The primarch frowned immediately.

"Isn't this a bit..."

【cruel? 】

"……Yes."

The Lord of Five Hundred Worlds nodded, but his confidence was not sufficient, because he realized that this was indeed a feasible method: If you want to curb criminal behavior in the shortest time, what else is better than ruthlessness? Which Iron Fist is more effective?

[Okay, this is indeed cruel. 】

Morgan shook her head, leaned forward, and in the low tone she was best at, she slowly spoke out in front of Guilliman a great reason that the Macraggeans simply could not refuse.

[Then you need to realize something, my dear brother Macragge: Our trade routes are related to the well-being of tens of billions of subjects on Avalon and Ultramar, and these smuggling and corruption behaviors are clinging The maggots on it, if we show great mercy to them, it will be cruel to the tens of billions of subjects. 】

[Prosperity and education can certainly eliminate those criminals who have no choice but to deal with the deep-rooted greed and sin deep in human nature. Only ruthless judgment and iron fists can attack them. 】

[So, in many cases, if you want to spread your kindness to every subject as much as possible, then you have to learn to be cruel, brother: only by brutally attacking those who hurt your subjects can you Only by eliminating unstable factors can you protect as many of your people as possible. 】

"..."

The Spider Queen's words seemed a bit too straightforward, causing Guilliman to breathe a little heavier, but the sincerity and efficiency contained in Morgan's words ruthlessly teased the Macraggeans. Heartstrings, especially the sentence in it [for the benefit of more people, remove those unstable factors].

Isn't this wrong?

Guilliman narrowed his eyes: He is indeed a man who loves his people, but it does not mean that he is a completely good man. In the territory of Ultramar, there is always a presence in the prison world. For any prisoner, The iron fist of the Lord Macragge has never shown any mercy to his people who have made a great mistake.

Therefore, when Morgan's harsh words echoed over and over again in Guilliman's mind, the Lord of Macragge's expression gradually became serious and determined. He did not even notice that the man standing nearby was far away. On the soft sofa in the discussion center, the dark shadow that was originally spread out on the soft cushions had revealed a playful smile on its pale face and sat upright casually.

"You have a point, Morgan."

Finally, the Primarch nodded.

"However, my ultramarines have never been good at this aspect of work. They are not good at tracking those cunning shadow hiders in the vast space, nor are they good at giving judgment results in the shortest time: I am not It is a disparagement to my children, but I am very aware that they have the shortcomings of scripting, which is a factor that will have a very negative impact on any independent judicial action.”

[I'm glad you thought of that so quickly, bro. 】

Morgan smiled, reached out and patted Guilliman on the shoulder, leaning closer.

[However, now that you can think of this, Robert, you should also be aware of another problem: not all legions are not good at tracking or judging these criminals in the shadows. Next to us, one of our brothers Isn't he famous for being the judge in the middle of the night? 】

"..."

Guilliman was stunned.

Of course he understood the meaning of Morgan's words, but then he felt the great absurdity: Although after Conrad's apology, his hostility towards the Nostramo people was no longer so deep, but, so Quickly let his descendants cooperate with those notorious Night Lords?

This is a bit...

"Ahem!"

Before his thoughts were finished, Conrad pretended to cough. After catching Guilliman's stunned gaze, Midnight Ghost made himself smile as gently as possible, as harmless as possible: from Guilliman's face Judging from his expression, he seemed to have failed.

"I've been listening. You two."

Conrad held out a hand.

"Perhaps you will need some professional help?"

The Lord of Macragge licked his lips. Faced with Conrad's initiative, he still had some hesitation and his voice was a little floating.

"Your...Midnight Lord?"

"I know they didn't have a great reputation, man."

Conrad didn't mind.

"But believe me, after the previous expedition to Salamas, I have purified the interior of the Eighth Legion, and I will choose the forces to assist you from the garrison of Nostramo: they But they are all the best judges and enforcers, and they will never cause the problems you are worried about."

"……Is it?"

After seeing that there was still some residual vigilance in Guilliman's eyes, Conrad curled his lips helplessly: This Macragge was still more difficult to fool than the other brothers, so he had to put aside the more tempting one. reward to impress Guilliman.

"Let's do this, brother: I promise that my Night Lords will only be facilitators, and they will never execute anyone without permission from your heirs."

"Moreover, we can definitely bring in the Dawnbreakers: your Ultramarines, my Night Lords, and Morgan's Dawnbreakers will jointly form a military organization responsible for searching and defending the border, and my Night Lords will be responsible for tracking, and How about giving a verdict, your Ultramarines are responsible for the final approval, and the Dawnbreakers are responsible for supervising the entire process?"

"..."

This time, Guilliman lowered his head and thought for a long time, which was often an obvious sign that he finally agreed with a certain concept.

Now, it's no exception.

"I thought we could give it a try."

The Primarch smiled at Morgan.

"First gather some of the heirs and conduct a trial patrol to see how well the cooperation among our heirs is and what problems may arise in the actual process: If there are no big problems, I think this can become a A permanent military establishment.”

【As it should be. 】

Morgan nodded with satisfaction.

Not to mention anything else, just the phrase "Permanent Military Organization" is one of the things Morgan desires most now: a standing military organization composed of soldiers from three legions. If it operates well, Its future is limitless.

Just like the Spider Queen said before, she may not be able to promote the establishment of the Far East Customs Union in one fell swoop, but as she is now, a lengthy joint operation of several legions piecemeal to lay the foundation for something in the future is still A small accomplishment that Morgan relishes.

Now, this may just be a military organization composed of a few hundred warriors at most, just to patrol the border and combat smuggling, but after a few decades, the cooperation in Avalon and the Five Hundred Worlds is getting closer and closer At that time, who knew what kind of behemoth such a military organization would eventually develop into?

You know, even the human empire that now spans the world started from a narrow corner of the Himalayas on Holy Terra.

The Lord of Avalon smiled. She was content with this for the time being. Opposite her, following the etiquette in her mind and facing Conrad who [took the initiative] to offer help, Guilliman was not stingy with a request. A friendly smile.

"How can I repay you, brother?"

the Primarch asked, and Konrad didn't mean to be polite at all.

"Okay, although I don't have any desire for the Five Hundred Worlds, but as I said before, Guilliman: I suffered heavy losses in the Salamas expedition..."

The Lord of Macragge nodded, he understood what he meant, and quickly focused his eyes on the star map in front of him, looking for a gift that could repay his brother in the territory of five hundred worlds.

He pointed apologetically at a certain area in the south of the Milky Way.

"Most areas of Ultramar have just gone through a round of conscription. I can't guarantee the quality of the soldiers in these worlds, but in the southwest of Ultramar, I have just conquered a space domain composed of wild worlds. They Maybe we can provide you with enough troops."

"..."

Conrad blinked. He first glanced at the direction Guilliman pointed, and then his brows jumped involuntarily: there was almost no hesitation.

"make a deal."

"Couldn't be better, Conrad: thanks again for your help."

Midnight Ghost nodded. He ignored the smile on Guilliman's face. He just stared closely at the world marked by Guilliman as [Nukadia] on the star map, and fell into deep thought.

"You know what, Guilliman."

"……What's wrong?"

"Actually, my Eighth Legion has always had a recessive genetic trait."

"……What?"

"..."

Conrad was amused.

"We always find the best recruits in the galaxy."