Warhammer: In the Name of Nirvana

No matter from any angle, Redemption Planet is not a pleasant world. It is like the Milky Way that stands in front of the Empire and the Great Crusade, showing in detail the desolation and desolation after the catastrophe.

It is not as good as Holy Terra, not as good as Macragge, and not as good as Avalon, which is so anointed and rich that Morgan never dared to mention it in front of his blood relatives: even compared to Caliban or Nostramo. In this [Death] world with a notorious reputation on the outside and hidden treasures on the inside, the Redemption Star is also out of reach.

But this does not mean that this remote planet has no merits: at the very least, when the Lord of Avalon's senses finally escaped from the cage of subspace with the [Emperor's Dream], they returned to the stable real universe again. Finally, the corner of her eye just locked onto the dim light spot symbolizing the Redemption Star on the fortune teller, but she already breathed a long sigh of relief in her heart.

There is no other reason.

No matter how bad the Redemption Star was, a black ball of carbon hanging in the void, it didn't matter to the current Lord of Avalon: alone with her dear genetic father in the sea of ​​souls After hundreds of hours, Morgan only felt that even if Catachan or even Barbarus was waiting for her ahead, she would be happy to do so.

Such words may seem to others as ungrateful arrogance. Morgan also knows very well that there are many people in the original body who are willing to spend all their priceless treasures in exchange for these hundreds of hours of "filial sons", because they have no respect for the Emperor. Awe, worship, and even pursuit are the mainstream thoughts in the original body and the empire.

But the Spider Queen has always been contrary to mainstream thinking, and has nothing to do with fanaticism, stubbornness, foolish loyalty, or any extreme words. In other words, among the nine dragon-born sons of the Lord of Humanity, the genes of the Dawnbreaker The mother is more like a [normal person] who prefers mortals: the means are the same, the thinking is the same, not to mention the values.

From a normal person's perspective, Morgan was indeed suffering along the way.

After all, if there is anything more unbearable than spending hundreds of hours face to face with a lonely old otaku who is over 30,000 years old, it is probably being with this lonely old otaku who is over 30,000 years old. While spending hundreds of hours face to face, you have to endure him bombarding your brain with all the weird and unheard of "good ideas" in his head.

It is true that these good ideas are definitely not bad ideas. Most of them are even so sophisticated that Morgan ponders: After all, the Lord of Mankind is a living history book that records the entire history of civilization, even if it is a person with such a stupid talent. Even an extremely mediocre person, after tens of thousands of years of experience and knowledge, is bound to not be stupid just based on what he has seen and experienced, let alone the emperor who is already so talented that no one can match him?

Even though Morgan's genetic father has not brought his talents to the political field for a long time, he just needs to sit there and pour out the redundancy in his mind, which will be enough to leave a deep impression on him in the tens of thousands of years. Put the ruling system or political events on the table, then pick out those time-tested advantages, eliminate those delusions that have failed many times, and piece together the remaining essence. The result is, in short It wouldn't be too bad.

…

In theory, that's true.

The Lord of Avalon pinched her eyebrows with a headache. Then, she instinctively put her five fingers together and smoothed her hair upwards. However, she stopped abruptly in the middle of the process: just because there was something between her fingers. , suddenly a few strands of slightly withered silver hair appeared.

【……】

Morgan looked at the fallen hair on her palms and fell into silence.

It was not that she had never lost her hair before this. In fact, she had lost her hair quite a lot: not long ago, she had lost her hair once when she was mediating the relationship between Dorn and Perturabo; and further back, she had just started to teach Conrad. During that time, a lot of hair will fall off; and when the Far Eastern frontier is initially established and everything is waiting for something to be done, it is not only hair loss, but also old problems such as insomnia, nausea, and unreasonable irritability.

If we push it further, to the time when she and Zhuang Sen fight side by side...

Well……

That's too many to count.

Internally, Morgan mourned a small moment for her past.

But the Primarch also knew in her heart that compared to the tragic experiences in the past, the time she spent with the Emperor was even more unbearable: whether it was assisting Jonson, educating Conrad, or the founding period of the Far Eastern Frontier, although They all caused Morgan to suffer mentally, but they also gave the original body rich feedback in material terms.

It is true that Zhuangson will squander her hard work on the battlefield, but he also turns every squandering into a butcher knife for the aliens. The victory reports flying like snowflakes and the constantly advancing battle lines on the star map are gratifying enough.

The same is true for Conrad and the Far Eastern Frontier. Although they gave the original body a splitting headache, Conrad's temperament has indeed improved visibly, and the prosperity and development of the Far East has made the Five Hundred Worlds like this. Even powerful countries pale in comparison. Such a beautiful result is enough for Morgan to learn to enjoy hardships.

But compared with them, the Lord of Mankind seemed particularly embarrassed, because the Emperor's behavior was exactly the kind of behavior that Morgan hated the most: arbitrary and arbitrary, not only reckless and hesitant at the same time, but also fond of standing still a lot. It seems that any of these deductions can make Morgan's high blood pressure as red as Magnus' butt.

Unfortunately, during the long period of time when the Emperor and the Primarch's fleet traveled from the Maelstrom area in the center of the galaxy to the southernmost point of the Storm Sector, what awaited Morgan was [killing time] like this. , this kind of thing doesn’t even have a chance to refuse.

In addition to the Custodian guards who occasionally came to take orders and returned with the words of the primarch to comfort the Dawnbreakers, Morgan had to face a galaxy that repeatedly performed the drama "The Building Will Fall" for hundreds of hours. The star map, the true face of the Emperor that made people think deeply, and the repetitive and meaningless mental work that she hated.

The only thing that is gratifying is that the Lord of Mankind still has some emotional intelligence after all: the Adeptus Guardsmen who came to receive the words of the original body and were sent to appease the Dawnbreaker were obviously carefully selected. In the brief exchange with them, the Primarch could actually sense caution, restraint, friendliness, and genuine respect from these Custodes.

At first glance, these Imperial Guards seemed to be no different from the original Dark Angels. After witnessing Morgan's ability and close relationship with their master, they changed from indifference to respect. However, the Spider Queen knew that this was not the case: because Taking advantage of the short gap when the door was opened, she could still see the same vigilance and contempt from before on the imperial soldiers who stayed outside.

It seems that even the Lord of Mankind is very clear that if another [elegant and easy-going] Imperial Guard like Diocletian is sent to conduct diplomatic work with the Dawnbreakers, it will definitely cause unnecessary non-combat attrition. of.

Morgan is confident in this conclusion. Although she admits that Diocletian is indeed the leader of the Forbidden Army and is an order of magnitude stronger than most of her descendants, if she wants to. She could think of fifty names of Daybreakers in the first instant: each of these names could cut off Diocletian's head, but at a different price.

But such a small victory could not cover up the madness of the entire journey. Even in the later stages of the journey, this face-to-face killing time had become a double torture for the Emperor and the original body.

When the initial false politeness and mutual sarcasm finally diluted the false good impression that the distinguished father and daughter had on each other due to the long separation, the confrontation between the Emperor and Morgan finally lost its only The buffer zone, in turn, became a pair of enemies in terms of discourse as the content of the discussion became more in-depth and extreme.

In the end, the Emperor even had to give the Lord of Avalon more than a minute to relax before calling for an audience with the Imperial Guards. Otherwise, even the best-tempered Imperial Guards would be in trouble if they accidentally entered the door. After hearing a few words from the original body's mouth, I am afraid that even the Lord of Humanity himself could not stop this forbidden soldier from decisively drawing his sword and risking his own life to defend the dignity of the Lord.

All I can say is that thankfully this crazy journey is finally over.

Once again, the Lord of Avalon breathed a long sigh of relief in her heart, and when she realized it, she had left the cage of hundreds of hours and followed her genetic father, Arriving all the way to the engine room on the lower deck of the Emperor's Dream, she could see that her heirs were allowed to stay here, their faces looking a little distorted from the long-term excitement and the moment of relief.

But that was all, the Dawnbreakers were not allowed to enter the inner levels of the cabin, they were blocked outside by the Adeptus Custodes and the Sisters of Silence, and the Primarch must continue to follow her father: although until this moment, Morgan still had no doubts about the Emperor. The Emperor had no idea how he was going to meet and talk to Corax, and the Lord of Mankind had never mentioned it to her in the hundreds of hours before.

Instead, he cared about the little things that didn't matter in Morgan's eyes.

+ Can your body still tolerate the food? +

The Emperor's footsteps stopped in front of a lone shuttle. This machine looked no different from the ordinary models used by mortal soldiers, and there were no accompanying Custodes or nursing Mechanicus members around. Even the Emperor There are also none of the commonly used splendid atmosphere lights: everything seems too plain, even a little deliberate.

However, the Lord of Humanity adapted very well to this. Not only did he start the machine with his own hands, but while waiting for the shuttle to be fully operational, he turned his head and looked at his daughter, who was still a little confused. The tone of his words He was no different from an ordinary father, which made Morgan frown even deeper.

【sure. 】

The Primarch hesitated slightly.

[After all, working for hundreds of hours continuously is not a novel experience for me. What’s more, before departure, didn’t you use your psychic power to clean me: at least in terms of my mind, my The state of mind is currently at its peak. 】

+ The rest brought by psychic energy is false after all. Even I can only temporarily restore your energy, but cannot erase the fatigue in your body: after the things here are completed, you will still need some time. rest. +

The Lord of Mankind turned over. I don’t know if it was due to the light. His face and even the outline of his entire body became increasingly blurry in Morgan’s eyes: When the original body blinked dullly and spoke When she responded to the words of the Gene Father, Morgan suddenly realized that she had just looked at the Emperor who turned around, but now she could no longer remember the Emperor's face at that time.

【……】

The original body opened her mouth, but in the end she did not dare to say anything. Instead, the Emperor stood in front of the slowly starting shuttle, as if to kill time, and seemed to have a hidden meaning in his words, and then spoke again He asked his daughter a new question.

+Don’t you have anything to ask? +

【Um……】

The Primarch looked left and right.

[Where is Perturabo? Doesn't he act with us? 】

+ He will go down later. I have contacted him before: the work at hand is still a little finished, and he is also preparing a gift for your blood relatives. In the joint names of the two of you, Not quite ready yet. +

【? 】

Before the Spider Queen had time to marvel at the Lord of Iron's thoughtfulness, she realized another question: When did the Emperor talk to Perturabo? It was obvious that he was face to face with her all the time. Even if the Lord of Mankind used the psychic energy in his mind to talk, then as the top psyker in the galaxy, she would still be able to detect clues.

+This is my boat, Morgan. +

Before the primarch could speak, her genetic father had already answered her confusion.

+ Not to mention... +

The words paused for a moment, as if he was deliberately mocking the original body for overestimating his own abilities.

+ You don’t really think that your attainments in psychic abilities are on the same level as mine, right? My daughter: I remember that you have never been an arrogant person? +

It's more like a rhetorical question than a question.

[…Of course I don’t dare, father. 】

The original body coughed slightly and deleted the question from his mind.

[So, where are the Imperial Guards who are going down with you? 】

+ Forbidden Army? +

The Emperor laughed again.

+Morgan, when you and I first met, did you bring the Imperial Guard with you? +

[But you brought Macado? 】

+Don’t I bring one with me now? +

【……】

Damn it, she actually found that sound pleasant.

Morgan pursed her lips.

[So, do you plan to meet Corax like this: just the two of us step out of the shuttle, stand in front of him, and ask him to put down his home planet and join us on another planet far away? In a war? 】

+He won't refuse. +

Morgan could feel her genetic father closing his eyes, as if sighing.

+Do you still remember? Among the countless possibilities we have seen, among the countless disasters we have deduced, Corax may have hesitated, resisted, felt dissatisfied or even hated from the bottom of his heart, but he has never truly refused. Leave his home planet with me: he knows that the only place where he can fulfill his mission is the Galaxy and the Great Crusade. +

[I dare not deny this. 】

The original body snorted, finally regaining some confidence. After all, the countless possibilities mentioned by the Emperor were built by Morgan herself, and she also remembered every detail of them clearly.

+ Not to mention... +

The Emperor paused.

+ In fact, most of your brothers met me in this more low-key atmosphere: the welcome and loyalty in public are only a few. Most of the time, I prefer to get along with them in private. Go and welcome them back as a father, not a king. +

[Are there any measurement indicators among these? 】

+Based on my feelings. +

The Emperor stretched out his finger and entered the password and fingerprint. The shuttle in front of him had reached the final stage of startup. This old machine gradually revealed its appearance: it was indeed so narrow that it could only accommodate the Emperor and the original body. There are only people, no matter how many people there are, even one forbidden soldier cannot fit inside.

[It should be...more than that, right? 】

+...+

[And the actual situation of the Primarchs, right? 】

Behind the Emperor, the Lord of Avalon, who finally recovered from the shock, thought about the Emperor's words carefully, and then keenly grasped the loopholes in them. When Morgan laughed, she could obviously Seeing the emperor's movements become inconspicuously stiff.

This made Morgan's next words seem so proud.

[After all, if it is in full view of the imperial guards and in the eyes of countless people attracted by this huge battle, some things are naturally difficult to mention: so when facing those who may be in the first time When you meet a Primarch who makes you unhappy or even attacks you in disguise, a scene of battle can make them wisely choose to shut up and avoid possible embarrassing situations. 】

[This must be the case with Lorgar, Sanguinius and Konrad: the former’s fanaticism makes you don’t know how to be alone with him, and the latter two may not be able to say surprising things, so the reunion in full view is natural Most suitable, after all, the personalities of the latter two determine that they will not make things too serious in public. 】

[And those primarchs that you have made up your mind and will not or dare not have too fierce a confrontation with you can be arranged in this more private meeting atmosphere: for example, Ferus, Vulkan , the old me, and the current Corax are all like this, right? 】

[You have the confidence to grasp the rhythm, answer every question we have, and have a clear understanding of our temperament and nature long before departure: In this case, an expected father-son conversation is always It's more intimate than high-sounding. 】

+...+

The Emperor operated the machine in silence.

+ Do you know, my daughter, one of the few things you are far inferior to as a Palm Printer is that you can't learn to shut up: being too public is never a good thing, and it is especially inappropriate when it comes to you. suitable. +

[Listen to your teachings, Father. 】

The Primarch lowered his head slightly and quickly retreated from the Emperor's range of fire.

[So, what kind of communication do you plan to have with Corax? 】

+I had one night to try every method of communication. +

The Emperor withdrew his finger. They still had to wait for one last minute.

+After all, you know that your brother of darkness is a very [unstable] existence. I have to find out every detail of his soul through long exchanges to determine his final direction: Although he Not the most important one, but a reassuring one if you can. +

[I don’t agree with this view. 】

Morgan blinked, her laughter making the Emperor frown.

[In fact, I think Conrad is the most "reassuring" one. 】

[You know, father. 】

+...+

The Emperor didn't reply, and this time he allowed Morgan to laugh.

Because she was not wrong.

[Who would have thought, father? We played so many cards: tarot cards, divine cards, playing cards, rune cards, and any scraps of paper with ancient runes and crazy prophecies: countless times using these black and white words to deduce even the worst situation, but it is not until the end that we discover that even in the worst situation we can imagine...]

[The madman from Nostramo did not fall into chaos in the end. 】

The original body licked the tip of her lips, her voice could not be said to be happy or filled with emotion.

[He always died so timely: when his blood relatives turned to various gods for various reasons, and finally met various sad endings, he could always be cast aside. The salvation is at hand, and he can end his miserable life cleanly before everything becomes too embarrassing. 】

[Although this is just another level of self-deception, but compared to those individuals who embraced chaos, as time goes by, this clean self-destruction maintains the final dignity and makes his figure A little respectability. 】

[As for Corax...well...]

The moment her genetic father walked into the shuttle first, the Lord of Avalon bit her lip, pondered for a moment, then shook her head helplessly, and then walked straight into the shuttle.

[In most cases, he is indeed likable, but when he becomes a little disgraceful, his ending is also quite disgraceful...]

[Are you worried about this, Father? 】

+…Not entirely. +

The emperor closed his eyes to rest. The moment before the heavy door of the shuttle was completely closed, his voice took the opportunity to slip out of the steel cage, echoing quietly in the empty cabin, and dissipated in the roar of the shuttle's departure. .

+But you are right about one thing, my smart daughter. +

+This time, you have only one task: to teach your brothers...+

…

+ Decent. +

+ Decent. +

+...+

+ Still...decent. +

…

[Then how many shots can I fire, father? 】

+ Use up your bullets. +

+The rest is none of your business. +