Warhammer: In the Name of Nirvana

(Note: This chapter was written in a frantic rush because it was swallowed up halfway through the manuscript, so if you see a lot of typos in the middle, please exit and refresh it. I'm sorry for the inconvenience.)

From the moment he opened his eyes in his amniotic chamber, Corax has always been a hands-on kid.

I think back then, the first gift he gave to his sister, his adopter Efreenia, was made by himself: the primarch twisted the head of the overseer who was about to hurt Efreenia. After taking it down and taking care of it, it became a good gift in his eyes.

But it is a pity that Avrenia could not understand his [goodwill], and the verbal education that followed became an instinct deeply imprinted in the heart of the original body: If you can, without hurting others, don't do it. Hurtful.

The Crow King wholeheartedly agrees with this.

But unfortunately, sitting in front of Corax now, his sister Morgan, who is related to him by blood, and his sister Evrenia, who is not related by blood, seem to have completely opposite concepts.

When the Lord of Avalon stretched out his hand to the bewildered Midnight Ghost, she looked at the Crow King's kind smile, which reminded the primarch of himself who had kicked that strong head to Efreenia: it turned out that he The [goodwill] shown at that time was in Avrenia's eyes. Is this actually the case?

Immersed in the situation, Corax regrets his past.

But just before the Crow King could say anything to prevent the tragedy, Morgan's hand had already been stretched out in front of Conrad, his fingers together, and he hooked upwards, coupled with his eyes looking directly at the midnight ghost, this body language meant It couldn't be more obvious.

Hand things over.

The silent command passed by, leaving only the Midnight Ghost with his head tilted and Corax who didn't even dare to breathe.

"Um?"

Conrad blinked obediently.

Then, as if he had made up his mind, he put his free paw on Morgan's palm: this move made the Spider Queen's face full of black lines.

【That's not it. 】

The Lord of Avalon's voice was cold. She closed her eyes and shook her head slowly, feeling that Conrad had no tacit understanding in her heart.

Just when it was scornful, the touch on the palm changed, but the heavy weight that came immediately was obviously not what Morgan wanted in his heart: When he opened his eyes, he saw that the midnight ghost had bent down and bowed forward. , put his long and narrow head on Morgan's hand, and did not forget to raise his head, putting on an innocent posture.

#blink#

【? ? ? 】

Under the horrified gaze of the Crow King, Morgan was so angry that he laughed out loud.

[I need to conduct a controlled experiment with three experimental individuals. Conrad: Do you think your brain is divided enough? 】

"..."

Midnight Ghost was silent for a moment.

Then, Conrad put the paw he had just put down again and put it under his head.

【……】

Morgan was silent.

The next moment, the Lord of Avalon, who didn't know whether he should be angry or laughing, simply raised his finger and knocked the seeds out of Conrad's head. He didn't forget to turn around and pat him gently. a slap.

【Stop playing tricks. 】

[Give me your bread. 】

"ah?"

Midnight Ghost looked at the long loaf of bread in his hand with some confusion: he had chewed off a third of it, and the joint was still stained with saliva, and at least half of the remaining part was pinched by his fingers, like twists.

"If you're hungry, Morgan, if you can't help it, I'll get you some fruit: you don't have to be so hungry."

"Or: Are you really hungry?"

#AvalonianSilence#

Morgan didn't say anything. She rolled her eyes and glanced at the knife. The midnight ghost was so frightened that he stuffed his neck into it in an instant. He respectfully offered the half-eaten loaf of bread to his hands, and when Morgan took the quilt When the bitten bread was placed in front of the Crow King, Corax came out of the shock just now.

"So, you want to use this?"

[Conrad hasn’t reached its expiration date yet. 】

The Primarch sneered.

Then, the Lord of Avalon snapped his fingers, and the mountains of documents piled up on the table were swept away by the storm of psychic energy, and poured into the surrounding filing cabinets in a moment. In front of the two primarchs, there was only half a loaf of bread, an empty tabletop, and two knives that Virgo had used to place down.

[Where did we come from? 】

"How to distinguish the fundamentals."

[Ah, yes. 】

The primarch smiled.

[You are a smart man, little crow: so let’s keep the story short. 】

"Can."

The Crow King nodded.

[Let me give you an example. If you can understand the example I gave, then you will basically understand this principle: how to establish and consolidate your basic base, and how to expand your basic base. 】

[Trust me, Corax, you will use this principle soon. 】

"How can you be so sure?"

The Crow King asked back, and Morgan responded with a long smile.

【do you know? The Nineteenth Legion has begun to assemble under the Emperor's order. It will take about two or three years for them to complete the assembly and officially welcome your return: Conrad must have told you that the current status of that legion situation. 】

"That's right."

The Crow King nodded and did not want to say more.

"So, you are teaching me how to build a base in the legion?"

[I’m not teaching this: you are also a Primarch after all. Even the worst Primarch will never lack basics in his legion. What I want to teach you is another knowledge, that is How to expand your base in the legion to the theoretical maximum size. 】

[In other words, how to make the most friends in your legion? 】

"Let friends... become the most?"

【Yes. 】

Morgan grinned.

[Make your friends more, make your enemies fewer, and ensure the pursuit of common ground while reserving differences to the greatest extent: Politics is such a simple thing, very basic, yet very complex. 】

[If you want to understand this, first read the textbook in my hand. 】

Morgan pointed to the bread in front of him, and Conrad's crunching voice could be heard in his ears. Midnight Ghost had already taken a new loaf of bread from Virgo, and he was looking at his two blood relatives with a somewhat resentful look.

[Tell me, Corax, if you were to divide this loaf of bread into good, medium, and bad parts, how would you divide it? 】

"Um……"

The Crow King thought for a moment, then stretched out his fingers and made two marks on the bread: the best part, naturally, was not touched by Conrad at all, and the middle part was clenched by the fingers of the midnight ghost. , the worst thing is naturally the edge area that is being eaten.

【interesting. 】

The Spider Queen carefully observed Corax's every move.

[You seem to have very vague divisions. 】

"That's right."

The Crow King nodded.

"Because the boundaries between these three parts are very blurry. Some places can be regarded as both good and average parts, while other places can be regarded as both average and bad parts."

[The answer is here. 】

Morgan raised his head.

[You see, if we use management names to refer to the three parts of good, medium and bad bread, then they can also represent the core interests, peripheral interests, and no interests, or even be that part of the profit that is exploited. 】

[This distribution method naturally corresponds to three groups, namely the most determined base under your command, the swing forces in the middle that you need to win over, and your enemies: you must leave the best to your base. , use those marginal interests to win over some wavers, and clearly isolate your enemies from your distribution system, just like these bitten bread cannot be served on the plate. 】

"Well, that's right."

The primarch nodded.

"But Morgan, you pointed out to me just now that the boundaries between these three parts are not very clear: does this mean that there will be a transition between the three groups? Or does it mean that the status of some interests will also be keep changing?"

【Both. 】

Morgan's eyebrows arched.

[You see, Corax, you're smarter than I expected: you know it all at once. 】

[Just like you cannot accurately divide the bread in front of you into three parts: in real life, whether it is the interest groups we have to face or the interests themselves that are about to be distributed in our hands, their boundaries are blurred. , we need to judge, but we also need to make use of it. 】

[Remember, Corax, you are the one responsible for distributing benefits. Although the boundaries of these benefits are blurred, when your blade cuts it off, it belongs to which part you say it belongs. : So, be very cautious before going under the knife, and be responsible for your judgment after going under the knife. 】

[And if you are smart enough, you can use your identity as a knife wielder to perform some special techniques: for example, you can designate some core interests as marginal interests and take them as a matter of course. To win over those swing groups in the middle. 】

[But the prerequisite for doing this is that you must clearly identify which of these swingers can be used by you, which ones are closest to your views, and which ones can temporarily stand with you: Don’t Be stingy about offering benefits to win them over. In a real struggle, even one more gram of chips in your hand can change the final balance. 】

[Always remember to make more friends: this is very important. 】

"……I see."

The primarch nodded.

[Of course, if your means and prestige are sufficient, you can also imitate my actions this time, appease your interest groups with future promises, and then take out the core interests and temporarily allocate them to those on the fringes. Collective: Believe me, even if you only give these benefits to them temporarily, there will be a large number of people willing to come under your command. 】

"But are people like these really worthy of trust?"

Corax frowned.

"What are the differences between these guys who come here for profit and mercenaries?"

[Of course there is a difference. 】

Morgan chuckled.

[Mercenaries only care about money, and the interests you use to win over these middle swing classes can be varied: for example, land, freedom and rights, and for example, beliefs, customs and even the elimination of grievances. ]

[And when you are luckier, you don't even have to pay any price: when your opponent is stupid and brutal enough, he will naturally force those middle swingers to your side, and you just need to lead them to defeat your opponent. ]

[History is a big bag of mixed-flavored candy beans. You never know what the next one will look like, and the so-called political struggle, in most cases, the trick is to make as few mistakes as possible, and then wait for your opponent to keep making stupid moves. ]

"... Is it that simple?"

[Fundamentally speaking, the world is just a huge grass-roots team. ]

[Don't think people are too smart, and don't think everything is too complicated. ]

Morgan waved his hand indifferently. [Even in many cases, even if they are your enemies, you can still give them some benefits: because you are only standing on the two ends of the bread after all. Before you have the ability to eat the whole bread, you still have to coexist with your enemies. It is not a good idea to tear your face in advance. ]

"Give benefits to my enemies..."

The Raven King turned his head.

"Can you explain it more clearly?"

[It's very simple: just use the example I just gave. ]

Morgan stretched out his hand, and the reward book for Riza floated in the air.

[Look, I asked the Emperor to actually reward Riza with the Great Whirlpool Area in the name of Omnissiah: Who do you think is my base in this distribution of benefits? Who is the object I can fight for? Who is the enemy I need to suppress? ]

"Let me think about it."

Corax pondered for a moment.

"Reza is definitely your base. You gave them the most core benefits. As for who you can win over in the process, I am not sure, but your enemy is definitely Mars. They did not gain any benefits in this incident. Instead, you dug a piece of meat out of them: just like the end of the bread that Conrad gnawed off."

【Correct. 】

Morgan nodded.

【But not entirely correct. 】

He shook his head again.

【Reza is indeed the base to which I distributed the core benefits in this incident, but it is not the only base: you must know, Corax, my real base will always be one and only one, that is my own Far Eastern Frontier, that is my Avalon. Reza is just one of my core supporters, and it is not my real base now. 】

【In other words, from the moment I handed this reward to Reza with great fanfare and let the whole galaxy know that Reza's power came from the Lord of Avalon, Reza will become my base: because it can no longer jump off my chariot. 】

【Do you understand this truth? 】

"...I don't understand."

The Raven King swallowed his saliva.

"You mean, you gave the reward to Riza with great fanfare, and you have something else to ask for?"

[Of course. ]

The Primarch smiled dangerously.

[Look at it in a positive way: the fundamental demand of all interest groups is just to pursue the maximum benefit. When I handed the Emperor's letter of appointment to Riza, even if I looked at the entire galaxy, would anyone be able to bring them more benefits? ]

"...It's almost impossible."

[Yes: since the benefits I gave to Riza can never be surpassed, then Riza naturally has no reason to betray me, then it can become my new base: this is the expansion of the base. ]

[And don't say the worst...]

Morgan licked the corner of his mouth.

[After this time, the whole galaxy knows what I gave to Riza: even if Riza wants to abandon me, do you think it can find a new ally? Anyone who wants to form an alliance with Riza will first think about whether he can bring such huge benefits to Riza? ]

[If it is possible, facing this kind of benefit that has already been betrayed once, does Reza still deserve this benefit? ]

[If it is not possible: even if I gave Reza such a huge benefit, it ended up betraying, how could others believe Reza's oath? ]

"...hiss..."

[So, the moment I handed this reward to Reza with great fanfare, Reza had no choice. It would become my eternal ally, the eternal ally of my Far Eastern Frontier: from this perspective, isn't it my Far Eastern Frontier that gets the most benefit? ]

"...What about Reza?"

The Crow King frowned.

"Aren't you afraid that they will... get angry?"

[Angry? ]

Morgan was amused.

[I gave them unimaginable rights and a future, and the price they paid was just to stand by my side and continue to get the benefits I paid them: even if they could understand my intentions, what reason do they have to be angry? 】

【You must know, Corax, when you give them enough bread, even if you slap them in the face while giving them bread, they will happily accept it: individuals may be unwilling to accept such charity because of their noble morals, but interest groups will definitely not, because their establishment is to pursue maximum benefits. 】

"I...it's still a little hard to accept."

【Very normal. 】

The Primarch leaned back in his chair.

[Just listen first. After all, this is just the most basic knowledge. 】

[Let’s continue: According to your statement, can’t you see which centrists I have won over in this incident? 】

"can not tell."

The Crow King shook his head.

"After all, this incident only involves four parties from beginning to end: you, the Emperor, Mars and Reza. I don't think any one of these four parties can be won over."

[Then your vision is narrow. 】

The Lord of Avalon looked like he was looking at a primary school student.

[Haven’t you ever thought about why the emperor could write this reward in the name of Omnisiah: If he doesn’t want to, can I still force him? He wrote this letter of his own free will, Corax. 】

"you mean……"

【Yes. 】

Morgan laughed.

[The Emperor is the centrist I won over in this incident. When I distributed the benefits, I gave the Emperor the part he wanted most and allowed him to temporarily join my camp. From this, I The base and the centrists I attracted overcame my enemy Mars: my career was successful. 】

[A living example, dear Corax. 】

The Lord of Avalon looked at the confusion on Corax's face with satisfaction.

"What did you give the Emperor? That's wrong! How could you use peripheral interests to win over someone like the Emperor? Even if you use your core interests, it's not enough."

[So I said, I used the most appropriate interests to win him over: In my eyes, that is not the core interest, but in his eyes, it is his core interest. This kind of difference is due to different perspectives. The knowledge that leads to different values ​​is a relatively advanced method, and that is not the part you should learn now. 】

Morgan shook his head.

[I will only tell you the basics: The reason why the Emperor was able to be persuaded by me is because he did not want to see the Mars family dominate. For the Emperor, he longed to see the Mechanicus become the heroes of various forging worlds and rise. This eliminated the threat that the Mechanicus as a whole posed to the human empire. 】

"Are you saying that the Emperor hopes to see the various powerful forging worlds compete with Mars so that Mars cannot unite the power of the entire Forging Cult, thereby avoiding the threat of the Seven to the entire empire?"

【That’s what it is. 】

[If you really want to talk about it, it is a very huge and complicated proposition: you just need to remember that the Emperor does not cherish his identity as an Omnissiah, and does not want to see the Mars family dominate. Mechanical The schism of the Cult is a core interest that the Emperor wants to see, but to me it's not a big deal, it's not even a fringe interest of mine. 】

[So, I seized this point and reported Reza's huge contributions over the years as the Lord of Avalon. The Emperor was able to follow the trend and gave Reza a huge reward in the name of Omnisea: even Mars couldn't say anything about this process. After all, Reza's blood and sweat during the empire's conquest of the Eastern Galaxy was indeed several times more than Mars'. He deserved such a reward, and the one who really made the request was As the Lord of Avalon, I, the Emperor, only reward my merits. 】

"In other words, you took advantage of the Emperor's unwillingness to see the Mechanicum grow bigger, and used Mars' hostility towards you as the price to get the Emperor to side with you in this incident: this is what you said To win over the centrists?”

[This is just an example, and the emperor is not the only centrist I am trying to win over. 】

The primarch leaned forward.

[Think about it, Corax: If Ryza could gain from the Emperor de facto power independent of Mars because of his great sacrifice in conquering the Galactic East, then the other Forge Worlds, Like Huangquan No. 8 in the northern part of the Galaxy, or the Steel Ball in the Five Hundred Worlds, can't they imitate it? 】

"……hiss……"

[Yes, that’s it. 】

[All large forging worlds that have the ability and opinions to completely break free from Mars are the centrists I have won over in this incident: I have opened the way for them and pointed out a way for them to completely break free from the shackles of Mars. , this is the benefit I assigned to them. 】

[And in exchange, when the anger of Mars is poured out on me and Reza, which side do you think these large forging worlds will stand on? 】

[Is it Mars that they hate so much, or is it Reza, the flag that in their eyes symbolizes their freedom? Even if there is no friendship at all, even if there is no help on the surface, but secretly, who can tell which Forge World items are loaded on the fleets shipped to Reza? 】

[And in front of the Emperor, plus every large forging world that wants to be free, and such a huge swing faction, even if my base is completely useless, do you think Mars, the enemy, has the courage to be my enemy? What? 】

"..."

"So, can you cut off the flesh from Mars with peace of mind?"

【Cut meat? No! 】

Morgan shook his head.

[Do you remember what I said: Unless you completely break your skin, even your enemy can actually get the leftovers of your reward. I never like to make anything too bad. Corax, even Mars. 】

"What do you mean?"

The Crow King was laughing and crying.

"You mean, even Mars will get the benefits you distributed?"

[This is a word game. 】

Morgan raised a brow.

[Think about it, Corax. 】

[The Emperor recognized Reza's power in the Maelstrom area in the name of Omnisiah, and this power means that they can not obey Mars' orders in the Maelstrom area: but if you reverse this power, Can that be understood as...]

[In every corner of the galaxy except the Maelstrom area, all forge worlds including Reza: In theory, they must obey the orders of Mars? 】

"...!"

"This...you gave it to Mars."

[See if they can understand it. 】

Morgan raised his lips.

Corax was silent.

He had never discovered that words could be such a dangerous thing.