Warhammer: In the Name of Nirvana

Chapter 604 Fulgrim's Thoughts (Part 2)

Royal Court.

The Royal Court of Phoenix.

A paradise for the noble.

The unremitting pursuit of perfection and the praise of the glory of human nature will be the only cornerstone of this country, and eternal responsibility and narrow romance will help it spread its wings and help its people fly high into the clouds, away from the vulgar disturbances of the world.

The Phoenix Lord opens his arms, and his purple-gold cloak will shelter billions of ignorant subjects on hundreds of worlds. He will pull these unfortunate people out of the quagmire, teach them what perfection and nobility are, and then calm all the grievances caused by family hatred, ethnic conflicts, sectarian conflicts or class divisions among his people, and let them return to their original appearance.

This is not easy, and requires bright ideals and resolute means, but Fulgrim believes that he can do it all: he can clear the narrowness in the hearts of mortals, so that society will no longer rely on selfishness and plunder to develop, and what will replace it will be people's yearning for a better future, and willing dedication and contribution.

The Emperor's Children will become the protectors and mentors of countless people, and Fulgrim will become their protector and role model. Together, they will teach every mortal who is lucky enough to live in the Phoenix Court what perfection is, what is noble, and what is the dream that truly needs to be pursued in this troubled life: this time, the court will be built in the cheers of the heart.

It will be more perfect than the Emperor's Empire.

It will be greater than Chemos: Fulgrim's most proud work to date.

It will become the last bastion against vulgarity and ignorance in this galaxy, and it will also become the most convenient way for the entire human civilization to a bright future: or perhaps, it is the only right way.

Fulgrim will never rule out this possibility, because he believes that he has the ability to do better than the Emperor in this regard: this is by no means an empty boast, but a full affirmation of his own ability after countless observations and careful thinking.

Indeed, in Fulgrim's claims to outsiders and his descendants, the Emperor has always been the model of perfection that he strives to catch up with, the Supreme Being who has achieved the great cause of God with a mortal body, but in the heart of the Primarch, the evaluation of the Emperor is completely different.

To put it simply: Phoenix does not think that the Emperor is perfect.

Or: He does not think that the Emperor is better than him in every way.

In some areas, such as in the rule and guidance of mortals, Phoenix believes that he has done better than the Lord of Mankind: the resource-poor Chemos and the Galaxy after the Age of Strife are not in the same order of magnitude, but they are a comparison of difficulty, and the answer sheet Fulgrim handed in on Chemos is naturally more [perfect] than the current Empire.

He always thought so, whether it was kneeling before the Emperor and his Legion on the sands of Chemos, or witnessing countless riots on the Imperial worlds for various reasons on the battlefields of the Great Crusade, or returning to the Pride of the Emperor fifteen minutes after finishing the ground battle tricks.

He never changed his mind.

Phoenix is a stubborn creature.

But stubbornness does not stop other troubles from continuing to bother the Primarch: when Fulgrim put the battle situation on the planet behind him, let his warriors chant his name and march to the next scrap iron fortress of the greenskins, the Primarch on the Pride of the Emperor naturally fell into the boredom of daily life.

Fulgrim is always bored: but it was not like this before.

But as the Great Crusade progressed, as those truly difficult or terrifying opponents were wiped out in the previous century, leaving only a few remnants, and now even the Ullanor Orc Empire can be called the strongest enemy, Phoenix has also felt more bored in recent years: the Great Crusade brought him less and less joy.

Things worth his personal intervention have also become less and less: whether it is a problem within the legion or on the battlefield, the lord commanders can often solve it properly, while he, the Primarch, can only sit there and smile for these trivial things that are not worth taking action, satisfying his descendants' pursuit of "perfection".

Everyone is happy.

Except: Fulgrim.

Of course, the Primarch did not join this expedition for happiness: Fulgrim left Chemos and joined the Emperor's Great Crusade for only two reasons: the first was naturally because of his legion, and the second was that Phoenix saw the endless benefits that the Empire could bring to him personally.

Fulgrim knew very well that under his unremitting governance, Chemos had become perfect and proper enough, and it could operate on its own even without him as the builder. Phoenix's ability had no place to be used there: and the Great Crusade just brought him the stage he had dreamed of, and the conquest and culture between the stars would fill the empty time.

As for loyalty to the Emperor and the Empire?

Well...

Let's talk about the matter.

Phoenix smiled: He didn't like to discuss these issues about loyalty. As a giant who had a hand in Chemos, Fulgrim knew too well what the so-called loyalty and followers were, and he was also clear about some of the Emperor's methods. However, since he was not affected, Fulgrim was happy to be a silent spectator, doing his best to complete his work while enjoying himself.

The Emperor gave him the stage, and he did his best on the stage: that's enough.

Loyalty?

This topic is too heavy, not suitable for a guy like him who flies in the sky.

He just needs to satisfy his self-worth.

...

Before this, it was indeed as he wished.

"But now, maybe we need some new changes and fun."

The Primarch muttered to himself, without his offspring around him. The nearest Phoenix Guard was dozens of meters away, leaving their gene father with space to think alone: the Grand Master was high on the highest point of Heliopolis, [City of the Sun], overlooking this building that can represent the entire Emperor's Pride, but the endless luxury and elegance could not lift his spirits.

All the splendor has long been ignored, and there is no passion to speak of: just like the Great Crusade.

Therefore, the Primarch is looking forward to his own fiefdom after the Emperor leaves: the Emperor will leave the Great Crusade, of course it is sad, but the challenges brought by the sole control of the power of the universe are enough to dilute this sadness.

Let people like Horus or Vulcan be sad, he must look forward.

Phoenix's fingers tapped rhythmically on the black marble throne, creating a perfect movement at will. His eyes wandered between the two seats closest to him: the two chairs belonged to Eidolon and Vespasian. As for Akudona? He rarely appeared on the Emperor's Pride, and even if he did, he would be allowed to stand next to Fulgrim.

But now, the exclusive seats of these warriors were empty: everyone had won their own honors on the battlefield. Eidolon and Vespasian took on the responsibility of commanders, and Akudona was precisely teleported to the location of the orc warlord, who would be responsible for ending this boring war.

Only Phoenix returned to the starting point, falling into endless emptiness. He was not interested in competing with his descendants for the glory of war, nor was he interested in gaining any reputation for his legion at the coronation ceremony of the Wolf God: in fact, he didn't care who the Warmaster would belong to, whether it was Ferrus, Horus or Jonson. Phoenix would actually support them all.

Whoever was elected, he would support.

Anyway, in the final analysis, the position of Warmaster is not an enviable position: Horus needs to gather the crown of Warmaster and all the honors he has won in the Great Crusade together to barely compete with the Imperial Eagle on Phoenix's chest. Before becoming Warmaster, the honor of the Wolf God was not even qualified to be compared with him.

At least, Phoenix thinks so.

The Imperial Eagle is enough for him to look down on all so-called "honors", and his sense of belonging to the Emperor and the Empire also determines that he will not strive for more honors: he is not the loyal and loveless Horus, but he grew up in a normal family.

There is an adoptive father and an adoptive mother.

Therefore, compared with honor, the Phoenix Lord is actually more concerned about how he should spend the boring days that follow: dear Ferrus is at the other end of the galaxy at this time, and the battle with the greenskins is really uninspiring. Theater and music may be a good idea, but after all, his offspring are still fighting bloody battles. As a Primarch, he cannot indulge in fun at this time.

Hmm...

Perhaps he should meet the narrators who have just arrived?

It is said that each of them graduated from the highest art academy on Terra, and each of them is a top talent, responsible for describing every detail of the Great Crusade with vivid brushstrokes: Phoenix hopes that these reports are not exaggerated, and he really loves the art on Holy Terra.

Perhaps in the future, he will turn Chemos into a new Holy Terra, and his own great achievements will naturally be no less than those of the Emperor...

"My Lord."

The voice of the Phoenix Guard brought Fulgrim's thoughts back to reality.

"What's wrong?"

Phoenix looked at his personal guards, but the latter did not answer immediately, but instead sent two briefs, one large and one small, to the Primarch: Fulgrim glanced at the two briefs, then picked up the large one and read it carefully, his expression became somewhat intriguing.

"Guilliman has arrived?"

Phoenix asked. But he didn't expect anyone to give him an answer. Instead, he continued to read the contents of the briefing while talking to himself with a slight smile, as if there was an audience in the void listening to his complaints.

"Amazing... my Ultramar brother is really amazing."

"The Ultramarines Legion has just taken over the defense line not long ago, and even the command center has not been set up yet, but it can advance so quickly with the intelligence provided by Morgan and its own qualities: the advancement speed of a latecomer is actually faster than our pioneer legions."

"It's almost catching up with Chagatai."

Mentioning this brother who he has never admired very much, Phoenix snorted lightly.

"As expected of you, Guilliman."

"It's obviously nothing to do with you, but you still stand out so much."

"Does it make you happy to beat us?"

"Or do you have other needs?"

"..."

"Are you showing off your power?"

"Or are you fighting back against the accusations against you: many people on Holy Terra accuse the Five Hundred Worlds of having huge power but making no contribution to the Great Crusade, because every world recaptured by the Ultramarines will be under your command, and the Empire actually does not gain any benefits."

"Does such words make you uneasy?"

"Or do they make you... proud?"

"After all, we can't do anything to you?"

Perhaps out of boredom, Phoenix spent some time mocking his brother behind his back: he did not dislike Guilliman, at least he did not hate him, but from the day he returned to the Legion, Fulgrim liked to compare every cause he created with Guilliman.

First the Legion.

Then the battle record.

In the future, they will each have their own kingdom.

...

Well, this is a bit presumptuous.

The Primarch laughed at himself and put Guilliman's credit book aside.

He knew that even in the future, his Phoenix Court would certainly not be comparable to Guilliman's Five Hundred Worlds, at least in terms of size and quantity: However, he could try to surpass it in quality.

Moreover, compared to the Five Hundred Worlds, Fulgrim was actually more interested in another one of the [Three Kingdoms of the Far East].

That's right.

It was Conrad's Ghoul Kingdom.

"I really didn't expect it, Conrad..."

When he recalled that brother, Fulgrim smiled.

He admired this brother, and the reason was very simple: because Konrad's creation made Fulgrim amazed.

What did he do?

He took a land standing beside the most terrifying source of darkness in the galaxy, full of violence and barbarism, and restrained it back to reason, and built his dream home with crazy means and pure heart: Isn't this a slightly crazy story of Chemos?

Although it is certainly not perfect, just thinking about the orderly pure land like the Ghoul Kingdom, how it was a nest of madness and chaos before, and thinking about the indescribable Nostramo that he saw when he welcomed Konrad back decades ago, and now it has become a silent and rational city: this change is enough to make Fulgrim still haunted across thousands of stars.

How did Konrad do it?

How did he make his rebellious subjects [learn] his thoughts?

Phoenix wanted to know all this.

Therefore, in the Eastern Travels he had planned for himself, the Kingdom of the Ghouls would be the first and most valuable stop, followed by the Far Eastern Frontier, and finally the Five Hundred Worlds: the importance of each is decreasing.

It is not that Conrad's kingdom is better than Guilliman's, but because what Fulgrim really cares about is what new knowledge he has learned in the land of the Three Kings of the Far East: in this regard, the Five Hundred Worlds are completely defeated.

Don't forget that Phoenix climbed from a low-level worker to the position of planetary governor. He is a rare politician among the Primarchs. Whether it is the open methods or the covert means, he has already been familiar with them: Guilliman's methods have no value for him to learn.

On the contrary, Conrad and Morgan's swordsmanship at times is very interesting.

"Yes... that's it."

Nodding, Fulgrim convinced himself once again, and planned in his heart that he would have a meeting with Morgan on the Aurora after the battle: since Guilliman had arrived, the leaders of the Eastern Front Legion should also meet, even if it was just a pretense of opening a meeting, it showed that they were really sincerely sharing the worries of the distant Wolf God.

The scene couldn't be too ugly.

What's more, whether it was Morgan, Conrad, Guilliman, or the newly returned Corax. For Fulgrim, they were all very mysterious blood relatives: these people were never in the Phoenix's circle of friends.

Except Morgan.

Because of the Psionic Codex and the Think Tank Project, the Phoenix Lord actually maintained a correspondence with the Lord of Avalon, although it was not frequent, but it had never been cut off: he knew Morgan, the Spider Queen was a man of means.

The weaklings Terra mentioned could not build a huge imperial psychic system and an even larger Far Eastern frontier by themselves: that was the workload of at least hundreds of Chemos. His Avalon blood had an indestructible heart under his weak appearance.

However, speaking of appearance...

Phoenix kneaded his long hair, and then he remembered the small briefing.

There was only one line of words on it.

"Fabius wants to see me?"

"Yes, sir, the chief pharmacist hopes you can pick a time..."

"No, now."

Phoenix waved his hand.

"Call Fabius over. If we can talk faster, my pharmacist can still catch up with the work after the battle: I don't want to disrupt his work rhythm."

"Understood, sir."

After his offspring withdrew, Fulgrim fell into thinking again. As the passion brought to him by the Great Crusade became less and less, Phoenix found that he had more time to think: his thinking remained at the stage of self-pity, because looking at the entire legion. The Phoenix Lord actually lacks a son to whom he can express his true feelings.

Eidolon, Vespasian and Kesoron are indeed excellent and respect him as the genetic father, but they are still unable to talk to the Primarch: Akudona may be able to do all this, but the Second Captain's daily interests doom him to have no ability to persuade the Primarch's problems and depression.

The only thing he can do is to fight the Phoenix in the arena.

Fabius...

Phoenix recalled this old friend: the chief pharmacist was not the most favorite son of the Primarch in the Legion, this position should belong to Eidolon or Akudona, but Fabius's position in Phoenix's heart was enough to rank in the top ten, just like his position in the Legion.

He is very capable.

And also very... insightful?

Maybe, he will be a person to talk to.

Phoenix secretly speculated, and in the last few seconds waiting for Fabius to come, his eyes glanced at the last line of the briefing: an unexpected name, which made the Phoenician raise his eyebrows.

"..."

"Jonson?"

"Why did Morgan call him here."

The Primarch's eyebrows jumped, he was sure that this was definitely not a coincidence.

"Jonson is obviously related to this war..."

"...hiss...wait..."

Phoenix pinched the end of her hair.

"Let me think..."

"...ah~"

After a moment, he laughed.

"Interesting...interesting..."

Fulgrim narrowed his eyes.