Warhammer: In the Name of Nirvana

+She had nothing to say. +

+ Even though she was extremely reluctant, she had to admit that I was right. The debate between us was like countless times before, and the result was no doubt: she finally contributed every piece of information she had, both There’s the first draft that we lost in the chaos of the Thunder Warriors, and there’s her subsequent research over the years. +

+ Her progress in some cutting-edge fields has even left me far behind: there is no doubt, my old friend, she is still the genius she once was, the genius who personally created the Astartes warriors, Peace The years have not dulled her brilliance, and many of her suggestions are still refreshing to me. +

"I never doubted it."

The palmer coughed softly, and his voice sounded thick and fuzzy, as if there was stubborn phlegm stuck in his throat: this was different from Maccador, who was old, thin, and could not even hold up a simple brown long-distance running. The torsos complement each other: no one would believe that such an old man is actually the master of the entire human empire, and his fame spreads unchecked in the shadow of the Aquila.

But on the other hand, the Sealbearer never seems to truly stand in the light.

For no other reason than anyone who stands in front of the Lord of Mankind can only survive in the shadow cast by the Emperor: this unparalleled powerhouse has a brilliance far greater than that of a sun, and can easily illuminate the entire civilization. , the whole world, the whole palace, or the most mysterious and strict prison in this palace.

Whirlpool room.

That's what people call this place.

Buried deep in the heart of the Crown Spire of the Royal Palace of Terra, this obscure chamber has eight rune-engraved walls and a claustrophobic state completely isolated from the outside world: only the Lord of Mankind and his closest Markbearers. Being able to use this unstable realm in the real universe and subspace, they are used to peering into the mysteries of the Sea of ​​Souls, or discussing the most secretive information in a low voice.

But despite this, the Emperor will only visit when necessary, because on many important matters, the Lord of Mankind is not used to listening to the opinions of others, and prefers to arbitrarily decide the world, or completely ignore it. Leave it to Machado to deal with.

Therefore, the basalt throne in the whirlpool chamber actually belongs to the Seal Holder. This relic originated from the ancient Terra period and is the most important gift given by the Emperor to Malcador: when the Seal Holder was composed of gold, steel and yellow Surrounded by spiral patterns made of copper, when he memorizes every hexagonal rune on the wall, his mind will be extremely close to the gate of the dimension, and can even compete with the Emperor's brain at the same speed. Conversations in the realm of the soul.

Then, they will use leap thinking that is difficult for even the Primarch to do, and talk in the gaps between dimensions, so as to maximize the confidentiality of important information and block interference from outsiders and even evil gods: Part 1 A crisis worthy of such serious attention from the Emperor and the Master of the Seal was the unrecognized one who nearly dragged the entire Great Crusade into purgatory.

And now, they talked about a former comrade with this attitude.

"Amal-Astartes."

When he said the name, Malcador could hear his helpless sigh. At the same time, he also captured the fleeting regret on the emperor's face that seemed to always remain rock-like solemnity. : The Lord of Mankind undoubtedly tried, but yet another of his friends firmly left him.

Maybe he's already used to it.

"She is the smartest person. When our team only had five or six people, she was your most loyal follower: if you had been more cautious at that time, maybe she would not have fought with the Thunder Warriors' rebels. Mixed together, although we saved her life, we also lost the wisdom that came from her. "

+I know, I’m sorry too. +

+ Moreover, we only lost her wisdom, but not her loyalty. +

The Emperor turned his gaze sideways, not wanting anyone to see his weakness for a moment.

+ But I couldn't convince her. This was the only point I lost in the debate: the reason why she participated in the Thunder Warriors' rebellion was because she believed that after losing the original body, the Astartes would be as uncontrollable as the Thunder Warriors, and I did lose all my children at that time.

"She's right."

The palm-bearer frowned slightly. In the blink of an eye, he extended his thoughts to the entire history of the Great Crusade: the countless deeds that occurred in various Legions of Astartes forced him to agree with the old man's words. He even doubled his backhand.

"But she was wrong about one thing."

"It is precisely because of the existence of the Primarch that these Astartes warriors will be doubly uncontrollable, because they will be reunited under one flag, and if the flag of the Primarch is lost, even the likes of Sigismund and Even the most outstanding of their peers, like Acudona or Abaddon, would never be able to unite a legion-level force."

"Then they will no longer be in danger."

"For a unified empire, the Astartes without Primarchs and Legion systems, even if they gather thousands of people, is just a tolerable crisis: if the number of people is only a few hundred or thousands, then What is the essential difference between a Stater and a bandit?"

"Without the Primarch and the Legion, their combat effectiveness will be reduced by at least half."

"And now, these Astartes warriors are both Primarch and Legion."

"That's why they appear deadly."

+ It’s useless to say all this now. +

+The only good thing is that no legion has gone out of control yet. +

+My offspring is not perfect, but it is more or less passable. +

The emperor seemed to be proud, sighing, or quietly swallowing the luck in his throat. When he strolled in front of Malcador's basalt throne, shaking his head and sighing for the past grudges and the current stability, this man The Lord of Humanity seemed to have thought of something in a trance: he quickly stopped in his tracks and nodded to his palmer with a serious face.

+You know what, Malcador. +

+ When I saw Lady Astarte enjoying her old age peacefully, I couldn't help but feel lucky. I was lucky that the mutation that occurred in Individual No. 2: God made a bet on her too early, but it disturbed her. I instinctively strengthened the precautions in the original laboratory, and I hid this from everyone, including you. +

+ Coincidentally, when Ms. Astartes planned to take advantage of the turmoil of the Thunder Warriors to destroy the entire laboratory, it was precisely these defensive measures that no one knew about that stopped her folly in time and protected her in disguise. She took her life so that we can now discuss her later life here: a living butterfly wing. +

"..."

"How was her later life?"

+ It’s pretty good: a country house, a well-tended garden and a tree farm, occasionally teaching a few nominal disciples, or visiting a few other old guys... +

Unknowingly, even the Lord of Humanity stopped in his tracks.

The next few minutes were extremely long, dead, and uncomfortable. It was not until the Emperor dispelled the surrounding haze with some annoyance that the Markbearer whispered with a hint of regret.

"Individual No. 2...Morgan..."

The wrinkled skin on Malcador's face kept twitching with his breathing, like a rag that had been pulled at random.

"I remembered."

"Over the years, I have maintained correspondence with Lady Astarte. She has talked with me about her views on various legions. You know, she is the most authoritative expert in this field. All legions are created by her. Forged: She particularly regrets what happened to the Eleventh Legion, which could have been a reliable force on par with the Dark Angels, but whose outspoken and crude loyalty ultimately led them to destruction."

"On the contrary, the deeds of the Second Legion surprised Ms. Astarte: She had a very good evaluation of Morgan, mainly focusing on your daughter's various measures to revitalize the Legion, which made her approve of this kind of turning the tide, but she But he is not optimistic about the future of the Second Army, and is even very pessimistic.”

"According to Ms. Astartes' view, if the Primarchs leave again, then all legions will fall into decline and decline. Only a few legions will survive, such as the Dark Angels and Ultramarines, but the Dawnbreakers It will definitely be the one in the worst situation, and it is the legion most likely to destroy itself.”

+ Died from lack of stamina? +

"Yes, Morgan is essentially extending the life of something that should be declining. This is a move that goes against the will of heaven: she is just like you now, Apocalypse, your daughter has done exactly the same thing as you By choosing, she left their [Human Empire] for the Dawnbreakers, which at least ensured their continuation.”

"But Ms. Astartes still dare not confirm this. After all, when it comes to the topic of overall continuation and destruction, the Astartes Legion is such a fragile creature, and several legions have wandered on the edge of destruction. , Dawnbreaker is not the one in the most danger."

+I'm not surprised at all. +

The Emperor nodded, his thoughts drawn to the topic of Morgan.

+Where is she now? +

Faced with this question, the palm-printer did not answer immediately. Instead, he pressed his dry back against the basalt behind him as much as possible, and his creaking neck, which he worked hard to move, drove his aging body to move: even though he had He is six thousand years old, but of course Malcador will not be so weak.

The reason why he was so strenuous was that he put most of his energy into the vast distant ocean.

The basalt throne and the runes on the walls exponentially increase the spiritual power of the palmer. In this secret room, all the shackles of meditation will disappear, and Malcador's soul will travel through it like a steady giant ship. After passing through the never-ending storm in the subspace, constantly thinking, searching, inspecting and dispatching, before answering the question of the Lord of Humanity, he also took the opportunity to determine the situation on other [fronts].

His third eye saw more Malcador in the cracks in the subspace. Each one was himself, and each one was his authentic clone and spiritual loading body. They could be like him. Think, talk and recall to deal with those necessary meetings and inspections. Or the audience of the subjects of the empire: this vulgar, ancient but effective method is the core method for the seal holder to control the power of the empire.

People always suspect that Malcador, the palm-bearer, does not need to rest. This idea is of course completely wrong: even the immortals need to rest. It is just the strong vitality and spiritual will that makes Malcador only need to rest every time. It’s enough to rest one part of your soul, while the other part still needs to work hard.

After routine inspections of more than a dozen of them to see if they were as devoted and dedicated as himself, the Master of the Seal calmly withdrew his will in the sub-space and turned to look at his Apocalypse Lord: Emperor. The emperor was not angry because of Malcador's slackness. Instead, he took the time to think about another issue. This was a common way of getting along between the monarch and his ministers.

+See? +

"Yes: If there is no trouble on Avalon, Morgan's fleet should have already set off in the direction of Ullanor. Conrad is accompanying her. They will wait for Guilliman's fleet in the Maelstrom. Maybe we will have to wait for Vulcan and Angron, then it will be postponed for about half a month. "

+Acceptable. +

The Lord of Humanity nodded.

+ But this combination makes me uneasy. +

"There's no need to be uneasy. With Guilliman and Vulkan here, Morgan probably won't dare to discuss any topics that are too...adult."

+What about Angron? +

"Now that things have happened, you actually still want to fight for Angron?"

"You finally have two heads?"

+...+

The emperor stopped talking.

Malcador grinned, feeling the power gradually return to his body.

"Apocalypse, you should really consider what's going on on Ullanor. Most of the dignitaries from all over the empire have arrived, and all the Primarchs have promised that they will come to attend the grand ceremony of canonizing the war commander: So, are you ready? Where to put this big scene? Ullanor is still in ruins."

+ Right here in Ullanor: There is no place more suitable for handover than this world. +

“Who will be responsible for the construction of the site?”

+ Dorn and his Imperial Fists are now stationed near Ullanor... +

"Are you sure?"

Rhetorical questions uttered from the mouth of the Seal-bearer were rare: rare enough to make the Emperor stop in his tracks.

+What do you mean, my friend? +

"Don't pretend you can't see it, Apocalypse, we all know that as early as when things on Ullanor just ended, that is, when your daughter was on her way back to her country, she had already written you more than one letter: In In the letter, Morgan clearly mentioned that she hopes to let Perturabo and the strength of the Fourth Legion be responsible for the subsequent construction of the conference venue. "

+What does this have to do with her? +

"Maybe it's a personal preference."

The palmer spreads his hands.

"You know: your daughter always likes to give her brothers the credit they deserve."

"It makes sense every time."

The Emperor seemed shaken.

+ This is just a suggestion: and Dorn can definitely do better. I need him to make a feat that is eye-catching enough to convince everyone, so that people believe that appointing the Seventh Legion as the personal guard of Terra is correct. of. +

"A Legion that could be questioned should not be serving as the bodyguard of Terra."

"Don't worry about Dorn's abilities."

The eyelids of the person holding the seal trembled.

"Besides, Morgan's opinion certainly didn't matter when she wrote this letter, but now she's holding in her hands your cherished treasure: before the map of Comoros is on our desks, you It's best to consider Morgan's suggestions carefully."

"What's more, Perturabo's ability is not necessarily worse than Dorn. I think the Olympians are the better ones in terms of elegant art and giant buildings. As long as Perturabo can calm down and devote himself to With all his energy and creativity, his works will surely highlight the supreme majesty of the human empire.”

"Both she and Perturabo will be pleased with Morgan's proposal."

"It's a good deal."

+Trade? +

The emperor frowned. He disliked this word very much, especially when others mentioned it to him: after all, no one understood better than the emperor how huge the word "transaction" could be under the necessary conditions. The human master is an expert in this field, so he is extra vigilant.

Finally, he smiled, a laugh mixed with a heavy grunt.

+When did things between father and heirs have to be summarized as transactions? +

"From the moment you decided to entrust them with the lands of the Galaxy."

The Seal Holder raised his head, his straightforward words piercing the Emperor's majesty.

"If they are just your generals, then you can indeed only focus on the relationship between father and son to confuse the public. But after the Ullanor Conference, they are not only your generals, but also the masters of their respective lands and your fiefs. Chen: The relationship between monarch and minister under the feudal fief system was originally based on mutually beneficial transactions. It would be a bad thing to involve the family relationship between father and son. "

The Emperor was silent for a moment.

+ Are you asking me to reconsider the necessity of dividing each primarch? +

"Of course not."

Malcador didn't hesitate.

"The temporary enfeoffment of various primarchs is a necessary measure to maintain the long-term stability of the empire. We are expanding too fast. Holy Terra is simply not able to supply the number of bureaucrats to all parts of the galaxy that can maintain the normal operation of the empire. There are a large number of marginal areas in the galaxy. The connection with the Empire is still extremely weak: we need to entrust it, we need to hold these lands firmly in the hands of the Empire through the iron grip of the Primarch and the Legion."

"The most important task at the moment is to plant the Empire's double-headed eagle flag on every crucial world. As for who is responsible for planting the flag, it doesn't matter: after the end of the Great Crusade, we have There will be a lot of time to control and rewrite these details, but that will be a matter of hundreds of years.”

+...+

The Lord of Humanity's thick, dark brown lips squeezed together, his brows were high, and he stepped forward at a slow speed. Long shadows were projected on the eight walls, and the shadows hugged Malcador's torso in a blur: The king and his ministers fell into silence at this moment, until the Lord of Humanity waved his hand casually, seeming to have decided not to dwell on this issue anymore.

+Okay, do as you say. +

+ Put Perturabo in charge of construction: where are his legions now? +

"In the Maelstrom."

The one who holds the palm print answers fluently.

"The Iron Warriors are one of the most impressive legions in the past ten years. They seem to have regained the rhythm they had at the beginning of the Great Crusade: Although the legion's casualty rate is still high, everyone thinks it is acceptable because they are responsible for Those are key battlefields that are so important that casualties must not be counted. In horizontal comparison, the number of casualties of the Fourth Army is often lower than we expected. "

+ are all important battlefields? +

"Yes, this steel beast has finally turned around a little bit. At least it knows that human lives should be wasted on necessary battlefields: look at the achievements of the Fourth Army in the past few years, every battle they have soaked in their blood The whole world can affect the situation of the Great Crusade, and they are the ones who turn the tide. The Legion's medals and monuments are equally high."

+...Very good...+

The Emperor was silent for a long moment: it seemed that this was all he meant to Perturabo.

+Perhaps, I should find a time to summon my Olympians. My daughter once told me that if I want to give Perturabo a seemingly important official position, I should quietly reveal it to him in private. , and then bestow the epaulettes on him in public. +

"Indeed."

The palmer raised an eyebrow.

"But what office do you propose to confer upon Perturabo at the Council of Ullanor?"

The Emperor smiled.

+ It’s very simple: I plan to let him work side by side with Jonson, dividing the First and Fourth Legions into the command sequence of the Great Crusade in a sense, and becoming a force directly under the palace. The Lion and Steel will become my right and left hands, Their legions will be independent of Horus's authority system, but their status will not be clearly higher than that of the Wolf Shepherd. +

"..."

The brow on the other side also frowned.

"None of the three will be satisfied."

+Yes, because of this, this arrangement will be relatively fair. +

The emperor nodded haughtily.

+Although Horus's supremacy as Warmaster has been slightly damaged, his authority has not been shaken. Instead, two internal fatal factors are missing. Although Jonson and Perturabo did not get the positions they wanted , but they no longer had to bow to Horus: they could consider themselves equal to the Warmaster, as long as they did not show it in public. +

+ As the military affairs of the Great Crusade separate their respective legions again, the remaining dissatisfaction and friction will gradually disappear. It may be difficult for them to cooperate sincerely, which will affect the overall efficiency after the Great Crusade, but most of the Galaxy has fallen. Once it is under our control, the remaining power is of no consequence. +

+This is acceptable. +

+ On the other hand, since he is already my right-hand man, Perturabo has no reason to hold a grudge against Dorne: at least not as much as before. Since Morgan has laid a good foundation for them, I hope It would be good for the Empire to see the day when the two of them reconcile. +

"It's difficult."

+I know. +

The Emperor looked away, instead of meeting Malcador's serious gaze, which meant that his point of view at this time could not be refuted.

+ But we have plenty of time. +

+ After I leave, the Great Crusade will continue for at least fifty years. As long as we lay a solid foundation in Ullanor, the long time will be enough to wash away the previous unhappiness and in turn strengthen the foundation of the empire. +

"It could also be the opposite: time will accumulate new frictions."

The Sealbearer thought for a moment, then shook his head and denied the Emperor's dream. He was not an innocent child: he was more willing to believe in these half-brothers than to understand each other and sharpen the hatred between the Primarchs over a long period of time. Without an emperor, gods will accumulate more conflicts and hatreds. Many legions today have already shown similar symptoms.

+Yes. +

The Emperor nodded.

+I know. +

+ The Great Expedition was too fast. It left behind countless hidden contradictions, which were randomly piled under the double-headed eagle flag. Even we cannot pick them all out: because of this, we need a chance. An opportunity not to be missed. +

+ Before the Great Expedition lands, we must eliminate the fatal unstable factors to ensure that it can achieve a soft landing: and the biggest unstable factors are the contradictions accumulated during the Great Expedition. If they are not detonated, the Great Expedition will fail. Unable to land safely. +

+So, my friend Malcador. +

The Emperor took a deep breath. He seemed to have realized what he said.

+We fear rebellion. +

+ We beware of rebellion. +

＋We hate rebellion. ＋

＋But…＋

＋We also need: a rebellion. ＋

＋The biggest rebellion possible. ＋