Warhammer: In the Name of Nirvana

For a long time, Morgan would be proud of his Legion of Dawnbreakers.

She can certainly be proud, because her legion already has so many characteristics, victories and advantages: and the most satisfying thing for the Spider Queen is undoubtedly its stable power in psychic energy.

At any time, Morgan could easily throw a thousand Librarians into battle as a disruptive force on the battlefield: something she had long been proud of.

Until she discovered that with a wave of her Ultramar brother's hand, three thousand think tanks belonging to the Ultramarines Legion walked neatly past her in formation.

Full of pits and valleys, boundless...

…

It's really shocking.

Under the cover of those ancient and unwavering blue pupils, there was the genuine emotion and fear of the Lord of the Second Legion: For a moment, even though Guilliman's character was known and determined, the Spider Queen Still couldn't help but speculate maliciously.

Are her Ultramar brothers showing off their power to her?

Before this thought could dissipate, Guilliman's voice came slowly.

"This is all your fault, Morgan."

"You are the biggest contributor to all this."

The Archon of Macragge showed his smile, like a sun breaking through the clouds on a hot afternoon, shining with a disgusting blazing light: if paired with the bright cobalt blue of the Lord of the Ultramarines The armor is exactly the same.

The two Primarchs were standing on a temporary high platform, inspecting the main essence of their respective fleets, as well as the terrifying weapons that could destroy a world.

This was the idea of ​​the Lord of the Ultramarines. As early as when he arrived in this chaotic star field, he invited all the spokespersons deployed by the empire here to use this simple show of force to consolidate their distant loyalty to the empire. : Whether it is the army on the ground or the battleships blocking the sky above, they are all part of this grand show deployed by the Primarch.

Guilliman is obviously good at this, and judging from the silent and gorgeous figures under the high platform, his casual plan is indeed very effective.

Of course, it is also necessary.

In the words of the Lord of the Thirteenth Legion himself, the last large-scale deployment of troops by the Human Empire to this desolate land in the southern reaches of the Galaxy was more than twenty Terran standard years ago, and that deployment also proved to be After losing all their money, Terra paid little attention to the southernmost territory of the empire.

The governors and officers who were placed on this land at that time, after such a long period of semi-independence and arbitrary rule, no one could guarantee their loyalty to the empire, but they held the two legions tightly when conducting expeditionary activities. The necessary supply routes, so it is undoubtedly necessary for them to once again review the power of the empire and put away those thoughts that are ready to move.

"If this place is within the influence of Five Hundred Worlds, I don't need to go to such great lengths. Pretending here for one day means that the progress of the expedition will be delayed for one day."

Guilliman watched another phalanx pass in front of him. While instinctively calculating the consumption of this military parade, he sighed in a careless tone, not realizing at all that there was anything inappropriate in his words. .

Morgan glanced at him, but as always did not point it out, and slowly continued the Lord of Ultramar's words.

[But as you say, my Guilliman: all this is necessary. 】

[This military parade may not be the most efficient choice, but it is definitely the safest choice. As long as any one of the indigenous vassal kings under our feet gives up the folly brewing in his heart because of the force in front of him, then we will All the delay here is absolutely worth it. 】

"indeed so."

The Lord of the Ultramarines smiled. He looked at his blood relative with admiration, his face full of cordial kindness.

Guilliman appreciates his blood relatives: at first, this may just be because of Morgan's admirable resemblance to the young Lady Jotun, but now, this appreciation has been based on the two Primarchs. The three views are extremely consistent, and they mutually agree with each other silently.

There is no doubt that the Lord of Avalon can listen to and understand Guilliman's words. She can easily follow the latter's thinking and realize his extremely profound and shining thoughts after countless seemingly political moves. care and kindness, and express the recognition, understanding, and support from a blood relative.

Guilliman needed this badly: more than he thought, and though he could get the same glow from Lady Jotun, his heirs, and even his mortal friends, they were always a little less. After all, he is not a blood relative of the Primarch, and cannot provide the same recognition and support, nor can he give the Primarch the [brotherly love] he needs.

This was enough to make the Lord of Ultramar grieve and fall into periods of lack of confidence and overthinking: until Morgan's arrival solved all of this.

Morgan understood him.

Guilliman believed so firmly that he could see no false respect on Morgan's face. He had rarely seen such pure kindness on the faces of other brothers before.

They always...didn't like him very much.

Just like now, if there are other Primarchs present, then the Lord of Macragge is very likely to receive an explicit or implicit question: Why waste time on this kind of deterrence? Shouldn't it? Go into the expedition as quickly as possible?

As for the rebellion in the hearts of these governors? It was just another simple counter-insurgency. The arrogance and blood of a mere world were really insignificant in the Great Crusade. All the ulterior motives in this wilderness were no match for any fully armed Dalian Company.

It is true that such bloody thoughts are indeed popular among most legions and even the imperial army, but the Lord of Ultramar cannot agree with it at all. He would rather use this kind of intimidation to cut off the rebellion in the shadows and use absolute power to do everything possible. Avoid tragedies as much as possible.

If the only purpose of the sword is to drink blood, then how can the war really stop?

Guilliman believed in this idea, but he could not get the same recognition from most of his brothers: maybe Dorn, Vulkan, and Sanguinius would agree with him, but unfortunately they were not very close to him, Maybe it's because of the distance between them, or maybe it's because of some differences in their personalities.

But Morgan was different. She was by the side of the Lord of the Ultramarines at this time, and she could express so clearly and unmistakably that she understood Guilliman's thoughts, had the same desire, and was willing to take action with him.

This simple recognition alone is enough to make Guilliman feel sincerely happy now: he has almost never received such pure kindness, understanding and help from other brothers.

He is not alone. Among his blood brothers, he is not an outlier. He can find understanding and support, friendship and affection.

that's enough.

When he looked at Morgan again, Guilliman even remembered Ms. Euton's instructions before leaving: At that time, the Lord of Ultramar was still confused as to why his adoptive mother would seriously propose to let him He truly valued his friendship with the Lord of the Second Legion.

Now it seems that Ms. Youdun is indeed Ms. Youdun. She must have confirmed a lot of things during the several rounds of correspondence with the Queen of Avalon.

Thinking of this, Guilliman's originally solemn face couldn't help but have a few sincere smiles, but when he discovered that what was walking past now was the 22nd Chapter, composed of Terran veterans from the Legion. At that moment, he quickly regained his dignity and saluted like a truly powerful king.

Morgan's laughter reached his ears.

[You seem to care about this unique force, my brother. 】

"Yes, they are all warriors who have fought all the way from Terra. They have long been infiltrated by the former Legion of the Sons of War, and have already identified with that barbaric ideology and culture."

(Children of War: The nickname of the Thirteenth Legion before Guilliman returned. Compared with the later Ultramarines, its fighting style was more brutal, bloody and violent)

Guilliman sighed softly.

"I've actually never been quite sure how to get along with them. They are like Macragge's country within a country, maintaining a kind of stubborn persistence and isolation, and rarely asking for anything from me: except for this Once, they insisted that all members devote themselves to the battle to exterminate the psychic species of Osiris, and wash away the failure and shame with their own hands."

[Father and son with distance: It sounds like a very classic theme. My brother, father and son are always a little indifferent, and their relationship will be mixed with instinctive struggles. Maybe all this will be reflected in your descendants. It looks particularly dazzling, my brother. 】

"Yes, in their eyes, I took away everything the Thirteenth Legion once had: whether it was their proud savagery or the unruly culture gained in the bloody battle."

"But to be honest, Morgan, if I were to do it again, I would still have to transform my legion exactly the same, because the bloody style of the past is indeed not worth promoting. I must destroy the pride in their eyes and give them as much as possible. compensate."

[For example, let them take charge of the most powerful extermination weapons? 】

The Spider Queen's eyes slowly swept over the heroes in the 22nd Chapter's array, and she couldn't help but marvel at their large number and rich variety.

"I don't like them, but I can't deny their necessity."

Guilliman smiled, his smile tinged with a hint of bitterness suppressed by determination.

"Even in the process of recovering the Five Hundred Worlds, I issued extermination orders thirty-eight times against those stubborn people, but now that I think about it, less than half of them can be avoided through other methods. .”

"I'm still too impatient."

[Maybe you're just not insidious enough? 】

"?"

"How to say?"

[Guilliman, my brother, do you know how many times I have ordered the use of extermination orders in all military operations against the Far Eastern Frontier? 】

"I remember that according to your report, you have recovered large areas of land in seven sectors?"

[Yes, according to your standards of five hundred worlds, I can actually be considered the master of one hundred worlds now. 】

"Um...how many times have you used it?"

Morgan laughed.

【zero. 】

"!"

"How did you do that?!"

Guilliman's eyes widened, and at that moment, the Lord of the Ultramarines even began to breathe quickly.

"Teach me, Morgan."

"Do you have any secrets to make them willingly accept the empire's rule?"

【of course not. 】

Morgan spread her hands, and her pale lips casually revealed the most insidious reality, as if telling what to eat later.

[But I have another secret, my dear brother, and that is my eyes. 】

[No world can be monolithic. The so-called resolute resistance is just that our tyranny and unreasonableness force them to unite together. As long as we put down some less gentle demands and put on a show that we can compromise and Looking at the negotiation posture, you will be surprised to find that there is actually no shortage of so-called conservatives and capitulationists everywhere. 】

[There are only so many vested interests in each world, and those groups that cannot benefit from the old system have far greater expectations for outsiders like us than their instinctive fear. 】

[As long as you are a little conceited, you will find that the iron wall that once could not be broken by thousands of armies and horses is how weak it is in the face of even the smallest betrayal. So I don't need the extermination order at all, Guilliman, I have Countless ways to open their city gates. 】

[All it takes is cunning and impression, just another kind of deal and compromise. 】

The slender pale fingers were entangled under the master's command, and finally clenched together to form a punch that could destroy everything, telling the power of the Spider Queen's words.

[Of course, I won’t say it all right here: The Milky Way is so big, who knows what kind of opponents we will encounter in the future, so I also retain the Extermination Order, even larger than many legions in scale. . 】

"..."

In the face of such an answer, the Lord of the Ultramarines remained silent. His brows knitted together almost at the first moment, telling his disgust with Morgan's words, but despite this, he still listened carefully to the blood relatives. After thinking about every word he said for a long time, he solemnly shook his head.

"I'm afraid I cannot accept this point of view, my blood relatives: Not to mention that this method is a bit too heretical, but just one point: since these mortals can betray their own country for profit, how can they be loyal to the empire?"

[Because I don't need their allegiance at all, my brother. 】

The Spider Queen kept smiling. Although she was discussing with her blood relatives, in the eyes of outsiders, the two Primarchs maintained a rather solemn expression and devoted themselves wholeheartedly to the military parade in front of them.

[My Avalon has a not-so-complex governance system, and in this system, the mortal governors have no more power. All they can do is to rely on my legion to ensure that Their rule could continue, but for this reason, they had to endure long periods of corvee and conquest. 】

[At the very least, in those key worlds that require direct control, the Governor is nothing more than a rubber stamp. Although I trust the power of mortals, I will not put these real lifebloods in their hands. 】

"Then who do you rely on to rule?"

[Some of my descendants, as well as those mortal bureaucrats who have received special training, often come from the powerful class in another distant world and have nothing to do with the area they rule. Moreover, their governance has a time limit. This ensures that there will be no local interest groups powerful enough to get in the way. 】

[Just like I told you: To change the situation, since we have a huge armed force, we can naturally carry out some rough but efficient measures. 】

"..."

Guilliman was silent. He seemed to be thinking about Morgan's words very seriously. His pupils flashed with understanding from time to time, but despite this, his brows still did not relax completely.

"I am very interested in some of the ideas in your words, Morgan, such as letting our heirs directly participate in the rule, or forming bureaucratic students directly under our control, but I still find it difficult to agree with your methods of recovery."

[It’s okay, my Guilliman. 】

The smile on Morgan's face dispelled the worries in Guilliman's words.

[My words are not orders. I am just telling my point of view. It is up to you whether you want to accept it or not. After all, this is just a discussion, right? We each elaborate our theories, collide with each other, tolerate each other's differences, and further integrate on the same points to get better results. 】

[Isn’t this the most common and natural activity between blood brothers? 】

Morgan's smile made the Lord of Ultramar stunned for a moment, and when he came to his senses, Guilliman also returned a rather sincere smile.

"Yeah, Morgan."

"You're right, this is common."

[If you want to know more, I think you can come to Avalon and see it, Guilliman. Just like how you invited me to visit your Macragge, we can interact with each other during this friendly visit. progress. 】

"If I have time, I will."

Guilliman nodded solemnly, and when he remembered Morgan's original trip to Macragge, he quickly thought of another topic in front of them.

"Speaking of which, Morgan, I just remembered something."

"I need to thank you, blood relative, for giving me the psionic scripture. Its effect is greater than I imagined. When I tried to promote it in my legion, I found that the result was so gratifying."

【I can tell. 】

Morgan tilted her head and seemed to be observing the next array very seriously to hide the slight distortion in her face.

Under Guilliman's reminder, Morgan remembered the scene that shocked her just now: the entire think tank of three thousand Ultramarines Legion passed by her in such a mighty manner, and according to Guilliman's words, this This is not all the power of Ultramar. He has at least left hundreds of new members of the Think Tank in Macragge.

【……】

There is a saying that when she saw this scene with her own eyes and heard the words of thanks from the Lord of the Ultramarines with her own ears, even the cold Gene Queen couldn't help but fall into true horror.

That is more than 3,000 think tanks. You must know that even in the Dawnbreaker Legion, Morgan's careful selection and repeated tempering only ensured that the Second Legion can mobilize a thousand think tanks at any time, and this is enough to The Spider Queen felt really proud.

And when she thought that Guilliman was able to exert such terrifying power in just a few years just by relying on her book, Morgan couldn't help but rub the corners of his eyebrows.

At this moment, she had a profound understanding of why Guilliman and his legions were so feared. She also deeply felt that once the Ultramarines were exposed to anything related to [Standardization], it would lead to What a shocking consequence.

Damn it, if I had known this book, I shouldn't have given it to him as a joke, but as a reward for insinuating things: The Spider Queen couldn't help but feel helpless and furious in her heart, angrily telling these venting words.

Of course, on the outside, she was still calm and calm, just listening quietly, so that the Primarch of the Thirteenth Legion could not detect any clues, which made Guilliman continue to happily tell and thank his blood relatives, and Every thank you said cut a wound in Morgan's heart.

"After you left Macragge, I spent a lot of time studying your book, Morgan, until I understood most of its techniques and truths, with the help of some of the finest thinkers in the Legion. , successfully integrated it with the actual situation in Ultramar, and began to promote it throughout the Legion."

"In my legion, the best think tanks have become your admirers. They are amazed by the all-inclusiveness of the psionic scriptures. Everyone has learned a lot from it, and what I think is that with this This book will continue to be promoted in other legions, and maybe you will become a common teacher of all think tanks in the empire, and a senior who has gained their countless respects."

"Just like all the technical sergeants and scientists marveled at Ferus's ingenious iron hands, as well as his great creation and wisdom, you will also become a unique existence in the think tank field, my blood relative, you may soon To stand alongside Ferrus: even for a Primarch, it is a great honor to stand alongside our Gorgon brothers."

[You seem to have great respect for Ferrus, Guilliman. 】

"He has his ability and charm, and cooperation with him is destined to be unfavorable: I do admire his strength, Morgan, he is one of the brothers I am most eager to cooperate with, and of course, now you are too."

[That’s really an honor. Have you ever had any large-scale cooperation with Ferus? 】

"Once: He sent me an invitation not long ago, hoping to let me join an armored weapons research and development project jointly started by him and the Mechanicus: it would be a war engine with extremely high comprehensive performance, and its name Already named Sikaran.”

Having said this, the Lord of Ultramar seemed to have thought of something, and a light of eagerness flashed in his pupils.

"Morgan, my blood relative, maybe you can also join this research and development activity. An extra point of strength means an extra possibility of success. I can convey this to Ferus, and I don't think he will refuse. , he is a very passionate brother at heart.”

【This is true. 】

Morgan nodded. She thought about the pros and cons of participating in the development of a new tank: there seemed to be nothing to be afraid of.

[But what can I offer? 】

"Financial support, and relationship with the Forge World: Just like me, Brother Ferus has direct contact with the Great Sage on the Forge World Metalica through me, and I remember that you have a good relationship with Reza , Ferus may need help in this regard, I remember he once told this matter."

【That's no problem...】

The Spider Queen nodded. She happily agreed to contact Reza and was very sure that there would be no setbacks: at least during the Great Crusade, there was still very active technical exchange and communication between the forging worlds. Although the plasma fanatics in Zha have no good feelings toward Mars, they are very welcoming of technological communication and common progress with other forces.

For example, when the Lord of the Second Legion attracted a series of small forging worlds in the Far Eastern border areas and formed an alliance involving economic mutual assistance, academic exchanges and military assistance, although Reza maintained the [Little Double-Headed Eagle] Alliance] were reserved and did not choose to join this alliance, but they still became [members to be observed] of this organization, happily sharing new academic discoveries and various achievements with other forging worlds.

Therefore, Morgan is quite confident in bringing Reza into it, but...

Morgan blinked. She was sensitively aware of something, and looked at Guilliman with a hidden look: Why did her Ultramar brothers seem to be related to these words she heard? The core part of the research and development of this new tank...has nothing to do with it?

What is he responsible for: providing money for Ferus's research project? Pulling allies?

Then what? there is none left?

Looking at Guilliman's unfazed smile, Morgan couldn't help but start to think: has the Lord of Ultramar's recognition and enthusiasm for the Iron Hands received an equal return? She doesn't think so.

But that has nothing to do with her.

Morgan smiled and brought the topic back to the issue of think tanks. This was what she was concerned about: How did Guilliman manage to build such an astonishing army of think tanks within a few years?

In this regard, the Lord of Ultramar did not choose to hide his secrets, he made it clear.

“To put it simply, I made a trade-off between quantity and quality: I didn’t choose to completely abandon quality, but I really leaned towards quantity and gave up some of the benefits of quality.”

Guilliman talked eloquently, telling in detail how he formed this army, and Morgan quickly understood the essence of it.

[To put it simply, you chose to build a think tank with 3,000 [qualified] people, and you are satisfied with their ability to meet the standards, and you don’t plan to encourage them to go further on this basis? 】

Thinking of this, Morgan couldn't help but feel a little relieved. She remembered the observation she had just made: the Ultramarines' three-thousand think tank army was indeed spectacular, but if they were really allowed to fight to the death with Morgan's thousand think tanks, , with the Spider Queen's superb psychic insights, she can easily deduce the outcome of this fight.

The three thousand think tanks of the Ultramarines will all fall: if they fight to the end, the psionic legions of the Dawnbreakers may suffer great losses, but they will still be able to retain considerable combat effectiveness, and even be able to quickly engage in another battle of the same scale. Go into the fight.

This is the strength gap between the think tanks of the two legions: thinking of this, Morgan felt the joy of self-deception in his heart.

At this time, Guilliman's solemn words also echoed in her ears.

"As you said in the book, my blood relative, [Think Tank] is not a simple path of power. It tests more of the heart and mind, awareness and caution: unless you have something that you really can't let go of. Talent, or the will to impress others, otherwise don’t regard spiritual energy as the only power you need.”

"No matter what: psychic energy is a force that does not belong to our universe, and is an unknown existence borrowed by us. We don't know when they will choose to leave, nor when they will become enemies: maybe all this will never happen. It will happen, but any think tank must have the awareness that it will happen to them in the next moment.”

"If you hold a rose, you must suffer its wounds: Psychics will never be our friends, they are just our unpredictable temporary allies in the war. Use them, study them, guard against them, but never trust them. "

"Only those with such faith can truly embark on the path of a think tank. On this path, your biggest enemy is not the wizards of the aliens, nor the backlash of psychic energy, but the power that is too easily obtained. In front of you is your heart that longs to lose control and wreak havoc."

"A psyker's greatest opponent is always within his heart."

【……】

Morgan nodded.

[Yes, Guilliman, these words are all written by me. I wrote them in the preface at the front of the book, right above the table of contents, to ensure that anyone who reads this book will see them. . 】

"Yes, Morgan, I saw your prefaces, they are quite long and I only took part of them, but it is enough: it was these words of yours that made me decide to promote this book among my legion .”

"I think other brothers should have the same idea."

[I hope so. In fact, this paragraph itself is just a piece of advice from me to the heirs of the think tanks under my command. I hope they can restrain their behavior and not cause trouble for me. 】

"In terms of parents' love for their children, I think we, blood brothers, have a common language. Every primarch must be able to understand your painstaking efforts."

[Maybe some of our brothers don’t think so? 】

"That's just a minority."

Guilliman coughed. He obviously understood the [certain brothers] Morgan was talking about.

"Most people, like you, still value their children very much."

[After all, they are my most valuable personal possessions. 】

Guilliman was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.

"Interesting metaphor, Morgan, you do have a gift for joking."

[What if I say, this sentence actually means literally? 】

The Spider Queen meant what she said: a very vague sense of seriousness.

"..."

The Lord of Ultramar was quiet, and he looked at Morgan's cunning eyes.

Then, he smiled even more happily.

"Okay, okay, the greedy Queen of Avalon, I hope your greed can continue forever. After all, sometimes, greed may not be a completely bad thing."

Morgan was laughing too.

[Yes, Guilliman, sometimes I am more greedy than you think: when I am once again distressed that my legion is so sparsely populated, I want to snatch your legion under my command. 】

"Then I will resolutely resist."

There was a trace of smile left on the face of the Lord of Ultramar. He waved towards the last phalanx that passed by, and looked at the fearful faces of the powerful people in the audience with satisfaction.

"However, I think maybe you will change your target? For example, the Iron Warriors? I remember that Olympia is not far from your home planet, and your legion also has Perturabo's envoys."

[Maybe they are equally unhappy? 】

"Who knows?"

Guilliman snorted, ending the joking topic, and in his mind, he began to think about whether there was a way to help Morgan solve the shortage of new blood.

After thinking for a while, the Lord of the Ultramarines did not think of a suitable answer, but he inadvertently remembered another thing.

"That's right, Morgan."

【What's wrong? 】

"Not long ago, my vanguard army contacted the forging world Zhao-Akada. I heard that that world cooperates with Magnus and is good at some fields that combine mechanical and psychic technology. It may be useful to you. help?"

[Ah, I do plan to meet them. After all, I have an idea. 】

"What's the idea? Can I help?"

[It’s not clear yet, but I want to ask you a question, Guilliman. 】

"Speaking."

[If one day, you can fight side by side with your sacrificed descendants again, what price are you willing to pay for it? 】

"..."

Guilliman was silent. He seemed to feel disapproval at first because of the blasphemy in these words, but soon his face was filled with some inexplicable emotion.

"That sounds like some kind of priceless treasure, Morgan."