Warhammer: In the Name of Nirvana

"Do you know how Jando-Scalework died?"

【……who? 】

"Jando-Scalywok, ​​the eldest son of the Skalywok family in Quintis City, is also known as the [Count Tattooed Face]: The tattooed face refers to the fact that he received the honor as the most [outstanding] new generation in the family. Two black marks on his face, and earl is his title of nobility."

[...I have a bit of an impression. 】

Morgan nodded. She barely squeezed out a ray of thought from her busy work, and then accurately found the information hidden deep in her memory: because she agreed to help Conrad solve the problem of Nostramo. , so Morgan also learned a little bit about the situation on the Eternal Night Star under her feet.

The name Skalevok was no stranger to the Primarch: this family with a sinful background had cleverly snatched a noble title hundreds of years ago, and is now one of the nine nobles on Nostramo. , even vaguely, seemed to have become the new leader of the midnight dignitaries.

After Conrad left, it was the Skalewalkers who first couldn't restrain their desire for power and set off a frenzy of assassinating the governors left behind by the Midnight Ghost. What's more, the army that was fighting against them A coalition of nobles who fought under Governor Borius in the Hive War. It was this former killer family who came to [raise the flag of justice for the first time].

There is no doubt that if Conrad really left Nostramo and never came back, then it is really possible for the Skalewock family to become the uncrowned king of the Eternal Night Star, using their ambitions and subterfuge to obtain enviable rewards: but the development of reality ultimately far exceeded the limits of the control of these killers.

When a total of 30,000 Night Lords, obeying the first order of their genetic father, landed in various nests of Nostramo, the remaining rebels still had the possibility of dying out, but As the commanders of the nobles, the Skalewalkers didn't even have the chance to beg for mercy.

The strength of the Night Lords who besieged the Skalewalk family fortress even exceeded the number of bloodlines of the family itself: for a mere powerful family in the hive world, this was really a grand funeral that none of them could have dreamed of.

In a sense, the family's history is one without regrets.

In the end, after several hours of public trial and cleanup, as well as inspections of countless secret rooms and secret passages in the walls, humanoid creatures with the blood of Scalywok, ​​more than four figures of killer descendants, used Their own blood contributed to the greatest killing ceremony in the family's history.

Thanks to the humble origins of this killer family, they will take any descendants with their own bloodline, including legitimate children, illegitimate children, and even quarrelsome bastards, into the family for their own use: this is originally The habits of many Nostramo dignitaries made it especially convenient for the purge of the Night Lords at this time.

In just one night, the Skalywock family, which had been aggressive for hundreds of years, officially became the darkest footnote in Nostramon's dirty history book: another midnight noble stepped gloriously into the world. The infernal procession of the Evernight Star.

But behind this unremarkable trial record, there is a slightly twisty ending: Jando, known as the tattooed Earl, is worthy of being the most outstanding Skaly Walker. He actually relied on his intelligence to... After betraying his biological father, three brothers, two sisters and more than twenty cousins, he successfully escaped the first wave of purges by the Lords of Card Midnight and ran into the secret passage connecting the sewers of the castle.

If the tattooed earl hadn't greedily wanted to take the family sword away and keep it as his own before escaping, he might have escaped: but his greedy behavior still brought him bad consequences. In the end, Jando failed to escape from the sewers under the castle before the Midnight Lords' siege network was officially closed, and he was trapped in it.

Then……

"According to the inferences of the pharmacists, he stayed in the tunnel filled with feces, blood and dead bodies for half midnight, but did not dare to set foot in the inspection area outside the tunnel: until almost early in the morning, my soldiers It began to clean the blood from the entire fortress, and discharged a large number of dead people and blood into the passage."

"Then?"

"Then, the tattooed Earl was pinned down by blood, corpses, feces, and the horrified faces of the relatives he betrayed. Even the pharmacist couldn't be sure whether he was scared to death. He still choked to death because he swallowed too much filth: but the appearance of his death did make even the most experienced Terran veterans feel some sympathy."

"And no matter what, one thing is certain."

Conrad slowly played with the Legion crest of the Night Lords in his hand, and the corners of his lips widened to the extreme, revealing a terrifying smile that he had not seen for a long time.

"That is, Jando Skalevok could have escaped: about half an hour after he hid in the passage, most of the soldiers were sent to clear out other families. The patrol in front of him There is a void in the zone, and as long as he sticks out his head, he will find that he is so close to freedom."

"But he didn't dare."

Midnight Ghost sneered.

"For a long time, the Skalywock family has inserted the corpses of countless victims around the family fortress. He can't tell which shadows are my soldiers and which shadows are victims, and he didn't risk his life. Those who don't have the courage to see what's going on can only cower in the stinking hell until the moment of death."

"If the soldiers under my command hadn't turned the entire barrier upside down according to the list of those who were executed, we wouldn't even have been able to find his body."

Narrowing his narrow pupils into a slit, Conrad told his blood relatives about this worst death in an extremely cheerful tone: Although he had been able to escape from the pain of others a long time ago, He has gained his own happiness, but this time, Conrad seems to have gained extraordinarily much happiness from the unfortunate fate of the tattooed earl.

There were so many that Morgan, who was standing next to him, couldn't help but look sideways.

[You seem to be very concerned about this so-called tattooed Earl Conrad. Is he a very important figure to you? 】

"Let's just say it."

Midnight Ghost tilted his head.

"An insignificant and important figure. Originally, this guy would put the entire Eighth Legion into great trouble: after becoming the Night Lord, he would cooperate with the Skalelock family on Nostramo and completely destroy The quality of the entire Eighth Army’s recruits will be reduced.”

"..."

At this point, Conrad seemed to hesitate and pursed his lips.

"That's what I meant to say."

The primarch smiled to himself.

"But the actual situation is: Although this guy can indeed cause trouble, he is not a person who can destroy the Legion. The decline of the Eighth Legion is more because I cannot fully exercise my governance ability as the original body of the Legion. All the chaos stood helpless and looked on with indifference.”

"So, whether it's the tattooed Earl or other Nostramo bastards, they are just secondary reasons. It's just that their disgusting behavior makes them more conspicuous."

The original gene closed his eyes. He was speaking these words in a sickly manner. Then he stood up an arm, leaning on his face, and looked at the surface of Nostramo through remote electronic instruments. : After a night of fighting, the main battlefield of the Night Lords has been transferred from the nest area to the factories in the flat areas.

The trial activities taking place here are closer to a real war. The descendants of Konrad must destroy the last resistance of the midnight magnates, which is a collection of bloated cyborgs and chaotic armored armies.

The smoke of war has filled the vast wasteland and can be clearly seen even in the void. However, Conrad is not worried about the war on the planet. He is just still a little dissatisfied with the current progress.

"All in all, that's not that important a guy. Besides, I don't plan to recruit the Eighth Legion's efforts just on Nostramo in the future: I decided to imitate you and our dear brother Robert in recruiting It’s time to take a broader view.”

The original body tilted his head and clicked his fingers on the data pad next to him, checking which companies had completed their tasks: most companies were slower than Midnight Ghost imagined.

[You mean: You don’t plan to limit the conscription to Nostramo? 】

Morgan nodded, agreeing with Conrad's idea.

[It’s a good idea, although I hate to say it, but Nostramo is indeed not suitable as the foundation of a legion: when I just cleaned the ether field corresponding to this world, I found that the Eternal Night Star is in The filth left in subspace is heavier than other worlds. In other words, people in this world are more likely to become bad. This is a stubborn disease of the soul. 】

"A little bit of metaphysics?"

[It is not absolute, but it will indeed have a great impact: after all, crazy worlds like Nostramo are quite rare in the entire galaxy. It is difficult not to doubt that this world was in the dark era of technology. , did something unexpected happen? 】

[After all, in a normal world, it is definitely impossible to use fine gold to make the earth's crust. 】

Morgan tilted her head and glanced at her blood relative.

[In short, I personally think this idea can be considered. The question is, why do you have such an idea? Conrad: In my impression, most of our brothers have a certain attitude towards their home planet. The pathological stubbornness of people like Horus or Perturabo who basically only recruit soldiers on their home planet is almost unreasonable. 】

"because this……"

Midnight Ghost raised his head and shook the data pad in his hand towards his blood relatives, feeling a little depressed.

[Many companies of the Night Lords need four nights to complete their missions? 】

【……】

[Bad performance? 】

"It must be very bad compared to your Dawnbreaker."

[Don't say that, Conrad. 】

He tried to persuade him, but the corners of the Lord of Avalon's lips were already raised.

[Quick strikes, mobile combat and three-dimensional attack and defense are the main tactics that the Dawnbreaker Legion relies on for survival. The only ones who can be slightly comparable to the Second Legion in this regard are the group of Luna Wolves who are keen on decapitation operations: No Need to be pessimistic on this issue, my poor little guy. 】

[Even if my Dawnbreakers come, they will need at least two nights to clean Nostramo. 】

"I know all this, Morgan."

Midnight Ghost pouted.

"The current decline of the Eighth Army is not beyond my expectation. After all, I can't control what happened before I reunited with them, and I can't blame them: if they are an army that cannot reach it when they meet me, The troops I expected, doesn’t that illustrate my importance as a Primarch?”

"What I worry about is the future: What will this Legion look like in the future?"

The primarch's fingers traced circles in the air.

"You and I both know that the place of origin of the recruits has a considerable impact on the tactics and overall quality of the legion. For example, the Emperor's Children originally came from the nobles of Europe, and they are accustomed to fancy arts and command. Other mortal troops, and the Luna Wolves recruited from the gangster world of Cthunia, naturally developed that kind of brotherhood into the legion."

"In Dawnbreaker, this situation is very rare. Even the Terran warriors who have the absolute advantage in the Dawnbreaker Legion originally came from different locations in Holy Terra. No mainstream culture can occupy it. The core of the Second Legion: On the one hand, this makes your warriors look featureless, but on the other hand, it also ensures that they can absorb any high-quality food from the outside world.”

"As for Nostramo, not to mention the evil places in this world, just because it is a city of outright sin, it is unqualified to be used as a recruiting ground: the recruits here are used to intrigues and are used to living in a narrow place. He engages in small-scale brawls in the city and is accustomed to using the most terrifying methods to intimidate his opponents and protect his own interests."

"So, if we want to do squad warfare, urban warfare, or intimidation tactics, we do have good recruits from this world."

"But..."

Conrad leaned back and lay directly on the floor, sprawled out.

"If the only thing a legion can use is fear tactics, then how can it be regarded as an Astartes legion: after all, the main force of a legion must be a legion on the frontal battlefield. The Steel Division that engages in a large-scale main force collision."

"A group of executioners and judges can indeed be used to carry out just legal sanctions, but you can't expect them to go to the battlefield: in the judicial field, they are elites, but on the battlefield, they are just a mob lacking an organizational system."

"Just like even the most elite police, secret service organizations and even special forces, if they are put collectively into a frontal battlefield, they are just delivering food to the enemy: there are differences between wars and wars."

"Only those military novices will think that special forces are omnipotent: in fact, if there is a head-on conflict on the battlefield, a slightly armed militia force can make the special forces complain endlessly."

[In short: What you need are real soldiers, and the world of Nostramo cannot produce real soldiers? 】

"yes……"

[Including your Savita? 】

"..."

"Well, Sevita is indeed a cool, powerful, and trustworthy guy, but even so, I dare not say that he is an excellent soldier: he is not even qualified."

【……】

[So, why are you recruiting troops on Nostramo? 】

[Since you have decided to fill the Eighth Legion with real warriors, then just give up on this home planet: just like I will never regard Avalon as the legion's home planet that cannot be lost. 】

The Spider Queen frowned. After some simple thinking, she slowly traced the new satellite orbit in the void while throwing new questions to her blood relatives.

“That’s the essence of it.”

Conrad smiled.

"Through the story of the tattooed Earl I just told you, didn't you realize something, Morgan: In many cases, fear is actually a force that can be used. Although I don't think fear tactics are suitable as an absolute force for the legion. It exists as a pillar, but if we regard it as a suitable sharp knife, we can wield it when necessary..."

“That fear is a great thing.”

"And on this issue, the Nostramos are the absolute experts."

[I don’t deny this. 】

Morgan nodded.

[In fact, you don’t even need to tell the story of the tattooed Earl: before you reunited with the Eighth Army, this Legion had been pursuing fear tactics for a century, and both they and the Empire were very satisfied with it. This can already illustrate the value of fear tactics. 】

[But the problem now is that you personally don’t want the Eighth Legion to always play a remote role that only knows fear tactics: you want the Night Lords Legion to be able to make a difference on the frontal battlefield and become a more normal and worthy one. Respected Legion:]

"That's not what I thought."

Midnight Ghost shook his head.

"This is their demand."

"This is the request of my heirs."

"Although I haven't had an in-depth communication with any of the Terran veterans, I know what they want: although they are not ashamed of their status as executioners, they also want to be able to stand in the sun, Exist openly as a member of the Legion.”

"If my appearance brings them into deeper shadows, they will be very disappointed: although this disappointment is not enough to shake my rule, it is enough to make my soul uneasy."

【indeed so. 】

"As the father of genes, I should naturally work hard to satisfy their ideas. If we want the Night Lords Army to become a force that can walk under the sun, then we must abandon our reliance on fear tactics and we must prove Our dominance on the battlefield.”

"But at the same time, we cannot completely polish fear tactics, because in a sense, the Eighth Legion is positioned as a judge after all, and how to use fear is a required course to become a judge: a Night Lord It's possible to be a pure warrior without knowing what fear tactics are, but that's not what all Night Lords should do."

[Some people may not be able to do it, but not everyone can’t do it. 】

"That's it."

Conrad nodded and smiled.

"It was under this circumstance that I came up with [Scavenger]."

The Midnight King of Nostramo slowly uttered the last three words, and then climbed up vigorously and hunched over.

"Do you know what that is, Morgan?"

【let me guess……】

The Primarch narrowed her eyes, and while she carefully separated the orbits of the two satellites, she asked Conrad according to her instructions. The inherent impression made me think.

[What you mean is: You want to recruit new recruits from multiple angles to keep the Night Lords on the right track, but at the same time, you will also recruit new recruits on Nostramo and let this team exclusively control it. Fear tactics are used to prepare for emergencies, and this force specifically responsible for fear tactics is the scavenger you call? 】

"That's it."

Conrad's right palm turned into a fist and he slapped the palm of his left palm hard.

"That's an accurate guess."

[Because this is indeed a very good choice, Conrad. 】

Morgan nodded.

[There is just one more question: How do you ensure that this scavenger force will not be squeezed out by the entire legion: just like the Eighth Legion was once squeezed out by the entire empire, when the Night Lords became the legion under the sun, How can you ensure they don't despise scavengers who specialize in fear tactics? 】

"It's about taking advantage of our privilege as Primarchs."

Conrad's laugh was shrill.

"According to the influence of the Primarch on the Astartes warriors, if I wanted to, I could define what is pure, what is important, what is cruelty and mercy within the Night Lords Legion: when I personally admit, When Terror Tactics is my side's claw, which Night Lord dares to despise it?"

"Just like your Lana, who once begged you in front of everyone on the battlefield, almost pleading, not to put yourself in danger: Do any Dawnbreakers despise him for this?"

【……】

"And on the other hand, I will also make some preparations: for example, ensuring the connection between the scavenger unit and other companies, making everyone aware of the value of fear tactics, and arranging some exchange students from the company to go in. As long as I personally If you pay attention to this, this problem will not be a big problem.”

【This is true. 】

[So, how do you calm the psychological problems of scavengers? 】

"On the one hand, they rely on me and my attention and favor to them, but on the other hand..."

Conrad flexed his fingers.

"It's up to my reliable Savita."

【……】

[Are you going to put that Sevatar in charge of this scavenger force? 】

"He is the most suitable candidate. As long as he is still there, this force will never go to possible depravity. I believe that he will maintain his true heart in the face of any temptation. His depravity is something I cannot imagine. "

Morgan nodded.

But soon, when Morgan recalled the chats she and Conrad had had about the organizational structure of the Eighth Legion, the Lord of Avalon realized a not-so-big problem: about Sevatar. .

[So since Sevatar will be in charge of the scavenger force, who are you going to ask to help you deal with the many things within the legion? After all, you were talking about Sevatar before: Or can you do it yourself? 】

"Of course it's Sevita. He has the ability to coordinate legion-level operations."

【……】

【Then what are you doing? 】

"Give him a seal, give him a platform, give him an endorsement: I'm also very busy."

【……】

[So, who do you plan to appoint as your attaché, or the first company commander? 】

"..."

"I think Sevita can do it."

【……】

[Do you feel that for an Astartes, these superimposed positions are a bit beyond the scope of ability: If Sevatar holds so many important positions, then his reputation within the Eighth Legion , probably not much better than Guilliman. 】

[Just like when I appointed Lannes as my Guards Commander, I would not then appoint him as the First Company Commander or the leader of the Knights of Le Fay, nor would I expect him to be able to unite the various factions within the legion. . 】

[When you show your trust in Sevatar in this way, how should you let him face the jealous Night Lords, or even let him unite these people? 】

"..."

"That's a problem."

"but……"

"I believe in his abilities!"

【……】

【……】

【! ! ! 】

——————

"Why are you kicking me?"

[What not to do: You remind me of a very bad bastard. 】

【……】

[No, two. 】

There's another one available later in the night, but there's no need to wait.

Well, there are indeed some problems with the updates in the past two days. The main reason is that I have been impacted by the new book of Siege of Terra, End and Death 3.

how to say……

The impact on the plot of me was not particularly great, far less than the original Eternal Echo, but this book gave me a really bad feeling. My evaluation of it is: it destroyed all the main characters equally, and absolutely nothing. The characterization of most of the important characters.

Including the Emperor, Horus, Sanguinius, Loken, Abaddon, and even Erebus and Lorgar, everyone's characters were being trampled to the ground and screaming, "Hey!"

…

I'm so tired.