Warhammer: In the Name of Nirvana

"Respectable?"

"Respectable is good."

"Being a respectable person, standing on the river bank, aiming high and making comments, leaving your hands empty and your shoes clean; it is better than having a hard life, leaning on the muddy road with your eyes black, working hard, not only getting your feet bruised and dirty, but also finding out in the end that you dug the wrong way, making the people below gossip about you, making a big fuss: not only can you not get any benefits, but you have become the kind of villain who deserves to be despised."

"If our little crow can figure out the links here, or if he can learn even one tenth of your kindness and cruelty, and your great way without leaving any traces, then he will not be like a wild dog chasing a car in his life, panting and exhausted, but finally accomplishing nothing."

[You seem to have a lot of opinions about Corax, Conrad? 】

"... Did I?"

#Gloomy Nostramo Laughter#

"I just like to tell the truth."

[...]

Such shameless words made Morgan feel more intimate, more pleasing than the long list of military expansion on the table: when the Lord of Avalon left the accumulated official business and looked at her brother whom she had not seen for a long time, the corners of her mouth had unconsciously risen.

After all, compared with Dorn, Perturabo and the Emperor, Conrad now can indeed make people breathe a sigh of relief: if you don't consider that this kid just entered the room and couldn't wait to put the chair in front of Morgan, and even knocked his feet on the desk.

Fortunately, this kid had taken off his power armor and changed into a dark robe before he came, otherwise Morgan might have to take out her cardiopulmonary resuscitation skills that had been sealed for more than ten years to regret this marble desk sent by Guilliman.

"Feeling sorry for your table?"

The color in the Spider Queen's pupils did not escape Conrad's eyes. He first raised his narrow face and deliberately knocked on the tabletop. Then, he realized the difference of this thing belatedly.

"Hmm, wait?"

"When did you change the table? I remember you are quite nostalgic."

"Is it marble? It doesn't feel as durable as the previous one made of oak."

Midnight Ghost was amazed and twisted around in his chair uncomfortably: it was obvious that the Lord of the Eighth Legion felt very uncomfortable with the sudden appearance of such a cold new object in this room where he had been [since childhood].

[Robert's gift. ]

Morgan was concise and to the point, and this intimate name made Conrad roll his eyes.

"Okay, that guy..."

He muttered.

"Did you give him something, sister? Or did you pull his five hundred worlds into some super-large organization? Otherwise, I don't believe that Guilliman would take the initiative to give gifts to others. He might steal from others." [I gave him a star map.] "Star map?" [Yes.] Morgan filtered out the habitual ridicule of Midnight Haunter. She just gathered the documents on the desk and told Conrad what the star map she gave Robert was, where it came from, and what was so great about it. When the Spider Queen saw a trace of dissatisfaction gradually appearing on Midnight Haunter's face, she snorted disdainfully, and then took out the star map she had prepared long ago from the secret cabinet at hand. [This is yours: I have prepared it for you a long time ago.] "You can imagine it." The Lord of Nostramo turned his anger into laughter like a child, fiddled with it twice, and asked another question unwillingly. "So what's special about my copy?"

[This star map is connected to my personal database. It will update all the worlds in the entire galaxy that are marked as hopeless by the Empire and the Terra government and can be used by any means, whether they are unconquered or need punitive actions. ]

Hearing this, Conrad put it in his arms with satisfaction.

"Good stuff."

"I guess the copy you gave to Guilliman should also have a unique function, but he just gave you a stone table as a return gift? This Macragge man really doesn't know how to interact with people."

After speaking, Conrad didn't forget to knock on the marble.

[It's okay. ]

The Lord of Avalon did not completely refute Conrad's words.

[Although this marble table itself is nothing, considering that Robert squeezed out some time from his busy schedule, took people into the mountains of Macragge, and then personally selected the stone, mined and transported it, and carved and processed it, then the symbolic value is still some. 】

"It's just symbolic."

Conrad muttered, thinking about what gift he should give in return.

[In addition, he also gave me a lot of other things, such as tables, chairs, carpets, windows, thinkers and filing cabinets, as well as paperweights, seals, goblets and humidifiers: except for the lack of four marble walls, Guilliman built me ​​a huge office that can accommodate more than a dozen people, even more luxurious than his office on Macragge. 】

"It seems that the thing is really what he wants."

Midnight Ghost pouted, but when he was halfway through listening, he suddenly laughed.

"In that case, judging from the character of that Macragge filing cabinet, he did send his priceless treasure: a set of semi-permanent office packages, huh? I can't say what the implication is."

"By the way, according to that guy's habit, did he also attach a handwritten letter to you, listing in detail the shortcomings of the star map you sent, and sincerely hoping that you can improve it?"

[...What do you think? ]

The Spider Queen's suddenly dark face made Conrad chuckle.

After not seeing each other for many days, the Night King of Nostramo still couldn't change his complacent mocking tone: when Conrad narrowed his eyes, grinned, and showed a mouthful of sharp teeth, even his carefully groomed black hair and slightly healthy beige skin color could not cover up his naughty nature.

But even so, when Morgan's eyes swept over the scars between Conrad's eyebrows that had not yet disappeared, she still couldn't bear to scold her brother: After all, this kid just ran back from the galactic-level bad place of [Ghoul Star Region].

Conrad and his Eighth Legion had launched an exploratory expedition to the Ghoul Stars more than a decade ago. This expedition was intermittent and costly. It was not until three months ago that the last fleet of the Eighth Legion was evacuated from the Ghoul Stars intact under Conrad's personal command.

No one knows what the Midnight Lords encountered in that dark area outside the domain. The only thing that can be confirmed is that even the Eighth Legion, which received full support from the Far East Frontier, did not establish any large permanent bases in the Ghoul Stars in the end, but was satisfied with the liaison outposts on the edge. After losing many familiar faces, the main force of this legion finally withdrew to the circular defense belt around the Ghoul as the starting point.

In the context of the Great Crusade, this behavior can be said to be incredible. Whether from the perspective of the Terra government or the most ordinary Astartes warriors, such a large-scale, time-consuming expedition, mobilizing an entire legion and countless supplies, and paying an unimaginable price, would not have achieved any actual results: if it were other primarchs, let alone the accountability from Terra and the backlash from within the legion, these arrogant descendants of the emperor could not even convince themselves of the honor and dignity in their hearts.

But Conrad is different from each of his brothers, and after truly experiencing the truth of the Ghoul Stars, the Eighth Legion has no nostalgia for it, let alone complaining about not making any achievements.

Being able to run back intact is the greatest achievement.

As for the voices from the outside world? Midnight Ghost just sorted and archived what he saw and heard in the Ghoul Stars and the treasures he seized, and automatically sent a copy to Morgan, the Emperor and the Sigillite: Then, all the rumors about the Night Lords disappeared.

Morgan knew that Conrad even secretly received verbal praise from the Emperor and Malcador for bringing the Eighth Legion back from that hellhole in one piece: and his circular defense belt around the ghouls also received special supplies from Terra, and was required to be built according to the highest standards of large-scale defense positions in the empire.

Of course, Midnight Haunter himself did not pay attention to this. What really concerned him was that after more than a decade of ghoul expedition, he finally quietly eliminated the last restless elements in the legion, discovered and promoted trustworthy newcomers, and also gathered the morale of the army: Although he did not know how he did it specifically, the Midnight Lords were obviously grateful that they could leave the ghoul stars calmly, and their admiration and worship for Conrad had been established.

As for the specific details of this ghoul expedition...

"We don't talk about this."

Midnight Haunter lowered his eyelids, and a serious look flashed across his cynical face. Even in the face of Morgan's curiosity, Conrad still refused very coldly.

"Believe me, Morgan: some things in it should only be known by the Emperor."

[Even I can't? ]

"Well..."

Conrad hesitated.

"I can tell you a little harmless secret."

Midnight Haunter blinked.

"Do you remember that you still have several teams of descendants who have not returned yet?"

[...]

[Weren't they all swallowed up by the storm of the warp? ]

"Some of them are indeed so."

The Nostramo nodded.

"In fact, I found a batch of relics related to the Dawnbreakers on a world in the Ghoul Stars, although I'm not sure which fleet they belong to: the lost fleet of the Second Legion that was taken away by Nietzsche before the Great Schism, or the Fifth Fleet that never returned after the Great Schism."

"But I can be sure of one thing: these lost ones are very wrong."

At this point, the Midnight Haunter couldn't help but lean forward.

"Ask in advance, Morgan: You didn't send your offspring there, did you?"

[Of course not, Conrad, I know what the Ghoul Stars are like. 】

"That's strange..."

Conrad laughed.

"Because I saw the symbols belonging to the Far Eastern Frontier on the relics of those Dawnbreakers who theoretically never returned: you know, the symbols you just started to promote throughout the entire Dawnbreaker Legion more than ten years ago. , actually appeared in the deepest part of the ghoul stars.”

【……】

"So, take my advice, Morgan, don't go to that place. It's not clean, and there are some great things in it: if I say that where I found those relics, I also saw a batch of 10,000 Will you believe the Astartes warriors in the future?”

[Ten thousand years later? 】

Morgan frowned.

[Which legion? 】

"Well... they call themselves fallen angels..."

Conrad shrugged his shoulders and returned to his original sitting position.

"Of course, the two events I just mentioned were discovered by me in a galaxy where I can no longer find the specific coordinates after encountering a subspace storm on the ghoul stars. Maybe it's just my hallucination. , or maybe it’s just one of the various ghosts in the subspace.”

"Anyway, I personally don't want to go back to that ghost place again."

Midnight Ghost grinned reluctantly.

"It's scarier than my dreams."

【? 】

[Are your dreams serious again? 】

Morgan frowned: Although the crown over there made by Magnus, improved by her, and then personally authenticated by the Emperor, did greatly improve Conrad's ability to see fragments of the future, but correspondingly, at midnight The ghost will always experience some "illusions" in his sleep that are quite "exciting" even for the Primarch.

"A little."

Conrad nodded.

"In fact, I've been dreaming a lot lately about being hunted by Corax."

[...I feel like you are slandering. 】

"I didn't~"

Conrad piped up.

"You can't blame me. I'm often chased by my brothers in my dreams. Sometimes they are loyal, sometimes they are corrupt. I have even been killed by Vulcan many times. As for why I always dream about Korak recently. Si Mo: Maybe it’s because he just came back?”

【……】

"So...where are the others?"

Conrad retracted his feet, pulled the chair to the edge of the desk, and leaned forward, almost touching the face of his blood relative. The smile on his face made Morgan a little unsure whether this kid was really doing this. Is it a nightmare, or do you just want to use these words as a cover to turn the topic back to Corax?

After all, decades ago, when Morgan didn't know Corax, Conrad had already bluntly expressed his envy and jealousy to this brother who was also able to hide himself in front of her several times.

However, in recent years, I have not heard anything like this...

The Spider Queen thought for a moment, but made no secret of her brother.

[The Emperor's side is estimated to be a few months away. 】

"Um?"

Conrad frowned.

"Aren't you here to educate him? Why did he run away to the emperor?"

[Do you even need to ask? 】

The primarch smiled.

[Our genetic father thinks that my education is not particularly safe. Before letting me educate him, he has to personally lay a foundation for Corax: Besides, I am also happy to see this kind of thing, After all, in terms of Corax's values, he may not fully agree with my Far Eastern frontier, especially my method of ruling here. 】

"Ah...I understand."

Midnight Ghost narrowed his eyes.

"Put him next to the emperor and let him see what the interior of the empire is like. After he walks around, he will find how beautiful the Far Eastern frontier is and how generous your methods are. Kindness: Beauty comes from contrast, right, my dear sister?”

[You haven’t become stupid. 】

Morgan flicked Conrad's eyebrows quite proudly.

[But then again, that kid Corax is indeed more spiritual than you. After I gave him a little guidance on the Redemption Star, he was able to learn by himself and draw inferences from one example: what he lacked was never brains, but The kind of belief that those who achieve great things need to look beyond the small. 】

"Explain what is happening? Come and listen."

Conrad seems to have maintained an active curiosity about his brother Crow.

【Ah, that’s it. 】

Morgan spent a minute telling Conrad about the events surrounding the Emperor, Corax, the Mechanicus, and Kiava: The Lord of Mankind's magical operations made even his most open-minded heir frown. Jump.

"Did father really not do it on purpose?"

[No, our Gene Father really liked Corax. 】

"Which one do you prefer? Mortarion-like? Or Horus-like?"

[Donne-esque. 】

"...Tsk, how enviable."

Midnight Ghost shook his head resentfully.

"So? After you introduced Reza's group of oil guys to him, how did Corax draw inferences? How did you demonstrate the operation to him?"

【Very simple. 】

Morgan waved his hand.

[First of all, in front of the Emperor, in front of Mars and Reza, I helped Corax declare his sovereignty over Kiava. Naturally, neither group of oil guys could object, and since Corax was against Kiawa Yawa has sovereignty, so these two groups must obtain his consent if they want to develop Kiawa. 】

[Then, I told them that whoever wants to occupy more shares in Kiawa must ensure one thing: developers must ensure that the people on Kiawa have a minimum living security, which is It was proposed by Corax, and it will be protected by relevant laws and regulations when working. This is simply rebellion in the eyes of Martians. 】

"Then what?"

[Then, Reza took the initiative to increase prices. They took the initiative to lower the working hours of workers every day, raised wages, and even added additional allowances that, in the eyes of the Mechanicus, were completely fantasy: Have you not seen it? The faces of those Martians at that time. 】

"But they agreed."

[Yes, regardless of whether this was their original intention or not, they started competing with the group of Reza people: and after three rounds of mutual price increases, the Reza people suddenly announced their withdrawal, in front of Corax and others. In the face of the Emperor, the Martians naturally cannot go back on their word. 】

[What's more, even after three rounds of mutual price increases, the Martians are still very profitable in this transaction: compared to the benefits that Chiava can bring them, the workers' rights are simply a drop in the bucket. It doesn't even have an impact on profits. 】

[Only in this way can we ensure to the greatest extent that they will not violate the law. 】

[As for Reza? They originally had no plans for Kiava, and Reza just wanted to gain a foothold in the southern part of the galaxy: I not only brought them the foothold of Redemption Star, but I even brought them Corax. Local snake. 】

"No wonder those Riza people always respect you like a god."

[Just doing business and private things together. 】

"Um……"

Conrad nodded.

"Then if that's the case, how did Corax draw inferences?"

【You should listen carefully. 】

Morgan held up a finger.

[The moment the auction just ended, Corax, who was standing next to me, suddenly spoke on his own initiative: He told the Martians and Reza that he planned to draw a group of trustworthy people from his rebel army. Companion, go to Kiava to assist in management work, as a supervisor and assistant. 】

"...Where is his bargaining chip?"

[Chips? 】

Morgan laughed.

[This is the problem. Corax only said this sentence the whole time. He didn't mention what the chips were at all, but he showed a thoughtful look in front of everyone: and there was no need for him to take the initiative to speak. The Martian He already agreed. 】

"Are they afraid of another competition?"

【Maybe. 】

The Primarch shook his head.

[But no matter what: our brother Crow is really a smart man. 】

"..."

"So, Corax really didn't give anything?"

[This is not accurate. 】

[After Mars agreed, Corax took the initiative to walk up to them, took the hand of the leading oil man, and promised them his personal friendship: He did not say what this friendship was, but the group The Martian seemed content. 】

"……ah……"

"That's a really smart guy."

Midnight Ghost lengthened his tone and sighed deeply. Although he still didn't understand the internal logic of Corax's actions, it was obvious that his Brother Crow had keenly grasped Morgan's actions. He took advantage of the opportunity and exploited every opportunity to expand his own interests.

As a reluctant beginner, this is pretty good.

At the very least, he is better than he was before.

Thinking of this, Conrad couldn't help but curled his lips in frustration, his tone was a little sour.

"Since he has such a talent, you have to teach him well, Morgan."

【Of course. 】

The Spider Queen smiled: as if she didn't hear anything wrong with Conrad.

Before Midnight Ghost's heart could feel new sourness, the Lord of Avalon seemed to suddenly think of something, and added in a sudden realization: Her smile made Conrad a little uneasy.

[Ah, right. 】

[There is something I forgot to mention. 】

"……What?"

[Later, you go find Sevatar, and then together with him, move out all the things in your dormitory: that room will be reserved for Corax to live in, and the one you have in my office. The table will also be left to your Corax brothers from now on. 】

[You have grown up, Conrad, let your little brother go~]

"..."

"..."

"ah?!!"