Warhammer: In the Name of Nirvana

Chapter 660 In the Queen&#039;s Palace

"When I first heard that your people built a palace for you on the land of Ullanor, I thought it was just a rumor, Morgan: I didn't expect that what he told me was actually everything. Is it true?"

【Who told you? 】

"Our youngest brother, Alpharius: he seems to know everything."

The archangel of Baal, the genetic father of the Ninth Legion, was folding his pale wings into the crimson armor while spreading his palms innocently, selling his brother without hesitation. : To exchange for a golden ticket into Morgan's palace.

"A palace? How noble of you: not even Fulgrim thought of moving his own palace above ground."

[So: He lives in a tent? 】

"No, he returned directly to his Emperor's Pride."

"Of course: maybe I feel ashamed in front of your pomp?"

Sanguinius raised his head and faced the iron-gray sky of Ullanor. His gentle taunting words flowed along his teardrop-shaped wings, lingering in the ears of Morgan and the Dawnbreakers, but they did not make any of them feel sad. Disgusted.

On the contrary, the archangel's pupils flickered with discomfort towards the green tiles and red trees in front of him: Although to be fair, the Spider Queen's palace is far from the standard of extravagance, even the hill-sized one on the hill next door belongs to Ma. Genus's [Simple Tent] is more luxurious and elegant than Morgan's palace.

But this mainly silver building is indeed not suitable to be placed on the land of Ullanor. Just like its owner, it is filled from head to toe with an atmosphere of comfort that is completely opposite to war: the flower-filled sky courtyard, the Baroque-style columns The colonnade, as well as the exquisite and beautiful sculptural fountains and artificial waterfalls, as well as all the internal decorations, food and daily necessities flown in from the Far Eastern frontier and its affiliated worlds.

These are all great, all pleasant, but not so gorgeous that they are boring. At least compared to Fulgrim and Magnus's accommodation, Morgan's palace is already very low-key: if it weren't for Sanguinius's unique With the air superiority, he couldn't even find it here for a while.

Unlike Magnus: Prospero's warriors directly dismantled the famous glass pyramid on the Great Ray and reassembled it on the ground of Ullanor. The crystal clear crystal plates reflected the day The light is like a second sun, tormenting every eyeball it sees.

And when a certain Sanguinius who knew nothing about this stupidly flew into the residential area of the Thousand Sons Legion, he was naturally almost crashed by the sudden light pollution: Fortunately, the Archangel flew high enough. , no one on the ground saw Sanguinius covering his eyes while hurriedly making an emergency landing in the air.

After this incident, the archangel's original plan to make a special trip to find Magnus and make some final remedies for the Nicaea Conference had to be aborted and ended up making an emergency landing in front of Morgan's palace: and although this palace It's not a light pollution holy place, but it gives Sanguinius an indescribable sense of awkwardness.

How to say...

"This is a celebration world that is about to hold the grandest military parade in the history of the galaxy. Morgan: Strength, glory and martial spirit have been the themes in recent days and can be praised: and everything else All can be despised.”

Sanguinius sighed softly. The deeper he got into Morgan's territory, the more obvious this awkward feeling became: the intricately carved labyrinth corridors and the magnificent amber palace were obviously not necessary for a character like Morgan. The marble-carved spiral staircase will become the object of discussion among the warriors, not to mention the mysterious artificial stalactite caves decorated with stained glass windows. There is no such sight even on the Emperor's Pride.

"Morgan, I always thought you were a very frugal person?"

【I thought so too. 】

The primarch nodded.

[After all, I only have this kind of palace in total, so I can rest wherever I go. 】

"Let me guess: is this place called..."

[Camelot: That’s right. 】

“But I remember that Cameno was famous for its fortified castle rather than its lavish grounds.”

Faced with Sanguinius's inquiry, Morgan just picked up a cold drink.

[Listen, brother: it seems like you haven't done any financial calculations at first glance. 】

"This is normal. I never thought about economic issues before leaving Baal. This word is still a bit too advanced for Baal's tribal system: after leaving Baal, I have never even heard of it. Words, how many primarchs would consider financial figures?”

[You're about to hear about it. 】

Morgan raised his goblet.

[The Lord of the Jingbal Enclave. 】

"Honor my subjects."

Sanguinius sighed, his next words absolutely speaking from his heart.

"May the Emperor bless them to have their own resources and a beautiful economy, and have no worries except the lack of military protection. Otherwise, I can't think of what I can give them: hundreds of people making a living in the desolate meteorite universe. Colonial world? The Emperor might as well throw my legion outside the Star Torch."

[Believe me, brother: the world outside is scarier than you think. 】

[And more numbers are needed. 】

Morgan took a sip of the wine.

[My Rogue Traders and exploration fleets lose hundreds of ships in the dark space outside the Star Torch every year, or even more, which is equivalent to the financial expenses reimbursed for this every year, which is comparable to hundreds or thousands of such ships. palace. 】

"real?"

【Of course it's true. 】

The primarch laughed.

[Throughout the ages, how many dynasties have built palaces to destroy themselves? This is as ridiculous as the so-called beauty disaster: on the contrary, many empires have devoted themselves fanatically to war, and in turn have been torn apart by war like crucian carp crossing the river. 】

[The combined cost of all the sights you see is less than the smallest destroyer in the naval fleet. War is the real gold-eating beast in the galaxy, and this palace is just a window dressing: I won’t Use it outside of public settings. 】

"You don't like this style either?"

[Not comfortable enough, nor safe enough. 】

The Spider Queen spoke concisely and to the point. She casually pointed in a direction, and waiters carrying drinks and fruit plates came to the angel. They all had [Number 9] signs on their chests, and they were all here specifically for Sanguinius. The reception team prepared in this palace.

Although she said nothing, when her subjects built this rarely used palace for her on the land of Ullanor, the Spider Queen immediately asked her attendants to They prepared themselves for the visit of her primarch brothers, and prepared plans in advance for each primarch's own little hobby to make sure they were at home.

Even Mortarion is no exception.

If the Lord of Death could shut up his bad mouth, Morgan actually wouldn't mind hosting him for tea on his balcony and chatting about topics that were beneficial to both parties: for example, in Dawnbreaker, The three legions of the Night Lords and Death Guard build an information-sharing database of alien information.

However, there are a few Primarchs who are not within the scope of reception that Morgan has prepared: for example, her dear Conrad and Corax, these two people already have rooms in the palace, and now they are in the shared game room. As for Kaihei, there is also Jonson. He has his own sword tower built entirely in Caliban style on the edge of this palace.

"I can understand it being unsafe: by the common standards of the Empire."

Sanguinius smiled at the servant who brought him the fruit plate.

"After all, they always claim that machine slaves are safer than human servants: but I prefer your arrangement here."

To say that the only place in this palace where Sanguinius felt comfortable was perhaps the waiters walking around carrying meals and drinks: he did not see a single machine slave here, not even the smallest one. The eyes of the humble servant are shining with the color of life that only belongs to humans: this is the main reason why the archangel is always willing to give his sisters a high evaluation in his heart.

This was the reason why he spoke.

"Perhaps you want to use this method to let others witness the rich heritage and powerful transportation capabilities of the Far Eastern frontier: I have to admit that this method is very effective, Morgan, and such a gorgeous building was built in less than half a day. The architecture is indeed impressive, at least much better than Guilliman’s honest gentleman.”

【What happened to him? 】

"The camp occupied by one of his legions already exceeds that of the three legions next to it."

[Does the Emperor have any reaction? 】

"No: but the Imperial Guards Ten Thousand Soldiers just arranged their camp next to the Ultramarines."

[Is this what Alpha told you? 】

"I said: He knows everything, so he tells me something else too."

【Rumors about me? 】

"The content is not very good: As I just said, Morgan, this palace may make others marvel at the power of the Far Eastern Frontier, but they will not respect you, because they will also despise and despise you while marveling. The method of showing strength is really too..."

【soft? 】

"I prefer to call it mild."

"But showing off the splendor of the palace in front of a group of warriors is really not a good idea."

[But isn’t this how I should behave in their minds? 】

Morgan turned around and blinked at her angel brother. In the past, this was the signature move of Sanguinius, but when the dim white light of Ullanor filtered through the narrow window cut out of marble, When the hazy curves shone on the Spider Queen's pupils, her words still stunned Sanguinius.

[They actually don’t want to know what kind of person I am. Anyway, they have already made their own conclusions. So if that’s the case, why not follow them? Maybe in the future, this inherent influence won't be a bad thing for me. 】

These words silenced the angel: he could easily relate to himself.

So, Sanguinius shook his head and smiled helplessly.

"Okay: at least that's what Alpharius can never tell me."

[It seems that I haven’t seen him since the emperor ordered the disbandment. 】

"In the beginning, he hung out with Horus, along with me, Dorn, and Jaghatai Khan: but Alpha soon had a dispute with Dorn over some incident, and initially there were Horus intervened, but the Emperor's emissaries quickly summoned Horus away."

[Private meeting? 】

"Obviously, starting with Horus: I hope the Emperor forgets me by then."

[Let me guess: The unbearable sweat suddenly disappeared? 】

"Even I didn't notice his movements."

The angel caressed the Roman-style semicircular columns beside the colonnade.

"Is this Guilliman's suggestion?"

[He has a room here: an additional file storage room. 】

"I'm surprised you tolerate Guilliman living in the same building as you."

[Can’t you tolerate being in a tent with several brothers? 】

"That's because without Horus, they would disperse quickly, just like they did just now."

[What about Mortarion? 】

"He seems to be with Malcador: I hear Leman Russ is there too."

[If you think about it in Magnus's mind, you know what they will discuss. 】

The Spider Queen threw her frost-colored plush shawl to the head guard next to her, then frowned and thought for a moment: This was a hint. After receiving the silent order, the Dawnbreakers immediately retreated, leaving the original body behind. The space for conversation also left Morgan time to think.

But this time, the thinking was not very successful, because the remaining sweat on the neck made the original body feel slightly irritable and unable to calm down: whenever the mind wandered for a moment, the embarrassing memories of the star port would break in again. in mind.

This memory caused the Spider Queen more pain than the Prince of Darkness performing a striptease in her mind.

God knows when all nineteen Primarchs stood in two rows, their inner embarrassment and stiffness overflowed: anyway, even Morgan herself was unwilling to recall how she came back from the Emperor's side. When she entered the original body's array, the gazes of eighteen different forms made the Spider Queen's soul feel hot.

She did not remember how she persisted until the Emperor ordered the disbandment ten minutes later, but Morgan was very sure that those ten minutes were a kind of torture for every Primarch present, even for the Emperor. .

The evidence is: after the Emperor ordered the primarchs to move freely, Jaghatai Khan was actually the slower one, while those like Mortarion or Perturabo were more cumbersome in their inherent impression. The Primarch ran perhaps the best time of their lives right then and there.

But if you ignore these connotations: at least the scene at that time was still beautiful.

The Lord of Mankind stood side by side with all his descendants, and his incomparable strength and majesty eclipsed the Titan legions guarding not far away: only warlord-level or even greater beings are qualified. Setting foot on the land of Ullanor today, every ticket is worth a duel between two legends.

Thousands of divine machines awaiting inspection by the Emperor, hailing from every gathering of giants in the Empire worthy of praise. Many of them have been recommended by the Expeditionary Fleet, the Primarch, and even the Emperor himself to qualify. Standing firm on this dry land, silently telling the story of his hundreds of years of conquest.

Every divine machine stands like a god, unwilling to waste even a single superfluous movement, because every Titan captain knows very well that their every move represents the entire legion behind them and represents the people here. In an unprecedented picture of a giant beast, what kind of posture will the flag they are loyal to be known to the world in a thousand years.

No one would give up such an opportunity, so all the Titan legions in the empire could be found on Ullanor at this time. The total number was so large that even the forces under the rule of Mars were not so conspicuous among them, and Reza was even more so. They are just elites who are just a circle bigger than others: large-scale forging worlds such as this are mixed in with the epics and prayers. The titles and names that were thunderous in the past seem ordinary in Ullanor today. .

The giants of the Mechanicum had different reactions to this situation. Most of them were satisfied. Even Reza kept her mouth shut. However, the Spider Queen's friends on Reza specifically told her: It is said that the current Mars Casting General Kalpohar is not satisfied with this result.

"Yes, I heard that too."

Sanguinius was not touched by this matter: the Ninth Legion had no further involvement with Mars. After all, their eccentric fighting style determined that their demand for equipment was not that rigid, so they could win over those around their home planet. A few forge worlds as long-term allies would be enough.

But Sanguinius was still happy to ask about Mars: who doesn't love free fun?

"The Foundry General feels that the power of Mars does not have an absolute advantage in this unprecedented exhibition, and this will further shake the authority of Mars. His concern is correct, but it is unnecessary: the advantage he has has What’s the use?”

"The blood has been shed, hasn't it?"

Sanguinius meant something: Morgan was sure to get the hint.

Because she was half a party involved, Angel was just a bystander at best.

After all, as early as decades ago, the local forging world Reza, who was in the Maelstrom area, successfully obtained the Omnissiah from the Emperor with the help of a certain Spider Queen who did not want to be named. After the news of the de facto jurisdiction over the entire Maelstrom region gradually spread, Mars's ruling system of the forge worlds under its rule was not very reliable and could only be regarded as a restraint, and it began to be fundamentally shaken. .

Reza's de facto independence is not the most serious problem. What is really fatal is that after decades of Reza being so unbridled, the Foundry General and his subordinates still can't do anything with this large forge world: nothing More than this, it shows the serious decline of Mars' control over the ministers under his rule.

Although in the west of the galaxy, every nail that Reza found was crushed by Mars with the most brutal means, but on this side closer to the Far East border, Mars' rebels could still rely on the strength of their allies to fight against the enemy. With his own solid foundation, he fought back and forth with the expedition fleet sent by the Foundry General; and by the way, he also made the maelstrom as big as an iron barrel.

Now, on the contrary, Mars' power in the Eastern Galaxy is gradually declining, and the original stronghold in the Maelstrom has been driven out by Reza. Even with Morgan helping behind the scenes, Reza's strength is actually far behind. It cannot be compared with Mars, but who said its international situation is far better than Mars?

Reza only needs to concentrate on facing the threat from Mars, but Reza is not the only one that Mars has to pressure: not to mention that with Reza's activity, other disks have begun to become more and more unstable.

And if the Foundry General does not start a full-scale war, what can he do to create a large-scale foundry world that has strong strength, internal unity, and is backed by strong allies and a broad market?

This is undoubtedly an endless cycle: Reza's strength boosts the ambitions of other forging worlds, weakening the power of Mars in disguise, and Mars' lack of power allows Reza's strength to continue to grow unscrupulously.

It is not that Kalbohar has never tried to cross the bottom line of war. For a period of time, the expedition fleet of Mars often misfired outside the colonial world controlled by Reza, and even deliberately broke into the space domain where Reza's homeland was located.

The answer given by [Forge of Binding Stars] is also very simple: after forcing back the fleet of Mars, they directly carried out a large-scale renovation work for Morgan and Conrad's Glory Queen-class battleship for free, and the location was naturally chosen. In Reza's low-Earth orbit.

"Seriously, I'm curious how you suppressed such a big thing?"

Sanguinius ate every piece of fruit, and was very satisfied with these delicacies that had been transported across half the galaxy through space preservation methods.

【What does it have to do with me? 】

Morgan chuckled.

[I just asked the Forge World, which is my good friend, to repair the battleship for me. 】

[As for the retreat of Mars: Isn’t it an internal matter within the Mechanicum? 】

"That said."

The angel shook his head.

"But you should be glad Firestar and Ryza's Titans didn't start a fight right here."

[Of course they won’t start a fight: Not to mention whether they have the courage or not, these Titan captains are still eager to serve as the background foil for Omnisiah, and have been written into poems and painted into oil paintings by countless artists and successors. , and his reputation will be praised even thousands of years later. 】

[This is what they do. 】

Morgan saw it clearly.

No matter how Mars and Reza's Titan captains view each other privately, on this land, they all unswervingly maintain the majesty of God's machinery, and these giant towers made of steel have become the The artists and narrators summoned by Fulgrim are the best background for their creations. The thin clouds of Ullanor and the dark silence of the divine machines can better highlight the Lord of Mankind and his nineteen incarnations. The brilliance of the incarnated demigod offspring.

It was a sight of unimaginable grandeur, and every mortal present was the luckiest bastard.

Morgan was not surprised to hear the news that mortal artists who had not been able to catch such a spectacle committed suicide in grief.

Sanguinius told her.

"It's hard to understand, isn't it?"

He was amazed and didn't feel that there was anything to regret about not being able to catch up with such a scene.

"Mortals are cowardly, but when they find their own way, their disregard for life also scares me: some of the officers under my command are like this, especially those who come from the barbaric world. They have no regard for human life. The shallowness is simply incredible.”

[I don’t think it’s difficult to understand: I’m always observing their lives. 】

[Many people are just accustomed to putting the importance of some things above their lives: but selfless people will only put the importance of their own lives, while selfish people will put the importance of everyone else's lives, but not On your own life. 】

"What if the things they value most are the lives of everyone else, including themselves?"

[That's a great man: or a madman. 】

"Have you ever seen such a person?"

[Seen: We may be scheduled to have a private meeting with him soon. 】

Looking at each other speechlessly, the two Primarchs laughed heartily.

They walked to the edge of the balcony, and in the distance was an entire flattened mountain peak, where the six primarchs stayed at the same time. Various tents and legion camps were lined up in rows: although the Mechanicus was already on the military parade platform Rest rooms were prepared nearby for the various Primarchs, but the bloodlines preferred to stay with their scions and mortal soldiers.

"You are no exception."

Sanguinius glanced at the resting area belonging to the Dawnbreakers and the Mortal Legion of Avalon not far from Morgan's Palace: the camp of the Dawnbreakers seemed small and exquisite, and much larger than that of other brother legions. Fewer components that look flashy.

"Why do you have a special venue for bonfire parties in your legion camp?"

[Then why is there a blood donation station standing at the gate of your legion camp? 】

"..."

Sanguinius did not pursue the topic.

He turned his head and looked at the mortal army loyal to Morgan. These elite soldiers and generals own the largest camp in the entire land of Ullanor. Compared with their mortal colleagues loyal to other legions, The hardware facilities and luxury level of these Avalon campsites are also quite amazing.

In the middle of the somber military tents, there are actually several very good libraries standing, and...

“Wait a minute: doesn’t that stone cabin look a bit like a church?”

Angel raised his eyebrows: He didn't know that his sisters dared to play with such a big thing.

You know what happened to our last brother who pursued religious victory, right?

【Ah, that. 】

Morgan was stunned for a moment.

【Well……】

[That is a natural reserve prepared for possible visitors of the Word Bearers Legion. 】

"..."

[By the way, in their spare time during their military careers, the mortal soldiers under my command also like to reenact ancient battles: Cannae, Agincourt, Austerlitz and so on. This church was built during the reenactment process before the war. It’s just a necessary prop during the prayer session. 】

"Why are you so interested in the history of warfare in the classical period of mankind?"

[I was not interested at first, until I compared the fighting style of mankind in the classical period with our current fighting style: especially in the history of Terra, during the period known as World War I and World War II, I was actually surprised It feels like a world away. 】

"No wonder they all say that you value mortals as much as your own children."

The angel looked at his sister.

"Aren't you afraid of the children complaining?"

【Why complain? 】

Morgan was satisfied and took away his favorite fruit in front of the archangel.

[My descendants can stay in mortal camps at any time, or entertain their mortal friends in their own tents: as long as they know that they belong to a common group called the Far Eastern Frontier, then The relationship between Stat and mortals is more harmonious than imagined. 】

"And you have to arrange the same living conditions for mortals as the Astartes?"

【No. 】

Morgan shook his head.

[This is because of the climate. 】

[I don’t want my elite soldiers to suffer non-combat attrition on this land. After all, after returning to Avalon, I still have to prepare for the next step of military expansion. Every soldier present can contribute to the army in a few years. I'm optimistic about the armed forces of at least one class. 】

[We can’t let them fall here. 】

"really."

Sanguinius nodded.

"Ulanor is not a good place: especially for mortals."

The land and its soul in the previous two years were equally bad. Not long ago, this place was the most foul-smelling lair in the galaxy, brewing crazy wars eager to destroy all civilization and pollute all known worlds. Although the Legions Astartes and The Adeptus Mechanicus used blood and fire to cleanse this land of filth as much as possible, but the atmosphere of the green-skin empire still lingers in the air.

Madness, and glory.

To make matters worse, the successive arrivals of the Astartes and the Mechanicus not only brought purification to the world, but also brought the stench of bullet casings and the exhaust gas of spacecraft engines. Those who can level mountains, fill rifts, and The Mechanicus' technique of crushing all the hills and castles and then using promethium fuel to clean the entire continent would itself swallow up countless metals and cleansing, leaving behind a royal capital standing in a sour stench.

This is Ullanor now.

It was unbearably hot and crowded, and the air was filled with the smell of flowing sweat mixed with burning metal: even the deserted and lonely Emperor's Dream in the void, with no trace of human fireworks, was even more intense than the air. It seemed more livable here, not to mention the Dawn Goddess, which Morgan regarded as his home.

"I kind of understand why a lot of guys don't like being on the ground anymore."

The angel was waiting for the second fruit plate: even the slightly poisonous sunshine didn't matter.

"Now I can only hope that the Emperor will quickly complete his private heart-to-heart talks with us, and then complete the Warmaster's ceremony: no matter how bad the environment on Nicaea is, it should be no worse than here in Ullanor."

[Your words are like saying that Guilliman's mother is better than the mothers of other primarchs. 】

"That's pretty much what it means."

[Then how long do you think it will take for the Emperor to finish talking to us? 】

"It won't take long."

The angel was silent for a moment.

"According to my experience: We only need to look at how long Horus stayed there, and we can estimate the approximate time. Subtracting the personal time Horus got, we will be like Dorn and The time that brothers like Corax, who are more popular with him, can get.”

"Minus a few more, that's the kind of treatment ordinary people like me can get."

[What about subtracting another section? 】

"That's the level of a Khan."

【What's the meaning? 】

"negative number."

Sanguinius smiled.

"But no matter what: our father must have been unable to get away for a while."

【What do you want to do? 】

"I just think this is a good opportunity for us to solve some problems with each other."

[For example? ]

"Magnus."

[What other problems does he have? ]