"I actually have a question that I've always wanted to ask you, Apocalypse."

"Entity Number Two, Morgan, your only female heir, the one you have chosen to be in charge of the Second Legion, the only one you have given worldly privileges and encouragement."

"What side of you did she inherit?"

Although he had expected it, this question would fill the emperor's face with the kind of hateful smile he did not want to see.

But even so, he asked.

Even if it is a palm print, there is a genuine curiosity.

More than 6,000 years may have consumed too many elements of human nature in Machado, but the contradictory twin that exists in the blurred boundary between human nature and animal nature, the instinctive fear of the unknown and darkness, and the irrepressible desire to explore, still stubbornly survives in the hearts of those who hold the seal.

Because of this, when the subspace voyage across half of the solar star field did not allow him to deduce the correct or satisfactory answer with the help of memory and knowledge, Machado finally couldn't suppress his desire to solve his doubts.

So, when he and the Lord of Humanity were once again on the terrace of the palace, when all the Golden Guards and Squires had a safe enough space from them. When the buildings that surround the foot of the palace, hidden in the gray smoke of the building, are in full view.

Makado, the Palm Sealer, tilted his head slightly, and looked at his lord, at the human apocalypse.

He asked questions, out of confusion and uneasiness in his heart.

And the emperor, and the apocalypse, just laughed.

As he expected, smiling.

It wasn't a sudden smile after a shock, nor was it a hypocritical mask that suppressed anger and shame in the heart, it was the most cunning smile, a hunter-like smile that started preparing early and waited for the other person to slowly walk into the trap.

It appeared on the Emperor's face, in the soft heart that the Lord of Humanity would only occasionally reveal when he was most relaxed: frankly, Machado was not willing to face this smile, because it would undoubtedly interfere with his inner understanding and positioning of the Emperor's thoughts, thus destroying their cold thinking in the face of many things.

But he didn't stop it, for the Palm Sealer remembered very well that it had been dozens of Terra standard years ago since he had last seen such a smile on the Emperor's face.

This time, let's let the apocalypse be casual.

Even the glorious Lord of Mankind in front of him should be a little tired.

Thinking of this, Macado loosened his always tight skin, closed his eyes that had not rested for too long, and quietly listened to the words from human autonomy, and his side bloomed triumphantly.

I've been waiting for your question, old friend. 】

[Ever since our fleet passed through the Betangamon system, and even earlier, I have been anxiously waiting for your words, Machado, I have to say, you are much more patient than I thought. 】

[For a moment, I was even worried about it, I was afraid that you figured it out and wouldn't discuss it with me anymore.] 】

“……”

[But now it seems like my worries are unfounded.] 】

“……”

[You know, old friend, I'm ...... Oh well......]

“……”

"Don't look at me like that anymore, Machado, I'll just say that. 】

When this voice came, in the heart of the palm printman, a glimmer of happiness that was enough to make him feel relaxed finally flashed: sure enough, in the face of the apocalypse, sometimes it cannot be completely deferential and caring.

And when the remnants of the smile disappeared little by little on Machado's countenance, the emperor's golden pupils finally flickered again.

The Lord of Humanity looked quietly at the Praetorian squads patrolling back and forth in the courtyards and corridors at their feet, and he looked at them, and a glimmer of love and pride flashed in his bright pupils: just as a craftsman looks at his proudest work.

It was in this silent gaze that the emperor's omnipotent will finally probed the fleeting ease and comfort in Machado's heart.

Until this moment. The Lord of Mankind really laughed in his heart.

His only old friend, who had been working hard for a while, was so long that even the Emperor felt a little cruel, and now, he finally gave the Palm Seal Bearer time to relax.

Even if it's just for a moment.

In this way, this pair of tacit and caring old friends for each other were quiet for a while, waiting for each other to come out of the rest, and then slowly provoked the topic again by the Lord of Mankind.

[Old friend, do you want to ask my daughter? My Morgan? 】

“…… Oh. ”

Machado was silent for a moment, and then sighed, seemingly in hindsight, in a kind of ill-intentioned emotion.

"So you know, you can call her that."

【……】

[Ahem.] 】

The Lord of Humanity, who had just turned his head to look at his old friend, had to shift his gaze to those diligent Golden Guards again.

After a few more moments, the emperor spoke slowly.

[Until then, I actually have a question for you, old friend. Why do you care so much about Entity Two? 】

“……”

He seemed to sigh, as if expressing a kind of dissatisfaction with knowingly asking.

"If your memories weren't shattered by your great plans, Apocalypse, then I think you'll remember that I accompanied you through all the original casting plans, and I witnessed with my own eyes how those beings that you stole from the subspace with your own hands, and which do not exist in any of the ideas and rational cognitions of mortals, have the appearance that they are now able to walk in the world and not be feared by any mortal man, thanks to our testimony and step-by-step operation."

"You and I, we saw with our own eyes how [the children] changed, stereotyped, and grown, and we made sure with our own hands that they would not fall into the most miserable future, until that accident befell our careers, that folly born of unnecessary compassion."

[Don't talk about it, old friend.] 】

"Okay, I know, I know that you are always like this, always like to avoid something, things that you can solve, but are no longer willing to face, as if doing so, you can make those best images live forever in your heart, and you can make your expectations of them turn into their true appearance and heart."

"I didn't want to nag about it anymore, but like I said, Apocalypse, like you've been thinking about that thing called [Battle Marshal], why do you always want to bring it back to the world again? Is it a lesson for once, is it the Tower of Babel ......"

【Machado, please......】

The Emperor's voice interrupted the nagging of the Palm Sealers with a humility, and there was something more pitiful and lamentable in that voice than humility, so that no one could continue to cool their hearts.

“……”

The Palm Printer sighed.

He could never refuse the whispers of the Emperor and these alternative pleas.

"Well, let's move on to this serious issue."

The Palm Seal blinked, and his old and cloudy pupils became clear again, no less than any sage who was rich and wealthy, nor inferior to any junior who had a good age, in the pupils that were enough to help the Lord of Mankind master the entire Galaxy Empire, there were some fragments and feelings of the Palm Seal's past.

"As I said earlier, Apocalypse, I have witnessed the birth of each of your children, and I have participated in every bit of this grand plan, which is one of the few things that can make me proud and gratified, so that I can slowly reflect on that period of time in the dark night."

I could even proudly call myself the other father of each of the primordials, or the other mother. ”

"But, as you know, the apocalypse."

"There's only one that I can't do."

"There is only one person, and I am absent."

【…… Morgan. 】

"After she was contaminated, you excluded all of us from your private lab, and I couldn't see Primorium Two again until you claimed that you had done most of her transformation and redemption, but by that time, I didn't recognize her anymore."

"And, when you had that difficult communication with Primordial Two, I was watching you all the time, watching Primordial Two's every move, trying to see her soul and inner self as much as possible."

"She's weird, Apocalypse."

"She's weird."

"What the hell did you do to her?"

【……】

The Emperor's silence lasted longer than Makado had imagined, one of his hands resting on the marble balustrades adorned with gold, looking out over the bloated buildings on the horizon that were gradually engulfed in a layer of gray clouds.

His eyebrows and eyes were drooping, as if he was thinking deeply about what he was making and making to make.

But in the end, when he turned around again, he answered the question in Machado's mind: partially.

[Do you remember those chess games we played before?] Old friends, before we set out on this expedition, we had played game after game. 】

[Those games that have neither a beginning nor an end, and no one will win.] 】

[We just grab those chess pieces and measure every position they may land on in each game, but there are some chess pieces that we can't always grasp. 】

[It's like Eleven, every time, he will inexplicably damage it in the middle of the game, so we have to put it aside.] 】

[But you know, old friend, not only Eleven, in many duels, Second is also the one that is often broken, or rather, in so many games we play, only once, Second will always be on the board.] 】

And if I'm not mistaken, that time, you were in charge of it? 】

Do you remember what it looked like? 】

“…… Of course. ”

"Cobwebs and mirrors."

Machado's pupils flashed with a hint of the past: of course he couldn't forget the chess piece called Two, after all, the decoration on it was so strange that one could never forget it after just looking at it.

Cobwebs, mirrors.

Machado remembered.

It was a cobweb, a not, very large, but delicate cobweb, perhaps the work of the most astute predator.

In every sense of the word, there was a symmetry in that web that the laws of nature could not tolerate, and every strand of its silk shimmered with a glittering sparkle, a thousand strands of silver thread, woven into a web of heaven and earth.

But what is most impressive is that in the void formed between these silver lights, it is no longer cold air, but one after another, like the surface of a spring lake, sometimes quiet, sometimes clear, sometimes fluctuating, sometimes blurred......

Mirror.

The cobwebs are so delicate.

There are so many threads.

There are so many mirrors.

It's as if everyone who faces this combination will be spied into all corners of their hearts.

“…… So, is that the answer to that question? ”

Looking at the slowly furrowed brow of the Palm Printer, the Lord of Humanity's face finally became serious again, and his fingers slapped a rhythmic nameless ballad on the railing, answering the question in a calm, unconsciously convincing voice.

[Yes, Machado.] 】

[As you know, each of my children has inherited a part of me, but this inheritance is not single, each of them is complex, with a variety of attributes and colors, but in their body, in general, there will only be one color that is the most brilliant. 】

[One of my children may be a unique duel champion, or he may become a psychic who knows the world, or he may observe this cruel world with the eyes of art and aesthetics: these things can exist in one person at the same time, just waiting for their own choice. 】

[That's how Morgan is. 】

[She inherited a part of my soul, and also inherited a part of you under my deliberate arrangement, my old friend, you can see her as a projection of you in the original body. 】

[And on top of that, I gave her some extra options, but it seems that she ended up choosing the most subtle side of what I gave.] 】

[This side is powerless, but this side is the most powerful.] 】

[You know, Machado, in me, everyone will see the shadow of what they are looking forward to, the accumulation of various factors and options. 】

[I don't like this power, but it has helped me a lot, and now this power has been inherited by my daughter, who is also able to bring the best and most fantastic side to everyone, especially her blood brothers, who are most affected by this. 】

[When my other children and my daughter have spent a long time in cooperation and friendship, so that they can indeed endure each other's existence, work and move forward together, in their eyes, Morgan will become the person they desire the most, and will become the person they subconsciously need the most. 】

[For a marshal who coordinates the war, she may be a chief of general staff who is trustworthy, does not admire Rongli, and is enough to share his life and death. 】

[For those so-called sages who want to show off their knowledge, she may be a quiet listener with corresponding knowledge and appreciation.] 】

[In the face of those who are unwilling to meet the challenge and yearn for answers and guidance in their hearts, she may also become arrogant, become uneasy, and forcibly drag the people in the shadows into the sun. 】

[But anyway, Machado, I want you to remember this.] 】

[This kind of influence is not the basis for my daughter to be reckless, it will also restrain her quietly and change her invisible blade. 】

[When she has been with a brother for a long enough time, when she gradually adapts to and transforms into the perfect partner in the eyes of her brother, when she has been with a brother for too long, such as more than ten years or decades, she will also be slowly affected. 】

[She will really become unenvious of Rongli. 】

[She'll really become admirable.] 】

[She will really change, and she will begin to move towards light and justice.] 】

[Maybe she didn't realize that this was happening, maybe she would be complacent about her dominant position among her brothers.] 】

[But that's okay.] 】

Because change is a two-way street. 】

[It's also real.] 】

Although this change may not bring the best results in the end, it will do me a favor now, and it will indeed remove a superfluous part of my many plans that I don't need to care about. 】

And this is the task I have given to Morgan, the expectations I have for my daughter, the ordinary one of the many goals I have shaped her, and the path I have chosen for her. 】

[She's a gift.] 】

【Machado. 】

Morgan, she's a gift from me to my children. 】

——————

“……”

"Wait, Apocalypse."

"According to what you say, then actually, ...... Johnson over there?"

[Yes.] 】

[Just like you think now, old friend.] 】

[I won't let Morgan stay in the First Legion, even if Johnson finally speaks, I won't let her stay, that's the most shameful waste. 】

Johnson has had that gift for too long. 】

[Now, it's all in the past.] 】

——————

"You are like a gift, my dearest blood relative."

"A gift from my fate."

Only the radiant spirit can temporarily describe the current state of the thousand-word genetic prototype: Magnus's red skin is becoming more and more red because of his happy mood, as if it is a kind of copper metal that has been refined.

Along with his amusement, the majestic mantle behind Magnus, composed of the bright feathers of some kind of haughty bird of prey, poured down like a waterfall, and with the help of the ingenious layout and materials of the Pyramid of Light, the sun that was gradually falling over Prospero shone through the strange glass that seemed to be tight, but in fact was one-way transparent, and shone on the cloak, making Magnus seem to be a proud scholar walking in the sun.

After that somewhat different trip in the mirror, Magnus took his blood relatives to almost every room up and down the Great Pyramid of Light, every corner, wantonly displaying his knowledge and research findings over the past few decades, and ninety percent of the content came from the deepest part of the comfortable and peaceful subspace in Magnus's mouth.

In the words of this Genoprime, although there is no complex thinking or advanced ideology in the subspace, it contains all kinds of treasures and relics that have been accumulated over billions of years in the galaxy, as well as some fragments of the aether that wander in it, which may bring benefits or dangers, and are almost instinctive.

It was these things that he himself studied, and thus solved the problem that had plagued the entire Legion in the first place.

"Since then, Chiko's quest for knowledge has been unstoppable."

"We have also found the best way to know the future of humanity."

"And now, we're experimenting with it, we're making everything that exists only in the dreams of the world become reality, into the future, into wonderful truths that are within reach."

"Right in front of your eyes, Morgan."

"Let's see."

"Look at all this, look at my Prospero, one day, what I do here will affect the entire galaxy, for the next 10,000 years, 20,000 years, or even longer."

"As long as human civilization exists, and as long as there are emperor's people living and breathing, they will never forget what I have done for them, and what I and my heirs have done at this moment."

"I know it may sound a bit arrogant, Morgan, but Prospero is the best proof of it all."

"Look at it, see what kind of splendor the whole city is bathed in, and you will understand my ambition and dreams."

Magnus cried out in a loud voice, and at the last moment of this visit, he took his blood relatives to the highest terrace of the Great Pyramid of Light, where they could easily see the whole city of Tizca, the dark shadows cast by the mountains and the acropolis in the distance, and the tens of millions of Magnus people coming and going in the streets.

Magnus has never brought anyone here, since the Great Pyramid of Light was built, this is the private corner of the kingdom where the Genogen admires him, even his favorite heirs, even Ahriman and Amon, at this moment, can only stay at the foot of the Great Pyramid, waiting, waiting for the Genogen and his blood relatives, to enjoy the most wonderful scenery.

Yes, Morgan was the first visitor to this private kingdom of Magnus.

Although the number of times they met was still very few, this did not prevent Magnus from having a unique psionic blood relative, this genetic prototype excavated by the Thousand Sons Legion, this character who had a kind of fate bond with him and his legion in the dark, could leave a strong mark in his heart, and accumulate a good impression that made him smile.

Because it was on this day that Magnus did what he had always dreamed of: he welcomed a blood relative, a blood relative worthy of admiration, a quiet listener with knowledge corresponding to him, and an appreciative listener.

He led the blood relative, the true wise man, to see the city of Tizca and to his Great Pyramid of Light. Browse through his pride and writings.

He'd wanted to do that for a long time.

He had long wanted to see those eyes of understanding and those eyes of equal wisdom, and he had long wanted to bathe in the recognition and depth of what he had done, of his cynicism.

And these things, Morgan gave Magnus throughout, although she did not always speak and pander, but through the windows of the mind, the genetic prototype could see the identification in her eyes

He doesn't even expect more.

On the other side, Morgan was just doing what she had done the most today, letting her pupils move slowly with Magnus's words, seeing things that she was a little shocked at first, but now she was already insensitive.

She would have liked to grab the guardrail, but it was impossible to do so: for her hands were clutching something that Magnus would give her every time he showed her a landscape or a so-called intellectual discovery, a heap of gifts.

At the end of the day. This blood relative also gave her a lot of things.

A Crown: It is inlaid with a bright ruby, Morgan has never seen such a large gem, and the material of the crown is also visible to the naked eye, according to Magnus's boast and assurance: it allows Morgan's power to get a shocking growth in the spiritual realm.

He even swore in Prospero's name that after wearing this crown, Morgan could even suppress some of the things in the minds of his other blood brothers.

A book: A transcript of all the great books that Magnus has worked on and learned, and one of the most special of them, because it is updated in real time.

Every time Magnus updated the book in his hand, the latest fragments of Morgan's manuscript appeared, and it was clear that Magnus wanted a deeper, longer connection with his blood relatives.

A scroll of blueprints: the city of Tizca planned above, with the Great Pyramid of Light, and a number of other buildings and things in general order, some of which had already been realized on Prospero, and some of which were just the grand plans that Makineus had in mind.

This was the only thing Morgan had taken the initiative to reveal some longing for, and Magnus had not originally put them in the gift, but after seeing Morgan's gaze, he gladly gave them.

And at this moment, Morgan was holding them, from the highest vantage point, overlooking the entire city of Tizca.

She saw:

She saw hundreds of her heirs roaming the city, the Legion's psionics, who had come to open their eyes on her orders.

She saw countless so-called guardian elves flying around every corner of the city, marking and dividing the territory, and playing with the laughter of the thousands of children.

She saw, she saw the cyan smoke that was enveloping the entire city of Tizca at this moment. Each wisp of smoke symbolizes a psyker, or a bloodline that will become a psyker in the future.

She saw the smoke. She nodded softly: 100,000, 100,000, more......

Soon, Morgan gave up on this useless effort, as she clearly discovered that the entire city, whether it was Astarte warriors or mortals, or children, and unborn bloodlines, seemed to be deliberately being led to the other side of the psionic power.

There is no doubt that in those times to come, the proportion of psionics will increase.

Maybe just a few hundred years from now. Every bloodline that descends in this city will be a psyker: only the strength among them will vary.

This time. Even Morgan had to turn his head slowly and look at Magnus heavily.

But apparently, her heaviness was thought to be something else, the cause of the progenitor's proud smile.

"It's a big job, Morgan."

"I'm glad that you can really see it, you know, even most of my heirs can't appreciate my grand blueprint from the depths of their hearts."

"I confess to you. It's just one of my many plans, and it may come true in the future, or it may become a bubble that cannot be realized, but it doesn't matter, at this moment, I'm working on it. ”

"I'm getting the whole of Tizca, and even the whole of Prospero, to embrace the power of subspace and psionic energy."

"The food, the water, and even the houses and the air that people breathe, from the very beginning, to the scale they are now: they are all under the influence of psionic powers, and they are quietly introduced into the blood of the Prospero people in various ways."

"This is a great attempt, my blood relative, if it succeeds, I will open an artificial spiritual awakening, and I will let the power of the subspace be vividly exerted and embodied in every emperor's people."

"One day, Prospero will become what I dreamed it to be, it will become a bridge between the subspace and the real universe, it will become a unique place to cross the veil, and each of its people will be part of a great ceremony, and they will all have their own guardian elves and subspace paths."

"At that time, they will all see the true light of the future in the subspace, understand the endless exploration and wisdom in my heart, and understand the true future of mankind."

"Then, they will set out, they will be my envoys, to all parts of the galaxy, and after the Great Expedition, it will be an unprecedented era of construction and psionic power."

"The era of subspace."

If you see that it is not finished, it is the result of my operation error, just refresh it

(End of chapter)