"Have you ever wondered why your father gave you the power to expand your territory?"

[I thought about it, but I didn't think of a reason: You know, I'm a clumsy person. 】

"For a very practical and popular reason, or rather, because of a person."

"Killiman."

"The one who was ambitious."

——————

Perhaps because she was unable to adapt to the relatively thin oxygen and unstable gravity on the [Veil of Fate], after welcoming her best friend Morgan, Kellyfanie has been in a state of low spirits, and has missed many activities in a row.

This satisfied the Lord of Steel, but also made him a little dissatisfied: on the one hand, Perturabo was satisfied that his serious conversation with Morgan was finally missing a spoiler, but the reduction of the original ideal audience from two to one was enough to make him feel a little resentful.

Soon, though, the Genoplasm of the Fourth Legion was no longer bothered with these little things: after his blood relatives pulled out a mechanically modified creature he had never seen before, and a pile of sketch blueprints that filled half a room: everything in the galaxy seemed less important.

The Lord of Steel spent eight days aboard the Polaris, without eating, drinking, or resting: a living example of the fusion of steel, flesh, and psionic energy was before him, and with a psionic master so intelligent that he could provide any assistance at any time, he had no idea why he should rest even for a moment.

For eight days, the two Genoplasms had not left the workshop, and all their needs and orders were being communicated through communication channels, and only the best technical sergeants and psionic masters could stand and walk at their side: for Perturabo did not trust the followers of Omnisiah very much.

It wasn't until the ninth day, when Morgan, who was visibly tired, slowly pushed open the door of the workshop, and then saw Lana guarding the door: the old Guard chief also had an imperceptible look of fatigue on his face, and it was clear that he had been guarding here for a few days.

But at the first sight of his genetic prototype, Ranner instinctively stood up and saluted, and then pulled out a thick stack of electronic boards and documents from his side.

"It's been the past few days, and various departments have been reporting one after another, my lord."

Morgan rubbed his temples.

[Pick and choose the key points.] 】

"Yes."

"Lord Bayar's application for the all-weather opening of the arena has received high praise within the Legion, and all departments have requested that this policy be made permanent."

[Yes, yes.] 】

"However, Lord Luthor came to you a few days ago with a message about the arena, but I have temporarily rejected him and asked him to leave a message."

What did he say? 】

"Lord Luthor said: When he passed by the arena during this time, he always found that His Excellency Ahriman, from the Legion of a Thousand Sons, had been forced to stay in the arena."

【…… Forced? 】

Lana looked left and right before lowering his voice.

"Lord Ahriman has been in various arenas for more than 800 consecutive Terra standard hours, my lord, and more than 90% of those times have been forced to be in the octagon."

[Can he hold on?] 】

"His Excellency Bayar has used his position as Deputy Speaker of the Legion Council to deploy a bed, a set of toiletries, an emergency life-support device and feeding system, and a complete first aid team from the medical department to ensure that His Excellency Ahriman can always be in combat condition and stay in the arena."

[Isn't this an abuse of private power? 】

"The Legion Council voted unanimously and the medical department did not have any opinion, the only requirement was that all members of the first aid squad should retain the right to enter the octagon during this period."

【……】

[How's Ahriman? 】

“…… Combat skills have improved greatly. ”

"You...... Is there any directive on this? ”

Morgan blinked, and she turned her head to look at the bad boy leader: sincerity was written on his scarred face.

After a while, the Spider Empress sighed in her heart.

[Not at the moment.] 】

"Understood!"

Lana straightened his waist and responded loudly.

[Let's talk about the next one, how is Luther doing?] 】

"His Excellency Luthor is interacting and tentatively cooperating with various departments of the Legion at your request, and has joined in the cooperation with Reza, and the Legion Council has a high opinion of him, and is looking forward to working with him in the future."

[Is there anyone who has a conflict with him, tell me the truth. 】

"No, sir."

"You don't know, in fact, as early as the Terra Unification War, the Second Legion often fought with mortal armies, we are used to the company of the best among mortals, and Lord Luthor is indeed an excellent figure among mortals, he has won a seat in the Legion Council with his own ability, and maintains a high enthusiasm for various Legion affairs."

"The only problem is that his body doesn't seem to be able to handle the intensity of work, and many department heads have responded to this, hoping to be able to perform a second modification operation on Lord Luthor, using psionic energy or other powers to maintain his body."

[Hmm......]

Morgan leaned against the wall, one hand propped up his head, and took a shallow break as he listened.

[This is indeed a good idea, help me remember, I will do it myself, and see if the psionic energy can help old Luther.] 】

[And ...... Well, what about Abaddon, what happened to him and his Shadowmoon Wolves? 】

"Your Excellency Abaddon is well, he and his fighting brothers are training on the ground of the veil of fate with Iron Warriors and some of your descendants in a non-live tripartite exercise to refine their tactics and cultivate friendship."

"Before that, however, Lord Abaddon had praised His Excellency Ahriman when he was browsing the arena, saying that he had never imagined such a martial warrior among the sons of Magnus, and that he himself would bow to the wind and make a name for himself in the Shadowmoon Wolf Legion."

[It's good to arrive...... Is there anything else going on these days? 】

"One thing, the detachment to the Dead World of Katachan sent two diametrically opposed messages a few days ago, coming from two different communication channels, but I suspect one of them is not credible."

[All said.] 】

"Understood."

"His Excellency Cortés sent the first message of communication, in which he said that the purchase business with the locals was going well, and he asked that he be given a place in the auxiliary legion, and that he hoped to recruit some of the Catachanjang as an auxiliary army of the legion, and that he could use his reputation and achievements to ensure their combat effectiveness."

【……】

[Give, tell him, recruit as much as he can, I allow him to make promises and chips at will, and I will be satisfied, anyway, he knows it in his own heart. 】

Lana looked up, a flash of consternation in his eyes: consternation at the genetics of his gene.

But his professionalism made him instinctively respond and begin to recount the second message.

"The second message did not come from Cortez's communication channel, they said that they were Cortés' team sent to the Katachan jungle area to buy goods, but Cortez's communication did not mention them, and he said that his goods were purchased by the locals."

The reason he gave was that past experience had proved that it was a very ...... to send people directly into the Katakham jungle area to buy goods Costly activities? ”

[That is, we have received two contradictory messages.] 】

[That...... Which one do you think is true? Lana? 】

"Personally, I think ......"

The Chief Old Guard was looking down and pulling out the electronic board full of the second communication, which made him miss the twinkle in the eyes of the Mother of Genes.

"The second one is not credible, mother."

[Reason.] 】

"Because their communications are just too ...... It's magical. ”

"At first, they just sent out their normal pleas for help, but then they gave examples of the dangers they encountered: they said they had encountered scorpions larger than themselves, amphibians capable of corroding power armor, and trees that wanted to eat them."

"In the end, they even said that even the stones on the side of the road were murdering them."

"This is an obvious fallacy, and I personally suspect that they are suffering from some kind of hallucination, but the actual situation needs to be decided by Cortés when he returns from Katachan."

[Wisely, let's wait for the return of the detachment and then discuss these strange communication records.] 】

Morgan whispered, she touched her forehead, feeling that the tiredness had been relieved to a high degree.

On the side, Lana was still reporting quite seriously, and the gaze of the original body on him had no impact at all, except for making his waist straighter and his voice louder.

Morgan looked at the staring veteran of Terra, at the hideous scar on his neck and at his handsome face, and fell into his own thoughts.

In fact, in terms of personality and attitude, Rana is difficult to attribute to [Bad Boy], he is one of the first characters of the Dawnbreakers, and is also recognized by the whole army as capable, tenacious and brave, with extremely high leadership charisma and ability, but the problem is ......

He was so brave and so much of a leader.

Before Morgan was reunited with his sons, Ranner's team had been wiped out 28 times: it should be noted, however, that 28 total annihilations did not show how bad Rana's abilities were, but rather a testament to his bravery and charisma, because behind those 28 annihilations were 28 miraculous victories.

The most famous of these was during the War of Unification of Terra, when Lana's team was accompanied by the Legion in a campaign to annihilate a mechanical warlord, and the entire Legion was crushed by the heavy firepower of a heavily armed Dark Tech Age fortress, and at the time, according to the most optimistic estimates, the probability of breaking through the fortress was less than 0.5%.

And it was in this situation that Lana took the lead and launched a charge, and his team did not hesitate to choose to follow, sounding the horn of the general attack: the 0.5% victory rate was miraculously held in his hands at the cost of the entire squad except for the seriously wounded and dying Lana.

For the first time, but definitely not for the last, for more than a hundred years, the scene was repeated again and again: leading the charge, annihilating the army, and miraculous victories, his courage and charisma always attracted his men to their deaths, until the Legion's higher-ups stopped this attrition rate and Rana became a lone ranger, until his genetic mother chose him into her personal guard, and had a strange expectation of him because of his former "great reputation".

"The Legion has been reported on the recent days, my lord."

【Very good...... Go and rest. 】

"I beg to be on duty here."

[Not needed for the time being.] 】

Morgan smiled, and in the midst of her silent smile, Perturabo pushed open the door to the workshop: his face looked more tired than Morgan's, mixed with an abnormal energy of extreme excitement, his power armor was covered with oil and metal chips, and his hoarse voice of excitement fluttered in the wind.

"I've thought of the idea, all the drawings have been sketched out, we can now officially start work, my machinery is combined with your psionic energy, I have finally fused it all together, now we just need to go to the [Iron Blood] and make it all done in my workshop!"

"Morgan! Call your warriors! Move everything in the room! We need it! ”

The Iron Lord's words struck Morgan's ears like a cannon, and his face was bright enough to make any Iron Warrior instinctively stunned: Perturabo was not the deep architect at all, and the days of sleepless research had made him tired, but also full of real pleasure, and now they were clearly visible on his face.

He was laughing, happy, sincere, unconsciously laughing.

A new subject and a new idea, an unknown territory and mysteries, a good assistant to trust and look forward to, and everything he needs: this is what Perturabo has experienced in these few days, and it is a source of joy that makes him feel joy from the bottom of his heart.

Without the slightest hesitation, under the strong orders of the Iron Lord, everything was running in an orderly and extremely fast manner: less than half an hour later, the two genetic prototypes had already gathered in the [Iron Blood]'s too tightly organized workshop, continuing their experiments.

——————

"I've put enough firepower and protection on her, and even some experimental technology that is not very stable: they are not safe enough, but they are powerful enough to be satisfied."

Morgan's chief maid, Aniah, lay on the Iron Lord's workbench, her chest and head completely open, and most of the machinery as far as the eye could see had been replaced: if the previous mechanical parts were the best of the best, then what Perturabo had carefully studied and installed was a unique work of art.

Millions of metal objects were delicately stuffed into this diminutive body, so that her internal complexity was completely different from that of a god-like machine of the same size, and all kinds of fire output points and force field generators were arranged in those inconspicuous corners, making her an acquired killing weapon.

"I placed a miniature communication array in her skull, as well as two refractive force fields placed under the left and right earlobes that can be superimposed on each other, and they exist in the form of studs, which, when running at full strength, can completely block the fire salvo of the tank formation."

"The goggles on her eyes are directly connected to her brain, allowing her to share the vision with you when necessary, while her pupils can switch shapes to fire deadly lasers."

"Around her neck, I've installed an anti-psionic collar to balance the various psionic techniques we apply to her and to act as a protective one: the collar is made of the same material as the shell of a fort-star automaton."

"On her body, I've fitted a tiny neutron laser launcher, a single light spear, a linear particle weapon, and a storm blaster, and I've made a special focus on her back: the metal spine on her back can unfold on its own to form four wings for a torrent of plasma and beams of energy when necessary."

"Her arms and legs are reinforced with metal cables and muscles that are effective enough to kill regular power armor, her nails are single-molecule blades, and her hands can be transformed into power claws with disintegration stances, and I've added four folding stances and individual void shields to her body."

"It's incredible, isn't it, if I put her in the narrow corridor outside the workshop, she will be able to resist or even destroy the attack from the Astarte formation, because her firepower is siege level!"

"But with such powerful firepower, we need to be perfectly placed on the most ordinary modified human body, if you look at it from a simple appearance, outsiders can't even see that she is a war weapon at all!"

"Psionic Rift! Why didn't I think of that before? ”

"You place psionic rifts in tiny containers, and I place them all over her body, design a complex trigger system, and then link the only trigger switch to the brain, to the soul, and to your will, so that she can choose to fire according to the instructions you left behind, or she can fight with your own hands."

"To put it simply, first expand the space inside the container with psionic energy, then place the energy beam and plasma as weapons in the container, and then place the container in the human body, so that a single person has siege-level power."

"Incredible idea, but we're about to make it a reality! Become a whole new field, a new exploration that merges psionic and mechanical. ”

"This is not the work of the conservatism of the Martians, but a real, exploratory step, and I have the impression that only our genetic fathers would do it."

At this moment, Perturabo was undoubtedly excited, joyful, and even uncontrollable: it could not help but make him feel a strangeness that he had not felt in a long time.

After the most excited joy, the Iron Lord subconsciously touched his otherwise serious face: but he only touched a smile that was so obvious that he couldn't deny it.

He was smiling, in joy, in feeling sincerely to eccentricly happy: this was not the kind of smile he would have shown in the time before when his work was recognized, or when his plans were met.

This smile, which he didn't even notice for the first time, seemed to contain some kind of element that he couldn't fathom.

Unpredictable: Has he been using the word too many times lately?

He touched his face, and the smile on his face gradually dried up, revealing the riverbed, which was always too serious.

The Iron Lord blinked, and he glanced silently to the side: there was no one else in the room now, only his blood relatives.

Frowning, Perturabo couldn't help but think.

Morgan was standing there, adjusting the performance of the psionic instruments, her face almost away from him, seemingly unaware of his gaze, seemingly uninterested in further observing and exploiting him.

She wore a lab coat commonly worn by experimenters or medical personnel, and she was tired from the day's work: during these days, Morgan and him had little further communication about personal emotions and other matters, and they had only the most efficient and capable discussions around new topics and experimental drawings, and sometimes even Peturabo would briefly wander, but the Lord of the Second Legion never seemed to have such a problem.

She is like the finest of instruments: cold, efficient, and admirable.

…… No.

This description is inaccurate.

Perturabo touched his chin, his gaze was a little too blind, so Morgan couldn't help but look back at him, nodded, and continued to work, leaving Perturabo there to continue thinking.

He pondered the words, and thought about his own description of blood kin, which seemed far less precise and comprehensive: there was no doubt that Morgan was an efficient and ruthless perfect machine at work, perfect enough to keep up with Perturabo's train of thought and pace, and to make the Iron Lord feel such a long sense of joy and immersion almost like never before.

A blood relative who can fit so well with him, such a silent tacit understanding, a wise companion who can experiment and deduce with him, over and over again, and never give up and be discouraged in countless failures and setbacks, sounds as beautiful as a dream, but stands alive in front of him.

He even thought it was a gift from his father.

…… Wait, Father?

A flash of light flashed through Perturabo's mind, allowing his thoughts, which had been a little confused from exhaustion, to find a bright enough guiding beacon.

Father......

and, the ring of golden light he had glimpsed when he had just been reunited with Morgan: he could be sure that he was not mistaken, it was indeed a ring of icy daylight, almost exactly what he had seen in the Emperor.

In Perturabo's eyes, Morgan's figure and the memory of the Lord of Mankind gradually merged, and there was a bit of resemblance, and even more, when he looked at his blood relatives again, he really felt that she was a little like their common genetic father.

He blinked, his mind a little confused again: instinct told him that his blood relatives definitely had some resemblance to his genetic father, and that was why he felt that way.

Resemble...... Resemble......

Where the hell is it.

The bruise on his tired forehead made Perturabo feel a little visibly sleepy and bored, and he forced himself to calm down, looked at Morgan's back once more, and began to think.

But soon, he couldn't help but sigh: Morgan's busy back does have a unique charm, her concentration and calmness are the most attractive places, and people can't help but want to explore the mystery in it, far better than the ones she did not understand before......

……

Wait a minute!

He got it!

The Iron Lord looked up sharply, knocking over the experimental equipment on the side, which made him stand in the confusion for several seconds, until he realized that his blood relatives were staring at him with strange expressions.

"I'm sorry."

He apologized in a panic: perhaps not at all, but anyway, after Morgan finally turned around and went back to work, Perturabo hastened to huddle himself in the shadows of the side, trembling with excitement for the clarity of his thoughts.

He figured it out.

He finally figured out what his genetic father had in common with Morgan.

They are all the same......

——————

【Mystery】

——————

In Morgan's heart, the word was softly spat out, and it was remembered at the same time as the excited cry in the Iron Lord's heart.

Where Perturabo couldn't see, Morgan lazily curled the corners of his mouth before continuing to dive into his work.

Her smile was like the wind, without a trace, and she didn't care.

——————

After all, Morgan knew at some point that if she wanted to get close to and use Perturabo, she would hardly succeed.

But that's okay: there's someone in the galaxy who can help her break through Perturabo's psychological defenses full of walls and deep trenches.

That person is:

Peturabo himself.

——————

The best way to get close to Peturabo is not to approach him.

It's about getting him close to you.

——————

Mysterious!

Yes!

That's it!

The Iron Lord sat lightly in his chair, as if resting.

But in the shadows that could not be seen, his hands were clenched together, and each finger was clenching the opposite hand bone tightly in excitement, until the ruddy area around the nails revealed a yellowish or even white ischemic glow.

Mysterious!

Why hadn't he thought of it before?

Whether it is the emperor or Morgan right in front of him, they are all mysterious.

It's all a treasure that he can't see through, a completely new, unexplored territory.

Perturabo looked at Morgan's busy background, and his eyes were full of what he had seen when he was reunited with the emperor at Olympia.

Even the proudest of moments could not restore the scene, and Perturabo only vaguely remembered that he had given up his career and his job in some irresistible absolute temptation, and had to climb to the top of the mountain: where the strongest hands held him.

That's the emperor, that's the lord of men, that's his father.

What the emperor looked like, what posture he had, what he said, what he did: Perturabo no longer remembers, his memory only exists with a cold light, a sense of security, a seductive mystery.

Just like Morgan now.

Mysterious.

He couldn't see through her, just as he couldn't see through the emperor: they seemed to have no desire for him, no despicable desires, and their words were so sincere and straightforward that they lacked the kind of hiding that would make him scoff at them.

They were straightforward, they were unabashed, they stood there, neither watching his power, nor taking advantage of his mind, nor blocking his gaze.

But he just couldn't see through them: he was 100 percent sure that neither Morgan nor the emperor had taken advantage of his mind.

He believed in them.

He longs for them.

Inside, he was attracted to them.

I was attracted by the mystery.

Peturabo let go of his palms, and there were already ten white marks visible to the naked eye on his large hands, and there was even a certain feeling of soreness and pain.

But he laughed.

He knew why he was laughing so unconsciously just now: because Morgan was taking him into a new realm, because he was exploring an unknown territory, just as he was exploring Morgan at the same time.

It fascinated him.

After all......

Peturabo is a scientist.

Peturabo was born to know.

So, Perturabo is a scientist who was born to know: could there be anything more tragic than that? A character who is determined to explore the unknown, but there is no mysterious realm to explore.

He already knew everything, he had seen through everything, he saw the sights, the eyes that had surrounded him since childhood: greed and fear, thirst and exploitation, they were placed right in front of his eyes, all the cover-ups were useless.

Even his sister, even Kellyfanie: she never wanted to do anything with him, but she was still somewhere deep inside, afraid of monster strength and intelligence, he saw clearly and saw boring.

And this is why Perturabo was so happy about the arrival of the emperor: he finally broke away from Olympia, where there was nothing to explore, and he finally got out of the backwater that he could see through at a glance, and came into the real vastness.

And the Emperor, and his mystery, testify to all this, which is enough to make Perturabo have all the illusions and expectations of his father.

Because he can't see through the emperor, he can look forward to it to his heart's content, to explore the place that the emperor symbolizes, to feel something that makes him happy.

Just like now, he also can't see through Morgan in front of him.

She...... What kind of person is she, in her heart, in her sincere and sincere, or playful and intelligent, or efficient and ruthless appearance, what kind of soul is hidden?

Perturabo thought.

Eagerly.

Expectant.

Finally, the Iron Lord inadvertently removed his iron armor and all his malicious feedback to the outside world, just as the monster in the cave tried to look at the sun for the first time in timidity and fear.

He slowly stood up.

Take a step forward.

——————

He finally found out.

He wanted to get to know Morgan.

He was looking forward to it.

——————

Nine hours later, Morgan finally finished the final work.

She looked back and noticed a strange glint in Perturabo's gaze.

This couldn't help but make her curious.

With the gradual deepening of the identity of the original body and the communication with the heirs, Morgan has already roughly understood part of his ability.

She knows that in the eyes of different people, she is a different person.

So......

What does she look like in Peturabo's eyes?

The Spider Empress blinked, choosing to put away the confusion for a moment, she moved her body slightly, put her hand on the workbench, and casually touched a star map: it must have been moved by the Daybreakers.

At this moment, Peturabo walked over slowly, he looked deeply at his blood relatives, and then swept the star map.

"This is where you're going to go after that?"

[Yes, Avalon.] 】

"Father has tacitly given you permission to conquer an entire territory, and you should think of a suitable name, like Killiman's Five Hundred Worlds, a unique name."

[Maybe it could be called the Federation of Avalon or the Ideal Country...... How do you all know the Emperor's orders? Did he tell you? 】

"The forces and the earth snakes that can be counted in the eastern galaxy have all been received, but some are fast and some are slow."

【…… I thought it was a covert order. 】

Morgan pursed his lips, causing Perturabo to laugh.

"It's a big project, how can it be a covert mission."

【…… Big project? 】

"Haven't you ever wondered why you are the only one who has the acquiescence and encouragement of the emperor to let you expand your territory?"

【……】

[I thought about it, but I didn't think of a reason: You know, I'm a stupid person, and I can't say anything beautiful on weekdays. 】

"For a very practical and popular reason, or rather, because of a person."

"Killiman."

"The one who was ambitious."

"Because of his five hundred worlds: his private realm is now as far as Sosa in the east and the edge of the Storm Star Domain in the west, and the radiation range is almost one-third of the Far Eastern Star Field, and he has only been part of the Great Expedition for less than forty years."

"And you must know that among the five major star fields of the empire, the area of the Far Eastern star field is comparable to the other four combined, and Killiman already occupies one-third of it: some people now call the Far Eastern star field the Extreme Star Field, you know what that means."

At this rate, in the next 50 or even 100 years, how big will his kingdom within a nation expand? And what is Killiman himself, who created all this with his own hands, planning? ”

Morgan blinked.

She didn't need to think about it at all: the innate thinking speed of the genetic prototype made her directly step over the questions and answers in the middle in the next second, and spit out the final conclusion.

[So, after seeing that my home planet is near the Five Hundred Worlds, the Emperor intends to support my power and let me create a new kingdom to restrain and contend with him? 】

Even Morgan didn't believe it, but Peturabo nodded solemnly.

"That's right."

[What do you think?] 】

"That's what everyone thinks, including me and the other Primitives, after all, Killiman's ambitions are visible to the naked eye, and it's a matter of course to have some precautions against this: even Killiman himself thinks so."

"I suppose he should be on his Otrama right now, ready to greet you, Terra's unofficial envoy."

【……】

Morgan was silent for a moment, and for a moment, she thought about what the primordials she had seen had said about Killiman.

Maybe...... Possible...... Probably......

Is her brother, whom she has never met, really an ambitious person?

After all, with so many people, how could it be possible to misjudge one person at the same time?

At that moment, Perturabo patted Morgan on the shoulder, drawing her train of thought back to reality.

"Don't worry, Killiman doesn't dare to make any big moves now, and the imperial power in the Far Eastern Star Domain will more or less open a convenient door for you: for example, I, Olympia is at the core of the Far Eastern Star Domain, not far away from your home planet."

"Your kingdom can always look forward to the power of the Iron Warriors."

[Thank you so much......]

[I have a better idea here, though.] 】

Morgan smiled.

Then, she held out her hand to Perturabo.

[Since my kingdom can expect the power of the Iron Warriors at any time. 】

[So, can I ask the Iron Warriors and their genetic fathers for the sake of my future people.] 】

[What about becoming the protector and creator of this kingdom with me?] 】

——————

[Come on, Peturabo.] 】

[With me.] 】

[Take this burning star.] 】

[To build an ideal kingdom of heaven.] 】

(End of chapter)