Tonight, Robert Killeman, as always, has insomnia.

After dealing with the last report that the vast territory of the five hundred worlds of Otlama could hand over to him, the Ultramariner's genetic protoplasm discovered in a superimposed state of joy and distress that he actually had a rare period of rest that he could use freely.

When he realized this, Killiman, the archon of Macurag, was stunned for a moment, and then squeezed out a faint, bitter smile on his somewhat tired face, as if to deliberately tell his heart that he was happy.

Without alarming anyone, not even disturbing the two victorious guards who were on duty at the door, the de facto ruler of hundreds of worlds left his room like a cowardly thief, and he made his way to the highest point of the Inner Court, a terrace that was inaccessible enough to be secluded and tall enough for Killiman to quietly overlook the farthest horizon and canopy.

In the fifth year of the Genogen's arrival into this world, he [discovered] the place, and happily appointed this secluded corner that could just accommodate him as an independent kingdom to escape the annoying trivialities.

Killiman loved to stay here, but he couldn't stay here for long: whether it was the genius adopted son of Connaught the Archon before, or the master of the five hundred worlds in Macurag, the genetic prototype of the Ultramarines was too important, and once he lost his whereabouts for more than a minute, the entire Hera Fortress and even the city of Maculag would be disturbed by the urgently assembled Victorious Guards and the Central Praetorian Guard, and the aftermath of the panic could be up and down in the civilian area for more than ten days.

When he found out that the entire Inner Court and Hera Fortress were in chaos because he had been missing for a minute, his first reaction was some disappointment and dissatisfaction, but when he really saw Auguston and Valentus and others with anxious faces flocking to him, their faces full of hope and joy, a sense of guilt hit the heart of the genetic prototype again.

He apologized to everyone, right in the middle of the court, to the children and mortals who had risen in the middle of the night because of his wayward actions, but the sincere words could not prevent him from complaining about the displeasure in his heart in a secret room, to his dear Lady Judon, when he pouted like a completely immature child, babbling on long complaints about petty fuss and the passage of personal time.

Thinking of this, a cheerful smile crept up the corners of the genotype's mouth, dispelling most of the exhaustion on his countenance, Killeman took a few steps forward, leaning against the edge of the terrace, he was not wearing armor, only the most modest ceremonial clothes, when he leaned against the guardrail, looking out at the city in the distance, those valuable cuffs were squeezed up, and some ugly folds appeared.

In the eyes of the Genotype, the city of Maculag bathed in the morning light may be one of the most wonderful scenery in the whole galaxy, this treasure that he personally inherited from the responsibilities of King Connaught, and through his efforts with the successive generations of consuls before him, it has become the greatest and most brilliant city in the eastern frontier of the galaxy.

Makullag seems to have been born with such a fate, even without his so-called genetic protogen: in many cases, Killiman thinks this because of his faith and pride in the people and history of the place, and his conviction that their power is more important than his personal leadership.

The city of Maculag is the central argument for this argument: the city had stood for thousands of years long before his arrival, and it has always been so beautiful.

The Genogen looked up into the distance, and in front of him was a snow-white queen, whose immaculate skirt stretched all the way from the peaks of Hera's Crown in the north to the coast in the south, and in a world full of majestic mountains, the city of Maculag proudly occupied an entire cherished fertile plain, but no one was dissatisfied.

The Lord of the Ultramarines looked at his inner court, first at the patrolling Praetorian Guards and the Inner Court Guards, two mortal guards who had proven their strength and loyalty in countless previous trials, and who were able to proudly stand side by side with the genetic Astarte guards to protect the master of Macurag.

Beyond the inner court, there was a barracks and a park, which was not such a strange combination for the martial Makulag, who watched the early mortals walk in the lush greenery, and he was satisfied with the comfort on their faces.

Then he looked elsewhere, at the imposing castle of Hera, and at the fortress area that perched high in the old city, and from the highest point of these cities, he swept his gaze over the orderly residential areas and squares, at the dense buildings and towers, and finally disappeared into the distant skyline, the tall Syvian wall blocked his view in the west, and the genetic prototype knew that behind that wall, there was a slum that looked out of place with the city, The squalid and dilapidated buildings were the focus of his attention in the decades that followed.

Every city has its own stains, and it has its own flaws that have to be faced: even the makulag is not immune.

Thinking of this, the genogen exhaled softly, setting off a wave of white qi in the gradually warming air, and he looked up slightly, and saw that on the sky where the dark blue and gray intersected, there were traces of four wheels gradually forming a figure, which were the four moons in the orbit of Maculag.

Yes, satellites......

Killiman blinked, and he looked at the guards who had been running around Makulag for thousands of years, and fell into deep thought.

In the brain of the genetic prototype that is enough to run the entire star, his greatest helper, his greatest opponent, his innate and proud multi-threaded thinking, begins to operate uncontrollably: in Killiman's thoughts, countless events and thoughts are like white horses passing through the gaps, making his secret thoughts begin to flood at an uncontrolled speed, and begin to jump the topic with unimaginable speed, and finally toss and turn all the way to a realm that he did not want to do a few seconds ago.

He began to think, and began to touch the scene with an alternative feeling.

From the satellite to the guard, from the guard to the people around him, from the people around him to the emperor and other genetic protogens, and finally naturally: I thought of a blood relative who had just received the permission of the Lord of Mankind to continue to expand his territory not far from the northern border of the five hundred worlds.

The blood relative......

Killeman sighed softly.

Outposts.

Supervise.

Another brother, another pair of eyes.

The heir of his genetic father found in the ethereal stars, the silver-haired queen who was revered and trusted by the Lord of Humanity, the hero who rose in the Randan War, even the most obscure genetic protogen, would hear of her deeds and powers.

And now, to the north of him, next to his Otrama, she has established a new realm, a rapidly expanding miniature empire: according to the few pieces of information gathered by the Lord of the Five Hundred Worlds, it took his blood relative, the genetic protogenone who commanded the Second Legion, to hold an entire rich star sector in her hands in less than six Terra standard months, and this is only her personal declaration, as for the real situation, no one knows.

The battle records that have been revealed are astonishing, and with her own relatively limited military strength, the Lord of the Second Legion adopts a bold strategy: she generously teaches a considerable amount of power to a mortal commander named Luther.

And Luthor did not live up to the expectations of the Genogen, he led an army of mortals, Mechonia and some Astarte warriors in an extremely fast pace of war, swept through half of the star, wiped out countless pirate space stations, and finally successfully rendezvoused with the army of Genogen, and together defeated and cleared a rising greenskin frenzy.

Now, this celestial mortal commander is leading a sizable army into other star regions, his reputation has spread in many worlds in the eastern galactic world, and the genetic protoplasm who promoted him is about to arrive in Macurag.

Morgan.

Killiman had known this particular name for a long time, and he was probably one of the first people to know about it among all the genetic protogens, and the ruler of the Maculag was accustomed to asking about other legions, such as what elite people had been revealed under his brothers, or what good systems and weapons they had developed, and any other place worth learning.

Killiman would take the trouble to explore and document these things, and strive to re-show the good of the other legions among his Ultramarines, he would carefully check and select the best parts, and discard those that were not suitable for the Ultramarines, or those that he felt were worse, and only keep the real essence to strengthen the thirteenth legion.

In the eyes of the Lord of Maculag, it was a kind of learning, a silent exchange, a kind of integration, and he would do this to any legion he could explore, and he didn't mind any of the other legions learning from the Ultramarines: in fact, he could only be happy with this mutual learning, which meant that the Ultramarines and Macurag became a benchmark and role model for others, as he had dreamed of, and became part of a better service to the Empire and humanity.

If everyone was Killiman, if everyone was better than him, if the name Robert could only be the most inconspicuous of the people of the Empire, then he would be very happy.

Unfortunately, at the moment, no other genetic protogens seem to be able to understand Killiman's silent kindness, and when they see something very similar to their special features in the Ultramarines' formation, but a little different, their faces often show a subtle distortion.

I just don't know, will this blood relative who is about to meet be such a person?

Killiman's countenance shifted with a slight bitterness.

As soon as he thought of this, he thought of Morgan's kingdom, and he thought of the emperor's decree to all the powers of the Far Eastern Star Domain.

Although every high-ranking Imperial official in the eastern frontier of the galaxy was given the exact same words, Killiman was convinced that this order was specially designed for himself.

What does the Lord of Mankind want to express?

Is this a warning? Or is it a silent declaration? The Lord of Mankind had shown unimaginable tolerance and understanding for his kingdom within a kingdom, but now did he regret it?

So the Emperor seized the opportunity, the opportunity to return to him with the Primordial so close to Killiman, and he decided to set up an outpost, a base next to the Ultramarines, to make sure that things didn't get to the point where everyone couldn't get off the stage?

If this is the case, then Killiman is happy to accept this, and he is happy to flatter the silent and clever political actions of the Lord of Humanity, and to show a goodwill to Holy Terra and the War Council.

He was even secretly planning whether to make concessions on some frontier land or material matters, which was nothing, the frontier of the Five Hundred Worlds was indeed a little too far away from its core area, far enough to make people worry about Lord Macurag's intentions.

For example, in the east where Morgan's kingdom is shared with the Five Hundred Worlds, the unexplored expanse of the frontier that has been tentatively named Sousa seems to be a gift to the visiting genogen.

It's just that such an empty and remote territory, if it is used as a gift, is it a little too shabby, can it be understood as a kind of contempt he expresses for this genetic prototype, and even the human lord behind him?

Speaking of which, he wasn't even sure what kind of attitude this visiting blood relative would have, whether she would bring other words that belonged to the Emperor, or would she bring about a change in the attitude of the Lord of Mankind.

Thinking of this, Killiman couldn't help but touch his neck, he felt a somewhat hot and humid wind blowing on his face, and with the sun gradually rising, this place no longer seemed to be a place to contemplate.

The genogen turned around and returned to his office, still unalarmed anyone, but just as he was about to restart his contemplative, a familiar sound of footsteps came down the hallway, causing Killiman to look up in surprise.

The muffled voice of Chang Shengjun sounded outside the door, and before Killiman could speak, the door was slowly pushed open, and it was the same person that the original gene had in mind.

"Ma'am."

The Lord of Maculag showed a reassuring smile, and in his gaze, the palace lord of the five hundred worlds, who was also the adoptive mother and butler of the genetic primordial, Talasha Yudon, slowly walked into the room.

Killiman greeted him happily, but his joyful face was quickly dispelled by a sense of apprehension, and the genogen glanced at the clock with some suspicion, as if to be sure of something.

"Didn't you rest? Lady? ”

"I just woke up early, you know, Robert, summer is here, and the air is starting to get hot and humid, and it's hard to sleep soundly."

Yutun looked up and down at the giant she had raised, the palace lord originally wanted to fulfill her obligations as a housekeeper to report today's trip to the genetic protogen, but at the first glance of Killiman, more than fifty years of getting along with each other made her find some clues.

"Are you bothered about something? Robert? ”

"Nothing ......"

The genogen instinctively wanted to deny it, but in the quiet gaze of Lady Yutun, he was miserably defeated in a second.

Killiman pursed his lips and dragged himself back to his special desk, stroking the contemplative left by his adoptive father with some reluctance, and quietly glancing at his palace lord, until he found that the lady had followed, also sitting on the other side of the desk, and the last bit of luck in his heart was snuffed out, and the genogen sighed and had to speak.

"Well, ma'am, I'm just thinking about something, some people."

"Thinking about your upcoming blood relative."

"Yes, that's my guest."

"But it's also your blood relative, isn't it?"

"That's what it means, ma'am."

"No, not really, Robert."

Slowly but surely, Yudon shook her head, she stood up so that the Genogen could see herself better, her body tall and thin under her white robes, similar to her already aged countenance, but even so, she was still able to command the respect of everyone in the Inner Court and Hera Fortress: not because she was the adoptive mother of the Genogen, but because of her accomplishments, intelligence, and reason over the years.

In her arms, the Ultramarine's genetic protoplasm spent twelve years carefree, and then, as the master of the Thirteenth Legion, he served humanity and the Great Expedition for nearly forty years, and for more than half a century, Yuton has been by Killiman's side, the years have robbed her of her once beautiful face, but also made her thinking more rational, her words sharper, and her vision more far-reaching.

"Guests are different from blood relatives, my Robert, they are very different."

"You'll meet hundreds of guests every day, whether it's in the council halls of the Inner Court during the day or here at night, you'll always be visited by a steady stream of people, planetary governors, rogue merchants, bishops of the casting world, and mechanical priests, and you'll have to deal with these different and identical faces every day."

"They have a request for you, or they have something you want, you remember what they look like and what they do, but there is no more fluctuation in their hearts: this is a guest, they know and know you, but in the end they are not all the way with you, you just happen to have a junction on your own path."

"But blood relatives are different, apart from your genetic father, how many people can share the name of the original gene with you? Fifteen? Or sixteen? No matter what the exact number is, it's a number to cherish for the galaxy, especially for you, Robert. ”

"After all, no matter where you are in the galaxy now, you all started from the same place, and your life trajectory has a common starting point, and is destined to mingle countless times, and you must learn to face them, face your blood relatives, your brothers."

"It's not just brothers, ma'am."

Killiman glanced first at his adoptive mother, and his gaze soon drifted to the morning light outside the window, where he sat with his arms on his knees and leaned forward.

"We are brothers, bloodlines of the Lord of Mankind, but we are also colleagues, allies gathered under one banner: you know, ma'am, when the mortals of the lower city talk about me and my brothers, their first thoughts are not to see me and the other primordials as a group of sons of the same father, but as a group of generals under the same king, frontier rulers and legionnaires in the same empire."

"When we come together, our identities are often not brothers who share a common friendship, but commanders who lead our respective regiments to the army, and the task always takes precedence over our family affection, not to mention, we have no friendship worth expounding, and each of us does not get together much with each other."

"Not much? Robert? ”

The palace lord asked rhetorically with a smile, her smile making Gilliman's words sound so pale.

"I don't think there is a lack of true friendship among your blood brothers, and some of them have a fiery affection for each other, even an old woman like mine has heard of it."

"It's not that you can't make friends with your brothers, Robert, you're just a little too withdrawn, and you'll lead your army out for missions that require cooperation, but you're always absent when they come together to talk about friendship and affection."

"You can't always be absent from these group activities, Robert, when you were a Macurag boy, you had enough reasons not to go to other boys' parties, after all, it's hard to be the same kind as them."

"But now, since your relatives are united and gathered among the stars, connecting each other's friendship, then maybe you should indeed go out and walk more, let them know what you are thinking in your heart, let them listen to the plans and ideals you have outlined, and perhaps, you will become true friends."

Yudon's words silenced the Lord of the Five Hundred Worlds for a moment, and he looked up again at the clock on the wall: in less than ten Terra standard hours, a genetic protogen would be in Maculag's orbit, and Acatlan's correspondence with Cows had informed their itinerary days earlier.

But in the end, he shook his head.

"Madam, your words and advice would be an unbreakable truth if placed in an ordinary mortal family, but in my case, they are different: we are not just brothers, we are the rulers of our respective worlds, the commanders of powerful legions, and our words and deeds, our every action, symbolizes the power behind us that is capable of conquering and destroying the world."

"To put it simply, whatever we say or what we do, we can no longer simply represent ourselves, people will not see what Killiman has done, people will only see what the Lord of Maculag has done. Thus there worriedly speculated about what the Five Hundred Worlds would do. ”

"From this point of view, we should keep a relatively safe distance from each other, each of us symbolizes a colossal beast in the jungle of the Empire, and our encounter with each other is like a collision, which will cause trees to fall, birds to frighten, and a lot of unnecessary trouble in the jungle."

"Whether it's for the sake of stability, or to reduce these unnecessary troubles, we should keep a proper distance, you know that, ma'am."

"At a very young age, I was taught that careerists who can amass great power by virtue of their connections and prestige are the most dangerous enemies of a stable order, because the appearance of such a person often means that the word unity is no longer valid, and the seeds of division have taken root."

"It was not Carthage, Macedonia or Spartacus that brought the Roman Republic to an end, but the Gracchus brothers, Marius, Sulla and Caesar."

"Are you worried about this? Robert? ”

"It's not a worry, it's just an instinctive consideration, and although I don't know much about my blood relatives, I have confidence in their loyalty and obedience."

"But that doesn't mean we can break these rules at will, ma'am, no one should be the absolute core of anything except the Lord of Mankind, I may not be able to prevent such a thing from happening, but I can at least start with me."

"You think you believe in such words, Robert?"

Lady Judton's words were soft, her head tilted, and a sly smile on her face that was somewhat unbefitting her age, and if Killiman could have seen it, he might have been on guard, but alas, the Lord of Maculag was concentrating on the few rays of morning light outside the window.

"Yes, ma'am, as I just said to you, I endorse such a creed."

"Then why did you create such a room?"

Yudton's soft words made Killiman's brow jump, and the genogen turned his head in some embarrassment, looking at his adoptive mother, who tried to stop her from talking, but he couldn't actually do anything.

"Create that room, the room you don't go to often, but you come to occasionally, where you meditate, or fantasize about some plans for the future,"

"You've shown me there, my Robert, what's there? A long table, twenty-one chairs, all made of the original body, each of which is made of the same granite material as the long table. ”

"Flags were laid on the back of the chairs, and the largest stone chair at the top of the table was draped with Terra's banner, and the other banners belonged to the various legions."

"I also saw the squires go and hang a new flag on that chair, the chair that symbolized the Second Legion, and I saw that the flag was emblemized by a dark sun, like a boiling sea of fire, but the patterns around the sun were not in my mind."

"Circular rings."

The genogen explained in a low tone.

"It's a Celtic ring, surrounded by a sleek, dark sun, the insignia of the Lord of the Second Legion for her legion, and is only to be used in formal settings."

His voice was soft, as if he were deliberately avoiding the room that Ms. Euton had told about, and whenever the genogen remembered it, he felt a little too sentimental.

"You must admit, Robert, in some corner of your heart, longing to sit down with all your blood brothers, even your genetic fathers, all of them on an equal footing, to exchange views and opinions about the past, present, and future."

"That's what you wanted to do and give the layout drawings of that room to the best architect in Makurag, didn't you?"

The Ultramarine's genetic protoplasm coughed softly, his gaze a little evasive, and he kept jumping back and forth on the specially customized, oversized furniture in the room, and after a while, he opened his mouth a little evasively.

"Actually, it's not everyone, like Ruth...... Well, even Russ. ”

Yutun smiled.

"You always mention him, though never complimentary, but such a dense frequency is a bit of a problem in itself, but you have never brought him to the Five Hundred Worlds so that I can meet him, in fact, I don't seem to have met any of your brothers until now."

The genogen soothed his throat.

"Ruth has the air of a king, but unfortunately his kingdom is not destined to be the same territory as Otrama, and he will not adapt to a civilized country with a pleasant climate, and the squares and sculptures of Macurag will make his Fenris nose allergic."

"And what about your other brothers? Will each of them be allergic to Macurag? Then I don't think it's them who are suspicious, we should think about whether there is something wrong with Makurag that goes unnoticed. ”

"There are no faults in Makulag!"

The gene protogenite firmly, quickly, and affirmed, and his gaze stayed on the increasingly brilliant morning light, and he was silent for a while before he reluctantly spoke in the stubborn gaze of the palace lord.

"Well, it's a bit remote here, and the Great Expedition is so heavy that we can't expect those of my brothers to leave their quests and missions behind and come here to visit us."

"But now someone is coming."

Yutun smiled.

"A visitor, a blood relative, a figure who has come for you and Macurag, and in less than ten Terra standards, she will arrive at Mandeville Point in this galaxy to complete a meeting with you across stars and time."

"Where are you going to meet her, Robert, in that room?"

The genogen thought for a moment, then shook his head slowly.

"I'll have a formal meeting with her in the inner court, ma'am, I'll show her around the customs of the five hundred worlds, as well as the history and culture, it's a very serious meeting, after all, I can't be sure about the purpose of her visit, you know, ma'am, the Lord of Humanity has allowed her to establish a kingdom of her own, and this kingdom is right next to Otlama, and this may be some kind of overseer, some kind of outpost or line of defense between Otlama and Terra."

"Or maybe it's a bridge?"

Yudon smiled and asked a subtle rhetorical question, and she blinked and walked in front of Killiman, forcing her adopted son to look her squarely.

"My Robert, why do you always imagine things so badly, that things don't turn out in your favor? Is the genetic protogeny so close to you necessarily overseer? Couldn't it be a friendly neighbor who fate has taken care of and happens to be left next to you? ”

"Isn't it a lucky thing that your blood relatives have been scattered all over the galaxy, from those empty stars west of Terra to your Makulag, and who can decide where they end up landing, and one of them happens to be next to you, so that you will not be so far away from your blood relatives in the future, isn't it a lucky thing?"

“…… But her kingdom ......"

"Not so much, Robert."

Yutun gently patted the broad shoulders of the genotype, and she let her adopted son lift his head and caress the remaining tired look on his face.

"You have your own kingdom, is it a threat to your blood relatives, to your genetic father, or to anyone else?"

"You haven't met her yet, you haven't used your eyes and brain to discern and determine who she really is, so don't let your worries interfere with you until then."

"She's less than ten terra hours away, and you'll need to be in a state of absolute fullness to receive her, no matter what, she's your blood relative, she's in the same veins as you, and you're the least likely person in the galaxy to hurt each other."

"In that case, what are you worried about?"

The genogen thought for a moment.

He smiled.

"Maybe you're right, ma'am."

"I should check again......"

"You should go and rest, Robert."

"You should eat something and then take the time to get some rest, after all, there will be a great welcome and meeting waiting for you, and your mind and brain need to be well rested."

"But those jobs ......"

"No one should be the absolute heart of anything."

Yutun winked mischievously.

"Who told me that a few minutes ago?"

"It's different, ma'am......"

"What's the difference, Robert, wouldn't the Ultramarines and the Makurag Administrators be able to prepare a normal welcome ceremony without you? Or is there something important right now that you have to oversee? ”

"I'm your butler, I'm your palace lord, you can't deceive me, I know there's nothing important now, you originally planned to explore the galaxy called Sosa on the edge of the galaxy, but because of this meeting, the operation was postponed, and Otrama is now calm."

"We'll take care of everything, you don't have to carry everything on your shoulders, now you should go get a bite to eat and get a good night's sleep in your lounge, even on the sofa bed here, anyway, all you have to do now is rest, Robert."

"Have a good rest, and then go to your blood relatives with full spirit, and if you can, bring her to meet me, I've been curious about another genetic protogen for a long time, and I've even heard that she's a woman?"

"Gender doesn't matter, ma'am."

Robert reached out to sort through the messy file bags on the table, his words soft and forceful, as if he were articulating a truth that even a child could know.

"We are the genetic protogens, we are the rulers of the world and the legion, gender is an irrelevant matter to us, you know that, ma'am."

"Even for those mortal kings, gender will not fundamentally change anything, when a person's identity and status are important to a certain extent, his appearance, his gender and even what he is thinking in his heart no longer matter, he will become a synthesis of countless elements, but only he will no longer be simply himself."

"Or maybe a person who cares too much about gender or other minutiae will not be able to get to this position at all, or even become the ruler of any world."

Killeman spoke, his words silently dissolving into some kind of preaching in a deep-seated seriousness, which made Yuton a little angry and amused, and she leaned at her waist and spat out a few sharp words from her smiling face.

"Alright, well, ruler, I've been taught, stop your important words."

Killiman kept his mouth shut, his head bowed a little dazedly, and he was preoccupied with the scattered items on the table.

Ms. Judon smiled, helping her adopted son with the papers on the desk, and after putting them all together, the adoptive mother of the genetic protogeny looked at her child and watched him rub his face there.

"Where are you going to talk to her, Robert?"

"Like I said, in the inner court."

"No, I mean: after you have finished those business, where do you, as blood relatives and brothers, explain your friendship, and where do you plan to take her to visit, you must not just talk about it and drive them away."

The genogen blinked, he thought for a moment, turned his eyes to his adoptive mother for help, and rightfully got a sly smile.

"If you ask me, Robert."

"How's that newly built Makulag Central Bath?"

(End of chapter)