"Do you know the Predator Crucible?"

"What's that?"

"A monster that feeds on planets."

"A rumor, an alarmist legend, a story of the darkest of history, it originates from the outer side of the eastern frontier of the galaxy, the fear that only arises on the edge of the edge, the projection of the distorted creations in reality."

"Legend has it that if a charter captain is too brave and greedy to be satisfied with the comfort of Salamas, he can cross the rich territory of the Aegis Star Sector and the continuous fortresses of the Gulgrad Protectorate, and then plunge headlong into the outer void in the northeast direction, and in the end, he will face the most terrible chaos that the entire real universe can have, and pay the most terrible price for his foolishness."

"Crazy acts like this have been countless over the millennia, and in the end, only a handful of panicked survivors have been able to flee from the darkness, leaving behind a barrage of babbling and nonsense bordering on madness."

"The farthest of the darkness is called Huda Bay by the Salamas, the outer void directly north of Salamas, and a chaotic badland stretched from the ghoul stars further north, from which monsters have plagued the Far Eastern Frontier for centuries."

"Judging from the historical documents I've recorded and collected along the way, it's likely that the inhabitants of the outer void are even more terrifying and savage than we think, with perhaps the twisted mutants of the Oglin barbarians, the wizarding empires that have practiced mad spells for generations, and all sorts of ogres and psionic xenomorphs, large enough to flood a dozen galaxies at once."

"Of course, the most terrifying words in the record point to two unimaginably terrifying opponents: the first is Lady Kra, a psionic alien capable of initiating mind control from subspace to parasitize, and whose oldest lightless lair is said to be hidden in the deepest darkness of the outer void, a wasteland that not even the light of the Torch can reach."

"And the second is the rumor that hides in the dark lore, the horror that only the bravest explorers dare to whisper: its name is Ulan Huda, but more people like to call it the Predator's Crucible according to the craziest part of the lore."

"It is said that in the beginning, Ulan Huda was nothing more than a mediocre minted world, but they were poorly situated: they built their own furnace in the Ghoul Stars and never left, and when the storm of the Age of Strife spread to the eastern part of the galaxy, they could no longer contact any rational human world, and Ulan Huda was surrounded by all kinds of madness among the Ghoul Stars for thousands of years, and there was no way to escape."

"In the end, they made the only choice in a desperate situation: if they wanted to survive the horrors, they had to be the most terrifying."

"It wasn't until thousands of years later that Salamas saw Ulan Huda, or the Forge of Predators, once again: at that time, it had become an unprecedentedly large heretical forged world, and all kinds of intolerable distorted technologies strengthened its power, so that it could sail through subspace as a world, thus poisoning countless galaxies, and devouring entire worlds to satisfy its hunger and greed, and the land and steel that devoured the world finally made it incomparably gigantic and hideous, All the vanquished will be transformed into slaves and consumables for the most evil sorcery, so that the heretical sages of Ulan Huda can live forever and spread terror. ”

"It's full of hatred, it's full of fear, and in the end, it becomes hatred, it becomes fear."

"It eventually became part of the Infinite Terror, a member of the Ghoul Horde Stars, whose blasphemous creations would roam the eastern edge of the galaxy, using their deformed legions of Titans and abomination robots to periodically harvest civilizations in the human world."

"They are said to leave the ghoul stars every hundred years for a great slaughter and desecration: and their last sighting was nearly a hundred years ago."

“…… This is also a rumor? ”

"Who knows."

Ahriman closed his notebook, picked up the teacup on the side, and patiently observed the expression of his friend across the table: time in subspace is always boring, and under the oppressive atmosphere brought about by Geller's position, no matter what academic research does, it is better to find some pastime.

Of course, Hector may not have been a suitable pastime: while Magnus's son had developed a good skill in swordsmanship over the past few years, Ahriman still had valuable self-knowledge, knowing that he was no match for a physical monster like Hector in close combat, and that the latter didn't seem to be in a good mood right now.

It is said that he was eliminated in the first round of the statue competition?

That statue is obviously quite realistic, and it carved the charm of Abaddon with just a few knives.

As he drank his own wine-brewed wine, Ahriman's mind was filled with all sorts of strange thoughts: the Far Eastern Frontier was indeed a treasure land full of dangers, and in the few short months that accompanied the Second Legion on the [Frontier March], Ahriman's knowledge had grown sufficiently, and his first and second notebooks were soon filled densely.

Manrok's experience takes up the lion's share of it: the Lord of the Second Legion spent a whole month in that huge world full of nomadic tribes, and even called back the likes of Ahriman and Cortez, working with her to study the ancient ruins scattered throughout the world, which constantly hinted at the artificial origin of some unknown alien evolutionary tree, and obtained the permission of a large-scale investigation from the terrified local population, and even required the appearance of the genoplasm in person.

Rather than following Morgan's main team into the underground, Ahriman was content to wander among the huge inscriptions on the surface, recording runes that had been passed down for countless years, and even discovering an ancient self-portrait of an alien race.

He wasn't sure if he was an abstract self-replica or an accurate depiction of a robot: the main content of the [self-portrait] was a skeleton made of metal, and he could even see the endless despair and madness in the empty eyes, which was also reflected in the words on the side, and Ahriman didn't even have the heart to record the distorted carriers, he could only speculate wildly that it might be a mental breakdown after a terrible catastrophe.

The Lord of the Second Legion's quest for underground ruins lasted thirteen days, and when she emerged from the ancient tomb, her face fell into an indescribable seriousness and gloom, and Ahriman noticed that there seemed to be some subtle attrition in the ranks of the following genetic prototypes, and their armor was more disjointed than expected, and the warriors had made an unbreakable promise for this mission.

After that, the Spider Empress uncharacteristically gave the inhabitants of this world a high degree of self-control, and Avalon's rule over the land stopped at a few fully armed space stations in orbit, seemingly with no intention of any more dedication and presence, and in the jubilant celebration of the natives, Ahriman smelled the indifference of the Lord of the Second Legion, which was called "Abandonment".

It's kind of scary, isn't it?

But what does that have to do with him?

Three days later, Magnus's heirs forgot all about it, and Morgan's proud sons focused all their attention on the statue contest that was quietly held after the battle in the Aegis Star Region was completed, and the final selection of ten winners in three rounds was handed over to Morgan to determine the final lucky one.

Among the ten, there were many old acquaintances of Ahriman: Bayar and Diarmud's victory was not amazing, after all, they had always had wild artistic talents, their statues of victory and huntress were unanimously praised by everyone, and Magnus's children even went to see them, and they were indeed very good works, but they all had a face that belonged to Morgan.

Maybe Hector lost here: there was a problem with his materials, how could a soldier from another legion compare to the genetic prototype of his own legion, under the premise that the whole competition was basically a Morgan statue competition, a face belonging to the Shadow Moon Blue Wolf was really not a plus.

Of course, he didn't say it out of the concern for their friendship, and during the subspace jump from Aegrail to the Gulgrad Protectorate, the conversation between Ahriman and Hector revolved around all sorts of strange things along the way, as well as gossip about other legions.

"In a recent correspondence, my fighting brothers in Prospero told me an interesting thing: the envoys of the Legion of the Bearers had recently arrived in Prospero, and they had borrowed some of the most artistically discerning warriors of the Legion as a necessary exchange between the two legions."

Ahriman's words were a little emotional.

"Amon told me that if I hadn't been on the Second Legion, this communication mission about the Legion of the Bearers would have fallen on my shoulders."

"Are you sorry?"

Hector pinched the glass that Ahriman had made for him, and although it was more like a keg for an Astarte warrior than a mortal, Morgan's pride was vaguely aware that it seemed to be a little smaller in his palm: apparently, he seemed to be growing again.

Before he knew it, the constant burliness of his body had changed from a surprise to a good and bad worry, but fortunately his genetic mother had promised not long ago that she had noticed his problem, and all Hector needed to do was wait for a solution.

"I'm not sorry."

Ahriman shook his head, his voice sincere beyond refutation.

"It's just that I've heard another rumor: the reason why the Legion of Whisperers borrowed the most artistic Astarte warriors and mortals was because a ...... began to circulate among their legions New ideas? ”

"Thoughts?"

"Yes, an idea that is incompatible with the Great Expedition: they are eager to find a suitable world, and then build a great city on it, to show their ...... for the Lord of Mankind Fanatical faith. ”

Hector was silent for a moment, and his answer later became affirmative.

"I don't think the Emperor would like this, after all, this is a great expedition, not an era of prosperity for the people and the people, and the war orders from the Holy Terra can pile up in an instant, and there is no time for us to build great cities."

"Who's to say it isn't."

The Son of Magnus continued his whispered emotion, this attitude of always being out of the world made him not have many friends, but the friendships he did often had were heavyweights.

"But the problem of the Legion of the Bearers has always been so strange, they have made very little achievements in the Great Expedition, they are marginal people that not many people will care about, and the biggest topic of conversation will not be their clear faith."

"The Emperor doesn't like this."

"Yes, the Lord of Men clearly prefers his imperial truth: speaking of which, I have a question in mind, a question that is not too big or too small, Hecht, and I hope you will help me to answer it."

"But it doesn't hurt to say it."

Ahriman put down his empty cup, and thought carefully for a moment, confirming the caution of his words and the possible future: he had developed this good new habit after a certain arena gaffe caused a little unpleasantness.

"A question about Imperial Truth and the Federation of Avalon, Hecht: From what I have seen and heard in Avalon, you seem to have little interest in spreading the truth of the Empire, and you do not put the spread of Imperial truth at all in the forefront of your daily work, you know, the spread of Imperial truth is one of the dead commands of Holy Terra."

"What ...... this?"

Hector touched his chin.

"I'm afraid it's hard for me to answer you, my friend, after all, you see, I'm just a small Astarte company commander, and this specific governance strategy will only come from the mother of great genes, and we have no right to figure out what she thinks."

"Then you can always have some personal ideas of your own, I remember that Lord Morgan encouraged you to try and think for yourself, so as to ensure the combat effectiveness and autonomy of the Dawnbreaker Legion in its scattered state: I remember this as she announced it to everyone."

"Indeed, if you want to ask my thoughts: look, Ahriman, our Avalonian Federation is stable and rich, but to the north we are the legendary notorious ghoul stars, to the south the eerie waves of Damocles Bay, to the east next to the edge of the Star Torch, and beyond that there is infinite darkness and madness, separated only by the West and the Empire's core control area."

"In this case, the assistance that Divine Terra is able to give us is as illusory as its control, and our own most important task is undoubtedly to resist the danger from three directions: military presence, political stability, and sufficient logistical supplies, there are too many things that are more important than the imperial truth at the moment, and taking a step back, does not the spirit of seeking truth that has been cultivated and maintained in this situation contain the imperial truth?"

"What does Lord Morgan think?"

"Yes, this passage is from a formal Legion meeting."

Ahriman nodded, he didn't care much about this issue himself, as a veteran psionic master, Magnus's heir's attitude towards the truth of the empire was like that of the vast majority of the Thousand Sons and Prospero people, it was the simplest way to ignore and dodge.

"You seem to have a lot of interest in the Avalonian Federation, Ahriman, you've been asking a lot of questions lately, which doesn't quite match your previous image as a scholar."

"Society itself is the greatest institution of learning, especially at a time when our esteemed Lord Morgan is clearly preparing to embark on a sociological experiment of unprecedented magnitude, and as a scholar, there is nothing more appealing to me than the future of the Avalonian Federation."

"I have to point out to you that the Avalon Federation is a gift from the Mother of Genes to countless people in the Far Eastern Frontier, and this is a sacred mission and a burden for her, not a sociological experiment."

"They don't conflict, Hectel, and my respect for Lord Morgan is definitely not inferior to that of anyone else in the galaxy, and many of her actions reveal a kind of rational goodness, which is sufficient for long-term peace, which is rare in the rest of the Empire, haven't you noticed that when many worlds have fallen into dead silence because of the Empire's military operations, what the Second Legion has left behind is often a sincere cheer."

"Because we bring them a part of the benefit, even if it's only temporary."

"yes, so who's going to pay for those benefits?"

"Those who don't want to cheer."

Unspoken laughter echoed between the two Astarte warriors, and they both felt a familiar sense of vibration as the long bottle on the table set off a slight wave due to an eerie fluctuation.

"Ah, it's time to stop."

——————

"Crossing Mandeville Point."

"The destination has been confirmed, it is the Fortress System [019], which is part of the former Gulgrad Protectorate, and there is a family of knights stationed in the Forge World."

"A welcoming fleet sent by Forge World Gulgrad is in the Celestial Domain near Mandeville Point, and they have sent a message claiming that Gulgrad's Archsage of the Machines himself is in the fleet, eager to meet our Mother of Genes."

"It's really rare, such an enthusiastic and low-profile casting world is the first one, although the main stars of Tigrus, Corinth, Karagat and Berus have also bowed to our genetic mother, but they are at least somewhat strangely reserved."

"It doesn't matter if they're reserved or arrogant, a bunch of small foundry worlds that don't even have the Titans there, but just poor creatures shivering in the storm of the Age of Strife, all of them are sheltered in the shadow of the Triple Galaxy, scavenging on the scraps, and the huge order from Avalon is enough to make them grateful to Dade."

"Yes, but that's why we can pick and choose what we need at will, and compared to Reza, these small foundry worlds are almost frighteningly honest in their service, and their asking prices are very low."

"But Reza is necessary, we can't rely entirely on a dilapidated settlement like Gulgrad to build the Avalonian Federation, Mother's great plan requires an astonishing amount of capacity, and this capacity will bring enough orders to keep the furnaces of those small worlds day and night for many years."

"After all, it's a small world that has long since declined, and it is said that all they have left is a casting furnace and a few customer worlds, and for a casting world, it is definitely a dead end."

"Sounds like we were a few years ago."

"There's no comparison, you idiot, they don't have the genetic prototype you can expect."

"When you think of the mother of genes, you look very proud."

"Aren't you too?"

The laughter among his subordinates reached Lana's ears, and the normally solemn Chief Old Guard opened one eye, glanced at it, and then closed it again, deaf to him.

The march to the Far Eastern frontier had been going on for months, and although most of the time it had been one-sided battles and surrenders, it was not impossible for them to have a little time to relax under the fatigue of the horses, and although Rana maintained a long period of seriousness, he still knew that the full moon was lacking.

All this time, although the Old Guards did not wait for the great battle they were destined for, their organization and camaraderie were really forged, and all the stubbornness and arrogance were gradually twisted into a strange unity under a greater common goal.

Especially since the arrival of more than 200 sets of Hades-type Terminator armor from Ryza, the Silver Torrent of Old Guards has gradually become one of the Second Legion's most trusted killer weapons, and they have shown their unique strength in melee combat, and have proved it with countless burning ruins.

They performed very well, and naturally deserved a short reward and relaxation, Rana learned his own genetic mother all the time in managing the army, and he also found that the master of the Second Legion is best at full trust and relaxation when he is in command of his subordinates.

So, the Chief Old Guard has taken on the responsibility of guarding the throne alone, and his Mother of Genes is meeting with the Archbishop of Gulgrad inside, it will be a long negotiation and surrender, and the attitude of forging the world is very enthusiastic, so they will not be so easy to deal with the past.

Having only allowed her handmaidens and chief champion Bayar to stand on either side of the Silver and White Throne, she spent about two Terra standard hours talking to her visitors, using promises and orders to completely turn this strategically located casting world to herself, and in the archbishop's hateful voice, she learned about the old hatred that belonged to Gulgrad.

To put it simply, this is nothing more than a story of loneliness and hatred: Gulgrad was once the darling of the Golden Age of Mankind, with a vast territory on the eastern edge of the galaxy called the Gulgrad Protectorate, and now the dozens of fortress systems north of the Aegis Star Sector are the legacy of this powerful nation, but this glorious day lasted only until the first storm of the Age of Strife arrived, and the Foundry World suffered terrible losses in that torrent of destruction, The ensuing alien invasion and depraved marauders destroyed the small empire of the Gulgrads.

Over the next few thousand years, Gulgrad's Land of Power was destroyed, and it was forced to fight a sordid invasion of its sordid invaders, irreparably destroying both its manufacturing capacity and its army, and at the same time, it found itself having to become a line of defense, the first line of defense against the terrifying swarm of ghouls from the southward invasion.

And behind it, the three casting worlds of the Triple Galaxy joined hands, enjoying the protection of Gulgrad, and devouring the mines and fortresses that once belonged to the former, and all diplomatic efforts were ignored by the powerful three brothers, because Gulgrad, which has been in decline to this day, has long since lost the capital to confront the powerful Triple Galaxy.

And so, in anger, in despair, in the midst of ancient contradictions, hatred was finally born, and Gulgrad did not become part of the endless horror like the same kind of ghoul in the stars, but it also became a monster, a monster determined to give everything to take revenge on the triple galaxy.

This madness made them kneel at Morgan's feet without hesitation, offering their loyalty, the knight family, and the Titan Legion, and although these gifts had long since fallen into decline like the Forge World itself, the Genetic Prototype still saw some value in them, and she accepted this small gift, giving Gulgrad a somewhat different franchise agreement.

Of course, because of Gulgrad's fiery passion, the Lord of the Second Legion had a big advantage in this agreement, and the only promise she had to make was the ultimate hostility to the triple system: Morgan was so happy about it that she didn't want to see such a powerful being in her own Far Eastern frontier that it was impossible to submit.

In the words of the original genogen, which was so subtle that there was little promise, the Gulgrads were thankfully gone, and the area of their former protectorate became the northern frontier of the Avalonian Federation, and the Frontier March would be suspended here, and after recovering those fortress systems, the Second Legion would not continue its march north, because there was nothing of value there except the barrenness of the Path of Tears and the madness of the ghoul stars.

Next, turning around and marching to the Salamas region to the east and south would be the most worthwhile option: before Morgan could solve another matter, she would have to go to a galaxy called Attila, which she had left behind, to determine something.

Thinking of this, the Genoplasma glanced at the Chief Champion Swordsman on the side, who was one of the people who had followed Morgan on his thirteen-day underground exploration, and had voluntarily forgotten everything about it.

Do you remember the megalithic tablet of Yamenga in Attila, Bayar. 】

[Or the Sanatos dynasty and the bright star map.] 】

Bayar's abrupt inquiry from the Mother of Genes made Bayard look up a little dazed, and he frowned, diligently searching his mind for a record of the words: only a blank space, of course.

The Lord of the Second Legion rubbed his hair, feeling a hint of self-irony for his pervasive caution, and after a few more moments of silence, Morgan gave the order.

[Go and inform the Legion Council that Marshall lead ten companies to continue the expedition in the Gulgrad region, so that he can maintain close communication with the Forge World, on the one hand, to monitor their mentality, and on the other hand, to listen to the advice of these land snakes, and also, under any circumstances, I will not allow any further march towards the Ghoul Stars.] 】

"Understood, sir."

[In addition, an additional fifteen companies, divided into three teams, will be assigned to launch an exploration operation towards Salamas and the Triple Galaxy, avoiding large-scale firefights as much as possible, and conducting exploration, negotiation and reconnaissance. 】

“…… Isn't it too much, sir? ”

Bayard frowned: after several years of expansion and unscrupulous expansion, the Second Legion now had forty-four Astarte companies, each with about five hundred soldiers, ten of whom were stationed in the original Avalon and the surrounding sectors, and nine were stationed and patrolled throughout the newly conquered Far Eastern Frontier, minus the fifteen companies that Morgan had assigned......

[Ten companies, five thousand soldiers, enough, I'll take you, Cortez, Hecht and Diarmuid, oh, and of course Lana's Old Guard.] 】

The original body spoke, and the chief champion naturally had no need to continue to refute, and Bayar nodded and began to ask about the purpose and reason of this operation.

[We're going to the Attila system, there are some things I care about, there shouldn't be a fight, but just in case, I'm still asking them to bring everything, especially Cortez, and let them take out all the things that are easy to carry. 】

"All?"

【All.】 】

"I see, sir."

Bayard retreated, and as he closed the door, Virgo looked at his Creator.

"Why are we in such a hurry?"

[No, no, my Father of Genes has just sent me a message that his fleet is heading to the Far East, ready to pick up another of my brothers, and to launch an expedition against the Lightless Lair of Lady Carat beyond the Torch. 】

If there is any hidden danger in the Far Eastern Frontier, then I had better figure it out before he arrives. 】

"Why?"

【……】

[Although I don't want to admit it.] 】

[But once something really goes beyond my ability, my only way is to send a cry for help to him, and expect his help and strength. 】

"Is this a compromise?"

[This is reality. 】

——————

"I heard that my mother chose you as one of the judges for the sculpture competition?"

After delivering the order, Bayar and Rana witnessed the already desolate surface of the fortress system.

"Yes, this is my mother's order, and your work is what I personally passed."

"I want to thank you for that."

The Chief Swordsman laughed, and the Old Guard just shook his head.

"No, your victory is the result of your own ability, all I do is to make a fair referee, the genetic mother of the image of the goddess of victory is indeed impressive."

"I think, the most profound one?"

“…… Not. ”

Rana's countenance distorted slightly for a moment, which intrigued Bayar.

"Is there anything better?"

"No, I just remembered a ...... Works that are off-topic. ”

"Off topic? Is there a digression in a competition like this? ”

"There is only one, and that is the masterpiece of Hecht, the commander of the 23rd Company."

"Ah, that big man, what's wrong with his work?"

"He didn't sculpt our mother, even though he said it was, but obviously not."

"And who did he sculpt?"

Faced with Bayar's question, Rana could only smile coldly.

"Hector said his statue was a statue of the Mother of Genes, and Ahriman had inadvertently said in a private conversation that it was a statue of Abaddon, but they were lying."

"I looked at the statue."

"That's Magnus."

“……”

“…… If it's not bothersome, can you take me to see it? ”

"Absolutely, all the pieces are in the room behind us."

“……”

“……”

"Who do you look like? Abaddon or Magnus? It can't be the mother of our genes anyway. ”

"Well, I feel like ...... Killiman. ”

“……”

“……”

"Is that kid really a genius?"

(End of chapter)