Ⅰ

"Your handling of this matter is a bit inappropriate, my lord."

Nemir raised his head and stood in front of the silent Dark Angel Legion's genetic protogen, the Caliban warrior's face full of determination, in stark contrast to Zaharel's somewhat cowering side.

It's hard to imagine that before they became Astarte warriors, they seemed to be brothers with real blood.

"Here, I think I have to warn you, sir."

"Although this book is written by His Excellency Morgan himself, according to the ancient rules of the First Legion, we must apply a complete examination of this foreign object until it is confirmed that it is safe."

"This is likely to ...... It will take a while. ”

At the end of the words, perhaps some realized the inappropriateness of it, even the resolute Nemir couldn't help but pause before he once again expounded his opinion.

And his perseverance was not answered quickly, and the monarch of the Dark Angels simply quietly entrenched himself on his throne, like a silent old lion, staring at the two heirs in front of him.

The armor of the genetic prototype has not been taken off for a long time, and it is covered with blood stains and unrecognizable dirt: as the fleet of the First Legion is getting closer and closer to the core of the Randan Empire, this alien race, which is already destined for extinction, is also carrying out more and more fierce counterattacks and death struggles.

Today, many of Ran Dan's offensives are no longer tactical or strategic masterful moves, but simple madness that longs to die with the dark angels, countless profane technologies that are fundamentally unstable have sprung up in the war, and twisted evil methods from subspace have become colorful in every battle, so that the First Legion with full firepower has to fall into the quagmire of war.

In this way, when the wreckage of the Tux system has completely disappeared, and when the entire human empire is gradually forgetting the former powerful enemy named Randan, the First Legion is still stuck in the darkness that no one is paying attention to, and every drop of its precious blood has been shed for a war that has not yet ended.

But even so, no one dared to complain, and no matter what kind of slander brewed in the hearts of the Terra veterans, the presence of the Genogen fighting alongside them on the front line was enough to keep the entire legion silent and on the offensive: until the number of casualties was so large that even Johnson had to frown.

And it was at this time that news about that think tank book came to the ears of the king of Caliban, following the new batch of supply fleets in the rear.

Frankly speaking, Johnson was indeed angry when he knew that he was not the first genogen to be given to the book, but soon, a book written by Morgan himself, with a special strategy for Ran Dan, was placed on the desk of the Lord of the Dark Angels, and successfully soothed the lion's anger.

But obviously, there is far more than one character who can provoke Johnson's anger.

When Nemir, who had been promoted to the priest of redemption, dragged his think tank brother, Zaharel, who had been commissioned to promote the psionic book, to the throne of the genetic prototype, Coswayne, the head of the legion, who was responsible for handling all kinds of daily documents, had already unconsciously beat his eyelids.

He could even guess what was going to happen.

Sure enough, as soon as Nemir opened his mouth, he pointed to the think tank training manual [which had not undergone any serious scrutiny] and hoped that Johnson would search the book: although everyone present knew that it would not be possible to promote it in the Legion without an order from the genetic protogen.

When the words of the Redeeming Priest finally stopped for a moment, Coswayne's worried eyes were already focused on him, and the Legion Commander knew that the Redeeming Priest was a very determined figure in his bones, so firm that he could even say a little pedantic, which made him worry about Nemir's fate.

As Coswayne and Zaharel held their breath, the First Legion's genetic protoplasm slowly rose from his throne, his body still permeated with the aura of countless battles, literally a moving obsidian statue.

When he finally stood in front of Nemir, the solemn majesty, the dead countenance, and the suppression of the genetic prototype had made the face of the redeeming priest seem to lose its blood color, and fell into a sickly paleness, but he still gritted his teeth and looked directly at his lord.

Johnson was silent for a moment, as if he was thinking about how to speak.

[Nemir, my warrior. 】

"I'm here, Primordial."

[I have a very good impression of you: you have stood out in many battles, experienced countless battles between us and Ran Dan, and have always been brave and fearless, you are not a bureaucrat sitting in the rear, you know how terrible things are on the battlefield we are rushing to, you have faced them. 】

"Yes, sir."

[So, you have also seen those blasphemous subspace spells, Ran Dan has fallen to his knees at the feet of those evil spells, they will use this power in every battle, killing countless reliable warriors loyal to the Empire, and we have always lacked effective means to fight them, and can only passively bear unimaginable casualties: this even includes many battle brothers who have fought side by side with you for a long time. 】

“…… Yes, my lord. ”

[But now, when we finally have enough effective means to counterattack, when we finally have the ability to mass-produce think tanks and deal with those subspace evil methods, you stand up and oppose it? 】

“……”

"Yes! My lord! ”

【……】

Nemir gritted his teeth, his pupils burning with enough fire to silence the genoplasm.

"From the moment I became the Legion's Redemptive Priest, I swore that I would not allow any unknown or untested power to merge into the Legion, no matter how small the damage and corrosion they may cause, I would not tolerate it!"

"Even if that means I'll object to your orders, my lord."

"I have ...... I swore by it! ”

【……】

[Very well, that is, you are questioning my authority right now?] 】

“……”

The lion's voice was soft, like the faint footsteps of a feline beast approaching its prey, and the large steel-covered hands of the genoplasm had slowly enveloped the top of the Redeeming Priest's head, making the hearts of Coswayne and Zaharel almost jump out of their throats.

And Nemir, who was under his palm, seemed to have given up on resistance, and he closed his eyes, and there was still a certain determination on his face.

Under the almost suffocating gaze of the Legion's chief of internal affairs, the iron palm of the genetic prototype came to the top of Nemir's head, and then, even Cowes could not catch the movement of the original body, the deadly iron palm swirled in the faint light of the strategic command hall, pulling a burning arc in the air, and when it was caught by everyone's eyes again, it had already come to Nemir's pupils.

"Bang."

It was the sound of a flame burning.

The redeeming priest who closed his eyes felt an abnormal heat on his face, and when he opened his eyes, he saw only the still dim face of the genotype, and the small flick of fire in his iron palm.

It was no normal flame, it was a thrill glowing with golden light, telling of some kind of power from subspace.

At that moment, everyone realized something, and Coswayne was the first to react.

"My lord, that's ......"

Psionic fire. 】

Johnson explained simply, and a semblance of non-existent smile could be seen on his silent face, as if mocking his heirs silently.

[Before I ordered the book to be fully promoted, I had carefully read every page and paragraph of it, and even learned some of the spells it taught: what you have before you is only the simplest one. 】

[That is, I have already tried this book before you read it.] 】

[How, my redemptive pastor: Can you find a more solemn, more formal, and more relieving ritual than I am, and more affirmative by you and by all the redemptive pastors?] 】

The interrogation of the genetic prototype was a slow sentence, and in the face of such words without anger or excitement, Nemir, who had just returned his righteous words, now had nothing to say.

He breathed deeply, and froze in place until the Genoplasm came to Zaharel and announced that the promotion of the Think Tank Handbook was going on as usual, and the Redeeming Priest said nothing.

It wasn't until he took his leave that Johnson patted him on the shoulder and admonished him in a deep voice.

Next time, don't disobey my commands, my redeeming priest: whatever the reason you have. 】

This admonition was very low, but it could still be captured by the Legion Housekeeper on the side, and in the face of such a scene, remembering some things that had happened, all Coswayne could do was sigh with emotion.

But anyway, compared to the moment when he just took over the war between the legion and Randan, the temper of his genetic prototype seems to be ......

Got a lot better?

Ⅳ

"Dantiok, are you there?"

"I'm here, what's wrong?"

"There's an order from the Original."

"yes, that's rare."

When his battle brother found Dantiok, the Iron Warriors' expatriate company commander was happily humming songs, polishing his latest architectural drawings and pondering the possibility of capturing it.

And when the company commander of the Fourth Regiment saw his subordinate and friend Zoran walk in, the joy on his face rose a noticeable level, and before the latter could say anything, Dantiok grabbed him by the arm and pointed to the blueprint on his desk, which looked like it was in perfect condition.

"How threatening do you think it is to launch an air strike or an airborne operation against this fortress? I've seen the Daybreakers in airmobile combat before, and it's impressive. ”

"They only need a few tactical squads, and a certain number of heavy individual weapons, to easily breach a permanent fortress full of artillery and soldiers, far outperforming our firepower bombing tactics in terms of efficiency and results."

Dantiok spoke eloquently to his fighting brother, full of relentlessly suppressed talents and talents, and some words that sounded too rebellious.

"When I see those Daybreakers in the air, I can't help but wonder why we never use this tactic, our strategy for those steel fortresses is only to bombard them with heavy firepower, as if the only glory is to blow them head-on."

"Is our victory more valuable than the Dawnbreaker when there is a captured fortress at their feet and a pile of rubble beneath our feet?"

"Maybe it's the opposite."

Dantiok's emotion made the eyelids of the fighting brothers on his side jump.

"Watch out for what you say, my brother, it's a tactic set by our genetic father, not something that we warriors can figure out at will."

"Can't the warrior think? Obviously, we are the ones who have the most intuitive understanding of war. ”

“…… Dantiok. ”

"What's wrong?"

"You're saying these things like a dawnbreaker."

"Is this a compliment?"

The Iron Warrior's company commander smiled, blinked, and patted his brother on the shoulder.

"It's been a few years since we've been in Avalon, and you still don't seem comfortable here, Zoran, do you have anything to hide?"

Zolan's gaze flickered.

"Not really, it's good here, everything is fine, but, Dantiok, we're going to return to the Iron Warrior Legion after all, it's our own legion, and there's our genetic father and home."

"But it doesn't have to be the most perfect, does it?"

"Even though we are all great Perturabo warriors, we have to admit one thing: maybe there is something different in Avalon that we deserve to learn, even our genetic fathers."

"After all, no one is perfect, and no one is invincible."

“……”

"You're talking more and more like a Dawnbreaker, my brother."

"Maybe, I don't think there's anything wrong with being a Dawnbreaker."

Dantiok walked to the window and looked out of the room: they were in a hilltop fortress with a bustling town at the foot of the hill, and a scene of prosperity and peace that bordered on a dream.

He couldn't help but mumble to himself.

"You know, Zoran, when we walk into that city, the mortals there will cheer at us, and even the children will not be afraid of us: because a few years ago, it was the army we were part of that liberated the world from the Xenomorphs, so the mortals remember who we are and what we are."

"But have you ever thought that when we were in the Iron Warrior Legion, we had liberated so many worlds and redeemed so many mortals, but only in these worlds in Avalon did we get their cheers."

"When we were in the Iron Warrior Legion, mortals always avoided us, and even those mortal servants on our own warships would never come close to us at will."

"It's a shame that some of the fighting brothers are still proud of this fear."

Dantioc's words silenced Zoran as he rubbed his neck as he thought of how the enthusiastic mortals had overwhelmed him and his team with their cheers when he had returned to the city.

It's ridiculous to say that Zoran and his tough guy brothers are enough to face the alien army of a world without changing their faces, but when they face these mortals who exude sincere worship and enthusiasm, although these people are so vulnerable, and even many children, it is enough to make the children of iron of Perturabo fall into a certain kind of helplessness.

It was a kind of enthusiasm and cheers that they had never encountered before, which made Dantioc and his party, who had become accustomed to dead silence and silence, actually stunned for a while, numbly listening to the thunderous applause in all directions.

It was also from that day that Dantiok seemed to become a little different.

In retrospect, it was a shameful spectacle: despite this, the Iron Warrior still had an irrepressible smile on his lips as he remembered it all.

Zoran smiled at Dantiok as he looked at Dantiok.

"What do you want to say, brother?"

"It's just some of my personal feelings, Zorran, I just think that our Legion seems to have some kind of ...... compared to Avalon and the Dawnbreaker Legion Something is not quite right. ”

"I don't know what the problem is, but I might prefer the atmosphere here at Daybreaker."

Zoran laughed.

"You'd better not let our father hear your words, Dantiok, he's always looked at you as the proudest kid to be, and do you know how many people in the Legion are jealous of that status?"

"I'm well aware, Zoran, and I'm well aware of what the original expects from me."

"So, I've been pondering the question of where our legion has gone awry, and why the Iron Warriors are so ...... compared to the atmosphere of Avalon and the Dawnbreakers Lonely? ”

"There was the same effort and sacrifice, but some people were sincerely cheered, and all we got was dead silence and new tasks to be sacrificed."

"If I hadn't seen all this, if I hadn't experienced all those cheers and enthusiasm, Zoran, my brother, I might never have thought about these things."

"So now, do you have something to think of? Dantiok? ”

“…… Not yet. ”

"Then let's take a look at the command of the genetic prototype first, that's what matters."

The company commander of the Iron Warrior nodded, he took the data board, glanced at the three lines, and then couldn't help but raise his eyebrows.

"The think tank unit belonging to our legion has been formed? How long has it been? ”

"You know, what kind of style our genetic father has: it is said that there have been three company commanders who have been swept to the bottom and beaten to the bottom because they failed to screen out the psionic seeds in their companies in time."

“…… Is the think tank force accumulated by this method really useful? ”

"That's not something we should be thinking about, Dantiok, it is said that the Father of Genes concluded that as long as a large enough think tank force is formed, it can pull the enemy wizards in the continuous delay of the battle, so as to provide room for heavy firepower."

"What about the casualties of the think tank troops?"

"When did the Fourth Regiment think about such a thing? Anyway, I've heard that the number of potential psionics in the Legion is quite impressive, more than enough to offset the attrition in battle: with the speed at which we recruit new blood and the standardization that comes with this Think Tank Handbook, the Think Tank Force can perfectly keep up with the overall structure and style of warfare of the Legion. ”

"In fact, I've heard that the Think Tank troops have been put into the field, and they have done their job perfectly, and the casualty rate is even less than one-eighth of what was originally intended, and the Genoplasms are very happy with their performance."

"So, he sent an order: I hope we can collect the performance of the Dawnbreaker Legion's think tank in battle, compile it into a new combat experience book, and send it back to the Legion."

"Wouldn't it be okay for him to go directly to His Excellency Morgan for this kind of thing? I've seen and heard a lot about the Genetic Mother of the Dawnbreaker Legion, and what a compassionate and rational person she is, how could she refuse to help her own blood brother? ”

"I don't know about this, maybe the original body has some other problems, in fact, I also think that Lord Morgan is a very good talker, especially when she treats her children......"

"It's kind of ...... Hmmm......"

Zolan stopped talking, but Dantioc showed a slightly distorted expression and nodded.

"I understand."

"Those Dawnbreakers......"

"I'm really spoiled."

Dantiok's conclusion made his fighting brother nod his head in emotion.

"Thankfully, they have a unique genetic mother who is so soft-hearted."

"I see what you mean, Zoran, but it's nothing, after all, ......"

"What does this have to do with us? We don't ...... Envy. ”

"yes, what is there to envy ......"

ⅩⅤ

[It is said that my brother, the King of Fenris, made a ruckus in his legion, dragged all the Rune Priests into the arena one by one, and persuaded them to accept the book one by one. 】

Even though they were half a galaxy away, the slightest detail on the crimson countenance of the King of Prospero could still be seen clearly in front of Ahriman.

"Yes, my lord, I've heard about it here in Avalon."

Ahriman, who had daily psionic communication with his genetic father, couldn't help but smile with some disdain when he thought of the rumors he had heard.

[It is said that the oldest-fashioned rune priests even roared at Riemanrus, declaring that they would rather die than accept such books of witchcraft, because it was deadly poisoned wine that would poison everyone who drank it: and my brother Fenris actually broke the mouths of the rune priests with his bare hands, and forcibly shoved the whole book into their mouths.] 】

[Look: Aren't you not poisoned?] 】

The genetic prototype of the Thousand Sons Legion vividly imitates his brother, with only a few hints of bitter sarcasm between his eyebrows.

[I didn't know that my brothers had such great burlesque masters, and I even wanted to give Riemanlus a special trophy for the Imperial Arts: God knows how long I laughed when Chagatai told me all this.] 】

Ahriman laughed along with his own primordial formalities, and although he had been away from the Legion of a Thousand Sons for years, and he himself had unconsciously adapted to the atmosphere of life in Avalon and the Legion of the Daybreaker, the blood of the Father of Genes still made him yearn for the harmony of Magnus in his soul.

"But I've heard, my lord: those Rune Priests chose to accept the book in the end?"

[Yes, these ridiculous people who hide their ears and steal the bell: no matter how resistant and unyielding they are in front of everyone, when they actually read that book and come into contact with the most subtle truth of psionic energy, they will worship faster than we think. 】

[Did you know, Ahriman: Although the Rune Priests still verbally contradict Riemanluth's promotion of the book, in their own Fenris rune practice, they have clearly copied a large part of the content from that book, and they have only changed the subject and object, changed the psionic energy to what they call Fenris's World Soul, and began to quote the content of that book with great fanfare. 】

[It's ridiculous: in the end, these guys, like my brothers, are just a bunch of mediocre people who turn the rudder when they see the benefits, and they don't even want to admit that they use psionic powers, and they have to put on a fig leaf of self-deception.] 】

"But it's good, isn't it?"

"At the very least, the vast majority of the legions have now begun to adopt the formation of think tanks, and all legions have embraced the power of psionic energy, except for the still stubborn Death Guard Legion."

[Motarian's stubbornness did not exceed my expectations, he only brought humiliation upon himself, at least he would be abandoned by the tide of the new age, he would either stubbornly self-destruct, or kneel in front of the new future and become the most conspicuous loser in that crowd. 】

[As for the others...... Hum! 】

[Noble men like Morgan, St. Giles, and Chagatai Khan are indeed like-minded partners with me, but my other brothers are very sorry. 】

[They are just like the group of space wolves, they just see the benefits and benefits that psionic energy will bring to them, and they don't realize the preciousness of psionic energy itself at all, what is the difference between this behavior and those businessmen who invest? 】

Magnus snorted disdainfully.

Ahriman smiled as he echoed his genetic father, his gaze drifting unconsciously to the clock beside him: it seemed like it was his time to go to the arena for exercise.

Why don't you postpone it today?

Isn't that good?

On the other side, Genogen was still venting his frustration to his heirs, even mentioning his own Avalon blood relatives: but at the mention of Morgan, Magnus's voice was noticeably softer, and even with a rare amount of respect.

[My blood relative Morgan, she deserves to be one of my only confidants, and she was able to write this kind of most basic low-level article with dignity for the promotion of think tanks. 】

[I'm sure you've read the so-called Think Tank Handbook, Ahriman, it's a three-year-old kid's trick, and for a psyker of my level and Morgan, writing any sentence in that book would be a real humiliation: but Morgan chose to write such a book in order to help me promote think tanks and psionic powers. 】

[At this point, I can say that I owe her a favor.] 】

[But at the same time, Morgan also made a mistake: her book was simply a blatant bribery of others, and she gave all the legions the ability to quickly assemble think tank troops, in exchange for their soft attitude towards accepting psionic energy, which was simply a pure transaction, and could even be said to insult the sanctity and purity of psionic research.] 】

[The true right path should be to use psionic energy to make the greatest feats, such as our Prospero, who uses iron-clad facts to make everyone admire, surrender, regret their short-sightedness and ignorance, and willingly join in the exploration of psionic energy. 】

[This is the right path, and my Avalon blood relatives are too anxious. 】

[On the surface, she seems to have set off a wave of wisdom, but how can this kind of recognition bought with practical benefits compare to the tenacity of true psionic researchers like me and her, when psionic energy will no longer bring them any more benefits, they will naturally scatter in a hurry.] 】

[How fragile is the secular alliance of common interests, in the face of our like-minded alliance of scholars: Morgan does not see this clearly, and it seems that she does have some shortcomings. 】

“……”

"But, my lord, I heard that you also speak in public in support of the book."

[My support doesn't mean I fully agree with the book: like I said, the academic education of this think tank handbook is ridiculously low, and if it wasn't written by Morgan, I wouldn't even bother to look at it a second time.] 】

[But it does have a good effect on the promotion of the think tank system: for this reason, I also need to stand up for it, and of course, if I have time in the future, I will write my own Prospero psionic festival to show everyone what real subspace skills are.] 】

[I've even figured out the main content of the first volume: subspace elf summoning techniques that anyone can learn.] 】

"Sounds good, sir."

Aliman sneered, and it occurred to him that his subspace elves had never seemed to summon since he had arrived at the Dawnbreaker Legion.

He even forgot about it a little.

[Of course, this kind of public support is not my personal will. 】

On the other side, the King of Prospero was still muttering and complaining.

[And the push of Chagatai, he succeeded...... convinced me. 】

Magnus touched his neck.

[Yes, persuasion, that's it.] 】

[Chagatai is really good at calming people down.] 】

[At this point: I admire him.] 】

(End of chapter)