"Is this it?"

"Yes, this is it: the Peditus system in the Gulgrad Protectorate, the only destination of our trip, and the initial order for this operation came directly from the Legion's Genoplasm himself."

"Then I'll be able to understand why we're in such a big battle."

Standing on the sumptuous bridge of the Tear Mole, Diarmud, the commander of the 33rd Company of the Dawnbreaker Legion, was watching the fleet whizzing past his flagship, and beside him, his most relied on deputy smiled.

"I don't think the size of the force in this operation can be called huge, sir: we didn't bring any auxiliaries, nor did we call our Mecha allies, and the two Titan Legions, the Sun Legion and the Belligerent Legion, were rightfully absent from this operation, and how could it be considered a major military event without them?"

"No, you don't understand, Finn."

Diarmuid shook his head and patiently explained to his deputy.

"It's true that we didn't call for any of our allies, and we didn't even bring much of the Legion's strength: but from another point of view, this operation was led by the original body himself, and the companies involved in the operation were all well-known elite companies in the Legion."

"This scale may not be enough to start a large-scale war, but on second thought: if the purpose of our genetic prototype this time is to conduct an important covert operation, rather than a war, then such a lineup is very reasonable?"

"The primordial leader, the elite accompanying them, without any outsiders: even the closest allies."

“……”

Finn blinked, he spent about a second thinking carefully about Diarmud's words, thinking about the logic and reasoning in them, and then nodded admiringly, expressing his belief in the chief's words.

"Yes, sir: I never knew that you had something to do with it?"

"It's just a cat and a tiger."

Diarmud laughed, a smile that would make countless women jealous, immaculate enough to be like a man in a painting: in the entire Dawnbreaker Legion, although the position of force and intelligence had not yet been completely sorted out, all the sons of Morgan had to admit that Diarmud was definitely the most handsome of them.

There are even Combat Brotherhoods who privately claim that the appearance of this thirty-third company commander is not much different from that of the two genetic prototypes known for their appearance and momentum compared to the Emperor's Son Legion and the Holy Blood Angel Legion.

It has been suspected that this is because Diarmuid is favored by the Mother of Genes, like Hector who is getting bigger and bigger, or Bayar, who is so powerful that he can hardly be justified by it, that they are favored by the Gene Primitive, and thus have an infinite future in some way.

This is not without reason, and while the Spider Queen's appearance never seems to be a topic of much discussion, it is not because Morgan is not good-looking: on the contrary, after officially commanding the Second Legion as a genetic proto, the perfection of the Queen of the Dawnbreaker is enough to awaken even the little emotional throbbing in the hearts of the Astarte warriors, and the brutiest warriors can regain their infinite respect for words such as beauty and nobility.

Few warriors were able to make eye contact with the Spider Empress for more than a few seconds, both because the protogen's might was enough to crush them, and because the slightest frown or smile on Morgan's face was enough to easily disturb their minds and dance their hearts: no matter what the Lord of the Second Legion looked like in their eyes, this brutal control was universal and never changed.

For mortals, especially narrators and artists who have returned from their studies at the higher art schools of Sacred Terra, the immaculate perfection of the Queen of Genes has even become a distress in their hearts, a nightmare of sorts: for even if they exhaust the most extravagant words of their hearts, and exhaust all the passion for carving, stereotyping, or painting between their fingers, they will not be able to create the Spider Queen in their eyes, nor can they make the countless perfections in their hearts reappear before the eyes of the world.

As a result of this, many of the narrators of the Legion of the Dawnbreaker have even taken on a mild form of melancholy, feeling pessimistic about any of their work, feeling that what they have learned all their lives no longer means: even the Lord of the Second Legion himself feels that their works of art are already flawless.

But apart from these artists, not many people actually regard Morgan's appearance as the most important element in her: this genetic prototype has been surrounded by too many brilliant lights, compared to her psionic power, her new army and her Avalon throne, simple appearance is really not a very important topic, and the Spider Queen has never relied on her face to achieve her career.

She relied on more subtle and powerful elements, and her offspring was quietly learning from these virtues so that they could get closer to the height of the original genogen.

Among these learners, Diarmuid was the better one, at least he did learn some of the essentials, and he didn't mind telling his feelings to another trustworthy combat brother.

For example, Finn in front of him: the second-in-command of the 33rd Company, is sincerely raising one of his questions at this time.

"I have a question, sir."

"When did you start caring about these things, because in my memory, whether it was military operations or command and dispatch, you never cared before, after all, you were more used to being alone on the battlefield."

"It was a habit before, and now it's a responsibility, and the two points are not in conflict."

Diarmuid replied slowly, his pupils expanding into an arc of joy as the Goddess of Dawn slowly appeared, and his posture couldn't help but straighten up, as if his genetic prototype was standing in front of him at this time, examining him.

"What's wrong with that, Finn?"

"Of course, there's nothing wrong with that."

The adjutant smiled and shook his head.

"If you were a little more attentive in this regard, then I would be happy that the responsibility on my shoulders would be easier: after all, after all, you are the commander of the 33rd Company, and I was just unfortunate enough to be pulled over by you and forced to provoke Hercules in the sky."

"Don't worry, I'll be back in Atlas' place sooner or later, I don't want to run away."

"That couldn't be better."

In the face of the chief's reassurance, Finn could only smile and let himself believe these words: but he was more curious about something in his heart than he was about them.

"I have one more question, sir."

"What is it?"

"I'm curious: how exactly are you so ...... in the military field Rapid progress? ”

"After all, your previous command ability ......"

"Hmmm......"

"Bad?"

"Pretty much."

"Almost zero?"

"Zero? You're overestimating yourself. ”

Finn nodded plainly, in exchange for a laugh from Diarmuid, and the thirty-third company commander immediately thought for a moment, as if sorting out his words.

"Actually, there's no secret: Finn, let me ask you something, what do you think of the high-ranking mortal officers who stayed on our ships and led their mortal auxiliaries to assist us?"

"They are very good comrades...... Then I couldn't think of anything more. ”

"You didn't pay attention to them?"

Diarmuid's inquiry made Finn frown a little instinctively, and after thinking about it, he shook his head calmly.

"No, sir."

"Although I have always supervised our warriors because of the repeated orders of our primordial lords, and cannot behave as superior to mortals, I will tell you the truth: I myself am not interested in the actions of those mortals, and although I do not consider me nobler than them, I do not want to have a more friendly personal relationship with them."

Finn spoke very calmly, for his words were the attitude of some of the Silent Ones of the Dawnbreakers: they had no ill will towards mortals, because of the primordial commands and the nobility of their hearts, but they had no more kindness towards mortals, because it was unnecessary.

Peaceful, as colleagues with a nodding friendship: this relationship seems to them to be very suitable and cannot be faulted.

Diarmuid nodded, not stunned by his henchman's answer, nor refuting the thought, but seemingly unintentionally continuing on to another topic.

"Then you probably wouldn't know, my friend: every once in a while, the mortal officers who stay on our ships will have a seminar to discuss the military issues they care about, and sometimes they will even invite other famous officers to discuss it together."

“…… So? ”

Diarmuid patted Finn on the shoulder.

"So, the answer is actually obvious, my friend: I am also one of the participants in this kind of seminar, and my rapid progress in the military field is inseparable from this kind of participation and learning."

"Are you a member of the workshop?"

"No, I'm just a student, a pure seeker of knowledge, and I consider the mortal officers with a great deal of experience as my teachers...... Don't be surprised, Finn, it's not a shame to be a student, and it seems to be working out a lot at the moment, isn't it? ”

Finn's mouth opened wide, and it took him a few seconds to sort out Diarmuid's words, and by the way, he retrieved his throat.

"But...... But sir, why do you want to learn from those mortals? Know that we, as Astarte warriors, as children of our mothers, have far more power and knowledge than those ......."

"yes, yes."

With a wave of his hand, Diarmuid kindly interrupted his confidant's words, and he withdrew his gaze from the shipwrecks outside the porthole, and returned to Finn's body, patiently answering the confusion in the hearts of the battle brothers with a serious look in his eyes.

"I'll admit, Finn: if theoretically, we, as Astarte warriors, will have a crushing advantage over mortals in terms of strength, speed, will, intelligence, and physical fitness, and that certainly includes military strategy."

"But, tell me, my friend: is that really the case?"

"If nothing else, in terms of theoretically we should be stronger: do you have confidence to outperform all the mortals you have ever met, brother? Including Erwin and Lord Luthor? ”

Finn blinked, he wasn't going to go against the answer in his heart.

"No, sir, I'm not as smart as a few mortal officers I've ever seen."

"You see, you are well aware of this fact: you must know that you are the deputy commander of the Astarte Company, and you are also in the upper middle of the Dawnbreaker Legion, at least in terms of military strategy, you must be better than most of the combat brothers in the Legion."

"But even so, you're still in a field that you should theoretically be better than, and in fact inferior to many mortal officers, so, my friend Finn, have you ever thought about it?"

"Why is this happening?"

Diarmuid's words sent his henchmen into silent thought, which was no stranger to Finn, as the Dawnbreaker Legion had always encouraged the thinking of the Grassroots Commanders, keeping their minds active and surging.

So, soon, Finn came up with an answer.

"I think it's because: Astarte warriors like us, for the most part, are more inclined to solve our military problems with direct strength and speed, while mortals don't have such conditions, they have to think of some more clever solutions, and as a result, they end up surpassing us in some areas."

"That's it, Finn."

Diarmuid nodded, smiling unusually satisfied, and casually held out one of his fingers, lightly pointing at his brain, and then at Finn's.

"So, my friend: since these mortals can accomplish the theoretically impossible in practice through constant effort, discussion, and thinking, what reason is there not to work as hard as they do, or even harder than them, like us, the more gifted Astartes?"

"And if you understand this: is it a shame to learn from the mortals who have created these miracles and are indeed stronger than us in terms of military strategy?"

"Again, it's the same sentence: learning is not a shame at any time."

“……”

"You're right, sir, it's true: the next time you go to the seminar of those mortal officers, can you call me along?"

"That's exactly what I intended, Finn."

Diarmuid laughed, his happiness welling over his brow.

"I even think that it should not be just the two of us, such a spirit of learning should become the atmosphere of the entire 33rd Company, I believe that our soldiers can get more wisdom and benefits from it, and I believe that our strength will have a greater effect on the legion."

"Everything, for the dawnbreaker."

"Everything, for the mother of genes."

——————

Just as the words on the Tear Mole changed from their original disagreement to some kind of ambition, symbolizing the authority of the Second Legion and Avalon, the Goddess of Dawn was completely in combat mode, surrounded by more than thirty warships, full of three thousand five hundred of the best Daybreaker warriors, and a powerful genetic protogen.

In the face of such a force, the ordinary world called [Peditus Doom Star] at the foot of the fleet seemed too pitiful, and many of the Daybreaker company commanders present even had some doubts about the reason why their genetic mother was so aggressive: although this world had been occupied by the rebels at this time, with the number and equipment level of the rebels, any company commander would dare to make a military order to his genetic mother, and he could single-handedly level this small-scale rebellion.

However, the Spider Empress, who has always respected the opinions of her heirs, this time she was unusual, she carefully deduced the war plan, devoted her greatest energy to the battle array, and even personally descended to the front line: this was a very rare move in the past.

So, in their confusion, the Daybreakers followed their genetic mother and crushed the entire rebellion of the last star of Peditus, and the whole process was so bland that it didn't even need to be repeated, and most of the battle was spent in the intricacies of the tunnels: the people of Peritus were enslaved by some kind of machine, became crazy mechanical worshippers, and then fell in droves under the steel boots of the sons of Morgan, without even inflicting more than single-digit losses on the Second Legion companies that participated in the battle.

Within a Terra standard day, there was not a single living mortal left on the entire planet of Peditus, as they were all involved in this inexplicable rebellion, and then simply eliminated by the Legion of the Daybreakers.

Still a little confused, several companies began to sweep the battlefield, while the Spider Empress took only her Virgo and a dozen old guards led by Lana all the way down to the ground, and finally stopped in front of an ancient gate in the middle of the underground cavern.

Without even opening the genotype, Rana and several old guards with special equipment cautiously touched it, first checking the gate for any mechanism that had suddenly closed, before saluting their genetic mother, and then spontaneously guarding the outside of the gate.

【……】

Her heirs are sensible.

In Morgan's heart, a rather strange relief flashed.

In the midst of this strange feeling, the Gene Prototype stepped into the room, and soon the sound of Lana and the others closing the door could be heard behind them: it was clear that the Chief Old Guard and his men had become accustomed to the secret actions of their Mother of Genes from time to time, and they knew exactly what role they should play in this.

And in the room, Virgo has summoned her firepower, turned on the full anti-erosion mode, and looks at the place that has not been set foot in for a long time with her mother.

This is a karst cave about 70 meters high and more than 200 meters wide at the widest point, you can see those ancient carving traces everywhere, and between the colorful rock formations at the dome, there seem to be a few permanent lamps hidden, faintly lighting up this mysterious space, and also lighting up the only thing that exists in the room.

At first glance, Morgan knew that that was what she was looking for.

It was a perfect sphere, suspended in mid-air like a planet, composed of black and dark gray marble, with a few slow-moving golden spots on its surface, it might be more than ten meters in diameter, but certainly less than eleven meters, and the slight sheen reflected proved that it was hard and unharmed by any ordinary means of exploration and attack.

The Spider Empress could feel that although it was just a machine, it was indeed [watching] her with a strange gaze, exuding emotions that were no different from those of mortals.

"You're here."

Suddenly, in the subspace, in the sea of souls, in some dimension that the real universe is absolutely imperceptible, a flat, emotionless voice reached Morgan's ears, it was not some malicious detection, but the most ordinary greeting, and even some affection between old friends who had not seen each other for many years.

"I've been waiting for you for a long time."

It, or rather the Tuchucha engine, continued to speak, not as a voice, but as some kind of information that communicates directly between two powerful spiritual entities, by emitting its own meaning directly into the other's mind, to achieve the most efficient communication.

The last time Morgan was able to use this method of communication was when she was confronted by her own genetic father: even for powerful psionics, it was a science.

But considering the true identity of the object in front of him, Morgan was not surprised.

She said hello.

[How should I call you: Do I call it Tuchucha Engine?] 】

"Of course, I'm designed to assimilate into human form, and that's probably one of the titles I should have, so on the other hand, can I call you Morgan?"

[Of course.] 】

"Good, Morgan."

"You're welcome."

The speed of the Tuchucha engine's speech seemed to quicken a bit, and the genomorph glanced at the alien orb and saw that the golden specks were moving faster than before, forming a brief pattern in the dark rotation.

"You seem confused, Morgan?"

The Spider Queen nodded.

[There are some, I came to you because of a transaction thousands of miles away, but before that, I always thought that this transaction was just a sideshow, a surprise that was not satisfying: but judging from your attitude, it seems that there is something else? 】

The Tuchucha engine was silent for a moment, seemingly taking its time to learn the meaning of some of the words in Morgan's mouth, but its answer was quick and clear.

"I'm sorry, Morgan, I can't answer all of your questions, some of them are also beyond my comprehension, but I can assure you of one thing: yes, I've been waiting for you, or someone else, to arrive."

"I'm waiting for you to take me away, I'm longing to get out of here."

【…… Others? 】

"You're not the only one, Morgan, and judging by the orders I've obeyed, I have a list full of names I can follow them away, and I can't let any other being take my power than these people."

"But you're lucky, Morgan, your name is on the list, and I can go with you, and let you take control of my power: do you need to show you my role now, you humans seem to regard your own interests, actual existence, as supreme things."

[No...... No, you don't. 】

Morgan shook her head, and she heard a lot of overtones from the Tuchucha engine's words, such as the actual reason why it had enslaved the whole world: but none of that was the Spider Empress's concern now.

[I've heard of your power from another machine, Tuchucha: you won't be trapped in the realities of the leap, and you will be able to drill directly from physical space into subspace, or vice versa, without any recoil or gravitational displacement. 】

[Moreover, you can also stabilize a large area of subspace centered on you: mastering you is equivalent to mastering the treasure that can come and go freely in subspace, and can easily overturn the existing naval warfare system of the galaxy, turning any powerful fleet into a fragile headless behemoth.] 】

"That's true, Morgan."

The Spider Empress could even hear a hint of pride in Tuchucha's words: it was learning emotions too quickly, even a little moody.

"But I can warn you: this is far from all my abilities, this is only a part of what you can understand and use for the time being, and I am happy to use my other abilities to match your actions, Morgan, you are a little more special than the others on the list."

【…… Special? 】

"Yes, you're more ......"

Tuchucha seemed to struggle with the words.

"Noble."

【……】

Morgan was almost amused by the word.

In fact, she could even hear a slight chuckle flashing in her soft throat from the vigilant Virgo.

【Noble? 】

[Where is it embodied?] 】

"It's simple."

The voice of the Tuchucha engine doesn't sound like a hype, but rather a narrative of a reality that will take place in another world.

"If it were your blood relative, another person on the list, who found me, it would probably take you twenty or thirty Terra standard years to communicate with me, using a language based on calculations, logarithms, and passwords, and a few more lives to establish a simple connection with me on a neural interface."

"But you're different: the fact that you were able to have such a complex conversation with me in less than five minutes of our first meeting proves that you're better suited to take me with you than most."

Morgan frowned.

[Do you have the name of one of my blood relatives on your list?] 】

"I don't know his name, but they'll call him a lion."

"Do you know him?"

【…… Slightly. 】

"Are you familiar with that?"

The Spider Queen blinked, and she thought about how to answer.

[Nope.] 】

[We are not familiar with it. 】

"That's a shame, but I don't think that prevents you from taking me and allowing me to be your friend, right, Morgan, you can use my powers."

The Spider Empress adjusted her breathing, and for a moment, she really wanted to take the subspace artifact in front of her directly, and use its power as soon as possible: but the caution of her heart stopped Morgan's impulsiveness, and she decided to ask some questions first.

[Don't be so anxious, Tuchucha. 】

[You need to answer some of my questions here first.] 】

"Don't you trust me?"

What do you think? 】

The Tuchucha engine paused.

"Okay, you ask."

The Spider Queen blinked, her teal pupils turning slightly.

[I know your name, and I know some of your abilities, but there is one thing I don't know: what are you, Tuchucha Engine?] 】

This question doesn't seem to come as a surprise to the subspace artifact.

"I am everything, Morgan, I am everything you can imagine, I am the being who wants to possess all things, I was once a servant loyal to the Sea of Death, but now, I can be a friend in your service."

[You seem to have been emphasizing that you want me to take you away, why is that?] 】

"My worth can only be realized if you take me away, I've had enough of being imprisoned here, my mission is calling me, and my heart is in tune with you, Morgan, I know you have something to do with me: it's good for us."

[Only this one reason? 】

"No, there's another one."

"Because I'm afraid, afraid of you."

It gave the answer briskly, like an ignorant child, imitating a word it had just learned, without knowing what it meant.

[Fear me? 】

【…… Why? 】

"Because you will destroy me: if you can't take me away, you will destroy my existence, and I can feel that deep down you are prepared for this, and that you actually have that power."

【…… Really? 】

"I'm not going to lie to you, at least not now, I'm in awe of your power, that's what makes you different from your brothers, that's what makes you nobler than them."

"You are different from them, you have your own throne in subspace, and your brothers still need to use their hands and pain to win their future, but you are different, all you have to do is to return to your place and inherit the terrible authority that you are now far away from."

【……】

Unimpressed by the words, the Genogen paced slowly back and forth with her hands behind her back, a safe enough distance from the Tuchucha engine, contemplating the possible pitfalls of these words.

[You are a machine...... Why do you know so much about things in subspace. 】

"Because my creators are more powerful than you think, and they can even see things that are meant to happen, and see the intricate possibilities of the timeline: although it does not undo their death, and some of them do not resist death, but it can teach me more things."

What do you know...... On these questions about me. 】

"Much of what I know about you overlaps with what you have in your head, but I do have something more to tell you: hopefully it will confirm our friendship."

Morgan nodded.

[Yes, Tuchucha Engine: This will be the last question you'll have to face when you're stuck here, and I don't have any other questions for you to answer.] 】

"Good."

The voice of the subspace artifact seemed to be more cheerful.

"I can tell you something: about the [power] you have."

[Power? 】

"Yes, power, they are the key elements that make up that realm that belongs to you, the foundation on which you can be stronger, and the core force on which you can flourish: your recognition of it determines the focus of your future path."

【…… Tell me. 】

"I can't articulate the power of a subspace powerhouse, but I can only tell you in more tactful words: the power you wield is the most special of the eight aetheric realms, because you will theoretically be the last king to ascend the throne."

"So, what you have in your hands is not some more specific concept, but a more vague authority: you symbolize the last fog left behind when the nature of chaos is revealed little by little, the rest of chaos when the other Aether lords cling to their authority, the sum of other undetermined probabilities when the gods continue to emerge and settle one after another."

"In other words, when the power of chaos is divided, explained, and confirmed by one new deity after another, the power that has not yet been taken away has a loose but unified concept."

"Unknown."

"That's your power."

"This is the authority you hold as the last king of subspace."

"In short, your realm and power exist outside the blind spot of human vision, those that have not yet been explored, those that have not yet been mastered, and the orderly and chaotic realms that have not yet been sorted out by regulations."

"It's the ignorance and confusion that lurks in people's hearts, and of course, in your human voice, that word should actually be called "unknown."

"The unknown is your power, it's your concept, all the realms that can be covered by the word, whether they really haven't been explored, or the stupidity of the majority of people keeps them from setting foot in it, gives you room to maneuver and allow your authority to take root in a myriad of realms that are completely uncontiguous and unrelated."

"Of course, with this as the core, you also have other powers, other abilities that you can manipulate and steal, the simple concept of [unknown] cannot explain all your power and authority, but this is the best answer I can give you."

"I hope it satisfies you."

【……】

Although Tuchucha's words are not particularly numerous, they contain earth-shattering content: at least the Virgo on the side is absolutely shocked, but on the contrary, the Spider Queen still maintains a trusting silence and calmness.

No matter how great the waves were in Morgan's heart, on the surface, she did not neglect or delay her answer to the Tuchucha engine, and all her doubts and thoughts were temporarily sealed in exchange for the perfect face of the Lord of the Second Legion.

[Tuchucha engine, of course.] 】

[I think we can go: by the way, talk about my use of you.] 】

"I know what you want me to do."

The sound of the Tuchucha engine seemed to come out of pale lips, and one felt a kind of triumphant disgust.

"Blackstone Fortress."

"Trust me, they're not really hard for me."

(End of chapter)