"Do you know how Jondo Scalewalker died?"

【…… Who? 】

"Jando-Scarlewalk, the eldest son of the Scarlewalker family in Quintis City, is also known as the Earl of Tattoo: Tattoo refers to the two black marks on his face that he received as the most [outstanding] new generation in the family, and the Earl is his title of noria."

【…… A little impressed. 】

Morgan nodded, she barely squeezed out a wisp of thought from her busy work, and then pinpointed the information hidden in the depths of her memory: because she promised to help Conrad solve the problem of Nostramo, Morgan also learned a little about the situation on the star of the eternal night under her feet.

The genogen is no stranger to the name Scarlewalk: this sinister family, who stole the title of nobility hundreds of years ago, is now one of the nine nobles on Nostramo, and even vaguely the new leader of the Midnight magnates.

It was the Scarlewalkers, after Conrad's departure, that first of all, they could not resist their thirst for power, and set off a spree of assassination of the Governors left behind by the Midnight Wraith, and even more, the noble coalition that was fighting the Hive War with the subordinates of Governor Polyus. It was this former killer family who came to [raise the banner of righteousness].

There is no doubt that if Conrad did leave Nostramo and never returned, then it was possible for the Scarlewalker family to become the uncrowned kings of the Eternal Night, reaping the enviable rewards for their ambition and cunning: but reality turned out to be far beyond the limits of the killers' control.

When the 30,000 Midnight Lords, complying with the first orders of their Genetic Father, landed on the nests of Nostramo one after another, the rest of the rebels still had the possibility of dying down, but the Scarlewalkers, who were the commanders of the nobility, did not even have a chance to beg for mercy.

The forces of the Midnight Lords besieging the fortress of the Scarlewalker family even exceeded the number of bloodlines of the family itself: for a small elite family in the world of the nest capital, it was truly a grand funeral that none of them could have dreamed of.

In a sense, the history of this family can be called unregretted.

Eventually, after hours of trial and clean-up, as well as inspections of countless secret rooms and wall passages, the humanoids with Scallewalk's blood, more than four figures of the descendants of the killers, contributed to the biggest killing event in the family's history with their own blood.

Thanks to the humble origins of this killer family, they will take any descendants of their bloodline, including offspring, illegitimate children, and even mild mongrels, into the family for other use: this is a habit of many Nostramo magnates, but it is especially convenient for the Midnight Lords to purge at this time.

In just one night, the Scarlewalker family, who had been active for hundreds of years, officially became the darkest footnote in the sordid history books of Nostramona: another midnight dignitary has stepped into the hell of the Eternal Night Star.

But behind this unremarkable record of the trial, there is a slightly twisted ending: Jandor, known as the Tattooed Earl, is the best of Scarlewalker, who, by virtue of his ingenuity, managed to escape the first wave of the Kamidnight Lords after betraying his own father, three older brothers, two sisters, and more than twenty cousins, and ran into a secret passage that connected to the castle's sewers.

Had it not been for the Count's greed to take the family sword with him and take it for himself before he fled, he might have escaped: but his greed paid off, and Jando was trapped in the sewers beneath the castle before the Midnight Lords' siege was officially closed.

And then......

"According to the pharmacists' calculations, he spent half the night in the tunnel, which was full of feces, blood, and dead bodies, but did not dare to set foot in the patrol area outside the tunnel: it was not until near the dawn of the morning that my warriors began to wash the blood of the entire fortress, and drained a large number of dead men and blood into the passage."

"And then?"

"Then the tattooed count was crushed by blood, corpses, feces, and the horrified faces of those whom he had betrayed, and even the apothecary could not be sure whether he had been frightened to death, or had choked to death because he had devoured too much filth: but his death did make the most veterans of Terra feel a little sympathy."

"And in any case, one thing is certain."

Conrad slowly played with the Midnight Lord's Legion crest in his hand, the corners of his lips grinning to the extreme, revealing a terrifying smile that he had not seen in a long time.

"That's what Jando-Scallewalker could have escaped: after he had been hiding in the passage for about half an hour, most of the warriors had been sent to clear out the other families, and the patrol area in front of him was blank, and if he stuck his head out, he would find that he was so close to freedom."

"But he didn't dare."

Midnight Wraith scoffed.

"For a long time, the Scarlewalker family has planted the corpses of countless tortured people around the family fortress, and he can't tell which shadows are my warriors, and those shadows are the victims, and he doesn't have the courage to risk his life to see what is going on, so he can only cower in the stinking hell until the moment he dies."

"If it weren't for the warriors under my command, who turned the entire barrier upside down according to the list of executed, we wouldn't even be able to find his body."

Squinting his long pupils into a slit, Conrad spoke to his blood relatives in a tone of utter joy about the worst death: although he had long ago been able to derive his own pleasure from the misery of others, this time Conrad seemed to derive much more pleasure from the unfortunate fate of the Tattooed Earl.

So much so that Morgan, who was standing beside him, couldn't help but look sideways.

[You seem to care a lot about this so-called tattooed Earl Conrad, is he a very important figure to you?] 】

"Barely count."

Midnight Wraith tilted its head.

"An innocuous and important person, originally, this guy would have put the entire Eighth Legion in great trouble: after becoming the Midnight Lord, he would cooperate with the Scalilok family on Nostramo, and completely ruin the quality of the recruits of the entire Eighth Legion."

“……”

At this, Conrad seemed to hesitate, and he pursed his lips.

"I was going to say that."

The original smiled self-deprecatingly.

"But the reality is that although this guy does make trouble, he is not a figure who can corrupt the Legion, and the fall of the Eighth Legion is more due to my inability to fully exercise my ability to govern as the original body of the Legion, and I am helpless against all the chaos and look on coldly."

"So, whether it's the Tattooed Count or the other Nostramo Miscellaneous, it's just that their disgusting behavior makes them extra conspicuous."

The genogen closed his eyes, and he was speaking these words with a sickly momentum, and then raised an arm, leaned his face, and looked at the surface of Nostramo through a remote electronic device: after a night of fighting, the main battlefield of the Midnight Lords had shifted from the Hive area to the vicinity of the factories in the flat area.

The trial here is closer to a real war, and Conrad's sons must destroy the last resistance of the Midnight Magnates, a combination of bloated reformers and a chaotic armies of armor.

The smoke of war has filled the vast wasteland, and even in the void can be clearly seen, but Conrad is not worried about the war on the planet, he is just a little dissatisfied with the current progress.

"All in all, that's not a very important fellow, and besides, I'm not going to go on the conscription of the Eighth Legion only on Nostramo: I've decided to imitate you, and our dear brother Robert, and look a little broader when I call up."

The original tilted his head, his fingers twitching the tablet next to him, checking which companies had completed their mission: most companies were a little slower than Midnight Wraiths had imagined.

[What do you mean: you don't plan to limit the conscription to Nostramo?] 】

Morgan nodded, agreeing with Conrad's idea.

[Not bad, though I hate to say it, but Nostramo is indeed not suitable as a foundation for a legion: when I had just cleansed the aether field corresponding to this world, I found that the filth left by this star in the subspace was heavier than that of other worlds, in other words, people in this world are more likely to become bad, which is a stubborn disease related to the soul. 】

"A little metaphysical factor?"

[Not absolutely, but it does have a great impact: after all, a crazy world like Nostramo is quite rare in the whole galaxy, and it is difficult not to wonder if this world has suffered any changes in the original era of dark technology. 】

[After all, in a normal world, it is definitely impossible to make the earth's crust out of pure gold. 】

Morgan tilted his head and glanced at her blood relatives.

[In short, I personally think that this idea can be considered, the question is, why did you have such an idea, Conrad: I have the impression that most of our brothers have a pathological obsession with their home planet, such as Horus or Peturabo, who basically only recruit on their home planet, which is almost unreasonable. 】

"Because of this ......"

Midnight Ghost looked up and shook the datapad in his hand towards his blood relative, a little downcast.

[Quite a few Midnight Lord's companies need four nights to complete their mission?] 】

【……】

[Bad performance? 】

"It's definitely terrible compared to your Daybreaker."

[Don't say that, Conrad. 】

He was persuasive, but the corners of the Lord of Avalon's lips had already curled.

[Rapid strikes, mobile operations, and three-dimensional attack and defense are the main tactics that the Dawnbreaker Legion relies on for their livelihood, and the only thing that can be slightly comparable to the Second Legion in this regard is the group of Shadow Moon Wolves who are keen on decapitation operations: there is no need to be pessimistic on this issue, my poor little fellow. 】

[Even if I let my Dawnbreaker come, it will take at least two nights for them to clean the Nostramo.] 】

"I know all of that, Morgan."

The Midnight Ghost pouted.

"The current decline of the Eighth Legion is not unexpected by me, after all, I can't control what happened before I reunite with them, and I can't blame them: if they are a force that can't meet my expectations when they meet me, doesn't that show my importance as a genetic protologist?"

"What I'm worried about is the future: what will become of this legion in the future?"

The Primordial's fingers draw circles in the air.

"You and I both know that the origin of the recruits has a considerable influence on the tactics and overall quality of the legion, for example, the emperor's sons were originally from the nobles of Europa, they are used to fancy arts, and command other mortal troops, and the Shadow Moon Wolves who were recruited in the gangster world of Cthunia naturally developed that kind of brotherhood into the legion."

"This is very rare in the case of the Dawnbreakers, and even the Terrabite warriors who dominate the Dawnbreaker Legion are originally from different locations in the Holy Terra, and no dominant culture can occupy the core of the Second Legion: on the one hand, it makes your warriors appear unremarkable, but on the other hand, it ensures that they can absorb any quality food from the outside world."

"As for Nostramo, not to mention the evil places of this world, it is not qualified to use it as a conscription ground as a city of sin through and through: the recruits here are accustomed to deceit, to skirmish in narrow cities, to intimidate their opponents and defend their interests in the most terrible ways."

"So, if we want to do squad combat, urban warfare, or intimidation tactics, we can really find good recruits out of this world."

"But......"

Conrad leaned back and lay directly on the floor, on all fours.

"If a legion can only use fear tactics, then how can it be considered an Astarte legion: after all, the main force of a legion must also be a steel division that conducts a large-scale collision of main forces on a frontal battlefield."

"A group of executioners and inquisitors, it is true that they can be used to carry out those righteous legal sanctions, but you can't expect them to go to war: in the field of justice, they are elites, but on the battlefield, they are a rabble without organization."

"It's like even the most elite police, secret service organizations, and even special forces who are collectively thrown into the frontal battlefield are just delivering food to the enemy: there is a difference between war and war."

"Only those military novices would think that the special forces are omnipotent: in fact, if it is a head-on conflict on the battlefield, a slightly armed militia force can make the special forces cry bitter."

[In short: what you need is a real soldier, and the world of Nostramo can't produce a real soldier?] 】

"yes......"

[Including your Sevita?] 】

“……”

"Well, Sevita is indeed a cool, powerful, and trustworthy guy, but even so, I dare not say that he is a good soldier: he is not even qualified."

【……】

[So, why are you still conscripting on Nostramo?] 】

Now that you've decided that you want to fill the Eighth Legion with true warriors, it's better to give up on this home planet: just as I've never seen Avalon as the home planet of the Legion that can't afford to be missed. 】

The Spider Queen frowned, and after a brief thought, she slowly traced the new moon's orbit in the void as she threw new questions to her blood relatives.

"That's the essence."

Conrad laughed.

"Don't you realize what you just told you about the Tattooed Count, Morgan: In many cases, fear is actually a force that can be used, and while I don't think the Fear Tactic is suitable as an absolute pillar of the Legion, if we think of it as a proper knife to wield when necessary......

"That fear is a great thing."

"And when it comes to this, the Nostramo people are absolute experts."

[I don't deny this.] 】

Morgan nodded.

[In fact, you don't even need to tell the story of the Tattooed Earl: the Legion had been practicing fear tactics for a century before you reunited with the Eighth Army, and both they and the Empire were happy with it, which already shows the value of fear tactics.] 】

[But the problem now is that you personally don't want the Eighth Legion to be in that remote role that only fears tactics: you want the Midnight Lord Legion to be able to make a difference on the frontal battlefield and become a more normal and respectable legion:]

"It's not like I want to."

Midnight Wraith shook his head.

"That's what they're asking for."

"This is the appeal of my son."

"I haven't spoken to any of the Terra veterans in depth, but I know what they want: they don't be ashamed of being their executioners, but they also want to be able to stand in the sun and be a member of the Legion."

"If my presence had brought them into a deeper shadow, they would have been disappointed: not enough to shake my reign, but enough to disturb my heart."

[That's true.] 】

"As the father of genes, I should naturally try to satisfy their ideas, and if the Midnight Lord Legion is to be a force that can walk in the sun, then we must abandon our reliance on fear tactics, and we must prove our dominance on the battlefield."

"But at the same time, we can't completely polish the fear tactics, because in a sense, the Eighth Legion is positioned as the Inquisitor after all, and how to use fear is a compulsory course to become a Inquisitor: a Midnight Lord can be a pure warrior without knowing what the fear tactic is, but it is impossible for all Midnight Lords to do this."

[Some people can't, but not everyone.] 】

"That's it."

Conrad nodded and smiled.

"That's when I came up with [The Scavenger]."

The Midnight King of Nostramo slowly spat out the last three words, and then, scrambling to his feet, hunched over.

"Do you know what that is, Morgan?"

[Let me guess ......]

The genotype's eyes narrowed, and she carefully separated the orbits of the two moons as she reconciled her thoughts on Conrad. Stereotyped impressions, unfolded thinking.

[What do you mean by saying that you want to recruit new soldiers from multiple angles to keep the Midnight Lord Legion on track, but at the same time, you will also recruit new soldiers on Nostramo, and have this team specialize in fear tactics in case of emergency, and this unit dedicated to fear tactics is what you call a scavenger?] 】

"That's it."

Conrad's right palm formed a fist and slapped it the palm of his left palm.

"That's exactly what you guessed."

[Because it's a very good choice, Conrad. 】

Morgan nodded.

[There is only one more question: how do you ensure that this scavenger army will not be ostracized by the entire legion: just as the Eighth Legion was once squeezed out by the entire empire, how can you ensure that the Midnight Lords do not despise the scavengers who specialize in fear tactics when they become legions under the sun?] 】

"It's going to take advantage of our privileges as genetic protogens."

Conrad's laughter was a little sharper.

"Based on the influence of the Genoplasm on the Astarte warriors, I can define what is pure, what is important, what is cruelty and mercy within the Midnight Lord Legion, if I think about it: when I personally admit that the fear tactic is the claw on my side, what Midnight Lord would dare to despise it?"

"Like your Rana, who once pleaded with you in front of everyone on the battlefield, almost pleadingly: does any Daybreaker despise him for it?"

【……】

"And on the other hand, I'm going to make some preparations: for example, to make sure that the scavengers are connected with the rest of the company, to make everyone aware of the value of fear tactics, and to arrange for some company exchange students to go in, as long as I personally care about that, this problem will not be a big problem."

[That's right. 】

So, how do you heal the psychological problems of the scavengers? 】

"On the one hand, it depends on me, on the importance and favor I give to them, and on the other hand, it ......"

Conrad moved his fingers.

"It's up to me to rely on my trusty Sevita."

【……】

[Are you going to put that Sevita in charge of this scavenger force?] 】

"He is the most suitable person, as long as he is alive, this force will never lead to possible depravity, I believe that he will keep his heart in the face of any temptation, his depravity is something I cannot imagine."

Morgan nodded.

But soon, when Morgan remembers the conversations she had with Conrad about the organizational structure of the Eighth Legion, the Lord of Avalon realizes that there is a big problem: about Sevita.

[Then since Sevita will be in charge of the Scavenger Force, who are you going to let help you deal with many things within the Legion, after all, you said Saiveta before: or can you do it yourself?] 】

"Of course, it's Sevita, who has the ability to coordinate legion-level operations."

【……】

[So what are you doing?] 】

"Stamping him, giving him a platform, giving him an endorsement: I'm very busy, too."

【……】

[So, who are you going to have as your attendant military attaché, or a company commander?] 】

“……”

"I think Sevita can do it."

【……】

[Do you feel that for an Astarte, these combined positions are a bit more than he can do: if Sevita had held so many important positions, then his reputation within the Eighth Legion might not be much better than that of Killiman.] 】

[Just as when I appoint Lana as my Captain of the Guard, I will not then appoint him as a company commander, or as the leader of the Le Fay Knights, nor will I expect him to unite the various factions within the Legion.] 】

When you show your trust in Sevita in this way, how do you let him face the jealous Midnight Lords, and even let him unite them? 】

“……”

"That's a problem."

"But ......"

"I believe in his abilities!"

【……】

【……】

【！！！ 】

——————

"What are you kicking me for?"

[What's not to do: You remind me of a very bad bastard.] 】

【……】

[No, it's two.] 】

There is another one in the middle of the night, but there is no need to wait.

Well, the update in the past two days has been a bit problematic, mainly because I was hit by the new book of Siege of Terra, Ending and Death 3.

How so......

It didn't have a particularly big impact on my plot, far less than the original eternal echo, but this book gave me a really bad feeling, and my assessment of him was that it destroyed all the main characters and most of the important characters without discrimination.

Including the Emperor, Horus, St. Giles, Locan, Abadon, and even Erebus and Roga, everyone's characters are being trampled on the ground and screaming, hey!

……

It's so tiring.

(End of chapter)