Conrad Coetzes pondered.

He stood on top of a tall building, surrounded by silence.

The night sky, which would have been cut into a chaotic scene by the chaotic and brilliant lights, now looks so peaceful. The streets have also been renewed, and the places where the gangs have viciously placed traps have been bulldozed along with the traps.

Life in the nest is boring, and the gangs will do everything they can to get rid of this boredom that can cause them to go crazy - drugs, killing, alcohol, pure physical pleasure, and one of the simplest forms of entertainment on Nostramo.

Torturing others.

Torture some innocent people who are just passing by. In this way, you can enjoy a perverted pleasure, as well as the delusion of superiority.

The Lord of Midnight slowly raised his right hand and rested on the cold iron railing.

He gently rubbed the surface of it with his fingertips, feeling the roughness and coldness, and for a moment it felt a little like a world away. But he quickly got rid of that feeling.

Coetze looked to the other side of the night, catching precisely the silhouette of a silhouette stretching out of the darkness from the top of a building. It was the sixth, and it kept watch over Nostramo.

It was and is still there, so will it be in the future?

Conrad Coetzes laughed silently, and jumped off the building on his knees, skimming through the night like a ghost. He began to run with agility and briskness, as easily and naturally as ever.

A few minutes later, he climbed through a deliberately open window and entered another building. And Carlil had been waiting here for a long time.

He leaned against the wall, leisurely looking at a booklet in the dim soft light overhead. Conrad Coetzee glanced at it, and saw the word "Common Sense" written in Low Gothic.

He closed the window to let the temperature rise and asked, "What are you looking at?" ”

"Common sense," Carlil said without looking up. A handbook compiled by Lucretius Corvo. I have to say, he's a very professional, Conrad, and he even teaches how to make a simple and delicious dinner with the seasonings and food that is handed out."

"Does this need to be taught?"

"Not everyone is like you, Conrad," Carlil glanced up at him. "Mastering twenty-three ways to cook rats is quite an achievement."

"Then you still like to eat fried mice." Conrad Coetze glanced back in the same vein. "And I'm not proficient, I haven't practiced it - do you want to try it?"

"No, thank you for your kindness, let's choose some normal ingredients." Carlil chuckled, put away the manual, and placed it on the long table beside him.

It was a conference room with a dark red carpet, simple décor and high ceilings, which was perfectly adequate for them. A large screen rests quietly at the front of the long table, not yet activated, and looks like a mirror, reflecting the two figures at the end of the long table.

Coates pursed his lips, unwilling to continue on the subject—he understood why Carlil had insisted that he stop eating mice, so the memory was now an awkward episode of a gagging urge to recall.

He approached the booklet, picked it up, and began to read it for himself.

There were only three people technically involved, him, Carlile, and Lucretius Corvo, so Conrad Coz didn't want to be too serious—and he didn't want to tell Lucretius Corvo about the Battle of Harcosus.

The whole thing sounded horrific enough in itself, if he had said it with a straight face and in a serious tone

"Bang, bang, bang."

What a coincidence.

The Lord of Midnight narrowed his eyes, closed the manual, and placed it back on the long table.

Carlil had already walked over and opened the door, and Lucretius Corvo, dressed in a light blue uniform, stood straight outside the door, waiting for the next words without squinting—he still maintained the same stern attitude that never showed the slightest casualness in a formal setting.

Carlil sighed, turned to his side, and invited him in.

"You don't have to be so serious, Lucretius." Conrad Coates couldn't help but smile, and he made a gesture for the Ultramarines to sit down in front of him, but Lucretius didn't do it immediately, but glanced at Carlil first.

"How can I transgress like this?" The Ultramarines spoke with a serious face. "The position on your side should belong to Instructor Carlil or one of your company commanders."

"Alright, alright—" Carlil sighed and pulled him to the table and sat down. "—You've worked hard all year on the Nostramo, Lucretius, and the results are surprisingly good."

Conrad Coetze took his words: "We have nothing but gratitude to you, so let's talk to each other in a different way, and stop being so serious." There were only three people in the meeting. ”

"But I."

"It's fine." Conrad Coetze nodded at him, and Lucretius stared into his completely dark eyes, complying.

He had already dealt with quite a few Primitives, and it seemed to him that Primitives usually had strong emotions commensurate with their size. At this moment, what he saw in the eyes of the Lord of Midnight was a palpable kindness.

And that's completely different from Karil Lohals. The instructor, though equally tall, was calm and a little over-the-top most of the time, everything was hidden, and there was no way to see any obvious emotional reaction in him.

"I appreciate all the hard work you have put in over the past year." Conrad Coetzes said this after he finally sat down. "And this gratitude is not something that can be expressed in words, Lucretius."

"For this reason, I hope that you will return to Maculag at the end of your three-year term with a batch of gifts. I know you're not doing this for pay, but I can't afford not to give it. Also, I beg your pardon for bringing this up so early, I'm really not sure if I'll be in Nostramo three years from now. ”

The Ultramarines nodded silently - Conrad Coetzes had covered all the points he wanted to refute, and, in his current form, he might still be covered with adamantite.

"So."

Conrad Coetzes groaned and gestured, "I'm sure you've heard about what I'm going to talk to you about on the way here, Lucretius?" ”

"Yes, sir." The Ultramariner nodded, his voice hoarse from some emotion - he wasn't stupid, he certainly realized something. Whether it's this one-on-one meeting, or the kind of worry that catches in the eyes of the Lord of Midnight at this moment.

"I must be honest with you about one thing, Lucretius, though it may become a myriad of buried secrets in the future. However, there are three planets in Harcosus, and it is a federation, a lie, a malevolent trap. ”

Conrad Coetzes lowered his hand, both of his hands now resting on the table, resting quietly, his fingers slender, and the veins were clearly visible on the pale backs of his hands.

Lucretius felt a trance, wondering why he had begun to observe the back of an Primordial's hand. His throat rolled up and down, and he was ready to continue listening.

And so the Lord of Midnight continued.

"The Ultramarines First and your father are in charge of Harcosus III - it's now completely destroyed, and the orbital bombardment of Marcurag's Flare has turned it into a pile of rubble floating in a dark vacuum. But, before that, something not so good happened. ”

"What's the matter, sir?"

"Your father is wounded." Conrad Coetzes said, while Lucretius began to speed up his breathing.

"He's been vilely calculated, and the Harcosus, taking advantage of his desire to reach the Reconquista by peaceful means, launched a shameless sneak attack, and within reach, dozens of bastards in self-detonating vests charged towards your original body. And he was even wearing only ceremonial armor at that time. ”

Lucretius Corvo's expression looked as pale as if he was dying—or rather, he was dead—and the Ultramarines took several deep breaths to calm down, and he spoke hoarsely, "Please tell me he's okay." ”

"Of course he's fine." Coetzes replied softly. "He's a primordial, Lucretius, he's just caught off guard by this sudden attack."

"He has long since recovered and is now fulfilling your Ultramarine's traditions. Remember? Harcosus is a federation that protects the innocent civilians on the only remaining Harcosus One. Until the arrival of the colonial fleet of the Empire. ”

Luclair let out a long sigh.

"Anyway, that's what happened." Coetzes said he even made a joke again as he looked at the Ultramarine, who was still emotionally recovering. "I really should have asked my third company commander, Phil Zaloster, to do this."

"Huh?"

"Don't tell anyone else the inside information." Coetzes winked at him. "During my time back in the Legion, Fell was given a new nickname by his brothers, who called him the Mourning Bird, because he often reported bad news to me."

The corners of the Ultramarine's mouth began to twitch: "It's true. Very special title. ”

"It's a good fit for their character." The Lord of Midnight curled the corners of his mouth into a smile that could not have been more obvious. What happened after that was a very natural thing - Lucre said goodbye and went back to work.

Although the news shocked him for a moment, he was encouraged to learn that the original body was fine, and might even pass through Nostramo on the way back.

At the same time, the mildness shown by Conrad Coetz also gave him a sense of pride that is characteristic of being treated with respect. Of course, he didn't know that Conrad Coetzes, who was very rational and gentle in his eyes, was complaining loudly in the conference room at the moment.

"I can't believe Robert was going to let me cheat on his heir."

Coates covered his forehead and leaned back into his chair.

"How long can he stay on that planet? He's going to be out of shape, and then Lucretius Corvo will find out that I lied to him."

"A white lie is nothing, Conrad." Carlil replied in a low voice, and he kept his head down and continued to read the booklet. "And Lucreus will understand why his primordial body asked for secrecy about this."

"Your tone sounds—" Conrad Coates suddenly sat up from his chair and looked at Caryl's side face with suspicion. "—like you have some plans you don't want to tell me."

"Is it that obvious?"

Carlil smirked dumbly, shook his head, and said, "The truth about subspace can't be hidden, Conrad. So, sooner or later, Lucretius Corvo will find out the truth of the matter, just as he will become a company commander sooner or later. ”

"Will he become a company commander?"

"The fact that he was chosen by Robert Killiman to come to our aid with four hundred and ninety-nine Ultramarines is enough of a point, isn't it? The Ultramarines are far outnumbered by us, and Lucretius stands out among his brothers. ”

"So, I deceived a company commander of an Ultramarine." Conrad Coetzes said this deliberately in a deep tone.

“.”

Carlil sighed again, for the third time of the day—he slowly put the book down, then turned his head and spoke calmly to Conrad Coetzes.

"Your acting skills aren't enough, Conrad." He said expressionlessly. "And I don't have any plans that I don't want to tell you, actually, I have a plan, but I won't fail to tell you."

"Really?"

"Of course it's true."

Carlil pushed the booklet over, and he flipped to the last page, and the contents of that page made Conrad Coetzes's face strange for a moment.

"The Savior of Nostramo."

Carlil spoke slowly in his strange expression, his voice low and almost like the ship's automatic voice announcement.

"Conrad Coetze, who came from afar, and his Eighth Legion, saved Nostramo on behalf of the Empire. I have to admit one thing, the Ultramarines are probably really born political players, and he's already looking for a reason for your reasonable and legal rule of Nostramo that everyone would agree to. ”

"I-" Coates pursed his lips, his expression extremely complicated. "—Is that a little too fast?"

"Well, I don't think so, but it doesn't matter if you don't want to be a ruler." Carlil shrugged and stood up. "Just make sure Nostramo gets better, don't you?"

He smiled and left the conference room, handing over the rest of the time to Conrad Coetzes, after all, alone time is always precious.

As for himself. He had another meeting to have, a meeting that had crossed the sea of stars.

A meeting with Makado the Palm Print.

This chapter is 4k, and the update is complete.

(End of chapter)