Conrad Coetze leaned on the railing, looking down on the scene below.

Inside the amphitheater, voices poured in waves, and almost everyone was engaged in the discussion, wondering what kind of evidence Magnus would come up with to convince them.

The people were divided into many factions, with some believing that whatever Magnus said would not be able to hide the fact that they were misusing their psionic powers, while others thought it would be better to listen to the Crimson King first

There is also a small group that is very extreme, believing that all psionics deserve to die. Even Motarian didn't think so, and interestingly, if the person he spoke to thought it was too extreme, they would start to use the name of Lord of Death in an attempt to get the other person to change their minds.

"Sooner or later, you'll break this railing, Conrad."

"It's made of steel." Coates smiled and turned his head and shrugged at Roger Dorn.

His words were clearly pointed, but Dorne didn't say much, just took another sip of wine—not a special Ruth, of course, but a Maculag from Robert Killiman.

The primitives in the box basically chose this one, except for Fogham, he and St. Giles chose flower tea, and forced Ferrus to join in.

To be sure, the sight of Ferus Manus holding a ceramic cup with his silver hands is absurd, especially when he stands between Vogrim and St. Giles, and the contrast between the image is hard to resist laughing.

Dorn didn't answer immediately, he turned his head to determine Peturabo's position, and then turned back and continued: "You shouldn't have joked with me. ”

"Whose joke?"

Who the hell did you learn from knowingly?" Dorn asked, frowning. "That's not a good habit, Conrad."

"But I'm having a hard time getting rid of it." Coates replied with a smile. "It's like it's hard for Peturabo to talk to each other in a normal way."

Dorn was silent again, and began to think. After a moment, he nodded, accepted the statement, and moved on to another matter.

"What do you think Magnus will do?"

"I don't know, brother." The Lord of the Night turned his head, leaned against the railing and sighed, his voice already soft. "Only he knows what he's going to do, but, to be honest, I don't expect to convince him and his legion to change their minds in this meeting."

"He's really stubborn. Many people have warned him that subspace is not as rosy as it seems, but he has always been stubborn and does not listen to the slightest advice. Dorne said.

His brows furrowed, and his usual serious expression looked a little more emotional at this moment.

"I sometimes even suspect that he operated on himself, installed a filter device in his brain, and passively filtered out all the negative information about psionic or subspace. Otherwise, it would be impossible to explain where his 'omniscient' extraordinarily arrogant arrogance came from, and even Machado never said that he knew everything about subspace. ”

"Huh."

"What are you laughing at?"

"Nothing." Coetzes smiled and shook his head. "So, how long do our arrogant brothers have left?"

"Eleven minutes." Dorn said, and after a one-second pause, the time was accurate to the second. "Twenty-five seconds."

"That means we have eleven minutes left to talk, then, Rog." Coetzes mysteriously approached him. "What do you think he'll do?"

"I don't know." Dorn answered honestly.

"Don't be like that, just guess anything." Coetzes asked reluctantly.

It should have been an inconsequential joke, and if Perturabo or Leon El Johnson were here, they would have taken Coetze's frivolity seriously.

If Fogham or Riemann Ruth were here, they might follow Kotz's words and continue the joke or take it in a whole new direction.

But Roger Dorn was different, and he thought about it very seriously. It was a full five minutes before he spoke again.

"The relationship between me and Magnus has long since it was not what it used to be, and there has been a rift between him and me, as I did with Koraks, who refused to allow the Legion to fight alongside Chiko."

"He seems to have interpreted my decision as a signal that I am on Motarion's side, but it is not, I simply don't want the Imperial Fist to fight against a group of allies who may leave the battlefield at any moment. I'm sure you understand what I'm talking about, Conrad. ”

The Lord of the Night nodded expressionlessly—of course he understood, he knew it firsthand.

Nightblade lost nearly two hundred men for no apparent reason, and he confronted Magnus afterwards, who apologized to him in a rather casual manner, saying 'it was a last resort'.

What's the last resort? Can't you even give notice before retreating?

"He's been drifting away from us, and he doesn't seem to be aware of it. I don't know much about him in the first place, and now I'm going to overturn many of them. So if you insist on me giving an answer."

Dorn sighed.

"All I can say is that I don't expect anything from what he brings up." He said solemnly. "He's very arrogant about psionic energy and subspace, Conrad, I don't think we'll see anything good in a few minutes."

A few minutes later, his prophecy was fulfilled.

——

Magnus smiled and walked back into the amphitheater, the guards walking in front of him, chest puffed out, steps neat. He himself held his head high, and his posture was as proud as that of a victorious general.

The discussion even paused briefly for a moment at his presence and gesture, and the naysayers couldn't help but have some doubts about their previous thoughts—perhaps the Crimson King did have some conclusive evidence?

Their discussion soon erupted again, as Magnus was followed by a dozen servants carrying a massive instrument in their modified mechanical arms.

The shape of the instrument was irregular, and the obsidian base seemed to have never been polished at all, and each corner seemed to extend and split into more faces.

A large pale white gemstone is placed in the center of the pedestal, and the surface of the stone and the pedestal is reflected with brilliant and colorful light under the light of the amphitheater light. Just like the Crimson King's one-eye, which changes color every day.

On the golden platform, Machado, who was holding a scepter, turned his head with an ugly look on his face and cast an inquiring glance at the emperor.

"If he doesn't try, he won't give up." It took a moment for the Emperor to answer the Palm Seal's words, and the brilliance of psionic energy flashed in his eyes.

"Just let him do it, Machado, at least once. With me here, things won't be bad. ”

"You've spoiled you too much, and I'm sure Karil Lohals will agree with me." The Palm Printmaker said gloomily, exchanging glances with Waldo Constantine beside him.

The Praetorian Leader's expression was equally gloomy - he certainly couldn't tell what the device was for, but he could detect it from Machado's sudden change of attitude.

In the middle of the room, Magnus had already opened his arms and began his speech enthusiastically and solemnly.

"Psykers are a topic we can't avoid when we talk about the Empire."

He spoke slowly, his voice loud, still using psionic amplification, echoing in the ears of everyone in the room. Even with a microphone on the wooden pulpit, Magnus did not choose to use it.

"Attitudes towards psionics vary within the Empire, but they can generally be attributed to caution, whether it is the use of them, or the prejudice and stubbornness of their potential, and even the stubborn belief that psionics are wizards who should be burned at the stake."

At this, he paused for a moment, his gaze deliberately sweeping over some of the people who had just spoken.

"Today, we have advanced to the point where we can cross the sea of stars just to transport food or drink. Do we have such power in our hands, and yet we still have such prejudices? This is not progressive, nor is it wise. But I can understand what most people think. ”

Magnus withdrew his gaze and smiled again, looking kind and earnest.

"Psionic energy has always been a talent that only a few people can have. To outsiders, it's mysterious, dangerous, and attractive. But it seems to me that it's really just another way of knowing the world. ”

"It's essentially the same as mathematics, it's a tool in our hands. But this kind of cognition should be based on the premise of understanding it, but many people have no psionic talent at all, so where does understanding begin? That's why I created this instrument! ”

"It! From scratch, a person who doesn't have any psionic talent can open a new door and gain a new pair of eyes to see a whole new world! ”

He raised his arm again and gave the order to the servants, and the thick cable and supporting equipment were soon transported from the other end of the theater. In full view of everyone, Magnus began to adjust the instrument himself, his posture still relaxed, as if he had won the battle.

In the original box, Motarian turned his head sideways with an ugly face and expressed his emotions to his brothers, his voice was high, almost roaring: "He must be crazy!" ”

"But I think he's still very sensible, brother. You see his tirade, I bet he's excited right now. Riemann Ruth chuckled and put down his glass, throwing it on the ground, to be precise.

The brew in the cup spilled all over the floor, creating an even fainter red mark on the red carpet. The lord of the pack didn't even look at it, his right hand was slowly closed.

"This sanity may be worse than madness," Vulcan said worriedly. "What the hell is he trying to do?"

"No matter what he was going to do, my father had no intention of stopping him." Horus spoke slowly and solemnly.

As soon as he spoke, everyone's eyes were focused on him. The wolf god who had not been the commander for a long time was still wearing his fur, but his face was no longer the most common gentle smile in the past.

But this is by no means a good thing, and we are all aware of the dangers of psionic powers. Even those who have been trained for years can have problems with a spell, so why should he think he can succeed in creating a psyker? ”

"I agree." Alfaris, who was standing beside him, spoke immediately.

"I agree, but what are we going to do?" Kiliman asked inquiringly.

"Just wait and see, since he dares to push this instrument out and use it as a tool for him to turn the situation around, it means that he must have been tested many times." Angron said with a tight frown.

The gladiator solemnly folded his arms, his muscles knotted, and his posture calm, but for some reason he was filled with a sense of danger. His hoarse voice also attracted the attention of many of the primitives.

"Not really." Ferus Manus made another conjecture in a cold voice, and the phoenix looked at him, wondering what Gurgon would say, but he didn't expect him to end his speech.

"Okay. Now that this is the case, let's make a vote in advance. Fogrem shook his head helplessly. So, how many of us agree that the think tank system needs to be preserved? ”

As the words fell, he took the lead in raising his right hand. He was joined by Chagatai, St. Giles, Vulcan, Robert Killiman and Alfaris.

"I declare—" Killiman immediately explained, raising his hand. I don't agree with Magnus's attitude towards psionic powers, but the think tank system still needs to be reserved. At least think tanks can give us a head start in the war. ”

"That's true." The Lord of the Fire Dragon nodded, his face still worried. "I believe in the self-discipline of the think tanks, it's just that I'm worried about Magnus."

"So, the rest of the people are all oppositionists, right?" Fogrem asked.

Horus shook his head, indicating that he was not on either side, and that it was up to the Emperor to deal with the matter.

Leon Al Johnson followed suit, eliciting a meaningful stare.

Riemann Russ, Motarian and Angron all expressed their disapproval, as did Dorn, and Perturabo raised his hand after him with a gloomy expression, also expressing his disapproval, but in a somewhat strange manner.

After almost everyone had spoken, their eyes were on the two who were left.

Conrad Coetze, with Coreus Colacs.

The Lord of the Night stood on one side of the observation deck with the Lord of the Ravens, and Coz leaned on the railing leisurely and merrily, shaking his toes.

Corax was different, he stood straight, his eyes under his black hair were not the slightest bit of mood swings, and he was completely calm, as if the eyes of the primordials did not exist at all.

"So." Phoenix Shi Shiran got up from the sofa chair and walked barefoot on the carpet among them. He raised his hands, wrapped his arms around them, and asked naturally and curiously, "What about the two of you?" What do you guys think? ”

"I agree with the condemnation of Magnus." Colax said. "But the think tank system does need to be reserved."

"What about you, Conrad?"

"Me? I'd better swing it for the time being and see what he does, and then I'll decide. The Lord of the Night chuckled and shook his head, escaping from Phoenix's arm like a ghost, and turned to look inside the theater.

The moment he turned around, the smile on his face had completely disappeared, leaving only a cold calm. It is as imperceptible as a huge glacier beneath the surface of the deep blue sea, but it is also real.

Chapter 4k.

The eldest brother is paralyzed and angry, the second brother is angry and paralyzed, fierce and cunning, cunning and ferocious.

Q: Who are these two?

(End of chapter)