Chapter 538 56.Records of the Warband Era (16, Temporary End)

No matter who you are waiting for, what you are waiting for, waiting is always a long process, and this is true for anyone.

Its length is not in the length of time, but in the process. Therefore, even if the object of waiting is Robert Kiliman, the waiting is still anxious.

Fortunately, the people of Cowes always have something to do, and they are always on the lookout for threats from the surface, while at the same time not forgetting their own development.

For 10,000 years, they have continued to unearth the planet's underground treasures, from minerals to underground rivers that have not yet been contaminated by radiation, underground plants, and even mysterious animals that have yet to be discovered

They built mines, genetically modified plants to be cultivated on a large scale, domesticated the animals that lived underground, and started farms to get a steady source of meat.

They have even improved the way they use energy, converting geothermal energy into electricity on a large scale, safely, reliably and with incredible efficiency.

Today, there are thirteen underground cities in Couss, each of which has a complete energy conversion facility in the deepest part of their reach. Through them, the dungeon is able to reuse reliable technologies left over from 10,000 years ago, such as the Void Shield.

It may sound like the Kauss have not changed much from before the war, and the civilians are even better off, but this is definitely not a blessing in disguise, and living in the dim underground for a long time has caused them to have a certain degree of mutation and degradation.

Now, they can't see bright light, they have a certain level of night vision, their skin is pale and their hair is highly developed, their arms are longer and muscular.

10,000 years is enough to change so much that the crown jewel of the former Otrama can be buried deep underground, and the people of Couss who have settled here from all over the galaxy can be transformed into the inhabitants of some stories.

The only fortunate thing is that they are still human beings and there are no problems with genetic sample testing.

Carlil put down the materials in his hand and silently tapped his fingers on the table, lost in thought.

For now, he knew more or less about the situation underneath Cowes, but the ground was different, and in the map shown by Calgio, the ground of Cowes was almost completely covered by a large area of darkness.

With the exception of those areas where forts have been built, the rest of the map is completely dark.

In order to avoid the embarrassing dilemma of being ignorant of the surrounding environment when they leave their homes, the Cooss people have tried to develop drone technology, hoping that they can fly into the sky, scan the nearby ground in turn, and then select safe areas to transport materials and build drone transit stations, so as to gradually expand the scanning range.

It's a very good idea, and it's not just empty talk, but it's been met head-on. The ubiquitous electromagnetic storm in the sky is the first hurdle in front of the drone, then the huge amount of radiation and excessive heat, and finally, the mutated birds on Coos.

No one knows how they survived the Battle of Cowes, but it doesn't matter because they're not what they used to be.

Now, these birds have become ferocious carnivorous beasts, attacking any non-species creature in their field of sight for no apparent reason, as opposed to drones encroaching on their territory

These colossal beasts could easily turn them into smoking scrap metal with their beaks—a combination of factors that have led to the current predicament of the Kaos.

It is difficult for them to fully explore the surface under the threat of savages, mutants, and chaos, so they can only bury their heads in the ground.

Although he never gave up his attempt to regain the surface, and invested a huge amount of manpower and material resources in this operation every year, he was only able to explore a small area around the ground fortress and struggled to hold the few remaining fortresses

So, what kind of things are hidden in the dark?

Carlil looked up at the ceiling. He saw a patch of gray steel, and four deliberately flowing black screws reflected the light at the four corners of the steel, like the four corners of a picture frame, framing a statue of the God Emperor in this particular frame.

It was a rather cold and hard carving, and the sculptor's knife-and-axe-like lines made the face incomparably hard, but despite this, the slightly closed eyes gave him a compassionate divinity.

And God is unreliable.

Carlil retracted his gaze, shook his head, and buried his head in the materials in his hand. No matter what time it is, there is always nothing wrong with reading. Besides, now is not the time to go to the surface again.

The two lost fortresses have all been recaptured, and now, without a complete strategy, rushing to other areas of the surface, I am afraid that only a few people such as Carlil can come back unscathed.

He was reading with such concentration, but it was clear that not everyone in the room was thinking that way. A voice came from beside him, with a hint of schadenfreude that could not be concealed.

"How, instructor?" Yago Sevitaleone asked.

"How?" Carlil asked without looking up.

He actually knew what Sevita was going to ask, and he really didn't want to answer, but he had to answer Sevita's words.

Ignoring someone's questions in public or private is not something Karil Lohals would do. Sevita himself obviously knows this, which is why he seems so happy.

"The engraving - how is it?"

"The technique is first-class, the idea is ingenious, and even a blind person like me who is allergic to art can see that it is excellent."

"No," Sevita said with a chuckle. "I mean, does it resemble him?"

Carlil finally looked up and put down the information in his hand. He looked at Sevita, then at the other clan leaders in the conference room, and finally put down the materials in his hand.

He understood what Sevita was up to, and the other four clan leaders actually knew about it, but after all, this involved the emperor, and of course they wanted to hear about it. Their expressions became the reason why Sevita had no fear now, and the reason why Carlil couldn't refuse.

He thought for a few seconds, then spoke slowly.

"It depends. Sometimes he's a king, other times he's just a father who can't do enough to do it. In fact, in the eyes of the public, it probably doesn't matter what he looks like. Whether handsome or ugly, all one needs is a laurel wreath on his head, gold armor, and a flaming sword. ”

"Ah, instructor, I'm asking for a specific description." Sevita asked with a smile undiminished. "You see—we really want to know what the Emperor looks like. Isn't it, brothers? ”

Sevita said as she stood up, leaving the long table and beginning to walk back and forth with her hands raised in the room that the Sons of Cows had temporarily lent them for use, pompously asking for support from his brothers that he didn't need at all.

It would have been fine, but he even deliberately accentuated the sound of his footsteps, so that it made a muffled sound as heavy as a war drum, making the whole conference room extremely noisy.

To this, Keur Sahola frowned in great disapproval, and Sheikher Cold Spirit folded his hands and began to count him with his lips, and Scaradrik glanced up and looked back, making no secret of his annoyance.

Of all the warband leaders, only the Hunter made a sound.

"I don't want to, instructor." He looked at Carlil with cloudy white eyes and said.

Sevita stopped and stood just right behind Carlil, her hands behind her back, and the smile on her face began to grow rather funny.

The hunter glanced at him and continued to speak his thoughts.

"Throughout the ages, countless people have sculpted, painted, or written about their emperors. These works flowed into various worlds, and were combined with the local environment by the state religion to create different images. ”

"There are worlds where he wears a robe and is a scholar of great knowledge. In some places he was armed with a sword and was the bravest warrior. However, no matter what he is, people will only believe in the emperor they believe in. ”

"At the end of the day, I don't think the emperor will object to that. He is ruthless, but also merciful. He would split his image into countless forms, so that anyone could stand by the side of the emperor they imagined, and gain infinite courage and strength."

Carlil smiled.

The Hunter is riddled with mysteries, such as his name and his eyes, which are different from those of all the Children of the Night. Carlil didn't want to find out why, he trusted the hunter as much as the hunter trusted him.

This trust is ineffable, and it doesn't even come from blood, but from something much older. But, beyond that, the hunter is just the hunter.

He remained silent most of the time, and could barely see any of his personal life. A hundred of the five hundred were his brothers, and the group stayed together all day, but they were almost only chanting and meditating, and they didn't even talk to each other

He and his brothers were so mysterious that it was only now that Carlil finally saw a clue. And he had to admit that he liked the Hunter's opinion on the Emperor's true face.

I think his friends will also express their appreciation.

"Well said, Hunter." Carlil bowed heartily. "You see the essence of this, but then again—Yago."

Sevita, who was called by name, smiled and put her hands on the back of his chair, then slowly bent down and leaned her head closer to Carlil. Despite this, his eyes were fixed on the hunter, straight and unabashed.

Carlil looked back at him.

"Didn't you see the emperor with your own eyes?" He asked softly.

Sevita quickly rolled her eyes to look at him, but couldn't stop Carlil from saying what he said next.

"I remember, it's on the Imperial Dream, right? I'll take you up myself. He also asked the Janissaries to take you to the break room, and your eyes didn't even have a problem looking at him, which the Terrans had been discussing for a long time. ”

"So."

Carlil slowly stood up, grabbed Sevita, and pressed him into his chair without refusal.

"Why don't you explain the emperor in your eyes to your brothers?"

Kaul Sahora nodded, a little anticipation in his eyes.

Sheikh Cold Soul grinned, fell back comfortably, leaned back in his chair, and exhaled heavily.

Scaradry laughed coldly and silently, claws together into a fist, and placed them on the table in an orderly manner, waiting for it to be palpable.

The Hunter didn't make a sound this time, he just looked at Sevita, his cloudy white eyes staring straight into Sevita's dark eyes, as if he was about to dig for treasure in them.

Is this necessary?" Sevita asked. "It's all old accounts."

"I think there is." Carlil said with a smile. "What about you?"

The four wargroup leaders glanced at each other and nodded at the same time in a very tacit understanding.

"The minority should obey the majority, Yago. We're never talking about it, even Conrad takes other people's opinions, so what about you? ”

As the words fell, Carlil smiled and retreated into the darkness as she silently left the room.

Naturally, he did it on purpose, and this incident was his little revenge on Sevita. After all, strictly speaking, the matter of revenge is also under his jurisdiction

The smile on his face faded at the thought of this, and finally even completely calmed down.

The fact that he was a god was always a sword stuck in his heart, and regardless of unnecessary self-awareness issues, even if he was no longer a god now, the connection between him and that god had not faded.

Being able to harness that ancient book and borrow pieces of yourself to take people around the galaxy is the best proof of this.

It's a mystery.

He wandered and came to the depths of the Sons of Coth's residence once more.

Unlike last time, this time, their think tank is sitting on the sidelines for meditation. Aquila and skeletons surround them, ritual candles and incense are lit, and everything is done according to strict Anglican standards.

Looking at this scene, Carlil couldn't help but feel a little absurd. In the old days, psionic energy and faith were never confused.

He stepped out of the darkness and took a deep breath just right in time for the think tanks to notice his arrival. Everything that followed was a logical development, put away the meditation supplies, began to conduct the ceremony, and notified the commander of the battle regiment and the company commanders to be present

Carlil looked at their busy figures coming and going, and couldn't help but have a deeper understanding of the current warband system with a clear division of labor.

The book divides the Astartes into different functions according to their personal interests, but it does not really make people rigidly follow what is written above. In some places, vague quantifiers are deliberately used, and even the total number of warband members is 'should be a thousand'.

It's clear that Robert Killriman thought a lot of things in mind when writing this book.

And, as things stand, it's clear that an organization like a warband is more viable than a legion, at least for the vast and loose empire of today, it's much more suitable than a legion.

"Instructor Carlil, we're ready." Cargio, with a serious expression, walked slowly and spoke.

Carlil nodded at him and walked smoothly to the center of the formation, and the think tanks began to run it according to their methods, rather than instilling energy as simply and directly as Carlil did

A few minutes later, the formation lit up, and this time, Robert Killiman appeared in front of everyone was completely different from the previous two times.

He was fully armed, wearing the Seiko Power Armor that had been improved many times, and the points of light that made up his image were even perfectly displayed in relief—not only that, but they also brought with them other things that hung on Kiliman's armor at this moment.

Judging by the depth of the points of light, it was clear that the marks were bloodstains.

In other words, Robert Killiman was covered in blood.

"What happened?" Carlil asked fairly directly.

(End of chapter)