Teleported a short distance to the foot of the central minaret No. 3 on the urban planet Embra, Greywind looked curiously at the ghostly servo skeletons floating around the spire, and the wet pieces of the human brain embedded in the nodes of the line.

Russell covered his face with a dark robe like night, and covered his face with a psionic mist, and walked forward with the gray wind, their destination being the top floor of the spire.

When he was the governor of the Star Field of the Human Federation, Gray Wind was resident on the "united" home planet that had been transformed into an ideal city, and the entire planet was a modern metropolis with simple and beautiful road planning, fast and efficient resource deployment, abundant housing, a wide variety of consumer goods, and entertainment and living facilities. Under the utopian standard of living, the happiness of every resident of the urban planet is high, and the productivity is also pulled to the top, and it is thriving.

Union is a vibrant planetary city, but Embra, built by the Automata according to the same design template, looks something else entirely:

Unclothed slave laborers worked day and night in the dark workshops, paying 98 per cent of their labor as taxes, barely enough to feed themselves every day.

In order to increase the efficiency of the work, the robot will implant prosthetic organs such as robotic arms and exoskeletons for each of them, and the implantation surgery on the slave laborers will naturally not have any anesthesia, which is always accompanied by great pain and a high mortality rate.

According to Grey Wind's estimates, under such labor intensity, the workers will soon die of exhaustion - after death, their prosthetic organs will be immediately dug up and implanted in other new slave workers, starting a new cycle - the corpses will naturally not be wasted, but the recovery process is a little difficult to pass.

Such an inhumane mode of production inevitably made Grey Wind, who was familiar with the management system of the Human Federation, somewhat uncomfortable, but what it didn't know was that after Alexei launched the Terra Expedition and began to gather troops in the Nirvana system, there were constantly imperial colonies that were attacked by the Greenskin Orcs due to lack of defense. Billions of refugees have fled from the fallen worlds, and abandoned people have wandered from one place to another, either smuggling in or wandering like lost dogs in rudimentary civil spacecraft.

Therefore, even if the oppression of slaves by the mechanical figurines is inhumane, there are still people who want to stay in the Fallas system watched by the icon of the guide, and the nests such as Nifer are already overcrowded, and there is no way for many people to be squeezed.

The psionic probe of the Gray Gu Mothership hovering over orbit felt the suffering and numbness that permeated the entire planet, and Gray Wind obediently followed behind Russell, and the two of them walked into the tower together.

On each side of the gate stood two Astarte monks dressed in ornate red and gold Seiko power armor and armed with blasters, their identities indicated by the blooddrop badges on their shoulder armor. Several of them were warriors from the Holy Blood Angel Regiment "Crimson Upstart", and now a team was specially sent to protect the emperor's prophetess.

"The Prophet awaits you at the top of the tower, the Bulletin...... Mr? One of the Space Marines politely said.

"Take me there," Russell nodded.

"Yes."

The four Crimson upstart warriors quickly changed positions, surrounding Russell and Grey Wind in the middle, and the four of them stood in four directions, front, back, left, and right, and surrounded the two of them together through the dense corridor to the location of the teleporter that reached the top of the tower.

On the way, Grey Wind took Russell's hand and curiously swept his gaze over the four Astartes, all of whom were in gorgeous armor, and the thorny lines of roses were wrapped in bright red drops of blood that symbolized the blood of angels. The squad leader who had just spoken to Russell was not wearing a helmet, and his shoulder-length golden hair was very commensurate with the gorgeous gold patterns on his armor, and his facial features were so handsome that even a woman would be ashamed of herself.

"Stunned? The heirs who inherited the blood of St. Giles are all handsome and are the face of Astarte. Russell quipped.

The four warriors were all serious about the praise of the Bullet Star, but their bodies unconsciously straightened up, and their steps became more and more neat, and it was clear that they were very proud of their genetic father.

Gray Wind hurriedly retracted his gaze and whispered, "If you talk about the flesh and skin, I think the marshal is the best-looking......"

After a short time, several people came to the patio where the teleportation beacon was arranged, and before they could get closer, they could see the exposed dense gears and several slaves who were maintaining the equipment, as well as an apprentice pilot with a servant. The Crimson Priuets were still in unison, escorting them into the envelope of the teleportation beacon with great steadyness.

"Where do you need to go? Venerable Brother Astarte. The apprentice pilot asked with a humble bow.

"Top floor." The team leader said seriously.

"As you wish."

At the end of a brief and ceremonial exchange, the pilot changed his humility and urged the slaves to complete the line maintenance quickly.

Grey Wind looked at the scarlet nouveau riche with their elaborate Seiko power armor and tall and mighty figures, and then at the ragged rags and shriveled arms of several slave workers, two of whom were even teenagers who were still minors. Suddenly, there was a strange feeling in its matrix thinking that was indescribable and inexplicable.

Sensing the strange mood of the gray wind, Russell said lightly: "He is already happier than 99% of the people of the empire." ”

"Ah, this ......" Gray Wind didn't know how to respond for a moment, but he felt that he seemed to have a deeper understanding of what the marshal had said before, "The human empire has actually long since perished"?

In an awkward atmosphere, the teleportation beacon activated, and the milky white light engulfed the bodies of several people, sending them to the top of the spire.

"Marshal, didn't you think about changing anything in the past?" Grey Wind quietly transmitted this phrase into Russell's brain in the form of an electrical code.

"How so? Although the people of the Empire are genetically far from what I know of humans, they can only be regarded as humanoids of the same origin as humans...... But to say that I don't have any empathy for them is false. Russell muttered, squeezing Grey Wind's hand tighter.

Grey Wind was a little curious: "So, why?" ”

Russell smiled: "Because at the end of the day, I never liked the empire, I just had a good impression of the emperor." I have no self-identity as a citizen of the Empire, I owe them nothing morally, and naturally I have no position to interfere in the internal affairs of the Human Empire. ”

The Empire has never been a noble thing, and this rotten form of government is merely a tool used by the Emperor to liberate mankind.

Except for a few followers of the state religion who stubbornly believe that the star player is the embodiment of the emperor, many imperial institutions, including the Inquisition and the Mechanical Society, do not regard him as their own, and want to be the savior of the empire.

Why bother to come forward like a licking dog and contribute to the happy life of the people of the empire without asking for anything in return?

"Hmm......" Gray Wind understood the logic rather distressedly.

While the two were talking, the Crimson Upstart had already sent them to the door of the Genting Lobby at the top of the spire.

At this point, several Space Marines had no intention of continuing to go inside, and the team leader used his own biological code to unlock the genetic identification lock in the Yunding lobby, and then led the three team members to guard the door, watching the Marbleman and Gray Wind enter the door one after the other.

The first thing that catches the eye when you walk through the door is the glazed dome of the Genting lobby, through which you can directly see the pale pink atmosphere and the magnificent orbital star ring.

There were two people standing under the dome, and the white-haired woman with only a white robe covering her body in the vacuum below was Alexei. With a body twisted and twisted like a mechanical centipede, and dressed in a cogwheel red robe is the technocratic sage Spangler.

The two were discussing something, and when they saw Russell coming, Alexei stopped talking and bowed his head: "You are here." ”

Her etiquette is impeccable, and her voice is gentle and soft, which makes people feel very good.

This should not be the emperor...... Not necessarily?

Russell adjusted his mentality and walked up to the two of them with Gray Wind to greet Alexei and Spangler separately, and then asked, "Let's get straight to the point, Ms. Reyput, what are you looking for me for?" ”

"So, I am preparing an expedition to Terra, and because of the special nature of this expedition, I foresee that the road ahead will be difficult, so I ......"

"So you transferred all of the Astarte warbands and most of the naval fleet in the star sector around Espernes, and let the greenskins wantonly kill the people of the empire?" Russell's voice was as calm and dead as a pool of stagnant water.

Alexei clenched her hands slightly in shame, but she did not look away because of her weak heart, and her eyes without sight looked at the mist circulating under the hood of the Marble, and said in a straight voice:

"This expedition is to bring the template for the construction of the L-Stargate to Terra, and you should know what that means to the Empire, our ships carry the spark of humanity's future. We will bring the fire to the throne of the gods of Divine Terra and dispel the long night that has tormented humanity for tens of thousands of years. ”

Alexei clasped his hands, and pale golden points of light flowed down the corners of his eyes like tears: "In the face of the salvation of all mankind, no sacrifice is unacceptable, including the sacrifice of myself, Your Excellency the Bullet Star." ”

Russell nodded: "It's good that you have such an awareness." ”

He turned his gaze to Spangler, who was about to speak, and asked, "So, what kind of help do you want from me?" And, at what cost do you pay for it? ”

"Warp engine! Your Excellency! Spangler blurted out, and after realizing his gaffe, he hurriedly forced himself to calm down, and the electronic lungs in his chest moved violently, making a whirring sound of wind.

Alexei smiled apologetically at Russell, and then said, "As you know, this expedition has been under the watchful eye of the Four Gods of Chaos from the very beginning, and once the fleet leaps into the subspace, what awaits us will be a subspace storm of unprecedented scale...... So, we'd like to be able to lease you a couple of high-speed warships with warp engines, Your Excellency. ”

Obviously, the Prophetess knew through some channels why the Order's armed expedition fleet was able to arrive in the Solar Flare system earlier than the Order's fleet despite the late departure.

She was very apprehensive when she said this, and Spangler carefully observed the mood of the bomber, fearing that his arrogance would anger him.

After all, such a stable shipboard physical faster-than-light engine must be invaluable even to an ancient being like the Bulletin, and they are mentally prepared to be offered a sky-high price.

"How many Astarte warbands have you gathered for this expedition?" Russell asked without the slightest anger, "How do you plan to send the Stargate construction template to Terra?" ”

"Seven warbands have already assembled in Nirvana, and six more are on the way, and it is expected that a total of 13 Space Marine warbands will eventually be assembled."

Alexey replied truthfully:

"Holy Terra is located in the western part of the galaxy, and we are in the easternmost frontier of the galaxy, and this expedition will need to cross 2/3 of the galaxy, and the road will be long and bumpy, and there will be evil gods haunting us."

"So I plan to mobilize all the forces that can be mobilized in the Far Eastern Frontier, and have each warband rush towards Terra with 1 Stargate template backup. No matter what hardships and dangers we encounter on the way, and how heavy the losses we suffer, as long as even one wargroup or a branch fleet succeeds in reaching Terra, we can successfully deliver the spark of hope to His Majesty the God-Emperor. ”

"And I will also personally participate in this 'fire transmission'."

Alexei's tone was serious and solemn, obviously, she was not the kind of cowardly person who hid in the rear and kidnapped others with righteousness, in order to implement the emperor's will and pass on the flame of hope for mankind, the emperor's living saint should take the lead.

Russell thought for a moment and said silently: "13 war groups? Interesting ......"

"Your Excellency, you?" Spangler couldn't help but feel like something out of his mind, but was immediately interrupted by Russell.

"I can provide you with 13 Glorious Queen-class battleships with warp engines, and refurbish and upgrade the warband flagships of these 13 warbands, and equip them with warp engines—as long as you can embrace some of the more heterodox biotech." Russell said lightly.

"W-what?!"

The Techno-Sage only felt like he had been hit on the head, and he began to wonder if he was in a fantasy, but the thumping of the mechanical heart reminded him that the electrolytic hydraulic strength had exceeded the standard, and he needed to control his emotions.

Alexei held back the excitement in her heart, she pressed her hands to her chest, and her breathing became a little rapid, she was not as fanatical about technology as the Mechanical Order, but she also understood how it was a great help.

It is undoubtedly surprising that the Bullet Star Players are willing to give them such strong support.

So, what is the reward he wants? Can you afford it yourself?

"I am grateful for your generosity, Your Excellency." Alexey said softly: "What do you want us to give you?" …… With all due respect, I'm having a hard time finding an item of comparable value to trade with you right now, but if it were His Majesty the Divine Emperor, he would be willing to pay a huge price for it. ”

"If you want to tear the emperor's face, let's get to Terra alive first." Russell said unhurriedly: "I don't expect you to give me an equal material reward, I want something else." ”

Alexei became more and more puzzled: "What exactly do you want?" ”

Russell smiled faintly: "Far Eastern Frontier." ”

(End of chapter)