The man who had spoken the disrespectful and blasphemous words roared hysterically.
This behavior stirred dissatisfaction and anger in Jorn and Kakar.
They came from an agricultural world in Ultramar.
There, everyone sang praises of Guilliman's greatness.
Everyone could feel that a new era was about to dawn.
The great Primarch would deliver humanity from eternal war.
Yet now, someone was slandering the object of their deepest respect and worship.
They could not tolerate such a thing.
But driven by inner reason, they decided to get to the bottom of it.
Perhaps the Primarch had indeed unintentionally hurt some people.
"Why are you slandering Lord Guilliman?" Jorn forced a smile, walked up to the man, and asked.
"Because he's an out-and-out liar, a shameless traitor! He stole everything from my great, loyal family! He's a shameless traitor, a disgusting usurper!"
The man screamed madly, using all his strength, shouting and roaring.
"Perhaps you should tell us what exactly is going on? The great Primarch would never do anything to harm the people who support him. We've seen with our own eyes how benevolent he is," Kakar said.
"He betrayed me," the man said. "I was loyal to him, loyal to the Emperor, yet he took everything from me. Isn't that a shameful betrayal?"
"Did you ever fight for the Imperium, losing family?" Jorn asked, looking into the man's eyes.
The man hesitated for a moment, then shook his head.
"Did you ever travel for the Imperium, resisting Chaos in the darkness, protecting the souls of humanity?" Jorn asked again.
The man hesitated, then shook his head again.
"Did you ever endure suffering and scourging for the God Emperor, just to grasp a shred of the Emperor's pain, so as to protect the world with greater humility?" Jorn asked.
Several consecutive questions made the man angry and embarrassed. "Why are you asking so much?? All you need to know is that Guilliman is a scoundrel! He betrayed the loyalists, betrayed the Ulcass family! He's a beast coveting his father's throne!"
Realizing what kind of person the man was, Jorn immediately threw a punch.
He was so angry that he knocked the man to the ground with one punch.
With a splutter, the man spat out two teeth mixed with blood.
"You've never done anything loyal, only paid lip service to your loyalty, yet you dare to so casually scorn the savior of humanity, the great Lord of Ultramar! You damn beast, how dare you do such a thing!"
Jorn acted like a raging lion.
His eyes widened, revealing a hint of madness as if he were about to draw his sword and kill.
The man, who had initially been angry that Jorn had struck him, was now scared out of his wits, stammering and afraid to speak.
"Why did you slander the Primarch?" Kakar looked at the man, who couldn't stand up, and showed a hint of disdain.
What a waste of space.
Scared of even an old man??
Only daring to slander a great man like a wimp in the shadows.
Does such a person, who hasn't faced a crisis, even deserve to talk about loyalty?
If he were to face a crisis, he would likely be the first to betray humanity.
"I was once the governor of this planet, and Calgar's arrival made me lose everything."
The man didn't dare to speak loudly.
These two people in front of him seemed like they would really hit him.
"I was so devout to the Imperium, yet he dared, he dared to hand over power to a woman like this."
"That damn woman is equally disgusting! She's base and shameless, using underhanded means to seize what wasn't hers."
As the man spoke, he became agitated again.
Just then, a voice interrupted the man.
"You shameless beast! You allowed genestealers to grow in the hive city and even tried to incite the lower classes to rebel to maintain your rule and prove that you were the one the Primarch should trust.
Lady Anna was driven to a dead end by you, forced to find every way to warn the world. It was an act of mercy that she didn't kill you!
How dare you slander the sacred Primarch here!"
A soldier in patrol uniform walked over and recounted the man's crimes.
Jorn and Kakar were shocked by this.
What a shameless person, to be so brazen!
This kind of scum dares to call himself loyal??
The patrol soldiers arrested the man and took him away.
Jorn watched this scene and couldn't help but sigh.
How many such shameless scoundrels are there in the Imperium, casually slandering Lord Guilliman's reputation?
Putting their shallow interests above the overall interests of humanity.
With the slightest offense, they chatter incessantly and curse endlessly.
Such people claim to be loyal servants of the Imperium.
But are such people truly loyal?
Not necessarily. They are only loyal to the benefits the Imperium provides.
"I'm beginning to understand why the Primarch wants us to join the expedition. We must speak out to those who are blinded, to show them what results the Primarch's actions have achieved in other worlds.
People have been freed from suffering and are enjoying stable lives, technology and reason have re-emerged, and people are exploring everything in the universe with piety towards the Emperor."
Jorn walked a few steps and looked at Kakar. "This is our duty: to tell the ignorant people the truth, so they won't resist the Primarch's reforms so much. Those clowns who jumped out are just fools whose interests were harmed. They don't deserve any sympathy."
"Of course, but I think it's also necessary to learn about Lady Anna, whom that patrol soldier just mentioned. I feel there's a story here," Kakar said.
"Indeed, we cannot let the story of any hero be buried," Jorn said.
"Nor can we let any despicable person get away," Kakar said.
In a large building, Anna, sitting in the main seat of the reception room, moved her gaze away from the data slate in front of her and smiled.
The sound of footsteps echoed.
The security officer walked in.
"Lady, the former planetary governor has been brought back. What should we do next?"
"Throw him into the slums and let that bastard feel the enthusiasm of his people," Anna said with a cruel smile.
Jorn and Kakar didn't know that everything they did was being monitored by electronic instruments.
Out of a desire for revenge, Anna did not execute the nobles and the planetary governor, nor did she allow them to leave Vitoria.
Instead, she threw them into various parts of the hive city, letting them suffer greatly.
This approach gave Anna great satisfaction.
Seeing these self-proclaimed noblemen being trampled underfoot gave her a sense of inner pleasure and excitement.
Without the protection of their status, many people wanted nothing more than to kill them.
Several nobles were disemboweled, dying miserable deaths.
If the planetary governor hadn't been secretly protected by people Anna sent, he would have likely been used as a sky-lantern long ago.
What this guy did before could be said to have incurred the wrath of both heaven and men.
The people who hated him could form a line reaching into space.
Anna had originally planned to torment the former planetary governor for fun, but she hadn't expected this guy to bring her a pleasant surprise.
Those two guys just now were clearly scribes.
By using them to publicize her abilities and story, she would be noticed by the Primarch sooner or later.
In the Imperium of Man, merely having the ability to get things done is not enough.
The Primarch has to deal with so many people every day.
If you can't let him know you exist, how can you be highly valued by him?
Doing a good job is useless otherwise.
So Anna had been trying every possible way to increase her visibility during this time.
She personally arranged many logistical tasks.
This was to showcase her abilities in front of high-ranking expeditionary force members like primaris space marines and Astra Militarum generals, making them remember 'Anna'.
Having dealt with the planetary governor's matter.
Anna focused her attention back on the data slate in front of her.
She had to fully demonstrate her ability to get things done.
She had to climb step by step, climb to the highest position, making everyone revere and fear her.
Power is wonderful.
As long as you have power, you have everything.
Every time she was promoted, Anna felt satisfaction, a subtle sense of stimulation.
This stimulation was more intense than that brought by psychotropic drugs.
She had to climb higher to enjoy more.
The highest level of the hive city.
Calgar was here, discussing the next course of action with his many advisors.
A massive holographic strategic projection floated in the room, clearly displaying all the void forces the Vitoria system possessed.
Weapon platforms, armed satellites, fleets, space stations, and so on.
All were displayed.
Clicking on any of them would also show the troop deployments within.
Calgar and others gathered around the holographic strategic projection, discussing the battle plan.
"Our fleet won't be able to hold off the tyranids for long. Ground defense is necessary and our most crucial line of defense," Calgar said gravely, scanning the many loyalists. "Every street, every building is our capital for holding out. There must be no mistakes."
"How long do we need to hold out?" A strategic advisor looked at Calgar.
"The Primarch didn't give a date. He asked us to hold out long enough. He will come over after dealing with the necrons," Calgar said, looking at the astropath beside him. "Has any latest news arrived??"
"No, Lord Calgar. The last communication with the Primarch was still the news that the expeditionary fleet was preparing to attack the Crown World. As of now, we do not know if the expeditionary fleet has dealt with the Crown World."
The robed astropath paused for a moment before continuing, "The arrival of the Shadow in the Warp has made Astropathic communication very difficult. Perhaps new messages have already arrived. I will order my subordinates to increase their efforts to search for those messages."
"Just do your best, don't strain yourselves. You have greater uses and cannot be lost here. We cannot place all our hopes on the Primarch arriving in time. We must be prepared to hold out," Calgar said.