Anna, the governor of the planet Vitoria, looked at everyone.
Her tone was full of menace.
The cruelty was self-evident.
Seeing the strong, muscular bodies of the black-clad figures who had rushed out, and the plasma guns in their hands, the numerous retainers and staff members also wisely remained silent.
As the governor of Vitoria, killing a few people could be done completely without a trace.
Resistance would only bring meaningless death.
Sometimes, keeping silent was the correct choice.
Anna smiled slightly; she was truly growing to love the exquisite feeling of controlling everything.
She stepped down from her seat and walked over to the man who had presented the flowers.
"How long does it take to cultivate this kind of flower?" Anna asked.
"Very quickly, at most only a week, which is completely enough to catch the Primarch's celebration parade," the man replied.
"Very good, this matter is entrusted to you. Do not disappoint me," Anna said.
"I have an even better suggestion," the man said.
Anna frowned slightly, then spoke after a moment, "What suggestion?"
"Madam, you could water these flowers with your own blood. I once obtained knowledge of some ancient rituals from certain ancient tribes; it is said that flowers watered in this manner will carry a trace of the owner's aura, making the wearer of the floral crown unforgettable. If this method can make the Primarch remember you firmly, Madam, it is absolutely a very worthwhile endeavor."
The man's words made Anna frown slightly.
But quickly, she revealed a smile.
"That's a good suggestion, but losing too much blood can cause problems," Anna said, looking at the man and asking.
"There is absolutely no need to worry about that, Madam. I have special methods for replenishing blood, and besides, Vitoria's medical technology is not bad; simple blood loss will not put you in danger. From the perspective of cost and benefit, this is absolutely a very profitable deal, Madam."
Hearing the man's suggestion, Anna was finally tempted.
Just a little blood in exchange for infinite power and wealth in the future—this was indeed a very profitable deal.
"You will stay at the governor's Palace for now," Anna said. "Help me cultivate this flower. When everything is over, I guarantee I will give you unimaginable rewards."
"Thank you, my lady," the man said.
Anna smiled.
The Crusade fleet remained in the Vitoria system.
The people of the Crusade fleet awaited a grand celebration, after which they would depart for various parts of the galaxy, carrying Guilliman's will to save the fragmented Imperium of Man.
The significance of the celebration was extraordinary; many high-ranking officials and Primarchs hoped to use it to inspire the citizens of the Imperium and give them the courage to continue fighting the darkness.
Some fleet elements also arrived from all directions to participate in this celebration.
After two starships exited the warp, they entered Vitoria's low orbit, then descended to the capital's spaceport aboard Overlord Assault Transports.
Guided by the tower's instructions, the assault transport slowly entered the landing trajectory, its dampers and securing cables deploying to tether it in place.
Ventris strode out of the transport with his Honour Guard, followed closely by Vordius, one of the Grand Masters of the Grey Knights.
Vordius had just come from a chaotic battlefield.
The scent of blood, battle, and slaughter still clung to him.
Ventris, on the other hand, had come seeking guidance.
He was currently responsible for remaining on Ultramar, overseeing the liberated worlds and suppressing the magnates who were unwilling to cooperate with the reforms.
Both had urgent matters to discuss with the Primarch.
"Lord Ventris, Lord Vordius ."
Several unmodified Seneschals had already received news of their arrival and had been waiting at the spaceport for a long time to welcome them.
"Where is the Primarch?" Ventris asked the Seneschal.
"Lord Guilliman is currently at the Tactical Hub. He is discussing military strategic arrangements with many high-ranking Crusade officials. The Crusade fleet will depart for the Nafilim Sector and several nearby sectors to maintain stability and continue the process of the Indomitus Crusade after the celebration parade."
The Seneschal bowed and then answered Ventris' question.
"My lords, perhaps you should rest for a while. Please allow members of the Administratum to escort you to the rooms prepared for you; you should wash up," the Seneschal said.
"There is no need. I have a very urgent matter that I must report to the Primarch," Vordius spoke.
"The Primarch is still in a meeting," the Seneschal said. "He hopes you can rest temporarily, and he will summon you at an appropriate time."
"We can wait outside the meeting hall," Ventris said. "A plague is spreading on Ultramar, and I need the Primarch's orders and authorization."
"My lord..." The Seneschal was about to say something, but Ventris interrupted him.
"I am the Warmaster of the Ultramar Sector. My situation is urgent. If the Primarch has not personally ordered me to rest, then I have the right to refuse. Tell me, did the Primarch order me to rest?"
The Seneschal looked into Ventris' eyes and, after a moment, spoke, "The Primarch did not issue such an order."
"Then take me to him, now," Ventris leaned forward, bringing his eyes close to the shorter Seneschal, and said deliberately, one word at a time.
The servo-mechanisms of the power armor, reeking of blood, hummed.
Ventris' eyes were cold and rational.
Few ordinary people could maintain a steady expression under such pressure.
"As you wish, my lord," the Seneschal said helplessly.
Under the Seneschal's command, two anti-gravity skiffs stopped near the port.
These skiffs were used to transport the warriors eager to see the Primarch.
The hive city covered a vast area.
Walking there on foot would waste a lot of time.
Anti-gravity skiffs were the best mode of transportation.
Given the noble status of Ventris and Vordius, their path was unimpeded wherever they went.
Relevant departments had to order other vehicles to stop or reroute to clear the way for them.
The hive city was still under reconstruction.
The first things completed were the colossal Triumphal Square, the statues of Imperial heroes, and the Martyrs' Obelisk, strongly requested by Guilliman.
The obelisk was inscribed with the names of the soldiers who died in the defense of Vitoria.
Their bodies had been recycled and reused.
In modern development, humanity had long since established complete procedures for handling corpses.
Rather than waste them, they were used as corpse-starch.
Those too heavily contaminated were ground up as fertilizer.
The only thing left behind was their dog tags.
Their identification numbers and a few brief remarks were etched onto the tags.
These tags would be buried beneath the Martyrs' Obelisk as a tribute to their Merits.
The anti-gravity skiff stopped on the landing platform of the most magnificent building in the capital.
The Seneschal led the way for the two battle-hardened Imperial heroes.
"Make way for Lord Ventris, make way for the Warmaster of Ultramar, make way for the great Grey Knight Grand Master!"
Two hovering servo-skulls announced through their speakers, telling people along the way to clear the path.
The area was crowded with various scribes and nobles, as well as military officers of all ranks hurrying to and fro.
Hearing the servo-skulls' voices, they all moved aside.
Some people wanted to rush out, seizing this rare opportunity to expound their ideas, hoping to gain recognition.
As long as they gained recognition, it meant they might receive favor.
This was the best way to rise in rank quickly.
The Seneschal had to dispatch soldiers to maintain order and firmly push back the opportunists.
"Power breeds bureaucracy. Even if the Primarch whips them a thousand times, as long as they can gain power, there will always be ambitious individuals who relish it."
Seeing the nobles and scribes, Vordius showed a hint of helplessness.
It was well known that the Primarch's attitude towards the magnates had always been extremely negative.
But everyone also knew that Guilliman needed a group of officials to assist him in governing the Imperium.
The purpose of these magnates' arrival was self-evident.
How many of them met Guilliman's requirements?
That was very much open to speculation.
Do not underestimate the initiative and deceit of those ambitious individuals.
In order to gain the Primarch's favor, they were often willing to sacrifice short-term gains and make certain concessions to play the part the Primarch desired.
Once the Primarch was no longer paying attention to them, they would revert to their true nature, revealing their greed and pursuit of wealth and power.
The Primarch's reform campaign was bound to be incredibly arduous.
He faced ambitious individuals who were fickle, unable to resist the temptation of power and material pleasures.
They were skilled at deception and disguise, making it difficult to discern whether they were true believers or opportunists.
Walking deeper into the fortress, a lift platform had already been activated, waiting for some time.
Ventris was taken by the lift to the upper floors of the building and arrived at a vast reception room with a glass dome.
Clearly, Guilliman was using this as a temporary reception area to meet with loyalists from across the galaxy.
The reception room was tall and magnificent, with supporting curved steel beams converging at the apex into a slender rail.
Large, petal-shaped glass panels depicting various scenes from the Battle of Vitoria formed the soaring dome.
"What reason brings the great Lord Ventris here?"
Twenty members of the Honour Guard emerged from various parts of the room.
They were clad in Terminator power armor and held heavy shields, forming a defensive formation, creating a blue wall of ceramite adorned with skulls and wings.
Sicarius' voice came from behind the Honour Guard members.
"Are you treating me as an enemy, Sicarius?" Ventris looked in the direction of the voice, a hint of cunning in his tone.
"This is just a necessary procedure, Ventris. I wouldn't dare consider you an enemy," Sicarius stepped out of the shadows. "I'm responsible for the Primarch's safety. The warp is becoming increasingly dangerous; who knows what those creatures are doing behind the veil of reality!"
"Are you questioning whether a Grey Knight Grand Master has been corrupted by the warp?" Vordius's tone carried a hint of indignation.
Saying that was equivalent to complimenting a greater daemon of Khorne on their pole dancing skills.
Was this not an insult?
"Who knows what the situation is? Lord Vordius, the Primarch has many enemies: Chaos, traitors, and nobles seeking to protect their own power. I do not know why you have come.
My duty is solely to protect the Primarch. If I have offended you, I apologize, but only to that extent. Hand over your weapons; I will return them to you when you leave."
Sicarius' words were pointed.
Vordius hesitated for a moment, then finally handed over his weapon.
Ventris did the same.
After checking them and confirming there was no threat, the two were allowed to enter the reception room.
After a moment, with a heavy sound, Guilliman strode in.
"My lord," Ventris knelt on one knee, saluting Guilliman.
"My lord," Vordius did the same.
"There is no need for formalities. My time is short. Report your matters first," Guilliman walked past the two and sat in his designated seat.
Vordius and Ventris both stood up, removed their helmets, and held them tucked under their arms, revealing faces covered in dust from travel.
Guilliman sat in the main seat, his majestic gaze fixed on the two. "Which of you will speak first?"
"I shall."
"I."
Vordius and Ventris spoke simultaneously, exchanging surprised glances.
"You first."
"You first."
Guilliman:
Are you two putting on a crosstalk show for me??
"You speak first, Grey Knight Master." Guilliman pointed to Vordius, indicating for him to start.
"Very well, my Lord Regent," Vordius said. "I am Vordius , one of the Grand Masters of the Grey Knights. Since the Great Rift event, I have been pursuing a cunning Changer daemon, a fragment of the Chaos God Tzeentch. These daemons rarely appear in the material universe, except to weave conspiracies and deceive unsuspecting mortals."
"To prevent irreversible consequences, I have been trying to banish it. Unfortunately, I ultimately lost the target and was unable to banish the daemon. But I did gain a small piece of information at the place where it last appeared. Many daemons under the Changer are attempting to target you, weaving a vast web to lead you towards corruption and degradation."
"The specific plan is still unknown. One of the purposes of my journey is to bring a warning to the Lord Regent. The Changer is cunning, and the slightest mistake could lead to eternal damnation. Another is the hope that the Lord Regent will halt the dangerous activities of his research teams concerning the warp. It is too dangerous; you are venturing into a perilous and unknown domain."
"Finally, I have one more request, which is for a fleet strong enough to resist the daemons pouring out from the planets near the Great Rift."
Guilliman nodded, saying gently, "Your warnings and suggestions are perfect. If you need a force, it might take some time. Currently, all forces have their own missions. We will have to wait until Macragge dispatches troops, or enough forces are conscripted from the Chult Sector, before I can give you a unit."
"My Lord, the situation is extremely urgent. Worlds along the Great Rift are suffering from daemon and traitor incursions; they desperately need support," Vordius said.
"I already have a corresponding plan, and I will slowly resolve this issue," Guilliman said.
"My Lord, I fear you have not yet realized the urgency of the situation," Vordius said, a hint of anxiety in his voice.
"I know, Vordius, and I am working hard to solve these problems. The Chult Sector and the Ultramar Sector, as well as many Forge Worlds willing to answer my call, are working at full capacity, forging armaments and building warships. Ordinary people are enlisting, or sending their children to enlist, forming legions.
But the rescue efforts for other worlds have a prerequisite: we cannot allow the worlds that have already been saved to fall back into the abyss, otherwise everything we do will be meaningless."
Guilliman tried to soothe Vordius's emotions, asking him to wait patiently.
"My Lord, you must act with lightning speed. Only then can the Imperium be saved from its plight."
Guilliman slightly narrowed his eyes, looking at Vordius. "You overstep, Vordius. I have my own plan. I understand your desire to save the innocent, but I must consider the overall situation. I am finding a way to deal with the matter of the Great Rift."
"Can you redeploy a portion of the existing forces? My Lord, I beg you, many worlds have fallen prey to corruption. If we do not save them, they will completely fall into the hands of Chaos."
"I am in a difficult position," Guilliman said. "The strategic plan has been agreed upon for a long time. If it were to be overturned, it would waste more time."
"With all due respect, My Lord, you have wasted too much unnecessary time. You could quickly pacify various regions with the army at hand and then move on to the next, without wasting so much time. This is an emergency; we must seize every moment. There is no need to deal with the nobles who remain loyal to the Emperor so quickly."
Vordius said, "Your incorrect approach towards the loyalists has not only severely slowed down the process of saving the Imperium but has also caused fear among the nobles in other regions. Humanity is at its most critical moment; now is absolutely not the time for purges and centralization of power."
Guilliman stood up, looking at Vordius, a trace of anger appearing on his face.
"I said, I have my own plan, Vordius. Show me some respect. I am the Emperor's son, your master and commander. The Imperium was messed up by you, and now you intend to accuse me? And you want to disrupt my plan again?"
Guilliman's tone barely concealed his fury. "The rotten, zombie-like Imperium I woke up to see, I am saving it. As for how to do it, I do not need you to teach me. If you could teach me, then why did the Imperium become this way?"
"You see the Imperial civilians trapped in the clutches of Chaos, but have you seen the countless Imperial civilians living in the terrible hell you built in my father's name? Have you seen the planets turned into dead rock by tyranid fleets, how many lives devoured?"
"The corruption of the Imperium is shocking and infuriating. Tithes are forged, the Imperium's armaments exist only on paper, nobles and capitalist magnates have no fear of Imperial authority, wantonly exploiting and plundering the sweat and wealth of the innocent in my father's name. Is this what you call loyalty?"
Guilliman slammed his fist onto the meeting table in the reception room. The thick marble table shattered.
"You disregarded my father's will and betrayed his original intention. Such loyalty is useless."
Vordius was stunned into silence by Guilliman's fury.
Even though he had experienced many battles against daemons.
Facing an enraged Primarch, he was still intimidated.
"Now, I tell you again, all expeditionary fleets have their own objectives, follow my strategy, and complete the tasks I have assigned. Do not attempt any small actions, otherwise I will erase the Grey Knights Brotherhood you represent.
I will consider giving you a force, but you will need to wait several months for the arrival of reinforcements for the new Indomitus Crusade."
Guilliman looked at Vordius. "One more thing, do not presume to lecture me on my strategy. If you could control the warp, the situation would not be so bad. If you can suppress the warp, I can abandon all the 'excessive' actions you speak of. If not, remain silent."
After speaking, Guilliman took two deep breaths.
He tried his best to maintain his composure.
He sat back down at his table.
Suppressing his anger, his tone softened again.
"Grand Master Vordius, I do not know what discussions or words you heard before coming to see me, but I hope you can maintain your independent thinking. Treachery hides beneath loyalty, and any seemingly well-intentioned suggestion could be a deadly poison fed to the Imperium."
Vordius was a Grand Master of the Grey Knights Brotherhood.
The fault for this matter should not lie with him.
The Grey Knights are a very special type of force.
They are trained from a young age to become qualified Grey Knights.
They are detached from the practical realities of the Imperium and do not understand how the current Imperium operates.
Most of the Grey Knights' time is spent either fighting daemons or on the way to fight daemons.
In their simple minds, besides banishing daemons, there is only loyalty to the Emperor.
Loyalty to the Emperor should be above all else.
Complex political games are not something they are good at.
They rarely interfere in politics either.
The only explanation is that someone said something in front of him, which led to this absurd, abnormal behavior of daring to question a Primarch.
Vordius, as if waking from a dream, looked ashamed. He knelt on one knee and begged for forgiveness.
"I apologize, My Lord Regent."
"Rise. I believe the fault for this matter is not yours," Guilliman said. "However, I ask you to issue the same warning to your fellow Grey Knights. If they can solve the problems brought about by the warp and the Great Rift, I will act according to their suggestions. If not, they will follow my orders. I dislike the incompetent and the garrulous."
"I understand," Vordius said.
"Rest well. When the Imperial forces supplementing the expeditionary army arrive, you will receive the troops you need," Guilliman said.
"Yes, My Lord," Vordius said, no longer showing the disrespect from before, speaking with utmost reverence.
Guilliman looked at Ventris. "What is the purpose of your visit, Ventris?"
"I require your appointment and authorization, My Lord," Ventris said. "I need to execute a group of people to allow your reforms to continue."
"What is the situation?" Guilliman looked at Ventris.
"According to your orders, I have brought all the planets in the Ultramar Sector and several nearby sub-sectors under the rule of Macragge. However, several so-called alliances are resisting this vehemently, claiming that democracy and freedom are inviolable."
Ventris said, "They have no respect for the Imperium. Funds meant for defense and the purchase of weapons have been siphoned off by rogue trader families, and some weapons and equipment are being openly sold by them. According to the latest intelligence, several rebellions in the Domela Sub-sector are linked to these alliances; they sold equipment belonging to the Astra Militarum, and the traitors purchased the equipment."
Guilliman's expression became slightly solemn.
He finally understood why the Imperial rebels could always get their hands on weapons.
Sometimes, they were even better than the equipment of the Imperial forces sent to quell the rebellions.
The problem must lie here.
"I apologize, My Lord. The situation is critical, and I cannot continue to use gentle policies and engage in political games with them."
"According to reports from the Health Department and the astropathic choir, a plague with supernatural power has appeared throughout Ultramar. I must have your authorization and orders to kill one to warn a hundred, to quickly deal with these nobles so that we can concentrate our efforts on maintaining the stability of Ultramar."
Guilliman listened to Ventris' account. After a moment, he had made his decision.