The First Legion was the first space marine Legion created by the Emperor.
To cope with the various wars of the early era.
The First Legion became the Empire's only complete, multi-functional legion capable of dealing with all threats.
Its complex characteristics, after the Lion - Lion El'Jonson took over, evolved into company units like the Dark Angels' Deathwing, Ravenwing, and others.
The Deathwing is the First Company of the Dark Angels Chapter.
All its members wear bone-patterned Terminator armour and skull masks.
They never care whether they possess outstanding reputation, nor do they focus on their renown.
For a Deathwing member, their only demand is to focus on killing enemies and completing missions.
Whether in terms of combat skill or mental fortitude, every Deathwing member is among the finest.
They are a group of truly humble and selfless warriors.
The bone-shaped helmet masks represent their resolve to fight to the death.
They will never flinch in the face of any threat.
Even if the cost is heavy, they swear to defend humanity and the Imperium to the death.
They never show mercy, never regret, and never fear.
Apart from fighting for the Chapter and proving their worth, Deathwing members ask for nothing else.
Boras passed the Grand Master's trial very early, becoming a Deathwing Terminator.
Besides completing various routine missions.
He had a very important mission that he could not speak of to others.
That was to hunt the Fallen.
Ensuring the execution of the Caliban Protocol.
Given some events from ten thousand years ago, the Dark Angels spare no effort in hunting down the Fallen.
They firmly believe that when the last of the Fallen is captured, their gene-father will return.
Therefore, for ten millennia, they have been searching for these individuals throughout the galaxy.
The moment news of the Fallen emerged, Boras, as one of the Deathwing members, was dispatched by the Grand Master.
Regardless of whether it was true or false, they had to investigate.
Ensuring the Fallen would not fall into the hands of other Imperial forces.
Interrogating traitors is a very difficult task; they are already fanatical and will not fear pain or torture.
But the Dark Angels have their own Librarians.
To obtain information about the Fallen, they would not hesitate to use various terrifying methods.
The Librarian searched the minds of those traitors, extracting the information they wanted from their memories.
And then erased those memories.
Anyone who knows of the Fallen's existence must adhere to the Caliban Protocol.
This is a Dark Angels regulation.
Erasing memories is beneficial for everyone.
Boras and the members of the tactical squad formed a formation, weapons in hand, and stepped into the intricate lower levels of the hive city.
The further down they went, the more foul the air became.
The ground was covered in blood, and the mottled walls were full of bloody handprints.
It was hard to imagine what those cultists had done here!!
They were using their own kin to feed some unspeakable monster.
The deeper they went along the passage, the more the squad's Librarian could sense the dark power in the lower levels of the hive city, incredibly deep and utterly terrifying.
In the face of this darkness, any rationality and order would be powerfully twisted.
Any mind would be corrupted, eventually falling into depravity and becoming insane.
With the appearance of the Great Rift, the influence of the Gods on the material universe also became increasingly potent.
Despair was spreading, like a flood reaching every corner.
Along with the arrival of the Gods, madness also spread throughout the galaxy.
Humans began to slaughter each other.
Just as Chaos intended.
"Enemy."
A scream came from the depths, and the figures of rioters appeared before Boras and the others.
They held waving torches, their eyes became crazed, howling with a thirst for slaughter and blood.
"These damned beasts."
A Deathwing member saw the desecrated statue of the Emperor in the rioters' hands and was immediately enraged.
Mortals would not be a match for the Dark Angels.
Any enemy would be destroyed by the Dark Angels with devastating force.
Under the assault of bolters and chainswords, the rioters were all cut down.
Becoming corpses scattered across the ground.
Boras and the others stepped into the deepest part, walking through passages where lumen-globes flickered.
Scattered rioters were merely small stones at their feet, easily crushed.
Finally, they reached a large hall.
Here, bodies were piled up, emitting a pungent smell of blood.
Piles of corpses.
There were men and women, and even newborn children.
A seventeen or eighteen-year-old girl was suspended above the hall.
Wire had been threaded through her young body, half of her skin stripped away, the other half left.
The rioters were using wire to manipulate the girl's corpse, posing it like a devout worshipper, completely disregarding the girl's suffering.
From her terrified face, it was clear what terrible torment this girl had suffered.
The more cruel the torment, the better the gift offered to the Chaos Gods.
The Librarian held his staff, surveying the hall; nine piles of corpses, this was a significant number.
The sacred number of the Changer of Ways is nine.
The faction of the mastermind behind the rebellion on planet Conny 1 was thus revealed.
The Librarian erected a psyker barrier, cautiously guarding against the unseen darkness.
"What utter blasphemy." Seeing the scene before him, anger flared in Boras' heart, but he suppressed it.
Anger is a sign of impotence.
Uncontrolled emotions cannot resurrect the dead.
Maintaining reason and seeking vengeance for them is the correct choice.
"Heh! Heh!"
The darkness writhed, and a laugh echoed, full of mockery and taunting.
"Come out, beast." Boras and many Deathwing members raised their bolters, cautiously scanning their surroundings.
"I am right beside you, Boras. I will bring you a prophecy: the Thirteenth Son shall destroy the legacy of the First Son."
The shadow shouted.
It twisted, flowing around like water, seeping into tiny cracks.
"Get out of the human world, daemon! None of your schemes will succeed." The Librarian shouted, unleashing his psyker power, attempting to pinpoint the entity's location.
"Your skills are utterly crude, you cannot harm me." The shadow mocked, "I came to warn you, and yet this is how you treat me."
"Warn us!!" Boras' tone held a hint of sarcasm, "Don't let me find your true form, daemon, or I'll give you a warning with the bolter in my hands."
"Your attitude is exceedingly poor." A voice came from the shadow, like a full-range, three-dimensional echoing surround sound.
The Deathwing members tried to lock onto the entity's location but found everything they did was futile.
The entity was ethereal, as if it didn't exist in this space at all.
"Reveal your true form, and perhaps my attitude will improve." Boras said.
"Your words are full of lies; revealing my true form would only invite your attack, Boras. I came to warn you and prepare a way out for you."
The shifting, unpredictable whispers flowed through the hall.
"The Dark Angels Chapter is about to be erased, and your gene-father will become a sinner of the Imperium of Man that you protect. Don't you want to know why?"
The whispers tempted Boras.
Every Deathwing member exists to protect the honour of their gene-father and the Chapter from being damaged.
The daemon's words clearly struck Boras' weakness.
He could rush towards death without hesitation, but he could not ignore the damage to his gene-father's reputation.
"There is never truth in the mouth of a daemon; trusting them will only lead you astray." The accompanying Librarian shouted, bringing Boras back to his senses.
Their words are poison; anyone who believes them is taking poison.
"But I speak the truth, the future that is about to happen. Look at you wretches, disaster is upon you, and you don't even know it."
The daemon's voice was full of sarcasm, mocking them.
"Damn you." The Librarian roared, his staff glowing, unleashing the psyker power he had cultivated for a long time, attempting to stop the entity from speaking further.
Any words spoken by Chaos are lies, carrying terrible corruption.
Their ultimate goal is always to lead them down an unimaginably terrible path.
Anyone who believes Chaos will ultimately come to no good end.
"The Thirteenth Son will erase you; the secret of Caliban will no longer be hidden, and you will be exposed to the public. Don't deny it, you were traitors from the start, and traitors will eventually be purged."
The daemon screamed maniacally.
Its voice was like sharp shards of glass, frantically forcing their way into people's minds, churning their brains.
"Found him."
The Librarian shouted.
Intense and terrifying psyker energy emanated from him.
A powerful blast of light swept forth.
A terrifying figure appeared within the shadow.
Covered in scales and feathers, its bizarre face was frightening and unsettling.
"You cannot harm me; you cannot even imagine the methods of the Changer of Ways," the daemon said. "I must go, but I will witness your destruction, you pathetic wretches. The Rock will be destroyed, and your gene-father will become the shame of humanity, forever nailed to the pillar of infamy."
"His statues will be torn down, his achievements erased, everything about him will vanish. From now on, Caliban will have no more secrets, nor will there be anyone left to keep them."
"You are finished, sons of the Lion; you will witness your father fall into the abyss, and you yourselves will be plagued by doubt. Remember, the Thirteenth Son will destroy the First Legion; this is the inevitable future."
The Librarian attacked it, but the entity shattered like a phantom, turning into black smoke and completely vanishing.
Boras ordered a search, but this time nothing was found.
They had lost the daemon again.
"What do we do?" The Librarian looked at Boras, gripping his staff tightly.
"What does he mean by that?" Boreas looked at the Inquisitor. "Will the Dark Angels be destroyed by the awakened Guilliman?"
"It is a daemon, its words are not to be trusted," the Inquisitor said. "It will sow confusion in our hearts, then self-doubt, and finally lead to self-slaughter."
Boreas' gaze was solemn. "Regardless, everything here still needs to be reported to Grand Master Azrael. Everything will be decided by him. We must be prepared for the risks. The Thirteenth Primarch is about to enter the sector, and his arrival is likely to cause some ripples."
"Do you really believe the daemon? Do you think the Thirteenth Primarch will destroy us?" the Inquisitor asked.
"No one knows a Primarch's thoughts. He has removed many powerful figures; clearly, he wants to reshape the Imperium of Man," Boreas said. "No one knows his attitude towards the secret of Caliban, and you and I both know that is a secret that can absolutely never be revealed."
"The Caliban Statutes can apply to the Emperor's other forces, but if a Primarch were to know, what would we do?"
********
The Macragge's Glory did not follow the main fleet.
After one warp jump, it briefly left the main body of the fleet and entered a remote star system.
The system was located on the edge of the Imperium.
Its only terrestrial planet was barren, cold, and covered in ice and snow year-round.
Guilliman's Kingfisher gunship landed on a snowy plain.
The area was filled with natural sculptures carved by nature out of ice and snow.
A few steps forward revealed an ancient, cold cliff face.
The thrusters of the landed gunship emitted large amounts of steam.
The internal temperature control system also made urgent sounds; the extreme cold of the planet tested the limits of these aircraft.
Guilliman stepped down from the gunship, his eyes met with a vast white plain, and on the other side, a massive ice wall.
The accumulated snow was melted by the gunship's engines, producing plumes of white steam that billowed and rose into the air.
However, the gas was frozen into light-refracting crystals after ascending only a few meters.
The temperature of this planet was so cold that frost rapidly covered the cold hull like a spiderweb.
By the time Guilliman stepped down, the gunship was already covered in thick frost.
Behind Guilliman, Sicarius and members of the Honour Guard also emerged.
They bore no elaborate decorations.
Only the golden double-headed eagle and the banner of Ultramar.
The service studs on their foreheads indicated they were veterans who had served for over a hundred years.
They followed closely behind Guilliman, stepping onto the ice plain.
Their boots crunched on the snow, and their golden decorations were particularly striking against the vast, desolate landscape.
The air on this planet was very clean; looking up, one could see a clear, spotless blue sky.
The Imperial gunship was the only dark silhouette on this white plain.
Autocannons emitted rotating mechanical sounds, automatically scanning and preparing for defense, their muzzles constantly turning with the sound of machinery, ready to attack without hesitation upon detecting a target.
Sicarius and his men checked the area, using scanners and auspexes to scan the deep underground.
"There's nothing here," Sicarius said, looking at his lord.
"I should have brought two Inquisitors down," Guilliman said. "They must be hiding."
During the voyage, Guilliman was contacted by the eldar using psyker means.
They gave him a set of coordinates.
Thus, he took the Macragge's Glory to this frozen, godforsaken planet to meet with the eldar.
The eldar were one of the few races in the galaxy with whom cooperation was possible.
First, the eldar had saved him, and second, the eldar were already crippled.
Their era had passed, and it was difficult for them to ever return to their former glory.
An ally who was unlikely to become powerful again.
Humanity could avoid a lot of trouble.
If it were the tau, Guilliman would have simply issued an exterminatus order.
Those guys are still plotting, constantly wanting to replace humanity.
Guilliman didn't have an issue with the tau specifically.
Rather, the tau were young, and they yearned to grow, to become the next protagonists of the galaxy.
This was something Guilliman could not tolerate.
No matter how people spoke of benevolence, righteousness, kindness, and peace, one had to admit that these things were merely used to gloss over reality, to maintain order.
There would be no true peace in this world; there was none before, there is none now, and there will be none in the future.
Survival was a cruel thing.
So cruel that many were unwilling to look at its true nature.
Why do good people die young while bad people live for thousands of years?
The reason is that good people do not meet the requirements of life's evolution.
The law of the jungle is the only immutable rule of nature.
The essence of survival is to plunder resources, to possess enough resources.
These resources include food, mating, and so on.
Kindness, mercy, and morality are things said to oneself and one's allies.
Because both sides share common interests, these things can reduce friction between them and better promote allied relations.
Speaking of these things to enemies is either foolish or wicked.
Humans and Tau have different cultures and different reproductive mechanisms.
Why keep them around instead of exterminating them?
To let them snatch resources?
To let them shout 'thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river, do not bully a young race'?
And then level up by killing monsters all the way, finally taking down humanity?
How utterly idiotic would that be?
Guilliman looked at the desolate, white plain, his gaze also lost in thought.
Suddenly, a voice sounded in his mind.
A line of light appeared in his eyes, connecting to the ice wall in the distance.
"Bring the meltas, we need to dig a path," Guilliman stepped towards the ice wall. He knew the line of light was the revelation given to him by his eldar allies; he just needed to follow it.
He walked to the front of the ice wall, pointed to a spot, and said, "Here, dig."
Sicarius and the others came forward with their meltaguns.
They pulled the triggers, and searing crimson beams shot out, causing the ice layer to hiss.
Soon, the ice layer was melted, turning into water that flowed along the ice surface, only to freeze again not far away.
Huge clouds of steam roared towards the sky under the illumination of the hot beams.
Soon, Sicarius and the others had dug a smooth entrance.
A tunnel was opened with great force.
"It's Wraithbone!" a soldier inside the tunnel shouted.
"Eldar?" Sicarius looked at his lord.
Guilliman had not revealed the purpose of this trip.
Now Sicarius had guessed.
Guilliman nodded. "Yes, the eldar. They sent me a message, a psyker communication, so I came here to see."
"With all due respect, this is too dangerous. If it were a Warp daemon in disguise, wouldn't that put you in grave danger?" Sicarius said.
Guilliman smiled slightly. "Do not overly daemonize those traitors; they are not capable of harming me. Our fleet and soldiers are stronger than theirs."
"My lord, there's a Wraithbone tunnel," the voice of the cutting team came through the vox-caster.
"Good, withdraw," Guilliman ordered.
A few minutes later, the last plumes of steam roared out from the tunnel.
The cutting team appeared at the tunnel entrance.
Frost clung tightly to their power armour, as if they were wearing another layer of white ice armour.
Only the vent areas were not covered in frost; the temperature was too high for water vapor to condense there.
"Readings detected," Sicarius said. "The ice layer must have been obscuring the auspex earlier. We can detect a very large structure within the cliff. There are unusual psyker fluctuations. My lord, do you require my escort?"
"You know me," Guilliman said.
"But in this unfamiliar environment, I think it would be better to accompany you," Sicarius tried to persuade him.
"It's alright, I am cautious enough, and strong enough," Guilliman stepped towards the tunnel.
"Do not trust the eldar, my lord, they are full of lies as well!" Sicarius shouted.
"I'm glad you think that way, Sicarius," Guilliman replied with a smile, then walked into the tunnel.
Sicarius and the others were left outside, standing guard with their weapons ready.
They were mentally prepared to rush in at any moment.
No matter what, they had to ensure that nothing happened to their lord.
The shattered ice reflected light, making the inside not very dark.
Guilliman walked into the tunnel, going deeper and deeper.
The ice walls of the tunnel emitted wisps of cold air, attempting to penetrate Guilliman's armour.
However, the armour's performance was excellent and easily repelled it.
The Primarch's power armour did not frost over like the other soldiers'.
At the end of the tunnel, there was a soft glow.
This was the gentle light unique to eldar technology.
Further ahead, a gate decorated with simple carved eldar sculptures came into view.
Despite being subjected to the ravages of meltaguns, there were no signs of scorching.
Guilliman walked in, revealing a magnificent eldar tower, frozen within the ice layer.
The air was very fresh.
The temperature was also very comfortable.
A faint light enveloped every corner, providing a soft glow that was bright enough but not harsh.
An eldar farseer, clad in robes, awaited him.
"It is a pleasure to welcome you, lord Primarch."
Guilliman looked in the direction of the voice.
The towering Wraithbone Tower was filled with numerous dust-covered sculptures and some books that were dilapidated due to the passage of time.
Looking up, Guilliman saw a small figure wearing black armor and a crescent-shaped helmet on the towering cone of the ceiling.
The figure was just floating in the air, illuminated by a ray of light descending from above, and surrounded by rotating runes.
Able to fly without wings, this must be a powerhouse!!
Surrounded by runes, holy crap.
Terrifying indeed.
Seeing this scene, Guilliman somewhat doubted if his cheat had activated incorrectly.
He had transmigrated, yet he was still being made to focus on the technology tree.
It was simply inhumane.
How cool the extraordinary was.
With every move, Dao runes shone brightly, sweeping away all enemies.
Punching Khorne, stepping on Nurgle, Tzeentch as a servant, and embracing Slaanesh is the style of our generation.
Now I'm still on a miserable crusade, fearing wolves in front and tigers behind, just afraid of capsizing one day.
Guilliman grumbled inwardly, but showed no expression on his face. When he looked at the eldar farseer, he revealed a brilliant smile.
"Hello. By the way, aren't you going to tell me your name?"
"My name is unimportant, it won't affect the final conversation, but if you insist, you may call me Eldrad," the eldar farseer said, landing on the ground.
Guilliman furrowed his brow, searching his mind for information about this name.
Thanks to his extraordinary memory, it took only a short time to find information about Eldrad.
Definitely a formidable figure.
Eldrad's existence dates back to before the fall of the eldar Empire.
Which means he has lived for tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of years.
My goodness.
The Emperor's lifespan is only ten thousand years.
This Eldrad must be considered a Red Dust Immortal, a god, or something similar.
Of course, this is just a joke.
Immortals just live a long time, they are not invincible.
Humans also have immortals, but unfortunately, many died in the Horus Heresy.
If these guys aren't killed, they can live forever.
Eldrad was an eldar Eternal. After escaping the destroyed eldar Empire, he became the Grand farseer of Craftworld Ulthwé.
With his incredible prophetic abilities, he saved the lives of thousands upon thousands of Aeldari.
This fellow has appeared in many important historical events of the Imperium of Man.
During the Horus Heresy, he repeatedly warned Fulgrim, attempting to pull him back onto the right path.
Guiding the Cabal operative John to restore Vulkan's soul.
Guiding Vulkan through the Webway to Terra.
Attempting to warn the Imperium during the War of the Beast.
After the fall of Cadia, he had Yvraine and other Yncarne leaders take Cawl, Celestine, and other loyalists to escape, heading to Macragge to awaken Guilliman.
Even the Emperor being able to sit on the Golden Throne instead of a complete collapse is partly due to his efforts.
Eldrad was also very active during the Horus Heresy, even assassinating the Cabal at the last moment.
This caused Alpharius, one of the twin Primarchs of the Alpha Legion, to realize that destroying humanity would not lead to the demise of Chaos, and ultimately chose to backstab Horus.
It can be said that Eldrad's existence spans the history of the Imperium of Man.
His figure is behind many major events.
It's just that it's not widely known.
"Is there something you need from me??" Guilliman asked, looking at Eldrad.
"The future has been altered, and I have come to give you a warning," Eldrad said. "You must be careful. The gods have turned their gaze away from the Eternal Battlefield; they have realized the threat. We have all paid a heavy price for you to walk in this era once more. If you were to fall so quickly under the machinations of the gods, it would be a great loss to us."
"How do they plan to deal with me? Will they instigate a new rebellion?" Guilliman asked.
"No one knows what methods they will employ, but they will certainly be extremely dangerous. Just like the Horus Heresy ten thousand years ago, we all became part of their schemes. They are more cunning and malicious than we imagined," Eldrad said.
Guilliman fell silent.
The best way for the Chaos Gods to deal with humanity is to incite civil war.
Just as Horus drew his sword and struck the Emperor in the past.
No one knows who the next Horus will be.
Internal strife, brother killing brother, father and son turning against each other, is humanity's chronic illness.
It is the echo of the first murder, and its side effects will forever accompany humanity.
Even on the day humanity is destroyed, it will be difficult to find release.
Even the Emperor has no solution.
No one can do anything about it.
Guilliman was also helpless about this.
"I will be careful," Guilliman said. "Until humanity is back on the right track, I will not be defeated by their malicious schemes."
"Let's hope so," Eldrad said.
Guilliman looked around the environment of the eldar tower, then looked at Eldrad. "There's something I need your help with."
"I can help you within my capabilities, lord Primarch, but you must also understand the bottom line: I will not assist you in harming my people," Eldrad said.
"Of course, I'm not asking you to help harm your people. I want to know how to build the Webway, or where I can find this knowledge," Guilliman said.
Eldrad frowned slightly. "Do you wish to repeat your father's failure? His failed Webway project left him immobile on the Golden Throne, suffering torment. The Webway project has been proven to be a failed endeavor. Under the gaze of the gods now, it is impossible for you to succeed in building it. You will only put yourself in danger and make Chaos stronger."
"I have my own plan. Before I achieve results, I don't want to tell anyone the details and strategic objectives, as that would increase the probability of the plan failing," Guilliman said. "If you trust me and consider me an ally against Chaos, then give me guidance. The only thing I can give you is a guarantee: Chaos will surely be repelled and weakened."
Eldrad gazed at Guilliman, who also gazed back at him.
From those resolute eyes, Eldrad knew that he could not shake Guilliman's determination.
Even if he didn't tell the other party the relevant information, he would find it himself.
"After experiencing a long period of prosperity and flourishing, the eldar empire gradually declined. In this process, we forgot a large amount of technical knowledge, including the technology for building the Webway. This is a very complex technology, one that even the eldar learned from their creators."
"Of course, the eldar have always had the habit of preserving backups of their technology. We would record all our technology, then seal it and keep it safe using seals."
"If you truly want to obtain the technology for building the Webway, then you must go to the Eye of Terror, to the former knowledge stars of the eldar empire, and search for that lost technology. There might still be fragmented records, or even backups."
Eldrad said, "Of course, I must warn you, the Eye of Terror is extremely dangerous. Several of your traitorous brothers are there. Upon learning of your arrival, they will certainly not let you off easily."
"Give me the relevant coordinates, and I will find a way to go to the Eye of Terror," Guilliman said.
"To be honest, the risk is very high. I don't recommend you do that," Eldrad said. "The Webway project has been proven to be a failure. Doing so again is undoubtedly seeking your own demise."
"Don't worry, I am confident," Guilliman stopped the other party's lecturing. "Do you have any other information to tell me?"
Eldrad was silent for a moment, then continued, "The Changer of Ways will tempt you down the path of fratricide. The only thing I can warn you about is that the secret of the First Legion is far-reaching. It involves the hidden matters of another ancient race. Once revealed, it will certainly shake the Imperium to its core, but it can also remove a cancerous growth harming the Imperium of Man."
"Of course, whether to reveal the First Legion or help them keep their secret depends on you. The secret of the race connected to the First Legion is very terrifying. They serve an entity no less significant than the Four Gods. You must be mentally prepared."
"An entity no less significant than the Four Gods?" Guilliman frowned slightly.
"The Thing of Fate, the Ouroboros, if such a terrifying entity awakens, it will certainly bring another disaster. Currently, it already has offspring awakening in the galaxy. Its body alone spans the Great Rift, allowing the fortunate to travel back and forth across it using its form."
"Spanning the Great Rift?" A trace of astonishment appeared in Guilliman's heart.
The Great Rift tore through the entire galaxy, on a scale no one could imagine.
More importantly, the Great Rift is the external manifestation of the barrier between the ethereal and reality being torn apart.
To traverse the Great Rift would be truly terrifying.
A body length measured in light-years.
What the hell kind of concept is that!!
Anyone would be scared to death.
"Yes. It is called the Ouroboros by some ignorant races and civilizations, an extremely ancient existence," Eldrad said. "Its power is no less than that of the Great daemons under the Four Gods, perhaps even stronger."
Guilliman paced back and forth, a look of contemplation on his face.
The situation was far worse than he had imagined.
What terrifying monster had the Great Rift released?
Another being no less than the Four Gods.
"Be careful, Primarch. The threat you face is unimaginable. With the opening of the Great Rift, those ancient beings will return, determined to reclaim their former thrones. Even the gods of the material universe will return, and many Star Gods will once again walk the material universe."
"The End Times are likely to erupt because of this, and everything will be settled then. You must make every decision carefully. Only if humanity survives can the eldar survive."
Eldrad's voice slowly faded, becoming increasingly ethereal.
His form gradually dimmed, runes turning into light one after another.
Finally, he completely vanished before Guilliman.
Evidently, it was not his true body here, but merely a clone.
Guilliman stood rooted to the spot, lost in thought.
The situation in the galaxy was not as simple as he had imagined.
The appearance of the Great Rift allowed those ancient beings, long since annihilated in the river of time, to return.
Their purpose was self-evident: to return and seize the galaxy, to seize dominance over the warp.
The Four Gods are symbols of Chaos, but Chaos is not just the Four Gods.
Alright, one matter wasn't even settled, and now a whole bunch of other things had appeared.
A moment later, Guilliman, having emerged from his contemplation, strode towards the tunnel.
Many debts, no worries.
Many enemies, nothing to worry about.
The Gods of the Warp are paper tigers.
The Imperial citizens, full of faith, will surely defeat the paper tigers.
Of course, there is also a high probability of being killed by the paper tigers.
Walking outside, Sicarius and the members of the Honour Guard were still waiting for him.
"Lord," Sicarius stepped forward and saluted.
Guilliman nodded, said little, and did not reveal the contents of his conversation below.
It was a matter of great importance, and it was not yet time to reveal it.
The gunship slowly started after Guilliman and his retinue entered the cabin.
With a roar, the engines were activated again.
Blistering plasma streams gushed out, steam billowed upwards, and then cooled and condensed into ice crystals.
The gunship, vibrating with the engine, slowly ascended amidst the swirling steam.
Then, the engines roared, and the gunship shot into the sky at an astonishing speed, leaving behind massive sonic booms and streaks of white vapor in the air.
Half an hour later, the Primarch returned to Macragge's Glory aboard the gunship.
As soon as they entered the hangar, servitors were already waiting.
Guilliman said nothing further but strode towards the strategium.
Sicarius was accustomed to this; lately, Guilliman was either reading or reviewing strategies.
When he reached the door of the strategium, Guilliman stopped, hesitated for a moment, then said, "Return to base, rendezvous with the main fleet. We are going to the Rock."
"Understood, Lord," Sicarius replied respectfully.
Guilliman entered the strategium and stood by the viewport, looking out at the stars.
He had to resolve every factor that could lead to internal strife.
The Caliban Protocol of the Dark Angels Chapter had to be properly addressed.
This thing was a bomb; sooner or later, it would explode and kill them, and drag humanity down with them.
He would also see if he could deal with that so-called ancient race along the way.
The battlefronts of the Indomitus Crusade were everywhere.
Carrying Guilliman's will, numerous Imperial armies swept away rebels and old-fashioned power brokers.
Loyalists like Calgar demanded that every world be reformed according to the Primarch's commands.
Improve the welfare of the lower classes, reduce working hours, and provide sufficient entertainment.
At the same time, they began to widely disseminate knowledge and reduce illiteracy.
Ignorance leads to superstition, superstition leads to extremism, and finally leads to destruction.
To weaken the influence of the gods, the only way is to raise the cultural level of the Imperial citizens and strengthen propaganda on various planets.
Entertainment programs, movies, and television shows, these propaganda channels, must fully publicize the threat and poison of Chaos.
All textbooks and review standards must follow Guilliman's requirements.
The Adeptus Mechanicus and technical personnel were stationed in various hive cities to update equipment, improve the computing power of the cogitator arrays, and use the new technology from Macragge to strengthen control.
Every human on every planet had to be registered and effectively managed.
Those stubborn gang families were uprooted, given mind-wiping, and sent to penal camps.
Meanwhile, Guilliman also extensively abolished the privileged and wealthy classes.
The Imperium had existed for ten thousand years and possessed an extremely large number of noble and wealthy classes.
These classes did not engage in production but enjoyed the most resources and wealth in the Imperium.
To Guilliman's Indomitus Crusade, they were undoubtedly a huge burden.
Guilliman needed sufficient resources to sustain the Indomitus Crusade, which meant he had to take the resources from the hands of the nobility.
Some nobles claimed that their wealth was accumulated by their families, that it was private, sacred, and inviolable.
They argued that Guilliman's actions against them were unreasonable and violated sacred vows.
Guilliman scoffed at these words, even feeling a little like laughing.
The Imperium is a whole. Agricultural worlds produce food, industrial worlds produce industrial goods, conscription worlds provide soldiers. Every planet has its place in the vast system of cooperation.
In a society where cooperation is essential for development, and productivity requires every member to contribute to create wealth.
Talking about the inviolability of private property and claiming that all wealth belongs entirely to oneself, Guilliman just wanted to give them two big slaps.
Who is rich? Who is poor?
This is not determined by individual will, but by the distribution system.
Guilliman was merely re-collecting wealth and redistributing it.
All the worlds of the Imperium cooperated to create this wealth.
Then this wealth belongs to the entire Imperium.
If those so-called "rich people" left the Imperium, would their talent truly allow them to create so much wealth?
If the Imperium left the rich people, would that wealth truly disappear?
The more developed technology becomes, the more detailed the division of labor, the more ridiculous the concept of sacred private property becomes.
If the Imperium leaves you, that wealth will still be continuously created.
If you leave the Imperium, you can only eat dirt.
It was precisely because of this that Guilliman did not care about the protests of the powerful and the wealthy.
The Imperial Fleet was right there; whoever jumped would be struck down.
Of course, Guilliman also used reasonable and legal means.
He rarely openly plundered people's wealth.
He always changed policies and adjusted the distribution system, allowing the merchant guilds that made money for him to seize the wealth of the local power brokers.
Those who opposed Guilliman, who had become figures no one dared to offend due to the Imperium's distribution system, naturally became poor due to the Imperium's new system.
In addition to releasing wealth, Guilliman also reshaped the Imperial bureaucracy.
He vigorously promoted an Imperial-style intelligent management system based on cogitator calculation arrays.
He cracked down severely on some local sects, ordered various organizations to register, and strengthened control.
Through multiple channels, he resolutely suppressed the foundation of Chaos cults.
Those who violated were naturally all thrown into penal camps to serve as cannon fodder for the Imperium.
Under Guilliman's strong hand, the reform measures proceeded in an orderly manner.
At the grassroots level, Guilliman's approval rating also rose steadily.
Cutting off someone's path to wealth is like killing their parents.
For those who lost their interests, Guilliman was a sworn enemy.
Naturally, they were unwilling to decline like this.
Many nobles colluded with each other and instigated rebellion.
They even began to incite nobles in other sectors to also launch rebellions.
Calgar, having recovered, immediately began the work of suppressing the rebellion.
Just as he finished suppressing a rebellion on one planet and hadn't even had a moment to breathe.
He received news that the next planet had fallen into rebellion.
Moreover, there were reports that the Alpha Legion was involved.