Warhammer: Don't Call Me the God of All Machines

Chapter 834 Triumphant Ceremony and the Alliance of Light

"I remember when you left Macurag, you didn't have any gray hair. How come you've become like this in just a hundred years?"

“You are the Primarch, a transcendent being created by the Emperor, you should not be like this.”

“I watched you grow from an infant to an adult in just a few years, and then you were frozen in your prime forever. I… even thought you wouldn’t grow old like me.”

Ms. Eorton's tone remained gentle, but it revealed a hint of confusion, as if an invisible blade had torn through Guilliman's defenses.

“I… madam, I’m fine, or at least not bad.”

Guilliman touched his lips, but in the end he only managed to say, "I'm fine."

"You're great... okay, I believe you."

"The original foster mother said helplessly, but the meaning in her eyes was particularly profound."

"You've suffered. Now that you're back, stay here."

“Macurag and Otlama are more prosperous than before, and the people here need you more. This is where you belong.”

Ms. Eoton subtly hinted that she never wanted her son to leave Macurag again.

Her life may be nearing its end, and if Guilliman were to pass away, this would be the last time she saw him.

Guilliman and Yodon embraced each other affectionately, the Primarch's movements so gentle and careful, as if afraid of hurting his foster mother in the slightest.

Guilliman then gently placed Yodon back on the ground, and Rosie appeared from behind him.

"It's been a long time, madam. You're as charming as ever," Rose sincerely complimented.

"I think I understand more and more why Guilliman is so outstanding; it's mostly thanks to you."

Ms. Eorton possesses a special warmth, as gentle as the winter sun.

Even Rosie felt extremely relaxed and let down all her guard in her presence.

"You're still as delightful as ever, Rosie."

"The reason Robert became better was because he always managed to make better friends."

“His excellent friends shared their strengths with him, enabling him to continuously improve.”

Ms. Eudon smiled, covering her mouth slightly. She was overjoyed to see Rose again.

“I once asked you to take care of Luo Bao for me, and now it seems that I should really thank you. Without your help, this child would have suffered even more.”

"To be honest, I don't even want him to be the Primogen in the public eye. If he were just an ordinary human child, he wouldn't have to bear such a heavy responsibility, nor would he have to endure so much danger and suffering."

Loshi understood that the lady before him, Yoton, was not the powerful court lady.

She was simply Robert Guilliman's mother, a contradictory woman who wanted her son to be successful, but also wanted him to live a peaceful and safe life.

“Madam, let’s talk about these things when we get back. We’re still at the triumphal ceremony, and many people are watching us.”

Guilliman's cheeks were slightly flushed; he cherished every moment with Ms. Euton.

However, he did not want to show his tender side in public, especially in the presence of his brothers.

"Alright, alright, then I'll get down to business."

"My big boy seems to be shy."

Ms. Ewton's eyes narrowed into crescents as she looked at Guilliman's awkward expression, seemingly quite pleased with herself.

Next to receive condolences was Dorn, the Imperial Fist from the Inuit. In front of Lady Yodon, he did not show his usual cold and unyielding demeanor.

Amidst the horrified stares of the crowd, Dorn even managed a forced smile before bending down and giving Mrs. Eudon a hug.

Lady Eudon then personally draped a ceremonial cloak over Dorn and said a few words of encouragement.

"Am I hallucinating? How could Dorn be so friendly to Guilliman's foster mother?"

"He actually laughed. Dorn laughed."

Perturabo was filled with disbelief. He had been time-traveling with Dorne for so long that he thought he knew everything about Dorne.

But it seems that what he knows is still only the tip of the iceberg.

“Who told you that Dorn is cold-hearted? On the contrary, I can sense that beneath his cold exterior lies a warm heart.”

"Dorn greatly admires Lady Yoton, because it was because of her and King Connor that Guilliman had a complete childhood, which is why our Macragge brother is so outstanding."

"Dorn also had a grandfather who raised him, but he had passed away long ago. Perhaps when he saw Guilliman's foster mother, he was reminded of his grandfather."

"Vulcan said softly beside Peturabo."

"After I fell to Nocturne and was found by my adoptive father, Embel, I spent three years learning metallurgy and forging from him and began to invent more advanced smelting techniques to help my village live a better life."

"Those were truly carefree times. If it weren't for those damned Dark Eldar, everything would have continued peacefully."

Vulcan's voice grew heavy, and a rare, fierce glint appeared in his eyes.

However, he didn't see that Peturabo's expression also turned ugly.

Besides his twisted personality, Peturabo's most notable characteristic is his exceptional sensitivity to detail.

His level of meticulousness is unparalleled even among the many Primarchs.

Or to put it another way, Peturabo is extremely petty.

In Peturab's view, Vulcan's words were clearly an implication that these loyal Primarchs all had relatively fulfilling family environments.

Guilliman's adoptive mother and father, Dorn's grandfather, and Vulcan's own adoptive father, but compared to them, Peturabo's own original environment was no less impressive.

He was adopted by Damikos, the tyrant of Olympia, and had a close stepsister, Kelifenne. This upbringing was undoubtedly superior to that of his other Primarch brothers.

At least those unlucky guys like Coz and Anglon must be green with envy of Perturabo's start.

But in the end, Perturabo followed Horus down a path of betrayal. He first massacred his home planet Olympia, and then strangled his beloved stepsister, Kelifenne, with his own hands.

Peturabo was filled with regret immediately after strangling his stepsister, but it was too late.

They are all similar primates, so why do the other primates have good relationships with their adoptive parents, while he has made a mess of everything?
This means that he, Peturabo, is not as good as his other brothers.

"What's wrong, Peturabo?" Vulcan belatedly realized that his brother's complexion was not good.

He never expected that just a few words from him would cause Peturabo to start agonizing over his own feelings again.

“I’m fine,” Peturabo managed to squeeze out a sentence, then fell silent.

Vulcan looked at his brother helplessly, knowing that the other must be thinking about something unpleasant again.

However, he is not like Angron without the Butcher's Sting, able to perfectly sense the emotional fluctuations of others, thus sharing their pain or joy.

Ms. Yotton, Vulcan, and Peturabo embraced in turn, while Luther, Bjorn, and other legion commanders shook hands with the representative of Macurag.

Everyone received the worship and support of the people of Macragge, which made the Space Marines, who had just withdrawn from the battlefield, feel the sweet taste of glory very clearly.

Space Marines have few things to pursue besides loyalty to the Emperor, the Primarchs, and humanity, and the pursuit of honor.

"Dantiok, release that big guy and let everyone see how terrifying the orcs are."

"Our propaganda machine is constantly spreading the threat of the orcs, but people don't know what the source of the threat is."

Lothie whispered to Danteok, and the humanoid star god immediately began to comply.

The current Danteok is no longer the same as before. In his eyes, even Primarchs like Dorne and Vulcan can no longer command him from a high position.

He has embarked on a path of independence and self-reliance.

However, Danteok still maintained sufficient respect and obedience towards his close superiors such as Roche and Guilliman.

Roche and Guilliman did not treat Danteok as their subordinate; they communicated and interacted more often as friends and confidants.

Danteok tore open a dimensional rift, and the beast warlord captured on the western front appeared before everyone.

When Danteok and Adam fought the beast together, Adam was unable to defeat it for a long time, so Danteok personally cut off the beast's limbs, leaving only the torso that resembled a human pig.

At the time, Danteok thought that a living beast would be more effective than a dead orc, and now, his initial idea has clearly been proven true.

This crippled beast still maintains a strong vitality, and if it is buried in the ground, it will be able to regrow its severed limbs after a period of time.

As the most powerful type of Orc, the Beasts are positioned almost identically to the Primarchs among humans.

Even with only the torso remaining, the beast's size still terrifies countless Macuragh.

This crippled, enormous orc was still comparable in size to the Land Raiders that appeared in the parade.

The Land Raider is about 10.3 meters long, 6.1 meters wide, and 4.1 meters high. This metal behemoth is only slightly larger than the crippled beast.

"So this is the kind of enemy our warriors fight? Your Majesty, this is simply unbelievable."

"If this behemoth were in good condition, it could probably dismantle our knight mechs with ease, and might even be able to go toe-to-toe with a Warhound-class Titan using its physical strength."

"Who could have beaten him up like this? Only our Primarch could probably do that."

Whispers quickly spread through the crowd as humanity's gossip instincts kicked in, and people began speculating about who had defeated the beast.

The surviving beast also wore a sorrowful expression. It possessed high intelligence and was fully capable of understanding what the humans around it were saying.

But having lost his limbs, he can do nothing, not even commit suicide. His tenacious will to live has now become a burden.

The beasts' agonizing howls even quelled the commotion among the crowd, but not out of sorrow for their own suffering; rather, out of grief for the shattered hopes of their race's revival.

Emperor Kirk is dead, and their great empire has been destroyed by humans. The beasts see no hope for their race to rise again.

After this war, humanity has come to realize the terrifying potential of the Ork race, and they will inevitably be more vigilant in monitoring the Ork's movements.

Even if the Orcs, who have the potential to unify the entire race, emerge in the future, they will likely face a saturation attack that could lead to the extinction of humanity as soon as they begin to demonstrate their potential.

As long as humanity exists, they will never rise above it.

The beast now desperately wanted these humans to kill him; he no longer wanted to face endless humiliation and a hopeless future.

"Should we execute this big guy in public later?"

"This can greatly boost human morale and foster racial pride and confidence."

Guilliman's voice rang in Rosie's ear as they discussed the next steps.

The reason they brought out this beast for all Macragans to witness was not only to demonstrate the empire's power and to build the people's confidence and sense of honor, but more importantly, to make more people recognize reality.

In previous propaganda, humanity already knew that the Orcish Empire, which rose from the Ghoul Stars, was a powerful adversary and could even threaten the Empire's security.

However, they had little concrete knowledge about how powerful these orcs were or what they actually looked like.

Even if you tell them that the most ordinary green-skinned giant is four or five meters tall, and the largest Ork is even larger than a knight's mech, it's still an empty concept.

Many humans even use their past experiences to assume that the Empire is conducting intimidation propaganda in order to extract more taxes from them.

Only when everyone sees with their own eyes just how huge and savage the beasts are will they recognize reality and realize the cruelty of war and the difficulty of the empire's survival.

The human empire has indeed seized the dominant position in the galaxy, but this galaxy has never lacked powerful challengers. The Ork are just one of them, and even if they fail this time, they will soon make a comeback if they relax their vigilance even slightly.

For a human empire, excessive negativity is undesirable, as is excessive optimism and positivity.

After all, when pride goes too far, it turns into arrogance and conceit.

Only by rationally and soberly viewing the universe, and by assessing the strength of those challengers and humanity, can humanity firmly sit on the throne of hegemony.

"Execute him? There's no need for that."

After a few seconds of contemplation, Rosie gave a negative answer.

“If we had not received a gift from the ancient sages, perhaps beheading a beast in public would have been a good way to unite people, enhance prestige, and demonstrate human strength.”

"But now that we have a way to enable a human to master the waaagh energy, the existence of this beast is crucial."

"If Vulcan really controls the waaagh energy, then he has a chance to become the new orc emperor."

According to the fundamental logic of the Ork people's instincts, beast-like Ork warlords will unconditionally obey the will of the Ork Emperor.

"This also means that we have the opportunity to bring wild beasts to our own use."

Guilliman also agreed with Roche's conjecture that when humans and beasts are enemies, humans naturally wish all the beasts would die as soon as possible.

However, if it were possible to bring the beasts into their camp, they would naturally hope that the beasts could survive.

After all, a wild beast, under the right conditions, can certainly reach the combat power of a Primal Form.

Moreover, similar to the Primarchs, the greatest strength of the Beasts has never been their individual combat prowess, but rather their ability to rally and command other Ork.

Whenever a beast appears on the battlefield, the Orcs under its command will instinctively unite and rally together to launch a great waaagh!

Stimulated by waaagh, all the orcs were able to grow stronger and more numerous with each battle.

Danteok held aloft the beast's mangled body, with elite Space Marines selected from various Legions standing behind him.

These imposing Space Marines, exuding a chilling aura of killing intent, surrounded the beast, preventing any overly excited mortals from getting too close and being harmed by its ferocious aura.

This scene, witnessed by the onlookers, undoubtedly became a symbol that the Space Marines were a high wall and sturdy shield protecting humanity's safety, forever reliable and forever loyal.

……

The triumphal procession lasted a full week, and the video recordings of the ceremony are being rapidly broadcast from Macurag to the entire human world.

Guilliman personally ordered that all human planets in the 600 worlds of Alteramar must unconditionally spread the good news of humanity's great victory.

If a war is won but not publicized, the effect of the victory will be greatly diminished.

After all, if you don't occupy the high ground of propaganda, the enemy will.

These high-intensity propaganda campaigns will further enhance the prestige of Guilliman and other Primarchs, thus laying the groundwork for the upcoming internal conflicts within the State Religion.

If even the Primarchs, still riding the wave of their great victory, chose to stand behind Qile and cheer for her.

Therefore, many people who were originally unclear about the internal conflicts of the national religion, or who were wavering, now had a reason to side with Qi Le.

The prestige of the Primarchs is always more useful than one might imagine, especially after the Primarchs have effectively become vassals.

Aside from appearing at the beginning of the triumph ceremony, the Primarchs remain hidden in the background, maintaining their mystique and sublimity.

Having resolved the threat of the Orc Empire, the biggest problem now facing everyone is how to deal with the internal conflicts within the state religion.

Macragge, Hera's Fortress.

Having just met with representatives from several imperial religious worlds and reached cooperation and alliance agreements with them, Qile received an invitation from the Primarch.

The Primarch, led by Guilliman, will meet with Qile in the core conference room of Hera Fortress and discuss a more detailed action plan with the Pope.

Qile took this very seriously. Although Lord Macrag had given her assurances and support when she met him before, that was only Guilliman's statement.

To accomplish the great feat of restoring order, Qi Le must garner more support.

The optimal solution is to make as many friends as possible and as few enemies as possible.

The Living Saint's journey was accompanied by a considerable number of people: personal attendants, security forces, state officials, ceremonial servants, etc. A group of more than 500 people passed through the Ultramarines' security check and entered Hera Fortress.

Qi Le was still accompanied by Loken, Garo, and the Judge Carter, while the others remained in the reception room of Hera Fortress to wait.

Through the long, wide corridors of Hera Fortress, countless precious murals and sculptures adorn the walls on both sides.

Braziers burning with flames were placed at intervals along the corridor, illuminating the path ahead.

Qi Le's heartbeat gradually quickened. She gently placed her hands on the adamantite gate in front of her, which was engraved with the glorious history of the Ultra Warriors. With a slight push, the hydraulic system of the gate began to operate, and then it slowly opened.

In the enormous conference room, there was a conference table large enough to accommodate twenty-one Primarchs and the Emperor's throne.

This conference table is carved from a single piece of milky white marble, with no other superfluous embellishments.

Qi Le knew that this was the conference table that Robert Guilliman had set up for his brothers.

The size of those seats was also tailored to each Primarch, and even Sanguis's seat had an ingenious structure designed to accommodate his wings.

Guilliman had been waiting in his seat for a long time.

Around him sat Roger Dorn, Vulcan, and even Peturabo.

Loshi and Ms. Tarasha Ewton sat on the other side of Guilliman.

Macardo did not appear immediately. His sudden return was a momentous event for the Empire and would undoubtedly affect the normal conduct of the meeting.

For the Astartes Legions whose Primarchs were not present, their commanders spoke on their behalf.

Representatives including Luther, Danteok, Gontura, Bjorn, Macalion, Radolon, Mel Ian, and Cohen Marcel were all present and in place.

It can be said that even when the Great Rebellion had just ended, the high command of these imperial legions had not been so gathered together.

In this effort to wipe out the ghoul orc empire, each legion dispatched its own forces, which led to this collective meeting.

Qi Le glanced around at the executives seated in their seats and couldn't help but take a deep breath.

Even though she was the first pope of the state religion and a living saint recognized by the emperor, she had never faced such a magnificent lineup.

"Don't be too nervous, Qile."

Guilliman smiled reassuringly.

"All of us here are staunch defenders of the Empire's stability and prosperity. Many of us have traveled tens of thousands of light-years to the northeast of the galaxy to destroy the ambitious Orc Empire."

"We will not allow it, whether it is a foreign enemy or internal strife."

"As long as your actions are for the long-term stability and development of the empire, we will unequivocally support you."

Guilliman's voice seemed to give Qile confidence. The pope, who was initially somewhat uneasy, immediately became calm and composed, and his gaze towards the crowd was neither humble nor arrogant, but confident and composed.

"Perhaps you are not very familiar with the current internal conflicts of the state religion. Please allow me to introduce the latest situation to you."

Qi Le manipulated the holographic projection screen in the conference room and then began to demonstrate the content she had prepared in advance.

“Baptiste Elfreda, the state bishop, took advantage of the conflict between the Empire and the Orc Empire to launch a coup and usurp the seat of the state pope.”

"It was she who incited the followers of the state religion on Terra and, with the tacit approval and indulgence of other high lords, forced our Imperial Commander Robout Guilliman to leave Terra."

"After ascending to the papacy, she used the pretext of searching for me to send assassins to carry out assassination attempts, intending to make me die in an accident where no one could prove it."

"The Grey Knights and the Inquisition found me and protected me from the assassination attempts of the Terran Cult."

"Elfreda not only constantly used coercion, intimidation, and murder to eliminate dissidents within the State Church, but also continuously expanded the power and influence of the State Church."

"She used some unknown means to control some of the high lords and began to cultivate her own power within the entrenched bureaucracy."

"She wanted to unite the countless citizens of the empire under her extreme faith in the God-Emperor. For this purpose, she caused the deaths of billions of people, and countless humans paid a heavy price for the heavy tax of faith."

"The stakes of Terra never cease to burn, and extremism, fanaticism, and terror permeate the human throne world, growing ever stronger with time."

As Qi Le spoke, she even began to shed tears. She truly felt sorrow and pain for those who died in political struggles.

How ironic that the emperor's subjects did not die on the battlefield fighting against foreign enemies, but instead died helplessly in internal strife.

For the first time, Dorn, Perturabo, Luther, Bjorn, and others clearly understood the ins and outs. After hearing Qile's account, only two words remained in the minds of these high-ranking officials: absurd!
Especially Dorn, who had been missing for a century, couldn't imagine how such a ridiculous thing as a military coup could happen in Terra, which was guarded by the Imperial Fists.

Were all his descendants dead, or did they all become blind and unable to see what was happening?
"Sigismond, what on earth is going on?!"

"answer me!"

Dorn turned to look at his most prized son.

Sigismund also looked unusually distressed, unsure how to answer Dorn's questions.

It can't be said that in order to find Dorne, he specifically separated a group of the most fanatical Sons of Dorne from the Imperial Fist Legion and formed a chapter called the Black Templar.

Then he and the Black Templar were so focused on finding a way to rescue Dorn that they didn't care about Terra at all.
"Foolish!" Dorn's face turned cold. "Didn't I tell Danteok to tell you not to waste your time and energy coming to me?"

"Is this how you obey my orders?"

"Father...we..."

Sigismund was never good at arguing, and he was immediately rendered speechless by the Primarch's question.

"Don't blame him, they were just worried about you and that's why they lost their temper." Rosie stepped in to speak up for Sigismund, which calmed Dorn's anger down a little.

“I told you we shouldn’t have given those damned high lords too much power and status. You see, mortals are just so unreliable. It would be better to turn them all into thinkers to handle problems.”

Perturabo immediately seized the opportunity to make his presence known, with Danteok sitting right next to him.

However, it seems that everyone prefers to regard Danteok as a representative of the Legion rather than as the real Primarch.

"The high lords are indeed useless. They not only lack the ability to turn the tide in critical moments, but they also can't even handle the internal power struggles."

Dorn snorted, now somewhat worried about the status of the Imperial Fist he had left in Terra.

According to Qi Le's description, this Elfreda is a crazy and ambitious person who will not hesitate to use any means to achieve her goals.

Representatives from various legions also lowered their heads and discussed the matter, noting that such an extreme state religion was a huge problem for them as well.

"In order to oust Elfreda from the position of Pope, I have issued a call to all those with aspirations. I will bring them hope, the hope of restoring order to everything."

"To date, more than eighty cardinals from various religious worlds have responded to my call, and many more ordinary believers are willing to fight for their faith."

"Elfreda distorted the faith in the Emperor, replacing the original rationality and objectivity with fanatical and blind worship, which undoubtedly deviated from the Emperor's original intention."

"The emperor never wanted humanity to place all their hopes on him. Faith was merely a tool to appease and inspire humanity, but never the goal."

Qi Le's aura was growing stronger, as if a golden figure had appeared behind her.

"In order to fight against the State Cult of Terra, I have formed an organization called the Alliance of Light, which can be joined by any believer who is unwilling to submit to the State Cult of Terra."

"But our current strength is far from enough; we need more support and more assistance."

"Primarchs loyal to the Emperor, and esteemed representatives of the Space Marine Legions, please extend your helping hand!"

(End of this chapter)