This is our Warhammer journey

Chapter 543 Ancient Saints: Why didn't you guys fawn over me like this when I loved you before?

Again.

This feeling.

Facing a group of men with a low-pressure atmosphere, whose vitality was mostly contributed by prisoners, Guilliman shifted his gaze from the guard who was comparable to Calgary and fixed it with a probing look on the crowned general who seemed out of place among his own kind.

Zandreik, the most powerful dynasty of the Necromancers, the crowned general of the Sothek dynasty, and also the Lord of Gidrim, whom the Triune Council relies on most.

According to historical records provided by Talazin, Zandrek distinguished himself in the Unification Wars of the Necromancers. Despite facing external pressure from the outset by his own war against the Old Ones, he purged his own people and ultimately rebuilt the fragmented Empire of the Necromancers. His methods were quite shrewd.

Countless emperors of dynasties survived defeats because of this old general's strict adherence to the universal values ​​of the "Noble War Laws of the Necromancers," which also reaffirmed the authority of the Triune Council.

Although the Silent King eventually unified and wiped them all out, even in this chaotic time when everyone has become space undead, many Hierophants are still willing to accept this favor.

Of course, this largely depends on the fact that they simply cannot defeat Zandreuk.

Just kidding. Back during the Civil War, those traitors never abided by any noble war treaties, but Zandreik withstood that pressure and defeated them all, dragging them one by one before the Triune Council to declare their renewed allegiance to the Silent King.

Even if you keep mocking that so-called noble war treaty as utter bullshit, Zandreuk is standing there, and you have no choice but to believe it.

After all, compared to a butcher who would behead and skin you and hang you on a flagpole if you lost a battle, the old general seemed much more approachable.

When many people heard that the old general had awakened, they felt that they were living in the age of the dead and still stubbornly followed those ancient rituals to treat the undead in space or even those small animals. Apart from complaining internally that the old man had gone mad again, they were all relieved.

Therefore, in Dawnwing's view, although Zandrek's worldview is somewhat bizarre, overall, this old general is a strong person who is willing to abide by rules and moral constraints, and is also able to maintain the authority of rules and morality. Although he does not hold the position of Emperor, his influence within the Necromancers of the Space is enough to rank among the top three.

But why——

Guilliman looked at the crowned general whose eyes showed a slight wariness, and seeing that familiar expression, the Primarch instantly understood what had happened.

"How ambitious!"

Ramses opened his mouth.

"Yeah yeah."

The brothers who had been following the news online nodded in agreement.

Guilliman felt a string in his brain twitch.

That's the good thing about small groups; if someone is whispering about you behind your back, you can hear it even if you're thousands of light-years away.

"I know this is all a joke to everyone."

Listening to the lion's hearty laughter, Guilliman negotiated with Zandrek using the proper etiquette of an Otlamar governor, while inwardly complaining to himself.

"But why does everyone who meets me think I'm ambitious?"

He admitted that during the Great Crusade, he was indeed unconventional as the only Primarch to establish an independent kingdom, and that his idea of ​​creating a Second Empire instead of a Provisional Government was a terrible one, born of a moment of madness. After the war, his takeover of all Terran administration and his forceful push to dismantle the Legions stemmed from his utter distrust of his brothers.
But ultimately, isn't it all for the sake of humanity?

His expectation had always been to create a world where he could quietly farm in Altramerma.

Even though he had thought about things like taking over the throne and becoming the regent of the empire, he restrained himself from doing so.

What, you can't even think about it?

Guilliman was very dissatisfied.

Honestly, if he had been willing, Terra would have been the second Macurag after the siege of Terra!

and also--

Guilliman looked at Zanderrick.

He doesn't understand.

Humans can be excused for this, but many people, even Primarchs, have the same reason. His actions do indeed seem to be just short of a formal declaration of rebellion.

But why do the Eldar and Necromancers keep bothering him?
"That's all your fault, that part of your warp."

Ramses chose to offer a kind explanation.

"You can understand it as, for these perceptive races, the first impression you give is that of an ambitious person who constantly vents a strong desire for power and tries to conquer everything."

"But I overcame it."

Guilliman also knew that those instincts that often troubled him in his childhood might be part of who he was.

But he still intends to emphasize that his education was not just for show.

“I have a mature mind and know how to restrain myself and think. Now, with your generous help, I rely on mature and rational concepts to deconstruct my own power, instead of following my instincts and turning me into a mindless beast.”
-
boom!
Ryan, who had just selected a world corrupted by chaos and was happily watching Guilliman make a fool of himself, suddenly changed his expression and slammed his hand on the table.

You're targeting me, aren't you?
Now docked aboard the Unyielding Truth in Caliban, the Dark Angels have grown accustomed to this sight.

They weren't surprised by Ryan's hearty laughter, nor were they tense up by his sudden anger; each was doing their own thing.

Plan our goals, take a break, record our achievements, and look forward to the future.
As for the lion's current state, it's probably because he's been angered by the other big shots.

Anyway, it's none of their business, as long as it doesn't affect the war.

The least worrisome thing about a lion is war.

Even the Lion faction of Dark Angels, including Redros, had to admit one thing.

The Lion was indeed much better than before, able to interact normally with his brothers. This made the Caliban Knights, who had grown up with the Lion under Luther's command, feel as if they were reminiscing about their days living together in the Caliban Knights in the past, even after ten thousand years.

At least the lion will speak up if he dislikes someone.

If it makes sense, change it; if it doesn't, ignore it.

If things really get serious, we should convene a roundtable meeting and argue right and wrong on the spot.

Overall, it's much better than before.

"Lion".

Having just returned from the swordsmith, Koswayne, carrying the Lion Sword, bypassed his busy comrades and approached Ryan.

"Thank you, Akao."

Retrieving the corner of the table that he had slapped away and tossing it back onto the surface, Ryan took the Lionsword that Koswayne had carefully maintained for him, inserted it into the scabbard forged from Nightbringer fragments, and continued to keep an eye on matters on the other side of the galaxy.
-
"That's even more terrifying."

As the easiest member of the Dawnbreakers, Karna wasted a rare moment of his rest time.

"You can restrain such ambition, still give selflessly, and still be willing to do those thankless tasks. I don't even dare to imagine how ambitious you are."

Honestly, without reading the script, they wouldn't have dared to imagine that Guilliman's ambition was to go back to Macurag and farm.

Can you believe that Guilliman, who runs an independent kingdom with 200,000 permanent main force troops and an unknown number of auxiliary troops, manages both military and civilian affairs, and maintains a high degree of autonomy over Terra, ultimately aims to be a farmer rather than an emperor?

None of those extreme warriors would dare to think that way.

They only felt that Lord Guilliman must be doing this for the throne, and that for that goal, they had to clear the final obstacle for the Primarch.

After the siege of Terra ended, they were the most vocal in their calls for Guilliman to become emperor.

Especially Hill.

"You make a very good point."

Following Zanderek, the delegation entered the hall that had been prepared for them. After exchanging a few words with Zanderek, they noticed that his expression had become increasingly serious.

Upon hearing Karna's explanation, Guilliman was overwhelmed by a flood of past events and didn't know how to refute them.

So, having the power to rebel but not rebelling is a mistake?
"Because you did not express your demands during this process."

Arthur rarely spoke up to explain.

"?"

What are your demands?
Guilliman was puzzled.

"Has your purpose been good in the long run?"

Arthur asked.

"return--"

Guilliman instinctively wanted to say something modest.

"That's definitely a good thing."

But before Guilliman could finish speaking, Romulus, who was left alone working overtime in the Radiance of Macragge because of Guilliman's diplomatic escape, quickly interjected, "Are your actions to achieve your goals also good?"

Ignoring Romulus's interruption, or perhaps having anticipated it, Arthur asked again.

"I--"

"That would be even better."

Romulus silenced Guilliman with a kiss and continued.

"."

Guilliman, who had maintained a polite conversation with Zandreuk without revealing any inner emotional fluctuations, twitched at the corner of his eye.

The brothers' charade left Guilliman struggling to keep up.

That's why he found it strange.

Everyone should view him objectively and correctly like these brothers, but everyone else only sees him as ambitious.

"But in this process, did you express what you wanted?"

Arthur succinctly pointed out Guilliman's predicament in interpersonal relationships.

"."

Guilliman was deep in thought.

A few seconds later, after the delegation had passed the steps guarded by soldiers who were indistinguishable from the sculptures, he finally spoke:

"No."

It's not about political will, but a heartfelt demand.

Guilliman never shared this with anyone else, but always hoped to achieve that goal through his political skills and Primarch identity.

"That's why."

Arthur replied.

"but--"

Guilliman instinctively sensed something was wrong.

And he quickly found a real-world example.

Right in front of him.

Both were noble contributions, and Guilliman himself considered them even more dedicated than Guilliman, even caring about what to do after someone's death. Yet, the voices directed at Dawnwing were mostly praise, and the Imperial high command didn't voice any warnings about rumors of Dawnwing's ambitious plans.

“We made it clear from the beginning that we wanted to rule all of humanity.”

Arthur replied with a smile, "The Third Reich I talked about back in that wrecked ship in the Warp was no joke."

Other Primarch tactics focused on this area include leaning back.

So the truly ambitious ones are here.

"The Dawn Wings were founded for the sake of humanity,"

The Knight Lord's azure eyes gazed at the Dawn Emblem, which was ubiquitous throughout the delegation.

"To lead humanity in the pursuit of a better life and to defeat all enemies that hinder humanity's pursuit of a better life."

"How can you do these things without ruling over all of humanity?"

From the very beginning, everyone openly declared, "We're going to do something big!" So, to outsiders, their subsequent actions seemed perfectly normal. People weren't focused on being wary of Dawnwing's "ambition," but rather on, "Oh, so that's what the big shots are planning." "That's impressive." "Hahaha, count me in!"

"This is the right kind of interest-based relationship."

Ramses took over the conversation.

"One-sided giving can easily make the recipient feel unreal and prone to malicious speculation, because intelligent beings mostly like to judge others by their own standards. When you say that you really want to rule them, they need to give labor or other things to accept your rule. Once you establish such a relationship that can be recognized by intelligent beings, naturally no one will speculate about you."

"Oh~"

Guilliman felt he had probably figured it out.

He gestured to the nearby reliefs of the Fearless Ones, which were being personally explained by Zandrek, and began to speak:

"This is why the Necromancers were able to easily agree to cooperate with us. Our demand is the Comoros, the hub of the Web. Facing those enemies who control the ancient Eldar empire, we need the military power of the Necromancers. Now that we are offering soul rentals as a trade, they readily accept it in their worldview."

"You can say that."

Ramses nodded.

Compared to the past, the current Dawnwings are not, strictly speaking, any more noble than the Old Ones, including internally.

The Wings of Dawn need people to support them, to provide manpower and technology for the war against chaos and aliens, to provide wisdom and labor for the progress and development of the planets under the Wings of Dawn, and to provide devout faith for the belief system built around Karna.

In exchange, the Dawnwings, as the rulers, need to provide people with a higher standard of living, offer them spiritual protection, and take responsibility for their growth so that they can better uphold the rule of the Dawnwings.

This is the responsibility system.

When both parties want to achieve a certain goal, they need to make certain sacrifices and assume certain responsibilities.

The combination of the extremely high productivity of the interstellar era and the institutional advantages established by Dawnwing itself with a people-oriented approach is sufficient to support the vast majority of people to have a better life.

But the ancient sages were different. They genuinely sought no reward, using the great power created by their own civilization to drive the common development of other civilizations.

At that time, the ancient sages themselves had no needs.

I've helped you, no need to thank me, love you all.

However, the Eldar and the Necromancers seem to have a stronger affinity for these gods.

That's because both sides have needs from each other now.

One-sided sacrifice is biologically unhealthy, and morally speaking, it is not a mainstream ideology in this galaxy in any era. You can see this from the fear of the dead who declared war on the Old Ones and the Eldar who fell into depravity after being left unchecked.

It can be said--

These people don't want a God who can satisfy all your needs, but rather a kindred spirit, a collaborator, with whom I seek something in return, and who seeks something in return.

If someone appears who doesn't seek anything in return, they'll assume that the person is pursuing something bigger, rather than thinking that the person is genuinely trying to make a selfless contribution.

Or--

He's never been beaten; he deserves it.

The ancient sages were too advanced; they could solve all problems on their own and didn't ask for anything in return. They were the minority.

Therefore, in the present day, an external demand that can be widely recognized by both sides is more likely to promote inter-ethnic exchange and ease inter-ethnic conflict than unilateral charity and sacrifice.

This also explains why the Fear of the Dead were enraged when faced with the Old Ones' rejection, while their first impression of communicating with the human empire now is that the Dawnwing's Catan is alright, the Warp Gods are very friendly, and Guilliman is ambitious.

As for the external demand that can foster unity among various races simply by relying on a high ecological status, relatively reliable thinking ability, and basically conforming to the mainstream values ​​of various races in the galaxy, where does it come from?
Click~
As the last guest walked through the long corridor inscribed with the history of those who feared death, the towering triangular gate slowly closed.

The light dimmed for a moment, and before it could awaken the people's instinctive aversion to darkness, the vast and realistic star map filled the dark and blank areas, illuminating the iron-gray hall.

"Fellow countrymen, and the great Katan and the High Ones of the Sea of ​​Souls."

Despite being confident in his own abilities and proud of his identity as a member of the Fear of Death, Zandrek still showed these three individuals the utmost respect.

He announced the identity of the newcomer to the assembled officials, and those officials who had been arguing about how to assassinate the old general were now surprisingly united, including the seemingly devastated guards.

To pay respects with the highest etiquette of one's own culture.

"."

Inside the central hall of the Necropolis, which was more like a tomb than a temple, Guilliman watched as Arthur and Ramses took their seats at Zandreik's almost unreservedly warm invitation.

Having finished his studies and gained a completely new understanding of ambition, Guilliman suddenly felt great sympathy for the ancient race that had gone extinct 60 million years ago, who had single-handedly raised the moral standards of the galaxy and whom he had never met.

They maintained the purity of the subspace, spread life to sustain the diversity of the galaxy, and selflessly provided guidance to every race, creating the most peaceful period of life in the history of all beings in the galaxy.
Then, looking at the group of Old Saints who were so grateful to Dawnwing:

"Yes, yes, but where does the demand actually come from?"

"Hahaha, Katan, the Fearless, and those scum from the Warp who kicked me when I was down, I—"

(End of this chapter)