Warhammer 40: My Fiancée Fulgrim.

Chapter 152: Gold Coins Galore!

It was a small shuttle that landed in low Earth orbit, parachuting from a transport ship in low Earth orbit to a helipad near the capital of Nostradamo.

Compared to the various capital cities of Nostradamo, there are fewer vehicles traveling here, and the buildings and population are also somewhat sparser—as one of the few "airports" near the capital, this place has always been the residence of wealthy families and clans.

But who exactly is this person who can travel to and from the planet's surface in a luxurious Skyhawk shuttle?

With a hiss, the engine shut down, and the cabin prepared for transporting senior personnel opened.

empty.

The car was completely empty; no one got out.

Just as if opening a hatch to allow air in, after a brief pause, the crew in the cockpit closed the hatch and restarted the engine.

The shuttle didn't stop at all; with the roar of its rocket engines, it flew back towards the transport ship in near-Earth orbit.

Don't ask why this thing, which looks almost exactly like a modern airplane, can fly around in a vacuum.

30K aerodynamics, kid.

"gone?"

The family's informants were hiding in the shadowy alley, and he couldn't comprehend what he was seeing.

What did those imperialists mean by sending an empty shuttle down?
He recorded everything he saw, and after confirming that no one was following him, he quickly walked out of the alley and hurried into the crowd like a passerby.

He had a strong sense of counter-surveillance, but he forgot one thing.

—Look at the top of your head.

Above the black reliefs on the towering roof crouched the man whom the Nostramo people feared most.

A midnight ghost.

Guided by the illusion, he returned to Nostrama.

Perhaps even he himself often asked himself whether the fear he had left behind on Nostramamo would last, and whether all of this was really as he had hoped.

Although all these questions were answered the moment he saw his family dare to use underhanded methods to monitor imperial officials riding the shuttle.

But he still suppressed the murderous intent rising in his heart.

For the sake of greater justice, he decided to let the two henchmen off the hook for the time being.

Unexpectedly, after only a few months of his absence, the entire Nostrama region had already begun to forget the fear in their hearts.

It seems that I haven't killed enough.

Koz thought to himself, filled with self-reproach.

In the future, he must wipe out all those corrupt bureaucrats and damned family forces, and show them, and all the people of Nostrama, what they will face after losing their fear!

Future future!

He clutched his forehead in pain, as if something was exploding inside him.

Koz saw it!
He saw the infinitely distant future, and the present where infinite possibilities still exist. The endlessly surging tributaries of time converged, and then separated to form new streams.

Endless changes may be unfolding before his eyes.

He attempted to kill corrupt bureaucrats and their families, displaying their broken and gruesome corpses high above the ground.

Or, a major purge could be carried out on the entire Nostrama, eliminating everyone connected to the corrupt upper class.

But no matter what choice he ultimately makes, the outcome seems to remain unchanged.

Nostradamus will always be there after he leaves.

This period can be long or short, ranging from decades to just a few months.

No matter how many times he killed the Midnight Ghost, it was useless.

Unless he truly abandons the Great Expedition and dedicates himself entirely to punishing criminals on the land of Nostrama.

Otherwise, once he leaves, the entire planet will return to its usual state.

In his visions of the future, he also attempted to manage Nostrama through agents.

However, it won't be long before these agents are corrupted by power and money, becoming the family's white gloves, seizing huge amounts of benefits for them.

then
thump.

Nostrama burst into bloom like fireworks.

—It seems that everything is always ended by such an extermination order.

This was the ending of Nostramas in the illusion he saw.

It seems that no matter how many times Koz tried, the result was always the same: he was taken away by a single extermination order.

And that one difference... wait! He really found it!
In the endless illusion of transformation, Kotz found a particularly strange tributary—from above, this tributary of the future seemed to have been strangely altered because of someone who would never appear in the present world.

Is that Casca?
He could sense that this entity, which had made some kind of dirty warp deal with his father, seemed to be causing some irreversible effects on the world.

Koz tried to observe and try to think.

Ultimately, he saw the future under the influence of Casca, and he wanted to know what exactly happened in that future.

By separating himself from the mists of the subspace, he finally saw everything.

Those were two strangely dressed Batman figures.

Koz: "?"

He really is a strangely dressed guy.

Whether it was Coz or the three thugs they were facing, at this moment, their thoughts were the same.

What is this?

After Casca and Sevita finished introducing themselves, they both confidently raised their heads.

Standing at two and a half meters tall with sculpted muscles, he appeared like two towering black towers in front of the three thugs, his black bodysuit making him look like a giant black tower.

Anyway, no one has ever actually seen what the Midnight Ghost looks like, so what's wrong with Casca dressing up as one?
It definitely has the momentum.

But it seems that mere presence wasn't enough to convince these three guys.

"No, you, you are not midnight ghosts."

One of them stepped forward and said.

Perhaps it was because Casca and Sevita's appearances were so bizarre that the three guys didn't feel much fear at all.

Just by looking at their physiques, these two men could easily twist their heads off.

But I still don't feel fear.

Perhaps it's because they're both not very bright.

"no?"

With a slightly lowered head, Casca's eyes were fixed on the daring thug beneath him.

"Have you ever seen the true face of a midnight ghost? What gives you the right to think I'm not a midnight ghost?"

"I don't know. But first of all, Midnight Ghost isn't a Black man."

As he spoke, he pointed to Casca's chin, which was covered by the Batman mask.

"The skin color of the Nostramo people is like this."

As he spoke, the thug pointed to Sevita next to Casca.

You can tell from the skin on their chins that the real Nostramo people were all that pale.

Casca isn't considered black.

But compared to the deathly pale skin of the Nostramo people, almost anyone with even a little bit of pigmentation on their skin would be called a black person.

In other words, almost all Imperials could be called "Blacks" by the Nostramo people.

"What did you say?!"

Kasgar was furious.

“This is discrimination!”

"Seomega Midnight Ghost, tell me, in Nostramore, what should be the sentence for racial discrimination against others!?"

“I don’t know. As far as I know, the Midnight King has never executed anyone for this kind of issue.”

"Tsk."

Casca curled his lip.

"I can't believe it! Omega Midnight Ghost, even you discriminate against me?!"

"No, no, no, I didn't mean that at all. Please don't misunderstand. I mean, I also have many Imperial friends."

"Have you two had enough fun?"

The thug who came out looked helplessly at the two strangely dressed big guys who were saying things he couldn't understand in front of him.

Pure drama queen.

His words carried three parts sadness, three parts helplessness, and four parts embarrassment.

The guy who had been cornered earlier had already taken the opportunity to escape without a trace.

If we can't find any good hostages today...
"Of course not, dear citizens of Nostramore."

Casca laughed as he grabbed the guy who dared to rush forward and provoke Midnight Wanderer by the neck with a speed that thugs could never imagine.

"We came for you."

His tone suddenly turned icy.

What had previously seemed like a joke now sounded particularly terrifying.

Perhaps they weren't very bright, but their strength was always undeniably real.

Then, Casca gently lifted him up from his neck.

He couldn't breathe.

"Quick! Run!"

The remaining two thugs then realized that the other party was not joking at all.

Whether or not it was a midnight ghost is another matter, but the opponent's methods and strength are by no means inferior!

run!
He didn't even care about his companions, and immediately ran towards the street ahead, where the streetlights were shining brightly.

There, countless pedestrians and passersby come and go.

Once you enter a well-lit area, the other party won't dare to risk exposing their identity to arrest you!

Whatever you do, please don't chase after us!

As the two thugs ran for their lives, they kept praying.

As long as he can set foot on the bright streets of the Nest City, the other side will have no way to catch him!
It's getting closer, very close!

Although they didn't know why there was no sound from the two self-proclaimed Midnight Ghosts behind them, this was exactly what they wanted!

Whatever you do, don't chase after them! Whatever you do, don't chase after them!
They were just a few steps away from bursting out of the dark alley—

Looking at the bustling street right in front of him, he had never felt his heart beating so fast.

At this moment, his mind was completely focused on running, as if he had already stepped one foot out of the shadows of that alley.

"Go."

With a light command behind them, a sound of wind breaking and a gust of air that was beyond their comprehension swept past the thugs' ears.

With unimaginable speed, the midnight ghost arrived beside the two and, with an unstoppable force, flung them back along with the momentum of their escape.

Accompanied by another almost silent wail, passersby continued their hurried pace.

In Nostradamo, everyone has their own things to do.

No one would care about what was happening in the dark alleys of this city.

While being flung back into the alley, the thug saw the other person's face.

That was one of the men whose skin was as pale as Nostramamo's. What did he call himself again?

Omega Midnight Ghost?
When his mind was completely blank, he couldn't help but think this way.

The two thugs fell to the ground, or more precisely, at Casca's feet, with a loud crash.

Although Sevita had only recently undergone Space Marine modification...

As one of the first Space Marines selected by Koz through rigorous screening, and a promising candidate particularly favored by Koz, Sevita was already a well-known young fighter in the local hive before being selected.

A genius unparalleled on the entire planet Nostramo, even without the genetic modification of the Astartes, he was capable of taking on a hundred opponents single-handedly.

Moreover, these were two thugs who had no will to fight.

"It's done."

As if treating some kind of animal, he slowly walked back, kicking the two guys lying on the ground groaning in pain as he did so.

"Indeed, your speed, power, and accuracy far exceed my expectations."

"Even without further training, your skill level will not be inferior to any Astartes recruit."

Satisfied, Kaska turned to look at the man he was holding by the throat, his face filled with terror.

Despair filled the other person's eyes.

"No! You...you can't kill me!"

“Under Nostramore’s current laws, this is merely intentional assault and robbery; we are not guilty of murder!”

"You should obey the law, great Midnight King!"

"really."

The guy who called himself Alpha Midnight Ghost nodded.

"But unfortunately, we are midnight ghosts."

This time, it was Omega who spoke.

The Lord of the Night will show no mercy for any evil, not even the slightest one.

The thug knew this—a few months ago, the Midnight King often transformed into a midnight ghost to broadcast executions live, and the heart-wrenching screams of the victims remained fresh in his memory.

Trembling like a leaf under the fear of the unknown.

"but."

With a snap, Casca released his grip, letting him fall back to the ground.

“I’ll give you one minute of mercy—tell me, you… hiss, the Sawtooth Gang, how many of you are there, and why are you robbing passersby?”

"Ahem, if I told you, how could I possibly escape death?"

"Are you negotiating with the midnight ghost?"

Casca laughed, a chilling laugh.

"I'll talk! I'll talk!"

"It's all because of the higher-ups; they forced us to do this!"

"The guy who controls this neighborhood is sent by a higher-ups! He said we have to pay money to redevelop this neighborhood, but not only has the money we were given gone, he wants us to pay him all of it!"

"Didn't we receive money many times before? Why didn't you save any?"

"I deposited it! How could I not deposit it! But after they stopped for a while after collecting the money the first time, and seeing that they weren't punished, they started to escalate their actions!"

“They repeatedly demand money from us under various pretexts, and when we don’t have the money, they threaten us not to pay taxes. This is a heinous crime, and the midnight ghosts will come to punish us!”

It sounds a bit like tithes and courts, which makes sense.

"We have no choice but to go back to our old ways if we can't afford to pay."

"Oh? The old ways?" Casca raised an eyebrow slightly. "So, you did this before?"

"I...I was just using a metaphor! Sir, it was just a metaphor!"

"We really have no other choice! If we don't pay taxes, we'll be killed by the midnight ghost; if we try to rob someone, we'll be killed too. Either way, we're going to die. We have no other option!"

"They forced us into this! They forced us into this situation!"

As he spoke, the man burst into tears, utterly humiliated.

"Really! I would never dare to do it again! My lord, I can tell you any information you want!"

"Please don't kill us!" "The moment you committed your crime, the judgment of the midnight ghosts began."

"No one can save you."

Casca's words were as cold and despairing as the midnight king himself.

"But I can give you a choice—"

"choose.?"

The petty thug, who had already fallen into despair, had a sliver of hope rekindled.

It caught fire, but not much.

He knew the methods of the Midnight Ghost; most likely, it would force him to choose one of countless torture devices before he died.

"One, you can choose to die now."

As Casca spoke, he held up one finger.

"two."

"We would like to invite you to participate in something that will be very interesting for the future of the entire planet."

"I want you to risk your lives for me, for ten days."

"Ten days later, after we have executed that corrupt official, you will die."

"Otherwise, I won't care how much tax he collects from you. No matter how much, you'll have to pay it."

After saying that, Casca put his hands behind his back.

Faced with their only glimmer of hope, the three thugs looked at each other in bewilderment.

Live on! There is still hope for survival!

Even if it's only for ten days, they will seize any possibility as long as they can survive.

"We are willing! We are all willing! Sir! We are willing to serve you!"

"What's your name?"

"Kazan, my lord."

"My name is Kazan."

Nostradamus is a common name; people from the lower classes with little education don't pay much attention to naming.

“Okay, Kazan.” Kasgar reached out and pulled him up from the ground.

"No need to call me sir, I am Alpha Reppa, I am Alpha Midnight Wanderer."

I almost blurted it out.

"If you really don't dare to call me that, just call me Big Brother."

"This is your second brother."

“And my first task for you,” Casca said, extending his finger again, “is to gather here at the same time one day from now.”

Do you understand?

"understand!"

The crowd dispersed.

In an almost frenzied manner, the three survivors ran wildly in all directions in ecstasy.

In their vision, they became tiny black dots and eventually disappeared under the streetlights.

"You let them go?"

"They weren't scared at all; they were just let go like that?"

Sevita asked, almost accusingly, "You don't really think these Nostramores will keep their promises once their fear is gone?"

As a native of Nostradamo, he knew the locals' character best.

Greedy, shameless, insane, and utterly without scruples. It can be said that only a fanatic like Coz, who disregards all consequences, could turn the humans on this planet back into humans.

If it were any other Primarch, Nostramor would always have been utterly crushed by the Great Extinction Order.

On this planet, there are probably only a handful of people who are truly worth saving.

Including Sevita himself.

He didn't believe he had any hope of being saved.

"This is a classic question, and I know that the Nostramo people are indeed very bad."

“You’re right, Septa.”

"But have you ever considered who drove them to this point?"

As he spoke, Casca gently placed his hand on his shoulder.

“Family members oppress the lower classes, corrupt bureaucrats exploit them, and powerful gangs devour each other, surviving by eating their own people. To survive, the people of Nostradamus will stop at nothing.”

"Or rather, only those who abandon morality can survive in the bottom of Nostradamus."

"The problem has never been about human nature, Seppika."

"It's like torturing someone relentlessly and then asking them why they hate themselves so much, or whether it indicates a violent tendency. Your questions will only get you the results you want."

"You mean—you want to transform the entire Nostrama in just a few days?"

"Commander, you must be insane! There are billions of people on Nostramore. Even the Lord of the Night couldn't save this utterly corrupt land. How could you possibly—?"

Sevita retorted loudly in disbelief.

When the other party pulled out the bodysuit, Sevita thought that this guy must have lost his mind and suddenly gone crazy.

But he never expected that Casca would be so mentally challenged!

“Even the ugliest mutants, I’ve seen the Ninth Legion reshape them into blonde beauties and handsome men.”

Beneath the Batman mask, Kasgar revealed a standard smile.

"But it has nothing to do with Nostramore, that's impossible, unrealistic! Even Lord Coz couldn't do it!"

Sevita originally thought that although Nostrama was a piece of shit, Koz's methods could at least intimidate these scoundrels for a while through fear.

But after he accompanied Casca to the landing, Sevita fell into utter despair regarding Nostrama.

Several months.

After only a few months, everything on Nostrama began to return to its original state.

All are back.

The old village, the old village is back!
It would be better to have Lord Koz launch a rocket and send them all to heaven!

"Koz? That's a topic worth discussing. Tell me, what do you think of Koz?"

"to be honest."

Casca asked, as if changing the subject.

“I think he’s pretty good. With him around, Nostradamus was able to return to normal, and my childhood was able to be spent peacefully.”

"But he also killed a lot of innocent people, didn't he? Don't you think it was wrong of him to kill innocent people?"

Yes, but—

Sevita answered with a hint of anxiety, as if he were eager to hear Casca speak ill of Koz: "But without him, even more people will suffer!"

"He's all alone. What else can he do to get hundreds of billions of bastards to listen to him?"

"He doesn't have the energy to educate those bastards one by one; fear is enough for him!"

The Space Marines' reverence for the Primarch was never an exaggeration, and this was further amplified by Severta's own deep admiration for Koz.

It's hard to find another legion commander besides Sevita who has served as a legion commander for the Primarch for so long with such dedication and absolute loyalty.

“You’re right, Septa.”

Casca did not refute the other party, "Time is tight and the task is heavy, so Koz's fear is indeed an effective means."

"But that's also the problem—when a person dies, their policies end. After Coates leaves, those who feared him will show their fangs."

“Even as you just heard, they use the name of midnight ghosts to scare other people as a tool to exploit them for paying taxes.”

If Coz can use fear, then the Nostramas will learn to use it against others.

After the Midnight Wraiths's disciplinary measures failed, this terrifying system will become the best tool for the upper families to exploit, dragging Nostramaur back into the abyss.

"If Coz can truly manage an entire generation and completely correct the prevailing atmosphere, Nostrama's future will be full of hope."

"But if he can't do it, what can we do?"

Sevita added, his gaze fixed on the busy vehicles and pedestrians beneath the streetlights ahead.

"Bring the midnight spirits back to everyone on Nostrama."

As he spoke, Casca confidently pointed to the emblem on his chest: "I am Alpha Midnight Tour—"

"Hiss, wait a minute."

Kasgar felt as if he heard some kind of sound.

"Who's there? Come out!"

Kaska crouched down and growled at the dark rooftops behind him.

"What happened?"

There's something there.

Casca, his face grim, climbed up the roof from one side and darted from one side of the roof decoration to the other.

Unfortunately, Casca saw nothing.

nobody?
Perhaps some unknown wildcat slipped away from Nostrama's pipes?
Casca thought to himself.

the next day.

It was the same time and the same place.

This time, all three of the previous thugs were present.

They might have wanted to run, but given the infamous reputation of the Midnight Ghost—"Even if he knew Casca wasn't, Sevita was very likely to be"—none of the three of them escaped.

If I don't run, I can live for a while longer. At least when I die, if the midnight ghost is satisfied, I can die a quick death.

If I run away, I guess I'll only be able to see myself on Midnight King's [Lover TV] live stream.

"Very good, you have all arrived here as promised."

"Next, come with us to take care of some business."

As he spoke, Kasgar lifted Kazan, who was standing in front of him, while Sevita lifted the other two.

"let's go!"

In an instant, Kazan felt as if he were flying.

The incredibly fast sound of wind cutting through the air, like flying, whistled past Kazan's ears, making it difficult for him to even open his eyes.

They could only rely on the faint light to judge their position.

Rapid displacement.

Even though only a few seconds had passed, he seemed to have moved hundreds of meters based on the light source, speeding across the entire rooftop of the Nest City.

Soon, he could no longer see the location of the nest he had been in.

"Right here."

After an unknown amount of time flying, Casca and Sevita stopped in front of a building.

Although the exterior of the black Gothic building still follows the STC template of the past, the newly added intricate gold decorations on the exterior walls are enough to show the luxurious taste of the building's owner.

Good soil
Kasgar couldn't help but think to himself that this was the second most obsessed guy he'd ever been with painting everything in gold.

"Kazan."

"I'm here!"

Seemingly preparing to take action, Kazan stepped forward to respond with extreme trepidation.

"What is my mission? Brother, I'm ready to act at any time!"

"Just guarding the door, or rather, I don't expect you to do anything."

"Just being alive is enough."

Casca certainly wouldn't expect three petty thugs to do anything significant.

As for those tough nuts to crack.
Casca glanced at the several burly bodyguards in front of the mansion, then at Sevita beside him.

The two understood each other.

"We came for you."

Emerging from the shadows, the two stepped through the void.

"Who?"

The bodyguards cautiously braced their guns.

The next moment, the lights shone on the two mysterious guests.

Two Batman?
The slaughter at this filthy family mansion did not last long.

Two top-tier Space Marines, even though Sevita was just a recruit at the time, his combat ability was already comparable to that of any Legion warrior.

With their combined efforts, the two quickly eliminated all the bodyguards in the official residence.

Including the person who is the target of this trip.

"The item is hidden."

As he spoke, Kaska licked the blood of the dead family executive.

As Space Marines, analyzing the memories of their targets through their flesh and blood has always been one of their abilities.

"here."

Casca twisted a hidden knob, then entered a string of numbers into the sealed box behind it, and finally completed the verification using the guy's dead fingerprint.

The cabinet was pulled open, revealing a room full of gold coins to Casca.

Gold coins are popping up!

This isn't your average gold coin.

Nostrama's monetary system differs slightly from that of the Empire.

As the source of adamantite, the highest-grade gold coins on Nostrama are naturally made of high-purity adamantite. Wearing a full set of gold coins (if one can actually bear the weight) would almost make one immune to most of the Empire's current individual weapons.

His ill-gotten gains alone were enough to arm at least ten Imperial Guards with armor.

It was money amassed in just a few months.

damn it.

How much of the human empire's abundance of resources is truly due to scarcity?
How much of it is wasted in the hands of these damned insects?
If all this refined gold could be melted down into armor for the Imperial Guard, how many more worlds' inhabitants could be saved in battle?

Damn thing!
Casgar angrily kicked the executive officer's corpse.

Sometimes, you have to admire Coz's methods.

It may seem a bit cruel.

But once you know what dirty, beastly things these people have done, you might even feel that everything Koz did was a bit too conservative.

No wonder Sevita was so supportive of blasting everything on this planet to smithereens.

(In the original story, it was also he who issued the extermination order for Nostrama.)
Enraged, Casca chipped a large hole through the desk, which was clearly made of fine wood.

"Big brother, what are we going to do next?"

After clearing the area, the three thugs who had been following behind him sneaked in.

"What?"

Casca pointed to the entire room of gold coins next to him, which was filled with hidden doors.

"Go, distribute all these gold coins to me."

(End of this chapter)