Warhammer, I'm a nanny, not your father!

Damekos leaned against the armrest of the throne, looking dejected. "Girls are so old, they keep turning their elbows outward."

"Actually, I understand. I'm only your biological father. How can I possibly compare to your brother Wop?"

Caliphony's cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "Father! I'm talking to you about serious matters!"

"Isn't what I'm talking about serious matters?"

"You are clearly making trouble!"

"Then you are also being unreasonable!"

Caliphini asked unhappily, "Do you still look like a king?"

"Wop is right," Dammecus said. "A king must maintain his dignity before his subjects, but if I act arrogantly before my own children, how can I blame them for alienating me?"

Andos: "That makes sense."

"Brother, please shut up!"

Andos closed his mouth and drew silently.

Dammecus: "Caliphony, actually, I..."

"Please shut up too, Father!"

……

Rog Dorn took the orbital elevator and slowly rose into space, looking out the porthole at the gradually shrinking outline of Invert.

Because Invita is tidally locked to its sun and does not rotate, its outline is closer to a perfect circle than that of the other planets.

But because its dark side is always shrouded in eternal night, it is difficult to see its appearance from space.

When the elevator arrived at the space station, he transferred to a small shuttle and headed towards the giant ship in the distance.

The Phalanx, this huge space fortress has been quietly suspended in the dark side orbit of Invit, and has never moved in thousands of years.

It is so large, almost the size of a real satellite, that when viewed up close, the shuttle looks like an ant.

Although the Invites cannot fully control the Phalanx, they have been using some of its functional modules.

山阵号的造船厂一直在持续运行着，为因维特帝国贡献了1/3的舰船产量，轨道造船厂则贡献了另外1/3，还有1/3的民用船只由其他世界的造船厂生产。

However, this is just the tip of the iceberg of this space fortress.

Wop: "The closest equivalent to this megastructure in the galaxy would be the Eldar Craftworlds."

From a structural point of view, the Phalanx is by no means a simple space fortress.

It is designed to be completely independent, more like a complete space hive, a self-sufficient miniature world.

In addition to the large-scale shipyard, it also has an advanced ecological recycling city that can accommodate hundreds of millions of people. The factories in it can also produce various necessary items, and the dense array of defensive turrets can destroy an entire fleet with a single salvo!

Even if the Invit Empire is destroyed, the Phalanx alone can ensure the continuation of human civilization.

Both in terms of technological content and functions, it is very similar to the Eldar's Craft World.

Old Dorn's eyes were filled with eager anticipation: "Dorn, can it really be repaired?"

Dorn: "Repairing the Phalanx is not difficult. Its main structure is intact. However, to operate the Phalanx smoothly, it will require at least millions of well-trained crew members."

The total number of millions of crew members is not large, but because the ships of the Witt Empire need crew maintenance, it is difficult to mobilize enough manpower in a short period of time.

Wop: "Other systems can be put on hold for now. Prioritize restarting its defensive turret array and void shield system."

Dorn keenly sensed the deeper meaning behind his father's words. "Father, do you think Invert is in danger?"

Wop shook his head slightly. "Maybe I'm just being overly concerned, but it's better to plan ahead than to dig a well when thirsty. Let's take precautions first."

Chapter 208: Reach (5K)

Every Legion awaits the return of its Primarch.

But as time goes by, such legions have become fewer and fewer.

It's not that the legions no longer look forward to their Primarchs, but that the Primarchs of more than half of the legions have returned, leaving only nine legions whose Primarchs have not yet returned.

The Seventh Legion was one of them.

The warriors of the 7th Legion are generally taciturn, a result of the influence of their gene-seed.

They passively participated in the Great Crusade, fulfilling the mission assigned to them by the Emperor. They threw themselves into the Crusade and dedicated their entire lives to it.

Just like the name of their flagship, Eternal Expedition.

The Seventh Legion is a division of honor.

They participated extensively in the war of unification and paid a heavy price for it.

They lost three entire battalions in their quest to defeat the Windcaller tribes of the Himalayas, during which they received their first battle honor, the name Rome.

In their first ten years, the VII Legion constructed 600 fortresses on Terra.

So devastating were they that the Emperor himself named them the Imperial Fists!

However, since some time ago, this legion, which has always been known for its calmness, began to show abnormal temper.

They eagerly yearned for honor and actively responded to the distress signals from various war zones.

Their Primarch has not yet returned, perhaps because they have not yet received sufficient honor!

This is not just the opinion of the Seventh Legion; all the legions whose primarchs have not returned have the same obsession.

"Grandmaster."

Sigismund stopped and saluted solemnly to Smith Appius who was walking towards him.

Although he was already a very famous swordsman in the legion, he still maintained due respect for this veteran who had participated in the Unification War.

Appius nodded slightly to him. "Follow me, Sigismund."

In his twelfth year of joining the Seventh Legion, Sigismund was successfully promoted to the First Company with his outstanding combat talent and tactical qualities, becoming the youngest First Company member/soldier in the history of the Seventh Legion.

This achievement was all the more remarkable because, with the exception of him, all the members of the First Company were veterans of the Unification War, with their service generally exceeding a century.

These battle-hardened veterans wear the honorary emblems of the Unification War on their armor, witnessing the Legion's glorious achievements.

Sigismund's exceptional promotion was the only exception.

His swordsmanship was unmatched by anyone in the legion, except Appius.

Appius: "Sigismund, how many Primarchs have returned?"

Sigismund: "Eleven."

Appius muttered to himself, "Yes, Eleven. The last time a Primarch returned was two years ago. According to the usual rules, a new Primarch should also return."

"One in nine, or one in four, do you think the Imperial Fists have a chance?"

"There will be."

Sigismund was indifferent to the matter.

It's not that he doesn't want the Gene-Father to return, but he is just an ordinary legionary, and the order of the Primarch's return does not depend on his wishes.

Rather than suffering between expectation and disappointment like other legionnaires, Sigismund preferred to spend his time improving his swordsmanship.

Appius keenly sensed the evasiveness in the other party's words and frowned deeply: "Do you have a father?"

"Master, you and I share the same genetic father."

"I mean, your mortal father."

"I'm an orphan."

Appius: "I don't believe you haven't had a similar role in your life."

Sigismund fell silent, and the memory of the death suddenly began to assail him.

"I was born during the Unification War. The war destroyed the city where I lived and took away my parents."

"I was the only one who escaped the city, and I lived in a refugee camp with a group of orphans, struggling to survive amidst gang fighting."

"A girl protected us. Her name was Sheila."

"She is my sister. Perhaps I should call her mother. She deserves the title."

Appius: "And then?"

"Then a gang leader called the Corpse King attacked our hideout and forced Sheela to fight him, and I killed him."

Sigismund didn't want to talk too much about his past, and his eyes were slightly lowered.

"Here we are."

Appius's footsteps stopped abruptly, and Sigismund realized with surprise that they were outside the council chamber.

As they passed through the gate, Sigismund saw the legion commander and the legion leaders sitting in a fan shape on both sides. They had been waiting for a long time.

"Wait for me? But why?"

Sigismund frowned. He didn't think he was worthy of such a reception.

He was just a soldier and was not qualified to participate in the legion's most confidential combat meetings.

"Sigismund," the Legion Commander said straight to the point. "Following a joint vote of the Legion Council, you will be given a seat on the Council effective immediately, responsible for strategic decision-making for the expedition."

A hint of surprise flashed across Sigismund's stern face. "Captain, may I ask why? My qualifications and rank are not enough to join the parliament. Why me?"

Legion Commander: "We have consulted the Lord of the Eighth Legion, and the Primarch told us that the key to finding the Gene-Father lies with you."

Sigismund finally understood.

As the Primarch has not returned yet, the Seventh Legion has begun to try all kinds of desperate measures.

But there are precedents for this kind of desperate attempt to find a cure. The 12th Legion, the World Eaters, also found their Primarch by accident.

Since the 12th Legion could do it, the 7th Legion naturally thought they could do it too.

Sigismund: "Master, the Emperor's decree expressly forbids the Legion from launching an expedition under the pretext of recovering the Primarch."

"If we disobey his will, will we incur the Emperor's punishment?"

Legion Commander: "The Emperor's ban is against blind expeditions. The Lord of the Eighth Legion has predicted that the next to return will be our Primarch."

"We do not know the Primarch's whereabouts, nor will we launch an expedition with that purpose. We simply require you to make a choice."

Sigismund: "How to choose?"

The legion commander tilted his head slightly and gave Appius a silent command.

In an instant, a holographic projection descended from the dome, and a dark blue star map unfolded in the center of the conference room.

Most of the details on the star map were deliberately concealed, and only dozens of worlds were shining brightly in the void.

Those were the worlds that the Empire's expeditionary fleet had first come into contact with, and they were all virgin territories that had not yet been fully explored.

Appius: "These worlds will be our next stop. Choose."

Sigismund was silent for a long time. "Master, isn't this arrangement too frivolous?"

Appius: "Do you have a better idea?"

Sigismund shook his head. If he had any way, he would not be standing here.

Legion Commander: "This is no joke. We have not only consulted the Lord of the Eighth Legion, but the Lord of the Fourteenth Legion has also told us that he has calculated through numerology that the next one to return will be our Primarch."

"Primarch Mortarion also claimed that you are the warrior in the Seventh Legion who has the best compatibility with the Primarch!"

Sigismund's eyes twitched. He could understand the prophecy. The prophetic talent of the Lord of the Eighth Legion was well known in the empire, but what was numerology?

He simply couldn't believe that the legion's top brass would actually believe in these vague superstitions!

How did the Imperial Fists become like this?

Even if the Primarch did not return, it was only a matter of time.

The mentor will find all the original bodies sooner or later, so why rush? Don’t they understand such a simple truth?

Sigismund looked at the dozens of worlds. "I have no idea."

Appius: "Then trust your intuition, and don't worry if it's wrong."

Sigismund remained silent, convinced that the legion's leaders were gambling.

These dozens of worlds are completely different from each other. Once the Seventh Legion chooses one of them, it will be difficult to travel to other worlds in a short period of time.