Chapter 548 The Perfect City Must Die

+So, you just sit there and let this farce happen? +

[Didn't you do the same thing: if you hadn't been silent and indulged, how could the Perfect City be built under Terra's nose, causing us to mobilize troops now. ]

When the Spider Queen's vision swept across the dense, locust-like warships on the auspicious instrument, even though she was standing next to the Emperor at the moment, Morgan's voice was still extremely confident: even to some extent, it overwhelmed her gene father.

[More than a thousand warships, four glorious queens, no less than 200,000 Astartes warriors, and a hundred times more mortal soldiers and logistics personnel: if you had made up your mind to take action in the first few years of the construction of the Perfect City, we only needed to mobilize one-tenth of the force here. ]

+Do you think this is my fault? +

[I dare not jump to conclusions, after all, I do not know your mental journey, but from the development of the situation and the subsequent impact, you have chosen the worst method: apart from other things, the Lord of Mankind led such a huge military force to publicly punish a Primarch and his legion. Have you ever thought about the impact of this behavior on the Empire and the Primarchs? ]

[This is not a private reprimand, or a serious father-son conversation. This is a punishment under the coercion of war, a paramilitary action without any human touch: as long as these warships surround the Perfect City, do you think there is any reason to maintain the father-son relationship between you and Lorgar? ]

[Even in the most gentle princely family, after fighting, the father and son are no different from enemies: So, I can't understand why you dragged things to this point, dragging a matter that could have been resolved with a private conversation to the deployment of several legions and thousands of warships. 】

Although she was still smiling, Morgan's words were not gentle, and could even be called presumptuous. Fortunately, the Lord of Mankind had already dismissed the guards around him: and the reason why the Primarch was so angry was very simple, that is, she could not understand the Emperor's [folly] at all. In Morgan's view, this was even more outrageous than the Emperor's operation on Nukelia.

Whose stomach have you lived in for tens of thousands of years?

Morgan barely suppressed this swear word under her angry face.

Did her father really think that he could maintain the father-son relationship with Lorgar after such a high-profile confrontation? Or did he not care about Lorgar's loyalty at all?

Then again, even if we exclude the insignificant guy, the Great Speaker, and just stand from the perspective of other Primarchs, wouldn't the public father-son war in the Perfect City make Lorgar's brothers feel chilled?

Are you still planning to lead the team!

When he thought of this, Morgan felt his teeth itching with hatred.

In the final analysis, how many Primarchs really care about Lorgar and his beliefs, and what far-reaching impact it will bring to the human empire? The truth of the empire is just a lip service to most people: on the contrary, the Emperor's behavior of tearing the face of the father-son relationship is really seen by everyone.

+Two reasons. +

+We talked as we walked. +

The Lord of Mankind was not angry at his daughter's rudeness and outspokenness. He was used to this way of getting along, and even relied on it to some extent: after quietly watching the fleets assembled, and even the [Glory of Macragge] at the end, entered the pre-arranged position, the Emperor took his daughter away from the battleship's operation console and shuttled through the giant city cluster of [Emperor's Dream] full of statues and war temples.

They each called for psychic energy, and each other's figures appeared and disappeared, wandering back and forth between the silent engine room and the automatic programs of various systems, until their footsteps finally stopped on a high platform that could overlook fifteen squares at the same time. It was very secluded and not even on the patrol route of the Imperial Guard.

+Some things can only be discussed properly here. +

The Emperor obviously liked this place very much. He might often rest here, because Morgan could see some things that were incompatible with the glory and splendor of the Emperor's Dream in those places within reach, such as a notebook that was torn and a board game that was not exquisitely made: The Primarch was very curious, would her gene father bring others to this place?

But the Lord of Mankind was obviously not interested in answering his daughter's inner questions. He leaned on the balcony. Ten thousand feet below were dense slaves and mortals like migrating ants. The blue-green appearance of Monacia was also taken into the edge of their vision. The planet was surrounded by thousands of warships.

+The first reason may sound ridiculous to you, Morgan: It is precisely because I have more expectations for Luo Jia and the father-son relationship between us that I indulge him so much, whether in Colchis or in the final solution for the Perfect City. +

[I can understand this. ]

Morgan nodded.

She knew that the Emperor did not lie. The counterintuitive point was that Lorgar had indeed received a Primarch who had the Emperor's most private time. When the Lord of Mankind found him, he stayed on Colchis for a full month, and even tolerated the Colchis people holding a grand ceremony of worship in the name of this [god].

Anyway, Morgan felt that this kind of worship ceremony in front of the Emperor was much more superior than the Perfect City: she had to suspect that the Emperor's improper treatment of Lorgar was also the result of long-term personal emotions.

[If that's the case, why do you want to deal with the Perfect City now? ]

+ Because there is not enough time. +

The Emperor shook his head, and after his eyes circled the hundreds of thousands of mortals below, he returned to his daughter: it was a kind of indifference, calculation and vastness that Morgan could not describe in any language, and it was the majesty that could make the Primarch willingly bow his head and accept teachings like a primary school student.

It was the real: the Lord of Mankind.

+ I know that both you and the brothers behind you are very suspicious of why I want to deal with the Perfect City at this time: not when it has just started construction, not when the Word Bearers are stranded here, but when the Word Bearers have left the Perfect City for a long time, and at this time point that is not justified. +

+ Moreover, among the many reasons I gave, I don’t think any of them can really convince you, the Primarchs. +

[I really doubt this. ]

Morgan tilted his head.

[As you said, you have plenty of time to deal with the problems related to the Perfect City, instead of waiting until now when the matter is already settled. As for the excuses, your two excuses are actually not very tenable, whether it is faith or efficiency. 】

【If you don't want Lorgar to promote your worship, then your behavior of indulging the Omnissiah faith is completely unconvincing. If you are dissatisfied with the expedition efficiency of the Word Bearers Legion, then you should go directly to the 17th Legion itself, instead of taking your anger out on the Perfect City: unless you have deeper concerns behind this. 】

＋……＋

＋I originally thought that no one among you Primarchs could see it. ＋

The Emperor carried his daughter on his back, and his laughter made Morgan feel cold.

＋This is the second reason, my daughter: If the reason why I am emotionally unwilling to deal with the Perfect City is because of my concern for the father-son relationship between Lorgar and me, then there is another reason that urges me to turn a blind eye to the Perfect City rationally. ＋

＋That is...＋

The Emperor paused.

＋This city is useful to me. ＋

＋At least, the Perfect City was once useful to me. +

[……]

The Primarch raised her head, with a hint of astonishment on her face, but not much, more of a kind of clarity, written on her face, "As expected."

[So, this is why you tolerate the Perfect City and the Word Bearers Legion: at least in the past period of time, they have been useful to you, and now that this value has disappeared, you naturally will not tolerate this place to continue to exist? ]

"That's it."

The Emperor smiled.

"Think about it, my daughter. If I really hate any religion as I appear to do, then let's not talk about the faith issue on Mars: when Lorgar just returned to the 17th Legion and transformed the Iconoclasts who broke superstition into Word Bearers who preached prayers, why didn't I speak out to stop him? +

+ Even earlier, on Colchis, why didn't I stop Lorgar's fanatical pursuit of faith? +

[... Because...]

[Because you need a believer: a Primarch-level believer?]

The Lord of Avalon was silent for a long time before he stammered and gave this answer. Even Morgan, who always took an unconventional path, was slightly frightened by the truth she said: But she had to admit that this kind of thoughtful consideration seemed to be worthy of the true face of the Emperor.

+ This is a secret that cannot be told, my dear. 's daughter. +

The Emperor turned around and smiled at his most trusted son.

+Because, as you said, I do need a believer: Although from my personal point of view, I don't like being worshipped as a god, but this does not mean that there is no place for faith in my countless plans and plans. +

+In fact: faith accounts for a lot of my countless plans. +

[So, the Perfect City is also one of your plans? ]

+That's right. +

The Emperor readily admitted it.

+Since the idea of ​​the Great Crusade first emerged in my mind, I have been planning different plans to deal with different outcomes of the Great Crusade: So far, there may be thousands of these plans, and I am just following the best plan in the expectation to implement the blueprint of the Great Crusade in reality. +

[Imperial Truth? ]

When the Primarch said this word, she had to suppress the smile on her lips: in fact, to this day, Morgan feels that the Imperial Truth is a complete joke, and the Spider Queen is very concerned about actively promoting the Imperial Truth in Avalon. She has never had the slightest interest in the task, which instead made her become an alternative kind of religious tolerationist.

+You have to admit it, Morgan. +

The Emperor sighed.

+ If it can be implemented, Imperial Truth is definitely the best route. It is the most perfect gift I can give to mankind: so even if the success rate is very slim, I will spare no effort to promote the spread of Imperial Truth. +

[But this does not mean that you will place all your hopes on Imperial Truth? 】

Morgan nodded.

[So, you left Luo Jia behind, which means you left behind a sign of faith? 】

"That's it."

The Emperor bent down and supported the railing with both hands. His glorious and majestic body looked a little old at this moment: Morgan was shocked to discover until this moment that the Great Crusade was indeed taking away the vitality of her genetic father. He was no longer the mysterious and powerful man that made the original body tremble as he had been when they first met. His golden armor had obviously been ruthlessly eroded by the long years of the Great Crusade. traces of passing.

+ Rather, just like the battleship under our feet: The truth of the empire is the most wonderful dream in my mind, but I also know how difficult it is to realize it, so even for the sake of the human empire, I will The most feasible solution must be left. +

+ one: Bottom line plan. +

【Belief? 】

"Yeah: Faith."

The emperor shook his head helplessly, with obvious bitterness in his smile.

“No matter how many times I deny the significance of the existence of religion in public, during these tens of thousands of years, even I have to admit that in the most chaotic, darkest and most ignorant times, religion, It is the most powerful tool to unite people, and it is also the minimum threshold required to spread good moral character. A unified religion can even maintain a magnificent empire spanning the entire galaxy."

+ Do you know what this means? +

The Primarch didn't hesitate.

[This means that even if your Great Expedition fails completely, even if the human empire can only continue to suffer from inefficient communication systems and weak transportation systems in the next 10,000 years, it will become a hanging head. The aging Galactic Leviathan, but as long as a religion across the galaxy can still exist, the empire will still have enough centripetal force to allow the various empire worlds to still recognize them as a whole. 】

[Perhaps among thousands of imperial worlds, their languages, thoughts, political systems and social customs will be completely different, but as long as there is a unified religion, a religion that is at least unified in the object of worship, these people can If the world has the most basic centripetal force, then the empire will not completely fall apart; and as long as the empire does not lose its huge size advantage, then the entire human race will continue to survive in even the worst galaxy. 】

+In fact, violence is okay, but it is more uncontrollable than faith. +

+...+

Then the Emperor looked at his daughter.

+ How long did it take you to understand what you said? +

[Within three microseconds after you asked this question, Father. 】

+It makes me so proud. +

The voice of the Lord of Mankind could not tell whether it was a compliment or a sarcasm.

+But, you are absolutely right. +

+ Faith is the safety net I have set up for mankind in the abyss. Of course I don’t want the career I have been working for my whole life to eventually fall into the abyss, but I cannot ignore that future: if there is a Great Expedition In the end, it ended in failure. Then a mature religious system will avoid the arrival of the second era of strife to the greatest extent. +

[So, is this the meaning of the existence of Luojia and his Legion of Word Bearers? 】

+It was not like this originally. +

The emperor was a little disappointed.

+ But when I witnessed Luojia's state on Colchis, I had to put this plan on the agenda: I know how difficult it is to convert a believer, even a completely wrong believer, so , it is better to make mistakes and let Luo Jia's religion become one of the potential escape routes for the entire human race. +

【In that case...】

Morgan was still a little strange.

[Why do you want to impose excommunication on the Perfect City: Luojia and his Word Bearers army are not on the route you have drawn for them, opening up territory for the empire in disguise, so how can they be punished? reason? 】

+Are you sure? +

Once again, the Lord of Mankind looked directly at his daughter. The extremely sharp edge in his golden pupils made Morgan shrink his neck, trying hard to remember which of his words was wrong: Facing this open The heartbroken Emperor, even the Lord of Avalon, did not dare to say anything anymore.

[So, this is the fundamental reason why you decided to destroy the Perfect City? 】

+ Of course. +

The Emperor nodded, his voice becoming extremely cold.

+ The reason why I chose to destroy the Perfect City at this time is not because of the inefficiency of the Word Bearers, nor because of Luo Jia's long-standing religious fanaticism: it is precisely because Luo Jia has disappointed me in terms of religion. +

＋His enthusiasm was completely misplaced. He did not accomplish the goal I designed for him. The foundation of his faith was not around me, the god, but around the worship of absolute power. This led to his entire religious system being crooked, completely crooked from the root. ＋

＋It is too easy to be taken advantage of. It is not safe at all. ＋

The Lord of Mankind shook his head.

＋He neither built a religious system that can operate reasonably nor designed a completely self-consistent religious theory. He did not even understand the true nature of religion. Even if I were a true god, I would be angry at what Lorgar did: he actually ignored my orders for the Great Crusade and devoted his energy to his so-called missionary work and the construction of the Perfect City. ＋

＋If Lorgar was really a qualified believer, if he could understand my most important instructions to him, then the Word Bearers Legion should have been one of the most outstanding legions in the progress of the Great Crusade, instead of the last one it is now: if Lorgar's basic cultivation as a believer is not up to standard, how can he complete the task I hope for him? ＋

＋So, religion is not the reason for the destruction of the Perfect City. ＋

＋Lorgar's incompetence is. ＋

【……Okay. 】

【This doesn't surprise me. 】

Morgan shrugged his shoulders.

【So, what you mean is...】

＋It was Lorgar's incompetence that made me decide to give up the route of religion, because the religion that Lorgar spread not only cannot become a retreat for mankind in this galaxy, but has become a burden to the entire human empire. ＋

＋In that case, then what is the need to keep the Perfect City? ＋

【……】

The Primarch listened to these words and fell into a long thought.

[You mean to say that Lorgar's actions made you lose hope of success in the religious route you set up for him, so you decided to give up your support for the religious route, and decided to destroy the Perfect City and force Lorgar back to the right path of the Great Crusade? ]

+ Just to make use of his remaining energy. +

The Emperor closed his eyes.

[Then...]

[What if we can get Lorgar back on his feet on religious issues? ]

+...+

The Emperor turned around, and he seemed to have anticipated his daughter's smile.

+ Is this in your plan? +

[Maybe. ]

Morgan smiled, and then took out the thin [script] that had been written long ago from his pocket.

[But anyway...]

[We still have one last chance, don't we? ]