Chapter 369: Expedition Road: The Last Throne

The bridge of the Emperor's Fantasy was brightly lit. It had not been so bright for a long time. The bright lights shone on the marble pillars around the huge dome. The golden silk threads and the statues on both sides shone brightly under the lights, and the white marble floor also sprinkled the former glory all around.

On the stepped bridge platform, the terminal instruments that had been silent for a long time were shining under the lights. The edge shells of the instruments were also shining under the lights. The imperial golden eagles decorated and branded on them were also shining under the lights. The eagles on the captain's throne were also shining.

Reina sat on the throne, which was a silver throne with a high back. The top of the backrest was divided and extended with several parts like sword blades. They stretched out high from the throne and pierced the towering dome above the head.

Golden silk threads were decorated on both sides of the throne backrest. The golden threads extended from the lower end and converged to the central position above with the raised throne backrest, where they converged into a golden eagle holding lightning.

On both sides of the throne, two silver giant wolves squatted. Those two wolves were different from the roaring ice wolves of the Space Wolves and the head-raising moon wolves of the Shadow Moon Wolf. They were two proud white giant wolves squatting on both sides of the throne.

The one on the right proudly raised his hands, raised his claws, raised his proud head and looked down, staring at all the visitors in front of the throne, his eyes staring at the distant place.

On the other side, the wolf on the left was more low-key. It supported its legs on the ground, sat there with its head down, and seemed to be thinking about something.

Two wolves guarded the throne of gold and silver. The hard throne made of marble was not as luxurious and gorgeous as most thrones of the empire, especially the golden throne. It could even be said to be too low-key. There were no complicated patterns and carvings on the whole. It was simple, but it had an extraordinary temperament.

Because this seemingly inconspicuous throne was called one of the two thrones standing side by side with the golden throne on Terra in the past. The empire had two thrones and two kings. One of them sat on Terra, holding all the authority and future direction of the empire, while the other king stepped into the vast galaxy and became the sharp blade and shield of the empire, blocking all the demons and monsters in the galaxy for the new human empire.

Reina still remembers that at that time, in the days that she almost forgot, Vito, the supreme military commander of the Imperial Expeditionary Force, the supreme leader of all the Astartes Legions before the return of the Primarchs, sat here, sitting on the throne between the proud wolves, meeting and listening to the audiences from the entire expeditionary force, listening to their words, making decisions and orders.

This place was once known as the Imperial power center, as famous as the Emperor's Golden Throne in the Terra Palace. Here, Vito represented the Lord of Mankind to exercise great power. He sat here and commanded his unprecedented huge military force to sweep across the galaxy.

But later, with the return of all the Primarchs, especially when Horus became the Warmaster, Vito's power was diluted. Although he was quite happy about it, Vito didn't like to sit on this throne all the time and listen to all kinds of people coming to him to talk nonsense.

He would rather pick up a chainsaw sword and a bolter, put on a stylish windbreaker and jump off the Thunderhawk to fight all kinds of enemies. Even if he had to command the battle, Vito would rather step onto the battlefield in person, command the battle directly on the spot, and fight side by side with his warriors.

So, for Vito, he didn't like this throne at all. This throne that restricted him from letting go of his hands and feet and fighting side by side with the Astartes and the mortal auxiliary army on the ground, so when Horus became the warmaster, Vito gave the throne to Reina and let her sit here to command the Emperor's Dream and the expeditionary fleet.

At first, Reina was not used to it. She rarely sat on this throne. She always felt that it was an act of usurpation. But over time, after a series of thrills brought by Vito, or in other words, after playing with the heart-pounding crazy battle adventures, Reina always sat on this throne exhausted after commanding with tense nerves.

So over time, Reina got used to sitting on the throne. She commanded countless thrilling space battles here, and witnessed countless tragic and almost impossible-to-win battles. She witnessed the climax of the Great Crusade here, and also witnessed the end of the expedition brought by the Horus Heresy.

She sat here and witnessed the betrayal of Isstvan V, the galactic heroes of the traitor army marching towards the solar system, and also experienced the Hidden Crusade and the Defense of Macragge with it. Here, on the throne, and with thousands of warriors, she witnessed the birth of the Second Empire.

Later, Reina, under Vito's order, led the Emperor's Vision through the silent engine of the warp to cross the burning galaxy, rushing into the solar system from the huge encirclement of the traitors and the periphery of the bloody battlefield, where she witnessed the moment when the Warmaster Horus descended on Terra together with the Imperial Fists, the Blood Angels, the White Scars, and thousands of warriors loyal to the Empire.

Here, this throne witnessed almost the beginning of the entire Great Crusade, and also witnessed the final bleak end of that great journey, falling in the burning galaxy where brothers killed each other and compatriots were torn apart.

So when Reina sat on this throne, when she sat on this throne again after decades, she leaned on the back of the silver chair with emotion, overlooking the once bustling place below, but now The empty, dead bridge was like the Great Expedition that had long since disappeared from human memory, ushering in its own end.

Reina let out a long sigh and tapped her fingers gently on the wolf head sculptures on the armrests on both sides. Yeta, who was standing beside her with her hands behind her back, turned her head to look at her mother, "Are you comfortable? Yes, too." Are you tired? You've been busy preparing to leave recently."

"No, it's nothing Yeta, I just recalled some things during the expedition and felt a little emotional." Reina leaned her head on the throne and said softly. She sighed silently as she recalled the expedition that had ended, that human being The proudest memories of the Great Crusade.

But Yeta next to her, because she had no idea what was going on outside, she was still excited and turned to look at the giant wolves on both sides with eyes twinkling. She was very excited that she could finally leave here.

"Soon I will be able to see Terra! The Empire, and the Empire you and Dad, the Marshal and the Emperor have created, just thinking about it makes me excited!"

Reina looked at her excited daughter beside her. She didn't know how to tell Yeta and tell her what the empire outside had become. She didn't want to hurt her, this little girl who was full of yearning and hope for the future and the empire. She had been waiting for that moment for so long, and Reyna didn't want it to be clouded by the same clouds that were clouding her own mood.

But Yeta didn't seem to notice the sadness in her mother's eyes. She looked around excitedly at the empty bridge, strode to the edge of the huge round reception platform in front of the throne, and overlooked the huge stepped bridge space below.

"And not only that, soon I will be able to see with my own eyes how you and the marshal fight! Not from hearing about it in stories, but seeing it with my own eyes! I'm sure it will be impressive."

Reina looked at the little daughter in front of her. Her hand was touching the armrest of the throne. She lowered her eyes and sighed for a long time. Reina's green eyes looked at the wrinkled back of her hand. She put her hand on it. On the armrest, she had forgotten how long it had been since she had done this.

In the past, she always put her hands on the wolf head armrest, firstly because it would give her elbows a support point, which would be much more comfortable, and secondly, because Vito was still sitting on the throne, commanding He would put his hands in the same position when he was leading the expeditionary force.

She put her hands there, as if she was gaining strength from Navito's palm, gaining courage in every battle no matter how difficult and desperate, gaining determination in difficulties, and letting that power guide her and the people beneath her. warships to victory.

But Reina didn't know. She didn't know that she hadn't flown into the sky for decades. As a mother and a settlement leader who worried about harvests, life and complicated matters in this place for decades, she could still control this road like she did back then. A proud ship, a ship given to her by Vito himself.

Reina has imagined countless times what it would be like to sit on this throne again one day and fly to the sky. But now that moment is really coming, Reina is filled with melancholy. She doesn’t know if she will Let down Vito, let down the hope of this ship's people.

She sighed and looked at the back of her withered hands. She put her hands on the wolf head armrest, hoping to gain determination from there as before. She put her hands there, and suddenly, another pair of hands were placed on the back of her hands. superior.

Reina raised her head and looked at the owner of the hand. He stood aside and looked at Reina with a smile. He stared at her with his black eyes, and his smile sent a warmth from the back of Reina's hand into her body. , no more words are needed, he has given Reyna everything she needs.

Reina looked up at Vito with a smile. The two looked at each other and smiled. Yeta in front turned around and noticed Vito. She immediately stood at attention and saluted Vito.

"marshal!"

"How's it going, Yeta, are you ready to leave here?" Vito raised his head with a smile and looked at the enthusiastic Yeta in front of him. She looked at Vito with confidence and couldn't help but smile.

"Yes, Marshal, I have been preparing for this day for a long time! The departure preparation list, maintenance steps, and the types, quantities and maintenance columns of parts that need to be produced by STC are all ready! We are just waiting for your order. It will make this ship fly again!”

She was very enthusiastic, even excited. Vito looked at those radiant eyes and smiled. He turned his head slightly and looked at Reina aside, "Do you know who she reminds me of when I was young?"

"Okay, don't make fun of me. Are you really sure you can solve that electronic demon? I never knew you knew programming technology." Reina said and stood up from the throne. She stood on the backrest of the throne. Standing up, Vito smiled and stepped back a little, leaning on Silver Wolf on the side of the throne and shrugged.

"I don't understand. I won't be like those oil guys, fighting against a bunch of 0s and 1s every day." "Then how are you going to deal with that electronic demon? Or does she understand?"

Reina stood up and stepped out in front of the throne. She raised her head and signaled to Lilith, who was leaning against a terminal device at the back. She was sitting on the cold instrument with her arms folded.

Yeta also noticed her. The young girl frowned and looked at the annoying woman. Yeta looked at Vito in confusion and raised a finger to Lilith, "What is she doing here?"

"Help, little girl." Lilith said, taking out the long knife from her waist. With a twist of her fingers, she deftly placed the back of the knife against her fingers, and gently raised the long knife and stood in front of her eyes.

"How can she help? Cut them all with a knife?" Yeta frowned and looked at the dangerous woman with vigilance. The latter smiled coldly at the corner of his mouth, full of sarcasm and ridicule.

Just before Yeta, who was young and energetic and about to be offended by Lilith's smile, started to curse, Vito raised a hand to stop her. Vito smiled and turned to look at Lilith aside, "Lilith is here. It's here as a second layer of insurance. If I don't take care of the electronic demon, Lily will manually cut off the reactor and physically shut down the system to trap the devil."

"But she doesn't even know where the reactor is. How can she help? Besides, I can do it for you. You don't need this woman at all."

Yeta put one hand on her waist and looked at Lilith on the other side. The latter was turning the knife in her hand, and quickly turned it in her palm with her fingers. She did not say anything, but waited silently for Wei. Asked to explain to his "little daughter".

And he did indeed do so. Vito put his hands behind his back and looked at Yeta who was muttering to one side. His face looked like a little girl, "Lily is responsible for when the electronic demon is ready to struggle with all his strength and activate the ship." When all of the ship's automatic defense systems prevent the power from being cut off, she takes care of those controlled obstacles."

"And you, Yeta, you are responsible for leading Lily to the reactor and cutting off the power supply at the last moment." Vito looked at Yeta beside him. As expected, her eyes widened, and she suddenly turned her head to glare at Lilith.

"Shall I take her there?" "Yes, you take her there. Reina will be responsible for getting off the ship, helping Peter transport all the raw materials to the STC's automated loading port, and be ready to start work immediately. Only veterans like them Only a few technical priests know how to operate the STC casting template, right?”

"And I want to stay here and be responsible for getting rid of the electronic demon, so among all the people here, you are the only one who knows all aspects of this ship best, right? So this mission belongs to you."

"But Marshal!"

"Well, as an excellent captain, you have to learn to adapt, adapt and understand people you don't like that much. Believe me, you will always need to cooperate with people you don't like. This is what your mother and I have in common. experience, so that I can safely hand over the future to you young people.”

Vito walked up and held Yeta's shoulders. He spoke in a trusting tone, which made Yeta quite excited and flattered. Yeta also watched the marshal sigh after some ideological struggle and chose A compromise.

Since the marshal trusts her, her personal grudges must be placed behind the mission in order to be worthy of the marshal's trust. Especially, he said that he would entrust the future to himself, and Yeta's inner excitement was even more difficult to suppress. .

"Yes, Marshal, I will take her there right now." Yeta walked towards the door. She walked past Lilith, but she didn't even look at the silver-haired lady beside her. She was thinking about what Vito had just said. , with a happy smile all over his face.

Lilith looked at her and smiled jokingly and glanced in the direction of Vito. After the latter nodded slightly, Lilith suddenly turned the handle of the knife in her hand, grabbed the long knife, stood up and followed him from a distance. Behind Ye Ta.

Vito and Reina laughed together as they looked at the backs of the two people walking away. Reina turned her head and looked at each other with Vito, who was much taller than her. She stood in front of him, looking up into his eyes, "Do you really have a way to deal with the electronic demon? I know you never understand programming."

"Someone will help me."

"Is there anyone? I don't see the third person here, Vito, what on earth are you talking about."

Reina stopped before she finished speaking. Her words were stuck and interrupted by the faint blue light. Reina's eyes widened when she looked at the shining blue light in front of her.

The light came from a silver optical disc. After the boundary of the disc opened, it emitted a shining halo. Those blue light particles were flying in the air, gradually converging into a human figure, which was a blue woman. She slowly stood up from the CD.

Reina looked at the small figure in Vito's hand in astonishment. The short-haired woman made of light stood on Vito's palm. Reina looked at her eyes widening and raised her face illuminated by the blue light in disbelief. To Vito, "She is."

"Artificial intelligence, yes, her name is Helen. I'm sorry. I can't tell you this story now. It's a long, long story." Vito raised his head slightly and looked at the person on the throne in front of him. The lightning eagle logo is smiling, it is his own logo, and he has followed his logo since the Roman times.

"Take some time and I'll tell you, but it will take a while."

"No, Vito, why wait, you have an artificial intelligence? Why did you never tell me? Never told anyone?" Reina raised her head and looked at Vito in front of her and asked in surprise, she looked at The man's face turned slightly to think for a moment and then turned to look at him. He wanted to say something, but his face was held in his hands.

Reina looked at those black eyes, those tired and weather-beaten eyes. He was still smiling, but he looked very tired, "I said, it's a long, long story. I can't read it two or three times." I’ll tell you everything, Reyna, but I just want you to believe me and forgive me for concealing and deceiving.”

"Believe me, I didn't mean to hide it from you. He and I didn't mean it. We thought that hiding it would save you from having to do bad things again. But in fact, we were both wrong. Just rely on Hiding never solves anything."

"There are too many secrets. I have hidden them for more than 10,000 years. I don't want to hide them anymore, but I must continue to hide them and bury those dangerous secrets in my heart forever until the right time. You know if I make it public How much trouble will this kind of secret in my hands cause?"

Reina looked at Vito in front of her. She stared at those black eyes for a long time. There were too many things hidden in those eyes, too many things that he didn't want to remember, but he still remembered, Because there are some things that only he can remember in the current universe. In these ten thousand years of vicissitudes, only he can remember them.

The man in front of her is the only one in the galaxy, other than the immortal God Emperor sitting on the throne, who still remembers the origin of human civilization, the first cry, the first time he set foot on the earth, and sailed to He is the only one who, at the end of the Great Crusade, is the last person to remember what mankind once was.

He is the last and only person who remembers and knows the whole process of the rise, germination, prosperity and gradual progression of human beings into darkness. He also knows what kind of peaks human beings can reach. People in the dark galaxy will not believe it and dare not The last person to believe in that future.

Human beings in this dark empire have never seen the sun since they were born. They are like a group of disaster immigrants living underground. They have never seen the blue sky, never smelled the air that does not require wearing gas masks, and have never heard the sound of birds. Singing, never seen the sea.

And he, the man in front of Reina has seen it all. He is like the last flickering flame in the darkness, waiting for the moment that can finally ignite the light of the underground world. Besides that hope, he also Carrying the memory of the dark years, I used the moment when the flame ignited the light to tell people how to prevent the darkness from returning.

He is the last guardian, the last inheritor. No one can share his burden, and no one can understand everything he said. The reason is very simple. You can't ask a group of people who grew up in the darkness to believe him. , believe that the only person who has seen the sun tells them that there is sunshine in this world.

Reyna looked at the man with a tired smile. She was not angry because of the deception. Just like Magnus, Horus and other traitors, she thought that they might not have the chance to stand with him like herself. Standing in front of these last guardians, looking into their eyes and feeling their fatigue and pain.

"Then why do you tell me now? Let Yeta leave, let Lilith leave, and just tell me?" Reina looked into his eyes, and the man in front of her showed a smile, and he gently stroked her Face.

"Because you are one of the last friends I have seen the sun with and have lived for thousands of years, so I want to tell you about the last flame of the sun in the darkness. If I will die one day, then, You can also pass it on so that there are still people in this galaxy who remember the scene when the sun rose from the horizon and pierced the dark galaxy."

"Vito, don't say that, you." Reina raised her hand and touched Vito's face, and the latter smiled and held her extended hand, "The Emperor has already sat on the throne, hanging half alive. He is facing this endgame, and now, the pendulum of fate has made him decide to end this game and start a new one. "

Vito looked at Reina in front of him. He stroked that face and looked into those green eyes, "Rena, when that moment finally comes, when the chess game of the galaxy comes to an end, I will hold up that fan. The door to the new world allows you and them to go there with the fire of civilization, and let the dawn of civilization finally pierce the night and rise from the earth. "

"What are you talking about? Vito, I don't understand. Broken chess game? New world? I don't understand what you mean." Reina actually hasn't understood what Vito is talking about yet. Like I said, no one will. Understanding what Vito said, he couldn't let them understand, because at that moment, there were destined to be many sacrifices, many sacrifices that he could not stop even if he burned them all.

All he can do is make the sacrifice less, that's all.

Vito smiled and stroked her face, "One day you will understand, you will all understand. Now, you only need to know that this secret artificial intelligence Helen in my hand is the last one with the strongest computing power in the galaxy. With her superior artificial intelligence, she can kill the electronic demon."

Vito lowered his head and looked at Helen in front of him, who also looked at the many strange data flashing in his eyes. Helen lowered her eyes and was silent for a moment, then nodded slightly in affirmation.

"Vito."

"Don't worry, she's not one of those people who hates intelligence and won't turn this ship into a killing toy, or at least, not a killing toy for humans."

"No, Vito, what I want to ask is, why did you tell me? Only tell me? You can tell everyone openly, the crew members, they are all people who survived the Great Crusade, why do you only tell me? What do I have?"

"Because I love you, it's that simple, so I believe you know how to treat this secret well." Vito smiled at the surprised Reina in front of him. They stood in front of two silver giant wolf statues. Vito stood with her, close to each other and listened to all the words and concealments.

The two looked at each other, their green and black eyes staring at each other. Suddenly, Reina came up and kissed Vito unexpectedly. She stood in front of Vito, hugged his neck and buried her head to think for a while, "Vito, although I don't know what you mean, but promise me that you won't play the stupid hero game of self-sacrifice, okay?"

"If the new world you said is true, then we will go there together. No matter what we have to face, I will sail in that direction with you, just like now."

Vito looked at Reina in front of him. After a moment of silence, he put one hand around her head and gently leaned his forehead against her head. "That old bastard always said that I still have useless humanity. Walking among mortals is a waste of time and stupid behavior. Now look, who is the fool."

"With a good girl like you, it is worth it for me to maintain this break for 10,000 years. For you, it's all worth it." Vito said, holding up Reina's face with his fingers. He smiled at Reina in front of him.

"Go ahead, Peter still needs your help. After I get everything done, I'll have to find you to plan another crazy trip."

Reina looked at him in silence for a moment, then nodded and turned to walk towards the exit of the bridge. She stopped at the gate, one hand on the door frame, her back to Vito, silent for a few seconds and then slowly said, "Vito, promise me, don't do stupid things, don't give so many reasons and excuses, just promise me."

Vito stood in front of the throne, holding Helen in his hand and turned his head to look in the direction of the bridge in front. He tilted his head and was silent for a while before slowly saying, "I promise you."

"That's enough." Reina said and walked out of the bridge. Helen, standing on Vito's hand, looked at Reina who was going away. She lowered her eyes and thought for a moment before looking at Vito beside her, but he still held Helen and walked to the throne.

Vito looked at the throne that once belonged to him, the throne that belonged to Vito Constantine, the Supreme Marshal, the burning throne of the last guardian.

The Emperor has sat on another throne like this, fulfilling the oath he once made, and now, perhaps it will be the moment when Vito will also fulfill that final oath.

He raised his head and looked up at the giant wolf symbol in front of him. The proud wolf overlooked all living beings, staring at the earth alone in the high cold wind, alert to all dangers approaching from all sides. The wolf will not grow old alone, it will only die alone in battle, just like the wolf on the other side of it.

Vito turned around and sat on the cold throne. In the silent and lonely bridge, the last guardian sat on his throne.