"You want to go to Sotha?"
Guilliman was a little uneasy when he learned that Alex was going to Sotha.
After the parade celebration, the Primarch planned to go on an expedition to completely drive out the Chaos traitors from Ultramar.
The Five Hundred Worlds were the jewel of the Imperium and Guilliman's base.
He had to first ensure the stability of Ultramar before he could travel to Terra.
The Primarch originally wanted to invite Alex to participate in the expedition, but Alex politely declined and proposed going to Sotha to investigate some matters.
When the investigation of Sotha was brought up, Guilliman became wary.
Sotha was connected to things that could not be publicized or remembered.
"Worried I'll discover your little secret?"
Alex asked in a teasing tone.
Guilliman's expression froze. "You know?"
Alex observed the Primarch's expression. "I know some things, but I'm not sure if you're afraid that the Pharos Lighthouse on Sotha will be found, or if you're afraid I'll use this to investigate the former Imperium Secundus?"
Guilliman: "…"
Big brother, could you please not speak so loudly?!
This kind of blemish is too fatal!
Horus didn't even dare to establish a nation during the Horus Heresy.
I directly established the Imperium Secundus.
If this matter had been made public back then, I, the Lord of Ultramar, would probably be sitting at the traitors' table with Horus.
"There's no need to worry about the Imperium Secundus," Alex said.
"The more you care, the more others will use this to attack you."
"People don't care about the truth." Guilliman shook his head.
"They will only focus on the fact that I established the Imperium Secundus and use that to undermine my authority."
"Especially when we are about to reform the entire Imperium, they will stop at nothing to find our weaknesses."
Guilliman could imagine how far the current bureaucracy had developed.
The former High Lord council had probably long since become a bloated, inefficient, complex web of interests that constantly bled the Imperium dry.
This network of interests was like a bone-deep ulcer, parasitizing every aspect of the Imperium.
Once forcefully removed, it was highly likely to cause the entire Imperium to suffer massive bleeding or paralysis.
Power and wealth would make those individuals lose their sense of reverence.
Once Guilliman implemented various reform measures that were unfavorable to them, those people would unite and try every possible way to overthrow him.
The blemish of the Imperium Secundus was undoubtedly the best excuse.
Guilliman suspected that those individuals might even declare him a traitor and gather a large army to eliminate him.
"The Emperor doesn't even care, so why are you so bothered? Under those circumstances, establishing the Imperium Secundus was the optimal choice."
"You had completely lost contact with Terra at that time; the Astronomican was invisible, and Astropathic communication was impossible."
"Who knew the true nature of events? If it were me, I would also have believed that the Emperor had fallen at Horus's hands."
"Establishing the Imperium Secundus could unite the loyalists to the greatest extent and rally warriors who wanted to avenge the Emperor under a new banner."
Alex stated this directly.
"Thank you for your recognition, Guide."
Guilliman smiled. Gaining the support and recognition of others was always a happy thing.
"However, our topic has strayed a bit, Guide. Why do you want to go to Sotha?"
"According to the intelligence I've gathered since I awoke, it has become a barren rock, with the Tyranids / Tyranid plundering all organic matter."
During the Second Tyrannic War, Sotha was invaded by the Tyranids / Tyranid fleet.
The Emperor's Scythes Warband stationed there suffered heavy casualties and eventually had to evacuate.
The entire planet was also gnawed into a rock by the Tyranids / Tyranid.
Alex explained, "Doesn't Sotha still have the Pharos Lighthouse?"
"The Astronomican can no longer penetrate the Great Rift, and navigation in the Imperium Nihilus is extremely difficult without its guidance."
Guilliman instantly grasped the key point in Alex's words.
"You want to activate the Pharos Lighthouse and use it in the Imperium Nihilus?"
"Yes." Alex nodded. "This is the only alternative we can find at this stage."
"Then you might be disappointed." Guilliman shook his head.
"The Pharos Lighthouse utilized a large amount of xenos technology. I once sent people to study it and only mastered how to activate it."
"Later, the Midnight Lord invaded Ultramar, attempting to seize control of the Pharos Lighthouse, which led to the Battle of Sotha."
"Ultimately, the lighthouse was overloaded by the loyal Iron Warriors Barabas Dantioch to disable enemy communication systems, and I later ordered it to be completely destroyed."
Alex smiled, then revealed everything he knew.
"You couldn't completely destroy it, and that's enough. Also, the Pharos Lighthouse is Necrons technology."
"Human and Necrons technological paths are entirely different, but I have a way to solve this problem."
"Most of the Necrons's technology originates from another ancient race—the C'tan."
"And the machine spirit of the Imperial Glory is an un-grown C'tan; she can reverse-engineer the Pharos Lighthouse to obtain key technology."
Guilliman looked at Alex, a little surprised.
"I learned about the existence of the C'tan machine spirit from Cawl and Amaric, but I never thought she could reverse-engineer technology."
"Furthermore, I'm very curious, do you speak to everyone without reservation?"
"Such an important secret, and you tell me without any hesitation. Aren't you afraid of planting the seeds of disaster for the future?"
"Honesty can eliminate doubts and allow us to trust each other in our upcoming cooperation, preventing mutual suspicion." Alex hinted, "Didn't the Emperor's concealment of the Webway back then lead to your mutual suspicion, ultimately resulting in the bitter fruit of betrayal?"
Guilliman sighed.
Alex's words reminded him of the long table beneath Hera Fortress.
It was something he had built for when his Primarch brothers and father could visit Macragge in the future.
Every Primarch had a seat.
The Emperor would sit at the head, and the Primarchs would sit on either side.
They would speak freely, discussing the future of humanity and what they wanted to do after the war ended.
However, all of this turned to dust with Horus's betrayal.
"At that time, although there were disagreements among us, we never thought it would escalate to brothers slaughtering each other and the entire galaxy burning."
Alex said, "No trust can withstand repeated suspicion; mutual honesty is the foundation for gaining trust."
Guilliman nodded, "You've shared a secret with me, so I should share one with you too."
"Do you know that Cawl has been completing the task I assigned him for the past ten thousand years?"
Alex nodded, "I know."
"Then do you know what I had him do?"
"Forge the Armor of Fate for you, optimize the Astartes warriors, and he also used the Primarch's Stack you gave him to create Primaris Space Marines."
Guilliman's mouth twitched, "Cawl told you?"
"No, the Emperor said so."
Alex maintained his usual style, pushing anything he couldn't explain onto the Emperor.
"By the way, what was the secret you wanted to tell me?"
Guilliman: "..."
You already know all the secrets, so what's there to say?!
"I have no secrets, and the Ultramarines have no secrets."
"Let's delve deeper into the matter of the Primaris Space Marines."
"... ... ... ..."
The Primaris Space Marines were the result of Cawl's ten thousand years of research.
He had also created many Primaris Space Marines on Mars and other places,
waiting only for Guilliman to return to Terra before awakening them,
to launch a massive expedition and reclaim the territories plundered by the Chaos army.
As for why Cawl didn't awaken this army to defend Cadia Fortress against the Despoiler,
the answer was that environmental conditions didn't allow it.
Once the matter of the Primaris was exposed, Cawl would be deemed a traitor by the Ecclesiarchy, the Inquisition, and the Adeptus Mechanicus.
The first day Cawl announced the birth of the Primaris Space Marines,
the second day, he would commit suicide by shooting himself six times in the back.
The third day, the painstakingly created Primaris Space Marines would be branded with the crime of being corrupted by Chaos and utterly destroyed by the fanatical Adeptus Mechanicus.
Only Guilliman, the Emperor's own son, stepping forward and making the announcement in his name, could prevent these things.
Besides Sotha and the Primaris Space Marines, Alex also discussed the issue of the God Chosen with Guilliman,
and established the exchange rules for Contribution Points and Aquila Coins.
Guilliman also promised Alex that he would find a way for the God Chosen to freely exchange for various weapons and equipment.
After all matters were settled, Alex left Guilliman's study.
As soon as he stepped out the door,
a golden light screen appeared before him.
[Mission: Escort Cawl safely back to the Sol System.
You have successfully escorted Cawl to Macragge and resurrected the Primarch, but the hope of salvation lies on Terra.
The Chaos Gods will certainly not allow him and the Primarch to return to Terra smoothly.
Find a way to protect him and ensure his safe return to Terra.
Reward: Gain a large amount of Faith Points, players can unlock Primaris Upgrade after reaching a certain level.]
"Primaris Upgrade? That's beneficial for players taking the Astartes route."
Alex glanced at the mission and no longer paid attention.
Regardless of whether this mission existed or not, he would send players to Terra with the pilgrimage team.
Alex did not stay long at Hera Fortress,
and directly set off to return to the Imperial Glory in low orbit,
preparing to take a group of players to Sotha to analyze the Pharos Lighthouse.
As for the other players and Xia Xian, they remained on Macragge, awaiting future arrangements.
"Master, you're finally back."
As soon as he stepped off the landing pad, Cortana's projection appeared beside Alex, circling around him.
Alex smiled, watching the lively Cortana.
After she finished, he gave an order.
"Go post a mission, recruit a group of players to go to Sotha with me."
"Okay, Master, Cortana will do it immediately."
Cortana was very fast.
Soon, a new mission was sent to the players' data pads.
At this moment, many members of the Emperor's Cannon Fodder Warband were watching a battle in the arena of Hera Fortress.
The Warmaster, clad only in a combat suit, was sparring with an Aeldari warrior.
The Aeldari warrior excelled in speed, moving like a phantom, incredibly fast.
The Warmaster held a shield in one hand and a sword in the other.
This was a method he devised after repeatedly reviewing his battle with Lucius.
Lucius's speed was too fast, and his attack angles were tricky; there was no chance of winning by competing in speed or swordsmanship.
Using a shield, however, could restrain the opponent's speed.
It must be said, this approach was very correct.
The Aeldari warrior's speed was very fast, but his attacks mostly landed on the shield, unable to break through the Warmaster's defense.
Meanwhile, the Warmaster could quickly counterattack with the sword in his hand.
Clang~
A sound of metal clashing rang out.
The Aeldari warrior's strike landed on the shield, sending out a series of sparks and fragments.
The Warmaster swung his shield to break his offensive, then thrust his long sword.
The Aeldari warrior stumbled back.
The Warmaster pressed forward, constantly ramming the opponent with his shield.
The Aeldari warrior was forced to roll to the side, creating distance.
But before he could catch his breath, the Warmaster charged with his shield.
The Aeldari warrior braced his sword to resist but was violently knocked flying by brute force, crashing into the arena cage with a thud.
"You win."
The Death Guard—God Chosen Thousand Faces—standing outside the arena cage, announced calmly.
The surrounding players instantly erupted.
"Awesome."
"Warmaster is the GOAT."
"... ... ... ..."
"You actually defeated an Aeldari, can you get any more awesome?"
The Warmaster smiled slightly, looking at that player, "Don't worry, I can."
"This guy, showing off again."
Tenjiro and others rolled their eyes.
Amaric and the Dreadnought Veteran Sard were also watching the battle.
"His progress is getting greater and greater," a Black Templar said, somewhat surprised.
"The progress of the God Chosen is terrifying," Amaric deeply agreed.
When they first met, the opponent's combat skills were far from as strong as they were now.
It had only been a few days, and he was already able to overpower an Aeldari warrior.
"Next, it's my turn," Yvraine walked out, looking at the Warmaster, "Do you have the courage to challenge me?"
Just as the Warmaster was about to respond,
the voices of Tenjiro and others came from the side,
"A new mission has refreshed. The Guide is recruiting a group of players to accompany him to Sotha to investigate some matters."