After explaining things to Waldo, Raven flapped his wings and flew back to the Emperor's side.
The Emperor merely glanced at Raven before ignoring him.
He took Horus's hand, speaking with the earnestness of an old father.
"You were destined for greatness from the moment you were born, Horus."
"In the original plan, you would have learned and grown by my side. Once you were capable of standing on your own, you would have led the Sixteenth Legion to achieve great deeds and save humanity."
"But those people took you away and sent you to Kossonia."
"I do not know what you went through, nor how you grew up."
"I am glad to have found you, but I cannot rashly place the Sixteenth Legion in your hands."
"That would be too dangerous. It would be irresponsible toward the Empire and humanity."
"You must learn. You must experience the joys and sorrows of ordinary people, understand what you are fighting for, and prove yourself."
"If you are unwilling, you may also choose to abandon this mission."
After acquiring so much technology from other universes, the Emperor had gained confidence.
If the Primarchs did not wish to fulfill such a mission, he would let them leave and live as ordinary people.
A trace of disappointment welled up in Horus's heart.
He suddenly hated those who had taken him away from his father.
He struggled to suppress his emotions. "I will prove my character and abilities to you, Father."
The Emperor nodded. "I look forward to that day, Horus. I look forward to fighting at your side, sharing my burdens, facing powerful enemies, and rebuilding humanity's former glory."
Under Raven's influence, the Emperor did not personally teach Horus.
Instead, he arranged for him to study at the expedition fleet's academy.
The expeditionary forces were massive and spent long periods in space.
Young men and women living in enclosed environments could easily develop feelings for one another and bear the fruits of love.
For those children, every expedition fleet had established academies.
They taught the children all kinds of specialized knowledge and guided them to devote their loyalty to the Empire.
As a Primarch, Horus possessed a terrifying capacity for learning.
What others needed years to complete, he could finish in only a few days.
His outstanding learning ability and personal charisma quickly made him famous at the academy, gaining him a large following.
Horus's return was merely an interlude.
Unifying the galaxy and carrying out massive construction projects remained the Empire's main theme.
The Empire's territory expanded rapidly, and vast quantities of resources were sent to the Solar System.
Meanwhile, on Terra, Malcador was driving forward grand projects such as the Celestial Computer and the Imperial communications network.
After returning, the Emperor immediately sent the relevant technology for the quantum induction communications array back to Terra.
He ordered Malcador to assign personnel to build communication towers in every star system and establish an Imperial communications network spanning the galaxy.
Once he had arranged the matters at hand, the Emperor led the expedition fleet away from the conquered world.
While traveling through the Warp, they encountered a Warp turbulence.
The fleet was forced to alter course and jump into an unfamiliar star system.
The expedition fleet tore open the barrier of reality at the Mandeville Point.
The eerie light of the Warp poured into the real universe like floodwaters bursting through a broken dam.
"Raise the shields and gather intelligence."
"All system self-checks complete. The converter in Sector B has overloaded. Requesting repairs."
"Deploy wide-area augury scans. Range: one hundred and sixty thousand kilometers."
"..."
Noisy voices echoed through the secondary systems of the Emperor's Grand Plan.
"Confirmed: the fleet is at the edge of a star system. Electromagnetic waves detected. Civilization confirmed within this star system."
"According to star-chart comparisons, this system is called Auctis."
"Large numbers of life signs detected on Auctis III."
"."
A report was delivered to the Emperor.
After reading it, the Emperor frowned.
"The Auctis Star System has multiple colonies, but most of them have regressed to either the feudal age or the early industrial age."
"Only Planet Three has retained an extremely high level of technology."
"Large numbers of space platforms and orbital stations are operating in orbit, indicating that this civilization still possesses interstellar travel capabilities."
"The problem is that they have not sent out a single spacecraft to explore space. That is obviously very strange."
"We can go down and take a look," Raven said. "Perhaps something unusual has happened."
The expedition fleet easily conquered every human colony except Auctis III.
They were brought under the rule of the Human Empire.
After completing all this, the expedition fleet set sail for Auctis III.
The expeditionary force did not rashly launch an attack. Instead, it attempted dialogue in hopes of resolving the matter peacefully.
The diplomats explained the Empire's origins, as well as its grand vision of unifying the galaxy and restoring its former glory.
A mechanical voice answered the Empire's lengthy speech.
"You are trespassing in the private residence of citizen 13145209527. Leave immediately, or we will attack you in accordance with Article One of the law—the sacred inviolability of private property."
"We come in peace," the diplomat said patiently.
"You are trespassing in the private residence of citizen 13145209527. Leave immediately, or we will attack you in accordance with Article One of the law—the sacred inviolability of private property."
"We wish to speak with your leader who holds decision-making authority, or with actual human beings."
"You are trespassing in the private residence of citizen 13145209527. Leave immediately, or we will attack you in accordance with Article One of the law—the sacred inviolability of private property."
No matter what the Empire's diplomats said, Auctis gave only that same mechanical reply.
A highly advanced planet was completely indifferent to the Empire's fleet.
Its rulers had yet to show themselves.
Throughout the exchange, only that cold mechanical voice communicated with the Empire.
If they had not detected a large number of human life signs on the surface, the Empire would have suspected that the planet had become a paradise for intelligent machines.
"Big Guy, perhaps we should go down and take a look," Raven suggested. "Maybe we can find the answer."
"You are right," the Emperor said. "We must find out what exactly has happened on that planet below."
Using the expedition fleet's teleportation capabilities and his own immense psychic power,
the Emperor easily brought the Adeptus Custodes to a city on the planet's surface.
They discovered that everyone in the city wore transparent breathing helmets resembling fish tanks.
The planet's air quality was excellent. There would have been no problem even without helmets.
"Are they Celestial Dragons? Why are they all wearing breathing helmets?" Raven studied the people curiously.
Before they could find an answer, a beep! beep! beep! alarm sounded.
Dozens of fist-sized spherical aircraft flew in from every direction.
The people on the streets seemed terrified of these spherical aircraft and hurriedly fled.
Warning: You are stealing the private property of citizen 13145209527. Stop immediately
Warning: You are stealing the private property of citizen 13145209527. Stop immediately
The drones came whistling in, surrounding the Emperor and the Adeptus Custodes while repeatedly broadcasting their warning.
A group of sleek, gleaming robots also rushed over from the distance, shouting the same words as the drones.
Warning: You are stealing the private property of citizen 13145209527. Stop immediately
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