Strategic Objectives During the "Great Crusade"

Thinking of this, Nimrod said to Arsena.

"You select some families; I will meet with them later."

On the morning of the third day after arriving in Terra, a group of ordinary people dressed in gorgeous clothes and with different styles came to the lobby of the Gene Residence.

They are Terra's finest sculptors, and most of them had the honor of being chosen fifteen years ago to build a statue for another Primarch.

The sculptors who Nimrod's face were the most numerous, totaling eleven. Each of them was responsible for recreating the jet-black hair, broad forehead, dark crystal-like eyes, and straight nose...

Numerous sculptors, some standing, some reclining, and some standing on the sides and back, observe the genetic Primarch, which stands like Obsidian statue, from different angles.

From an artistic point of view, having many sculptors work together is not an appropriate approach, and it is almost inevitable that disharmony will arise because the work comes from different people.

But this was a last resort. Through their previous experiences, the sculptors had come to understand that no great sculptor could accomplish this sacred mission alone.

They also tried using cameras to record images of the Primarch, but the effect was not as good as seeing it in person.

Just like a painter needs to see the model in person when creating a painting, rather than relying on images.

When an ordinary person's senses and brain are attracted to one part of the Primarch gene, they will naturally ignore the other part, which will result in a more distorted reconstruction.

The sculptors would occasionally look away, noting down any inspiration they captured.

Most of them used primitive parchment for their drawings, while only a few used Data Slate or other media.

Every now and then, they would look away in alarm, then fall into a daze.

It took them several seconds, or even minutes, to recover from their seemingly frozen state. The spark of inspiration they had just captured had vanished, and they had to find their footing again.

While serving as a model for the sculpture, Nimrod's mind raced, secretly contemplating the resupply area he would define during his subsequent meeting with Malcador.

According to the Treaty of Olympia, resupply was the responsibility of the Adeptus Mechanicus...

An hour later, Nimrod Lu spoke.

Let's stop here.

Upon hearing this, the sculptor in the white robe, with gray hair, who was responsible for observing his eyes, frowned and said unwillingly.

"Primarch, we still have inspirations about you that we haven't captured or recorded."

"I understand, but I have other matters to attend to. I trust you can complete the sculpture using the available materials."

The trust in the Primarch gene gave the sculptors a feeling of being filled with power.

"My lord, I will certainly restore your former glory."

"My lord, I will certainly display the splendor of the Emperor heir."

"..."

Nimrod in satisfaction and was about to leave when the gray-haired sculptor gritted his teeth, stood in front of the Primarch, and said with great courage.

Primarch... at least... let me take a picture.

He quickly explained his rudeness, "Having your overall impression makes it easier to present a true picture."

Nimrod pondered for a moment and nodded in agreement.

"Good."

The white-haired sculptor, holding a camera, raised his arms, pressed the shutter, and took a picture.

Nimrod then went out of the courtyard, sent a message to Malcador, received a reply from the Sigillite, and they talked in detail by the lake.

Let's choose a relaxed setting to discuss this topic.

A moment later, he saw Maka approaching from the lakeside, flanked by two scribes in grey robes.

"Nimrod, how's it going?"

"The sculptors are very responsible; I believe the results will be excellent."

"They all see this as an honor, and they will give it their all."

After praising the sculptor's attitude, Malcador looked at the Primarch.

"I want to thank you again for your willingness to provide supplies, which has eased the pressure I have to face."

Nimrod accepted the praise from the Sigillite with equanimity and then spoke.

"But this isn't indefinite; resupply should be Mars' responsibility."

"Yes, they are working on it, and they are taking two measures to improve their supply capabilities."

"In the world that has returned to the Imperium, they seek out those rich in mineral resources to establish new Forge World."

"Some progress has been made in this regard; in 813, Mars established a new Forge World in Mezaan."

Nimrod nodded slightly. The Triken system he conquered was originally intended to be developed into Forge World by the Tech-priest, and three Knight World would also be established in this system.

Thinking about this, he couldn't help but think to himself.

[The Tech-priest are the faction I've exploited the most. Vostonia was originally a tripartite political system between the Imperium, the Tech-priest, and the local nobles until the Great Rift unfolded, but now I control it all by myself.]

The Daxos Binary System, loyal to Mars, now has the House Vicstrix pledge allegiance to me.

While Nimrod was pondering, he felt no remorse towards the Tech-priest. The places they had their eyes on were all of considerable value, and these worlds were even more valuable. If they could seize them, they should do so as soon as possible.

He couldn't help but think of an undiscovered world, the Forge World Cepra Mandy, a convergence point of multiple Warp routes and the future headquarters of the Imperial Navy in the Segmentum Obscurus.

Most importantly, after its discovery, it quickly grew into a great shipyard, one of the four shipyards comparable to those on Mars.

Nimrod immediately decided that after speaking with Malcador, he would issue a new order to locate Cepra Mundi.

As the Primarch pondered, the two walked along the cold lakeside, the voice of the Sigillite echoing softly.

"At the same time, the discovery that Vostonia had re-established contact with Mars made them realize that some of the Explorator Fleets and colonization ships they had previously sent out should have been effective."

"However, nothing has been discovered so far."

Nimrod nodded slightly. He did know about some Forge World established during the "Dark Mechanicum Era" that had not yet been recovered, such as Zhao-Akada, which would be discovered by "Thousand Sons".

[These worlds shouldn't be overlooked either. Finding and controlling these Forge World will allow us to obtain supplies nearby and acquire unique technologies.]

The Primarch glanced at the Sigillite beside him, then spoke.

"Regarding the supply deadline, I think there should be a clear standard."

"You seem to already have an idea."

"That's right. The Eleventh Legion will explore a region 330 light-years in diameter, centered on Vostonia, to establish a sector that will be a contiguous, complete region on the star map."

The Imperium's administration of the Galaxy, from top to bottom, consists of star sectors, star regions, sub-sectors, star systems, and planets.

The diameter of the star region is approximately two hundred light-years, while the diameter of the sub-star region is between ten and sixty light-years.

Nimrod's chosen region is 330 light-years wide, much larger than a typical region.

Nimrod's strategic goal during the "Great Crusade" was to establish a territory at least as large as Guilliman's Ultramar Sector.

In addition, he also needs to control key nodes of significant value in other regions to reap the greatest benefits with minimal investment.

In addition to strategic points where routes have already been discovered, such as Necromunda, the Triken system, and the Daxos Binary System, there are also potential worlds like Cepra Mundi and Vigilant Star that are included in the plan, as well as potential worlds like Mordian that have not yet been planned.

Malcador gazed at the lake, remained silent for a moment, and then spoke.

"Continue."

"For every Forge World discovered or established on Mars in a nearby star sector, the range and magnitude of my promised resupply will decrease by twenty percent."

"With five Forge World existing in the vicinity, I will no longer supply other Expeditionary Fleet, but the Eleventh Legion also does not require supplies from other Forge World."

Based on Nimrod's understanding of the Tech-priest, who are resource-hungry and efficiency-oriented, they will establish five Forge World of different sizes in the surrounding star sectors within thirty years at the latest.