Bukayo's Wisdom

One hour before Curiban, the twenty-three houses of Tezwork Hive gathered at the Hive Spire. Five of these houses held ownership of the spire itself.

A man with implants embedded in his jaw and vocal cords, dressed in red robes trimmed with gold, asked a woman standing before him with concern. She wore a long red gown, and a magnificent decorative implant was embedded in her forehead.

"Countess Yelena, do you know the origins of this new King?"

"During the time of the Bainiban, many houses were raided, and blood stained the hive. Even the Shimanski House, with its thousand-year history, had its spire breached. Could this not be a trap?"

"Kozubar, do not let fear cloud your mind."

Yelena wore a faint smile, her tone resolute.

"According to surveillance footage, this new King is a formidable combatant, but his numbers are too few. His armed forces total less than two thousand, and even with the workers flooding into the hive, the total does not exceed one hundred thousand. It is impossible for him to control the entire hive."

She looked at the heavily armed gang members standing all around, scanning the crowd with fierce glares, and whispered.

"Furthermore, while his men might be good thugs or even capable warriors, they are not qualified administrators. Using the brutal methods of the Underhive to treat the workers of the Upper Hive will only incite chaos."

"As long as this new King is not a madman, he will leverage his existing strength to stabilize the situation and restore the production capacity of Tezwork as quickly as possible. Only then will he gain the support of the servants of the Omnissiah."

"And tonight's coronation ceremony, sent to us by the new head of House Fender in the name of Magos Kaminski, indicates that he has already reached a cooperation with the servants of Mars."

Yelena's deep blue eyes fixed on the Baron of House Skorupski. Though he lacked political wisdom, his family's coal and ore mining industries were vital to House Kournikova and could not be lost.

"Kozubar, no matter what kind of person the new King is, you will follow me and pledge your loyalty to him immediately."

"He is currently lacking subordinates; those who submit first will reap the greatest benefits. Do you understand?"

"As you command, Countess."

Kozubar said with sincere conviction, standing at ease behind Yelena.

Half an hour before Curiban, Howard Fender returned from the Adeptus Mechanicus spire, Vostonia Altar 1.

He reported to Nimrod that Magos Kaminski had agreed to forge equipment for him, after which he entered the hall to handle inquiries from the heads of the various houses.

Nimrod took the box of warhammers offered by Bukayo, glanced at it, and placed it on the industrial metal table behind him.

He operated his data-slate, pulled up the strategic map of Vostonia, and posed a question to the blond youth.

"Bukayo, I intend to conquer Vostonia. What do you think is the next target?"

"My Lord, please allow me a moment to think."

Bukayo did not answer immediately. He cautiously requested a moment, staring at the strategic map as his mind raced.

Five minutes later, the youth spoke.

"My Lord, I believe it is Lukpo Hive."

"Why Lukpo? Mazov and Szczecin are closer."

"My Lord, I am interpreting this based on your methods. Striking directly at Lukpo fits your style better."

Nimrod nodded slightly, smiling as he said.

"Explain."

"During your first work cycle in Khanty-Mansi, you brought two gangs to heel; in the second, you seized the Foundry. Afterward, you did not occupy other small factories but went straight for the largest, the Magneto Steelworks in the dome, using that control to rapidly annex the others."

"After you controlled the Khanty-Mansi Dome, you did not conquer other domes but led your team directly to seize the spire of House Boleslaw, which controls Tezwork."

"My Lord, I believe your strategy is to strike directly at the core nodes and then resolve the other nodes one by one."

Nimrod listened to Bukayo summarize his trajectory with such clear logic and articulate his philosophy. He looked at Bukayo with appreciation; the blond youth was indeed correct.

It was just that he hadn't guessed—and even Nimrod himself hadn't expected—that consuming the "Barbarian" potion would trigger a genetic awakening, which changed his original plan of accumulating sufficient strength before occupying the Upper Hive.

"Why is Lukpo a key node?"

"My Lord, whether it is Tezwork, Mazov, or Szczecin, they are all too far from the power center of Vostonia."

"The Adeptus Mechanicus's Vostonia Altar 1 is the true core of power, and the altar at Lukpo is the closest core altar to Tezwork. It is the location of Altar 3. If you control the hive where that shrine is located, you will force the Adeptus Mechanicus to take your goals seriously."

Bukayo shrugged, saying with a hint of self-deprecation.

"It is not just the altar; the Muska people and the Magadan people living in Mazov and Szczecin have never been the cultural mainstream of the Vostonians. The Sosvold people of Lukpo are."

"Just like our distant homeland, the holy city of Warsaw on Terra and..."

He wanted to name a peripheral city, but the archives of House Arshavin contained little record of Terra. Warsaw was the only place name he knew; it was the homeland of the Vostonians, the holy city, the place of origin.

"Yes, like the difference between a central city like the holy city and a frontier town."

Bukayo said with piety and certainty: "I believe that once you occupy Lukpo, those Magos will realize a fact: you will become the Lord of Vostonia, and they ought to support you."

"Not bad."

Nimrod said appreciatively. Bukayo had guessed his thoughts from his actions. The "Sleepless" had not increased his intelligence, yet his wisdom far surpassed that of Rawlslev.

Although The Emperor had defined him as a butcher's blade, he did not believe, as Curze did, that slaughter and fear could forge a bright future for Vostonia.

To conquer Vostonia, one must consider how to define the role of the Adeptus Mechanicus.

If they were defined as enemies, then Vostonia, where the Adeptus Mechanicus held immense influence, would be an enemy to the whole world, even though countless people in the Underhive worshipped the God of All Machines.

He would not reduce this developed industrial world to ruins only to rebuild it, for that would be no different from colonizing a world already polluted by countless industrial graveyards.

Forcing the Adeptus Mechanicus to cooperate with him, utilizing their technology to expand while simultaneously cultivating Beyonders and subordinates to gradually reform Vostonia, was his strategy.

[Perhaps this is why the Kingdom of Disorder chose me and led me down the Black Emperor pathway.

Utilizing rules and resources to develop, then establishing a new order—that is my philosophy of growth.]

Nimrod looked at Bukayo, "I have a mission for you."

"My Lord, please give your command."

"After the ritual concludes, take the equipment Howard has prepared for you and head to Lukpo to conduct reconnaissance."

"As you wish, my Lord."

Nimrod's communicator chimed, and after he connected, Howard's hushed voice came through the channel.

"Sir, Kaminski has already arrived at the ritual hall."

"There is one standard minute remaining until your coronation ceremony."