If Not Guilliman, Then His Cub Isn't Bad Either

The 12th Sun Month of 849, the Shadow of the Throne.

Nimrod met with Thomas, who had returned, in his private office and received a briefing from him.

"My lord, as far as I can see, the equipment of the Squats is similar to the weapons used by the Imperium. It has a kind of technology that the Imperium has never lost and has continued to develop to the point where it is designed today."

"However, their equipment levels were not uniform, seemingly due to the varying levels of development among the clans, with those possessing Shield-Weave technology posing a greater threat."

"Even ordinary clans using what they call Bedrock-pattern Bolter and Void Suit can threaten the Shadow of Order, especially with their extensive underground tunnel network, which allows them to attack from various directions."

Arsena Dunn, standing to the side, added:

"The Squats are more resilient than any enemy the Legion has ever faced; even when isolated and without support, they will stubbornly resist using their underground fortresses."

"To date, no star system has given up the fight; even in Rosario, five fortresses deep underground are still putting up a stubborn resistance."

"The Squats pose a significant threat to the Legion's Warrior. All six participating Chapter have suffered over five hundred casualties so far, with the 11th Chapter bearing the heaviest losses, having lost over fifteen hundred Shadow of Order warriors."

The Primarch's Attendants's tone was full of worry; the long-running underground war of attrition had made him concerned about the casualties suffered by the Shadow of Order.

The Chief Librarian sensed the worry in the silver-haired Arsena, and recalling the battlefield situation, he spoke.

"Some of the Cataphractii Terminator equipped by the Third Legion offer superior defense compared to the Void Armor. Those equipped with these Shadow of Order will gain a significant advantage in battle."

"However, the supplies provided by the Adeptus Mechanicus, which also supply the 'Shadow of Order,' 'Iron Warriors,' and 'Thousand Sons,' only amount to fifty sets per year for the Sun."

"The Legion's forged territories have a combined production capacity of two hundred sets, but even with those provided by the Adeptus Mechanicus, the number is still small after being distributed among the six Chapter, and can only be used as a spearhead for assaults."

Nimrod nodded slightly. "I understand."

After the meeting ended, a thought struck him, and he went to the "Nation of Disorder".

[The production capacity of my Ultima Segmentum territories, Calth and Ganyun, is being invested in shipbuilding and Ramillies-class Star Fortress.]

The production capacity of other worlds is still somewhat insufficient to supply the war with the League of Votann, so this divination will solve this problem.

Nimrod conjured a star map of the Ultima Segmentum in his mind and filtered it based on the information he already knew.

His criteria were that the site possessed a large number of well-developed industrial facilities that could be put into use immediately after occupation, providing supplies to the legion.

Within the brain of the Primarch, worlds flashed by rapidly, and after a dozen seconds, only one remained.

Firestorm Star.

Firestorm is the homeworld of the future Aurora Chapter, which was Chapter the Ultramarines Fourth Legion.

During the Second Founding, the "Aurora" was officially established, specializing in lightning-fast armored assault operations, and its arsenal contained Raider and Predator Tank far exceeding those of most Chapter.

This is thanks to their homeworld, Firestorm Star, which is comparable in size to many Forge World, providing the Aurora with a constant stream of war machines.

Although I have already taken all the gems I wanted in the Five Hundred Worlds of Ultramar and do not intend to steal them from him, there are still a few good worlds outside of Ultramar, belonging to Robert Guilliman's son.

Firestorm Star is one of the most industrially developed.

Instead of hijacking Guilliman, hijacking his son wouldn't be bad either. Well, it's still unclaimed territory; first come, first served.

Nimrod picked up the Dice of Prophecy, his mind quickly processing the information he knew about Firestorm Star.

Firestorm Star, an industrially advanced planet covered with massive industrial facilities.

Firestorm Star is located in the eastern region of the Galaxy, between the Forge World of Incaladion and Attila.

Nimrod chose the Firestorm Star for another important reason: to build a bridge between Incaladion, which he controlled, and Attila.

He quickly went through it in his mind and then silently recited it to himself.

[Star map of Thalassa leading to the Firestorm Star.]

...]

The 7th Legion and Ninth Chapter have established themselves in the Ultima Segmentum. Within the territory under the jurisdiction of the 7th Legion, Ganyun and Calth are both developed Industrial World.

Nimrod decided to hand over Firestorm Star to the Ninth Chapter.

After silently reciting it eleven times, he reached out and threw the Dice of Prophecy in his hand.

After the triangular cone tumbled several times in the air, it landed in Nimrod's outstretched hand, and a scene that looked like a holographic projection appeared before his eyes.

Just as Nimrod was about to return to the real world, he suddenly heard a whisper in his ear.

After a moment's thought, he realized the voice was coming from Santiago Bergkamp.

The Baron of Corruption's Spirituality spread, touching the Star- like shimmering orb of light. He knelt before the altar, praying to himself.

"The Black Emperor of the Shadow of Order"

I pray for Your watchful gaze.

I offer you a sacrifice.

"The Iron Law of the Monarch, the foundation of Kingdom of Disorder, please transfer your power to my incantation."

The 5th Legion participated in the war against the Squats, but Santiago was left behind at Carium Gate to repair the space station and command his company to continue exploring the remaining Void Whale.

[Santiago, did you find something inside the Void Whale?]

With a thought, Nimrod caused the black mist at the altar of the Carium System to churn, and an invisible gate appeared out of thin air.

The wind howled, and objects flew into the air one by one.

The "Baron of Corruption" noticed a peculiar leaf among the offerings of Santiago, with silver and gray veins on its two sides.

Nimrod noticed that it would automatically flip according to the light, with the part closer to the light sphere appearing silver and the part placed in the black mist appearing gray.

The main material for Sequence 7 "Lucky One" Silver-Gray Sharo Leaf.

Nimrod's mind stirred, and a message formed in his mind. "Collect the Silver-Gray Double-Sided Leaf."

He transmitted the message into the sphere of light.

A moment later, Santiago's voice rang out. "Yes, my lord."

Nimrod then went to the First Layer Space and ordered the Space Ape to begin concocting the "Lucky One" potion.

Upon returning to the real world, Nimrod handed the silver-gray potion to John.

The Brainy Cat put the medicine into its mouth and skillfully began meditating, gathering its scattered power.

Nimrod shared the information with John through a telepathic connection.

The Brainy Cat quickly ran back to its home, grabbed a pen and paper with its paws, and began writing rapidly on it.

[Firestorm Star...]

John silently read what he had written down, noting down the information on the paper, over and over again.

After eleven repetitions, the "machine" picked up the paper and leaned back on his wooden bed.

The machine conjured a sphere of light in its mind, its eyes turned deep black, and it quickly entered a meditative state.

The surroundings suddenly became ethereal, and there seemed to be invisible things and colorful light extending endlessly above.

Images flashed through John's mind, and Nimrod examined them through a telepathic connection.

He saw a monster as tall as Astartes, its body covered in fleshy mud.

With each step the monster took, bits of flesh of varying sizes splattered onto the ground.

[The Carnivorous Sludge-men emerging from the Abyssal Reef Meteor launch a surprise attack on the Firestorm Star.]