When Fellow Townsmen Meet

Lycaeus.

"The situation is not very optimistic."

"The counterinsurgency fleet from the main star will soon be fully assembled, and a large number of soldiers equipped with advanced spaceship weapons will soon land on Lycaeus."

Corvus Corax's complexion was not good when he set foot on the desolate land of the planet again.

Not long ago, he infiltrated the main star to investigate the situation through the last link between the main star and Lycaeus —the large cargo Space Elevator used to transport minerals.

With the ability to become invisible to everyone, he successfully bypassed all the guards right under everyone's noses, restarted the Space Elevator, and returned to Lycaeus.

His Psychic Power.

Rather than invisibility, Corvus Corax uses Psychic Power to reduce his presence, so that even if he appears directly in front of a surveillance camera or an enemy, they won't notice anything amiss.

They are currently facing a very serious situation.

Although the entire planet of Lycaeus has been liberated, the workers currently only possess a barren wasteland with only some industrial facilities.

Perhaps they did indeed defeat a stronger and more advanced enemy through their tenacious and resolute perseverance.

However, in Void Naval Battle, their weapons, which were modified from mining equipment or prison torture devices, are ineffective against the orbital bombardment of enemy spaceships.

Perhaps Corvus Corax, as the "Savior," possesses powerful stealth abilities, which indeed enable him to assassinate the enemy leader in a short period of time.

But there are many more workers on Lycaeus who also need the protection of Corvus Corax.

Even if he ultimately wins the battle, he will only be a raven filled with vengeance, frantically hunting down the enemy who took away his existence after losing everything.

The hunt is never-ending.

"Tsk."

Corvus Corax lowered his head in distress.

He sensed this possibility of the future, or to put it more bluntly: fragments of prophecy from the future.

— He looks a lot like Konrad Curze.

Although at this time Corvus Corax did not know who Konrad Curze was.

"We understood these principles when we first picked up weapons to fight, little savior."

The workers did not seem to feel fear or despair about the impending fleet bombing.

On the contrary, being able to gather here and fight alongside Corvus Corax for a better tomorrow is enough to make them feel extremely honored.

It is far better to die a heroic death in war than to be whipped to death by law enforcement in a dark mine.

What should we do next?

"Corvus Corax, we are all waiting for your orders."

The workers gathered in the factory and surrounded Corvus Corax.

They trusted Corvus Corax, nothing more.

The Pride of the Emperor

The Combined Fleet meeting following the completion of the warp jump.

The event was attended by three Primarch, representatives from the Imperial Army, the Adeptus Mechanicus, the Navigator Houses, and other factions, as well as the Kasgar.

Kasgar wasn't actually required to attend the meeting, but he was dragged there under Perturabo's insistence.

"Based on the findings of our advance reconnaissance team, the following is observed:"

"A planetary rebellion has broken out in Lycaeus, where the Primarch resides. According to descriptions on the main planet [Kiavahr], it seems that the leader of the rebellion is the new Primarch we are looking for."

This information was transmitted back by the fleet that landed on Kiavahr, disguised as interstellar merchant ships.

"The main star [Kiavahr] is currently conducting large-scale battle preparations on the surface, ready to launch an attack on Lycaeus at any moment."

"Snort."

Perturabo still seemed quite unhappy with the intelligence from the Imperial Army representative.

"Is there more information about the Primarch on Kiavahr? Or is that mysterious prophecy from the Commander of the Sons of the Emperor about to take effect again?"

"Or are we about to put up a picture of the Curze brothers to match his prophecy?"

Ha!

Perturabo didn't believe anything Kasgar said.

He actually said that the new Primarch and Konrad Curze looked very similar, with almost identical eye and skin colors.

How could that be!

Curze's appearance was so peculiar that even Perturabo could not imagine what another person who looked like him would look like.

There are no two Primarch that look exactly alike in this world, which does not conform to the Emperor's original vision of them excelling in their respective fields when they were designed.

Since it couldn't possibly be Curze, this guy is probably using Curze's unstable mental state to mock the Iron Lord as a lunatic!

Perturabo thought to himself, feeling conflicted.

You little brat, you even have to disgust me with this!

"My lord, we cannot find any further information about the new Primarch."

"Even in Kiavahr, where countless surveillance devices are deployed, not a single trace of him could be found. In local legend, he seems to be an assassin who can attack from the shadows. No one has ever seen him, and no one knows what he really looks like."

"Just like Night Haunter, isn't it, brother?"

After listening to the Imperial Army's speech, Mortarion stepped forward with a grin and stirred up the fire.

"Snort."

Perturabo simply gave a cold snort.

"I don't understand what you mean. Why are you trying to keep your Expeditionary Fleet as far away from Kiavahr's detection range as possible? What's the point of that?"

"Lycaeus and the new Primarch are right in front of us, why are we waiting here?"

"Of course, it's so as not to disturb our younger brother's work."

Mortarion explained.

As someone who's been through it all, he's the most qualified to speak on this.

"If our joint Expeditionary Fleet marches to the main planet Kiavahr and rescues them from crisis like saviors, will they trust you unconditionally?"

"No! It's not that simple!"

"What will those who follow the New Primarch think? And what will the New Primarch himself think?"

"We cannot rashly force him to be the savior without considering his own wishes; that would be the most foolish thing to do!"

The more Mortarion spoke on the Holographic Projection screen, the more excited he became, almost to the point of standing up and slamming his fist on the table in front of him.

If Kasgar's guess is correct, Mortarion now seems to have deeply identified with him.

He hated it!

He regretted not accepting the Emperor's provocation back then, and he regretted losing the final battle against his Xenos adoptive father.

When the Emperor descended upon Barbarus, the homeworld of the Mortarion, the Mortarion rebels had already essentially taken over all the territory on the planet.

Apart from the Xenos foster father's fortress, which is difficult to access due to the protection of the poison cloud, all other places have been successfully liberated by the Mortarion.

The rebels only need to besiege the enemy's fortress and wait for the enemy's resources to run out. That will be the day when all of humanity in Barbarus is liberated.

But at that very moment, a stranger arrived at Mortarion's camp.

He pointed out that Mortarion was too afraid of confronting the enemy head-on, so he resorted to a scorched-earth strategy. If he continued to be a coward, he should be made the leader of Barbarus.

Mortarion could not tolerate such treatment.

The two immediately made a bet that they would go and fight that damned Xenos Army one-on-one right now.

The loser has to call me daddy!

Because his desire to prove himself was too strong, he was forced out of the fortress by the Emperor when the unification of Barbarus was just around the corner, and went to fight his Xenos adoptive father one-on-one.

—And then I never won.

His fighting style was not the defensive counter-attack and steady tactics that Mortarion was familiar with, and coupled with the unbearable Barbarus gas, he was unable to unleash his full strength in the battle.

We lost.

We fell for that guy's treacherous scheme!

Mortarion had always held a grudge about this and could not forget it.

Under the corrosive effects of the Xenos's poison, Mortarion could only lie on the ground in humiliation, watching as the Emperor, radiating intense holy light, instantly killed him, gaining the faith and love of all the people of Barbarus.

But what about Mortarion?

He could only lie on the ground and watch all of this happen, like an incompetent husband.

This is so humiliating!!!

The Emperor could never have imagined that his one outburst would leave Xiao Mo with a lifetime of scars.

"This is a complete attempt to steal credit; we can't do that."

Having emerged from painful memories, Mortarion reiterated this point.

This is a crucial moment for the new Primarch to establish its authority.

If you want to maintain a good relationship with him in the future, it's best not to make a move now.

"So we're just going to stand here and watch, like spectators in the VIP section?"

"What if the battle goes wrong because of our inaction on the part of the new Primarch? Will they blame us for standing by and doing nothing?"

Perturabo expressed his opposition.

They're here to welcome the Primarch's return, not to wait and watch the show.

"In that case, I have a decision to make."

Fulgrim stopped the two from arguing.

"We can land on the Lycaeus using only a small cargo merchant ship, just like those Imperial Army did when they were gathering information."

"If the new Primarch can successfully deal with the threat from the main planet, we can watch them win their battle on the planet."

"But if they encounter danger in the battle, we can also urgently call for help from nearby fighter groups."

A compromise suggestion, but one that is indeed suitable for the current situation.

Normally, the Emperor is the one who travels incognito to various planets. This time, it's finally the Primarch' turn to go together, and they definitely have to seize this golden opportunity!

Who knows, maybe I'll be the big brother to the new Primarch in the future?

Although both Mortarion and Perturabo are quite stubborn, they wouldn't refuse such a good opportunity.

"Good."

"When?"

"Right now."

She said.

Lycaeus.

What?

Corvus Corax, who was fiddling with and repairing the parts in front of the machine, looked up in surprise.

"A new guest?"

"What kind of guests would land here right after we've finished our uprising? Don't they know there's a war going on here?"

"According to them, their ship was attacked and damaged during its voyage, making it unable to continue sailing and forcing them to make an emergency landing on this satellite."

Strange.

This was Corvus Corax's first reaction upon hearing the news.

After the ship suffered irreversible damage, their first thought wasn't to land on the main planet Kiavahr, but rather on the inconspicuous mining satellite Lycaeus, which didn't even have a surface atmosphere.

Could it be a spy sent by Kiavahr?

Corvus Corax's eyes sharpened slightly.

"And it seems these cosmic visitors are about your height, Corvus Corax. About the same height."

"Your height is similar to mine?"

"You should first receive them with normal courtesy, tell them that we are at war, and advise them to leave as soon as possible."

"I'll follow behind you to scout the situation, and if there's a problem, I'll take action immediately."

The next moment, Corvus Corax vanished from the messenger's sight.

It was as if it had never existed.

"Well?"

"Who was I just talking to?"

The messenger looked up, somewhat bewildered, recalling the purpose of his visit.

I can't remember.

"That's right!"

"We almost forgot that ships from other worlds have landed on our planet!"

"We need to hurry and go greet them!"

After pondering for a long time without any ideas, the messenger suddenly thought of the most important thing.

He quickly walked out of the room filled with mechanical parts and ran towards the landing point of the spaceship in the distance.

A group of curious workers surrounded the spacecraft's landing site.

These people, dressed in heavy protective suits like astronauts, watched the crash-landed spaceship and whispered among themselves.

These protective suits were their equipment for mining in mines without atmospheric cover, and they were just what they needed to use in Lycaeus, where atmospheric facilities had not yet been built.

After everyone waited for a while, the emergency landing hatch opened, and several figures of varying ages stepped out.

"I'm starting to think this is not a good idea."

"Cough cough cough, where is my incense burner?"

"You're still eyeing that incense burner of yours! The concentrated poison gas inside that Barbarus could kill an entire platoon with a single breath! How could these mortals possibly withstand it?"

"Cough cough. I know, but it feels so bad."

Four figures wearing vacuum protective suits came down.

One was tall and thin, one was short and stocky, and the other had a normal build.

There was another one who was even shorter, but still of normal build.

This is not surprising; after all, the universe is vast and contains all kinds of people.

The workers, who were used to seeing mutants and Abhumans in the slave mines, were not surprised by this.

But they are also a bit too tall, like the Corvus Corax.

Even the shortest one is two and a half meters tall.

What should we do next?

Perturabo was on the verge of embarrassment as he faced the curious onlookers watching from a distance.

For someone who prefers to stay in his room alone and work on his figurines, socializing with a bunch of silly people is simply a waste of his time.

So Perturabo is completely socially inept.

Moreover, his equipment didn't fit properly.

Originally, each Primarch had their own powered armor, but if they wore Perturabo's powerful CNC machine gun or Fulgrim's opulent purple-gold armor...

Who would believe they were small business owners who had unfortunately crash-landed?

Therefore, they could only modify the simplest vacuum-operation spacecraft equipment.

Despite Mortarion being tall and thin like a stick, and Perturabo being short (relative to the Primarch) and stocky, it was indeed somewhat comical for them to stand together in their modified protective suits.

But no matter how they disguised themselves, without Old Man Huang's Psychic Power to directly change their appearance, this small team of four looked suspicious no matter how they tried to disguise themselves.

It's so tall! Apart from Corvus Corax, I've never seen anyone else grow to that size.

Hello. Is there anyone who can help me?

Fulgrim anxiously stepped forward to ask, knees slightly bent, as he looked at the person in charge who was surrounded by a crowd.

"Hello, this is Averinia, an ordinary worker on Lycaeus. We have no kings or emperors here, nor dictators or tyrants."

"We are all workers."

"Excuse me, what kind of ship is this?"

"We are a space debris salvage ship that travels between the universe to retrieve Warp debris. We earn a meager living by relying on our courage and lives every day. Unfortunately, we encountered Warp tide during one of our operations. Our ship survived by sheer luck, but we were stranded here after running out of fuel."

As a top-tier actress, Fulgrim spoke with tears streaming down her face, making the audience feel her pain even more deeply.

Although the workers didn't understand what Warp was.

But it does sound pretty bad.

"And that's not all, one of our brothers even fell ill during the voyage and had to return to the real world to recuperate and receive treatment."

As she spoke, Fulgrim pointed to the tall, thin man behind her.

"Huh? Me?"

"That's right, it's you!"

Fulgrim led the guy to Averinia.

Through the face glass of the vacuum work suit, she could clearly see what was inside.

The man was thin and pale with jaundice; he looked like a tuberculosis patient.

It is very credible.

"I! I'm not!"

Mortarion was about to retort, but seemingly for the sake of acting, he had to swallow his anger. "Cough, that's right."

"Cough cough."

"I have a cough, I feel really uncomfortable, I need help."

Without the air of Barbarus, he really felt terrible!

"I understand your difficult situation, but I'm sorry, we in Lycaeus are at war. The planet only has mining facilities and a few factories for making Nutrient paste."

"We understand! We don't need any special treatment, we just ask to be able to dock here temporarily. We'll leave immediately once the spaceship's maintenance is complete!"

"If we have Promethium fuel, we can trade it for whatever you want!"

"We have weapons! Isn't Lycaeus currently at war? We can exchange our firearms and ammunition."

They have weapons!

Upon hearing this, Averinia's eyes lit up.

At this critical moment when Kiavahr is about to launch a large-scale counterinsurgency operation, what resource is more important than weapons?

Especially when Lycaeus had nothing but mineral resources?

"I'm sorry, I have to inform our workers' leaders about this first."

Please wait a moment.

As she spoke, she tried her best to imitate the etiquette of Fulgrim, bowed to them, and then quickly disappeared into the crowd.

"Why haven't they arrived yet?"

The waiting process seemed exceptionally long.

After Averinia left, the three Primarch, along with Kasgar, could only sit at the ship's hatch, waiting under the curious gazes of the crowd.

"Could it be that our disguise wasn't working properly?"

Fulgrim was a little unsure.

Compared to the Emperor described by other Primarch as capable of endless transformations, this makeshift crew with their clumsy acting and bizarre equipment certainly seemed suspicious no matter how you looked at it.

In addition, the ships in the Sons of the Emperor fleet were all polished to a shine, while the ships of the Iron Warriors were all brand new (small ships simply could not survive the intensity of the Iron Warriors war).

If it weren't for the Death Guard having a battle-hardened, small commercial transport ship on their side, they wouldn't even have been able to find a pretext to land.

But the smell of this ship...

It has a distinct Barbarus flavor.

"The worker uprising leader that man mentioned is probably the New Primarch. When exactly will he arrive?"

"They're almost here. I can feel a pair of eyes watching us."

Perturabo paused for a moment before speaking.

He could sense an unfamiliar presence. Even though he was away from his most familiar CNC equipment, the Primarch's intuition still made him feel the presence of danger.

Something was watching him.

It's like someone lurking in the shadows, constantly watching your weaknesses, ready to strike and kill you.

Dangerous and hidden.

"Shh, he's right there, at the top of that fence in front of you."

As Kasgar spoke, he gently leaned toward Fulgrim.

Kasgar's Psychic Power perception from the Warp made him extremely sensitive to this tiny Psychic Power fluctuation.

Now that the Raven King's presence has been noticed, his invisibility can no longer deceive Kasgar in the slightest.

"Should we call him over now and ask him to come down?"

"No. Seeing through their disguise so directly will only expose our identities."

"Let's just pretend we didn't see it."

As he spoke, Kasgar turned his head to one side.

"Welcome, everyone, to Lycaeus."

After observing for a moment, Corvus Corax finally jumped down from the height, deactivated his invisibility ability, and walked out from the crowd that was gasping in surprise.

I can't figure out what's going on.

Although these people were all as tall as him, Corvus Corax, their presence gave him a natural sense of familiarity.

Corvus Corax strode forward and looked at the four men in front of him. "Corvus Corax, the workers' leader of Lycaeus."

"How can I help you?"

"Etc!"

"Your appearance!"

Just as Corvus Corax stepped forward, Kasgar suddenly cried out in alarm!

This is not—

"Isn't this our long-lost brother?"

"."

"."

"."

The remaining three looked at Kasgar with the eyes of someone looking at an idiot.

Let me tell you something you might not know.

"No! I mean his appearance! He looks exactly like that person! Really, exactly the same!"

Meeting Corvus Corax's questioning gaze, Kasgar suddenly pulled a photograph out of his pocket.

"This is."

Corvus Corax took it with some confusion, and then his eyes widened in surprise.

—A photograph of Konrad Curze.

"Exactly the same!"

Kasgar continued, even as a few hot tears welled up in his eyes.

"We've been looking for you for so long, ever since you were lost in the universe."

"If I'm not mistaken, he could very well be your full brother, sharing the same parents!"

There's no way around it, these two are just too alike.

He couldn't help but make a fuss about it.

—Kasgar was not lying.

Curze is indeed your brother; he's the eighth, and you're the nineteenth.

However, he didn't say that Perturabo and Mortarion were your brothers.

"We've found Curze's brother! Friends! We've finally found him!"

As he spoke, Kasgar pretended to be very excited and tightly gripped the still somewhat dazed Corvus Corax.

"Corvus Corax, hurry, we still have a lot to talk about."

Kasgar was moved to tears.

Plan, scheme, and communication.

"I apologize, our uprising is recent and the facilities here may still be in their original state. Please forgive us."

This place was originally a prison used to hold slave laborers. After the Corvus Corax Revolt and some minor renovations, it became a place for people to rest.

But after all, only a few days had passed since the uprising, and the place was still as cold and damp as before.

Corvus Corax looked a little embarrassed.

"It's alright, it's alright! As long as it's habitable, it's fine!"

Soon, guided by Corvus Corax, the four of them were finally able to enter the interior of Lycaeus.

"Come on, Mortarion, you're not feeling well, go to bed first."

"Cough cough cough okay."

As he spoke, Kasgar helped the tall Mortarion beside him lie down with difficulty on the bed board, which seemed tiny for the Primarch's size.

"It seems a bit small."

This is a bit awkward.

"It's alright, let me help him."

Who said this? Perturabo?

"Awoooooo!"

With obvious ill intent, Perturabo folded the screaming Mortarion taut and stuffed him inside.

To be honest, at this point, everyone's playful spirit was really running high.

"Are you all alright?"

Corvus Corax was still a little uneasy.

He never imagined that he would suddenly encounter fellow countrymen who had been lost in the universe today. Judging from their height and appearance, they were indeed very credible.

Furthermore, these fellow villagers even brought information about their long-lost brothers.

After liberating Lycaeus, he could return with these fellow countrymen to his hometown, which he had never seen before, and learn the mystery of his origins.

Since they were fellow countrymen who had been lost in the universe, they naturally won Corvus Corax's trust.

"It's alright, Corvus Corax brothers, you go ahead and get busy!"

"We'll meet with you once his condition improves a bit!"

Kasgar gave a simple, honest smile.

Corvus Corax was raised by compassionate workers.

The good news is that he learned more about hardship and kindness as he grew up.

The bad news is that he's too naive.

They are easily fooled by bad guys like Kasgar.

—Wait a minute, how can you call it a lie? Kasgar was telling the truth in everything he said!

"Puff."

But watching these once high-ranking and powerful men play and joke around here, having long since cast aside the brutal shadow of the Great Crusade, bickering and arguing among brothers as if on vacation.

Perturabo laughed.

Then he saw Averinia, who had just pushed open the door and walked in, and their eyes met.

And the other person saw his smile.

Perturabo will never laugh again.