Byzas Parade
The best way to dispel public suspicion is to engage with them.
During his time on Chemos, Fulgrim learned a great deal about diplomatic philosophy.
Whenever she went to a fortress, the first thing she faced was the fear of the locals.
Fear of the unfamiliar, fear of change.
The best way to eliminate it is to face it personally.
Wearing Primarch-level Purple-Gold Power Armor, Fulgrim waved to the countless curious onlookers.
The capital of Byzas is a beautiful place.
It may not be very wealthy, but it still retains the marks of its glorious past.
In the distance, rows of houses stand side by side.
Lush greenery climbed over the brick walls of the residents' houses, and the shops along the road exuded the fresh scent of dried herbs. On the other side was a fur shop filled with animal pelts, and the shop owner sat leisurely in a recliner in front of the door, rocking back and forth.
The stone path is not wide, but walking on it complements the surrounding scenery.
Leisure and comfort.
"Lord Collins!"
The elderly shopkeeper seemed to recognize Prime Minister Collins standing next to Fulgrim and stepped forward with a smile to shake his hand.
It seems that compared to the high-ranking Governor, this Prime Minister Collins held a much higher position in the hearts of the Byzas.
The glory of humanity's golden age still remains here.
At that time, Byzas was mostly perceived as a beautiful Garden World.
"I must admit, Prime Minister, that the Byzas are far more fortunate than those of my home planet."
Fulgrim couldn't help but sigh.
"But even Chemos, who is on the verge of death, will, under our guidance, break free from the age of ignorance and folly and embark on a voyage toward the great sea of stars."
"And I believe the Byzas could do it too."
Surrounded by countless curious onlookers, Fulgrim, accompanied by several of the Sons of the Emperor, stepped onto the high platform at the end of the street.
The spot where their landing craft docked was also the best Observation Deck in the entire capital city.
In front of the harbor surrounded by crescent-shaped land in the distance, fishermen cultivating algae are navigating their small boats, becoming distant starlight.
She stretched out her right hand and waved it into the distance.
"At that time, Byzas will prosper as much as Chemos, for a very long time to come!"
The crowd behind him erupted in thunderous cheers for Fulgrim's promise.
A powerful and beautiful princess from among the stars.
Its unparalleled charm alone is enough to captivate the entire world.
What's more, she also wants to transform Byzas, which has fallen into despair and decline, back into the paradise that people are talking about!
Feeling the thunderous congratulations from the mortals, Fulgrim smiled.
Compared to conquerors like Horus or Leman Russ, Fulgrim preferred to see himself as a liberator.
Just then, a scream caught her attention.
It was the Sons of the Emperor, Telma, who followed her.
He accidentally tripped a child who was standing too close to the ground. The child, perhaps seeing such a tall and strange human and armor for the first time, wanted to reach out and touch it.
"Don't!"
Seeing that Telma was still walking towards the fallen child, Prime Minister Collins was eager to step forward and stop her.
But it was too late.
Telma took off her helmet and lifted the little girl who had collapsed to the ground in fright.
As a Chemos-born, his background and appearance were anything but ordinary. His face, scarred with both old and new marks of war, looked particularly terrifying.
He looked at the other person with that fierce face.
Then he laughed.
"You really should be more careful, child."
Telma's actions seemed to frighten the onlookers, and his fierce face, even when he smiled, still exuded a terrifying aura.
"Telma, you should really think about your appearance before showing any goodwill."
Fulgrim took the still trembling child from the embarrassed Telma.
She lifted the girl high above her shoulder and gave the girl's anxious mother a kind smile.
Compared to the fierce-looking Telma, the girl was naturally not afraid of a beautiful goddess with a perfect face.
She sat on Fulgrim's shoulder armor, clapping her hands and giggling.
"Look at them, Sons of the Emperor."
"We are the highest, and they are the lowest. Your duty is to lift them up, as high as they can reach. To be even slightly lower would be beneath your dignity."
This is the consistent principle of the Emperor's Children Legion.
While ruling through fear may be simple and efficient, it will ultimately lead to a cycle of resistance and eventual overthrow.
Fear can be overthrown, but love cannot. It rises and falls, but never truly disappears.
Just like the Centaurus in the sky.
"Lessons from Chemos."
Fulgrim handed the child back to her tearful mother and smiled as she looked at the silent Prime Minister Collins.
"And I believe that after surrendering, Byzas will also join us in the great interstellar expedition!"
The cheers from the crowd were endless.
Starlight Princess won the favor of all the Byzas present with her great affability.
Prime Minister Collins does not appear to be one of them.
"But, sir."
"What exactly do you mean by this expedition—?"
He bent down and bowed deeply, his robe, a symbol of his high-ranking official status, drooping onto the stone pavement.
"Didn't the preacher, Pike, mention this to you?"
"Blood Tithe. Children from surrendered planets will undergo Space Marine transformation tests, and suitable individuals will become excellent Space Marine and join the Great Crusade."
"And the Sons of the Emperor generally come from two different backgrounds."
She pointed to Abdelon beside her. "Either they come from the bloodline of ancient nobles on various planets."
"Or perhaps an outstanding young graduate from a military academy." She turned to the Sons of the Emperor Telma, whom she had just spoken to.
This is Kasgar's suggestion.
He had prepared all of this while on Chemos.
Establish military academies in major fortified cities to select suitable personnel.
Recruits selected through formal testing are far more militarily competent than those chosen by other legions through a variety of quirky methods.
"May I ask, when will this expedition end?"
Good question.
Fulgrim fell silent at that moment.
When will the war end?
She had never considered this question, nor had she ever asked the Emperor about it.
"I have no idea."
"Maybe soon, maybe never."
"I see."
The Prime Minister's face was expressionless.
He bowed deeply to Fulgrim and slowly backed away.
Yes, an expedition.
When will this Great Crusade, which spans the entire galaxy, come to an end?
Fulgrim fell into deep thought.
But then, the whooshing sound of a bullet cutting through the air interrupted her thoughts.
To be honest, it's impossible to write about Fulgrim without the scene of him holding the little girl.