Don't Ask. If You Ask, It's Ogryn
Mordred considered himself worldly-wise, but even he couldn't understand why anyone would like Eleven-to-one.
This question had been troubling him for a full two weeks, and he wasn't the only one; none of the Atlas could figure it out. Could it be that these Terra nobles were just like that, only interested in thrills and excitement, otherwise they had no motivation?
Fortunately, there was a reasonably good Warp passage from Colchis to Holy Terra. Riding the ocean currents, the Abomination quickly entered the Sol Sector and then transferred to Holy Terra.
As the connecting pod entered the starport, Mordred, intending to see what was going on, was immediately stunned by the sight before her. The enormous starport platform was covered in heads, and beneath those heads were various Imperial officials eagerly awaiting her arrival. Upon seeing Mordred, they jumped and danced with excitement, accompanied by strange music playing all around.
"I come from Serenity, which bestowed upon me a body of pure white; I desire to eat the food of Serenity ---."
0//0/0//0///
Before Mordred could react, he saw several dark shadows descend from the sky, the largest of which grabbed his hand:
"Second Brother, it's me!"
Looking at the towering giant in front of her, who was almost as tall as herself, Mordred wanted to shout, "How Could my adorable Konrad Curze turn into this? Is he even 10 years old?!"
But before he could shout it out, Mordred changed his mind and said:
"Well done, Koz. You've really made something of yourself in the last few years. I almost didn't recognize you. So, these three over there must be Sevitar, Kaelen, and Shen, right? Only Sol hasn't changed a bit; he still looks like that greasy, kidney-deficient guy."
Upon hearing Mordred call his name, the three who formed the Four Heavenly Kings with Koz nodded in agreement. Only Sol, who was referred to as the middle-aged man, said that he had simply not shaved, but he had washed his face and it wasn't oily!
Like Koz, the Trio have grown up. Having successfully undergone Space Marine transformation surgery, they have all become powerful and muscular men, and have become the backbone of the Legion.
Upon hearing the news, Atlas greeted the Night Lords. The Khan and Tom, the two rascals, instantly connected with Koz on a telepathic level, exchanging glances and agreeing to spend the night at the Aeldari massage parlor.
"Seriously, we've been chatting for so long, why are these people still jumping around like that? Aren't they tired?"
Taking a few more steps forward, Mordred recognized the old man at the head of the group as Peter, the Speaker of Terra. To be able to stay in the council for over 100 years, this Old Ones was really in good health, and he hadn't even died suddenly.
"Old Peter, why do you look like you're crying when you laugh? Tears are streaming down your face!"
Peter wanted to say that he was exhausted. Since being caught cheating, they had been standing here for three whole days. If they hadn't come soon, he wouldn't have shed a tear, and his old arms and legs would have been worn out.
But Peter would never dare say that. He could see the group of Night Lords standing behind Mordred staring at him, desperately urging Deadhand to move faster.
"Warmaster, you're joking. I've watched you grow up. The thought of you returning to Terra brings tears to my eyes."
"Yes, yes, Your Highness's kindness can never be repaid. Everyone here came here of their own accord to welcome you!"
Terra officials shouted in unison, their previous posturing now more authentic than real gold, with some even fainting from excitement.
"No, this is going too far! I'm starting to lose my composure. Besides, I'm no longer Warmaster. What am I supposed to do with this?"
That being said, who dares to stop at this point? If they stop, wouldn't they be instantly retired and turned into mindless Servitor who can only babble?
"Didn't you hear me? The Warmaster said to stop, so stop right now. It's not like we're forcing you."
As soon as Shen Yi spoke, a large number of Koz Night Lords pulled the bolts of their guns, which scared the group of human nobles who stood at the top of the empire so much that they Collapsed on the Ground.
Seeing this, Mordred felt a surge of secret satisfaction. Even though he had been stripped of his Warmaster position, he thought, "Even if you're a dragon, you have to coil up for me; even if you're a tiger, you have to lie low for me."
However, appearances still had to be maintained. Mordred waved his hand, and immediately a team of Atlas stepped forward, lifted up the half-dead officials, and carried them to the orbital elevator.
As for the Arch-Magos Sage, who was so large that he could be considered a behemoth, he was placed on a small cart and pushed back.
It can be said that the human will to survive is infinite. In order not to be turned into human paper, Mordred's journey to the Imperial Palace was decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations everywhere. There were no fewer than 40 giant hot air balloons with his image on them.
A continuous stream of colorful red carpets and flowers led directly to Mordred's mansion, which she had built at great expense next to the Imperial Palace.
In fact, the Emperor built residences for each Primarch in the Imperial Palace, but everyone knows that Old Man Huang has bad taste, and only Dorn can connect with him on the same wavelength.
To make himself more comfortable, Mordred, with the generous contributions of several nobles who are probably now in elementary school, leased a large plot of land.
Furthermore, according to the different preferences of each legion, a large villa was built for each good brother. The remaining open space was not left idle either, as large canteens were built and apartment buildings were constructed for officials to live in.
Regardless of whether this was an attempt to win people's hearts, many impoverished officials did indeed find shelter, and some even gave these small houses a name: Mordred Building.
Without outside interference, Koz instantly became much more lively, opening the refrigerator and handing out a serving of Macragge's specialty snack Coconut Ambition, to everyone.
"Second Brother, you have no idea! These bastards actually dared to complain about you to my face! If it weren't for Lady Yuton teaching me to treat people with courtesy, I would have slaughtered them all."
If a normal person heard this, they would definitely reprimand and restrain themselves, but Mordred wasn't exactly a normal person either, so he immediately said, "Well done!"
"But then again, why do I feel like these people have become even more cowardly? What exactly did you do to them?"
Like a little kid craving praise, Koz and his friends, with Sol, the seasoned veteran, adding their own comments, recounted their experiences over the past four years.
When Mordred heard that the Night Lords had imitated Atlas and even come up with the ingenious 11-draw elimination system, she was immediately astonished.
Don't be fooled by the mere addition of the phrase "last-place elimination system"—it changes everything. Atlas kills anyone who dares to break the rules, as long as you work honestly, you'll be safe and sound.
However, the Night Lords's system is such that you can't slack off; you have to work yourself to the bone. If you can't work yourself to the bone, you'll have to contribute to the Empire in another form.
Moreover, perhaps having learned real skills from Guilliman, Koz disregarded the Emperor's decree, and half of the Night Lords participated in government affairs, clearing out half of the accumulated government affairs in just four years.
In other words, all the political affairs from 20 years ago have been wiped clean! Mortal officials are now being compared to Space Marine; no wonder they all look like they've lost their mothers. And the Night Lords aren't those Ultramarines; we're Nostramo natives, we believe in Imperial Truth.
If you dare to disobey even the slightest bit, you will die.
"Second Brother, you don't know, Terra is even Nurgle Nostramo. For the past four years, the Night Lords has not gone anywhere but has been maintaining order in Terra."
In my opinion, my father should have let the Space Marine manage the Empire, but he wouldn't listen to me. He even beat me up and said he'd send me off Terra to the Great Crusade soon."
Mordred was helpless in this regard. He knew exactly what Old Man Huang wanted to do; he didn't want the Space Marine to ride roughshod over the Empire.
From another perspective, the Space Marine, these superhuman warriors, are flawed, primarily focused on cost-effectiveness, and fundamentally incapable of becoming a race capable of reproduction and evolution.
Given Mordred's technological capabilities, turning a woman into Space Marine would be incredibly easy; at most, it would just require more resources. Luther is the best example of this.
Even so, the Spartan Warriors were already jumping around in minefields. After all, the offspring of a pair of Space Marine mating were no different from ordinary people. The important thing was the surgery and the Gene-Seed.
Why are all Primarchs so fond of the title of Warmaster? It's because it's the only position the Legion can hold to participate in Imperial decision-making; it's both an honor and a backup plan for all their comrades in arms.
"Don't overthink it. Old Man Huang may be a scoundrel, but he's still quite humane. The Milky Way is so vast; who knows how many years the Great Crusade will take? Why are you thinking so much?"
That's true, but Koz was still a little uneasy and dropped another bombshell for Mordred:
"In fact, during the years of cleaning up the Hive City, the Night Lords discovered some special breeds of Ogryn."
"Ogryn? What's so special about Ogryn? I, your Second Brother, know Ogryn better than anyone else. Nobody knows Ogryn better than me."
I only managed to unify the Serenity back then with Ogryn.
Mordred thought Koz was hallucinating again, so he shook his head to try and bring him back to his senses.
"No, Second Brother, the kind of Ogryn I'm talking about isn't the dull-witted kind from your hometown. Well, no, the Ogryn from Serenity are indeed a bit smarter; they can even count. But the kind of Ogryn I'm talking about is different; they cheat."
Mordred's first thought was of Grey Ogryn. These Ogryn, known for their exceptional intelligence, not only possessed high IQs but some could even manipulate Psychic Power. However, their numbers were extremely small, and their existence had never been officially confirmed by the Empire, who only believed them to be genetic mutations.
But the words that immediately came out of Koz's mouth caught Mordred's attention:
"Those giants, over 3 meters tall, called themselves Ogryn. At first, I didn't pay much attention, but Sol told me that those giants weren't Ogryn at all. He remembered these people, but forgot what they were."
"Yes, Your Highness, I do have an impression of those people, but my memory does not contain any specific information about them."
As a former Legion Commander the Eighth Legion, Sol is a true Terran-descended veteran, and very likely one of the original Space Marine, who also participated in the Unification Wars against the Pan-Pacific Empire.
Mordred had already guessed who those special Ogryn, were, and after much hesitation, he finally revealed their names:
"They are Thunder Warriors, the precursors to the Adeptus Custodes and Space Marine. You wretched Yellow Skins, can't you be a little cleaner?"