The Tech-Priest's Clone 55

"Yes, Primarch, this is my final wish," Dzansk said.

"I shall grant you mercy, Colonel Dzansk; your soul will be with the Emperor."

Guilliman placed his hand upon Dzansk's throat; with but a gentle exertion of force, the man's neck would be snapped.

Dzansk revealed a smile, incomparably peaceful.

The fear brought by death became insignificant in this moment.

He would return beneath the throne of the Emperor and reunite with those fallen comrades.

The creaking sound of bone was sudden and swift.

Dzansk's head lolled to one side, and he drew no more breath.

Guilliman withdrew his hand and performed the Aquila Sign.

Even if he was not a Space Marine, Dzansk was a true hero.

"Cremate his body, then bury him properly," Guilliman instructed the others before turning and walking out.

Bodies infected with the plague had to be cremated to avoid secondary contamination.

"Is Uncle dead?" A little girl stood outside the ward, looking at everything in a daze.

Mom was dead, Dad was gone, Grandma was dead, little brother was dead, and now even Uncle was dead.

This world had become so lonely, so very lonely.

Guilliman, having walked out of the ward, followed the sound and caught sight of the child.

The girl held a dirty toy in her hand, standing all alone in the crowd, staring blankly at him.

"Take all children who have lost their parents into the Imperial Orphanage. Select the healthy ones among them to become soldiers of the Empire, and train them to be warriors against Chaos."

Guilliman issued a new order; he would give these children a chance for revenge.

This was also a helpless measure; if these orphans were left unattended, they would soon perish without the ability to survive.

Raising them like normal children seemed impractical.

In this cruel universe, abandoning those unable to survive had long since become a habit.

Guilliman could only let them live in this way: the Empire would raise them, and they would be the soldiers of the future.

After dealing with the matters of Dzansk and the orphans, Guilliman did not leave immediately but stayed at the hospital to listen to the opinions of the people.

The fundamental reason for saving the Empire was to save humanity.

To save the Empire for the sake of the Empire was the most foolish of ideas.

The purpose of the Empire was to allow humanity to survive in this dark universe and to guarantee the interests of humanity to the greatest extent.

It was not to sacrifice the interests of humanity to maintain the Empire.

The current Empire had completely inverted this, constantly sacrificing human interests to prop up the Empire.

The Empire had become a playground for the powerful, and this had to be changed.

Guilliman stayed to listen to the thoughts of these common people to express one idea.

The Empire was the Empire of humanity, not merely the Empire of the nobility.

"We want jobs that can provide enough food."

"Let my children go to school."

"I hope to have some leisure time outside of work."

"Can the environment around the Hive City be improved?"

Guilliman selected some important matters and noted them down.

He would set about changing Sara Planet, helping this planet establish a sound system and a relatively equal society.

Rights and obligations would be closely linked; there must never again be those useless, wasteful nobles.

He would also leave a small detachment of Space Marines on this planet.

He would not leave until this planet was on the right track and possessed a capable defensive force.

He summoned the surviving scholars and screened from among them those who wished to change Sara Planet, having them form a brand-new management class.

The original ruling families were all abolished by him and demoted to commoners.

Their performance had left Guilliman extremely disappointed.

As soon as the war began, they had fled into their fortresses, ignoring everything outside.

It was precisely because of their cowardice and selfishness that the defenders of Sara Planet had collapsed so quickly.

If it were not for Colonel Dzansk stepping forward at the critical moment to turn the tide and rally the crumbling defenders, Sara Planet would have long since become a plague-ridden Death Star.

Killing them was also impractical.

The noble class of the Empire was too vast; while killing these people would certainly be satisfying, it would not suffice.

Yet, doing so would inevitably invite the wariness of other nobles, driving them straight into the arms of Chaos.

These mortal nobles have long since woven the entire Imperium into a vast web of power through thousands of years of intermarriage.

Once turmoil is ignited, it would lead an Imperium already suffering from massive blood loss directly toward death.

This is no longer the era of the Great Crusade; there are no longer a dozen Primarchs holding the galaxy in their grip.

The galaxy has become the galaxy of the mortal nobles.

Guilliman stands alone; a hardline attitude would only prove counterproductive.

He cannot personally visit every planet, nor does he have the energy to deal with one internal rebellion after another.

Appropriate compromise is a necessity.

Only when he has fully seized control of the Imperium, or when Cawl has forged an unprecedented army for him, will he be able to afford to be hardline.

Sara Planet is under reconstruction.

With Guilliman's help, Sara Planet will become a beautiful home in the eyes of the survivors.

He also ordered the Tech-Priests of the Adeptus Mechanicus to craft brand-new machinery for Sara Planet to improve its harsh environment.

At the same time, he is auditing all factories, ensuring all emissions meet standards to improve the local natural environment.

Such renovations will tie up some of the Imperium's strength and distract its focus.

Yet, Guilliman does not care about that.

Without even a hometown worth remembering, without even a childhood to look back on, how can those ordinary people resist the temptations of Chaos?

They must be made to know what they are fighting for so that they can steady their grip on their guns and stand firm against Chaos.

Two weeks later, Guilliman's fleet withdrew from the low orbit of Sara Planet.

The basic factories have been rebuilt, and food and water supplies are now self-sufficient.

The new rulers are leading the people to complete the remaining reconstruction work, striving for an early recovery to serve the Imperium.

A sculpture of Dzansk stands in the center of the city, watching over the home for which he once gave his life.

The little girl he saved has been sent to an Imperial Orphanage.

These children will receive training from a young age, growing up with a loathing and hatred for Chaos.

They will learn new tactics, new ideologies, and the latest knowledge of the Imperium.

When the future day arrives, these children will become the sharpest blade in Guilliman's hand.

The Sons of Vengeance will be unstoppable.

After the Macragge's Honour entered the Warp.

Guilliman boarded a secure elevator, preparing to descend into the depths of the Macragge's Honour.

He needs to meet the Tech-Priest Cawl—or, to be precise, one of Cawl's avatars.

To this day, the person Guilliman relies on most is still the Tech-Priest Cawl.

He cannot fight and conduct scientific research at the same time; he must have someone to assist him.

The Tech-Priest Cawl is the best candidate; this Radical Faction Tech-Priest does not care where knowledge comes from, as long as it is useful.

Guilliman needs him to help translate the knowledge in the Database into real power.

Otherwise, this Cheat of a Database would be useless.

The elevator hummed as it descended, and Guilliman engaged in some communication with the Assistant Spirit.

"When will the second certification mission arrive?"

[The host has not yet fully integrated and utilized the currently unlocked technology. Rashly unlocking high-level technology would disrupt the progress of civilization, leading to an incomplete civilizational system.]

"So many requirements?" Guilliman was somewhat dissatisfied.

Other people's Cheats start with ten consecutive draws, upgrading to a Mythical Great Luo in six days, and dominating the Primordial Realm in ten.

My Cheat starts by asking me to farm, raise troops to fight, and play political games with others.

We are all transmigrators; why is there such a difference in treatment?

[The high-level technological knowledge in the Database is too powerful. The host must be fully prepared to ensure it does not leak. Once those high-level technologies are seized by the enemy, the entire universe will be in imminent danger. Please use the existing technological knowledge to establish a complete civilizational system; the second phase of the certification mission will be issued at that time.]

"How about we negotiate? Give me a Warp bomb first so I can blow up the Warp Daemons," Guilliman asked tentatively.

[The physical body resides in reality, the soul resides in the void. Before humanity has the ability to flee the universe, it is not recommended for the host to blow up the Warp. That would lead to human regression and the gradual loss of sapience.]

"This won't work, that won't work. What use are you?"

[I can cheer for the host, ヾ(°°)]

Guilliman: ...

The elevator vibrated, arriving at its destination.

A hiss of air pressure and mechanical sounds rang out, and the elevator doors slowly opened.

Guilliman ended the call with the Assistant Spirit and stepped into the depths of the Macragge's Honour.

"My Lord, you have arrived."

A psyker in robes, holding a Force Staff, emerged from the darkness and performed the Imperial Aquila Sign for Guilliman.