The farce was quickly brought to an end. The Blackwatch troops who had been air-dropped didn't return, but stayed on Macragge instead. Someone would arrange quarters for them.
Perhaps Hogg had cursed so viciously—and at the Emperor, no less—that Guilliman couldn't stand it anymore. Insulting someone's father was disrespectful, so he could only walk over and tug at Hogg's calf, trying to get him to stop exercising his mouth.
If you're wondering why he grabbed Hogg's calf, it was because Hogg had transformed into a giant beast over seven meters tall.
"Hogg, calm down and stop yelling. Everyone's watching! Think of your image! Your image as a Primarch!" Guilliman said helplessly. Hogg's voice was so loud that people several streets away had probably heard him shouting.
Perhaps Guilliman's words had worked, or perhaps Hogg was afraid of getting beaten again. The giant beast stopped ranting and returned to human form.
"Guilliman, I've always been refined and easygoing. This time, I'm only holding back for Mom's sake—I don't want to disturb her rest. If he'd been there, though, I would've beaten that old bastard to a pulp."
After changing into fresh clothes, the two returned to the reception room, both feeling awkward. After all, getting caught discussing someone else's embarrassing past was pretty humiliating.
Guilliman had also realized that his brother was truly extraordinary. He'd taken such a powerful hit and come away completely unharmed. Perhaps this was the Primarch nature Hogg had mentioned!
"Hogg, I remember you said every Primarch has an essential nature. So what's my superpower?" After pondering for a moment, Guilliman, a believer in the Imperial Truth, chose the word "superpower" to voice his question.
"Superpower? I guess you could call it that. If I remember right, yours is 'super paperwork.' Don't bother hoping for anything else. You won't need it with me around, since you're a low-psychic Ogryn."
Hogg spoke casually as he stuffed another dessert into his mouth. Getting smacked by the Emperor and driven into the bedrock had cost him quite a bit of energy. If he hadn't been so tough, he'd have lost a chunk of his health bar.
Guilliman felt rather dejected to learn that his superpower was "fast paperwork" and that he was an Ogryn, which didn't sound like a compliment. Primarchs might grow up quickly, but they still had childhoods. Who wouldn't want a cool superpower? What the hell was "fast paperwork"?
Ignoring Guilliman's dejected expression, Hogg got down to business.
"Guilliman, since you're offering me a whole star sector, I won't take it for nothing. I'm planning to establish formal trade between Alicia and Macragge, and I can also share some of Blackwatch's technology with you.
"You won't feel shortchanged once you see what I have to offer. And since our Legions are so close to each other, we can visit more often and build a strategic alliance. I'll also need you to help train some people to serve as government officials. My people don't have many standout political officers."
"I agree! An alliance between our two Legions will make us much stronger. And training officials is no problem either. The worlds near Macragge all have officials who've received standardized training."
Both sides were pleased once they'd laid out the terms of their cooperation. An alliance between the two Legions had too many benefits to count.
The Imperium Secundus of the future, for example, had grown powerful through an alliance between three Legions. Hogg's early arrival had clearly played right into Guilliman's plans.
Before long, Emilia received the order and took part of the fleet to claim the territory in that star sector. She also stationed some troops there for recruitment and protection.
"Guilliman, you've seen what our father is like now, right? He beats me whenever he feels like it. A father like that is no good at raising our brothers. Perturabo and I used to be as close as it gets, but now he won't even contact me. We had such a good relationship, and I was the first to find him. It's been years, and Pepe still hasn't come to visit me."
"That can't be right, brother. When I returned, I saw Perturabo on Terra. The other Primarchs were there too. When we were dining with Father, I asked him about you. His expression didn't suggest that the two of you were close at all."
Hogg's complaints couldn't fool Guilliman. To be honest, Guilliman thought his other brothers had strange personalities, but Perturabo was a good person. He seemed to have reached a kind of enlightenment, and sometimes even managed to settle disputes between his brothers.
After that conversation, Guilliman had seen humiliation on Perturabo's face for the first time. The other Primarchs had also decided that Hogg was an extremely unpleasant Primarch because of it.
But after talking with Hogg, Guilliman realized his earlier opinion had been wrong. Hogg was a clown, but he was a decent person, and it was relaxing to be around him. His mind even felt a little lighter.
"Oh, Guilliman, you don't know the whole story. Pepe once swore he'd never let me suffer another injustice. But then the Emperor beat me up right in front of him, and he couldn't beat Dad. That's why he was too embarrassed to face me."
"Hmm! That does make sense," Guilliman said. It seemed reasonable to him.
"By the way, Guilliman, I didn't come just to discuss business. I have another reason for being here. Since you govern territory in the Ultima Segmentum, do you know whether there's a planet called Nuceria on the frontier? It's a world covered in red sand, with human colonies spread across it."
"Nuceria? I've heard of that planet." Guilliman was well-versed in administration and trusted his memory. He'd once seen the name in a record about space pirates.
"Is there something special about this planet?"
Nuceria was the world where Angron, the Butcher, had landed. Of the Primarchs discovered later on, Angron was perhaps the most tragic. He could have been a considerate commissar, but after the Butcher's Nails were implanted in him, he became a mindless wreck. It was all rather hard to put into words.
"I can see glimpses of the future, Guilliman. One of our brothers will land on Nuceria, but his future won't be good. If possible, find him as soon as you can. That might prevent some of the tragedies to come."
Hogg wanted to change Angron's fate. He'd also understood why the Emperor was keeping an eye on him. The Four Ruinous Powers couldn't monitor his every move, but he was still very weak. The Emperor's power had been protecting him, allowing him to disrupt the course of fate within certain limits.
After all, only when the water was stirred up could a big fish appear. Seeking out Angron was a test Hogg had decided to make.
Before long, a report was transmitted to Guilliman's dataslate. While the Ultramarines were clearing out an artificial world occupied by space pirates, they'd found Nuceria's coordinates on the pirates' star chart. The records showed that the pirates had once established a small hideout on the planet.
Looking at the marked coordinates, Guilliman thought it really couldn't have been easier. The coordinates were soon entered into the Imperial star chart. Since the points on the pirates' chart weren't anchored to the Astronomican, they would need time to convert and decipher them.
"Guilliman, decoding will take some time. Get ready—we're heading to Nuceria. Believe me, you'll have a new brother soon."
After saying that, Hogg had no time to keep bragging. He went to Blackwatch's base to assemble the troops.
But Hogg, who was trying to disrupt fate, didn't know that waiting for them might be not only Angron, but also a gambler with a guaranteed losing bet.
Before you continue