Proceeding Methodically (3k)

After a few brief meetings and discussions, Konrad Curze Curze happily appointed five hundred Ultramarines from Macragge to their posts.

Their positions were a temporary system established by Curze himself, called the Civil Administration Corps. In other words, a team of five hundred people, led by Lucretius Corvo, temporarily took over the management of the planet in place of future Nostramo local officials.

After all, although there were officials appointed by the Administratum in the logistics fleet, there were not many experienced people, and many of them had previously been in charge of logistics. They were completely ignorant of the planning and policies needed for a planet in dire need of rebuilding.

In this context, the experience of the Ultramarines becomes extremely valuable. It can even be said to provide a kind of planning and direction for the future.

However, it's impossible for you to think that the Eighth Legion has no objections to this.

"But what can we do?" Xianni from Terra angrily punched the specially made punching bag. "Nobody knows how to govern a planet!"

"In the past, we were the Judgment, dedicated to purifying sins. It's normal that nobody knew how to govern a planet," said his company commander Van Cleef, his expression calm, even a little too calm.

The company commander was calmly putting on his training armor, which provided basic protection during daily drills. In a sense, he was indeed putting on armor.

But is it normal for someone wearing training armor to also have a murderous look in their eyes?

"But at least we can learn!" Xianni said unwillingly. "Is it really that hard to start learning now? Are we really going to hand over the Primarch's homeworld to those guys who love to throw parties?"

"They are our cousins, helpers who have come from afar. Watch your words, Xianni."

The company commander glared at him, his expression extremely serious. "Moreover, Lucretius Corvo has made it clear that they will not bring any Macragge characteristics or style to Nostramo; at most, they will just do some urban planning."

"Urban planning?" Xianni stopped hitting the sandbag, looking blankly at his company commander. "Planning what?"

"Do you really want those blood-stained buildings to remain in the newly reborn Nostramo? The Upper Hive and Underhive must all be rebuilt. Residential buildings, living quarters, industrial areas, and the planning for the wilderness outside the city."

The company commander's expression grew increasingly grim as he spoke, until finally, his face resembled that of some sinister monster baring its teeth.

"I spent the whole morning studying related information, but I still feel almost completely lost. The environmental remediation project still has a week to go, and Lucretius Corvo has already started planning how to divide the city into districts, Xianni. Although we can certainly learn from him, by the time we finish learning, it will be too late."

"Is it really that difficult to know just a little about architecture?" Xianni pressed on, unwilling to give up.

"You think it's that simple? There's everything else involved, like assigning people to manage it, the regulations for management, the security measures for the industrial zone, and the damn breeding of those Serrated Beasts in the wilderness."

The company commander sighed, a rare occurrence for him. "I never imagined I'd one day realize that even the Ultramarines have it tough."

"So, we can only watch them help us?"

"We're lucky if anyone helps!" the company commander snapped, fastening his breastplate in frustration. "Not a single one of the 20,000 men in the entire legion knows anything about this. Do you dare tell the Primarch that you're confident you can handle this?"

"No," Xianni said honestly. "I haven't even read any books on the subject."

"So—yes, Xianni." Van Cleef shook his head reluctantly. "We have no choice but to ask them for help."

--

Lucretius Corvo was thinking—or more accurately, he was thinking uneasily.

Before they arrived, they had already vaguely sensed the purpose of their trip.

After arriving, they saw Nostramo with their own eyes. Although they still didn't go down to experience it for themselves, at least they saw it.

But now, having truly witnessed Nostramo's current state, he had to admit one thing.

Even for the Ultramarines, this is no easy task.

Nostramo is a planet that you won't believe how terrible it is until you see it for yourself; all written descriptions pale in comparison to its reality.

The most terrifying thing is that almost all the existing civilians of Nostramo have been thoroughly infected by that distorted value system.

Lucretius Corvo knew one thing well: the state of a planet can only be changed by humans. In other words, if humans are not capable, the planet will not be able to survive.

"I believe we should start with the most basic food security. Although food supplies are provided once every two years and can pass through Macragge, many problems will arise if we cannot achieve self-sufficiency."

His adjutant, Maximus, said this, his expression calm as always, except that his eye seemed to twitch.

"You make it sound so simple."

Inside the massive conference room, five hundred Ultramarines gathered, their brows furrowed as they discussed the issues.

Lucretius Corvo and his adjutant were responsible for reviewing and approving the decisions, as well as making the final decision. Although there was still a voting process, they could influence the final decision to some extent. As a result, he and Maximus felt unprecedented pressure.

Because after this step, it's time for them to submit the proposal to Konrad Curze Curze for review.

Corvo shook his head. "Self-sufficiency is certainly a good thing, but the machines of the Mechanicum can only slightly improve the severe chemical pollution in the atmosphere, preventing it from harming future generations."

"They can't change the land of Nostramo. The plants in the wilderness are only fit for wild beasts. You saw the Eighth Legion's investigation report. How can they guarantee food supplies, or even normal food supplies, by just raising those Serrated Beasts?"

"You've seen the sample analysis of those nutritional pastes produced locally in Nostramo. They're less like nutritional pastes and more like a basic, cheapest form of vitamin."

The adjutant was silent for a moment, then proposed a new idea.

"There are still many planets around Nostramo, and the nobles on these planets have a history of trading with them. Perhaps we can join forces with the Eighth Legion to reclaim them, which would alleviate the food problem to some extent."

"That's at least five years from now," Corvo said, his brow furrowed.

"Leaving aside whether abandoning Nostramo to reclaim other planets is a good choice, even if we succeed, what will we do afterwards? We're short-handed, how will we divide the responsibilities? Maximus, we're not near Macragge anymore."

The adjutant fell silent. He had been in the army twenty-seven years less than Corvo, a difference that left him completely outmatched in experience. Therefore, even though he was extremely unwilling, he couldn't refute Corvo's words.

"Too many problems, Maximus."

Sighing, Lucretius Corvo shook his head.

The road ahead is long and arduous, but as allies, they will be even more dedicated than the Eighth Legion. The Ultramarines have sworn an oath that they will never let it fail.

"I'm going for a walk," Corvo said after a moment of silence. "Just a stroll in the hallway to clear my head, I'll be right back."

He quickly left the spacious conference room, the buzzing of conversation fading as the door closed. The corridors of the Nightfall were utterly quiet and dark.

Unlike the Macragge's Honour or any other Ultramarines ship, it doesn't have many decorations; its simplicity hardly belies its status as a battleship of the Gloriana-class.

Leaning against the cold wall, feeling the vibrations from the pipes inside, Lucretius Corvo suddenly longed for the enormous tapestries they had woven themselves.

He sighed.

Just then, a calm greeting rang out from the darkness. "Why the sigh, Lucretius Corvo?"

A giant slowly emerged, dressed in civilian clothes, his expression calm. Corvo abruptly straightened his back. "Good day, Instructor Karyl!"

"You don't need to call me instructor; you don't belong to the Eighth Legion." The giant laughed. "And don't be so formal; I just happened to be passing by your conference room."

"Is it really just a coincidence?" After a brief silence, Corvo asked tentatively.

He didn't know the instructor's personality very well, but judging from yesterday, he was clearly not a difficult person to get along with.

Karyl chuckled to himself.

"Of course not, you're very perceptive, Lucretius Corvo, or rather, the head of the Administratum."

"I'm just one of them," Corvo quickly denied. "And it's only a temporary department. In the future, Nostramo will establish its own Administratum, Adeptus Arbites, and even Departmento Munitorum."

"That would require a stamp from Terra."

"The Primarch has the right to deploy directly," Corvo said rapidly. "This is a right granted to every Primarch, my lord."

"Don't call me 'Sir, 'Lucretius Corvo. There's no official relationship between us, and you don't need to show me the plans, so there's no need for honorifics."

Corvo paused, not understanding why the topic had suddenly shifted to this. After a brief silence, he nodded, unwilling to refuse.

Karyl didn't expose his thoughts, but instead brought up another matter.

"I don't know if you've seen the information, Corvo, but there's a lot of Adamantium on Nostramo," Karyl said meaningfully.

Lucretius Corvo felt a chill run down his spine.

I still need 7k more, I'll finish that tomorrow, and then I'll start the bonus chapters for the patrons.

These chapters are transitional.