Interlude: Banquet (IV, 22)

Two-headed beasts—there were at least tens of thousands of beasts within the Imperium that could be called by that name, but most of them were probably inedible. Otherwise, Grox would not be so popular.

Back when the process of breeding Glaxus Beasts had yet to be standardized, people had been willing to lose a few lives every week just to keep these powerful, ill-tempered animals on their worlds. That alone said a great deal, did it not?

But the two-headed beasts of Duns A-2 were different. To be precise, they were very different.

The two-headed beasts raised on the ranches of this world were generally mild-tempered, possessed extraordinarily powerful digestive systems, and had delicious, highly nutritious meat. This completely defied the patterns of natural evolution, because from beginning to end, they had possessed no means whatsoever of resisting threats.

Thus, the most widely accepted hypothesis at present was that, long ago, some unnamed biologis—or perhaps an underground modifier skilled in genetic alteration—had transformed the ancestors of the two-headed beasts for some unknown purpose, gradually shaping them into what they were today.

Otherwise, it was simply too difficult to explain how these creatures had survived in the harsh natural environment Duns A-2 had once possessed.

And now, the aroma of the famed two-headed beast ribs filled the entire banquet hall. The attendants had already brought the dish to the table, the perfectly seared, tender ribs resting quietly in a rich sauce alongside a small serving of vegetables, awaiting the arrival of knives and forks.

It was worth mentioning that they were not small. Even for primarchs, they were not a dish that could be finished in two or three bites.

It seemed Marcus Krensky truly was an exceptionally skilled chef. To prepare such enormous ingredients with a mortal body, and control