Talking Law

"Old Han, you finally came out."

"What's this about?"

Ever since Old Kamon and his brothers had been brought over, the Thunder Warriors had barely stirred.

What was going on today? Why had they suddenly come over?

"We want to join Nostramo."

Join Nostramo?

Kamon's words caught Han Mingxuan off guard.

"This planet isn't my property. If you find it boring to sit around in retirement, you can do something else."

"As long as you don't cause destruction or break the law, you can do whatever you want."

"Old Han, this isn't the time for us to sit around waiting to die. We old fellows need to do something."

"You're willing to help now?" Han Mingxuan asked with a smile.

"Yeah. I hadn't seen the sun in so long that I'd almost forgotten what it felt like on my skin."

"Thanks to you and your son, I got to feel it again. So let us do something for this planet in the time we have left."

"Of course. I'm glad you're willing to help, but wait a moment before you start."

Han Mingxuan turned and went back to his study, returning shortly with a stack of armbands.

Several lines were written on them in golden ink.

Stay calm and composed, pay attention to safety.

Build efficiently, benefit the planet.

"Put these on. I'll notify the person in charge to coordinate the rest with you."

Old Kamon looked at the words on the armbands. The handwriting was the same as on the pen.

"Thank you, Old Han."

"It's nothing. Just stay safe."

"Hahahaha, all right, we'll make sure to stay safe."

In fact, given the Thunder Warriors' physical capabilities, it was their fellow construction workers and the building materials that needed to watch out.

Meanwhile, after purifying the atmosphere, Curze began the next phase of his work.

Putting the Third Hive City in order.

The entire Third Hive City was Nostramo's chemical production center, supplying more than half of all its chemical products.

Of course, aside from mining pollution, it was also the place with the greatest impact on Nostramo's atmospheric system.

"Damn it, I really want to blow this whole place sky-high."

Looking at the state of the Third Hive City, Curze felt nothing but regret.

If most of Nostramo's chemical industry infrastructure hadn't been here, Curze would have wanted to burn the whole place to the ground.

"If you did that, the entire Hive City would explode, and that would undoubtedly shift Nostramo's continental plates."

"When that happens, even if you had the power to reach the heavens, you wouldn't be able to turn things around."

Mining had made the surface structure of most of Nostramo extremely fragile. If this Hive City exploded, shifting plates would be putting it mildly.

"Let me think. Right now..."

Curze thought it over again and again. Finally, with the Primarch's astonishing intelligence, he came up with a perfect solution.

"I've got it. We can just blow the planet apart from the inside."

"...???"

"Have you gone mad?!" The Night Haunter's voice rose an entire octave.

That shouldn't be right. He himself had been driven mad by those damned visions, but this boy hadn't.

"Of course I haven't. Think about it. There are very few places left on Nostramo where people can live."

"One wrong move and the fragile crust could crack. Since we can tear down a Hive City and rebuild it, why can't we do the same to the planet?"

"Tear down the planet and rebuild it?"

Now the Night Haunter was also at a loss, but he soon thought of something.

The Orks' Attack Moons and the Rangdan's War Moons.

Both had been described in Imperial records of the time.

It was feasible!

This method was definitely feasible!

When the time came, not only would all of Nostramo become indestructible, but Curze wouldn't have to be like his reckless, arrogant brother.

Turning his own homeworld into the largest battle carrier in the universe.

"It's a good idea, but it would take a long time. Besides, do you have that much equipment?"

"We don't, but the Adeptus Mechanicus does."

The Adeptus Mechanicus?

"Those Tech-priests aren't easy to deal with. There's very little on Nostramo that would interest them."

"If we really cooperated with the Adeptus Mechanicus, Nostramo would end up a filthy mess like before."

Tsk.

No wonder he was a Xenos. His mind just wasn't as flexible as a human's.

"Night Haunter, let me ask you: who am I?"

"Konrad Curze."

"Who is Konrad Curze?"

"Hm?"

"While I don't mind discussing philosophy with you at a time like this, your philosophy and reasoning still have a great deal of room for improvement."

"You still need to hone the kind of skills Father has."

Why was this Xenos so thickheaded?

"I'm not talking philosophy with you. I'm talking law."

"Law?"

"That's right. I'm the Grand Inquisitor. Everything must be based on the law."

"Since the Adeptus Mechanicus still has no intention of leaving Nostramo, they have to follow our rules too."

"Hehehehe."

"What are you laughing at?"

"I'm happy for you, Grand Inquisitor. You've grasped the essence of Father's ways."

In the Primarch's eyes now, anything could be negotiated. If someone didn't want to talk, then he could only put a round through their head.

"The light of the rule of law will illuminate that ignorant and superstitious iron shell of the Adeptus Mechanicus."

Curze then brought Cyrion along, and the two took a flying craft to the Adeptus Mechanicus's forge temple in low orbit.

"Grand Inquisitor, you've come to visit. Forgive me for not coming out to welcome you."

"You're too kind, Grand Magos. I've come to negotiate with you today."

"Negotiate?" The Adeptus Mechanicus Grand Magos looked at Curze, his red augmetic eyes flashing constantly.

Clearly, his logic unit was evaluating the benefits of renewed cooperation with Nostramo.

"The Adeptus Mechanicus needs Nostramo's entire ore output. Furthermore, for the first three years of our cooperation, output must reach three times its previous level to make up for our losses."

Slash.

A perfectly good head went flying.

"It seems you weren't the Grand Magos."

"Enemy attack!"

Before the alarm could sound, a surge of cold, violent Psychic Power swept through the entire forge temple in an instant.

All the combat machinery shut down at once.

After working together and adjusting to each other, the Night Haunter and the Grand Inquisitor had developed a highly refined system of cooperation.

The Night Haunter wasn't good at judging criminals, but the Grand Inquisitor, as a man of culture, certainly was.

The Grand Inquisitor wasn't good at murder and arson, but the Night Haunter was a master of them.

Their logic formed a complete loop.

"Where's the Grand Magos here? I've come to negotiate. Isn't it a little inappropriate to send out some gear boy?"

The dead Grand Magos: You should have a conscience in how you live and act!

"Y-your Excellency, Grand Inquisitor, the Magos... the Magos has gone to meet the Omnissiah."

"Did you only have two Grand Magi here?"

"Yes."

"That doesn't seem right. Nostramo is a mining world. The Adeptus Mechanicus should have taken it seriously."

"My lord, this is the Segmentum Obscurus."