Like a Dream

Nostramo, the Evolutionists' Adeptus Mechanicus compound.

"Old Han, you're here."

"Yeah. This past year and more has worn me out, but it's finally finished. How could I not come take a look?"

With technical support from Priest Herbert and the smithing skills he had learned, Han Mingxuan had forged armor for each of the original five thousand.

Of course, this armor was ceremonial, meant to be worn on important occasions.

If they actually wore it into battle, it would probably only take about three bolts to finish them off.

All the armor had been forged from Nostramo's finest Adamantium alloy, with each set consisting of a suit of armor and a sword.

It also incorporated Necron Technology supplied by Trazyn.

Even if Curze and the others grew into three-meter-tall big guys in the future, the armor would still fit them perfectly.

Every suit gave off a dark gleam, and the five thousand suits arrayed there had a grim, forbidding air.

More than a year for five thousand suits of armor was actually slow by normal production standards.

But there was no helping it. Han Mingxuan had crafted many of the details on the armor by hand.

On top of that, he had enchanted the armor.

From the armor to the weapons, Han Mingxuan had copied the Evernight Code onto every piece.

This was mainly to guard against the erosion of their minds by the Warp.

Looking at the armor now, Han Mingxuan felt an indescribable sense of accomplishment.

This feels great.

"Come on, help me move this stuff outside."

"All right."

While Han Mingxuan was preparing the armor, Curze had already notified everyone on the planet.

Everyone was thrilled to learn that the Master of Mankind was coming.

He was the ruler of the entire Imperium of Man, the initiator and supreme commander of the Great Crusade.

They had heard about him more than once in Nostramo's official propaganda.

Now they were finally going to see him. It was impossible not to be excited.

From nobles to commoners, all of New Nostramo was preparing.

Without disrupting their daily lives and production, the people of Nostramo began pooling all their resources.

Light-Bathed Square, the largest square on the planet, was redecorated.

Though it might have seemed a little plain to the rich and powerful, it was still sacred, solemn, and grand.

"Curze, assemble the Eternal Night Justiciar Legion. I have something to arrange."

Before long, five thousand people had assembled in Light-Bathed Square.

True, the Eternal Night Justiciar Legion now numbered more than fifty thousand, but this group of five thousand had always been its true backbone.

"Bad boys, the Master of Mankind will be visiting our new home before long. We absolutely can't make fools of ourselves."

"So I've prepared some new clothes for you."

Han Mingxuan clapped his hands, and five thousand sets of armor and weapons appeared before everyone, arranged in rows.

The new armor had no unnecessary decorations. It was simple and imposing, with a distinctive dark gleam beneath the sunlight.

"One set each. Come and get yours."

Everyone collected a set of armor, changed into it, and formed ranks again.

In the sunlight, writing could be seen faintly appearing and disappearing on the armor.

"This isn't ordinary standard-issue armor," the Night Haunter said.

"What's different about it?" Curze asked.

"The details on this armor were all painstakingly adjusted by hand. And if I'm not mistaken, someone copied the entire Evernight Code onto the surfaces of the armor and weapons."

Dad.

Looking at the man standing at the front with a delighted smile, Curze didn't know how to express himself.

He had never imagined that all this armor had been made by his miner father.

"Not bad. You look sharp. But before that, I have a question for you."

Everyone held their breath and focused on Han Mingxuan.

"When you meet the Emperor of Mankind, how do you plan to greet him?"

"Doesn't he have two shoulders and a head like everyone else? We'll just greet him normally."

"That's right. We can't just drop to our knees and kowtow like crazy because his head's bigger than ours, can we?"

Listening to the young men whispering below, Han Mingxuan felt even happier.

Good. These young people really had taken what he taught them to heart.

That was good.

"What if he's bigger and stronger than you, then?"

"So what if he's a big guy?" Talos said indifferently.

"Hahahaha! Good, I'm glad you think that way."

"They'll be here in a few days, so I have just one demand for you."

"Stand up. No kneeling! Understood?!"

"Understood!"

At the same time, the entire fleet had come to a halt along the route to Nostramo.

"Father, our scans have detected a stable binary star system in our path."

"There are clear signs of technological modification. Every planet is habitable, and one of them already has a society of considerable scale."

After listening to Dorn's report, the Emperor did not rush to make a decision.

The projection in the Warp of this star system, where people had suddenly appeared, was strange.

The blue halo that had enveloped Nostramo had now appeared around that planet.

"Curze is just ahead. Order the fleet to proceed at full speed."

"Yes."

Though Dorn found it incredible, he was only responsible for carrying out his orders.

Likewise, the sudden news left all the Primarchs preparing to travel to Nostramo confused.

In fact, on their way to Nostramo, they had investigated all the information available about the planet.

The records showed that, apart from a banished branch of the heretical Adeptus Mechanicus, Nostramo had little in the way of advanced technology.

"Magnus, what do you think?" Horus looked at his brother.

"The Warp is calm."

With those words, he ruled out the possibility of a cosmic illusion caused by a Warp Storm.

"Don't concern yourselves, brothers. We will know the truth soon enough," said a devastatingly handsome Primarch.

It was the Phoenix.

Of all the Primarchs, he had the greatest artistic accomplishments and was also the most handsome.

"Fulgrim is right. The answer will soon be before us," the Great Angel said with a smile, popping a grape into his mouth.

"You've been in a good mood the whole way, Sanguinius."

"Yes, Roboute. I've never felt better."

"What did you see, brother?" Magnus asked.

"Peace and tranquility," Sanguinius said with a smile.

In his prophecies, this had never happened before.

The message was so certain, so clear, so wonderful.

A little over a day later, the Emperor's fleet arrived at the Peaceful Star System, earlier than expected.

"My children, come to me."

All the Primarchs received the message at the same time and came together to the bridge.

They looked at the Emperor, then followed his gaze in that direction.

It was a planet.

What kind of planet was it?

An azure planet, like a jewel of the cosmos.

Though the other planets were clearly much the same as this one, just looking at that shade of azure lifted the spirits.

"Perfect. This is a masterpiece of the universe, Father," Fulgrim said.

"Yes."

That shade of azure seemed like a dream. How many years had it been since he last saw it?