At the foot of a mountain in Barbarus, Hades looked at the selection team in front of him, thoughtfully.
The Mechanicus Skeletons used for propaganda and recording floated in the air, ready to record and broadcast live this pre-recruitment speech to the Barbarus people.
This was Mortarion's request, and the Primarch hoped to use this conscription to have a dialogue with his people.
In a special location on this mountain, a black stone obelisk that had been set up long ago stood quietly, surrounded by countless untouchables and death guards as a guarantee for this selection.
After a Babarus standard week of new recruit registration and screening, the children who are now standing opposite the podium are about to be selected.
These children, wearing gas masks distributed uniformly by the Death Guard, will enter the mountains in batches.
Perhaps influenced by the Death Guards beside them, these children, most of whom had pale faces and calloused hands, spontaneously chose to remain silent.
Some children even gritted their teeth silently.
Fully armed Death Guards stood on both sides of the queue, their cleaned chain scythes standing on the ground, their bolters hanging quietly on their waists, breathing.
The tiny damage on the power armor showed the battles they had participated in.
Compared to some legions that like to carefully maintain their armor, oil it regularly, and decorate their power armor, the Death Guard tend to keep the scars on their armor. As long as these damages do not affect the function of the power armor, they will not repair it.
These knife marks and gun holes are their unique glory.
The silent Death Guards added a bit of solemnity to the place; they were intimidating without even getting angry, and their murderous intent was evident.
The Death Guards present today are all of Barbarus descent who fought with distinction and performed outstandingly in the Battle of Galaspar.
In addition to Mortarion, other Death Guard also attached great importance to this selection. When Hades came out of the foundry in a daze, he found that there was an indescribable atmosphere inside the Death Guard.
The soldiers gathered in the training area in silence, wiping their weapons over and over again.
The duel cage was extremely popular during that period.
Are they nervous
Hades laughed when he realized this. Indeed, the Barbarus Death Guard led by Mortarion had never experienced a similar scene where they could "show their glory" so far.
For these Barbarus people, it can be considered a return home in glory.
Of course, although Hades couldn't help laughing after realizing this, he was currently standing on the podium with a serious expression. The six-thorn skull of the Death Guard on his right shoulder armor was shining, and the gear skull of the Mechanicus on his left shoulder armor was baring his fangs.
Hades was specially equipped with his most exaggerated Seiko backpack at present. The sophisticated and huge Mechanicus equipment hung obediently beside him. The hideous servo skeleton spit out cables and stared at the queue in front of him.
From time to time, curious children would take advantage of the queue to secretly glance at Hades' equipment, their curious and envious eyes lingering on Hades' equipment which was obviously different from that of other Death Guards.
Noticing that some children were looking at him, Hades wondered in his heart whether this was considered as recruiting people for the Death Guard Foundry Hall in advance.
The Black Sickle Notice flashed a light in the sunlight, and the stars slowly and steadily moved to their predetermined positions.
The time has come.
Heavy footsteps sounded, the creaking sound of finely crafted power armor drilled into everyone's ears, and the metal incense burner hit the power armor crisply.
bite-
The gray cloak fluttered without wind.
The powerful pressure from the Primarch enveloped the entire venue, and some timid children even held their breath.
The eyes hidden under the shadow of the hood sparkled.
Mortarion walked to the podium, stood in the center of it, and stopped.
The Primarch stood still.
All the Death Guards present revealed unprecedented murderous intent and coercion at this moment. Some children even felt their knees go weak and they knelt down trembling.
Influenced by the first group of children who knelt down, some children were also hesitating whether to kneel down.
After all, they are what their parents call “adults”.
On the star ring, kneeling and bowing to the Imperial bureaucrats and Mechanicus officials is no longer a rare sight.
In the queue, An Tai looked at the boy kneeling in front of him and silently gritted his teeth.
There was no other reason, he didn't want to kneel.
“No kneeling.”
Mortarion took off his hood, and a hoarse hissing sounded from behind the breathing mask, and the Primarch's brows unconsciously frowned.
Hades, who was standing next to him, couldn't help but frown. This was not the scene they wanted to see.
Unexpectedly, they were able to eliminate people before the selection even started.
The Death Guards standing on both sides of the queue have begun to record the kneeling children.
To give the kneeling children time to stand, Mortarion reached behind his head and slowly and methodically removed his breathing mask.
His lips were cracked due to long-term erosion by the poison gas, and his pale skin looked like a corpse in the sun.
Now, all the barriers that Mortarion usually defended himself with have been removed.
Hades blinked, it seemed that Mortarion was going to be serious this time.
After hearing this order, the kneeling children stood up tremblingly.
Antaeus silently pulled the child in front of him, and then they stood again, looking at Mortarion in front of them.
The Primarch took a deep breath.
"My people,"
He said,
"I am glad to see you have signed up for the Death Guard."
"I know that the Barbarus people have no substantial knowledge of the Empire's legions."
"But you still chose to stand here."
Mortarion looked around, the Primarch's sharp eyes seemed to look directly into everyone's soul.
"Because you are not here because of the Empire's Death Guard."
Since Barbaros took over the Empire, the Legion has not appeared in people's vision.
The historians who were supposed to publicize the empire's achievements were attracted by the glory of the front line and mostly ignored this bleak and poor planet.
Therefore, the Barbarus people did not form their own impression of the Empire, the Legion, and the Great Crusade.
They are not here for the fact of "being a Space Marine".
"Some of you came here because of the Death Guard of Barbarus."
The generation brutally ruled by the alien lords has not yet passed away, and the most painful memories of Barbarus are still passed on by people.
The legendary rebels standing in the thick fog and on the top of the mountains are still a highlight of the barren culture of Barbarus.
Perhaps in the equally bleak dreams of this generation of Barbaros people, a blood-stained flag of resistance once appeared.
The children standing here now, their ancestors might have been the rebels at that time, or they might have been the peasants rescued by the rebels, but no matter what, every Babarusi has personally experienced the liberation of that year.
They were attracted to the rebels, they were attracted to the Primarch, they wanted to break out of their bleak cycle of life, they wanted to participate in the continuation of the resistance.
"For those of you who wish to join the cause of the Resistance, I sincerely wish you the best of luck in passing the selection."
The sickle in Mortarion's hand flashed with a cold light, and the Primarch looked at these aspiring people sincerely.
"You, and your loved ones who sent you here, represent the unyielding side of Barbarus."
An Tai lowered his head in embarrassment. He didn't come here because he admired the rebels. His insensitive parents never told him this.
Children who sign up can be rewarded with providing food for a family of five for a week, which is why he came.
For children who are chosen to become Death Guards, all food for their families will be provided by the Death Guards in the future.
An Tai lowered his head and stared at his gray toes in a daze. The pride he had just felt for not kneeling disappeared, and he felt his cheeks turning red.
Maybe he will be eliminated because of this, An Tai thought uneasily.
“But I know that not everyone is here for that reason.”
"As someone who has lived on Barbaros, I know very well that dreams and passion are rare on Barbaros."
"The barren land of Babarus cannot produce much passion, and most people are buried in the loess all day long."
"But I know that these people who bury their heads in the earth are not short-sighted and superficial. You just can't raise your heads under the gravity of reality."
"and,"
Mortarion smiled as if he had remembered something.
"One of our most elite warriors, Morag, was once a farmer buried in the soil."
"I used a bag of food to exchange for his joining the rebel army."
Hades was acutely aware of a current flowing through the channel from Morag's end.
Hades blinked, Morag was taken aback by the Primarch's impromptu speech.
But this guy didn't start mumbling immediately, which was already quite an improvement.
"But it turns out that he is no worse than others, and he even does better."
"He just needs a chance."
"So I'm giving you a chance."
The Primarch raised one hand and spread it out to everyone.
"Each child who signs up can harvest food for a week, and for those who pass the selection and become Death Guard warriors, the Death Guard will be solely responsible for the food supply of their families in the future."
Hades stood beside Mortarion. It must be said that as the Primarch and a Barbarus, Mortarion did take Barbarus' situation into comprehensive consideration.
A boy who is about to enter young adulthood is an important labor force that cannot be ignored in any family.
In the small peasant economy unique to Babarus, losing a strong laborer is a difficult thing for a family to accept.
This may lead to some families being unwilling to allow their children to register for Death Guard, or the children themselves being unwilling to give up the burden of shouldering family responsibilities.
But now, Mortarion has simply eliminated those families' worries.
"I know that some of you are here for food."
“There’s no shame in that.”
Mortarion pronounced his sentence,
"In fact, for those of you who carry the burden of life and continue to move forward, the Death Guard also welcomes you."
"You, and the loved ones who sent you there, represent the truth of the harsh reality of Barbarus."
"Before we can look up at the tyrant above us, we must first learn how to struggle in the poisonous fog."
"The prerequisite for every Barbarus person to survive on this planet is that we dare to face the cruel reality."
"I also sincerely hope that you can pass the next test."
"So,"
Mortarion turned sideways and pointed, with a welcoming gesture, toward the mountains behind him.
This is not the highest mountain in Barbarus, but it is high enough that even a Space Marine without his helmet would feel a suffocating pain at the top of its mountain.
The gas masks issued by the Death Guard were not enough to support them to reach the required height.
“Just climb.”
"If you want to chop off your enemy's head, you need to be tough enough yourself."
"Back then, the Death Guard's most elite rebels climbed this mountain and cut off the head of the alien lord."
"Now, it's your turn."
"The higher you climb, the more likely you are to be selected into the next round."
"Only the most resilient among you will survive."
"If you are not strong enough, you will suffocate in the poisonous gas and you will be granted death."
There was a slight commotion in the crowd. As early as the beginning of the registration, they were told that there would be death, but people did not expect that the first screening would be so brutal.
Death is too abstract, but every Barbarus has experienced the feeling of suffocating in poison gas.
The Primarch narrowed his eyes in dissatisfaction and looked at the crowd. His peaceful image was suddenly replaced by a sinister one. At this moment, Mortarion once again played his best role -
grim Reaper.
The queue fell silent instantly.
Hades remained indifferent as he watched Mortarion intimidating the candidates.
Because he knew this guy was scaring kids.
In fact, Barbaros originally had a sparse population and could not withstand the conscription model with a high mortality rate.
What's more, basically an entire generation of Barbary boys of the right age are here. If we really select based on survival rate, the Barbary people will be extinct in this generation.
Although Mortarion really wanted to practice his socialistic ideas, he wanted to screen and clean up Barbarus's "inferior genes" in the name of selection.
But reality and Hades wouldn't allow him to do so.
↓
[We can use this screening to filter out a small number of weak ones.]
Mortarion looked toward Hades.
[The later construction of Babaru requires a large population.]
Hades sat across from him, refusing to compromise.
↑
So in fact, there have long been pharmacists hiding on the only way up the mountain. If someone can't hold on, these pharmacists will show up when no one is around and save the lives of the selectees.
“So, now you can withdraw and the food will not be taken back.”
"In return, you will lose an opportunity to change your life."
Mortarion spoke his next words slowly.
He raised his hands and put his hood back on.
"But if you think you're tough enough,"
Mortarion put on his breathing mask, and a hoarse voice came out from behind the mask.
"Then you can start climbing."
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(End of this chapter)