Hades' hand holding the battle report paused for a moment. He blinked in confusion. The ornate sentences after the victory in the Ultramarines' battle report were looking at him puzzledly.
"What's wrong?"
The Emperor next to Hades spoke casually, and the Emperor himself was also checking the information submitted by Malcador.
"No... Nothing, maybe someone is cursing me behind my back."
The Emperor raised his head and looked at Hades meaningfully, but he did not explain his behavior. The Emperor paused and asked,
"Hades, what do you think of the Primarch?"
Hades opened his mouth. He didn't think this was a topic that could be discussed in one day. It was difficult to come to a conclusion about nineteen primarchs with very different personalities.
Even for Mortarion, it took him years to figure out the amazing thinking process of his elder brother Mortarion.
At the same time, the identity of the questioner also makes this question a fatal one.
But Hades does have a universal answer...
The smile on Hades's mouth twitched twice.
"Ah... this one... they all look like you."
Then Hades watched in amazement as a slightly bright smile gradually appeared on the Emperor's face.
The emperor seemed very satisfied with this statement.
"They still have many flaws, but they are similar to aspects of me - not identical, and their essences are not all given by me."
Hades' answer seemed to arouse the Emperor's interest, and he continued to question Hades with great interest.
"Hades, you have been with my son Mortarion. What kind of Primarch do you think Mortarion is?"
The Emperor noticed that when Hades was looking through the battle reports of different legions, he seemed particularly fascinated by those of the Ultramarines, the Blood Angels, and the White Scars.
Although Hades also spent a lot of time on the battle reports of the Iron Warriors and the Iron Hands, staring at strategic maps and data calculations and simply staring at pictures of Space Marines were obviously two different reactions.
Hades stared at the Emperor and put down the battle report in his hand - this was still a life-threatening question, and it was far more acute than before.
Hades' tone was serious.
"Mortarion is an excellent legion commander. Under his leadership, the Death Guard has a strong cohesive force. At the same time, his personal stance is reliable enough. Mortarion is extremely loyal to pure humans and extremely repulsive to psychics, the Warp, and aliens. Mortarion and the Death Guard are both extremely loyal and stable. Therefore, I personally suggest increasing material assistance to the Death Guard."
The emperor smiled and asked casually,
"Why are you getting nervous, Hades?"
If the inner mind could be visualized, Hades would now look like a sweaty soybean.
Yes, why do you say that, Neos
"Hades, I just..."
The Emperor spoke slowly.
"Hopefully we can have a casual chat. I am pleased with Mortarion, though I know he has had some friction with Malcador."
Hades stared at the Emperor, choosing his words carefully.
"I need to make sure that you will not make any adverse adjustments to the future of Mortarion and the Death Guard because of my words."
The Emperor shook his head.
"Your worries are unnecessary. I am not perfect, and neither are my descendants. Lion Jonson is inhumane, Perturabo is stubborn and radical, Horus is arrogant and hypocritical, Robert Guilliman is over-thinking and impulsive... People say that demigods have flaws, and that's a fact."
"Since you already know, Neos, why don't you give them a few words?"
The Emperor was silent.
"I am not omnipotent. How can I stop Guilliman from thinking too vigorously? I can't do it, Hades. The Primarchs are the miracles I created. Their growth is bound to be accompanied by painful and broken sufferings. If it is arranged artificially, it is bound to consume countless manpower and materials."
"There is no wall that will never collapse, no steel that will never rust. As long as you are human, you will have the possibility of falling into the abyss."
"not to mention,"
The emperor picked up the tea and took a sip slowly.
"Even if they haven't grown up, as commanders of the Great Crusade and as tools, they are already qualified."
But Hades would understand his words, the Emperor thought.
Sure enough, Hades scratched his head in despair and began to look for food in the snack box in front of him.
"Well, Neos, I still suggest you pay more attention to Fulgrim, Perturabo, and Horus..."
The emperor nodded.
"Now answer my question, Hades, what kind of Primarch is Mortarion?"
Hades looked from Macragge's dessert to the Emperor again. Hades sighed and then spoke.
"That's like telling on your parents, Neos."
The Emperor remained unmoved, staring at Hades expressionlessly, as if to say that Hades must provide equivalent information that could be equivalent to what he had just said.
Hades felt as if the Emperor was telling him with his eyes that if Hades continued to evade the subject, he would call Malcador over - and let the young man deal with him.
Hades waved his hand.
"Uh... Mortarion... I think he was born to like humans because we abducted him the first time he saw humans. His aversion to psionics and oppression was acquired and solidified during the liberation of Barbarus."
"I don't talk much because that's the environment in Barbarus. You know, Neos, people there don't talk unless they can. I'm the only one who can't stay idle. But Mortarion has a sense of humor - although I think he would be better off without it."
Hades paused, as if he was struggling over whether to speak or not, but in the end he spoke.
"actually,"
Hades said,
"I can feel that at the beginning, most of Mortarion's motivations were out of fear. He always seemed to think that things would go badly, so he would prepare in advance or fall into depression, and this made him not trust others very much."
"Then... after meeting humans and the Death Guard, his motivation gradually changed to [wanting to protect a certain existence], so he always liked to stay with the Barbarus people or hang out in the Death Guard training room."
This would be a good quality, provided that he finishes his work before entertaining himself.
"He doesn't want to lose them... but at the same time he doesn't have a strong desire to make things better. Unless the situation is so critical that it will be destroyed, Mortarion always prefers to keep the status quo, whether it is Barbarus or the Death Guard."
"Sometimes it's a good thing, sometimes it's confusing, but fortunately I talked him back."
Hades was silent for a moment.
“… I hope I persuaded him to come back.”
Hades moved his eyes and saw that the Emperor was staring at him with great interest, and seemed very satisfied with what Hades said.
"I am very happy,"
The Emperor said, Hades listened to the Emperor in silence. He felt that the Emperor told him every day that he was very happy. Was this some kind of mantra
"You are indeed a friend who cares about Mortarion, not someone who is simply confused by the Primarch's characteristics. You see the real him."
Hades smiled, with a slightly arrogant look on his face.
"I am a psionic insulator, Neos. When have I ever been confused by the Primarch's characteristics? Their charm aura has no effect on me."
The Emperor smiled, said nothing, and glanced at the Ultramarines battle report that Hades had put down earlier.
Yay! I got it done!
Speaking of Fulgrim, he's so handsome. My eyes, loyal to Mortarion, wavered for a second.
Well, I'm still not too fond of the Emperor's son.
(End of this chapter)