Hearing this, Penny was surprised for a moment, then quickly concealed her expression.
She had already given up hope of this visit.
Who could have thought that there would be such an unexpected turn of events, and for some unknown reason, the Marshal of the Imperial Guards actually changed his mind.
This is good news.
Perhaps there is a better way to solve the current dilemma.
Prevent the empire from falling apart and into infighting.
Led by the royal guards, Penny entered the depths of the palace.
Walking past those forgotten ancient machines, we entered a room underground.
This room is the private reception room of the Grand Marshal of the Guards, Valanor.
It was very simple, with only a few chairs, a table, and no electronic equipment.
Apparently, this is a great place to talk about secrets.
There will be no written record, and the content of the conversation will only exist in each other's minds.
It is hard to imagine that such a simple office space belongs to one of the most senior people in the empire.
The Grand Marshal of the Guards is independent of all bureaucratic institutions in the empire and possesses power beyond imagination.
Even in the era of high lords, he possessed the power to control the life and death of those high lords.
Only a few are qualified to question the Emperor's closest personal representative.
The attendant took Penny to the private reception room and then turned and walked out.
"I'm glad that you are here, Prime Minister." The Marshal of the Imperial Guards walked out from behind the bookshelf. He was wearing the golden armor. The only difference from usual was that he had no weapon in his hand.
Penny knew that even without a weapon, it would be no more difficult for the Grand Marshal of the Guards to kill her than to kill an ant.
"I'm glad you can see me, Valanor. I thought you would always refuse to see me." Penny did not address Valanor by the thousand honorary titles engraved on his phlogopite armor.
Those honors were medals earned by this great man during his long career of service.
The Ten Thousand are the Emperor's most laborious creation, and every one of them is perfect.
Battlefield strategies, fighting, and aristocratic etiquette are beyond the reach of ordinary people.
Even their looks are perfect.
Valanor's face was covered with scars, with clear lines, like a sculpture.
He had thin lips, a broad nose, and a muscular neck.
"We all have a panoramic view of the situation, or at least we have much more information than anyone else. I know what you are going to do, Prime Minister." Valano's voice became low, and Penny could hear deep consideration in it.
"My thoughts are very clear, what are your thoughts? We can all see that the gods are behind this incident. What they can't get on the battlefield, they try to use the ignorant people to get it. As a loyal guard of the Emperor, Valanor, you see it very clearly. Now, it's time for you to make a choice. Humanity must not fall into civil strife."
"You know, the Ten Thousand is loyal to the Emperor, and we only obey her orders." Valanor stared at Penny with a deep gaze, making it impossible to figure out the thoughts behind those eyes.
"Then you should stand on our side even more. Everything the Imperial Regent has created is exactly what she wants." Penny gestured, trying to enhance her persuasiveness. "We are creating a new era, and the gods want to destroy it all. We need to unite and fight against them together, otherwise the tragedy will happen again."
"The gods have launched a war against us, an invisible war. Those ignorant people have been instigated to oppose our construction, using some past, unproven things to slander the savior of the empire. Those with ulterior motives are cloaked in loyalty, trying to make this situation go in a direction that we cannot control."
"We have to win this war. If you are willing to cooperate, we can win the war without any damage. If you are not willing, the empire will lose something."
"People's trust and the perfect image of the imperial regent will be damaged, causing cracks in many things. The foundation of the building will be damaged, leaving wounds and becoming a target for future enemies to attack."
Facing the excited Prime Minister of the Empire, Valano remained calm, "You are right, Prime Minister. But all this is meaningless to the Imperial Guards. Political matters are handled by politicians, and war matters should be left to the generals. These things are not worth mentioning to the Imperial Guards. No matter where the Empire goes, the duties of the Imperial Guards remain the same. Only one thing can change us, and that is whether this is her wish."
"So what now? What's your decision?" Penny's voice became serious.
"It's not the decision of the Guards, but hers." Valano walked to Penny's side, "The Guards received a new order, and the empire needs a new emperor."
When Penny heard Valano's next sentence, she was so shocked that she was speechless.
“This… This… .”
"Don't be so surprised. This is the best way to solve the best problem. It is also her will. She has always been committed to letting mankind escape from those sufferings. This has not changed even after ten thousand years." Valanor looked at Penny, "The Ten Thousands never go against her will. Even if this order is very unreasonable, we will obey it as always. The next step is your job, Prime Minister. You have to make sure that No. 13 takes that position, so that the differences between the two factions can be perfectly resolved. Before that, I will announce to the Empire that the Imperial Guard will accept the Primaris upgrade to release our attitude."
Penny couldn't believe what she was hearing.
She stared at Valano in amazement for a long time before she recovered from her shock.
"Is it really possible?"
Valano nodded. "The Guards will fully support him. This is the will of the Emperor. Only by allowing Thirteen to take control of the real power can we eliminate the current suspicion and prevent such incidents from happening again. Otherwise, the gods will continue to use these things to divide us."
"The High Lords' Council in the past, and the Royalist Movement today. I'm afraid there will be more such things happening in the future. The gods will continue to instigate us and deliberately cause one fight after another. The best solution is for No. 13 to become the new emperor of the empire."
Penny nodded when she heard this.
She could naturally see this clearly.
As long as the empire has two authorities, the emperor and the imperial regent, it will constantly cause struggle.
The slightest disagreement could lead to a double ideological struggle.
The best path for an empire is to have only one voice.
But who dares to speak out
Now, the window paper has been broken.
Maybe this is a good opportunity to get everything back on track.
"I'll make sure everything is ready." Penny felt happy.
This was a result she had never expected.
This crisis was transformed into an opportunity, allowing the Imperium to truly enter the Age of Guilliman.
"Then do it, Chancellor of the Empire." The Grand Marshal of the Imperial Guards said, "I hope that No. 13 will not let us down."
... ... ... ... ... ... ..
... ... ... ... ... ... ...
Yinkes Galaxy.
Mighty storms rage across the Warp, and countless nightmares plague those common folk who long for sleep.
Even in their dreams, they need to try their best to fight against those terrible monsters, otherwise they will become their slaves.
The dark and cold void seethes with endless malice.
Every warship needs to be protected by the light of faith in order to sail safely.
The God of Plague has completely distorted a large star field centered on Yinks.
Ships light-years from the Yinkes system were affected by the power of the Warp.
Weird whispers, creeping darkness, and monsters that inhabit the human mind.
The lost and destroyed ships were wrapped in wriggling flesh, and huge eyes grew on their hulls, regaining their ability to sail.
The power of the evil god gave these warships new life, making them weapons for traitors and demons to fight against the empire.
The huge lighthouse of faith was displayed on the Celestial-class battleship, emitting light like the sun, resisting the will of the gods and opening up a path to the Yinkes galaxy in the darkness.
In the vast void, the captains piloted their ships and fought hard against the evil enemies of the Warp, limiting the poison of the God of Plague to a certain range and preventing the plague from spreading further.
However, the place where the war is decided is not in the void, but on the surface.
Most of those nodes have been destroyed, and Mortarion's plan to corrupt Ultramar has undoubtedly failed.
The power of the empire had been greatly increased.
The armies under Mortarion's command were no match for the Original Warriors and the newly upgraded Imperial army.
After Jagatai, a Primarch of equal power, joined the battlefield, the traitors' last advantage was completely stripped away.
All that was left for them was bitter failure.
Retaking the planet Yinkes is the final battle.
Ventris and Fikris attacked the plague factory on the planet Yinks according to the plan, destroyed the rituals of the minions of the God of Plague, and weakened the power of the devil.
Jaghatai's opponent is Mortarion, and he has to catch that damn bastard and bring him back to Terra.
Imperial forces dropped to the ground amid the bombardment and the great hum of the Titans' advance.
A full-scale assault on the Plague Factory.
The Knights, Skitarii, Astra Militarum, Sisters, and Primaris were all charging.
Each unit is part of the Empire's Fury.
They opened fire at full force, blasting hordes of demons into pieces.
The super-heavy tank rolled in and used its terrifying heavy artillery to crush the demon at close range.
The thick armor was stained with clotted blood and the slime of disintegrating Warp creatures.
The knights piloted mechas equipped with incinerators, spewing out plasma flames that were several kilometers long.
The plasma is heated by high-speed rotation in the magnetic field and then ejected. The temperature is dozens of times higher than that of ordinary fuel.
The whole sky was burning with heat waves.
The crazy swarm of flies was sizzling in the flames, emitting a foul smell.
The battle didn't last long before the ground became dark and full of burnt flies.
Fighter planes flew through the sky and engaged in a tangle with a large number of demon engines.
Beams of light and missiles filled the sky.
The wreckage fell like raindrops, and the damage on both sides was equally devastating.
Armed Nurglings set up multiple lines of defense around the Plague Factory, trying to defend this garden world that now belonged to the Plague God.
Fikris and his men fought their way in, smashing every Nurgling that showed up into pieces, and entered the interior of the factory.
“For Guilliman,” Fikris shouted.
The other warriors responded with the same battle cry.
Some people fell on the way to charge, but more people took their place.
Sacrifice is inevitable.
Demons are the feverish, morbid imaginations of those who have descended into madness, perversion, loneliness, and fear.
Every whim, every evil desire, every wayward thought, is a seed that grows in the turbulence of the Warp.
Demons are the curse of civilization and the fear of living beings themselves.
These guys are not so easy to defeat.
Technology only gives humans the capital to fight against them, but it cannot allow soldiers to win without any damage.
Cannons aimed and fired, bombers roared past, Titans marched forward, and Imperial troops pressed forward, sacrificing their lives to advance to victory.
The demons are equally crazy. Bands holding corrupt instruments are still playing music crazily, using various means to prevent mankind from winning.
Towering Death Guard champions, gutted War Lords, giant monsters with tentacled mouths, and those laughing Plague minions.
These guys were holding various rusty, green-spotted weapons to stop the Empire's offensive.
Fikris killed the monsters and struggled to move towards the interior of the plague factory.
After chopping down a wailing plaguebringer, Fikris saw a huge monster.
"Foolish mortal, I hope you can stop." The monster staggered to Fikris's front, "I am Sepsis, the seventh lord of the Seventh Demon Palace. You have gone too far astray."
"Shut up, demon." Fikris' eyes were filled with anger, and he activated the second stage of the Emperor's Angel Engine to enhance his combat power. "You will meet your end."
Veterans came over from other places to join the battle.
A great demon is a terrible threat to the Imperial forces.
Fikris possesses extraordinary power, but a big demon is not so easy to deal with.
"Your God is a liar. He doesn't speak at all. He responds to all your efforts with the smile of that corpse. Even if you fight to the last moment, you will have nothing but death. After that, your existence will be completely annihilated in the vast warp. You now have another choice, surrender to the great father, and you will enter the garden of Nurgle. In this way, you can get a completely different ending. That garden is a paradise that all life desires, where nothing will die. The smallest virus to the largest behemoth can be resurrected from the mud. There is no death and no pain. Suffering will become a sweet and lasting joy. Your Lord will not let you be reborn, nor will he give you any hope. Why do you still fight for him?"
Sepsis showed his weapons and tried to convince the warriors who were trying to defeat him.
But the results were not very good.
Fikris and the others turned a deaf ear to Sepsis's blasphemous words, pulled the trigger at him, and fired the blessed bullet.
They brandished their weapons, trying to inflict wounds on each other.
"Damn it, you pissed me off." Septicemia yelled, "I'm going to let you know my anger, the anger of a divine scroll holder. Your souls will be imprisoned by me forever."
"You talk too much, demon." A silent sister jumped out of the crowd, the weapon in her hand exuding an aura that frightened the demons.
A trace of fear appeared on Septic's face.
If he is killed by a soulless being, he may not be able to be resurrected.
He brandished his weapon, intending to deal with the Soulless first.
Fiklis was faster, and in a flash, he appeared in front of the Sister of Silence and blocked the attack for her.
Septicemia's sword was blocked, which made him very angry.
The next second, dozens of explosive bombs hit his fat and bloated body again.
The bullets carried the power of blessing and made him feel painful.
Septicemia swung his weapon, splitting the armor of a warrior.
The plague quickly killed the warrior.
This small achievement made Sepsis feel a little proud.
He wanted to let these damn humans know the consequences of angering him.
Fikris and others responded with more anger.
A moment later, sepsis killed several soldiers, but he had to admit that he could not bear it any longer.
Its body was riddled with holes, its intestines filled with maggots were dragging on the ground, and the weapon in its hand also had several holes in it.
The Primaris were still attacking him fiercely.
The knives and axes were hacking and attacking his vital points.
Several silent sisters were waiting outside. Once Sepsis became weak, they would deliver a fatal blow, making it impossible for Sepsis to be revived.
"This is not a good ending." Septicemia grumbled. He took the opportunity to scan the battlefield and tried to find some helpers.
All the demons are trapped.
The Black Death was torn to pieces by the artillery fire, just as the Sister of Silence approached, ready to put an end to it.
The Black Death made a wise decision and used his only remaining hand to chop off his own head, freeing his soul and escaping back into the Warp.
If you are killed by the Sister of Silence, that would be true death.
The soulless will devour everything.
Sepsis found no helpers, and it knew that if it continued to fight, the most terrible end would be waiting for it.
He raised the sword in his hand and tried to put an end to himself.
There was a sound of metal hitting each other, and sepsis failed to commit suicide.
Once again, Fikris stopped him.
"No!" Septicemia, realizing what the other party was going to do, shouted in horror, "You can't do this."
"Don't dream of resurrection." Fikris's voice came from under the grille. When Sepsis wanted to attack him, his body turned into an afterimage again.
"I hate technology." Septicemia said angrily, "You vile mortals who use technology, prepare for my wrath."
Many Primaris warriors rushed forward again, and the Sister of Silence was ready to put an end to this demon once and for all.
After fighting for a while.
"I admit that my attitude towards you just now was a bit too harsh. Perhaps we can talk about it." Septicemia tried hard to resist the attacks of the Primaris Warriors and the Sisters of Silence, and he gave in.
The attack of the Soulless One caused Sepsis' soul to shatter.
If he continues like this, he will really die.
"Go to hell." Fikris' response was simple and straightforward. He cut off the hand that was holding the weapon.
A Sister of Silence rushed forward, holding a sword that was even bigger than her. She jumped up and chopped off Septicemia's head with one blow.
The death scream of a demon soul threw the Primaris warriors and the Sisters of Silence away.
Septicemia's huge body fell limply.
"Keep moving forward." Fikris did not stop to celebrate his victory. He knew that more powerful enemies were deep in the Plague Factory. Only by defeating Ku'gath, who possessed the Crucible of Nurgle, could he truly win.
... ... ... ...
... ... ... ... ... ...
The tallest spire in the center of Plague Factory.
The two brothers who fought for their lives met again.
Every move of Mortarion was calculated clearly by the Empire.
As a Primarch betrayed by his own children and looked down upon, Mortarion longs to prove himself.
He had been planning to corrupt Ultramar for a long time.
But now, the defeat was so overwhelming that he felt a huge sense of frustration.
Guilliman took action himself, and he was defeated sincerely.
The problem is, Guilliman never shows up from beginning to end.
The opponent's two heirs were directing the battle throughout the whole process. He was blocked outside and accomplished nothing.
Chagatai even beat him up in the Pandor system, forcing him to flee in a panic, and he could only take it out on Typhons.
If he escaped back to the subspace, he would probably become the target of ridicule by the devil.
He was ridiculed before he surrendered to Chaos, and as a Primarch he failed to unify the home planet.
He joined Chaos and was beaten up by his former brothers.
If Typhons were released, he would probably be ridiculed even more.
The demons of Kugath would also look down on him.
The Yinks system is a place that Mortarion must come to.
Otherwise, even if he survived, it would be difficult for him to maintain his position in the garden.
No demon would look down upon a loser.