Chapter 447– One Man's Honey, Another Man's Poison! The Visit! Departure!
On this side, the Emperor and Malcador were overseeing the Custodes as they moved gifts, preparing for their visit to Ideal City.
To strengthen relations with the Universal Megacorp, the Emperor had specially selected a few precious STC modules and relics from the Golden Age, offering them unconditionally to the Megacorp.
After all, the legacy of the Imperium of Man would eventually pass into the hands of the Universal Megacorp. Better to send these things out now, while they could still be of real use, and in doing so earn a few more points of goodwill.
"Your Majesty, is there anything else we need to prepare?" Malcador asked.
Before leaving the Imperium, they certainly had to make some preparations in advance. Though power had indeed been handed over to Horus, it was still wise to leave a few contingencies, lest Horus blundered into some serious political disaster and they had no way to salvage it.
When Malcador posed this question, his tone was noticeably lighter than before, almost cheerful.
First, because at long last he could finally retire and enjoy his old age, free of all burdens.
Second, because the High Lords' system he had left behind ensured Horus would find himself both pained by it and forced to rely upon it.
During this time, Malcador had kept a close eye on Horus's attempts at reform.
At the beginning, Horus had dismissed all the High Lords and replaced them with his own Lunar Wolves officers. Yet the new administrative system collapsed almost as soon as it began.
After several failed attempts, Horus was left with no choice but to swallow his pride and call the High Lords back.
This brought Malcador a certain secret delight. Without the High Lords' system, there was no way Horus wouldn't be worked half to death!
The greatest pride of any statesman lies in the fact that, even after one's departure, the political structure one built continues to wield immense influence.
Although the High Lords' council would one day be replaced by the Megacorp's new system, until then, the administrative framework Malcador had created remained the most complete political structure the Imperium possessed.
"All the preparations we need are already in place. All that remains is to wait for the Megacorp's envoy to escort us to Ideal City."
The Emperor smiled faintly. At this moment, his concern for the Imperium had waned. With the Megacorp
overseeing things, no matter how bad the situation became, it would never grow truly dire.
All he wanted now was to meet the Universal Megacorp's Chief Executive, Li Ang, to visit Ideal City, and to glimpse what the Imperium of the future might look like.
Thanks to the Megacorp's assistance, the Emperor's burden had lightened greatly. His original goal had been simple: to save humanity, to ensure mankind would not be enslaved or destroyed by alien races.
That goal had already been achieved.
Through the peerless Great Crusade, humanity had risen in fire and blood. Never again would aliens carry out vast slaughters of human populations.
Just as the Emperor resolved to take mankind to even greater heights, the appearance of the Universal Megacorp had swiftly secured that aim on his behalf.
True, the Emperor was aware of the potential danger of an AI Iron Men rebellion within the Megacorp. Yet at this moment, the Megacorp was without doubt more advanced than the Imperium.
First, secure that powerful ally—then worry about the rest.
"Your Majesty, leaving is easy for us—but Horus, as Imperial Regent, holds the most crucial office in the Imperium. If he fails to keep the administration in hand and chaos ensues, what then…"
Hearing Malcador suddenly come out with such a sly remark, the Emperor couldn't help but give him a sidelong glance. Wasn't it you, after all, who insisted on accompanying me to Ideal City? And now you're worrying about instability?
You just want to have it both ways.
The Emperor knew Malcador was worried that Horus might fail to maintain the delicate political balance of the Imperium. But regardless of such worries, the matter was settled—the Imperium had to be governed by Horus.
"I never expected Horus to do exceptionally well. As long as he doesn't delay the Megacorp's new star-lane project, he can tinker however he likes.
Even if the worst should happen, I want to see just how big a mess he's capable of making."
The Emperor was not overly concerned that Horus might cause irreparable disaster. What worried him more was whether Horus could keep his primarch brothers united, to stop them from stirring up trouble and obstructing the Megacorp's construction teams.
With the two-hundred-year Great Crusade now complete, the Emperor also needed to find something to occupy the primarchs' boundless energies, so they wouldn't wreak havoc on the Imperium's innocent subjects.
Horus, at least, had the post of Regent to keep him busy with politics and infighting. But what of the other primarchs? Their roles still needed to be considered.
"Your Majesty, I believe the other primarchs could join Horus's regency as well, to share some of the burden. If you ask me, Guilliman would be an excellent choice—why not let him try his hand here on Terra?"
Malcador suggested.
In truth, Malcador had always believed Guilliman the most suitable candidate for Imperial Regent. After all, Guilliman had governed Macragge with great order, and the Ultramarines were a mighty, disciplined force.
Such achievements were proof enough of his capability to govern.
Yet Horus's prestige far outstripped Guilliman's. With countless victories to his name, Guilliman simply had no chance of competing against his brother for the title of Regent.
But even after hearing Malcador's proposal, the Emperor's unease did not abate. He had already glimpsed countless possible futures, and in every path where the Imperium collapsed, the primarchs were the common factor.
Guilliman was manageable. But many of the other primarchs lacked any talent for rule—indeed, their very character made even the Emperor himself wince.
Take Angron of the XII Legion, for example. Since childhood, his brain had been mutilated with a device known as the Butcher's Nails.
The constant neurological torment drove him into bouts of uncontrollable rage, relieved only through slaughter and violence.
During the Great Crusade, Angron had been one of the most eager and ferocious of the primarchs, for only by Infinityly killing aliens could he ease the pain.
But now, with the long war ended and no more alien hordes to butcher, Angron would inevitably turn upon his own people—or else be driven mad by the agony of the Nails.
The Emperor had once contemplated removing them. But after so many years, the Nails had fused into Angron's brain, replacing key parts of the limbic and insular systems.
To remove them now would mean crippling or killing him outright.
This visit to Ideal City was in part to ask whether the Megacorp had any method to resolve Angron's affliction.
Of course, Angron was not the only one with problems. Many of the primarchs carried their own intractable flaws that demanded urgent solutions.
At times, the Emperor had even contemplated destroying them all. It would be cleaner, simpler, sparing everyone Infinity trouble.
After all, they had been created for one purpose: the Great Crusade, the cleansing of alien threats across the galaxy.
But his humanity would not permit such a choice.
Instead, he now thought that perhaps the Megacorp could find them work. Better to keep his sons busy than let them grow restless.
"Since the Universal Megacorp commands multiple universes, their domain must be vast beyond imagining. Entrusting the primarchs to them might be the best use of their talents."
The Emperor spoke thoughtfully.
After two centuries of crusading, the primarchs were peerless in war: some master strategists, others unmatched warriors. The Emperor was sure the Megacorp would not refuse such a request.
"Then let us leave Terra as soon as possible. Hopefully Horus can hold out until the day we return." Malcador smirked.
He certainly didn't want Horus to achieve too much as Regent—that would make Malcador himself seem irrelevant.
Yet neither did he wish Horus to wreck the Imperium beyond repair. That would hardly do.
The best outcome would be for Horus to just barely hold things together, keeping the Imperium afloat until their return.
The Emperor shot him another glance. He understood Malcador's petty thoughts, but did not expose them.
After all, Horus had often bad-mouthed Malcador in public. Now that there was a chance for payback, Malcador naturally wouldn't let it slip.
"Send word to the Megacorp to dispatch an escort. Guilliman has spoken most highly of Ideal City—I want to see whether it truly deserves such praise."
The Emperor gave the order.
"Yes, I'll make the arrangements immediately." Malkador nodded.
——
At that moment, Paul, who had just received Malkador's request, felt a bit surprised—the Emperor was moving much faster than he had expected.
By all logic, with the Human Imperium being such a colossal mess, the Emperor should have needed at least two or three years just to appoint a successor and sort out the most complicated matters.
Yet less than three months had passed, and aside from naming Horus as Imperial Regent, the Emperor had done almost nothing else.
"Should we go meet the Emperor right away?" Panam Wells asked.
Over the past weeks, he had run back and forth between Terra and Ideal City, exhausting himself to make sure everything for the Emperor's visit was meticulously prepared.
Even now, if the Emperor chose to arrive in Ideal City, there would still be enough time to set all arrangements in motion.
"Yes. Go ahead and see to it," Paul nodded.
Of course, the Universal Megacorp wished to draw such a rare talent as the Emperor into its own system. But this was not something that could be rushed.
After all, cultural and ideological differences still posed barriers. Communication and understanding would need time, slow adjustment, and careful integration to reach a balance.
For example, the Universal Megacorp was a diverse, multiversal polity. Ideal City alone housed over a thousand permanent resident species. For an Emperor who held to strict human-supremacist ideals, this was something difficult to accept.
Thus, in many areas, Paul had to assign specific people and processes to gradually "desensitize" the Emperor, helping him to truly grasp the Megacorp's full reality.
If the Emperor could not accept the Megacorp's tolerance of xenos, then it would mean he could never work within Ideal City, nor truly integrate with the Megacorp's leadership.
But the matter required observation before a conclusion could be drawn.
For the Emperor's first stop, the Megacorp had arranged Universe 003: Edge of Tomorrow. His hosts would be the star-governors Xu Shiming and Song Zhaomei.
After years of development, 003—Edge of Tomorrow—had become one of the most balanced and comprehensively advanced universes under the Megacorp's control.
It boasted industrial zones at the scale of entire star systems, permanent deployment of law-level weaponry, elite forces stationed for training, and even experimental projects probing into dimensional-level technologies.
Through Edge of Tomorrow, the Emperor could directly witness the Megacorp's strength and profound foundations.
Afterward, Paul intended to guide the Emperor through other universes—Halo, StarCraft, Star Wars—all of which contained numerous alien species.
Only when the Emperor saw how the Megacorp used the Universal Trade Network to unite these xenos into a shared community of interest could he truly set aside his prejudice.
"Captain, from what I know, the Emperor hasn't shown much rejection toward the members of the Trade Network. He doesn't seem particularly hostile to our policy of accepting xenos."
"So… what if we skipped the intermediate steps? After he tours Edge of Tomorrow, we could bring him directly to Ideal City to meet the Consul."
Pani asked cautiously.
He raised the suggestion out of hope that the Emperor might finish his visit quickly, make his decision sooner, and hand the Imperium over to the Megacorp.
Otherwise, Horus and his fellow Primarchs would only continue tearing the Imperium apart—utterly pointless destruction.
Besides, how could someone of the Emperor's ability fail to recognize the superiority of the Megacorp's system? A structure capable of embracing xenos and uniting disparate civilizations around shared interests would naturally surpass a monolithic empire.
Species and bloodlines might differ, but civilizations united by one belief would always be more cohesive and powerful than those sharing the same ancestry but divided in faith.
The Emperor already knew this truth. He also understood that, with the Imperium's current conditions, it was impossible to achieve. Only the Megacorp could make it reality.
If the Imperium had enjoyed abundant resources and advanced weaponry, then even the Emperor would have been willing—calmly—to tolerate xenos pilgrims.
But some answers could never be copied. What for one was a broad avenue, for another was a mire.
What is "honey to me" may well be "arsenic to you"—that perfectly captured the contrasting circumstances of the Megacorp and the Imperium.
After hearing Panam out, Paul pondered briefly, then nodded in agreement. "Very well, let's do it. Just be sure to report this to headquarters."
"Understood!"
——
The Emperor's itinerary was swiftly settled. On the appointed day, under the escort of a Megacorp fleet, the Emperor and Malkador arrived in Universe 003: Edge of Tomorrow.
Aboard a small Traveler-class warship, the Emperor met with Song Zhaomei and Xu Shiming, star-governors of the region. They spoke cordially of the MegaMegacorp's system of governance and the future of the Imperium.
Looking at the Emperor, whose charisma radiated like a blazing sun, Xu Shiming couldn't help but marvel inwardly. Here was true kingly bearing. In fact, such a presence he had only ever seen before in their leader, Li Ang.
From the very first moment he laid eyes on the Emperor, Xu Shiming had been struck by his aura and drawn to him.
When great figures gathered, there was always a subconscious tendency to compare achievements and capabilities.
Xu Shiming, the founding head of the Megacorp's Cantao division, had been with Li Ang since the LA Company days, aiding his strategies in the global arms market.
After the Megacorp's founding and the dawn of the Great Interstellar Expansion, Xu had served as star-governor across multiple universes, building a wealth of administrative experience.
And yet, compared with the Emperor, these accomplishments seemed utterly insignificant.
The Emperor—born of mankind's Golden Age—had single-handedly fought his way across Terra, slain a C'tan, subdued the Mechanicum of Mars, created twenty Primarch demigods, and launched the Great Crusade.
He had battled the four Chaos Gods of the Warp, purged billions of xenos across the galaxy, crushed all opposition, and forged the Imperium of Man.
In comparison, Xu Shiming was like a great elder of a sect—master of many arts, skilled in governance—but still within bounds.
The Emperor was like a founding patriarch, one who had fused countless disciplines to forge an entirely new Way.
With such overwhelming strength and brilliance, even someone as proud as Xu Shiming could not help but look up to him.
Yet while Xu studied the Emperor, the Emperor also observed the governors in turn. From the vantage point of a supreme ruler, he could discern their temperaments and methods at a glance.
This was the instinctive talent of a true leader: with just one look, to judge another's character, habits, strengths, and even weaknesses.
"Your Majesty," Song Zhaomei said with a smile, "our original plan was to show you eight universes before bringing you to Ideal City to meet the Consul. But given the time, after we finish here in 003, we will depart directly for Ideal City."
Her new body radiated youthful vigor. Once, her dazzling mechanical frame had been her defining mark. But now, with advances in genetic engineering, she had shed the aged shell, and despite being over a hundred years old, she looked like a fresh-faced young woman brimming with vitality.
Yet from the sharp, practiced gleam in her eyes, the Emperor immediately sensed her true nature—this was no naïve girl, but a veteran player of human affairs, seasoned and shrewd.
"I am curious," the Emperor said, fixing his steady gaze on her, his towering presence pressing down even across the table. "Just how many universes do you command? With your strength, the number can hardly be so few."
To the Emperor, integrating universes was not about rigidly conquering them one by one. True consolidation followed a principle of growth: once enough momentum was built, expansion would surge forward explosively.
It was like a baby crawling ten meters in a minute, a child walking the same distance in half the time, and an adult sprinting it in just a second or two.
People grow. And so too does the Universal Megacorp.
With the Megacorp's current technological reserves, it was inconceivable that they ruled over only a handful of universes.
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