Chapter 276: Hello, High Lord Lucan
With a heavy heart, Lucan stepped into the Throne Room.
Anyone who witnessed the Emperor's current state would find it hard to imagine how a single being could endure such torment for ten thousand years. The Golden Throne, a "torture device" that would impress even a Haemonculus, tormented the Emperor's body and will every single moment. Seeing the Emperor's sacrifice, Lucan felt that the emergence of the Imperial Creed was almost an inevitability. Even if the Primarchs had not all fallen into slumber, the Ecclesiarchy would have likely appeared in another form.
What brought Lucan a sigh of relief was that his worst-case scenario had not come to pass; the Emperor had no intention of seating him on the Golden Throne.
When facing Lucan, the Emperor did not reveal his warp-self as he had with Guilliman and Ferrus. The two had already seen each other's true essence in the warp; one could say they understood each other's unique existence better than anyone.
Lucan could feel a portion of the Emperor's power descending upon him. The power was trying to see through his physical body, from the inside out. The Emperor's psionic energy was scanning every single one of his cells. For the Emperor, the two had never met in the material universe. Regardless of whether Lucan had ulterior motives, he first had to confirm one thing: was Lucan truly human?
As the power withdrew from Lucan's body, it was clear that the Emperor, whose understanding of the human essence was second to none, had confirmed Lucan's identity as a human.
Their subsequent conversation did not involve the Emperor trying to probe his secrets, as Lucan had expected. Instead, he asked about the world Lucan came from. Their talk was more like a casual chat, with the Emperor filled with curiosity about this outsider. Lucan even took out several nano-med guns and tried to repair the Emperor's body, but the System-empowered healing tools had no effect. The continuous drain and the supernatural damage from the warp were not things that could be repaired on a physical level.
"I will have Guilliman and Ferrus assist you," the Emperor's voice echoed in his mind. "I hope you can truly help the people of this world escape their suffering. This universe is also more dangerous than you imagine. The Soulless Ones are becoming more active in the galaxy. The enemies of the Imperium have never been limited to Chaos. In addition to the dangers from within the galaxy, you must also be wary of threats from without."
"Threats from outside the galaxy? You mean the Tyranids?"
"Not just them. The rebellion of the Men of Iron, Men of Stone, and Men of Gold, as they are now called, did not see all of them destroyed. Some escaped. No one knows to what extent those who left the galaxy have developed over these long years. No one knows when they will return, nor what their attitude towards the current human race will be. And are the Old Ones truly all dead?
"Your arrival will bring unforeseen changes to this world. It may even draw the gaze of various cosmic entities to this galaxy. If you were in their place, would you allow a being or a civilization to grow to a point where it could threaten you?"
"I understand," Lucan replied.
The Emperor's warning did indeed weigh heavily on him. The current Imperium was still confined to the Milky Way. The Tyranids and the Silent King, who had been in self-imposed exile for sixty million years, were proof that the universe was much larger than it seemed.
When the doors of the Throne Room opened again, all eyes were on Lucan. He had been inside for less than an hour. No one dared to ask what he and the Emperor had discussed.
"Lord Lucan," Guilliman said, "Ferrus and I must now convene with the High Lords. The unrest outside is getting worse... I must quell this turmoil as soon as possible. After the council meeting, you will be granted greater authority."
"I hope everything goes smoothly for you," Lucan replied. "Cawl and Pavian should have made some progress with their research. I will hand over the administrative platform to you as soon as possible. I believe it will be of great help in your upcoming reforms."
Lucan did not know how Guilliman and Ferrus intended to deal with the High Lords, but as soon as the council was convened, a power shift occurred within its ranks. The majority of the High Lords chose to unconditionally support the leadership of the Primarchs. The activity of the Officio Assassinorum and the Inquisition on Terra reached an unprecedented level.
The chaos instigated by the traitor legions had significantly subsided after Guilliman took command, but the Chaos Gods were clearly determined to cause trouble for the Imperium. The number of followers the Four Gods had cultivated on Terra over the millennia was far greater than imagined. No matter how many forces were deployed to purge them, they could not be completely eradicated.
However, the Administratum, which had proven itself to be thoroughly rotten, was a problem Guilliman did not hesitate to take a blade to. Tzeentch had infiltrated it so deeply it was like a hornet's nest. Initially, he had been worried about disrupting the Imperium's operations. But now that it could not be reformed through conventional means, the only option left was to purge it with fire and sword.
Guilliman borrowed the Artificial Blanks and the Night Sentinels from Lucan. They all possessed the ability to sense the power of Chaos and were used to screen for those who had been tainted. Irtu, due to the chaos in the Administratum, was directly removed from his position as a High Lord by Guilliman and imprisoned. The subsequent fate of these High Lords was no longer Lucan's concern.
The second High Lord to be brought down was the representative of the Chartist Captains, Kanya. She had never imagined she would be the second. In fact, she shouldn't have been. Her swift removal was purely a case of Guilliman making room for Lucan.
In the Emperor's name, Guilliman directly appointed Lucan to her seat. Only then did the other powers in the Imperium truly understand Lucan's importance.
However, Lucan was somewhat resistant to the idea. Dealing with politics was not his strong suit, nor was it something he wanted to do. He had no desire to experience the miserable life of a High Lord. But Guilliman had already made arrangements for him. He knew Lucan had more important things to do. This was a way of granting Lucan the protection and empowerment of the office. While Lucan enjoyed the benefits and protection of this power, Guilliman would appoint others to handle the administrative problems. He needed Lucan to have more time to provide the Imperium with a steady stream of powerful technology.
It must be said that Lucan was very satisfied with this arrangement. This was what he was already doing, after all.
In addition to this marginal High Lord position, Lucan also received a new status, something that had never happened before in the history of the High Lords. The Koronus Expanse, once a region that existed outside the Imperium, was officially incorporated into its territory. The Koronus Sector was formally established, and Lucan was appointed as its Sector Lord. Now, on an official level, Lucan could command all Imperial forces within the Expanse.
In the Administratum's records, the Koronus Sector was also marked with a special tax-exempt status. While enjoying the privileges of a formal sector, Lucan did not have to worry about taxes affecting the development of his worlds. The Imperial Tithe was a heavy burden on any planet. Not only the Expanse, but the Malfi sub-sector within the Calixis Sector was also incorporated into his domain. The number of planets and the sheer size of these two territories combined was unmatched by any other Imperial sector.
But with this High Lord status, Lucan still had to bear some responsibilities. This position was also responsible for trade within the Imperium. Guilliman did not care what price Lucan charged other Imperial factions for his powersuits. What he needed was for Lucan to provide large quantities of them to arm the Imperial soldiers at a low price. The Imperium would provide Lucan with the necessary alloys for their manufacture.
How could Lucan refuse such a good deal? With Guilliman providing the materials, his only cost was time. Although the profit per unit was lower, the total profit had actually increased significantly. When Guilliman saw the price quote Lucan provided, he almost regretted not pushing the price lower. The quote even included a "buy five, get one free" offer.
But Guilliman also had his own conditions. He wanted to send some of his own people to participate in the administration of the Koronus Sector. Lucan knew what he meant. The Emperor had clearly told Guilliman some of his secrets. This was a form of surveillance.
Lucan did not refuse. Overt monitoring was better than covert investigation, and he had nothing to hide. His true secrets and technologies were things they could never touch anyway.
The news of Lucan becoming a High Lord was sent back to the Koronus Expanse. Hearing this, the members of his alliance knew that their gamble had paid off completely. They were all about to get very, very rich.
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