Everyone present stared blankly at Noah, who had become the Imperial Warmaster and the new Solar Lord of the Imperium.
The Custodes were the quickest to react; they knelt and respectfully addressed Noah as the Solar Lord. This was the first time the Custodes had knelt to anyone other than the Emperor.
The Custodes were not required to kneel to the Solar Lord, but Noah was an exception because he had saved the Emperor.
Guilliman, on the other hand, looked at Noah with a complicated expression. He had never imagined that Noah, who had accompanied him, would actually become the Solar Lord and Imperial Warmaster of the Imperium.
However, this was an edict from the Emperor, and they had no room for rebuttal.
For some reason, Guilliman felt a sense of relief in his heart.
He had been troubled by the current state of the Imperium, but now things were different. Noah's sudden appearance meant that he now had someone to consult with.
Matters of war could be handed over to the Solar Lord; he only needed to manage internal affairs. Guilliman himself was a competent administrator of internal affairs.
He was also known as the Avenging Son, but his strongest ability remained internal administration.
Besides that, more importantly, this was a scientist with full moral integrity. If there was anything he didn't know, he could just ask him.
Among everyone, only Noah remained weakly seated in a chair, resting.
He hadn't said a word to the Emperor, yet he had achieved all his goals. He could easily mobilize the resources of the entire Imperium to launch an unprecedented Great Crusade.
Even though this Imperium was now split in two due to the Great Rift, and even though this Imperium was already teetering on the brink, its vast scale still represented everything.
Just half of the galaxy, with so many colony worlds, was enough for Noah to make his mark.
What did the Solar Lord represent?
Noah was not clear.
Noah did not communicate with the Emperor. He stood up and looked at Guilliman.
He had also heard the Emperor's voice, so he needed to understand what the Solar Lord meant.
Guilliman noticed that Noah seemed unaware of what the Solar Lord represented, so he began to explain to Noah, while the surrounding Custodes formed a defensive perimeter, protecting these two individuals personally appointed by the Emperor.
Guilliman wasn't counted; they were specifically protecting Noah, because only Noah could help the Emperor recover.
"I just heard this human fellow countryman bestow upon me a title called Solar Lord. I understand the status of the sun here, so please tell me what Solar Lord means."
Noah deliberated for a moment. In the end, he chose not to address the Emperor as a god but to continue calling him a human.
Noah's words received the Emperor's approval. Everyone could see the Emperor's body on the Golden Throne nod slightly. He was very pleased with Noah's addressing him as a fellow human being.
If the Emperor was pleased, then the Custodes naturally wouldn't say anything, while Guilliman began to consider how to answer Noah's question.
After much thought, Guilliman finally figured out how to reply and slowly began to speak.
"The Solar Lord is one of the beings in the Imperium with the highest military command authority. Its command authority is second only to the Emperor, that is..."
Guilliman pointed to the Emperor sitting on the Golden Throne, and Noah understood this point.
Isn't this equivalent to a Grand Marshal?
From Noah's own perspective, it was indeed like a Grand Marshal, able to mobilize all armies. Seeing that Noah understood, Guilliman continued.
"The Solar Lord can mobilize all military units of the entire Imperium, including the Astartes Chapters, the Imperial Guard, the Imperial Navy, the Adeptus Mechanicus, and even these Custodes you see."
"Normally, a Solar Lord cannot mobilize the Custodes, but you are different. You are a Solar Lord personally appointed by the Emperor, so the Custodes will also obey your command."
Perhaps feeling that Guilliman's explanation was not precise enough, Custodian General Trajann Valoris added.
Noah nodded again, indicating that he understood, and then gestured for Guilliman to continue his explanation.
"The primary mission of the Solar Lord is to launch large-scale crusades, reclaim lost territories, suppress rebellions, or confront xenos threats such as the Tyranids, Chaos Legions, etc."
Perhaps feeling that Guilliman was speaking too slowly and not getting to the point, Custodian General Trajann Valoris also began to explain to Noah.
"It's just that you are different from a regular Solar Lord. Besides being a Solar Lord, you are essentially also a Warmaster personally appointed by the Emperor."
"A Warmaster not only means you can command the units a Solar Lord can command, but you can also command all the Primarchs. You are essentially an existence acting on behalf of the Emperor's will."
"The entire Imperium will pulsate because of your existence. Until the Emperor speaks, your words are equivalent to the Emperor's decree."
At this point, Noah understood. This meant he could mobilize anything military in the entire Imperium to launch a war, a war against humanity's enemies.
Theoretically, the mission Noah had come to the Imperium to accomplish by meeting the Emperor was now complete.
As the Imperial Warmaster, he could easily mobilize psionics personnel to form the psionics legions he needed to assemble.
However, besides achieving his goals, Noah once again took on a heavy responsibility.
He was merely a scientist, yet he had been bestowed the title of Imperial Warmaster by the Emperor, becoming a commander.
The task of protecting fellow humans across the universe from xenos threats had fallen upon him.
As a scientist of the Terran Federation, Noah was well aware of what this responsibility meant, and he would not shy away from it.
This was inherently what a Terran Federation scientist should do, but his workload would undoubtedly increase significantly. He had already seen Guilliman handling those matters on his way here.
The administrative efficiency of the Imperium was simply too poor.
Noah pondered, beginning to think on the spot about what he should do. Neither the Custodes nor Guilliman interrupted him; they simply waited for Noah to complete his thoughts.
Until Noah opened his eyes again, then stood up straight, facing everyone.
So be it, a military commander. Although the current developments were completely different from what he had imagined before, what did it matter?
Since he was here, he would see it through.
The people here were also fellow humans.
Fellow humans should receive protection from humanity!
And this galaxy rightfully belonged to humanity; this was humanity's Manifest Destiny.
Moreover, putting everything else aside, with the aid of the Imperium, he wanted to develop a powerful Terran Federation. Wouldn't this provide the foundation?
Seeing that this Emperor seemed somewhat unwilling to be Emperor, could it be that he might be able to absorb the Imperium later?
Noah looked at the Custodian General, Guilliman, and the assembled Custodes before him and spoke.
"Gentlemen, I will not shirk my responsibilities. Since I have come here, and since I have become the Solar Lord, I will see this through."
"The galaxy is rife with xenos, and space teems with beings that dare to corrupt humanity. This does not align with humanity's fundamental interests. Therefore, I ask for your cooperation in achieving humanity's Manifest Destiny!"
"All for humanity's Manifest Destiny!"
Others' reactions might not have mattered, but when the Emperor heard the words "humanity's Manifest Destiny," his eyes began to glow.