The Lord of the Red Sands, like a scarlet meteor, plunged into the four-dimensional pocket, falling into the deep darkness within the pocket.
Although still profoundly dark, the four-dimensional pocket was no longer empty.
A Ramirez-class Starfort stood in the void of the pocket. This colossal void fortress was home to four small Starports, even allowing a large fleet to dock and rest upon it.
However, compared to the few ships currently heading towards the Starfort, the Ramirez-class Starfort's ports seemed a bit cramped.
Under Captain Sarine's control, the Conqueror and a fleet of other Imperial ships slowly towed the Abyss-class Battleship, Blessed Lady, towards a Starport.
This ancient Abyss-class Battleship was almost the largest warship in the galaxy, surpassed only by the Phalanx.
Its machine spirit was intense and mad, deeply corrupted by Chaos, and even the most skilled Adeptus Mechanicus priests couldn't cleanse it. They could only temporarily tow it and control it, waiting for Saint Doraemon to have time to purge the corruption.
"Identification confirmed: Conqueror."
"Please dock at Rear Mountain Fort Starport A-22. This Starport has been cleared."
It is said that there are three Starforts in this pocket: Rear Mountain Fort, Open Ground Fort, and Doraemon River Fort. No one knows the meaning of these names except Saint Doraemon.
"I need replenishment of food, energy, and ammunition."
"Please hurry, I need to feed a bunch of madmen and crew."
Captain Sarine transmitted her voice through the comms into Rear Mountain Fort.
Although, by the power of Saint Doraemon, she could move within the Conqueror away from the command throne,
she was ultimately the machine spirit of the Conqueror and could not leave the giant ship. She could only request supplies via comms.
Kossolax would also need to help with the signing work later.
Captain Sarine glanced at Kossolax, who was still unconscious.
Just now, to prevent Kossolax from showing cowardice under the Blood God's influence and being burned to death by the Blood God's wrath, Captain Sarine had to knock Kossolax unconscious with a single blow.
But Captain Sarine seemed to have used a bit too much force just now, as Kossolax hadn't woken up yet.
Had his head been damaged by her blow?
Captain Sarine was a little worried.
Damaging such a head only takes a second, but the World Eaters couldn't grow such a head in ten thousand years.
"This is Degraded Cawl, a replica of the Archmagos Belisarius Cawl, serving you by the will of Saint Doraemon."
A loud and arrogant voice sounded from the comms. As the Conqueror docked at the Starport, Captain Sarine successfully connected with the "machine spirit" of Rear Mountain Fort.
"The magnificent Conqueror, one of the greatest ships forged in the Mars shipyards during the Great Crusade era, is itself of immense research value."
"But even more valuable than the Conqueror is your form of connection with it. If you permit, I will dispatch a team of Tech-Priests to survey and research you and the Conqueror."
Captain Sarine felt a moment of trance as she sensed the so-called Degraded Cawl connected to her.
She did not answer Degraded Cawl's question, but after a moment of silence, she asked what was on her mind:
"Are you an Abominable Intelligence?"
A slight mechanical static sound came from the other side.
"Degraded Cawl is an automated answering device developed by Archmagos Belisarius Cawl, capable of responding only with a limited set of pre-recorded phrases. It possesses no true sentience or perception, merely serving as a mind-analogue of Archmagos Belisarius Cawl."
"If you perceive Degraded Cawl as possessing sentience, that is merely an illusion created by the exquisite skill of Archmagos Belisarius Cawl. Please praise the wisdom of Archmagos Belisarius Cawl and the greatness of Saint Doraemon."
"..Do you dare swear on Saint Doraemon?"
Captain Sarine had roamed the galaxy for ten thousand years, destroying many warships from different civilizations and dismantling them to repair the Conqueror. She had some understanding of technology. And as a machine spirit, she knew all too well what a true machine spirit looked like, and what an Abominable Intelligence looked like.
A noisy silence came from Degraded Cawl's end. Just as Captain Sarine was about to speak again, she suddenly felt a strong sensation.
She abruptly activated all sensors on the entire Conqueror, looking out into the boundless void.
A streak of crimson was falling from the void.
That crimson was hot, scorching, like a catastrophic star tearing through the night.
Not just Captain Sarine, but the World Eaters in the void also looked up blankly at that streak of crimson.
They sensed what it was; it was their gene-father, Angron.
Originally, when he appeared, the Butcher's Nails on the World Eaters' heads would roar into frenzied operation, awakening the boundless rage in their hearts.
But this time, the World Eaters felt nothing.
No anger, no pain, and even the normally humming Butcher's Nails were suppressed.
They felt their gene-father connecting his mind with theirs.
Angron was using his ability to draw out the anger and pain from the World Eaters' hearts, soothing their minds.
Nearly five digits of World Eaters, such an immense amount of emotion, even Angron originally couldn't absorb and suppress it in a short time.
But he was currently under the effect of Momotaro Maruko.
That dumpling could make one docile. The pain and anger Angron absorbed became gentle and peaceful the moment they entered his mind.
Angron was using the power of Saint Doraemon's tool to heal the hearts of his scions.
This couldn't last too long. Once Angron left, once the Momotaro Maruko disappeared, that pain and anger would surge back.
But Angron could at least leave some beautiful parts in their minds, which were only scarlet rage. Perhaps the most exceptional of his scions could use this beauty to resist anger and pain.
Angron connected with the mind of every World Eater. He projected the only beautiful period of his life from his memories—the time he fought alongside his brothers and sisters on Nuceria—into their minds. This included Angron's emotions from that time.
Angron himself had relied on these emotions to resist the influence of the Butcher's Nails in the past. He hoped his scions could also gain strength from it.
This was a small, insignificant compensation he offered to his scions.
But whether they could rely on this compensation to resist the Butcher's Nails was beyond Angron's power.
"Sarine." Angron sensed the gaze projected from the Conqueror. He felt Sarine's mind.
He read much from Sarine's mind, and also read of Kossolax's presence beside Sarine.
In an instant, Angron knew the experiences of Sarine and Kossolax over ten thousand years.
Angron was shocked.
He was shocked that Kossolax had not been consumed by the Butcher's Nails for ten thousand years.
He even had enough sanity to run away when facing Angron, and before running, he didn't forget to pick up his axe.
He even almost showed cowardice under the influence of the Blood God?!
Was his mind really so resilient?!
This was a goddamn miracle!!
He actually had a child among his scions who, by his own strength, suppressed the Butcher's Nails!!
At the same time, Angron also heard Captain Sarine's voice.
"He is Kossolax. In the days when you and Khârn were absent, he was our Regent."
Angron was silent for a moment, then he began to summon his ability, connecting to Kossolax's emotions, and then reflecting Kossolax's emotions into the hearts of every Conqueror in the pocket.
He wanted to turn Kossolax into a lighthouse, an anchor, a mirror.
Every World Eater could resist the Butcher's Nails using the beautiful emotion Angron left in their hearts.
And after that, they could use Kossolax, reflected in their minds, as an anchor to correct their minds to be similar to Kossolax's, thereby maintaining their sanity.
At the same time, Angron also mobilized his abilities as much as possible, leaving a basic understanding in the minds of the World Eaters.
This understanding was that "Kossolax is the Regent," which would make most World Eaters instinctively follow Kossolax's will.
Angron felt his spirit weaken. Even with the help of Momotaro Maruko, reaching this extent was his limit.
At least the World Eaters would no longer be as easily consumed by anger and influenced by the Blood God as before.
"Sarine, you are the one who can become the mother of the World Eaters."
"Help me take care of these children I have harmed, I beg you."
After his words fell, Angron gently closed his eyes.
Almost in the blink of an eye, Angron vanished into the boundless void.
Captain Sarine gazed at the disappearing Angron in the void, her eyes slightly lowered.
"My Lord, Angron, I pray to the greatest deity I know."
"I pray that the fate of that world treats you not as bitter and malicious as the fate of this galaxy."
[Item Name: Angron]
[Origin: Sol System—Terra—Himalayan Mountains—Imperial Palace Underground Laboratory]
[Description: One of the twenty-one extraordinary scions forged by the Emperor using gene-alchemy. He is the product of a strong Warp echo combined with the Emperor's powerful genetic sequence. Angron is the twelfth among them. The essence injected beneath his flesh and blood body is an instinctive rebellion against slavery, a primal urge for freedom, a sentient being's yearning for an unconstrained era. This essence wishes for all people to be like brothers and sisters, without oppression and slavery, but this essence is merely an impulse, knowing only how to resist and destroy a world, but not how to build a new one. Therefore, the outcome of this resistance is ultimately meaningless, eventually devolving into helpless scarlet rage.
The primal urge for freedom is an instinct of life. Every life form that approaches him will unconsciously resonate with his mind, becoming tainted by noble rebellious spirit or ugly scarlet rage, instinctively relying on him, loving him, trying to understand and approach him. When he still retains his sanity, he can use this to lead all beings and soothe their emotions. After he succumbs to rage, this ability of his will only instinctively bring disaster.
After modifying its essence, it can be used as a kindergarten child psychologist.]
[Production Time: 792.M30]
[Status: Implanted with the Butcher's Nails]
[Value:]
[Item Name: Butcher's Nails]
[Origin: Ultima Segmentum—Nuceria]
[Description: A crude, primitive barbarian implant, a combination of Warp technology and physical universe technology. It greatly awakens a person's pain, suppresses all emotions other than anger, and continuously devours the brain, but it is relatively easy to remove with a doctor's toolbox.]
[Production Time: 802.M30]
[Status: Extremely wild growth]
[Value: 1,000]
"0.052 Emperor." Alexander looked at Angron's price, which was almost exactly 0.052 of the Emperor's price.
It was actually slightly higher than Guilliman's 0.05 Emperor price, and only slightly lower than Sanguinius' 0.055 Emperor.
Was it because Angron's essence was actually stronger than Guilliman's?
No wonder Angron's combat power was still among the best of the Primarchs even when his mind wasn't in good shape. So, it was because his essence was stronger.
After confirming Angron's price, Alexander quickly began searching in the Future Department Store.
According to his thoughts, the true meaning of the Red Angel guiding the future should be...
"Will you also accuse me of being heartless, cold, and inhuman?" Suddenly, Emperor Nobita, standing beside Alexander, murmured.
For some unknown reason, his true body was clearly in front of Alexander, yet he used the Emperor Nobita's body to speak to Alexander.
Alexander glanced at him, not knowing why the Emperor was acting crazy. He hadn't expressed any opinion on the Emperor's humanity.
The Emperor was indeed inhuman, but Alexander could actually slightly understand the Emperor's helplessness.
When Old Night arrived and the Eldar fell, how could the Emperor not want to find someone taller to bear the burden?
But his immortal friends were either missing, or they didn't consider themselves human at all, even joining a lunatic organization called the Cabal, attempting to sacrifice the entire human race to utterly wound Chaos.
Ollanius Persson was missing, Elda betrayed and abandoned him, and in the end, besides Malcador, who was almost a young child, no one was by the Emperor's side.
In fairness, the Emperor did many inhuman things, but those who could have done better did nothing.
How could the Emperor not want to be more human? But he had no choice.
"Don't you think I'm quite human when I talk to you?" Emperor Nobita continued to babble when Alexander didn't speak.
It seemed Angron's words just now had slightly stimulated him, or perhaps Angron's ability had influenced the Emperor's emotions.
Alexander raised his eyebrows slightly. Indeed, the Emperor was much more human when he spoke to Alexander.
"Because I'm finally not bearing it alone."
"Because I finally have choices."
"You gave me other choices. I can enjoy a little luxury of humanity."
"Alexander, tell me, what should be the next choice?"
Looking into the Emperor's eyes, Alexander was silent for a moment, then looked at the item he found in the Future Department Store.
The price of that item was exactly the same as Angron's.
"The Red Angel guides the future of the galaxy..."