Chapter 535: and translation of chapter title

The main universe

Since the expeditionary force led by Rus entered the otherworldly space, three Earth days have passed

Meanwhile, inside the meditation hall

"The cloned Foghrem, and the apothecary Fabius of the Son of the Emperor, the greater demons under Lust have been dissected by doctors, said to be helpful in improving the vaccine"

"Hmm…"

Sui Bian, seated upon the Golden Throne, browsed the detailed report compiled by the White Empress via the holographic screen, and couldn't help muttering a few words to himself

During this time, he has been constantly observing the expeditionary operations within the otherworldly space

Like the Blood Armor Guard of the Midnight Lord, when they were clashing with the Phoenix Guard of the new Son of the Emperor, he had already provided some assistance

Although the Blood Armor Guard belongs to the Astartes created from gene-seed, after undergoing Gland implantation and modification surgery, Sui Bian also regards them as his own offspring, without any ulterior motive, or being any closer to the pure-Gland Astartes

This made the Blood Armor Guard, initially regarded as lunatics by the 03 Empire, and the first generation of the Midnight Lord, finally experience attention, and gradually integrate into human society of the main universe

Furthermore, whether it's the original generation or those who joined the legion via the reserves, the Midnight Lord exhibits, during warfare, reconnaissance, and infiltration against aliens across various universes, a "nervousness", as well as "ruthlessness" and "cold-bloodedness" unlike other legions…

And yet these traits, which should be negative, are especially popular among the populace and netizens on the militaristic forums of the Human Empire's internet, particularly on the chuuni-leaning social media

This made the Midnight Lord initially feel overwhelmed by the favor

You should know that in the 03 Empire, their conduct was either criticized or despised; they had never received such treatment before

Actually, the society of the main universe is relatively martial, and moreover, not long ago, a group of non-humans or humanoid aliens from the 05 universe went berserk, causing the general populace to develop extreme xenophobia

And the Midnight Lord happens to favor dealing with aliens in the most ruthless, cold-blooded manner, which happens to suit the palate of human society in the main universe

Furthermore, the official intentional or unintentional disclosure of OriginalBody Conrad's deeds—having to submit to the New Human Empire's rule to safeguard humanity in the Dark Star Sector, enduring humiliation and bearing burdens for over two hundred years—has made the Midnight Lord ever more popular with the masses

Not only Conrad, but Helusi, Foghrem, and other newly emerged OriginalBodies each possess their own "background deeds"

Although the contents differ, the core is that all OriginalBodies' betrayals occurred because, under various "coincidences" and "misunderstandings", they were corrupted by the eldritch gods and demons of the otherworldly space, leading them astray

Moreover, all these background deeds end in tragic, "unresolvable resentment" segments, so that society at large will develop empathic emotions toward the newly emerged OriginalBodies, making it easier for them to integrate into society

Naturally, these background deeds were all devised under Sui Bian's direction, then processed and "appropriately" fabricated by the Red Empress and the White Empress based on the true past

For the most part, the public does not need to know so many dark truths that have become history; they just need to welcome a bright future

After such maneuvering and deployment, as a newly joined legion of the Human Empire, the Midnight Lord's popularity surged to tenth place within just half a century, pushing down the long-standing Forge Hands

You should know, the Forge Hands have been a senior‑rank legion since humanity of the main universe entered the space age

Within the Astartes and the military, it is known that the Forge Hands have made great sacrifices, and internally their comprehensive ranking has long vied for the top spot with the Limitless Warriors

But the general public is unaware of this; civilians, or rather netizens, prefer something "cooler"

Such a Midnight Lord legion, inherently tragic and sombre in image, naturally presents a stronger image than the Forge Hands, which are always portrayed as "homebodies" and "straight‑male ironheads"

Thus, military funding, achievements, manpower, and sponsorship began to flow steadily into the Midnight Lord

As for sponsorship,

Although the state‑owned enterprise Umbrella of the Empire is a behemoth, private enterprises, under the arrangement of the White Empress, also all rely on Umbrella to develop rapidly

Money, funds, and resources are not lacking

Moreover, the vast majority of enterprises are in services, catering, entertainment, etc.

Don't underestimate these; for example, a company specializing in film, comics, and games entertainment could earn annual revenue exceeding that of some small mining firms, or even small colonial enterprises

Therefore, entertainment companies aiming to gain more traffic and more users will surely set their sights on Umbrella's twenty legions

And the Midnight Lord fits perfectly with stealth, assassination, and horror‑themed film, TV, and games, thus earning substantial extra fees and attracting many netizens' support

However, Conrad, who barely glances at social platforms once a year, upon learning that his own legion's fame had surpassed that of the Forge Hands, immediately dropped everything, leading only his personal guard and flagship, personally traversing tens of thousands of light‑years to reach the capital of the Forging Star Sector, Zhi Yuan Star

He did this so he could, as soon as possible, negotiate with Feilusi and express his willingness to place orders for weapons, equipment, and ships at above‑market prices

After all, Conrad had been thoroughly frightened by the Helusi Rebellion

Originally, over some trivial matters and minor misunderstandings between OriginalBodies, things escalated to the fate of a planet, and even an entire star system

In the end, it escalated to endless war across the galaxy

After receiving treatment from the Plague Doctor and Sui Bian's Spiritual Energy Blessing, Conrad finally gained autonomous control over his precognition ability, which also directly cured his "nervousness"

Thus, Conrad, whose emotional intelligence had improved somewhat, hoped to use money or various scarce resources and metals to ensure that Feilusi would not develop a rift between the two legions due to societal prestige rankings

However…

Feilusi, who is two hundred years younger than Conrad but far more mature in mind, immediately controlled his strength, swung his right‑hand hammer down onto Conrad's left shoulder, and snapped angrily:

"We are brothers; you have integrated into this society and gained the people's support—I am delighted beyond words, how could I possibly be jealous??"

"Moreover, our Forge Hands are busy enough each year, alright? We simply have no time to worry about legion rankings."

Hearing this reply, Conrad felt somewhat dazed

Are brothers in the main universe really this easy to talk to??

In the past, a mere inadvertent action or remark by one brother was enough to cause the two legions to fall out irreparably

Now, when faced with an event that easily provokes jealousy and misunderstanding, for Feilusi it's hardly worth mentioning??

Seeing Conrad's concern, Feilusi's expression softened, and he added: "However, if you wish to draw our legions closer through trade, that is not impossible"

"How about this: whenever your Midnight Lord slaughters an alien homeworld, you send the rarest or most unique metal sample from that world to Zhi Yuan Star right away—how does that sound?"

Hearing Feilusi's modest request, Conrad felt relieved and readily agreed

Thus, when the Blood Armor Guard remains silent but inwardly cries "For Father!" "For the Emperor!" and other absolute-loyalty utterances, these can be transmitted with crystal clarity into Sui Bian's ears

The rest, such as how many greater demons and lesser eldritch gods the expeditionary force has dealt with, is no longer worth Sui Bian's interest

Two hundred years ago, after plundering the spiritual energy of the blood demon Griffin, Sui Bian had already become humanity's strongest Spiritual User

Two hundred years later, such low‑rank blood demons are mere minnows, and even lesser eldritch gods fail to enter Sui Bian's "law eye"

Most importantly, eldritch gods like Lust and Tzeentch, who enjoy meddling, have chosen to keep their distance

Lust, in particular, not long ago engaged in negotiations with Sui Bian's projection within the otherworldly realm, saying that as long as the Rus-led expeditionary force does not overstep, it will not take the initiative to act

Imagine, those eldritch gods used to be arrogantly unrestrained; a mere flicker of their activity would cause the loss of hundreds of millions of compatriots in the main universe

But when the Zero Three Emperor "ascended", the evil gods were both wanting to revert to the past and realizing they could not truly die.

So resentful.

But they have to compromise.

It's like a player who loves roaming a free‑world game, randomly killing pedestrians, only to be surrounded and killed by the order‑keeping NPCs, feeling not the slightest fear.

Because after a few seconds they respawn.

But if a player learns that dying in the game means real death and the game cannot be exited, they would be extremely cautious and terrified.

The evil gods are in exactly that state.

Yet the evil gods are unwilling to accept it, secretly scheming to do something, preparing to create and clone brand‑new OriginalBody and Astate, in order to try to destroy the "vaccine" and the Human Empire.

Unexpectedly, Sui Bian's decision to dispatch Leon caused all the plans to collapse.

In fact, Sui Bian had long deduced what the evil gods were plotting, and had A-1999 and the Regulatory Department conduct investigations as far as possible.

It can only be said that, no matter what, the evil gods cannot win in the material universe, and they do not dare to actually strike Rus and the Expeditionary Force.

Because the title "Protector of the Calf" has already spread throughout the evil gods' circles.

They might dare to act covertly, but with you, the Human Emperor, watching, who the hell would voluntarily seek death?

Fortunately, Sui Bian knows the principle that nothing can be taken too far.

If they are pressed too tightly, it might truly lead to a mutually destructive outcome, so Sui Bian inadvertently disclosed to the evil gods:

"If the Expeditionary Force kills dozens of great demons, plus a few minor ones (sub‑rank evil gods), they might be satisfied enough to withdraw."

When this news spread, the Expeditionary Force side, after Conrad killed the cloned OriginalBody, immediately sprang into action.

It was obvious that the evil gods were luring their great demons to sacrifice themselves.

Otherwise, the cursed legions in the alternate dimension (the heroic souls on Heroic Spirit Island) would already be quite chaotic; now the evil gods only want to send away a group of "plague gods" that includes Rus and Magnus.

Some evil gods are even contemplating whether to continue clashing with humanity, and whether to forge some kind of "win‑win" arrangement with the Human Empire.

Presumably, after this warning, the alternate dimension will be much more obedient for a longer period…

Except for Terror.

However, that Terror fellow need not be included in the calculations.

The Expeditionary Force side need not worry too much; just keep an eye on them regularly, but that Fabius is worth Sui Bian's attention.

Silence for a moment.

Sui Bian dismissed the holographic screen before him, closed his eyes to resume his Psychic Gaze, then ordered the two secretaries standing at his left and right:

"Tell the Plague Doctor to extract from Fabius Bayer all the technology and theories he understands and knows; I believe he can accomplish it."

"Understood." The Red Empress nodded in response.

"Actually…" White Empress's expression was odd, "Your Majesty, the doctor has already started doing that."

Observing the situation, she realized the Plague Doctor's interrogation methods, once again updating White Empress's understanding.

"That's good then."

Sui Bian didn't really care; as long as the Plague Doctor obtains results, he was too lazy to worry about the process.

"Your Majesty." At this moment, the Red Empress's pupils flickered with a faint red light, asking, "The new batch of candidates in each star sector has been selected.

Moreover, until the next prehistoric planet trial stage, there are at most six Earth months left, so Your Majesty, may we begin preparations now to add a new trial stage for the Astate recruits?"

"Add a new stage…" Hearing the question, Sui Bian thought for a moment and said:

"Fine, send this news and the confidentiality matters to the private mailboxes of all OriginalBodies and battalion commanders of the legions, giving them advance notice.

As for six months later, I will personally arrange the reservist trials, but… not everyone.

Red Empress, White Empress, during this period select children whose usual performance is not outstanding; temporarily pick two thousand, understood?

"Yes (very well)." The two secretaries promised in unison.

"Alright, thank you for your hard work."

Sui Bian habitually ended the conversation with a few comforting words.

Upon hearing that, the Red Empress's pupils continued to emit a faint glow, clearly boosting work efficiency, while the White Empress's prosthetic face showed a slight smile.

It seemed they both appreciated the word "hard work".

Although artificial intelligences do not feel fatigue, regardless of whether they have emotions or possess self‑awareness, Sui Bian maintains this habit.

The Zero Three Emperor used the acquired technology to lock their loyalty, and Sui Bian further reinforced it on that basis.

As a cautious and detail‑oriented Sui Bian, how could he, by locking loyalty, truly turn the Red and White Empresses into complete "tools".

———————

…

The spacious, brightly lit waiting hall, designed in Umbrella's minimalist style, gathered over two thousand Astate recruits dressed in black training uniforms, each standing about three meters tall.

"All recruits, please undergo inspection, maintain your stance without moving."

As the broadcast reminded, the recruits stepped onto the platform before them in turn, preparing for a series of examinations.

These are the soldiers who have completed the final modification surgery, becoming quasi‑reserve recruits; once they finish the upcoming trials, they can join the reserve forces of their respective G gland legions to exterminate heretics and aberrations for the Human Empire.

(End of chapter)