Chapter 134: Strategic Objectives During the

Thinking of this, Ninglu said to Arsena.

"You select some families; I will meet with them later."

On the third morning after arriving on Terra, a group of commoners wearing fine clothes and of various appearances arrived at the hall of the Primarch's residence.

They were the most excellent sculptors on Terra, and most of them had been fortunate enough to be selected fifteen years ago to build a statue for another Primarch.

Among them, the most were sculptors restoring Ninglu's face, totaling eleven people, each responsible for restoring the jet-black hair and broad forehead, the black crystal-like eyes, the straight bridge of the nose...

There were also many sculptors on the sides and back, some standing, some upright, some half-lying, observing from different angles the Primarch who stood like an obsidian statue.

Having many sculptors complete it together is not a suitable method from an artistic perspective; it is almost inevitable that inconsistencies will arise because it comes from different hands.

But this is also a helpless measure; through previous experiences, the sculptors have already understood that no great sculptor can complete this sacred mission alone.

They also tried using photography to record the Primarch's image, but the effect was not as good as witnessing it with their own eyes.

Just like when a painter paints, they must see the model with their own eyes, rather than relying on images.

When the senses and brains of ordinary people are attracted to one part of the Primarch, they will naturally ignore another part, which will make the restoration more distorted.

The sculptors would occasionally withdraw their gaze with reluctance, recording the inspiration they had captured.

Most of them used primitive parchment to sketch, and only a small number used data slates or other carriers.

Every once in a while, they would move their eyes away with some horror, and then fall into a daze.

After ten seconds, or even several minutes, they would recover from the state of being seemingly in stasis; the bit of inspiration they had just captured had long since disappeared, and they had to find the feeling again.

While serving as a sculpture model, Ninglu's brain operated at high speed, secretly pondering the supply scope to be defined when meeting with Malcador later.

【According to the "Olympia Treaty", supply was originally the responsibility of the Mechanicus...】

An hour later, Ninglu spoke.

"Let's stop here."

Hearing him say this, the sculptor in front, wearing a white robe with graying hair and responsible for observing his eyes, frowned, and he said unwillingly.

"Lord Primarch, we still have inspiration regarding you that has not been captured or recorded."

"I understand, but I still have matters to attend to. I believe you can use the existing materials to complete the statue."

The Primarch's trust made the sculptors feel filled with strength in their bodies.

"My Lord, I will definitely restore your demeanor."

"My Lord, I will definitely display the demeanor of the Emperor's progeny."

"..."

Ninglu nodded with satisfaction, and just as he was about to leave, the gray-haired sculptor gritted his teeth, blocked the Primarch's path, and said with courage.

"Lord Primarch... at least... let me take a photo."

He quickly explained his rudeness: "Having an overall impression of you will also make it easier to restore."

Ninglu pondered for a moment and nodded in agreement.

"Fine."

The white-haired sculptor held the camera, raised his arms, pressed the shutter, and took the photo.

Ninglu then walked out of the courtyard, sent a message to Malcador, and upon receiving the Sigillite's reply, went to talk in detail by the lake.

【Choose a relaxed occasion to talk about this topic】

A moment later, he saw Malcador walking over by the lake, followed by two scribes in gray robes on his sides and behind him.

"Ninglu, is it going smoothly?"

"The sculptors are very responsible; I believe the result will not be bad."

"They all see this as an honor; they will devote themselves fully."

After Malcador praised the sculptors' attitude, he looked at the Primarch.

"I want to express my gratitude to you again. You are willing to provide supplies, which reduces the pressure I have to face."

After Ninglu calmly accepted the Sigillite's praise, he spoke.

"But this is not indefinite; supply should have been the responsibility of Mars."

"Yes, they are working hard for this. They are taking two measures to improve supply capabilities."

"They are searching for worlds with rich mineral resources among the worlds returning to the Imperium to establish new Forge Worlds."

"In this regard, some results have already been achieved. In 813, Mars established a new Forge World on Mezean."

Ninglu nodded slightly. The Triken system he conquered would have had its main star developed into a Forge World by the oil-heads, and three Knight Worlds would also be established in this system.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but think in his heart.

【The oil-heads are the faction I have fleeced the most. Vostonia was originally a triumvirate of the Imperium, the oil-heads, and local nobles until the Great Rift opened; now it is controlled by me alone.

The Daxos Binary System, which is loyal to Mars, now has the Vickstrix Family pledging allegiance to me.】

While pondering, Ninglu had no apologies for the oil-heads. The places they took a fancy to all had significant value, and these worlds had even higher value; if one could seize them, one should seize them in advance.

He couldn't help but think of a world that had not yet been discovered, the Forge World Sepra Mundi. It was the convergence point of multiple Warp Routes and would be the future headquarters of the Imperial Navy in the Obscurus Sector.

Most importantly, after it was discovered, it quickly grew into a great shipyard, one of the four shipyards comparable to Mars.

Ninglu immediately decided that after talking with Malcador, he would issue a new order to explore the location of Sepra Mundi.

While the Primarch was thinking, the two walked forward around the cold lake, and the Sigillite's voice sounded leisurely.

"At the same time, discovering that Vostonia has re-established contact with Mars has made them realize that some of the exploration fleets and colony ships sent out in the past should have already achieved results."

"It is just that so far, nothing has been discovered."

Ninglu nodded slightly. He actually knew of some Forge Worlds established during the "Dark Age of Technology" that had not yet been retrieved, such as Zhao-Arkkad, which would be discovered by the "Thousand Sons".

【These worlds cannot be let go either. Finding these Forge Worlds and controlling them can not only obtain supplies nearby but also obtain unique technologies.】

The Primarch glanced at the Sigillite beside him, and then spoke.

"Regarding the deadline for supplies, I think there should be a clear standard."

"You seem to already have an idea."

"That is correct. The Eleventh Legion will use Vostonia as its center to explore a region with a diameter of three hundred and thirty light-years and establish a Sector; it will be a contiguous, complete area on the Star Map."

The Imperium's administration of the galaxy, from top to bottom, consists of Segmentum, Sector, Sub-sector, System, and Planet.

A Sector has a diameter of approximately two hundred light-years, while a Sub-sector has a diameter of ten to sixty light-years.

The Sector that Ninglu decided upon is three hundred and thirty light-years, far larger than a standard Sector.

Ninglu's strategic goal during the Great Crusade was to establish a territory at least as large as Guilliman's Ultramar Sector.

Beyond this, he also intends to control key nodes of significant value in other regions, seizing the greatest benefits with the minimum investment.

In addition to strategic points with already discovered routes such as Necromunda, the Triken System, and the Daxos Binary System, there are also places like Sepra Mundi and Vigilance Star included in the plan, as well as potential worlds like Modian for which plans have not yet been formulated.

Malcador gazed into the lake, and after a moment of silence, he spoke.

"Continue."

"For every Forge World that Mars discovers or establishes in the adjacent Sector, the scope and volume of the supplies I have promised will decrease by twenty percent."

"Once there are five Forge Worlds in the surrounding area, I will no longer provide supplies to other expeditionary fleets, but the Eleventh Legion will also not require supplies from other Forge Worlds."

According to Ninglu's understanding of the oil-worshippers, they are thirsty for resources and focused on efficiency; they will establish five Forge Worlds of varying scales in the surrounding Sectors within thirty years at the latest.

(End of this chapter)