Chapter 74: The Emperor of Mankind and Alpharius (Seeking First Subscription)

Exemplar City, Underhive.

A man in golden robes and a giant in green robes walked down the street; their appearance here should have drawn the attention of the Underhive residents, yet no one saw them, as if they did not exist.

The two walked into a steel factory as if entering an empty land.

They happened to see hundreds upon hundreds of workers in yellow work uniforms gathered at the entrance of the canteen on the side.

The factory manager, dressed in yellow and black, spoke in a loud voice.

"The production statistics for the previous five work cycles have been completed."

"Congratulations to you all for meeting the minimum standards; everyone may collect one portion of food from the Cradle of the Sea, enough for each of your families to have a meal."

"The reward for the previous round is seaweed, suitable for making soup," he said with a smile, watching the longing eyes of the crowd below, "You will not be shortchanged; start lining up to collect it now."

The two saw that the workers were receiving a small bag of seaweed the size of a normal person's palm.

The factory manager clapped his hands: "Anyone who exceeded their work quota has additional food to collect."

"The food for the previous round is rice grown in the Cradle of the Sea; you can mix the rice with the seaweed to make seafood rice."

"The top eleven workers can also receive an additional tuna, making the seafood rice even more delicious."

All the workers stared wide-eyed at the factory manager.

"There are three hundred and three people who exceeded their work quotas; your rewards have been tallied. When you hear me call your name, come forward to collect them in order."

"..."

The man in golden robes turned around; he had already obtained his answer.

A moment later, he spoke.

"The method is simple, but it cannot be promoted to other worlds."

The giant in green robes nodded in agreement; when he was receiving training on Terra, he had been sent to Hive Cities to carry out missions.

He had also carried out missions to infiltrate the Solar Auxilia and observe their loyalty, so he had some understanding of the affairs of the lower classes.

"Artificially synthesized foods like Corpse Starch and nutrient porridge rations can stave off hunger, but after eating them for more than five days, adverse reactions appear; they suffer from headaches, and the probability of phenomena like fetal deformities and heart failure increases."

"This is the reason for the birth of mutants, but in other Industrial Worlds and Hive Cities, those rulers do not care about this."

"If we were to promote Ninglu's system across every world of the Imperium, the consumption would be immense; we can only ensure that the Solar Auxilia receive food supplements from Agricultural Worlds every few days."

The man in golden robes was silent; promoting Ninglu's system would only incite resistance on various worlds and slow down the progress of the "Great Crusade."

"It is time to go see him."

————

At the same moment the man in golden robes spoke, the Wosituoniya zhi Ao docked at the Xinggang.

Ninglu, having stepped off the boarding deck, immediately saw Howard, Yelena, and the others who had received the news in advance and come to welcome him.

"My Lord, welcome back."

"How long have I been away?"

He looked at the excited crowd and asked with a smile.

"My King, your expedition this time lasted for five years and sixty work cycles."

Ninglu was slightly stunned; his journey this time, including the time on the ship and the time spent conquering the Crystal Illusion, totaled no more than two years.

【There are two possibilities; the most likely is that the ship time during Warp travel is inconsistent with real time, which often happens during Warp travel.

The Empyrean is not bound by physical rules; one might travel for a thousand years and find that only a dozen days have passed upon returning to reality.

It is also possible for the opposite to occur: a few days of Warp travel, and a hundred years have passed upon returning to reality.

Another possibility is that there is a time difference between the two star systems, but the difference is not this great.】

He then stepped forward, boarded his exclusive car, and drove toward the palace.

Just as Ninglu stepped out of the car, he noticed two people walking toward him, one after the other.

The giant holding a spear was taller, but he was completely overshadowed by the person in front of him.

The moment Ninglu looked at him, he felt as if he were seeing a shining golden sun, and his mind went rigid.

The people behind him had blank minds, as if bound by a spell, their bodies frozen.

Ninglu paused his steps, and then his pitch-black eyes instantly turned deep, as if black mist were rising.

Seeing the Eleventh Primarch recover so quickly, a flash of surprise crossed the eyes of the man in golden robes.

When he found Alpharius on Terra, and when he received Horus, who had been brought before him by the Adeptus Mechanicus on Terra, they were both unable to recover for a long time from the light he displayed when they saw this side of him.

Even the powerful Horus was like this; the sensitive Eleventh Primarch should have been affected even more.

That Ninglu was unaffected was completely beyond his expectations.

His daze lasted only for an instant, and then his face was filled with a sunny smile; he opened his arms.

"Ninglu, my son, I think you should have already recognized me."

"We met when you were still in the gestation pod; you sensed me keenly, but it was not the time then, so I let you enjoy your sleep."

He was like a loving father, recalling every little detail of his child, his tone full of affection.

Ninglu certainly recognized the identity of the man in golden robes; he was the Emperor of Mankind, and the Gene-Father of the Primarchs.

He was not moved by the warmth displayed by Huang Laohan; just as Malcador, who understood the Master of Mankind best, had said, the Emperor of Mankind always presented the side of himself that he needed to show.

He also vaguely sensed a trace of rationality and coldness hidden within the gentle warmth.

Ninglu was even less able to view the person before him as a father.

【Huang Laohan is showing me this side of himself; could it be because I treat the people of Vostonia well, and he thinks I am easily swayed by emotion?】

While Ninglu was pondering, the Emperor had already arrived before him.

"Now, the destined time has arrived; you should return to my side."

Ninglu's mind raced; just as Jaghatai Khan had said, returning to the Imperium was the best choice.

But he did not want to agree immediately; this was the moment to make demands of Huang Laohan, and as long as they were not too excessive, the Emperor of Mankind, who needed him to lead the Legion in battle as a commander, would certainly agree to his requests.

【Since the loyal Sanguinius has made a request, it is only natural for me to negotiate terms with Huang Laohan.】

Thinking of this, Ninglu said with a smile on his face.

"Welcome."

He opened his arms to embrace the Emperor of Mankind, feeling the warmth radiating from Huang Laohan.

After the two separated, Ninglu immediately said.

"I think we should talk before I decide whether to pledge my loyalty to you."

"I was just thinking of having a chat with you; you have done very well in Vostonia, and under your governance, this world has developed into a prosperous and civilized world."

"I am very interested in this and would like to know how you achieved it."

Ninglu sensed that Malena was the first to recover behind him, followed by Arsena and Howard.

"Please!"

After saying this, Ninglu led the way, shifting his perception away from the Emperor of Mankind and using the corner of his eye and his "Warp Insight" to probe the green-robed Warrior holding a spear.

Judging by his height, he was not a Custodes; he should be an Astartes.

But Ninglu always felt he was somewhat special, even though he had not yet seen a single Astartes.

【He has a lifelike hydra on his cheek; he should be an Alpha.

Huang Laohan would likely not bring an ordinary Alpha along, let alone just one.】

His eyes flashed, and he had already guessed the other party's identity.

【When the Four Ruinous Powers swept away the Primarchs, he was the only one who fell on Terra, one of the twin Primarchs of the Twentieth Legion, Alpharius.

This pair of brothers are the smallest in stature among all the Primarchs, with a height similar to an Astartes.

Alpharius has never exposed his identity; he follows by the Emperor's side and has met every returned Primarch, yet not one has recognized his identity.】

(End of this chapter)