"Before that, I must praise you, Ryan, my child." Malcador's old face was still full of ridicule and sneer, as if everything in the world were idiots, and only he was smart: "He will contradict,
A child who can question and be rebellious is a qualified child. If you really
Just like Ruth, telling me with saliva, you are happy to be a tool, you are happy to be his lackey, then there is no need for me to show up, there is no need to teach you, or, you are just in the pit of Dorne.
You stinking stone, if you haven’t learned to respect your elders, I won’t teach you.”
Ryan: "…………"
The primarch thought to himself that his father really liked sarcasm.
Ryan vaguely remembered that Dorn, the original body of the Imperial Fist, once had a good relationship with Malcador, and they were good partners in domestic and military affairs. However, the two gradually developed rifts - Dorn still emphasized honor, persistence, and courage.
and faith, but macador
Thinking that these are not worth mentioning, Malcador is indifferent to fame and wealth, and has a mocking attitude towards so-called courage, glory, faith and other things, and even more so towards the countless victories in the Great Crusade that even the Primarchs would be obsessed with.
The illustrious military exploits and great glory are scorned.
In the eyes of Malcador, Dorn is a fool, and most of the original bodies are fools. Apart from Russ, only Khan, Guilliman and a few others can be recognized by Malcador to a certain extent.
Although Liman is the most moderate person, there is also a huge irreconcilable gap between the political opinions of the two parties.
He knows better than anyone else that gods (or original bodies) first gain power and then learn to control it. It is obviously impossible for mortals to match gods, but mortals know how to use the greatest restraint to control every bit of power they gain.
.
It is precisely because of this that Malcador can bear the resentment of almost the entire universe, bear the misunderstanding of anyone, bear the sins and disasters caused by the execution of the entire imperial bureaucracy, and even the accusations of the Emperor himself. Malcador is not a god.
, but his self-discipline, self-knowledge, introspection, and self-confidence are the key to resisting the corruption of chaos. The master of the seal has repeatedly turned the tide when it fell, and helped the building to collapse.
During the expedition, the Empire could lose one, two or even half of the original body, or it could lose one, two or even half of the legions, but the Empire could not leave Malcador even for any day. Countless appointment and dismissal documents were waiting for him to sign, and countless
Personnel deployment is waiting for his nod, countless worlds are waiting for the bureaucratic team headed by him to manage, and countless secret contracts and agreements are waiting for his review.
This is Malcador, a being that even the Emperor calls "my best friend" and "my confidant".
"My children, my daughter-in-law, you all know it in your heart." Malcador gently tapped the ground of platform nine and three-quarters with his golden double-headed eagle scepter. He smiled and said: "What Tzeentch said
It’s not a lie. There is no need for the Lord of Changes to lie. What He said is true. Many times, you do lack freedom. We must first admit this. Am I right?”
"......As you said, father." Ryan lowered his head.
"Your responsibility is too heavy. You have known this from the beginning." Makado laughed sarcastically, and the palmer cast his gaze into the distance: "Over the years, I have been secretly observing the outside world through you. It can be said that
, from the first time you go to the battlefield, you have both a sense of urgency and a sense of mission.
, teenagers and twenties, it is the time when a Primarch expresses himself, is young and vigorous, wears bright clothes and angry horses, and is happy with life. But from the beginning, you cannot do this, because you are the Primarch.
, you were carrying too much and it seemed heavy from the beginning, not to mention what happened later."
Ryan lowered his head.
Sulia, who was sitting next to Ryan, suddenly felt heart-wrenching pain in her heart.
Yes, from very early on, Lidya Su had a feeling that Ryan was always burdened with extremely heavy responsibilities and obligations that were far beyond what he should bear at his age. He often pretended to be relaxed, but...female
The knight could only stretch out his hand and squeeze Ryan's cold hand.
"I will tell you today, what is freedom? What is freedom?" Macado looked at his son and narrowed his eyes slightly: "The so-called freedom is actually divided into two types. The first type, we call it
One is 'liberty', and the second one is called 'freedom'."
"Although liberty and freedom are both called freedom, their meanings are quite different. Liberty refers to the freedom from being dominated by others, and from being affected by subordination and slavery. Liberty does not refer to 'doing whatever you want', but freedom from the control of others."
Malcador reached out his hand first
Pointed, using psychic power to write on the table: "This is very simple. Why do humans resist Chaos? Why do the Eternals support the Emperor to unify Terra? Why does Angron raise an army to resist the slave masters? For no other reason, they are just for liberty.
, taking back the control and autonomy of one’s own life, this is freedom.”
"Yeah." Ryan and Lidya Su both nodded.
"Similar to it but with a completely different core, it is 'freedom'. What is freedom?" Makado smiled: "The meaning of freedom is also very simple, that is, to get rid of the shackles of fate, get rid of the dominance of necessity, and have your own choices.
The power, this is freedom.”
"Freedom is considered to be the understanding and control of necessity, but in practice, its endings are often absurd. For example, is Angron free? If he is, then he arrived in Nukelia and was spirited
He was attacked by tribesmen, was seriously wounded, was captured and turned into a gladiator, and was finally installed with the Butcher's Nail. This can all be considered fate. He was obviously not free, but Angron resisted. He resisted with his free will. This is obviously
He is free, but what is the result of his resistance?"
"My brother was taken away by his father. He is not free." Ryan nodded, thoughtfully.
"Yes, this is destiny again, but this is the result of Angron's own choice. When he chose to reluctantly serve the emperor, he was free, but soon he was no longer free. He chose
At the moment of betrayal, he was free, but as he fell into chaos, he became unfree again
The existence of Khorne has become a toy of Khorne. In the same way, the World Eaters Chapter is unwilling to accept the control of the Emperor and chooses to install the Butcher's Nail. It is obviously the control of free will, but we all know what the Butcher's Nail is.
What’s the matter, if you install something like that, can you still be considered free?” Makado smiled.
Ryan smiled bitterly. What is the Butcher's Nail? In the simplest summary, it means cutting off half of the brain and carrying out biomechanical implant modification. The recipient of the modification will then lose all sources of happiness and excitement, and can only survive in battles and massacres.
Being able to obtain and secrete a trace of happiness is a dark technology specially used to create gladiators.
"Beyond the lie called freedom, there are endless shackles, Ryan." Macado then pointed at Sulia: "You chose to marry Sulia, you chose to accept the canonization of the Eldar God, and you chose to become the king.
It's your free will decision. No one can interfere with this.
You, but as you made your decision, everything changed. You were no longer free, but shouldered deeper responsibilities and deeper shackles. You may not have regretted it, but you must have thought about it more than once,
You pursue freedom, why do you get more tired and harder as you get to the back?"
"Everything is as my father said, but I don't regret my choice to marry Sulia at all." A trace of warmth rose in Ryan's heart. He took Sulia's hand and looked at his wife with a smile.
.
"It's good that you have your own ideas." Macado continued: "But with such deconstruction, we have to return to two paths. One is the determinism of all things. This is also very simple. That is what we
The cause of everything can be found from any event. Since there is a cause, the occurrence of all things becomes inevitable. The more you pursue freedom, the less free you will be."
"If you want to fight against the Doomsday, you need to control the country quickly and form an army. Therefore, it is inevitable that you become the king, and it is inevitable that you marry Sulia."
"And your path, from my sacrifice to the Emperor's attempt to create the original body, is inevitable."
"The attempt to create the original body can be summed up in the confrontation between humans, Eldar and Chaos. This is also inevitable."
"Then this problem is over, because we can trace back to the origin of chaos, to the battle in heaven between the ancient saints and the Necrontyr, to the birth of all spirits, and to the Big Bang." Malcador grinned:
"In this case, the operation of all things is fixed, so what is the meaning of our lives?"
"This is wrong." Ryan shook his head: "Otherwise, wouldn't all the sacrifices we have made, all the sacrifices you have made, father, and the sacrifices of all mankind and even the entire universe, be meaningless?"
"That's right!" Malcador had a teachable expression on his face, and the palmer nodded gently: "The thing that resists determinism is free will. People firmly believe that through their own efforts, they can reverse cause and effect and can make decisions spontaneously.
When an event occurs, you make a choice that can start a new chain of causality. Everyone can make a decision, but they must also be responsible for their own decisions."
"But the problem arises. Since you make your own decisions, you naturally have to be responsible for your own decisions. Chains of responsibilities, laws, morals, and ethics begin to appear. Then it is inevitable that emotions will arise, hatred will spread, and mortals will fight against each other.
Intense emotions mapped and intensified the mutation of subspace, leading to the birth of chaos, and also led to endless exploitation and enslavement, hatred and massacre among mortals."
Ryan and Lidya Su looked at each other and nodded in approval.
"As hatred increases, gradually, its roots can no longer be traced. The hatred bred and generated by class, race, country and culture will only overflow more and more, and gradually evolve into loss.
The war of control spreads hatred to every mortal individual." Malcador looked into the distance: "Chaos was born from this. Obviously they are the source of all evil, but so far no one has been found that can completely defeat him.
Our method."
"Not even the Imperial Truth?" Ryan said in confusion.
"Imperial Truth... Do you know that with the spread of Imperial Truth during the Great Crusade, a new materialistic Chaos God is being nurtured in the warp? If this continues, a new Chaos God will appear, and the Emperor
He is the mortal spokesperson of this new god." Malcador showed his withered yellow teeth: "This is not good, not good at all."
"Why is it not good?" Sulia was still confused: "If you do this, won't the emperor gain enough power to deal with the four gods of chaos?"
"The nature has changed, from a war between mortals and Chaos to a war between Chaos and Chaos." Malcador shook his head: "The Emperor's method was just to make the map smaller, make everything pure, and roughly divide everything.
Becoming 'us' and 'the enemy', the chain of hatred and war will continue to be staged, never-ending, but if the Webway Project can succeed, its scale will be controlled, but essentially nothing will change."
"And this is why the Eternals left the Emperor one after another. They found that they had been deceived, and the Emperor did not completely solve Chaos. On the contrary, he roughly brought everything into his own order and control.
After gathering the power of mankind, he also used the shackles called order and rules to kill the countless possibilities that humans should have. Therefore, the disappointed and angry immortals left one after another. Only I understand him, and I understand the emperor.
Emperor."
"Primarchs are born to be weapons, born to be tools, born to kill and rule." Malcador said warmly: "But the emperor is not, I am not, and mortals are not. Primarchs must be brave and fearless. Mortals must be brave and fearless."
But it’s not a natural battle
Sir, but the Emperor still did this. I, Malcador, as his only confidant and best friend, am willing to dedicate everything to him, even if I use up all my spiritual energy to maintain the Golden Throne, even if I use all my immortals
Just to let him arrange his funeral arrangements."
"That's far enough. Now you understand that all so-called freedom is a false proposition." Macado then smiled and said: "Then the question is, what is true freedom? How do we end the chain of hatred? How do we achieve it?
One's own freedom, how to transcend human beings in the midst of negation and affirmation, this ultimate question involving the origin of the universe, I leave it to you."
"What should I do?" Ryan said subconsciously.
"Silly boy." Malcador smiled kindly: "You have to find the answer yourself, because this is a question that neither the Emperor nor I can answer."
"You want to leave the question to me that neither you nor the Emperor can answer?" Ryan said with some anger and displeasure: "How can I know? I am only fifty years old this year, what about you? You have lived for seven thousand years.
, the emperor is more than 48,000 years old, and you are throwing this question at me now that you are not clear about?!"
"Because you are our child." Malcador suddenly stretched out his withered and wrinkled hands, held down Ryan's head, and gently rubbed his long black hair.
His affectionate and kind eyes stared closely at Ryan, as if he wanted to imprint everything about him deeply in his mind: "Isn't it what a father must do to pass on his life's ideals and wishes to the next generation?
Do you have any expectations?"
Ryan paused, and the original body was about to say something, but he found that Malcador's figure was gradually fading.
The last strength left in Ryan's body was being exhausted. Malcador himself also discovered this. At this time, the palmer lost all ridicule and cynicism, and he revealed his mortal face, which was a simple, dying man.
old man.
He is the founder of the bureaucracy of the human Galactic Empire. He is the most powerful person under the Emperor. He is the strongest psyker in the Empire besides the Emperor. He is a hero personally judged by the Emperor, but he has already
Most people forget.
His appearance is not divine at all, unlike the Emperor and the Primarchs who fascinate and worship him at first sight.
Because this is a human face, a mortal face. There is not even a little bit of divinity in him. Without his golden double-headed eagle scepter, most people would not be able to distinguish him from an ordinary old bureaucrat.
distinguish.
"I really have a lot to say to you, child, but I don't have time." Malcador helplessly watched himself disappearing: "Your existence is the result of the efforts of the immortals and me to create the original body.
My genes and the Emperor's genes were saved from the dark power to form you."
"The immortal gene in your body has been completely lost due to Tzeentch's previous destruction and sharing with Sulia." Malcador shot out a golden light from his chest and poured it into Ryan's body: "Now, let me restore it, but
, this is the last time.”
"Father!" Lion finally shed tears. The Primarch tried to reach out his hand, but he couldn't catch anything.
"Find the meaning of your own battle, find a way to end all this chain of hatred, and solve the ultimate proposition of the universe. There is still hope, Ryan." Malcador's figure turned into light: "Please, please,
My son."
"What you lose is just the shackles called freedom, what you will gain is the whole world! Child!"
The last mark of the palmer in the universe has disappeared. The hero's light has dissipated with the wind of chaos in the subspace, and there is no longer any echo. The nine and three-quarter platform has been disillusioned, and what is left is a large area.
nothingness.
All the confusion on Ryan's face disappeared, and the original body pulled Sulia, who was already in tears, to kneel down.
"Thank you, father!"
The majestic spiritual energy of the Gray Knight's original body burned again, more vigorously than ever before. In addition to the usual sky blue and silver flames, it also added the light of golden flames.
From then on, Ryan was no longer confused.
"The hymn of my foster father is the hymn of mortals." Sulia wiped her tears gently, and the female knight stretched out her hand sentimentally: "He is a hero, a real hero."
Ryan stretched out his hand to wipe away his tears. The original body opened his hands and silently recited an ancient song.
"The Emperor's hand is the hand of protection." Sky blue and silver flames lit up.
"The hand of a father is a nurturing hand." The golden flame lit up.
"When two hands are joined together, the door will be opened."
A portal back to the mortal world appeared in the chaos of the warp.
"Thanks to Tzeentch and the other three gods of chaos, the source of the several elven gods they gave to Morgul is enough, and there is even more." Ryan shed tears and smiled forcefully at Sulia.
Said: "Well... it's time to go back and continue to fulfill our own mission, the mission we chose, to save the world and stop Archaon and the End of Time!"
"Well!" Lidya Su held Ryan's hand.
.........I am farewell forever, the dividing line between the palm printrs......
Brittany, Palace of Fontainebleau.
It has been more than two months since his father and mother disappeared. Devon Hill has never hated his weakness and incompetence as much as he does today. The eldest son of the Sun King is training hard under the guidance of the Green Knight and receiving various courses.
He sat in court to hear how Uncle Laun and Grandpa Francois handled internal affairs, just to be able to persevere earlier.
After finally completing the entire course, Devon Hill had just dismounted and was about to take a breather. At this time, a gust of wind blew, and Devon Hill suddenly felt his head being gently caressed.
The proud baron usually hates people touching his head. Except for his father, two mothers, and Uncle Angron, Devonshire will get angry if anyone touches his head.
But why does this feel so warm and sad?
The son shed tears under the strange gaze of Sister Twilight. He stretched out his hand, but didn't catch anything.