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"On behalf of the beloved King of Mankind, and in the name of the Terra Empire, I extend my greetings to your esteemed nation."
"On behalf of the people of the Federation of Kings, I accept your greetings and express my gratitude."
Although many years have passed, the language used by the two sides to communicate seems to have remained largely unchanged, except for some variations in syllables.
"Excuse my intrusion," the messenger said, "are you from Terra?"
"That's exactly right."
"Ancient Terra, the planet known as Earth?"
“Exactly,” Fugrim said with a smile, his eyes radiating confidence.
“We sail among the stars,” she continued, “in search of loved ones lost long ago.”
......
The Radiant Light Ship.
Somewhat anxiously, Magnus flipped through one book after another that he already knew by heart in his study on his flagship.
At this moment, on the Imperial Pride, the Human Empire and the Federation of Kings are conducting diplomatic negotiations.
Magnus wanted to help the new Warmaster Vograim, but it seemed their areas of advantage overlapped somewhat—the other was also a diplomatically specialized Space Marine legion.
Is there anything else they can do to help each other?
The well-meaning Magnus is once again preparing to do something bad with good intentions.
"Has our Imperial Two-Headed Eagle Spirit given us any instructions?"
Chapter 179 Magnus, the Mischief King
At that moment, both Ahriman and Magnus closed their eyes.
Frost condenses, and energy flows.
From the real world, Magnus, the Crimson King, ventures into the vast heavens, traversing the boundless spiritual realm in search of the benevolent beings with whom he has had many interactions and who have helped him—the two-headed eagle spirits born from the Imperial people's faith in the Imperial eagle emblem.
It is absolutely trustworthy.
Magnus has many friends here.
Not long after he began his journey through the spiritual world, Magnus soon sensed the presence of the two-headed eagle spirit.
The appearance of elves in the warp is different from that in the real world—these creatures do not have any uniform external features, and it is impossible to describe them by their appearance.
The mysterious spirit seemed to be in a constantly changing posture, and the only point of reference that allowed Magnus to recognize it was its blue bird-like body with two heads.
"Great two-headed eagle spirit, symbol of the empire, guide, I hereby seek your guidance—"
In the subspace, everything can only be felt with the mind.
Magnus conveyed a friendly and gentle message to it: "We have arrived at the Interles Federation as you have guided us. Where is that forbidden, lost knowledge? What should we do next?"
"Gah!"
Magnus heard the call of a bird.
He wasn't sure if this was the kind of sound the other party, as a two-headed eagle, should make, but he did seem to sense a fleeting hint of mockery.
The very next moment, another extremely shocking message entered Magnus's mind.
"what?!"
This time, the news from the Empire Double-Headed Eagle is particularly significant.
"You mean... the entire Interles Federation has been corrupted by evil witchcraft?!"
......
The negotiations between Fugrim and the Interles Federation are proceeding very smoothly.
The reason this former human enclave was able to survive and develop sufficient awareness of the evil of chaos was largely due to the guidance of an Eldar world that once passed through the area.
Fortunately, Princess Yrel, the Eldar pirate general under Forgrim's command, acted as a bridge from the front lines, ensuring that the meeting between the two sides remained largely peaceful.
It's already a stroke of luck if the other side doesn't think you're a spy sent by Chaos.
Casca thought to himself.
Without the guarantee of Iriel, the war chief of the Spirit Race at the front, it would have been easy for them to be sown apart by the Chaos forces lurking in the shadows, causing unnecessary casualties.
Horus in the original story was corrupted by the path of chaos.
This time, however, Casca was well-prepared.
......
After their initial meeting, the two sides reached some consensus.
Although the Interles Federation remained somewhat wary of the Emperor's Son fleet, after Casca and his group presented evidence and records of their origins from Terra, the other side seemed to share a deep fascination with this civilization from their ancient, legendary homeland.
They are humanity's compatriots lost in the universe.
As for the heavily armored troops clad in brown and gold armor, when they removed their helmets, they revealed faces that were completely inhuman.
The Cairnblach people, also known as the Giant Apes.
When humanity encountered them, their civilization was aging and declining.
After a century of protracted territorial wars, the Cairnblach people, believing that continuing the war would be pointless, chose to reconcile with humanity.
For the next three thousand years, the humans of the Interles Federation successfully coexisted with the Kanebrage people in a mutually beneficial manner.
This is partly thanks to the Aria technology developed by the Federation of Kings, which allows the two races to engage in deeper interspecies communication.
"This war has taught us a lot. We should understand our place in the universe and embrace the values of compassion, understanding, and forgiveness," the Federation delegation explained proudly.
However, the human empire did not take this seriously.
From the perspective of the human empire, although it did allow some harmless alien planets to submit, the alien race was not popular within the empire.
This is yet another major point of contention.
The human empire simply did not believe in these different beings and always maintained a deep level of vigilance towards them.
After several more rounds of discussions, Warmaster Fugrim and his retinue were permitted to travel to the nearest Interles Outpost world to reach a more in-depth agreement with a delegation of higher authority.
That's the trouble with politics.
Compared to the past routine of "where to go, who to find, how many to kill" in the Great Expedition missions, the Battle of Ulanor ended the eradication of all the aliens in the galaxy that could truly threaten humanity.
(Space Necromancer: zzz)
The Imperial Expedition now faces entirely new challenges.
As the war gradually subsided, it was replaced by endless discussions and negotiations with other human interstellar empires, leaving people breathless.
Now that the Emperor has returned to Holy Terra, no one is issuing them new expedition missions anymore; they must make their own decisions and judgments.
To be precise, it requires the judgment of Warmaster Fugrim.
......
Fortunately, the Interles Federation is relatively easy to talk to.
Interles's at least theoretical recognition of the Emperor as the sovereign ruler of mankind was already a significant diplomatic breakthrough.
However, the other party seemed to have some reservations about Forgrim's title of Warmaster.
"Not an emperor, not a commander, not a general, but a war marshal. This term simply reveals the essence of chaos."
This angle was something Casca had never thought of before.
Perhaps... Guilliman was right?
Is the Regent a better fit than the War General?
Despite the Eldar's guarantee, they still harbored deep concerns about the human empire represented by the Vorgrim.
This isn't actually a bad thing.
For an intergalactic civilization, it is naturally better to be as cautious as possible when making contact with other powerful empires, and people can understand the actions of the Interles Federation.
However, for Fugrim, who was busy with official duties and expeditions, the repeated negotiation meetings between the Interles Federation still failed to reach many effective and substantive agreements.
Amid this back-and-forth struggle, even within the expeditionary fleet, voices began to emerge calling for direct military conquest.
......
Fugrim's residence in the Interstate Federation Outpost World.
The opulent interior is crafted from gleaming silver and crystal, while the distant horizon, with its azure ocean, echoes with Interstate's distinctive arias.
Looking at this meticulously arranged seaside accommodation, Interles' arrangements are exceptionally pleasant.
But at this moment, Imperial Warmaster Vograim had no time to enjoy a vacation.
Petitions and invitations to visit arrived like snowflakes every day.
In the short time since she took office, as many as five Primarchs have sent letters inviting her to share her views on the overall strategy of the Great Expedition or the War Council.
The name of the Lion King is even among the five Primarchs.
Since the Battle of Ulano and the final confirmation of the position of War General, it seems that there has been no news of the Lion King throughout the entire empire.
No one knows what the lion is thinking, nor does anyone know if he is sulking because the emperor didn't even consider his existence when considering the war general.
Even after learning that he had not been invited to the Battle of Ulano, he did not attend the final celebration as well.
No one knows what the Primarch, who once craved the Warmaster to the point of obsession, was thinking after discovering that what she had dreamed of had been taken by Fugrim.
However, the fact that they took the initiative to send a letter indicates a sign of easing tensions.
Fugrim dared not be negligent and carefully considered his words before replying.
In addition, the future movements and attack directions of each expeditionary fleet also require the approval of the war commander.
And domestic and national affairs are even more numerous than expected.
Administrative orders for conquering new territories during expeditions also required the personal approval of the war commander.
Because of the lengthy negotiations within the Interles Federation, her progress has fallen far behind.
Under the pressure of countless missions, Imperial Warmaster Vograim was required to be omnipotent: not only to serve as an army commander, but also to appease the people, act as a judge, decision-maker, tactician, and diplomatic mastermind.
...It was already a miracle that Horus could survive seven days in Devon before going insane.
Ababa Ababa Centaur Gold Ring.jpg
.....
Not only that, but something even more significant has recently arrived in the fleet of the Imperial Pride.
—A delegation of bureaucrats from the Terra Tax Authority.
After the Emperor announced his return to Holy Terra, the Terra War Council, which had previously overseen all affairs of the Great Crusade, was reorganized into the Terra Council and the War Council. The former was responsible for all domestic affairs, large and small, within the Empire, while the latter was the military organization for the Great Crusade of Fugrim.
The New Terra Council is composed of Makado, Mars Forging General, Waldo, the Star Court, the Navigator Family, the Imperial Army, the Ministry of Justice, the High Lords, and others.
Apart from the immortal Macardo and the royal guard Waldo, most of them were mortals.
Clearly, there was no Primarch or even Astartes among them.
The newly formed Terran Council has already enacted a decree.
All expeditions and voyages, all Primarchs, all commanders, and all rulers of subjugated territories are required to levy heavy taxes on vassal planets to meet the ever-growing financial needs of the expanding Empire.
The demand for tithes came just as the Interles Federation was about to be incorporated into the human empire.
Imagine you've finally negotiated the terms, only to have a bunch of people suddenly come and tell you the Empire is going to impose heavy taxes on its vassal planets...
I want it now!
"Are you serious?"
"Interstate has not yet fully submitted. As for the other worlds, they have all suffered the wounds of war and rapid social change, and now desperately need rest and recuperation. Taxing them at this time would only sow the seeds of unnecessary trouble."
"His Majesty insists on this."
But the tax officials did not seem to show any leniency.
"The beloved Lord Magician Macado has repeatedly emphasized to me and my colleagues that we must collect tribute and establish a sound mechanism to make it routine and automated."
"This is a thankless task."