Warhammer: I don't want to become a stinky can!

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"Thank you for your praise, sir."

Finally, Vox said something quickly and quietly, then muted his microphone, seemingly unable to continue speaking. Hades noticed that Vox's position seemed to have moved slightly towards him for a moment.

Seemingly satisfied with Vox's reaction, Horus contentedly changed targets.

"Long time no see, Hades."

Then Horus's gaze naturally shifted from Hades to the electronic screen behind him. Hades could sense that Horus's brow seemed to furrow, but the feeling was fleeting.

"Are you looking at the tax report?"

"Yes, my lord."

Hades nodded, moving aside to make way for Horus, who strode over. The Primarch quickly finished reading the tens of thousands of words of report, then stood up in displeasure.

"According to the Empire's seventh edition of Tax Act 54, this planet should be tax-free for a full fifty Terran years."

"Yes, sir, but it seems they are still using the fifth version of the bill for approval."

Hades silently pulled up some subtle word choices in the announcement, words that were unique to the fifth edition.

This time Horus truly frowned; the wolf god no longer concealed his displeasure, or perhaps he wanted Hades and the others to think he was angry.

"This is truly disheartening, Hades. I'm sorry to have shown you this side of the Empire; the efficiency of those mortals is indeed worrying."

Hades coughed silently in his mind.

Because the specific details of Galaspa were not disclosed, Horus was unaware that the Death Guard had already clashed with Imperial officials once. Galaspa received two different tax bills in succession, but the good news was that it was not Hades' responsibility. Vox and Garo suffered a lot because of this.

“I understand, sir.”

“No, you don’t need to be so humble, Hades. I know the Death Guard wants to bring this planet under the Legion’s control, and this announcement has clearly affected you.”

"Don't worry, I will have the Imperial personnel accompanying Shadowmoon Wolf on your side take care of it."

Hades opened his mouth, it seemed Horus still hadn't given up on his plan to bring a Death Guardian into the picture. Hades quickly sorted out the pros and cons in his mind, Horus's motives, and the possible consequences. He concluded that it was possible.

Then we shall respectfully comply, and let Vox and the others get some rest.

"My lord, on behalf of the Death Guard, I am extremely grateful for your help."

Hades turned his attention to the notice. Since the other party had offered to help, he needed to let them say more to satisfy a psychological need.

Helpers need emotional and psychological feedback from those they help.

"This is indeed what puzzles me. I originally thought we would receive a tax exemption notice. It may have been due to a momentary mistake by some officials. After all, everyone makes mistakes. I just hope that Death Guard will not have to face this again next time."

Hades deliberately concealed a hint of dissatisfaction in his tone, which, as he expected, opened Horus's floodgates.

"A momentary lapse, I hope so. The inefficiency and chaos of those mortal officials truly infuriate me. The Empire, under the Emperor's leadership, is marching forward with great strides toward victory. My brothers are leading legions across the galaxy, bringing back victory after victory. The greatest cause of mankind is within reach—but there are always those who are slowing us down."

"Those mortals cannot comprehend the great achievements of the empire. Their confused minds are filled only with their own minor official positions, stubbornly guarding their small private property, and trying to profit from the remnants shaken off by the giant in the corners unseen by the imperial giant."

Hades blinked. The words "Greater Astartes" slowly surfaced in his mind, like old, decaying wood emerging from a swamp.

The Wolf God is a gentle and encouraging being. After a battle, he will personally go to the mortal auxiliary army to give a speech and smile at the mortal officials who have submitted to the empire.

Horus disliked those mortal men who indulged in feasting and gave orders in the rear; of course, nobody liked them.

However, as the Great Expedition progresses, the number of such people will increase. Their appearance and even existence are inevitable byproducts of the Great Expedition process.

In the original story, the peak of Horus's conflict with this group of people was after the Emperor returned to Terra and established the Council of Mortals.

The mortal council, led by Macardo, will govern everything in the Imperium, including many matters concerning the Legions, and there will be no Primarchs or even Space Marines in it.

Hades blinked slowly. He didn't know what the Emperor was thinking. Removing military representatives from the main governing body of an empire would obviously exacerbate the conflict.

The Emperor may have trusted Horus too much, believing in his eldest son, or the Emperor may not have cared about the Legion at all, or the Emperor may have believed that the future of the human empire did not require the Legion's involvement.

In short, the emperor left gracefully, leaving behind a mess in the later stages of the Great Crusade. One theory is that even without the corruption of the four gods, Horus, as the war commander, would have raised the banner of rebellion after the conflicts intensified in the later stages of the Great Crusade.

Compared to the Great Crusade described by Horus, both of them knew in their hearts that the Great Crusade was not glorious. The brutal and rapid advance and the chaotic governance in the later stages had already sown many hidden dangers, waiting for time to ferment them into poison.

Not every planet is fortunate enough to encounter a governing genius like Guilliman, nor can every planet be granted tax exemptions. Their home forests are cut down, exhaust fumes emanate from the towering hive cities, and the people are impoverished or burdened with debt. Meanwhile, the empire's appointed elites live lavishly, or, like their people, are burdened with the empire's exorbitant tax debts.

For those pocket kingdoms that were originally well-governed, the empire was a natural disaster.

It wasn't just the mortals; the various forging worlds of the Mechanicus also had reservations about the research restrictions imposed on them by the Empire.

This is why the War General's rebellion was able to gain widespread support.

The gray rhinoceros slowly entered the room, but everyone ignored him. There was nothing they could do; according to the Emperor's promise, everything would be alright after the Great Crusade ended.

But only a few people know that Hades winked, and the Emperor's promise was to resist the chaos of a higher dimension. Compared to the threat posed by the Four Gods, nothing else matters.

Hades sighed inwardly. Terrible! His assessment was utterly terrible!

This kind of quagmire is beyond anyone's control. It's not just a personal matter; it's a matter for an entire race. Even the Emperor couldn't salvage it. He even created twenty Primarchs, but it still couldn't be salvaged. Even a powerful figure sent from the heavens needs a popular base. Unfortunately, the reality is that such a fragmented empire simply cannot form such a system. A person who can manage a planet is already considered a god, while the scale of an empire is the galaxy.

The thought of the chaotic undercurrents beneath the Glory of the Empire made Hades feel uneasy again. Hades was filled with admiration for the Emperor and Macardo, who could still deceive the Primarchs without batting an eye.

While Hades was pondering, Horus was not idle either. The wolf god delivered a passionate and impromptu speech on "The Great Expedition is Glorious, and the Cleanup Work After the Great Expedition." His emotions were high, his words were vivid and eloquent, and his charm was irresistible. Hades felt as if someone next to him was shining brightly.

As soon as Horus finished speaking, deafening applause erupted throughout the room, and Hades quickly clapped along as well.

The good news is that after enduring Horus's one-on-one exchange, Hades' resistance to the Wolf God has increased dramatically, and he is now basically immune to it.

Moreover, Hades' speech was completely different from Horus's, as he knew the future of the Empire would be even worse than a complete mess.

I don't want to think about it anymore; thinking too much will only make me sad. Right now, the most important thing is to apply for tax exemption in Druon.

However, Hades looked at Vox, whose eyes were almost shining, as if he was about to throw himself into the Great Expedition and sacrifice himself at any moment, and shouted in his heart that something was wrong!

Unlike Hades and Mortarion, Vox had never faced Horus before.

You're a Mortarion bastard! Wake up, Vox!

Although I've had those crooked thoughts before, you can't be so swayed, Vox, wake up!

Mortalian will be sad!

Also, equal code

Chapter 216 Farewell to the Moon Wolf

"Pleasant to work with."

A hoarse voice came from beneath the Death Lord's respirator. Mortarion, who had been staying in the apothecary for a long time, finally appeared as the Druid campaign was drawing to a close to participate in the Shadowmoon Wolves Legion's farewell ceremony.

The Great Expedition continues, and the war-torn front is calling for the Moon Wolves' legions. Since the Druun campaign did not deplete too much of the legions' strength, the imperial edicts quickly arrived, pointing swords at the battlefield and igniting raging flames.

Compared to the trial-like relationship between Vulcan and Fenus, and the unpleasant parting of ways with Perturabo, the cooperation between the Death Guard and the Shadowmoon Wolves can be described as the smoothest cooperation ever, bar none. If it weren't for Mortarion's sudden realization, the relationship between the two legions would have been quite close by now.

Although the relationship between the two legions can be described as "pretty good" now, a simple farewell ceremony at least shows that the two legions are willing to continue to cooperate in the future—this is a signal sent to onlookers.

Mortarion was indifferent to this. After realizing that there was always the possibility of corruption and that he might have to cooperate with some legions, Mortarion chose not to cooperate with Primarchs like Perturabo, even though Horus might betray him. At least for now, he was the most amiable Primarch Mortarion had encountered.

Horus was exchanging pleasantries with Mortarion when the Wolf God keenly noticed that his brother seemed to be deliberately avoiding Horus's invitations, using various pretexts to evade the Wolf God's advances. However, Mortarion still appeared at the Shadowmoon Wolves' farewell ceremony. The Wolf God, of course, would not let this opportunity pass, and pulled the reserved Mortarion aside to unleash his beliefs about the Emperor and the Legion.

Meanwhile, Hades pulled Vox aside to chat with Abaddon and Seghanus. Under Hades's persistent questioning, the two moon wolves were happy to reminisce about some old battles, while Vox pondered Hades's techniques for conversation.

With Hades's prompting, Vox began to understand Hades's control of the conversation's pace and how to change the subject appropriately and in a timely manner. To Vox's surprise or slight frustration, if he were to think more deeply, he would find that Hades had initially used the same techniques to deal with him.

But that didn't happen again. Vox hoped this represented Hades' trust, rather than Hades using a more sophisticated tactic.

"It's a real shame that I didn't get to spar in the duel cage in the end. I really wanted to experience the Moon Wolves' superb skills firsthand."

Abaddon gave a polite but slightly awkward smile, inwardly cursing himself for not fighting Hades in a duel cage. Meanwhile, Saganus, standing nearby, spoke seriously...

"When we meet again, you are welcome to challenge us to a duel, Hades. I also look forward to exchanging blows with you."

"Besides me, there are other warriors in Shadowmoon Wolves who are proficient in various martial arts. I think they would be looking forward to sparring with you."

Hades chuckled, "Then it's settled. Remember to bring your weapons next time."

Seghanus nodded. "If you're only going to fight me based on pure individual martial skills, I'm confident I can duel you."

Vox noticed that Hades' gaze suddenly left Seghanus for a moment, but then abruptly returned.

"Don't worry, I'll use pure martial arts as long as the situation allows. Just remember not to die. Let's spar together next time."

Seghanus smiled. Death was commonplace for warriors, and as a mourner, he was well prepared for it. Although Hades's attitude had slightly puzzled him, Seghanus decided to attribute it to the sadness of parting.

After all, legions fight in all directions, and meeting again does require a certain amount of luck.

"You shouldn't die either."

Hades let out a long sigh of relief. "Don't worry, I won't die, I won't die."

"Hey, let's not talk about this anymore, why do I suddenly feel so sad?"

Abaddon's lively voice rang out, and Hades smiled and immediately picked up the conversation, instantly making the atmosphere cheerful again.

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Chapter 217 Return to Galaspa

The rippling blue-purple waves lit up, the waves crashed against the ships, and the Death Guard's fleet sailed out on the surging warp waves. The Star Speakers sounded their horns, and the Galapa star system obediently shut down the galactic defenses around Mandeville Point to welcome the arrival of the Overlord.

The disillusioning light of the subspace reluctantly faded from beside the porthole, and the bright, warm light of the Galapa star streamed in, illuminating half of the room.

Hades felt a sense of relief as he felt the faint warmth of the light.

Each time Hades followed the ship into the warp, he could feel a repulsive force exerted by the warp on him, like a drop of oil being forced into the depths of a river, with the buoyancy of the water trying to push him out of the submerged channel.

In the space beyond his five senses, a faint golden psionic energy enveloped him, anchoring him within the fleet's subspace positioning.

Thanks to Emperor for gifting me the Psionic Pass, otherwise Hades would have had to put on a show of being thrown out of the Deathguard fleet in public.

What made Hades slightly uneasy was that the golden barrier seemed to have thinned considerably after he defeated the undead. Although the figurine king Talrazin might have helped him fix it, Hades still hoped that the thing would be intact when he saw the Emperor again, since it was known to help him travel in the warp.

Without this layer of golden psionic energy, Hades couldn't imagine trying to enter the warp. Would he be able to get in, or would he be rejected by the warp?

Hades didn't realize that theory needs to be supported by practice, but he didn't want to court disaster right now.

Hades thought to himself, "I'll go ask the Emperor sometime," hoping the Emperor would have time.

Warp travel remains extremely important. Currently, apart from warp travel, humanity has not mastered other technologies for rapid travel on a large scale. (Other races, apart from the undead's powerful flying bricks, also rely primarily on warp travel for their journeys.)

This means that the Imperial legions' campaigns, the logistics fleets' follow-up, the movement of personnel, the transportation of resources, and the flow of information all rely on the warp. If another storm breaks out in the warp, imagine a central region that has been completely cut off from all communication with the surrounding areas.

Warp travel is essential; Hades doesn't want to one day find himself unable to enter the warp, which would be tantamount to trapping him between several star systems.

Hades pondered for a moment. The Four Gods still had strong control over the Warp. During the Great Rebellion, there were instances of deliberately creating Warp turbulence to disrupt navigation. Did this mean that he needed to choose his position carefully during the Great Rebellion?

Guilliman, I acknowledge that your Ultramarines army is large and extremely powerful, but what if I were to use a warp trick to prevent you from ever reaching Terra?

Therefore, Hades had to at least ensure that he would be on the battlefield at a crucial juncture. Hades pondered whether he should consult with the Emperor later.

Hades was certain, at least, that he would see the Emperor at the Council of Nicaea.

Hades was calculating how he could possibly meet the Emperor in a state of lucidity before the great rebellion.

It remains to be seen what the Emperor, the ultimate overpowered protagonist in human history, will choose to do to face his fate after this variable appears.

Hades' thoughts were interrupted by the servant's notification. He sighed and prepared to inspect the construction of Galaspar. For now, none of this mattered; the Primarchs hadn't even been all gathered yet. There was still room for a few more struggles.

Druun is currently undertaking infrastructure development, while the Death Guard has returned to Galaspa, which they have been focusing on, to carry out recruitment, construction, and population relocation.

To be honest, from the perspective of the Empire, the Galapa star system is incredibly wealthy.

First, there were the planetary defenses near Mandeville Point, and the layers of intergalactic defense fortresses within the system. Normally, these massive intergalactic defenses would not have been left behind during the Empire's conquests, but under Mortarian's surprise attack tactics, most of them were perfectly preserved, even the supply lines remained intact.

This means that the Death Guard no longer needs to make great strides in building galactic defenses, unlike Barbaros, where the Mechanicus is still struggling to chisel away at the few remaining planets in an attempt to establish defenses.

Then there's the fact that the mineral production of the Galapa star system is completely self-sufficient, and its mineral reserves can even support long-term foreign trade.

The populations of the three planets are quite abundant, whether they are engaged in production within their own star systems or sent to other star systems, they are quite wealthy.

The Knights of Galaspa, the previous rulers, also established a comprehensive training program for technical personnel here. Fortunately, the career paths of these technical personnel did not intersect with those of the management, otherwise these people would probably have been hanged by Mortarion, and the technology would have been lost again.

Hades silently shed tears, having not fought such a rich battle in a long time.

Previously, in Barbarus, they relied entirely on the Legion's status as a homeworld to attract the Empire to pour money into them, while simultaneously going to Grei'e to convert the Mechanicus.

Hades sacrificed so much to entice the Greiel Mechanicus to spend money!

The situation is better in Druun. The main construction of the Death Guard will not be located there, and its remote location provides a certain degree of protection. In addition, the planet itself is rich in resources, which has also attracted investment from the nearby Mechanicus and the planetary governor.

There's not much construction required, and there's investment involved, so things are very easy in Druhn; all they have to do is declare the tax exemption.