Chapter 70: Changes
Meanwhile, Omega, who had returned to Terra with Alpharius, was traveling back to the fortress in a flying vehicle.
Having fought years of battles abroad, the planet Terra had undergone tremendous changes.
Countless skyscrapers, some over a thousand meters tall, were lit up against the night. The air was filled with a dense array of flying vehicles. This was an extraordinarily developed interstellar city.
In over sixty years, Omega's total time on Terra had accumulated to less than a year. Given how much Terra had changed, Omega felt no familiarity with it.
The view of the bustling city suspended in mid-air was surprisingly beautiful.
Seeing Omega's calm, composed expression, Alpharius was somewhat unable to understand him.
As a fellow Primarch, he could clearly sense that Omega possessed an incredibly powerful and condensed aura, like an abyss, and he couldn't discern the changes within it.
Previously, Omega's emotions and actions were outwardly expressive, making it easy for Alpharius to observe and judge Omega's behavioral patterns.
Omega's emotions were not now outwardly displayed. His seemingly casual movements were naturally easygoing. He appeared approachable, yet exuded an astonishing aura of authority without anger, even carrying a sense of pure sanctity.
Alpharius compared all the original genetic markers with Omega and found certain similarities to Lion El'Jonson. However, Lion El'Jonson lacked the sanctity of Omega. Omega lacked the approachable charm of Horus, and Omega lacked the mechanical rationality and diligence of Roboute Guilliman.
Alpharius believed that the sixty-year war had profoundly changed Omega.
Unknown to Him, to Omega, his experience as a transmigrator gave him depth no other Primarch possessed.
"After decades of fighting abroad, you've matured beyond my expectations."
"We're all Primarchs, and everyone's strong. Otherwise, how could we lead armies with tens of millions of lives in our hands? It's hard not to grow stronger," Omega said calmly, unconcerned about his brother's unintentional observation and exploration.
Alpharius's ability to observe and read others' information seemed to be an instinct. Because the Primarchs were too powerful, once a habit formed, it was very difficult to change.
The aircraft landed in the Alpha Legion's massive fortress. The entire structure seemed to have been remodeled, with the entrance still being a long passageway, like a serpent returning to its nest.
To understand the current situation on Terra and the state of the human empire, Omega spent the first few days reading through vast quantities of intelligence gathered by the Legion.
In terms of the Milky Way's vastness, the territory of the human empire had expanded year by year. Although the Great Crusade had encountered many powerful alien civilizations, all were conquered. The empire now encompassed five to six hundred thousand worlds.
Although there were many star systems in the Milky Way, within a region of 200 light-years, there were tens of thousands. Yet fewer than one hundred were truly habitable for humans.
This was why the Alpha Sector, with only approximately one hundred human-inhabited planets, carried that designation.
Of course, other planets unsuitable for human habitation could also serve as metal resource worlds for mining, establishing small bases and small ecosystems.
Planets suitable for life were scarce in the Milky Way, which was one of the reasons the Empire did not easily destroy habitable worlds.
The Imperium of Man possessed a vast number of planets, but the star systems were so far apart that governance presented a significant challenge.
The very existence of a planet's original political system could lead to widespread chaos and civil war.
For example, if the Empire conquered a human world where slavery was practiced, the Imperial fleet and Imperial government simply lacked the capacity to change and govern the slave system on that world.
Instead, the resource consumption of the Great Crusade and the continuous extraction of population and resources from the planets further worsened the already harsh living conditions under slavery, ultimately leading to uprisings and rebellions.
With thousands of fleets at war and countless resources being consumed, it was common for a dozen or so planets within the empire to rebel and experience strife every year.
In some cases, decades had passed before the Empire was ready to address rebelling planets, and the rebel regimes had already ruled those worlds for a considerable time. By then, the Imperial fleet faced a difficult decision: whether to eliminate them or recognize them.
When Omega expanded his vision to encompass all of human civilization, he encountered countless problems that caused him headaches and made everything seem too complicated.
Narrowing his focus to the Alpha Sector and thinking about the sector's thriving development without excessively consuming manpower and resources, Omega felt much better and more relaxed.
Recent hot news revolved around Monarchia and Lorgar, whose faith in the Emperor contradicted the Imperial Truth he himself promoted.
The Imperial High Command had reached a consensus on resolving this issue, but Omega didn't know how the Ultramarines were doing. He couldn't understand why the Emperor wanted to contact Roboute Guilliman specifically.
According to Alpharius, Leman Russ had done everything he could to persuade Lorgar. Angron, who didn't think too much about anything, would also have been an option. However, Angron was disrespectful and hostile toward the Emperor, so it was possible the Emperor didn't want to use him.
Konrad Curze of the Night Lords was also a candidate. This Primarch was known for bringing fear through horrific killings, and the Imperial government preferred planets that Curze had conquered through terror because they were easier to govern.
In Omega's view, despite Curze's self-proclaimed righteousness, he was merely a tool in the eyes of the Imperial government. It tarnished Curze's name, benefited the imperial government's interests and reputation through his rule, aided by fear. Ordinary people found it evil, and no normal person desired to live in fear.
If Angron and Curze had actually been sent to Monarchia, the result would probably have been a chaotic massacre with mountains of corpses and seas of blood. They might even have destroyed the entire planet.
Therefore, the Emperor's consideration should have been to find a rational, restrained, and militarily powerful Primarch, namely Roboute Guilliman.
"Horus also meets these criteria. In the end, the Emperor does not want to tarnish Horus's reputation and have him become tainted by hatred for the Word Bearers," Omega thought to himself, his expression suddenly changing as understanding crystallized.
The Emperor had already chosen Horus as the Warmaster after the Ullanor Crusade, and only for this reason would the Emperor be unwilling to have Horus tarnish his reputation. The twists and turns in this political scenario were quite interesting.
...
A week later, Omega, with his head full of information, decided to relax for a day.
Thousands of pedestrians bustled about the streets, and Omega walked down roads of memory.
He discovered that the surrounding landscape and buildings had changed entirely.
Terra's towering buildings were interconnected, dividing the space into different levels, each connected by streets.
The lower the level, the less sunlight it receives. These were considered working-class areas. The higher the level, the more sunlight and ventilation it received. These were deemed affluent residential areas.
Decades later, Omega found that the shops and streets they once frequented had vanished into a labyrinthine network of buildings.
Everything on Terra had changed so fast, so fast that not a single place from memory was familiar.
People came and went in a hurry around him. Omega, who had concealed himself with his abilities, couldn't find a single familiar face. Even Alpharius, after decades, seemed somewhat of a stranger to him. Omega didn't know what his brother was honestly thinking.
His refined spirit and rationality swept away unpleasant emotions, and his indifferent attitude left his troubles behind.
The ordinary people on the streets still did not experience the happiness and joy Omega had imagined. The vast majority of Terra's tax revenue and production had to be used to support the Great Crusade.
Compared to the past, when people would chat idly on the streets, they now rush around, afraid of being late for work.
This was because large numbers of middle-class residents occupied the current building levels, while the poor were not visible from the upper levels.
The streets were clean and tidy, and judging from pedestrians' clothing, they possessed a good quality of life and material wealth. Patrols passed by from time to time, and public security was good, creating a vibrant scene.
While shopping, Omega suddenly saw large numbers of people making way in panic on a main street ahead.
Then a group of officers in military uniforms appeared, followed by a dense crowd of thin men in simple clothes with sallow complexions, filling the entire street.
Occasionally, one could spot men with fierce expressions among them, as well as tattooed gang members. The group was a diverse mix.
The surrounding pedestrians talked amongst themselves. Omega watched as tens of thousands of people passed by without finishing their walk, and then he understood from their clothing and demeanor what was occurring.
Terra had a massive population, and the human empire was constantly at war, resulting in countless deaths and injuries among mortal auxiliary forces.
To replenish the ranks of new recruits, civilians from the lower classes were being conscripted to participate in the Great Expedition. The estimated conscription was at least 300,000.
[End of Chapter]
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