Inside the office, the white sphere of light suspended silently, its soft halo flowing between the three men.
Guilliman's pupils contracted sharply.
Sanguinius.
This name was a household word within the Empire, known to everyone.
The Great Angel, Primarch of the Blood Angels Legion, the Master of the "Spear of Telesto," the Prophet, and the incarnation of justice and perfection.
His handsome face and the two pairs of pure white wings behind him made him look like a being from religious myth descending upon the world. Even today, ten thousand years later, he still has his own religious festivals and is revered by all people.
Before that battle between father and son on the Vengeful Spirit—a clash so intense it was said to have ground down the very Great Way—the duel between Sanguinius and Horus had already spread across the galaxy.
His death was full of regret. It not only caused a massive shock to his sons and the chapters under his command but also left behind an unknown consequence—the Four Gods fought over his soul. Part of it, however, was quietly collected by the Emperor, allowing miracles to occasionally manifest in the material universe.
It could be said that Sanguinius was one of the Primarchs who died most completely, second only to Horus.
However, Adam had caught the Plague Father Nurgle off guard and dealt him a heavy blow. In the heat of the battle, a flash of inspiration led him to make such a divine move.
"As expected of me!" Adam felt a bit self-satisfied in his heart.
"As expected of you!" The other two Primarchs were first shocked by the news, then unable to hide their ecstatic joy.
Who wouldn't love the perfect Great Angel?
"So, what is the 'Imperium Secundus'?"
After the initial joy, Ferrus suddenly asked in confusion. He turned his gaze toward his brother, Roboute Guilliman, who had shown no doubt about the term, clearly seeking an answer from him.
Guilliman was suddenly breaking out in a cold sweat.
"That... well, the Imperium Secundus is... nothing much." He stuttered, trying to gloss it over.
If he were to admit in front of a loyalist brother—especially Ferrus, who had sacrificed himself at Isstvan V—that he had set up a "Second Empire" in his own territory before the Imperium had even collapsed, his reputation as the Lord Regent of the Imperium would be completely ruined.
Rather than that, it was better to find a way to drown it out with a loud voice.
Ferrus watched him for a moment but ultimately did not press further. Perhaps it was just some joke from the Great Crusade era. After all, during the conquest of those pocket empires, it wasn't strange for a Primarch to be regarded as a leader of some military empire by the locals. Maybe it was just a casual remark from back then, he surmised.
Seeing Ferrus drop the subject, Guilliman breathed a sigh of relief and quickly turned to Adam. "So, can you be sure this is truly my brother's soul?"
He inevitably had some doubts. The person before him possessed great powers; there was no guarantee he hadn't created it himself...
"Of course it's real!" Adam had no doubt about it.
What kind of joke was that? If he were so easily influenced that he couldn't even control his own thoughts, he would have been killed by his own reality-warping powers long ago. He would never have lived until now.
If I say it is, it is!
"Then I'll briefly explain the next plan, and you two can give me your advice," Adam continued. "I want Ferrus to first integrate his legion and then lead the army to Baal."
"Baal?" Ferrus raised an eyebrow slightly.
"The home world of the Blood Angels." Adam nodded. "Sanguinius's children guard his remains there. I need that body—the complete remains. Once I have it, I can perfectly resurrect Sanguinius."
Ferrus was silent for a moment, then nodded solemnly. "I understand."
"You must be careful," Adam added. "The sons of the Blood Angels have extremely deep feelings for their father. They might question you, resist you, or even think you are desecrating their Genetic Father. You need patience and proof that you mean no harm."
"And your advantage lies in this: a resurrected Primarch. This precedent might allow the Blood Angels to lower their guard."
"I will make them understand," Ferrus's voice was calm and firm.
Adam nodded with satisfaction, then turned to Guilliman.
"In my future plans, Sanguinius's existence is crucial. In terms of the Empire's priorities, he might even be higher than you, the Lord Regent, Guilliman."
"As it should be." Guilliman nodded, his tone showing no hint of dissatisfaction.
It was an obvious fact. Ten thousand years ago, during the boarding of the Vengeful Spirit, the Emperor himself had designated Sanguinius as his successor. This was even recorded in the classics of the Ecclesiarchy and had to be recognized by the entire Empire.
With this basis, if Sanguinius returned to push for deep reforms in the Empire, he would naturally possess unquestionable legitimacy.
"So, Guilliman, you can push reforms in the core world of Terra, while Sanguinius tours the vast territories of the Empire."
Guilliman had no intention of objecting. This was the most logical division of labor.
"As for Mr. Ferrus..." Adam looked at the towering giant with the silver arms. "You might have to return to your old profession."
"In the future, I will need to restart the Webway Project. Even though we now have wormhole teleportation technology that bypasses the Warp, the importance of the Webway to humanity remains irreplaceable. With my current reality-warping abilities, combined with some support from xenos technology, I am fully capable of restarting this project."
Ferrus nodded, indicating he understood the importance of the matter.
"Wait, what is the Webway Project?" This time, it was Guilliman's turn to be puzzled.
"...Forget it, explaining it now is too troublesome." He looked at Adam, then at Ferrus, his face full of confusion.
How many things had the Emperor kept from him back then?
Adam sighed somewhat helplessly. This was the problem with the Empire. Layers upon layers of secrets, everyone keeping things from everyone else, no one knowing what the other was doing. The Emperor's grand vision had been broken into countless fragments, scattered among different institutions and individuals, eventually becoming a tangled mess.
"Explaining it is too much trouble." He waved his hand. "Later, I will give you a feasibility proposal and an engineering plan; you can take your time reviewing it."
Guilliman was silent for a moment and eventually agreed.
"Very well." He paused, then asked a key question: "Then what about you? What do you plan to do now?"
"Me?" Adam smiled slightly.
There was something indefinable in that smile. He slowly stood up, casting his gaze toward the sky outside the window, at the planet suspended in the firmament.
"Now, I am a Level 4 reality warper. Furthermore, Vashtorr, who originally held the malevolent arts of the Warp, is dead. The conditions are ripe."
"Therefore, I will unify the entire Adeptus Mechanicus and officially become the new Omnissiah."