It's actually much more than that. Guilliman thought.
But he did not say these words, and he maintained an appropriate and necessary silence. Some words are not suitable to be said, at least not right now.
"I don't think this is difficult for you to understand," he said.
Khalil raised an eyebrow.
"Is that a compliment?" He shook his head. "But you should know that I won't accept it, right?"
"Which thing? This compliment, or my suggestion?"
"I would like to answer two, but you have given a choice within a given range, which is very cunning, my friend. So, I will choose the former, Robert." Khalil smiled slightly. "Personally... I don't like politics very much."
Robert Guilliman sighed slowly.
There seemed to be a storm sweeping through those calm blue eyes, fleeting and disappearing without a trace in an instant, leaving only a kind of calm relief.
He put down some things and picked up some things, and now, the giant sitting directly opposite Khalil looked like a man who had been tired for a long, long time.
What a similarity. Khalil thought thoughtfully.
"Me neither," Robert Guilliman said quietly. "But it is the basis for keeping many things running, so I must learn it, become familiar with it, and then use it."
"Really?"
Guilliman frowned slowly. After these words, he realized that Khalil Roharus was observing him with that deadly gaze again. For a politician, having someone dig into his heart It's much scarier than having a hundred bolt guns pointed at it at the same time.
At least all the latter can do is kill you and cannot force you to spit out your true thoughts.
He groaned in pain.
"You are like a skilled digger," Guilliman whispered. "What exactly do you want to do? Pry into all the secrets in my heart?"
"I can accept this compliment." Khalil chuckled. "But, relax, Robert. I will only know what I want to know, such as the true meaning behind the invitation. I will not reveal some things, such as that you actually need such a responsibility to prove yourself."
"..."
After a long silence, Robert Guilliman chose to be honest. He had to be honest.
He spoke slowly.
"There are still many areas in the Ultramarine Star Territory that have not been fully explored. The Emperor has given me autonomy. I can do many things in this vast star territory and will hardly be hindered by Imperial laws. For example, give away two stars Agricultural planet to one of my brothers.”
"No merit, no reward," said Khalil. "One of the ancient Terran words."
"Adamantine is worth more than you can imagine, Khalil. Most of the time, it is the hard currency of hard currency." Guilliman said seriously.
"It's not just that we need it. If the production of fine gold on Nostramo is really as sufficient as Conrad said, then I can use this fine gold to do many things, such as making deals with the Mechanicum. "
"And now, the main content of this soon-to-be-opened trading route is fine gold."
"Nostramo is in desperate need now and needs everything including food. I can trade with you, but this is by no means a reason for me to take advantage of the situation. I cannot ignore the value of fine gold and simply In exchange for material and personnel assistance, I must make compensation."
"So you plan to use two agricultural planets as compensation?"
"Yes, this is why I invite you to participate in this exploration. The selection with the instructors of the Eighth Legion can make some people shut their mouths to a greater extent."
His voice was firm when he said this, and Khalil couldn't help but laugh - it was obvious that Robert Guilliman was annoyed by those who were talking about him behind his back. He didn't say it explicitly, but his words were enough to reveal it.
"How?" Robert
Guilliman asked expectantly.
"I can't think of a reason to say no," Khalil said. "If you don't take that alliance into account, I would reject your proposal...but if you include it, I have no reason to reject it."
"In other words, you agree?"
"Like I said..."
Khalil stood up with a smile and extended his right hand to him: "I can't think of a reason to refuse."
Guilliman did not immediately complete this ancient etiquette. He stood up and was silent for a while before speaking.
"Can we do this in another way?" he asked slightly uncomfortably.
------------------
The instruments were ticking, and the smell of disinfectant was pungent, but it was not a problem for Van Cleef, after all, he could only smell a vague smell now that was not so clear. His nose has not been completely reshaped, nor has his tongue, which relies on them for his full sense of smell.
From his throat, he made a little breathy sound, hissing, but it was no different from the usual greeting of the Nostramos. However, he did this not because he wanted to greet anyone, but because his voice was recovering little by little.
The tingling feeling was too strong, and he needed to use this method to make himself feel better.
After doing this, he raised his right hand with difficulty. The beating nerves and muscles on the thick bones are being reshaped at a speed visible to the naked eye, and the blood is rushing to the unobservable interior.
Van Cleef stared at this horrific scene and moved the five fingers of his right hand thoughtfully. They were now fully mobile, and the nerves and muscles at the front of his forearm also moved together.
Seeing this scene, a smile finally appeared on his pale and weak face.
"I promised I would fix you, Vancleef," said a giant sitting next to him. "And you can see now that your body is recovering bit by bit - so, don't you really want to inject a little sedative and sleep?"
Van Cleef opened his mouth and wanted to speak, but he pushed it a few times with his broken tongue and spit out a few blackened teeth. He held them in the palm of his right hand and spoke only after that. His voice was weird, but at least he could make a sound.
"I'm sure," he said with difficulty. "The dose of sedative...will keep me asleep for at least eight hours...the Ultramarines'...medical officer...doesn't skimp on the medication."
The reason he gave made Khalil laugh. He wasn't sure whether Van Cleef was joking, but it was indeed humorous.
"It will take another four hours before you are fully recovered," Khalil said. "So, I guess your plan is to go back to the base without wasting a single second?"
"Yes," VanCleef hissed.
Don't get me wrong, of course he wasn't speaking Nostramo, it was just the sound in his throat that caused this result. Frankly speaking, the way he speaks now is quite uncomfortable.
But Khalil didn't care.
"So, how are you going to explain this to them?"
Van Cleef shook his head, and white and red flesh intertwined and spread on his neck.
"They won't ask," he said. "At least... no one except... Siani will ask."
"Just because they don't know how to ask, doesn't mean they don't have questions."
"I'll take care of it," Van Cleef said firmly. "You don't have to worry about this."
Staring at him, Khalil said nothing.
Van Cleef's two hearts beat endlessly between the plate-like bones, making a monotonous and interlaced sound. The bed was still covered in blood, but it was no longer a sticky mixture of flesh and blood, but the traces of what was left destroyed as the new flesh healed.
"I'm sorry," Khalil said lowly.
"You don't have to apologize," Van Cleef replied calmly. "You are not the only one who has failed in your duty."
Read the book
