Guilliman's raspy voice echoed through the deathly silent void.
"Perhaps, we can reach some... consensus."
As the words fell, his deep blue eyes, like top-tier scanners, locked firmly onto Leticia, attempting to capture even the slightest flicker of emotion from her face.
But he failed.
Leticia's face remained as calm and rippleless as ever.
She hadn't even changed her sitting posture.
Only in the depths of those pure black pupils did a nearly invisible trace of a chess player's amusement flash.
Her red lips parted slightly, and though her voice wasn't loud, it clearly reached the ears of everyone present.
"Consensus?"
"Acceptable."
Leticia nodded slightly, as if affirming an inconsequential fact.
Then, her tone shifted, and her nonchalant demeanor instantly became as sharp as a blade.
"But cooperation depends on what chips you can bring to the table."
With one sentence, she completely tore apart the atmosphere of "common interest" that Guilliman had tried to build.
She positioned herself at an extremely high level.
This wasn't a plea for help.
It wasn't an alliance.
This was a transaction.
A cold transaction with clearly marked prices and no room for deception.
Behind Guilliman, Calgar's power armor fist clenched instantly, emitting a groan of being overstrained.
He had never seen, nor ever imagined, any being daring to use such an attitude to speak with the Imperial Regent.
Guilliman's facial muscles twitched imperceptibly.
He forcibly suppressed the arrogance inherent to a Primarch and reverted to being that strategist of supreme logic.
"My chip is the Empire."
Guilliman's voice regained its coldness and majesty.
"I will open the Empire's entire intelligence database regarding the Chaos Gods and major xenos threats to you. This includes top-secret archives sealed in the deepest parts of the Inquisition, which even most Chapter Masters have no right to access."
This chip was undeniably heavy.
It represented the entirety of the knowledge regarding the laws of the cosmic dark forest that the Empire had exchanged for blood and lives over ten thousand years.
"At the same time," Guilliman continued, "when facing a major crisis sufficient to threaten the security of a sector, both sides must coordinate operations."
He paused, stating his true objective.
"During operations, all participating units must accept the unified command of the Indomitus Crusade Joint Staff."
He was attempting to forcibly integrate this uncontrollable power into the Empire's war machine.
Using the Empire's rules to place a shackle named "Order" upon this mysterious behemoth.
However, the moment he finished speaking.
"Heh."
A sneer full of disdain and mockery rang out from behind Leticia.
It was Angronia.
She slowly opened her eyes, which burned with an amber Battle Intent, staring at Guilliman without concealment. Her gaze was like looking at an overconfident fool.
"You want us to follow the command of a bunch of turtle shells?"
Her voice was low and full of wild magnetism, every word carrying a fury that could incinerate stars.
"In your dreams."
Boom!
The atmosphere at the negotiation table, which had just begun to ease, instantly dropped to freezing point again.
"Impudence!"
Calgar finally couldn't hold back. He took a sudden step forward, like an enraged blue bear, roaring: "You heretic! How dare you insult the glory of the Regent and the Empire!"
Angronia's gaze turned cold instantly. From the gaps in her dark red power armor, the golden Fire of Glory began to burn faintly.
A great battle was on the verge of breaking out.
Right at this tense moment.
"Sister Angronia, please calm yourself."
An elegant and pleasant voice, like a clear spring, was poured into this powder keg.
It was Fogremia.
She stepped forward, blocking the space between Angronia and Calgar, with an impeccable, winner's smile on her face.
She first performed an elegant curtsy to Guilliman, her posture as perfect as a work of art.
"Respected Regent, please forgive my sister's bluntness."
"What she means is that our Sisterhood's combat style is fundamentally different from your military's tactical system."
"Forcing a unified command would only cause unnecessary confusion and casualties. For us, who pursue 'Perfect Victory,' this is unacceptable."
Her words gave Angronia a way out while also tactfully refusing Guilliman's demand.
Then, a spark of wisdom flashed in Fogremia's purple eyes as she proposed a compromise.
"However, to more efficiently clean up that cosmic trash, I propose..."
"We can establish a temporary Joint Staff composed of high-ranking Commanders from both sides."
"When coordinated operations are required, this staff will be responsible for tactical coordination and intelligence synchronization."
"But the final strategic goals and execution plans will be decided by us individually."
"Don't you think this is more 'perfect'?"
This proposal instantly broke the deadlock.
It ensured the independence of the Sisterhood while giving the Imperial Regent enough face, and it achieved the strategic goal of coordinated operations.
Guilliman looked deeply at Fogremia.
His strategist's brain was working at high speed.
He knew that insisting on command authority was impossible.
The power and attitude displayed by the other party had already proven this.
To be able to bind this force—powerful enough to purify Chaos—to the war machine against the common enemy of the universe in a way that was "cooperative" rather than "hostile"...
This was already a massive, unimaginable strategic victory.
As for the future...
The future would be dealt with in the future.
Guilliman slowly closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, all emotion had faded, leaving only absolute rationality.
"Acceptable."
He uttered those two words.
This word represented the final concession of a ruler of the Empire.
The negotiation had finally reached its conclusion.
No paper treaties were signed.
No holy rituals were performed.
The strangest and most fragile oral covenant in galactic history was quietly reached in this cold vacuum.
One: Both sides will establish a highest-encryption intelligence sharing channel to exchange real-time intelligence on Chaos, Tyranids, and other major xenos threats.
Two: Coordinated operations may be conducted with the consent of both parties. A temporary Joint Staff will be formed during wartime for tactical coordination, but command authority for both sides remains independent and will not be interfered with.
Three: Neither side will actively attack the other's sphere of influence or interfere in the other's internal affairs.
These three simple consensus points had no binding force and relied entirely on the self-discipline of both parties.
But like a giant stone thrown into a stagnant pond, it stirred up massive waves in the power structure of the galaxy.
The Imperial Regent had, for the first time, reached an equal and secret covenant with a mysterious force he himself defined as "heretic."
This event itself was more historic than defeating a Chaos fleet.
"Then, it's a pleasure to cooperate."
Leticia stood up and calmly extended her hand.
Guilliman looked silently at her hand, which was fair and slender, yet seemed to hold the future of the universe.
He hesitated for a moment.
Ultimately, he also stood up, removed his massive blue power gauntlet, and with his scarred hand—the hand of a Primarch—lightly shook Leticia's.
The contact was brief.
The negotiation was over.
The heavy atmosphere finally eased slightly.
Guilliman put his gauntlet back on, seemingly preparing to turn and leave.
But he stopped.
There was a momentary hesitation in his movements.
This Imperial Regent, who had never wavered regardless of the desperation he faced over ten thousand years, now showed a complex expression mixed with expectation, fear, and loss on his face.
His gaze passed over Leticia, passed over the powerful Primarch Sisters behind her.
Finally, it landed on the Blonde Girl who had been quiet from start to finish, only tightly clutching the corner of Leticia's clothes with her small hand.
Guilliman's Adam's apple bobbed with difficulty.
In a voice that was almost pleading and raspy to the extreme, he made a private request that caught everyone by surprise.
"Before I leave..."
"I want to..."
"Talk to her alone."
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