"So what you're saying is, you want to absorb an entire company of Thousand Sons and use them as supplementary combat strength for your own company?"
Curze flipped through the roster Bruce had submitted, along with the proposed expansion plan.
Her expression was unusually serious, and her mood even more so. Normally, no matter what Bruce said, Curze would listen with a smile on her face. But the moment the topic turned to taking in the Thousand Sons, she seemed to become a different person altogether.
That put a lot of pressure on Bruce.
He had even warned her about this beforehand, making it clear that he wanted to expand, and she had agreed.1GaL2
But for some reason, the instant they got into the actual list of names, Curze's attitude turned incomparably cautious.
It was as though the ones Bruce wanted to take in were not Thousand Sons, but a pack of dangerous criminals.
"Y-yes..." Bruce respectfully poured her tea, filling the cup to about two-thirds. "Didn't you just say it was fine?"
"Yes, it is possible. But why the Thousand Sons?" Curze asked.
"Well..." Bruce began.
Curze looked over the list again, then shot him a strange look from head to toe.
"I looked over the names. It's quite a lineup of bright, youthful, beautiful girls, isn't it~"
"Heroes aren't defined by where they come from, and Astartes aren't defined by gender either." Bruce hurriedly explained. "Sure, they're women now, but their combat ability hasn't weakened at all!"1GaL2
"Do you even understand the structure of your current company?" Curze asked.
"Of course I do." Bruce straightened proudly. "I know the name of every battle-brother aboard the Remilia, along with their background."
"Then have you thought about what will happen after those Thousand Sons join your company?"
"I don't think anything much will happen?" Bruce answered after a brief pause.1GaL2
Curze sighed. "Think about it again."
After saying that, she decided to give him one more chance.
Bruce mulled it over for quite a while, but no matter how hard he thought, he still couldn't understand what she meant. In the end, all he could do was shake his head and admit that he didn't get it.
"First of all, you are the captain of this company. That much is true, yes?"
"Yes."
"Then have you ever thought about why you are able to command this company at all? Why everyone obeys your orders, and is willing to die carrying them out?"
"That's naturally because of you!" Bruce answered with a grin.
"No, no. I'm only part of the reason. If this were a real battlefield, the reason they would unconditionally obey you and go to their deaths for you is because you hold force in your hands. You possess enough raw authority to crush any internal problem the moment it appears."1GaL2
"But your own foundation, to be honest, is too shallow. Apart from the three Black Guards and one apothecary I assigned to you, you have almost no real base of your own. If you take the Black Guards out of the equation, you only have one person who could truly be called part of your own camp."
"And under those circumstances, you still want a batch of outsiders to become the very first wave of expansion for your company?"
"Oh, right. If I remember correctly, you also accepted a group of surrendered troops. Whether they truly respect you is another question entirely."1GaL2
At this point, Curze sighed again. "Have you seriously not thought about what kind of trouble this expansion is going to bring to your company?"
Though having two or three factions inside one company could actually be beneficial for a ruler—basic cake-splitting logic, after all—the problem was that Bruce was giving himself a burden before his own foundation had even stabilized.
Before his own camp had truly formed, he would already have to juggle the relationship between the surrendering troops and the Thousand Sons camp, press them down when necessary, smooth over their conflicts when needed, and somehow keep the bowl balanced for both sides.
If he could really pull that off, then he'd be a remarkable talent indeed.
But Curze clearly did not think Bruce could handle that cleanly.1GaL2
"But I think they're coming with genuine sincerity. It shouldn't turn into a dove taking over the magpie's nest," Bruce said.
"Fine. Let's say you really can handle all of those complicated interpersonal issues. Then another question arises—why are you suddenly trying to scale your company's strength this much?"
"Taking in several thousand Thousand Sons is not a small burden. What exactly are you trying to get out of this?"
Curze seriously suspected Bruce had simply been bewitched by beauty, but on second thought, she didn't think he was that hopeless.
So what exactly was he after?1GaL2
"Well... it's to experiment with whether the Grey Knights concept is actually feasible. Since the Word Bearers have fallen to Chaos, we need a force specifically meant to handle daemons and warp-corrupted enemies. Otherwise, things like the Blessed Sons are going to be far too much trouble for us."
Bruce spoke honestly about what he was thinking.
He didn't actually know how the Grey Knights had been trained in the original timeline, or whose gene-seed they used. But if these magical girls were properly equipped, absolutely loyal to the Emperor, and subject to reasonable restrictions in their warp research...1GaL2
...then in theory, there was no reason they couldn't be shaped into a preliminary, "SE-version" Grey Knights force.
"You haven't even developed your own basic power base yet, and already you want to sink this much into a huge project. Where exactly did you learn this bad habit from?" Curze asked in even greater confusion.
This attitude of wanting everything and thinking he could handle everything—wasn't that basically how Lion El'Jonson acted?
"It's an experiment, that's all. And besides, if we don't take in these excellent librarians, someone else will. That would be a terrible loss for us."1GaL2
"And this company is actually a joint investment between us and the Thousand Sons. We provide empowerment and structural planning, and they provide execution and help meet the performance targets. I think it's a very promising partnership."
Bruce very nearly slipped into a stream of corporate jargon there.
Fortunately, Curze was not the patient type. If he really started talking to her in vague, black-hearted investor language, she'd probably twist his head off on the spot.
"What is Magnus's attitude on this?"1GaL2
"I asked her. She said she respects every Thousand Son's personal choice, and that she'd provide as many resources as she could to support them. Her domain has been greatly reduced, but for something like this, she still has the means to help."
Bruce produced another parchment, more carefully now.
It contained the full record of his conversation with Magnus. By reading it, Curze could see directly what the two of them had discussed.
"Oh? Why are Horus and Lion involved here too?" Curze glanced over the contents and immediately spotted the oddity.1GaL2
So, these people had been scheming behind her back, had they?
"This is to guarantee the independence of our company." Bruce replied quickly. "Lion is interested in the Grey Knights project too, so she made an investment out of respect for me. Horus did the same—she'll use her authority as Warmaster to ensure this partnership goes smoothly, without anyone interfering."
"And last of all... there's you."
"If you approve this, then my company will be completely transformed!"
Bruce slapped his chest as he made the promise.1GaL2
A preliminary Grey Knights force, jointly backed by four different Legions—if this succeeded, it would be an enormous advantage. If the timeline ever reached the 40K era, then what would the Inquisition even amount to?
"All right, all right." Curze thought about it for a moment, then finally picked up a quill and signed the document. "But you'd better really turn them into Grey Knights, and not some useless group of bookworms who only know how to bury their noses in texts."
With that, Bruce had secured the unanimous support and signatures of four Primarchs.
As for the name of this new company, he had already decided it.
For now, it would simply be called—the Justice League.1GaL2
"Still, if you do this, Malcador is definitely going to suspect you're causing trouble on purpose." Curze reminded him kindly. "As far as I know, he's also working on his own Grey Knights project, and his gene-seed supply is more stable."
"That's two different matters entirely!" Bruce said with complete confidence. "Whatever Malcador is building, and whatever we're building as a Legion-backed project, are not the same thing. Besides, whose Grey Knights will be stronger is far from certain."
"Very well. Then let me see your results. If this flops, a little kowtow and an apology to me won't be nearly enough."
"Lion will absolutely use it as leverage against you. Magnus will definitely resent you. And Horus..." Curze paused. "Horus will probably have to shoulder a fair amount of pressure. But as always—don't overdo it."
"The Council of Nikaea still exists. You are not the Emperor. You do not have the authority to openly establish an Astartes force centered around psykers."1GaL2
Though Curze did not think much of Bruce's passionate enthusiasm, she still supported him. Having that many librarians under their control was a very good thing.
Better that they remain in their hands than be scattered elsewhere.
As for the question of resources...
Wayne Enterprises was rich beyond reason.
That was not Curze's concern.
All she needed to do was make sure the arrangement was fair. As long as no one obstructed it and no one interfered with it, that was enough.1GaL2
"Just wait and see!" Bruce declared. "I guarantee that when the time comes to crush the Word Bearers, we'll be using them!"
"And you, my father, will become one of the founders of a whole new era of Astartes!"
"Very well." Curze nodded in satisfaction. "I look forward to it."1GaL2
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 155)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( 126 )
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter200)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter110)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter230)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 200
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 180
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass Volume2/5
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 230
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 65
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 220
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 154
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player Volume4/30
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 120
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 67
Uma Musume: From Beginner 135
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 85
Uma Musume: I Want All 110
I Can Copy Unique Skills 100
Summoning an Evil God, but the 70
Supernatural Multiverse 100
My Harem Is Indescribable 90
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 95
"I'm just a Valkyrie passing through." 68
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 105
Still playing traditional Honk 69
The Most Filial Son Under Heav 80
What Should I Do After Switchi - Volume2/3
Reincarnated as a Demon, Skill 70
Hell-Difficulty Dungeon? 55
Transmigrated as Sukuna 75
Checking In in Demon Slayer 80
The Reincarnating Trainer of Tracen Academy 85
I Refuse to Become a Heroic 70
My Best Friend Into a Slime? 65
A Saiyan Stands Above Marvel 70
What Do You Mean by Using a Lab Mod to Be the Hero? 70
Tanya Starts from Re:Zero 65
Why did they assign me to Uma 65
MYGO Beauties 65
DanMachi: Emiya the Giant Hero 55
The Gacha Merchant Who Started 65
Honkai's Otherworld? Wait—Who Are You People?! 45
Emiya Shirou, Determined to Slay Every Curse and Evil Spirit 45
The Uma Musume Who Became 40
I'm Definitely Not the King of 45
After Maxing Out Every Class 45
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