On the planet Solemnace, within Trazyn's Great Museum of Galactic History,
The entire planet is now half-submerged in a hidden sub-dimensional reality bubble, one of the protective measures Trazyn took after the Silent King became interested in him due to his cooperation with Anrakyr.
Solemnace has been the crystallization of Necron art, culture, and history for tens of millions of years, and it also embodies Necron technology.
This planet is less a planet and more a planet-sized Dyson sphere. Its outer shell is composed of countless floating nanobots, which either form sharp angles to absorb energy, transform into clouds to maintain the atmosphere, or become a sturdy outer shell protecting the museum's core beneath.
Under Trazyn's guidance, Sanguinius, Guilliman, Fulgrim, Belisarius Cawl, and Alexander strolled through this vast museum.
They were here to communicate with the Necrons. Anrakyr was using his past political influence to spread Alexander's offer among the Necrons and was also attempting to contact the Silent King directly.
During this time, Trazyn invited Alexander and the Primarchs to visit his museum.
"This is an ancient Ork, which we called Krorks in even older times."
Trazyn walked at the forefront of the group, introducing the exhibit with a tone that could only be described as eager for a Necron.
It was a gigantic creature, twelve meters tall, composed of hideous dark green muscle, with most of its body covered by a rough exoskeleton. Its face was also encased in a helmet, obscuring its exact appearance.
"He is the ancestor of today's Green-skinned Orks, a biological weapon of war created by the Old Ones—dangerous, cunning, deadly, and endless. The ones you humans face today are merely a degraded form of them."
"Of course, ancient Orks, like today's Orks, thrive on war. The intensity of war in the current galaxy is no longer sufficient to sustain ancient Orks, which is why ancient Orks degenerated into today's Orks."
"Theoretically, if the intensity of war could reach the level of the War in Heaven of old, ancient Orks could still reappear in the Green-skinned Orks' genetic sequence."
Trazyn's introduction was very detailed, not because he wanted to flatter anyone, but simply because Trazyn enjoyed doing so.
Solemnace welcomes anyone to visit and tour. Trazyn's purpose in operating this museum is to preserve the history of the galaxy for future generations to remember.
"This reminds me of Ullanor," Fulgrim said with a slight smile.
The Ullanor Crusade, where the Emperor personally led the charge, eradicated the largest Green-skinned Orks Imperium of the Great Crusade era. Warmaster Horus was with the Emperor,
Horus even personally slew Ullak Urg, the ruler of the Ullanor Ork Imperium.
It was at the celebration after the Ullanor Crusade, witnessed by Fulgrim, Sanguinius, Jaghatai Khan, Lorgar, Magnus, Angron, Mortarion, and other Primarchs, that the Emperor personally crowned Horus as Warmaster and announced his withdrawal from the Great Crusade.
That was the peak of the entire Great Crusade, a moment of infinite glory. Everything seemed full of hope; even the most anxious people could not deny that humanity was rising again.
Just thinking of that moment, Fulgrim's lips curved into a smile. He wasn't the protagonist of that moment, but merely participating in it made Fulgrim feel blessed by the sun of honor.
Sanguinius paused for a moment, seemingly surprised that Fulgrim would suddenly bring this up, but after a brief moment, he also showed a smile similar to Fulgrim's.
Even though the galaxy burned and the Imperium nearly collapsed afterward, at least that moment in their memories was filled with glory.
"How wonderful, that moment truly made one feel that the future held infinite glory, and that humanity would begin its resurgence from that very moment," Fulgrim sighed.
Only Guilliman's expression was indifferent, as if he couldn't resonate with Sanguinius and Fulgrim at all.
Because he didn't attend the Ullanor Crusade, nor did he witness the Imperium crowning the Warmaster, nor did he feel any of the glory in it.
Guilliman was more focused on the political significance of the Emperor giving Horus the position of Warmaster at that time.
Recalling that time, Guilliman's heart was filled only with pain and regret.
As a seasoned politician, Guilliman should have realized the risks of the Emperor granting Horus such immense power, and the potential for rebellion.
In fact, within the Ultramarines at the time, there were indeed some farsighted Astartes who recognized this possibility: the potential for infighting between Astartes.
But Guilliman, out of trust in his Primarch brothers, vehemently refuted this idea, even punishing the ringleader by making him wear a red helmet.
Looking back now, it was too late to regret. He wished he had acted differently.
"What I saw was no honor, only the collapse of a great edifice."
"That should have been the starting point of humanity's rise, but ultimately, due to our mistakes, it became the beginning of its downfall."
Guilliman said in an almost stern tone.
Fulgrim was taken aback by Guilliman's words, his lips curving slightly upward, showing a hint of displeasure.
"What? When was humanity's true starting point for resurgence then?"
"When you crowned Sanguinius as the Second Imperium Emperor?"
Fulgrim said with a sarcastic tone.
Guilliman merely gave him a cold glance:
"It is now, at this very moment, today."
"I will not make the mistakes of Ullanor again."
Fulgrim curled his lips dismissively: "As if the entire human race now depends solely on you. Where do you place Sanguinius? Where do you place our Father? Where do you place Saint Doraemon?"
Upon hearing this, Alexander's mouth twitched slightly.
Fulgrim's words brought back some unpleasant memories.
The Guilliman Great Heresy was an event that Alexander had cycled through many times in his dreams and still couldn't face with complete equanimity.
Having Guilliman and not having Guilliman truly felt like two different things, and if Guilliman were an enemy, it would be hellish difficulty.
Even Horus, during his rebellion, could only aim for a swift victory by directly attacking Terra and beheading the Emperor.
But when Guilliman rebelled, he truly could surpass the Imperium in various aspects: economic warfare, political warfare, propaganda warfare, psychological warfare—a constant stream of tactics that almost crippled the entire Imperium's productivity while also causing various Imperial planets to waver towards Guilliman, utterly disgusting.
In Alexander's plan,
Fulgrim could be abandoned, Sanguinius and Lion could be sacrificed. Among all the Primarchs, only Guilliman was irreplaceable.
Without Guilliman, humanity wouldn't even last until Alexander's plan was completed. The tools Alexander needed for his plan also required Guilliman to operate and generate immense resources.
"This exhibit is one I have always looked forward to showing to humanity."
Trazyn's voice rose slightly, and he elegantly waved his hand, signaling everyone to look at the exhibit he wished to present.
They were two very simple-looking probes, appearing quite primitive even from the perspective of the Imperium's currently rather crude technology.
And before these two probes, there was a very primitive record player, seemingly preserved from humanity's second or third millennium.
On top of the record player, a golden record was spinning at 33 RPM, its grooves' vibrations sensed by the stylus, the signal amplified by vacuum tubes, and slowly played from the speaker.
It was a slightly muffled and dull middle-aged man's voice, speaking in a language similar to high gothic, but simpler and more direct.
The Primarchs' linguistic talent was enough to bridge this difference; they almost instantly understood the words spoken by the middle-aged voice.
"Greetings."
"This is a gift from a distant small world."
"It records our voices, our science, our music, our thoughts, emotions, and souls."
"This sound of Earth is to give hope, our determination, and our good wishes for distant worlds in this vast and awe-inspiring universe."
"We are striving to live in our time, hoping to enter yours."
For some reason, these words made the bodies of the three Primarchs and Belisarius Cawl present tremble slightly. They seemed to feel a kind of power in these words,
The power of humanity, vibrant, full of enterprising spirit and hope.
They had not yet truly stepped out of their own planet, but they were already full of yearning for the stars.
They were still in an insignificant position in the galaxy, but they felt no inferiority, instead proudly displaying their culture, thoughts, emotions, and souls to this world.
They were not perfect; war, hunger, poverty, discrimination, and infighting still existed within their civilization, but they believed they could overcome these problems.
They still had divisions and different answers to the fate of humanity, but at least then they believed that the path they were taking could lead to a hopeful future.
It was not a particularly good era, but they believed they could enter a better one.
"voyager 1 and 2, humanity's first two probes to fly out of the Solar System, were both for exploring worlds beyond the Solar System and a letter to other civilizations among the stars."
Alexander spoke softly:
"The golden record contains the sound of humanity, fifty-five languages or dialects, ninety minutes of music recordings from various ethnic groups, to demonstrate humanity's existence."
The golden record continued to play softly, speaking in fifty-five languages the words humanity spoke to the galaxy, including the language Alexander belonged to.
"What a beautiful thing," Fulgrim said involuntarily.
Sanguinius nodded in agreement: "It's not just the beauty of the art and sounds stored within, but what is even more moving is the spirit behind those arts and sounds—that which our era lacks, something called hope."
"Such a young era may never come again. For the first time, I feel that human civilization itself possesses a kind of poignant, a kind of shattered beauty," Fulgrim said with a slightly melancholic tone.
"I, on the other hand, feel that the world is becoming young again," Guilliman said with a calm face: "I believe such an era will come again. Compared to shattered beauty, I appreciate the beauty of rationality and abundance more, the beauty where everyone can eat their fill, no one needs to be immersed in religion, and everyone can be happy."
"You really are a killjoy," Fulgrim pouted.
"A truly remarkable collection," Belisarius Cawl, whose face was so ugly it was unsettling even to a Necron, said to Trazyn: "You have pleased the Omnissiah."
Cawl's words made Trazyn pause for a moment, then he slightly turned his head to look at Alexander.
Alexander also showed a brilliant smile:
"What? Trazyn, you said you're giving these two Voyagers back to me?"
"You are so kind!"