The Emperor’s Angel of Death

"Please, board the ship."

It wasn't until the Golden Feather Guard's voice sounded that Roczim snapped out of his thoughts, noticing a magnificent airship nearby, complete with sails, a golden hull, and phoenix decorations.

The group had little choice but to board the ship, which then began to move, without any shaking or noise.

As the airship sailed, Roczim didn't forget to lean on the railing, looking down at the city. As the altitude decreased, he could see more clearly. The city was very prosperous, with many Eldar people coming and going. He even spotted an alien creature with an insect-like shell, a round body, and multiple tentacles. These creatures mostly appeared in gardens and at roadside snack stalls.

"Huh? Is that thing with a head like a hammer... a pet?"

"No, of course not. They are the Oreti, a species granted citizenship by Her Majesty, considered a... deep partner. Though so kind and harmless, their former home was destroyed by the human empire."

"Uh, well, Her Majesty is indeed beautiful and kind-hearted."

At this point, Roczim noticed that although many Eldar were walking or gathering on the tree-lined avenues, almost no one was working. Some were strolling and chatting with friends, some simply sat cross-legged on the grass, either meditating or something else, while others were painting, playing music, performing, or reciting poetry...

But they all had one thing in common.

"Um, does no one work in this city?"

"Work?"

The Golden Feather Guard turned to look at Roczim, a slightly gaunt face compared to humans showing a somewhat helpless smile. He probably didn't want to pay Roczim any attention, but due to the latter's special status, he had to answer.

"I'm not sure what you mean by 'work.' If you mean like apes... humans, doing monotonous and repetitive tasks day and night in a single position, wearing down their lives in mechanical movements, then yes, no one here 'works.'"

"Uh, then, where do they get food and drink?"

"If they need it, they simply obtain it. Of course, they can also cultivate or create it themselves, according to their personal tastes. I occasionally plant fruits that suit my taste in my own small garden."

"Uh, is it free? Don't the farmers sell what they grow for money?"

"Haha, it's not appropriate to apply your human society to our system. Of course, there are also cultivators here, but they cultivate as a personal hobby, a way of life. Allowing others to taste their harvest gives them a sense of accomplishment. Some residents from wild worlds see cultivation as a way to communicate with the world-soul, and the Court's role is to help them share their harvest with more of their people."

Roczim nodded in sudden understanding.

"So that's how it is. But what if... there's not enough to eat?"

"Ha, you worry too much. The world-soul is the bane of hunger. If it wishes, it can produce enough food to fill the entire planet."

"That's amazing."

Saying that, he raised his leg and kicked Loken next to him.

"You Mechanicus are such treasures! Damn it, so many farmers in the Empire are still using hoes to till the land, and you can't even popularize tractors! Causing famines everywhere in the Empire!"

"What does that have to do with me... Besides, who's going to get tractors for those poor wretches on those backwater planets? The Empire has so many worlds. If they all wanted tractors, the Forge Worlds wouldn't have time for anything else, just producing tractors. And who would bear the cost? This looks like... psychic tricks. Psychic power is not as reliable as a hoe. And why eat so much? As the saying goes, when people are hungry, they only have one worry, but once they are full, they have countless worries. It's good for the people of the Empire to be simple."

Loken's words caused the surrounding Golden Feather Guard to look sideways. Some simply shook their heads, while others showed teasing smiles. Roczim was too lazy to talk to Loken anymore, and then curiously asked the Golden Feather Guard captain:

"Then do you not have factories here either? No workers? So many ships, so many buildings, did they just grow themselves?"

"In a sense, you're right. We have no workers and no factories. Those crafts, including personal items, are made by craftsmen or those of our people who are interested in manufacturing. In fact, the vast majority of our people, regardless of their path or profession, have the ability to make simple daily necessities and equipment. This is one of the interests cultivated from childhood, but there will be different emphases after adulthood. And those professional creators and craftsmen are happy to share what they create with others. Of course, the Court also has official production departments, which will absorb those excellent Bonesingers and craftsmen, giving them more value and a stage for self-realization. In addition, there are the followers of the Artisan God, who regard manufacturing as a kind of practice, a kind of faith, somewhat similar to the human Mechanicus, but without such a clear class division."

"It's a bit confusing, let me think. So, you're saying that people here work spontaneously and then share spontaneously? For nothing in return? No, you seemed to say something about self-worth, self-realization? Tsk, does no one want to be rich? Or possess something that others don't have? Or have status?"

The Golden Feather Guard blinked, his attitude changing from slightly impatient to serious, and he looked at Roczim with a scrutinizing gaze.

"If another human asked such a question, I would dismiss it, but Lord Dural said that you have an extraordinary relationship with the Princess, so I assume you have some understanding of our race's history. Although the Court does not have as many strict ascetic traditions and rules as most Craftworlds, self-restraint is still the best way to keep our souls safe and pure."

"...Of course, self-restraint alone is not enough. More importantly, we must remember the lessons. The Court requires every citizen, whether adult or child, to deeply study our race's past history, and to search as much as possible for past archives, classics, and historical materials from various Craftworlds, Maiden Worlds, and even Crone Worlds. These are all kept in the Great Museum, and every resident, regardless of status, will make sure to go to the Great Museum to study every once in a while, to understand why our race prospered, and why it declined, to understand how glorious our race once was, and how bleak it is now. On the stone tablet there is a sentence left by the Princess - 'Learn from history, and you will know rise and fall.'"

"Sorry, I only know some basic things about the Eldar."

"I can understand. For an extremely long life, what is the meaning of living is actually a very real question. Perhaps you humans cannot imagine this, but for us, realizing self-worth from the moment of birth is a way to explain life, especially in this painful period when our race is on the verge of extinction. Realizing the value of the individual to realize the value of the collective is the greatest meaning. Every individual strives for the revival of the race. This is not an unrealistic slogan or grand narrative, this is what is happening. Of course, it does not mean that everyone is completely selfless. Fame, status, and even power are still worth pursuing, but we leave this decision to Her Majesty and the Princess, because they are the creators of the Court, the embodiment of gods."

Roczim scratched his head, and then asked cautiously:

"Then why did you choose to be this... this profession?"

"Because I am good at tracking, good at observing clues, and I firmly believe that the Court will eventually fulfill the manifest destiny of reviving the race, so that our descendants will no longer be threatened by great enemies. I used to be a rogue in Commorragh, caring nothing for anything other than myself. I never knew what hope was, so from the moment I was born, I was told that we were a race without hope and future, but when I followed Lord Dural to the Court and deeply understood history, I felt heartache and sighed day and night. We have lost too much, not only our homeland, but also our spirit, our inheritance, the benevolence, righteousness, wisdom, courage, and the striving for self-improvement taught by the ancient sages, we have lost all of them."

Saying that, the other party's voice suddenly increased, startling Roczim.

"But! How could our Aeldari, the glorious ancient race with a history of 65 million years, perish in selfishness! The ten thousand years of suffering and shame after the Fall warn all Aeldari that we can no longer be confused, nor can we continue to escape! Fate will not give any gifts for free, we can only rebuild everything we have lost with our own hands, brick by brick, and find our spirit and inheritance, so that we can comfort the heroic spirits of our ancestors, and even the gods cannot stop us! This is the answer, and for this I am willing to dedicate all my strength, this is the value and meaning of my life, this sense of mission and responsibility should not be unfamiliar to you?"