The Law Academy was one of the many institutions founded by Zhou Ye. After securing his own territory, he had implemented numerous reforms, the first of which was free education.
The initial teachers were the Astartes themselves. One should not underestimate these walking tanks; their knowledge reserves were staggering. While they couldn't compare to the Custodes, they were more than qualified for the task.
Of course, while Zhou Ye's basic education was free, attaining higher levels of learning required passing through layers of assessments. Those who were weeded out were not to dwell on it; they were to join the workforce.
The top talents from across his thirty worlds—now forty—were gathered on Trailblaze to enroll in the various great academies.
The Law Academy was one such institution, with a student body exceeding one hundred thousand. And it was foreseeable that, as time went on, this number would continue to rise. After all, according to Prometheus's report… he now had forty worlds under his command. Not long after the Great Rift opened, another ten had been added to his domain.
Naturally, this abundance of students provided Zhou Ye with a steady stream of Astartes recruits. Unlike other Chapters or Legions that recruited from a single homeworld, Zhou Ye's recruits, especially his Astartes, were primarily selected from these great academies.
The Law Academy was now assigned to the Night Lords. The Academy of Civil Engineering was mainly home to the Imperial Fists and Iron Warriors. According to Zhou Ye's knowledge, they frequently engaged in "glorious duels" to compete for the best students, often beating each other's brains out.
The Agriculture Academy was primarily for the Emperor's Children and the Dusk Raiders, while the Medical Academy belonged to the War Hounds.
As for the largest institution, the Academy of Governance, its graduates became Word Bearers, Ultramarines, Luna Wolves, and Dark Angels.
These academies provided the main pool of recruits for their respective legions, but students were not locked in. If they wished, they could transfer.
There were, of course, other academies, such as the Academy of Mechanical Engineering. This one focused on training Tech-Priests and technical military personnel. Naturally, outstanding students from here could also try to pass the assessments for other Space Marine Chapters if they chose. Nothing was set in stone, and the curricula of these academies were diverse. While they had their specializations, each was a comprehensive super-academy in its own right.
The recruits might be a bit older than usual, but with Zhou Ye's methods, that was a minor issue. As long as their compatibility was high enough and there was no gene-seed rejection, all was well.
---o---
Within the Law Academy, over one hundred thousand students were gathered. They were all kneeling, praying with fervent piety, for amongst them was a procession of hearses.
Although their academy had provided Space Marines before, it had always felt like something was missing without their own parent legion. Not long ago, the great Lord of Trailblaze had assigned the Night Lords to them. Now, members of their very first graduating class had gloriously returned to the Golden Throne, or to the embrace of the Lord of Trailblaze.
As the several coffins passed, a melodic and ancient hymn drifted through the air.
Glory, eternally burning.Courage ignites sky and earth.…We wait for you, we sing for you.Return, my friend, return, hero.Once more, once more, burn.For family, for home, for glory.Does your courage still remain?Remember the names of heroes, follow them.Once more, step onto the battlefield.…
Amidst the ancient song, the coffins moved slowly through the campus. A complex mix of sorrow, honor, and inspiration filled the air. At this moment, every student wished they could follow in the footsteps of their seniors, to step onto that glorious battlefield and engage in a battle to the death against sin and heresy, to uphold the justice and fairness in their hearts, and then, for their souls to return to the Lord of Trailblaze.
At that moment, from the shadows of the academy, Konrad Curze watched the scene, utterly stunned. A faint glint shone in his eyes. He already knew that Zhou Ye had assigned this entire academy to the Night Lords. This place would become the main source of recruits for his legion.
Even after ten thousand years, Curze suddenly felt a surge of passion, and his long-dead heart trembled once more. As for the traditional "crafts" of the Night Lords, he had yet to teach any of them to these new recruits. Looking at this new generation, he actually felt a sense of shame.
"The Night Lords are a thing of the past. I need a new name."
Curze muttered to himself. Just then, he received a message from Zhou Ye.
"Come at once. Meeting!!!"
Looking at the Primarch-exclusive phone in his hand, Curze turned and left the academy.
---o---
"So, it's forty worlds now?"
Staring at his data-slate, Zhou Ye couldn't help but cover his eyes.
"We discovered three Type-2 worlds, and two Type-3 worlds have declared direct allegiance to you."
"My head hurts…"
Hearing this, Zhou Ye rubbed his forehead. He had divided his worlds into three classifications.
Type-1 worlds were pristine planets. Not necessarily paradise worlds or death worlds, but planets with no prior human presence. These could be occupied directly. The vast majority of his original thirty worlds were of this type, and they were Zhou Ye's favorite. Fewer problems, easier to manage.
Type-2 worlds were lost worlds. Undiscovered by the Imperium, they had developed on their own. The people on them had ended up there for various reasons. These were also manageable. Being isolated from the galaxy, many were in relatively primitive states of society. Their populations were small, and the fact that they could survive without external contact meant the planet itself was valuable. A simple clean-up was all that was needed.
Type-3 worlds were those belonging to the Imperium. These were standard Imperial worlds, though not Hive Worlds. Zhou Ye would never touch those under any circumstances; they were far too much trouble. Even if he took one, it would require countless purges from top to bottom. It was a logistical nightmare, like Quintus and Aestia. Therefore, the Type-3 worlds he acquired were generally Agri-Worlds, Feudal Worlds, or Feral Worlds.
"The Type-2 worlds are one thing, but what's the deal with those two Type-3 worlds?" Zhou Ye asked, exasperated. He normally avoided even Type-3 worlds.
"One is an Agri-World, the other an Ocean-World. They provide a large amount of food, salt, and seafood to the local sub-sector. If something were to happen to these two worlds, the entire region would fall into a terrifying famine."
"What about the people on them?"
"Neither planet had a large population to begin with, and they were ravaged by cults and daemons. Because their populations were so small, the sacrifices didn't amount to much of anything. When we found them, they were on the verge of total collapse. Worlds like these are extremely valuable."
"Excellent. So my Rogue Traders just happily accepted them. I highly suspect they forced the Planetary Governors to agree. These worlds have to pay the Imperial Tithe… Ah well, forget it. It's not a big problem."
This was the troublesome part. Type-3 worlds had to pay the tithe. It wasn't that Zhou Ye was against paying taxes, but he simply didn't want a direct confrontation with the Imperium. Besides, the tithe itself wasn't that much. For a typical planet, logistical limitations meant they often had to stockpile their resources, and storage itself costs resources. Many tithe issues arose from such stockpiling problems. Furthermore, a single planet's ability to withstand risks was extremely poor. An issue on one or two worlds could cause a catastrophic chain reaction.
But in Zhou Ye's hands, these were non-issues.
As soon as their production was ready, it would be immediately shipped out and circulated as trade goods, exchanged for other resources. As for the portion for the tithe, that wasn't a problem either. He'd put it on an account, work some magic, and make it back in no time. He had already managed the tithes for at least a hundred worlds. In the local sector, his Rogue Trader fleets had a stellar reputation. Even the Departmento Munitorum was amazed at how excellent the tithe collection rate was in this sector… So, handling the tithe payments for them was not a big deal. Of course, not paying it wasn't a big deal either.
"Fine. After all, they are an Agri-World and an Ocean-World."
Zhou Ye said no more on the matter. Of course, one shouldn't assume an Agri-World was a pleasant place. The planet's ecosystem was utterly destroyed, with crops growing like skyscrapers. The soil was saturated with all sorts of chemical pesticides. If a person were to breathe the air without protection, they wouldn't last long—and that was by the standards of a 40k transhuman, not a 3k weakling.
But food and salt were vital resources. These two planets could indeed bring in enormous profits.
As Zhou Ye was frantically dealing with administrative affairs, a shadow flickered outside, and Curze walked in. However, when he saw the wall of several hundred screens in front of Zhou Ye, he froze for a moment.
Each screen displayed different content. Just a single glance was enough to make his scalp tingle. He could see all sorts of documents, the sheer density of which made him shudder.
Zhou Ye wasn't always this busy, but a major battle had just ended. Moreover, with the opening of the Great Rift, his sector was right on the edge of the Cicatrix Maledictum, in what was now Imperium Sanctus. The impact was enormous, with fires breaking out everywhere.
Zhou Ye couldn't just ignore them. If these places fell to Chaos, one or two might be manageable, but too many could sever the Star Rails he had worked so hard to build. Many decisions could only be made by him, so for the time being, he was truly swamped.
"Sit. I'll skip the pleasantries."
He casually slammed a fist onto his twitching desk, a look of relief spreading across his face. Honestly, seeing Zhou Ye in this state, Curze felt a strange sense of intimidation.
"You see what I'm doing. I don't keep idle hands here. Now, pick a job."
Zhou Ye looked at Curze and spoke bluntly. In his eyes, all things were beasts of burden. He was even contemplating whether to introduce a batch of Genestealers and then wash their minds with Imaginary energy. After all, the Great Devourer's control over them was a form of psychic control. There were even instances of Genestealers breaking free from the Hive Mind's control, some even falling to Chaos worship.
For example, on some worlds with Genestealer infestations that Zhou Ye had encountered, his Rogue Traders had given the Planetary Governor a very melodramatic and bizarre solution: systematically infect a group of Genestealers with Chaos, then seal them off in a mid-hive and let them loose.
A glorious civil war among the Genestealers would then erupt. The Planetary Governor only needed to intervene at the right moments to ensure the balance of power between the two sides was maintained. Anyone who could rise to the position of Planetary Governor was rarely incompetent. They might not be great at foreign policy, but they were all masters of balancing acts. Several planets had used this method to keep Genestealers in check, and it had proven to be highly effective.
If even Genestealers were beasts of burden, then so was a Primarch of his stature.
Seeing that Curze's spirits were much improved, Zhou Ye decided it was time to get him moving. The first batch of Night Lords was already trained, so he no longer needed to lead them personally. Besides, if Zhou Ye remembered correctly, the man hadn't even taught them the Night Lords' traditional "crafts." He had his Imaginary Power Slap ready; if Curze dared to teach them, a long-distance slap would be coming his way.
"Night Lords is not a good name."
"Huh?" Zhou Ye tilted his head and looked at Konrad Curze. Hadn't he come up with that name himself? If Zhou Ye remembered correctly, the Night Lords weren't originally called that. He had completely forgotten their original name.
"Whatever. Change it if you want. But I should remind you, they won't follow you blindly."
"That is of no concern."
"What will you change it to?"
"What do you think?"
"Hm?"
"You've clearly done something to their gene-seed. So, what do you think would be a good name?"
Hearing this, Zhou Ye fell into thought. He had indeed added a little something extra. Since their nickname was "Batmen," Zhou Ye had also added a lot of "muttering" traits to them. Combined with the high quality of the recruits, it complemented his additions perfectly.
In that case…
Knights of the Night.
Ultimately, Curze left with this name, satisfied. He also accepted a position from Zhou Ye: Grand Judge and Grand Inquisitor of his worlds. Of course, that was for the future. What Curze needed to do now was get his ass to the Law Academy and study. The man's original methods were far too wild for Zhou Ye's comfort.
And it wasn't just him; the surviving bat-brats needed it too. They had all been temporarily conscripted by Zhou Ye and needed to complete their original studies. But it wasn't a major issue. Astartes may be strong, but their capacity for learning was also formidable.