Chapter 265 The Road to Justice (Warning About Large Amounts of Theoretical Output)

"Be careful, Konrad Curze." Vulkan stood on the edge of the field and shouted. Although he kept most of his equipment, he still took off his helmet and arm armor. "Please don't think that I will be humble." To you. Although I am a blacksmith, if I want to, I am even more of a warrior. "

Konrad Curze was noncommittal, taking off the crimson cloak that was useless in the battle from his shoulders, and temporarily handed it to the mechanical Perturabo beside him. Even before the fight started due to differences, Vulkan remained polite.

The land where his feet were located was covered by a thin layer of golden mist. The golden mist spread into a circle with a diameter of about forty meters, defining the scope of the battle.

Outside the circle, to one side of the Imperial Expeditionary Force, Ferrus Manus's silver arms were folded across his chest, his face expressionless. Fulgrim's eyes wandered between Vulkan, Curze, "Fath" and "Perturabo", pursed his lips, and inferred the truth behind all these unsolved mysteries.

The legionnaires of the Iron Hands and Salamanders stood in a disciplined manner in the outer circle. Their iron helmets covered with battle traces stood still in the hot air, silently and intently watching this extremely rare original body. duel.

Everyone knows that except for extreme circumstances, direct disputes between the Primarchs will rarely break out, and a game that takes the form of a battle is probably rare to encounter during the entire Great Crusade.

On the other layer of the circle, within the transparent barrier, the Dark Spirit Tribe led by Victor and the Savage Spirit Tribe led by Shanadol also focused their attention on the circular battlefield. Among them, the attention of the Savage Eldar is particularly focused. In a sense, the outcome of Konrad Curze's battle will determine the life or death of their ethnic branch.

"He's watching," Perturabo whispered, hanging Curze's cloak on his raised right forearm.

"I know." Coze said. After the mortal Faas finally raised his arm, patted the back of Vulkan's hammer-holding hand, and exited the fighting circle, he turned his face and nodded to Perturabo. "I've been preparing for this for years."

"I'm also looking forward to your answer," Perturabo patted Coze on the shoulder. "I know you have ideas in your heart, but you have never expressed them in front of us."

Curze nodded goodbye to Perturabo, and then walked towards the center of the field with Vulkan.

"This is our first battle in this world," Curze replied, observing Vulkan's red eyes. "I also hope that this is the last one...even if fate will come true, I also hope that it will come within the reach of my hand."

Vulkan's heart was no longer inclined to fight. However, things have progressed to this point.

"Then, let's begin." The Fire Dragon Lord said.

Curze raised his hand and made a fist. Of course his nails couldn't cut through the miraculous scales of the Salamander Legion Primarch, but he had seen similar confrontations too many times. A picture flashed back in his conscious will. He lowered his center of gravity and approached Vulcan diagonally. The midnight blue robe was like a deep phantom, swinging slightly behind him.

Vulkan hesitated no longer and attacked, raising his heavy hammer.

The firm power embedded in his wide-opening and closing movements was enough to deeply shake the scorched earth with every blow. Unfortunately, his movements were still a millimeter slower than the Fire Dragon Lord in Konrad Curze's impression, and Vulkan himself seemed unaware of this fact. In a sense, Coates feels bitter about this.

Curze stepped forward and nimbly avoided the arc of attack caused by Vulkan's first heavy attack, and then quickly slid past the next arc caused by the thundercloud anvil, constantly changing positions with Vulkan. Come to the edge of the golden area, close to where the empire side is.

"If you insist on being merciful, I will be given just a breathing space to make my case." Konrad Coates even took the time to speak, letting his voice carry clearly beyond the venue. The first person attracted to him was the mortal Faas, which Curze expected. "In justice, there is a basic assumption here..."

Vulkan said nothing, quickly adjusted his direction, and struck down hard with a high-raised hammer, trying to grab the edge of Koze's robe. A strong airflow followed, making the air tremble. On his face covered with small war scars, his eyebrows were slightly gathered, proving that he was listening.

Curze rolled skillfully under Vulcan's attack. The soles of his rear feet were just touching the edge of the golden field. He just avoided the vicious blow. He then spun up and struck fiercely with his sharp nails. The ground swung a blow, cutting along Vulcan's bare hand holding the hammer.

Vulkan pulled out his hand hard and dodged the attack. At the same time, he quickly adjusted his posture and prepared for the next attack.

“Justice does not exist out of thin air,” Coates said, seizing this opportunity to breathe. “It is not a mechanical absolute idea; but at the same time, it cannot really and completely rely on the existing social structure, because it is a The beacon of guidance must hang beyond the reach of society's declining, over-sedated Bugsy..."

"Continue," growled Vulkan, who always appeared to be more intimidating than he was.

Koz licked his lips gently, leaped up like a saber cat, and let the hammer fall where his feet were originally. His eyes swept across Vulkan's eyes: "A hypothetical social contract, if we want to discuss justice, this is what we need, and I will explain it all... In order to find out where the goddess of justice is, I must confirm a set of methods to track her down."

"Think about it, assuming there is such a barrier here-"

He smiled.

"A transparent barrier like a barrier - let us temporarily forget all the sacrifices we were forced to make in order to succumb to the interests of the Empire; suppose that behind this barrier, all interests, values, goals, even eloquence and knowledge, are all erased and forgotten; some people are rich, some are poor, some are strong enough to be Space Marines, and some are too weak to survive the first winter in the sewers - no, forget them."

"In such an environment, we gather together, knowing nothing about the important characteristics that really affect our judgment; however, in such an environment, in an equal primitive state, as thinking beings, we can still discuss what we want..."

"How is it possible?" Vulkan swung his hammer again, trying to hit where Curze could not dodge.

His movements were fast enough for both Space Marines and Eldar, but facing Konrad Curze, it showed a defect. Fortunately, each of his attacks was overwhelming, which was enough to transform the difference in speed into two parallel and equal fighting styles.

"In the absence of conditions, there is no theory to discuss, Konrad!" Vulkan asked in his own way, giving Curze the direction to continue the narration.

"No, listen to me, brothers, friends..." Konrad Curze glanced at Mortal Fass again.

He dared to say that all the Primarchs present recognized the other party's identity, but they were just worried about whether to really expose the disguise of the Emperor of Mankind.

Curze stood firm and raised his hand to meet the hammer. Of course, this could not be to block Vulkan's attack head-on; the back of his arm brushed the edge of the heavy hammer, and at the cost of a small scratch, he guided the hammer off its trajectory and let it fall harmlessly beside him.

"We just rise to an abstract classification, not some damn Archon, Imperial Warlord, or Calydus Assassin sitting around a table; in such a discussion, we are just the same kind of life, not knowing our exact role, but just proposing our hypothetical social contract for a more just world."

A quick swing from Curze seemed to lightly touch Vulkan's arm, and when he re-entered a defensive posture, Vulkan left a thin scratch on his hand. Vulkan stepped back suddenly, charging for the next attack.

"A fictional world of justice," Vulkan said, "a beautiful world."

"A world that reflects the real world and has actual constraints on it." Curze emphasized, also retreating back. The two of them slowly rotated in the field, like a pair of dolls hovering in a music box, except that their hands and hammers were watching each other's vital points.

"Continue." Vulkan heard himself say, but was surprised to find that he had absolutely no intention of saying any words on his own - he was still focused on Curze's imaginary world. There was a non-annoying coldness in his throat, and a force from the void attached to his neck, pushing him to speak.

Behind him, Vulkan felt the gaze of the mortal Fas.

Curze rushed forward and hit Vulkan like a flash of blue. He jumped high and aimed at Vulkan's throat. Vulkan raised his hammer to block it, and the handle of the hammer blocked Curze's hand. Curze took advantage of the situation to grab the handle of the hammer, flipped behind Vulkan, climbed on the back of the Fire Dragon Lord, and his nails cut through both sides of his jaw.

Vulkan's pupils shrank, knowing that if Curze really had a pair of lightning claws, it would be enough to hurt him half his life.

"We have formulated a set of contracts in such a world - forget the specific content of the contract for now, friends. We are discussing methods..." Curze retreated, barely dodging the blow of Vulkan's hammer, avoiding Vulkan's advantageous attack range, "Then, this set of contracts will come into reality. How can we make reality fall in love with this set of contracts? So, first of all, back to reality, maybe some noble people think-"

He seized the gap between Vulkan's movements, and his nails gently scratched the gap between Vulkan's chest armor and abdomen, and hooked it upward at an angle that could not be better, as skilled as if he had fought like this thousands of times. This marked the second death, if this was a real battle.

"--Think that when the law is made, people are prepared with their own morality and think they should accept it. Okay, I allow this idea to exist, this contract based on consent..."

"But let's think about another possibility, a binding force independent of moral power. Mutual interest, I call it that."

"You said before that there is no interest attribute in the environment when the contract is made." Vulcan acquiesced to the power to continue to borrow his mouthpiece. This would also be his doubt, even if he would not ask so directly and unforgivingly.

"There is no targeted interest, only mutual interest that takes everyone into consideration. How can justice make everyone not benefit? No, we can't do this. And, it is precisely because the specific personality has been abstracted that we eliminated the existence of the private in the previous battle. At this time, the interests of anyone are also the interests of anyone else..."

"This will be a tacit clause, and the social contract will be built on mutual benefit, which is an important concept for a qualified social contract to be maintained. Therefore, given that the social contract is the foundation on which justice must be attached, we may be able to deduce the vague form of the law of justice in such a contract..."

"A mutually beneficial social contract. A path to justice. This is the reason for all my actions."

Vulkan grabbed Curze's moving wrist and swung it hard, successfully pushing him onto the path of the heavy hammer - Curze put too much energy into the narration. Vulkan did not retract his strength. According to previous observations, Curze could have escaped by himself.

But he did not.

"I'm done." Curze said, standing in place, with his arms open.

The giant hammer suddenly stopped before it touched Curze's body, and the world fell into silence.

"This is the path to justice that you have identified, Conrad." Fass walked into the venue, his unshod feet walking in the air on the golden light covering the scorched earth.

"Tell me," he said, his face calm and peaceful, his sackcloth hanging down to his ankles, "how do you prove that the practical regulations produced under your conditions are just?"

"I don't prove it." Curz lowered his arms and faced the mortal Fas. Then he bowed deeply, his words low and clear. "I can't prove it."

"I unfortunately believe that there are moral flaws and lack of justice in almost all practical regulations; at the same time, any practical regulations can only approach her, but not become her - I mean justice. But I do hope that our reality will not listen to my pessimism, but go further, for all... those who still have great wishes and ideals."

Fas stretched out his rough-skinned hand. "You have found a pair of unique experimental subjects, Konrad Curze. In the most intense conflict between the two races, through mutually beneficial constraints, the most bizarre social contract is consolidated."

"This is the most extreme challenge intensity in the world, but you choose to use it to verify the most incredible path of justice."

His hand fell on Curze's side face, slightly adjusted the angle, and looked at the pale and calm face of the Primarch.

"Everything I did was not out of my own interests or sympathy for the aliens-Vulkan is the one who has compassion for the Eldar to this day." Curze said, letting the other party hold his cheek, "I just saw a possibility that must be pursued in this."

"Then this is your path." The Emperor sighed.

Note 1: The views in the article are different from those of the author

Note 2: I will take a day off tomorrow to do some translation