In flesh, there is no unchanging truth, only decay.
In flesh, there is no eternal power, only weakness.
In flesh, there is no everlasting stability, only rot.
In flesh, there is no inevitable certainty, save for death.
The omnissiah is the creator and master of all machinery, so the omnissiah's Believers replace their original weak flesh bodies with the immortal mechanical bodies created and beloved by the omnissiah, in order to understand the technological knowledge it bestows more rationally, logically, and directly.
Magos Lauster, help! They're taking my leg too!
The above was the distress message Gamma sent to Magos Lauster. Let's not discuss Lauster's reaction yet, and instead focus on Gamma.
"Master, spare me, I'm still young!"
"You're being too formal! Call me Believer!"
"Yes, yes, Believer Master, please let me go!"
This conversation sounds familiar, as if I've heard it somewhere before!
Today's "Master" was a familiar acquaintance introduced by Magos Alpha, someone who had amputated countless legs over many years of practice.
The adamantium chainsword, adamantium axe, adamantium restraints, adamantium gag, adamantium scalpel, and adamantium hemostatic forceps on his six mechanical arms were sturdy, reliable, and wear-resistant; never had a single bone survived a round against them.
The "Leg-Breaker" Master said, "Didn't you come here yourself? If Alpha hadn't introduced you, you wouldn't even be able to get an appointment with me, you know?"
"Yes, yes, I 'thank' Magos Alpha for his 'help,' it's just..."
Alpha! I thank your ancestors for eight generations! Don't let me get out! Magos Lauster, please hurry! I'll never badmouth you behind your back again! Hurry and come...
"Just what? Lie down quickly!" The Prostetics Magos said impatiently to Gamma, who was curled in the corner, pointing to the metal operating table that was already stained with blood.
Gamma desperately tried to stall for time, so he lied, "It's just that I don't have money, no money to buy a prosthetic limb!"
Sure enough, the Prostetics Magos paused, and Gamma struck while the iron was hot, saying, "Although I came by myself, it's my first time, Master. You can tell by my age that I really don't have much money!"
"Indeed, these prosthetics aren't cheap!"
Plan successful!
Just as Gamma thought he was out of danger, the Leg-Breaker took a parchment from a nearby cabinet and handed it to Gamma.
"Take this!"
"Master, what is this?"
"A loan contract."
!!!
Is the service this thorough?! Steady, steady, pretend to read it carefully, then say the interest is too high and refuse the loan!
"No need to read it so carefully, the interest is nine out, thirteen back."
Usury! Can you people do something humane?!
Gamma saw he couldn't keep up the act and flatly refused, "I'm not taking the loan!"
"You're not taking the loan? Heh heh, young man, don't blame me for not warning you, do you see the symbol on it?"
"I see it, and I'm still not taking the loan!"
"Oh, so you didn't know. Then I'll tell you directly, a business with this symbol means it's the Archmagos's business! Understand?"
Will, you old bastard who has a son with no asshole, you're already a Fabricator-General, why are you still coveting this little bit of money?!
Archmagos Will: My academic skills are lacking; please forgive me, this is my only specialty and hobby.
Gamma resolutely refused, "I'm not taking the Archmagos's business either!"
The Prostetics Magos said disdainfully, "Heh, you still don't understand!"
"Understand what? Anyway, I'm not taking a loan!" After saying that, Gamma threw the parchment in his hand away.
A tentacle extended from behind the Prostetics Magos, picked up the parchment from the ground, and then he said, "Once you've seen this contract, whether you agree or not is no longer important! Understand?!"
Why didn't I bring my mech today?! What are you doing with that syringe?!
"I'll need to use an extra dose of anesthetic, this shot will be added to your bill later," the Prostetics Magos said, inserting the anesthetic needle into a prosthetic limb with a barrel.
Gamma: Uh... You didn't plan on using anesthetic originally!
Just as Gamma thought he was doomed and about to say goodbye to his legs, which he had only had for two years, the operating room door rattled, and with a creak, was violently pulled open.
Outside the door was a red-painted castellan robots, and behind the castellan robots was Gamma's long-awaited savior—Magos Lauster. Behind the Magos were another castellan robots and the fully armed Leia, Jacob, Ed, Louis, and Paul.
"Wow... Magos... you've finally come... boo hoo..."
(???) Gamma.
Don't blame Gamma for being childish; after such a dramatic escape from near mutilation, he couldn't hold back the tears of relief.
Let's go back to the time when Lauster received Gamma's communication.
"Leia! Notify Jacob and the others, Gamma has been kidnapped!"
"Ah! That fast! Are they moving so quickly?" Leia quickly sent messages to Jacob and the others, while anxiously trying to confirm.
Magos Lauster's eyes flashed with countless binary information, then he shook his head and said, "I don't know, Gamma's location is a bit strange. Just in case, let's prepare for the worst!"
"Yes, Father! Gamma's location is strange? Where is he now?"
Magos Lauster also said, puzzled, "According to my hack into Gamma's communicator and the location he sent, he is currently inside the Temple of the omnissiah."
"The Temple of the omnissiah? Who would choose such a place to make a move!"
"I can't figure it out either. Let's get ready first. When we get there, don't say anything, leave everything to me!"
"Understood, Father!" Leia replied.
Not long after, Jacob and the others brought their most powerful weapons and rushed to rendezvous with Magos Lauster. Time was tight, so Magos Lauster directly activated his private aerial vehicle—a modified pterosaur.
The pterosaur—a bird-like flying machine—has been active on the front lines of the Adeptus Mechanicus's expansion for thousands of years. The pterosaur's wings are woven from nano-carbon fiber and can adjust their posture through deformation to adapt to various environments and speeds.
Magos Lauster piloted the pterosaur directly to Gamma's location. With his superb piloting skills and the excellent performance of the modified "pterosaur," Magos Lauster and his team arrived at the omnissiah Temple in a very short time.
However, due to the special nature of the Temple, Magos Lauster did not act impulsively. He first proactively explained his intentions to the Magos in charge of the Temple.
The Magos in charge of the Temple obviously knew about the Archmagos Will's people's activities inside the Temple. As a devout Believer, the Magos directly pointed out Gamma's location to Magos Lauster and hinted that Magos Lauster should cause a ruckus; he had tolerated these people for a long time, and the Temple would not pursue any responsibility with him there.
Magos Lauster, eager to rescue and understand what had happened, naturally did not hesitate upon receiving the hint, which led to the scene of breaking down the door just now.
"Boo hoo... Magos... I said I didn't want to change! They insisted on changing me! Boo hoo..." Gamma (???????????).
"..." Magos Lauster.
"I said I had no money! He wanted to give me a usurious loan! Boo hoo hoo..." Gamma (?_?).
"..." Leia, Jacob, Ed, Louis, Paul.
"I said I wouldn't take the loan! He said it was the Archmagos's business, and seeing the contract paper meant agreeing! Boo hoo..." Gamma (?-???-c).
"..." Temple Sage.
"I didn't want to, and he was going to shoot me with an anesthetic gun! Boo hoo... Magos, if you had been a little later, my leg would have been replaced... boo hoo" Gamma (´???)s.
"..." Prostetics Magos.
Magos Lauster truly hadn't expected such a situation. He didn't even know what to say. Although he wouldn't call himself a devout Believer of the omnissiah, he considered himself a loyal one. He never imagined that strong-arm tactics would occur within the Temple of the omnissiah.
Magos Lauster looked at the Temple Sage, and to his surprise, he saw shame, disgrace, anger, and loathing on the Temple Sage's full mechanical body.
"This..." Magos Lauster began, but didn't know what to say. Should he rebuke the Temple Sage? Not only was such irrational behavior no longer part of his thought process, but even if he activated his emotional module, what good would it do to speak out? Furthermore, the Temple Sage was not cut from the same cloth! Finally, he turned to face the "Prostetics Magos."
"Forcibly performing prosthetic limb replacement on Gamma in his current physical state, surely you know what impact that will have on him in the future?"
"This is a necessary price for following the omnissiah!" the Prostetics Magos retorted.
"Forced loans too!?"
"..."
"Using an anesthetic needle too!?"
"..."
"Blasphemy! This is blasphemy! I kept telling myself to tolerate you doing the prosthetic business in the Temple, at least it could lead more people to the omnissiah, but I never thought you would be so blasphemous!" The Temple Sage's mechanical body let out a roar that vibrated the air.
The Prostetics Magos was so frightened by the Temple Sage's aura that he retreated repeatedly, muttering in defense, "These are all the Archmagos's arrangements, if you have a problem, go find the Fabricator-General!"
Upon hearing this, the Temple Sage seemed to have been hit by a forced pause button. His voice stopped, but his mechanical body trembled uncontrollably.
Seeing this, the Prostetics Magos seemed to find his courage, stepping forward and saying with a smug tone, "This is the Fabricator-General's business. If you have any opinions, go tell the Fabricator-General! Don't forget to bring 'blasphemy' with you!"
The Temple Sage's mechanical face looked at Gamma and Magos Lauster and his group, then, without another word, he stumbled away alone.
"Take this brat away! If you have any opinions, go tell the Fabricator-General!"
After saying that, the Prostetics Magos also turned and left, leaving only Gamma and Magos Lauster and his group. Their objective had been achieved, so they naturally did not linger. Gamma followed Magos Lauster and his group out.
"Bang."
"Paul, Louis, Ed, Jacob, thank you for coming to save me! I misunderstood you! I've been thinking all this time that you were hiding something from me, ostracizing me, plotting against me! I was wrong! I apologize to you!"
"Bang."
Gamma, who narrowly escaped "mutilation," was now emotionally expressing his feelings, surprised that he had doubted his companions who dared to brave the Temple fully armed to save him.
"What about me? What about me!" Leia asked.
"Bang."
"Stop hitting my head, I thank you too, Leia!"
"Bang!"