"What do you mean? Do you have any news?"
"No news indeed."
"If not, then you…"
"But we can analyze it logically!"
"Oh? Tell me more?"
The surrounding Priests, hearing their discussion, either out of the Tech-Priest's innate curiosity to explore information and knowledge, or out of concern for their own lives, involuntarily joined in and listened to their conversation.
"First, the Fire Scorpion's habits indicate that they are definitely predators in the ecosystem."
"Hmm, that's right."
"Secondly, Fire Scorpions are carnivorous, and their prey must also be animals, not plant-based producers."
"Oh!"
"I asked Father Louis, and the two Fire Scorpions captured today were one male and one female, and the female had unhatched fertilized eggs inside her."
Another Priest added, "Animals have no desire to reproduce without a suitable environment and enough food!"
"Considering their size and territorial nature, these two Fire Scorpions already had significant injuries before we even engaged them today!"
"Were they driven out of their territory?"
"Most likely, which means they are not the top predators; there are stronger beings than them."
"Not only are there animals for food, but also competitors, and if you add in plants or fungi as producers, there's a complete food chain below!"
"Yes, don't forget that the underground caverns are said to be the size of a sub-continent, and Thedan has abundant geothermal heat. The entire Macro-Branch has been continuously dumping radioactive wastewater and waste for two or three hundred years. The creatures below might be far richer than we imagine!"
Hearing these words, some Priests couldn't help but exclaim, "My Omnissiah!"
"Why did no one notice this before?"
"It's not that we didn't think there would be creatures, but we didn't expect them to live so well! Or grow so large!"
"How about we just hide inside for a year or two and come out after they finish fighting?"
"That's a good thought, but don't dwell on it."
"Why?"
"Because who knows what's inside! As Magos Gamma would say: 'If there's no show on the galactic stage, don't come.' The Sages' biological samples come from Death Worlds across the galaxy. Can you guess what they've thrown in there?"
"Hiss, a massive mix-up of Death World creatures!"
"Now, if Greenskins were to Waaagh! out of there, I wouldn't be surprised at all!"
"Impossible… it can't be… it's not that bad… it's all your guess…"
"Who's talking?! What's with that guilty tone?! Grab him! Quickly, you scoundrel, confess what you threw in there?!"
After a chaotic scene of pandemonium and torture at the banquet, that guilty Priest still insisted he hadn't thrown anything in. However, none of the other Priests believed him. Everyone unanimously agreed that if Greenskins ever Waaagh!ed out, they would pull out his oil pipeline and "sacrifice" him!
Magos Gamma was not at the banquet in the hall. He was busy convincing Magos Lauster about arming the young and strong among the district workers.
"Gamma, why do you have such an idea?" Magos Lauster asked.
"We are not the only ones lacking food. Conflicts erupting over food are almost inevitable," Magos Gamma said with a heavy tone. He glanced at Magos Lauster before continuing:
"The food for the Forge World relies entirely on agricultural planets in surrounding star systems. Now, whoever controls the spaceport controls the food, and whoever has food can command all the hungry people."
Magos Lauster said, "The spaceport is still under the Archmagos's control. The Temple side's several attacks have not gained any advantage, and they have now retreated from there."
"Magos, it doesn't matter to us who holds it. They won't give us food for free. It's fine if they only control Priests like us who are waiting to see."
Magos Lauster was somewhat surprised by Magos Gamma's words. What did he mean by "it's fine if they only control Priests like us"?
"Gamma, just say what you want to say directly, no need to beat around the bush."
"Yes, Magos, I'm afraid the Archmagos will use the food crisis to rally the workers and then arm them and send them to the battlefield!"
Magos Lauster nodded in agreement with Magos Gamma's reasoning and said, "Hmm, that's very much in line with Will's style. He will definitely do that to replenish his forces."
Magos Gamma's face fell as he said, "But when armed workers appear on the battlefield, the Temple side will only have one option left: blow up the spaceport!"
"Hmm?"
He continued, "When the Temple is at a disadvantage, blowing up the spaceport cuts off the Archmagos's food supply, then they can hold their defenses. As long as they withstand the initial counterattack, the rest is up to time. Armed workers without food will instead become a bullet shot at the Archmagos's heart."
"This!" Magos Lauster was startled.
"I don't believe an armed worker rebellion can truly defeat the Archmagos, but at that point, the Archmagos will no longer be able to command them. Unrestrained and starving, the armed workers will make the entire world burn!"
After speaking, Magos Gamma let out a long breath. These words had been cooped up in his heart for some time. He hadn't told anyone, telling them, "We will die miserably," what was the point of that?
Now it was different. The Omnissiah had given them another unknown path. "Unknown" is infinitely better than "certain" in some situations, and in Magos Gamma's current situation, "unknown" was better.
When renovating the sewage well in the afternoon, Magos Gamma had his Servitor-skull venture deep into the underground fissure. He saw moss, he saw insects, he saw plants, he saw mushrooms.
Of course, the Servitor-skull also detected high radiation and high toxins. However, the people of Baal are "tough," and the people of their Forge World are not that "delicate." There's no reason why the people of Baal can live, and they can't.
Magos Lauster looked at the seemingly young but insightful Magos Gamma, who analyzed everything so logically. Then he looked at the four dumbfounded male Priests and one female Priest behind Magos Gamma, who was still holding a Fire Scorpion steak. He thought to himself: How can the difference between people be so vast!
"F-Father, w-we…"
Magos Lauster stopped the trembling Leia. He said, "Let Magos Gamma finish speaking. The fact that he can say these words means he already has a plan."
"Oh, Gamma, hurry up and speak! I knew you were the smartest!"
Magos Gamma: Hmph, no need for you to say. This Divine Son still remembers the humiliation you inflicted.
"So I propose we make two preparations. First: we closely monitor the war's direction; perhaps the situation won't be as bad as I imagine."
"Second: Arm the workers and have them take on some of the tasks currently handled by Priests. Transfer some Priests and armed workers to explore the underground fissures. Once the situation becomes irreversible, we will retreat underground and wait for all the turmoil to subside before making further plans."
"Underground?"
"Here are the detection data I gathered this afternoon, Magos, you all come and see."
"Hiss!"
"The Omnissiah has not cut off our path to survival!"
Magos Lauster and Leia were amazed by the data Magos Gamma had explored. No one had expected what they initially thought was a pleasant surprise would end up being their lifeline.
They still didn't know that at the banquet in the hall, a crowd of Priests had already roughly guessed the situation underground through their chatter.
However, an exploration and personnel deployment of this scale could not be kept secret in their small district. At the same time, Magos Gamma also suggested contacting some reliable individuals to join them. The current situation was different from before; it was better to have strength in numbers to get things done, provided they were reliable.
Magos Lauster finally agreed to Magos Gamma's plan and intended to inform the Priests at the end of the banquet. They had expected a discussion and deliberation once the Priests learned of the plan, but instead, it directly triggered a "riot."
One Priest at the banquet, after listening to Magos Gamma's analysis of the causes and effects and the subsequent plan, and then carefully examining the exploration data, suddenly jumped up and pointed at a Priest stealthily moving towards the hall's main door, shouting, "Tie him up for me! Don't let him run!"
"Heh! You little rascal, still trying to run!"
"It wasn't me!"
"If it wasn't you, why are you looking away?!"
"Look my eyes!"
"My bionic eyes are a bit faulty, they often squint."
"Oh really? Then your photoreceptors aren't faulty, are they? See if the color of this mushroom looks a bit familiar, does it awaken any forgotten memories for you?!"
"…"
"Everyone calm down! Everything can be discussed! Don't be impulsive!" The uninformed Magos Gamma shouted.
"He threw Greenskins into the well!"
"No matter what he threw… What did he throw?!"
"I didn't throw Greenskins, I just threw a dead Squig."
"A dead one, huh?! A Squig, huh?!"
"Ow, stop hitting, ow, stop…"
Wu Gamma Zixu: "Ah ah, it's him! Drag him out! Drag him out!"
Magos Gamma lost his composure. It wasn't his fault, because Magos Lauster also lost his composure. To be precise, everyone who understood Magos Gamma's plan lost their composure. The Priest hanging at the hall's entrance might have been innocent, but it made them all realize one thing: he was definitely not the only one who had done similar things. Magos Gamma's original plan of "wilderness survival" might, perhaps, should, probably turn into "wilderness war."
To escape one war only to join another, Magos Gamma once again felt the malice from the warhammer universe. Here, there is only endless war. Every time you climb onto a window, someone will kick you down, and before they close the window for you, they'll give you a grenade with the pin pulled.
To ask why Magos Gamma reacted so strongly, one must mention the happiest and most carefree race in the entire galaxy—the Greenskins/Orks.
All Greenskin-like races have a symbiotic relationship with fungi. In fact, they all grow from the same spores—depending on the conditions, these same spores can grow into various mushrooms, Squigs, or Greenskins. In this way, Greenskin-like races are not just a single organism but can form a complete ecosystem.
The life of a Squig is simple: eat, fight, Waaagh!, scavenge—eat, fight, Waaagh!, scavenge—eat, fight, Waaagh!, scavenge… These four things bring Squigs great joy.
How can one acquire such simple yet happy Squigs? It's actually quite easy: find a slightly damp spot, scatter some dead Squig scraps, and by next year, you'll have a bunch of Squig lads ready to twist off your head for fun, and other types of Squig creatures nearby, tearing and playing with your remaining parts.
Don't doubt that the Squig lads can't beat you. As long as you don't kill them all at once and burn the mushroom-covered ground, the lads will regrow and start devising all sorts of Waaagh! weapons, from small pebbles to shattered planets, guaranteed to make you Waaagh! until you're ecstatic, Waaagh! until you die—or, in short, "Ecstatic Death"!
The plan named "Underground Exploration" was ultimately approved by a vote of all the Priests. They merely wanted a hunting ground for food, a shelter to hide in for a period, not a permanent residence. Even if there were Squigs, how to deal with them wasn't their concern.
An expedition team was formed by drawing elite soldiers and strong generals from the Priests and workers. Their mission was to explore the underground conditions and find a suitable place to establish a settlement.
The expedition team roster included:
Priests: Gamma—Captain
Louis—Biology Expert
Leia—Alchemist/Geneticist
Andrew—Xenology Expert (this is the lad who released the Squigs.)
Armed Workers: 5 teams, 10 people per team, totaling 50 people, composed of strong, healthy workers who could use firearms.
In front of the sewage well factory building, Gamma stood before a square formation of 5x5x2 armed workers, operating his mech to hold a makeshift tin loudspeaker to his mouth (Gamma said speaking through a tin loudspeaker felt more impactful).
"Today, we are going down into the cracks of the well. You all know why, but I still need to tell you again: there isn't enough food for everyone anymore!"
The scene was silent. All 50 people quietly watched the "little Priest" in front of them.
"I don't care how you curse me in your hearts, but I must say, before we discovered this well, I had already suggested to the other Priests that we only protect minors. Most of the people in this district, including yourselves, have already been abandoned by me!"
Still, no one spoke or questioned. They just quietly watched Gamma.
Gamma: What kind of reaction is this? If you don't cause some commotion and swear, how can I use the 'first suppress, then raise' technique? You're not cooperating at all.
"I said you and your families have all been abandoned by me! Did you hear me?!"
Still no one spoke. Gamma began to feel a bit confused. He randomly pointed to one of the workers and said, "Don't you have anything to say?"
"No, esteemed Magos Gamma!"
Gamma: Huh? Is this how Forge World trains people?
"Don't you feel angry? Don't you feel enraged?" Gamma asked, puzzled.
The worker didn't expect Gamma to ask such a question. He scratched his head and said, "Uh… no."
"Why?"
"Magos Gamma, I've eaten the canned food and saccharin you gave my sister. My sister said you are the Priest who cares about us the most, a kind-hearted good person. Everyone in the district says you are a good Priest. If even you think we are beyond saving, then we really are. I don't mind dying; as long as my sister can live, that's enough. She's smarter than me and can become a gear of the Omnissiah in the future."
"Do you all think that way?"
"Yes, yes. There's a war outside, and I heard Priests are dying in droves, let alone us slave laborers."
"It's worth it to be comfortable for this time before we die."
"Exactly, I've even put on some weight."
"My boy has brought home canned food several times, all given by Magos Gamma. I ate one, and the taste! It's worth dying for! I still have to thank you, Magos Gamma."
Gamma: Your lack of cooperation is making this very difficult for me. The radiation dust is a bit heavy today; it's getting into my eyes.
"What's your sister's name?"
"My sister's name is Annie."
Annie, huh? From now on, I won't mind that she's grown ten-some centimeters taller than me in the past two years.
"Alright, quiet down," Gamma said, stopping the chattering workers.
"Although I, and even you yourselves, have given up on you, the Omnissiah has not given up on you!"
After Gamma spoke, he gestured to Louis and Andrew beside him to push out the prepared food cart.
"Do you remember the monster we killed two days ago?"
The workers replied in unison, "We remember."
"That creature is called a Fire Scorpion. It is an extremely, extremely precious ingredient. That's right, it's edible!"
Food! They could live!
"I know they are terrifying, they are dangerous, but you are not even afraid of death anymore, so will you be afraid of them? Will you be afraid?!"
"Kill them!"
"Kill them! My father and mother can live!"
"Aida, we don't have to die!"
Food ignited the workers' desire to survive. They were like coal slowly extinguishing due to lack of air, and Gamma's words were like the air rushing into the furnace when the door opened, making their life force burn again.
However, beyond reality, in the Warp that mortals cannot perceive, this rekindled desire for survival among the workers attracted a group of mischievous, joyful, and playful Nurgle daemons—Nurgling.
They are the most numerous of father Nurgle's most beloved children. Even their appearance is designed to please the Plague God, for each one seems to be a tiny replica of the Plague God himself.
Similarly, like their father, they enjoy emotions related to "life" and the souls associated with them. They also want to share the plague within them with these people who want to live, to invite them to join their big family and play freely in father's "garden." However, their power is too small, and the veil between reality and the Warp prevents them from doing what they wish, leaving them to circle in frustration.
They circled and circled the souls of these workers. One unlucky fellow slipped, splat, and fell onto the "Gamma's Egg" that no one had noticed, disappearing instantly. Even with one less Nurgling, the others still didn't notice, continuing to circle and circle until a third of them were gone.
Only then did they realize something was "eating" their companions. Terrified, they immediately fled back to the "garden" to complain to the Great Unclean Ones. However, these Great Unclean Ones didn't care; such things had happened too many times. They knew these "cute and mischievous" Nurglings too well.
They must have run out of father's domain to play again. They had been warned many times that it was dangerous outside and that father also had enemies, but they were simply too mischievous. If they couldn't be controlled, they could only be left to their own devices. Who could blame them for being so cute? They would just feed them pus from their own boils and coax these frightened little ones.
Bringing the gaze back to the real universe, Gamma pointed at the food cart and said:
"Inside here is the meat of the Fire Scorpion. Each of you can taste a piece today. Taste their flavor. I tell you, I once ate a piece of Ant-Ox meat, as precious as Fire Scorpion, and it cost me two months' worth of gears!"
"Hiss, that expensive!"
"Oh my, how many gears must a Priest earn in two months!"
"I, I, I won't eat it. This, this, this meat is more valuable than my life."
"I never thought Old Tom would ever eat something I wouldn't even dare to dream of."
"Where is that thing called Fire Scorpion now? I'm going to kill it, I'm going to kill it."
"Mom, I've become successful…"
Gamma's words were a bit exaggerated; what he paid for that expensive meal was the "service" and "performance," but Fire Scorpion meat was indeed not cheap. Minor nobles might not even get to eat it a few times in their entire lives.
This batch of Fire Scorpion meat steaks was specially requested by him from Magos Lauster, and he also asked a Priest who was good at cooking to prepare it, all to let the armed workers know that no matter how terrifying a creature was, if it could be eaten, it was food.
"Alright, everyone line up, one by one. Today, we go down the well to hunt. I promise you can each take a portion home for your family, how about that?"
"Oh, I'm going to kill them!"
"Kill them!"
"Kill them!"
Among the armed workers who had eaten the meat, one-third cried bitterly, one-third were exceptionally fanatical, and another third were indifferent to life and death, simply ready to fight. Never mind their weapons and armor, which were comparable to elite Astra Militarum; now, even if Gamma gave each of them a wooden stick, they would dare to charge at a Fire Scorpion.
Behind Gamma, Leia, Louis, and Andrew watched Gamma and the workers, who were brimming with fighting desire. The three of them discussed in low voices:
"It's truly a pity Gamma didn't enter the Schola Progenium."
"The Imperium lost an excellent Commissar."
"I agree. At first, I didn't understand why we needed to prepare steaks. I even objected at the time, saying it was a meaningless waste. Now I understand."
"Now they are no longer workers, but soldiers. Gamma only needs to say one word, and they will be willing to die."
"Gamma is still too well-rounded."
"Still too well-rounded."
The pre-battle pep rally was a complete success. With a wave of Gamma's hand, four Servo-Skulls led the way, and the "army" followed. Gamma and his companions were protected in the middle as they advanced with the troops.
It just goes to show that leaders love holding big meetings. Gamma, holding a big meeting for the first time, felt exceptionally good right now! Not only was he incredibly energetic, but his body also felt warm, with a comfortable sensation seeping from his bones. He felt like he was on drugs.
Gamma: Comfortable! Awesome!
He had indeed taken "a few small green pills," though he didn't know it himself, or rather, no one knew. The effect of these "small green pills" would be revealed later, but for now, let's not mention them.
Gamma and his companions were now each equipped with a Servo-Skull. One was Leia's (which Gamma helped repair), and two were sponsored by Magos Lauster. Using them for reconnaissance was much more reliable than having an inexperienced expedition team use human reconnaissance.
Soon, they arrived at the place where Gamma had previously discovered the mushrooms.