The Iron Knights Chapter was the only Chapter among those participating in the Centennial Blade Feast to win the championship twice in a row.
These two champions were the two Astartes monks chosen as representatives this time.
The three of them convinced everyone with their strength that they were the peak human combat power on Thedan!
"I don't agree with that statement!"
Everyone could guess who said that. It was Gamma. The news of the duel was spreading like wildfire throughout the camp. He didn't even need to inquire; when all the loyal people were discussing how powerful these three were, Gamma found it quite displeasing to hear.
"Can they be stronger than my little 'Whitey'?!"
"Beep beep beep!"
Whitey indicated: My boss is right. It's very angry now, and it wants to run over all three of them at once.
"Whitey, don't be angry. The savior only has dramatic flair if he appears at the very end."
"Beep beep!"
Whitey indicated: My boss is right, but it still wants to run them over.
"This fiery temper, it's just to my liking. Whitey, don't rush. Your big brother will figure something out."
"Beep!"
Whitey indicated: Same here. Only big brother understands my temper. I'll listen to big brother.
Jacob (w)? How do you understand the meaning of 'beep'?
If Jacob were to ask, Gamma would definitely tell him to get a dog, if there were any dogs left. If not, get another pet. After raising it for a long time, when he could understand what it wanted from its barks, he could try to raise a 'refined' machine spirit for fun.
As mentioned earlier, the Adeptus Mechanicus's crimson accords prohibit the creation of machines that can think independently, but there is a practical problem: complex large-scale machines must have the ability to self-diagnose and self-repair.
Otherwise, everyone can imagine this: you're driving a Knight to fight a traitor, and suddenly the Knight's machine spirit indicates a malfunction. If you don't fix it, the machine will crash. To fix it, you need to check every line of code and every single part to find the problematic part or code and repair it.
Therefore, a certain degree of 'intelligence' is necessary, and thus 'artificial beast energy' emerged, where a large amount of computing power and data create a 'beast' with code as its cells.
Weak 'beasts' only have instincts, while powerful 'beasts' are more realistic; they have emotions. 'Refined' ones like Whitey can already be considered a life form with a mechanical body.
This kind of mechanical life with 'mana' (psionic power) is 'intelligence' without any limitations. Without the word 'artificial', it means it doesn't have instructions set by humans like 'artificial intelligence', such as: serving humanity, self-updating, self-evolving, self-replicating—these can be said to be artificial intelligence's desires. Whitey doesn't have these evolutionary 'desires'; it only wants to run over anyone who annoys it. Even if Gamma transmits all knowledge related to artificial intelligence to it, it won't even glance at it. It's not interested in these things; in its eyes, they are no different from rocks on the ground.
Little Sun: A silly dog that just wants to play.
Gamma wasn't so foolish as to let Whitey fight a demon in public. What's the difference between that and letting Whitey directly run over the Imperium's face?
Lies, they were all benevolent lies. Gamma became a 'King of Lies' at his own expense, calming Whitey's emotions and preserving the Imperium's face. What a great sacrifice.
Playing with 'pets' not only makes the pets happy but also helps the owner alleviate their tension. Gamma had been nervous since the Nurgle Scribe arrived because he knew very well that once this demon left, the camp would no longer be safe.
traitors who had sided with the demons could instigate rebellion and assassinations at any time. Astra Militarum, engineers, Tech-priest, Astartes—anyone could be a traitor.
"Paul, have you and Doug all gotten the message?" Gamma asked.
"Yes, boss, you've asked me that three times already," Paul replied helplessly.
"Sigh, aren't I just nervous?"
"It feels like a patient lying on an operating table, fully conscious."
"Hmm, Ed, I've never heard that you also perform surgery?"
Ed replied: "I was the one having the surgery—"
While Gamma was speechless, he noticed a key point and said, "What kind of surgery requires you to remain conscious?"
"When undergoing artificial sub-brain transplantation."
"Hiss—is that necessary?"
"I heard the effect is better."
"Heard? What about in practice?"
"In practice, there's no difference, but if others ask me, I'll still say the effect is better. I can't be the only one to suffer this, hahaha."
"You Tech-priest are truly wicked!"
"I was also tricked, so I have an obligation to pass on this pain," Ed retorted.
In fact, it wasn't just Gamma who was nervous; Jacob and Ed were also very tense, but they could only joke with each other to ease the mood.
Gamma had now become a 'deposed prince,' but his loyal engineers remained devoted to him. Too many people had already sacrificed themselves, and Gamma didn't want these people, who had barely survived, to die again due to avoidable circumstances.
So he told Paul to inform Doug and the others to immediately set up camp and protect themselves if a riot occurred. There were traitors among humanity, and they shouldn't be exploited.
"Ding dong!"
"_?_"
"What's wrong?"
"The Archmagos wants to see me."
After settling the unconscious Inquisitor Griffin, the final pre-war meeting was also convened, and Gamma was specially permitted to attend by Archmagos Will.
Why am I suddenly involved in 'court affairs' again? Is my 'prince status' back? Gamma, who was suddenly called over by the Archmagos, felt a bit confused.
However, Gamma also realized that something important must be discussed this time, as very few people were present: only Isaac from the Iron Knights, Priest Colin of the Fire Covenant, Gaius Ventris of the Ultramarines, Magos Lyra, and Magos Lauster.
Gamma hadn't expected to see Magos Lauster here. The moment he saw Magos Lauster, he began to inwardly diss him:
By betraying the lovely and charming Gamma, Magos Lauster, you ultimately latched onto the Archmagos's leg. Previously, you weren't qualified to attend such meetings; you could only sit at Whitey's table. From now on, our friendship is over. I, Gamma, disdain to associate with a petty person like you!
Magos Lauster knew Gamma too well. After all, he had been secretly observing Gamma for half a year. He could tell at a glance what this brat was like in private and if he was plotting something mischievous in his mind.
Seeing Gamma glance at him and then deliberately look away, his eyes darting around, Magos Lauster knew he was definitely slandering him in his mind. Verbal education for Gamma was far less direct than physical education.
"Thump!" Good head.
"Ouch!" Gamma cried out in pain.
Archmagos Will was a very unqualified 'adoptive father.' Seeing an outsider hit his son, he didn't say a word. The others either didn't know Gamma well or felt he deserved a beating, so no one on the scene stopped Magos Lauster's malicious act.
"Thump!"
"Stop hitting me, Magos, it hurts!"
"Stay put quietly," Magos Lauster commanded.
"Oh—"
Seeing that everyone had arrived, the Archmagos began to speak:
"Inquisitor Griffin sacrificed himself, creating an opportunity for us. We must seize this hard-won hope.
"Therefore, I have decided to seal myself and the nuclear bomb in the vault. This way, we won't have to worry about the demons taking advantage, and we can use all our strength to banish the demons."
Ventris hurriedly said, "No, Archmagos, we—"
The Archmagos interrupted Ventris, saying,
"You all should understand what the demons fear. This matter can only be done by me personally."
"If Griffin can sacrifice himself, so can I. Courage is the anthem of humanity; sacrifice brings humanity's hope."
"Only by going all-in do we have a chance of victory."
Everyone fell silent. They all understood that this way, the human side would not need to focus its energy on guarding the nuclear bomb. The Archmagos continued:
"Tomorrow's duel location is not far from the Warp Rift. You will bring all your people there."
"If we win, we will directly assault the Warp Rift and fight the Great Demon to the death."
"If we lose, you will break through and leave. I will detonate the nuclear bomb and destroy this place before the demons breach the vault's defenses!"
Seeing that Archmagos Will's mind was made up, the others said nothing more. Gamma also realized at this point that this was a final entrustment.
He quickly walked to Archmagos Will, wanting to persuade him to abandon the idea. In Gamma's eyes, people were more important than places. Without Thedan, there could be a new Thedan. No matter how magnificent a building was, it was still built brick by brick by people.
But Archmagos Will had already seen Gamma's intention. He didn't give Gamma a chance to speak.
"Father—"
"Gamma, I know what you want to say, but I will not change this decision." Archmagos Will asked Gamma in a relaxed tone, as if it wasn't him who was being sacrificed.
"....
"I know you don't understand. Actually, I really like how you always hold onto hope, and the meaning of sacrifice is to allow that hope to continue. Just keep being that way."
Gamma didn't know what he should say. What could he use to persuade someone who didn't even fear death? He couldn't persuade the Archmagos; he could only console himself that Archmagos Will's actions were just a safeguard. As long as they won, everything would be joyous.
"Lauster, I'll entrust this child to you."
"I will take good care of him," Magos Lauster responded.
Archmagos Will's self-sacrifice meant that the plan originally formulated by Ventris and the others needed to be changed.
Isaac suggested that since the safety of the nuclear bomb was guaranteed, why not use that portion of the troops for a surprise attack? They could quietly arrange these people on the flank of the duel site, which would catch the demons off guard.
The others agreed that this suggestion was very good, but their every move was currently under the demons' surveillance. The difficulty of a "surprise" was high, so it needed further discussion.
"Ahem! I think Isaac's suggestion is excellent," Gamma said, raising his hand.
Isaac: This kid has good insight, better than them.
"We know that, but the implementation difficulty—"
"I have a way."
"Hmm?"
Archmagos Will's spirit of sacrifice had somewhat infected Gamma. Additionally, he felt that at this time, it didn't matter if the tunnel was exposed. The Archmagos's plan involved the entire army moving out, so keeping the secret didn't hold much significance for him.
"What a talent! How did you do it?" Isaac exclaimed, standing in the tunnel that connected to Leman Russ.
"Ow, Magos Lauster, stop hitting! Ow!" Gamma wailed, shielding the back of his head.
The reason for the beating was that he dared to act on his own in such a major matter. If the demons had discovered it, all their efforts would have been in vain.
Now they couldn't be sure that the demons definitely didn't know, after all, psychic powers could indeed predict.
"Now I think Isaac's plan is definitely worth trying," Priest Colin said.
Ventris nodded, a plan forming in his mind. He said, "Then let's proceed as planned."
Early the next morning, the entire human encampment sprang into action. Everyone received the same order: to fully arm themselves and head to the duel location. Anyone who made an abnormal move would be considered a traitor and could be directly eliminated.
The traitors were swept up in the torrent of war mobilization, their schemes torn to shreds. They tried to resist, but the blood on the ground and the smell of flesh scorched by lasers in the air were their fate.
Isaac and Colin had already led the Iron Knights veterans, half of the Sons of the Fire Dragon, and the "Fanatics" through the tunnel to lie in wait on the outskirts. They would assault the flank of Nurgle's Demon Army at the right moment, attacking the enemy from two sides with the main force led by Ventris.
The prolonged war had caused many sacrifices, but it had also tempered the troops. Even though heretical traitors struggled in their death throes from time to time,
the entire camp continued to move orderly towards the duel location.
This was the full strength of humanity on Thedan. Success would save Thedan; failure would mean exile into the stars.
"The demons also have a good plan. If we win, they'll wait patiently in the Warp Rift."
"If we lose, they'll attack the Great Foundry Temple through the portal, but I think the demons have a conspiracy?" Gamma said, rubbing his chin.
"The problem is that the Warp doesn't follow logic. Even Warp energy can affect physical laws. If missiles didn't malfunction halfway, fighting demons wouldn't be so difficult."
"Sigh, forget it. There's no point dwelling on these things now. We were already risking the Great Foundry Temple for a chance to repel the Great Demon."
"If only we could drop a nuclear bomb into the Warp Rift, directly blasting the Great Demon to critical health. Then there wouldn't be so much trouble, right, Little White?"
"Beep—"
"Rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble." Gamma, riding inside Little White, felt like a duck in a washing machine, being tossed around inside Little White's cylindrical body. In the second before he was knocked unconscious, his only thought was:
Wear your seatbelt when driving!
The Old Man Party, also known as the Old Man Party, were personnel identified by humans as missing traitors.
Rewind time. After the Old Man Party reached their chosen destination, they began assembling their "Big Boom."
Everything went smoothly. The reactor successfully started. Just as the Old Man Party cheered and planned to return, they found out something was wrong: they were surrounded by demons. To say they were surrounded isn't quite accurate; it should be said that the Space Marine ran away, Nurgle's Demon Army returned, and the Old Man Party couldn't get out.
The Magos and their followers were dumbfounded. One moment they were agonizing over their assets doubling, unable to spend it all, absolutely unable to spend it all. The next moment, they experienced the ultimate pain of life—they were going to die, and they hadn't spent all their money! Ventris, damn it! Will, damn it! Space Marine, damn it! (The Space Marine cursed quite foully, these few binary swear words will not be translated.) Fortunately, the Old Man Party didn't know that the culprit of their suffering was the honorary leader of the "Son Party," otherwise they might have defected to Chaos on the spot.
The Old Man Party, with their immense wealth, certainly wouldn't sit idly by. There was still a wonderful life waiting for the Tech-priest.
They tried to send out a distress signal, but it fell on deaf ears; no one responded.
They tried... they didn't dare to try, because breaking out was a dead end no matter how they calculated it.
Fortunately, the location chosen by the Old Man Party was relatively hidden, and they had not yet been discovered by the demons.
Unfortunately, when the Old Man Party designed the "Big Boom," they never considered how to dismantle it. In fact, to prevent the demons from destroying the "Big Boom" if discovered, it was specifically designed to detonate immediately if any attempt was made to dismantle it.
If not dismantled, it would unleash its maximum power when it reached its operational value.
The battle-hardened and experienced Magos would not leave any opportunity for the demons. They used their technology to cut off all possibilities for the demons. They wanted the demons, even if discovered, to be tragically destroyed in helplessness, using this pain to make the demons remember that this was the consequence of offending their wealth—their Thedan.
So...
Damn it! Ventris.
Damn it! Will.
Damn it! Space Marine.
The Old Man Party was like a tea table, covered with tragedies.
It wasn't that no one thought of betrayal, but loyal people, even in despair, would still choose loyalty. The proposer was executed on the spot.
So, did they give up because of that?
No! Billions in wealth encouraged their will to survive. They were unwilling to give up, they would not give up.
If it couldn't be dismantled, reducing its power and delaying time was still possible. This delay lasted until the day of the human-demon duel.
During this time, the Old Man Party had been waiting for an opportunity. They all learned from a certain eccentric Tech-Priest who was also very famous in the Magos circle, modifying their bodies using the materials they could find.
Wheels on their legs made them run faster. As long as they ran fast enough, the demons wouldn't catch them.
The Omnissiah did not disappoint the resourceful Tech-priest. They finally got their chance. The demons were no longer wandering aimlessly; they began to gather. Their body modifications were complete, and the reactor was about to explode.
With the right timing, location, and people, if they could run at the speed of a White Scar, there was still a 3% chance of survival. At that time, the property of those left behind would belong to those who survived!
Thinking of this, Ventris's face suddenly didn't seem so annoying anymore, did it?!
It hurts— Where is this?"
Gamma awoke from his coma, four chair legs pressed against his forehead, his entire body aching. His memory was a bit jumbled from the recent impact.
"Old Bai? Brother Bai? Brother Bai? Xiao Bai! What happened just now? Leia! Jacob! Louis! Ed! Paul! How are you all?"
Remembering where he was, Gamma hastily called out on his communicator, but no one responded. He could only endure the pain and force himself to stand up.
"Beep!"
"Xiao Bai, you're fine. Start self-diagnosing. Call me again when the self-diagnosis is complete."
"Beep!"
Gamma limped to Xiao Bai's hatch. Before he could do anything, the hatch automatically opened for him. He poked his head out and saw a desolate landscape, with dust filling the air. Within his field of vision, there were hardly any people moving.
"father, if this is your technical skill, you should have told me earlier!"
Gamma looked at the terrifying power, his first thought being that the Archmagos's nuclear bomb had exploded. Considering Archmagos Will's reputation, this possibility was not low.
"No, the source of this impact is in the direction of the Warp Rift! Did I just jinx it?"
"Beep!"
"Is Xiao Bai damaged?"
"Beep beep!"
"Good, let's go to the front and take a look."
Relying on Xiao Bai's own technology, they dodged overturned vehicles, wailing casualties, and soldiers and Tech-Priests whose fates were unknown, arriving at the location where the scanner indicated combat was taking place.
Gamma looked through the observation device and saw that Ventris was leading the Space Marine in slaying demons and heretics. Their reinforced bodies and full-body power armor meant they were not greatly affected by the impact.
"Xiao Bai, go!"
"Beep beep beep!": "Watch this!"
With its rotating drill bit glowing with a blue decomposing field, Xiao Bai plunged into the pile of demons. Everywhere it went, only the dismembered limbs of demons and heretics were left behind.
The cylindrical body extended mechanical arms, manipulating the added incendiary weapons, gravity weapons, focused energy weapons, and so on, covering the remaining 270 degrees and sending the heretics who had narrowly escaped scrambling for cover.
When the Space Marine saw this strange fellow, they knew who it was. Such a distinctive vehicle was unique in the allied forces. "Hello? Hello? Can you hear me, Lord Ventris?"
Gamma tried to call Ventris, but the interference was too strong. Even though he was close, he didn't know if the other party could receive him.
"Szz— — Received, Gamma."
"Whew, Lord, what exactly happened?"
"The Warp Rift was hit by a high-yield nuclear weapon."
"...You had a secret plan?"
"No—"
Both fell silent. They both didn't know what had happened, but not knowing what happened wasn't important. What to do now was important.
The facade had been torn down. Whether they did it or not, it was as if they did. Taking advantage of the demons' weakness and striking them down was the key.
"Lord, leave the demons here to me. You all quickly go to the Warp Rift!" Gamma said decisively.
"Good, be careful yourself!" Ventris agreed directly. He understood what the most urgent matter was at hand.
There weren't many demons and heretics here to begin with. Some were eliminated by the impact, some by the Space Marine. The rest were easy pickings for Xiao Bai, who had a void shield, could attack from a distance, and engage in close combat. Moreover, the allied forces were not completely wiped out; those who were lucky enough not to be injured had already begun organizing rescue efforts and supporting the front lines.
"Vehicle! Run them over fiercely!"
Without Ventris, Gamma had even fewer scruples, directly allowing Xiao Bai to go all out and slaughter everything.
In the eyes of the demons and heretics, Xiao Bai was like a living steel behemoth, hunting and toying with them. They had seen people crushed by tracks before, but this was the first time they had seen people crushed by tracks.
Anyone or any demon attempting to approach this steel monster was flung away by its shaking body. Those close to the tracks were crushed like insects under the giant beast's foot as the tracks lifted.
The engine of this steel monster emitted not a roar, but a bellow.
No matter how large its size and strength, or the immortal body bestowed by father, before its rotating drill teeth, it was as fragile as parchment. Even the sorcery that could corrode metal, when it passed through the void shield and struck its body, had no effect whatsoever. This was a beast filled with rage!
The heretic demons felt fear towards the beast. As the owner of this beast, Gamma felt disgusted.
"Xiao Bai, slow down, I'm going to throw up!"
"Ugh~"
When the "remnant forces" still capable of fighting arrived as reinforcements, they found that Ventris had already left with the Space Marine. Only one vehicle was on site, "biting" at the demons.
Seeing someone trying to steal its prey, Xiao Bai was about to run over those trying to "steal food," which scared Gamma into threatening it that if it didn't obey, he would pull its energy lines and make it go back to being an ornament.
Seeing that Gamma was truly angry, Xiao Bai could only kick up a storm of yellow sand, letting these "useless" food stealers know who the "Great Saint" truly was.
Having suffered successive blows, the demons and heretics were no longer able to organize resistance. The remaining ones were either killed and banished, or fled to the heavens. With no more prey, Xiao Bai could only follow Gamma's command, huffing and puffing as it chased after Ventris and his group.
The journey to reinforce Ventris was much smoother than Gamma had imagined. The power of the nuclear explosion was greater than they had estimated. He had originally thought the explosion would be on the outskirts of the Warp Rift, since it was full of demons and impossible to enter. However, the further they went in, the more severe the structural damage became, and the fewer surviving demons there were.
"What hero is so brave? To break through Nurgle's Demon Army's blockade and detonate a nuclear bomb at the Warp Rift!" Gamma exclaimed at this incredible answer.
The only downside to having no demon obstruction was that Gamma and his reinforcements could never catch up to the Space Marine led by Ventris. By the time they reached the Warp Rift, Ventris and his group were already engaged in a heated battle with the Great Demon.
Rainfather Rotigus's current appearance was disgusting yet pathetic. He now understood how the Plaguefather felt when he was stabbed to death by mortals after an orbital bombardment. He had often mocked Ku'gath about this, and now it was his turn.
He hadn't expected to be deceived by the treacherous Ventris. The negotiations, the duel, the schemes, and even the preparations made to break the agreement—everything was a smokescreen released by this scoundrel. He had deceived himself, deceived father's chief Great Demon. He had made himself a laughingstock, he had caused his plan to fail.
"Ventris, you deceiver! Liar!"
"..." Ventris did not respond, simply continued to swing his sword.
"Deceiver, I curse you, you will never gain anyone's trust again!"
"..." Ventris still did not respond. He was an honest man, he didn't want to explain, especially not to a demon.
"I will let the entire galaxy know that you are a deceiver, this will be your eternal title!"
Ventris couldn't hold back. He didn't want this nickname, even if it was given to him by a demon. Imagining heretics calling him "deceiver" the first time they saw him, and warning everyone not to be tricked by him, Ventris, who valued honor as life, felt that even his image among demons needed to be salvaged.
"I didn't blow it up!"
"I don't believe you! You're still trying to trick me!" Rainfather's reply sounded exactly like a young wife who had been deceived by a scoundrel.
"It really wasn't me—" Ventris's tone was like a scoundrel pretending to be wronged.
"I won't believe you anymore!" Rainfather, disheartened by the scoundrel, said resolutely.
"Then die!" Ventris, in a fit of rage, was no different from a villain who would kill his wife and abandon his children for wealth and glory.
The above descriptions are all from the reports of the battlefield entertainment reporter ~ Gamma.
After Rainfather took a direct nuclear hit, the plants beneath his feet, the Flood of Nurgle, had become the Breeze of Nurgle. His massive body, riddled with tooth-like holes, was severely crippled by the nuclear flames.
If not for his layers of fat and endless spewing filth, he would have already been slain by Ventris's sword.
The Primaris Space Marine, skilled in close combat and clad in Mark X power armor variants of heavy armor, were in the front, engaging the Great Demon while simultaneously fending off the Nurgle demons still pouring out of the Warp Rift behind the Great Demon. The remaining forces, some using heavy weapons from vehicles to deal damage, others using boltguns and shoulder-mounted laser cannons or plasma weapons to target the Great Demon's exposed weaknesses.
The Astartes of the Fire Covenant, clad in red and gold power armor, were assisting their Librarians in attempting to shrink the size of the Warp Rift through a ritual.
Seeing this situation, Gamma made an immediate decision. After having the human forces pull back some distance, he used long-range firepower to heavily bombard the passage at the Warp Rift, allowing the Space Marine to free up more personnel to deal with the Great Demon.
Since the day of his birth, Rainfather had never been as pathetic as he was today. No one had ever forced him into such a predicament. His prestige, his cunning, made the beings of the galaxy tremble and worship him. He was skilled in schemes, he was skilled in deception. He would present the facts before humanity's eyes and let them fall into depravity themselves, just as he had given the historical records of the "Second Empire" to that historian seeking truth in the library of Macragge.
Thinking of such a disastrous outcome, an emotion he had never felt before arose in Rainfather's heart. He was afraid, terrified of losing father's favor and his status as the First Great Demon because of this failure. He had only just ascended!
No! This does not belong to me! I must make a dignified exit! Rainfather thought to himself.
"Deceiver, we can talk!"
Ventris: Talk about what?! If those in the chapter who cling to the Codex and dislike me find out about this nickname, I'm done for!
"Don't you want that contract with your mark on it anymore? I can give it to you!"
"—" Ventris merely swung his Ventanus Blade in silence.
Seeing that the other party was unmoved, Rainfather upped the ante, dodging and counterattacking as he spoke:
"I will leave, and from now on, I will never set foot in this world again. As long as you let me leave with dignity, isn't it true that for great figures, dignity is the most important thing? Leave a line in doing things, and you'll meet again in the future! I will never forget the Regent's kindness."
"Good! Give me the contract first, then we'll talk!"
Ventris waved his hand, telling the others to stop. Although the Space Marine were puzzled, they all put down their weapons. Their trust in Ventris could not be shaken by a demon's few words.
"Yes, yes, that's right, there's no need to make such a fuss."
"Stop talking nonsense, stay there! Throw the contract over. As long as you show enough sincerity, anything can be discussed!" Ventris's tone revealed a subtle hint of greed.
Rainfather's heart rejoiced upon hearing this, and a scheme to exploit this greed quietly formed in his mind. He reached into the giant maw in his abdomen and pulled out the contract, holding it between his filthy fingers, shaking it up and down. Ventris's gaze followed the swaying of the contract.
Heh, humans are truly…
Before Rotigus could finish his internal mockery, he felt the ground beneath his feet shaking. He looked down, but his vision was blocked by his large belly. Subconsciously, he lifted his large rear, wanting to bend down to see what was happening.
Just as Rotigus bent down, a spiral drill bit, flashing blue and red light, burst out of the ground, hitting its mark dead center.
Xiao Bai: Tengen Toppa, Gurren Lagann, my drill is the drill that will pierce the heavens!!!
Gamma, observing this scene through binoculars, thought: Xiao Bai, you did it…
"Oh oh oh oh oh—"
Rainfather let out a strange shriek. Filthy demon bodily fluids were flung away and vaporized by the rotating drill. The Nurgle's evil power within the Great Demon's body also corroded and twisted Xiao Bai's machine body, but the ignited Xiao Bai ignored the machine's mutation and the chaotic garbled data appearing in its system. Its machine spirit was burning.
Using its soul as fuel, burning to the end of its life—Tengen Toppa!
Spin! With all the spiral power! My boss is witnessing me! For the Omnissiah!
"Xiao Bai, go!" Gamma stood on top of the vehicle, cheering for Xiao Bai.
Before the action, he had told Xiao Bai that this journey was destined to be a one-way trip.
Xiao Bai merely beeped: "Then let it be a one-way trip!"
Time returned to before Xiao Bai burrowed underground.
Seeing Rainfather so injured, yet still able to fight Ventris and his group back and forth with his rotten fat, Gamma watched, anxious in his heart.
But he was reluctant to let Xiao Bai take the risk. However, after seeing Rainfather, Xiao Bai's beeping never stopped. Gamma had to coax and threaten it to stop it. After much deliberation, he finally made a decision.
"Xiao Bai, today, let Rainfather start being a demon!"
"Beep!": "Roar!"
"Remember, 'Tengen Toppa' is your code name for this operation. Your drill is meant to pierce the heavens!"
"Beep beep!": "Let the world witness my spiral power!"
"Yes, with your pointed drill, make the Great Demon tremble!"
"Hey! Lord Ventris, keep the Great Demon in place! I have a finishing blow for him!"
Gamma shouted into the communicator to the "wife-slaying to attain enlightenment" Ventris. Ventris, whose only desire was to silence this "resentful demon," was overjoyed. This "resentful demon" was unbelievably tough. Although Gamma was small and peculiar, his ability to get things done was among the strongest in Ventris's hundreds of years of life experience.
After communicating with the Blade Champions responsible for containing Rainfather, several individuals immediately changed their desperate fighting stances and instead began to use flexible footwork and coordinated teamwork to make the Great Demon lose focus, forcing it to circle within a small area.
The Great Demon's body was split in half from the middle. The half with the head struggled to look at Ventris, and Rainfather asked in disbelief:
"Didn't we already make a deal? Don't you want the contract?"
Ventris walked to the dying Great Demon, took the contract from the fingers of its other half, and said:
"Foolish, if I kill you, it will also be mine!"
"You tricked me again! Deceiver! Deceiver—"
The "scumbag" Ventris did not give the "resentful demon" another chance to slander him. With one swing of his sword, he completely banished the Great Demon, putting an end to all the suffering on Thedan. Oh, no, there was still the Warp Rift.
The Chaos Sorcerer, responsible for maintaining the ritual, seeing Rainfather's disastrous defeat, ignored everything else and plunged into the Warp Rift.
The psychic defense shield that had enveloped the ritual platform, now without maintenance, quickly vanished on its own.
The unprotected Chaos sorcery was destroyed in the Omnissiah's wrath. Under the reversal ritual presided over by the Fire Covenant Librarian, the Warp Rift was closed. To prevent this fragile veil from being exploited again, the Librarian, while setting up a seal, reminded Archmagos Will, who had already arrived, to constantly monitor this place. Only when time smoothed over the scar on this veil could it truly be considered safe.
The Archmagos, though not a psyker, had seen and experienced enough to know how dangerous a weak point in reality's veil could be. He thanked the Librarian who reminded him and promised to pay close attention.
The chaos on Thedan had ended. As the Fabricator-General, he had too many things to deal with, such as his son, who was currently kowtowing to the digging machine that had killed the Great Demon, along with the Tech-Priests.
The reason this scene occurred was that Gamma discovered that Little White, who had already turned into a flesh and blood monster, still had parts that were not completely twisted and corrupted, still stubbornly resisting, and still recognized him as its master.
How could he possibly give up on Little White in such a situation? Relying on his fearlessness of Chaos corruption, Gamma, under the horrified gazes of others, directly started to dismantle Little White's machine body. Demons were his after-dinner snacks; he was even less afraid of the mutations caused by mere evil power.
As expected, the twisted flesh and blood transformed from metal mutations saw him like a mouse seeing a cat.
Anyone who dared to challenge him was instantly beaten half to death with a single slap, leaving the Tech-priest who came to admire the holy relic dumbfounded.
Gamma saw more and more Tech-priest gathering, but he didn't dare to let them come over to help. If they were affected by the residual evil power and became heretics in the future, leading to another "Chaos Invasion 2.0," the sin would be too great.
However, Gamma didn't let them idle. How could they just watch? This was the decisive weapon that ended the Great Demon, a holy relic passed down for over ten thousand years, a machine spirit bestowed by the Omnissiah. If you don't piously kowtow, are you still a good child of the Omnissiah?
Under the dual approach of purification and kowtowing, Little White's condition gradually stabilized, but this machine body had no further use. After completely removing the Cogitator containing Little White's machine spirit, Gamma patted the Cogitator and said:
"Little White, don't worry. Out with the old, in with the new. Your abilities are too wasted on a digging machine. Your brother will build you a Titan with Spiral Power."
"Buzz buzz!": I'll listen to big brother!
"But you have to study. Your old methods won't work anymore. You can't still burrow into the ground when piloting a Titan, can you?"
Gamma patted the Cogitator again and said, "Speak up, I know you heard me. Don't play dead! Hmph, you're always like this when I mention studying. Why are you so lazy!"
".—" Little White: I'm dead—
The Archmagos ultimately did not interfere with Gamma's affairs. Instead of concealing the strange machine spirit, it was better to directly admit that it was a gift from the Omnissiah. If it wasn't a gift, how could it overturn a Great Demon and remain "unharmed"?
From now on, it would be Thedan's exclusive "anti-demon weapon." The Chief Great Demon had been pierced through, so if other demons wanted to cause trouble again, they would have to consider whether their butts were harder than Rain Father's.
The war ended, but it didn't completely end. Closing the Warp rift directly made the demons disappear, but the heretics were left in Thedan. It was truly troublesome to hunt down these hiding scoundrels, but they couldn't be left alone, giving them a chance to breathe, lest they stir up something big again.
Fortunately, Ventris did not leave after the battle. His mission was to ensure Thedan's continued existence. The Iron Knights and Fire Covenant, after eliminating most of the heretical traitors, also continued on their respective journeys. Especially the Iron Knights, who were still on their Penitent Crusade, could not stay in one place for too long. The Fire Covenant, on the other hand, had to continue their original mission.
The burden of eradicating the remaining heretical traitors fell on the Ultramarines and Astra Militarum, but it was not a big problem; the remaining rebels posed no challenge to them.
As for the engineers, of course, they went to the factory to work...
Archmagos Will is very busy now. The dilapidated Forge World is waiting for him to repair. The spaceport needs to be rebuilt, factories need to be fixed, workers need to be supplemented, and Priests need to be trained—
Archmagos Will is very troubled now. The delayed product orders are waiting for him to postpone. The nobles are pressing, the wanderers are pressing, the Departmento Munitorum is pressing, and the Space Marine are pressing. Archmagos Will is very distressed now. His own son is leading protests, parades, and strikes, causing trouble with the workers, causing trouble with the Tech-priest, and causing trouble with the Guard—
"We bled for the world, less work, less danger, less disease!"
"We fought for the world, more knowledge, more time, more resources!"
"We were loyal to the world, better modifications, better treatment, better weapons!"
Gamma led a vast procession, parading around the still-damaged Great Foundry Temple, shouting slogans.
The cause of the matter was this: in order to restore Thedan's production as quickly as possible, Archmagos Will once again intended to be inhumane, wishing he could give everyone stimulants to work. The result was that the workers and Tech-priest, who had just experienced a brutal war, completely broke down. If surviving meant facing another kind of hell, then it would have been better to die on the battlefield at that time.
Soon, worker representatives and Priest representatives approached Gamma, who was contemplating what kind of transitional body to design for Little White. Hearing his 'wild father' being so inhumane, he didn't hesitate to persuade the Archmagos to be a decent person.
As a result, that old man showed no respect for him, his "prince." Not only did he refuse to listen to his explanation, but he also threatened to beat him if he participated again. Gamma, with his fiery temper, could endure it, but more importantly, he deeply detested the Tech-priest' ancient work system.
He wanted to challenge this system—grinding people into Waste , making useless people into servitors to continue exploiting until they were scrapped, and even after being scrapped, they would be made into body starch to feed people again.
So Gamma temporarily put aside Little White's matter and began preparing for a "revolution." Now was the best time for change; there is no construction without destruction. Only a dilapidated Thedan, with its Magos dwindling, had the soil for reform, just as overthrowing the old vested interests could liberate the exploited and oppressed people.
The civil war and Chaos invasion physically eliminated most of the vested interests, meaning those senior Tech-priest who controlled and monopolized resources. This gave Gamma the confidence to dare to think and act. Of course, his father being the Fabricator-General was also one of the reasons.
The worst that could happen if he failed was being confined. The Archmagos wouldn't dare to kill him, would he?
However, to avoid being violently suppressed by the Archmagos from the start, Gamma had to leverage his title as a "Children of Omnissiah" and began to win over the conservatives and fence-sitters among the Tech-priest. This title worked wonders within Thedan.
At the same time, for those simple-minded Adeptus Ministorum, Gamma adopted a different approach. He directly approached the Guard Master, claiming he had received a revelation from the Omnissiah and needed to convey a message to his loyal followers. He dared to speak, and the Lord of the Guard dared to believe, immediately kneeling before Gamma.
As for the reason? Perhaps it was because Gamma had always displayed such extraordinary abilities; the Guard, though silent, had long been waiting for Gamma to admit it himself.
Or perhaps Gamma's targeted approach was too precise, a decisive blow.
They were modified believers. Gamma had a lot of contact with them during his time in the Great Foundry Temple, initially out of curiosity, because Gamma had always wanted to know what the difference was between the Adeptus Ministorum and Servitors.
Upon contact, he discovered that although the Adeptus Ministorum's brains were modified and their piety to the Omnissiah was physically etched into their minds, genuinely believing themselves to be tools of the Omnissiah and taking pride in it, fearless of death and unquestioning of orders, they still retained human self-awareness.
As one of the three major armed forces of the Adeptus Mechanicus, they even had a promotion system different from the Tech-priest. What they pursued was not knowledge or technology; they pursued "function," their function as tools of the Omnissiah. They sincerely hoped to be used by the Priests of the Machine God, because a tool that is not used is worthless!
Later, Gamma couldn't help but ask the captain who was fighting demons with him on the city wall what it felt like when they and the Adeptus Ministorum from the temple fought each other on the battlefield.
The answer was that they felt nothing. In their eyes, being commanded and used by the Priests was enough. They were tools; right and wrong had nothing to do with them. Their purpose was to be used, and it was their only reason for existence. More importantly, they should be called "Omnissiah Guard," and those from the temple were called "Adeptus Ministorum"!
Gamma: Omnissiah, really awkward—...—You're so similar, is it my fault—
To avoid such embarrassing situations in the future, Gamma employed a combination of cuteness, foolishness, and humility, inquiring from the now-sacrificed squad leader. It turned out that "Adeptus Ministorum" and "Titan Legions" were somewhat related to Mars and Terra, while the "Omnissiah Guard" were completely loyal to the Fabricator-General of the Forge World.
Gamma's first reaction upon hearing the news was that he had been deceived by his wild father's boastful claims. What was all that about Thedan having its own Titan Legions in a few years? If it really did, there might very well be a two-on-one situation.
Therefore, the Guard, who were loyal to the Archmagos, were theoretically not targets that could be won over. Not to mention that the overseeing Magos responsible for commanding them could directly take over their bodies. However, Gamma only wanted to reform, not rebel. For these Guard who viewed themselves as tools of the Omnissiah, he devised a targeted strategy:
"I have received a revelation from the Omnissiah. He believes that loyal followers like them should understand that 'death can be heavier than Mount Tai, or lighter than a feather.' Dying indiscriminately like them is wrong. One cannot blindly pursue the power of weapons; dying by being 'poisoned' by one's own weapon is too hasty. The Omnissiah does not like it. A good tool is one that is both useful and durable!"
After listening to Gamma's "useful and durable" theory, the Guard Master had an epiphany. He knelt before Gamma, repeatedly echoing Gamma's words, scaring Gamma into fearing that the Master would suddenly exclaim:
"Hehe, Master, I've made it—"
This led to the parade scene mentioned earlier. Although Archmagos Will had dominated Thedan for over two hundred years, the Old Man Party suffered heavy losses. Now, the Magos who held some power all had some connection with Gamma. They were very willing to watch the father and son's power struggle. If not for the complete annihilation of the "Old Man Party" who had been rehabilitated, Archmagos Will would not be so passive now.
The last survivor of the "Old Man Party," after being discovered and confessing everything, finally went to meet the Omnissiah, failing to realize his dream of monopolizing all wealth.
As for Ventris, he had no desire to get involved in the Archmagos's family affairs, and Gamma didn't give him a reason to interfere. He repeatedly emphasized to the workers, Tech-priest, and Guard that it was a peaceful protest, non-violent non-cooperation. If the Archmagos did not agree to their requests, they would continue to protest.
Thus, Gamma, through the means of a strike, forced Archmagos Will to the negotiating table. "What exactly do you want, you little rascal?!" Archmagos Will roared, finally seeing Gamma.
Gamma saw Archmagos Will pounce at him, clawing like a mechanical monster, and quickly ran to the side, shielding the observing Magos in front of him. Hiding behind the Magos, he said:
"Archmagos, your methods are outdated and no longer suitable for Thedan's current situation. I am forced to do this to allow it to be reborn!"
Archmagos Will, furious, laughed instead. He stopped and said, "Good, I'll listen to how outdated it is. If you don't convince me today, I'll beat you to death!"
Gamma, being personally threatened, didn't take the Archmagos's words seriously at all. He wasn't afraid at all! Not afraid at all! Not at all—
"Archmagos, let me ask you one thing: even if we increase the number of workers tenfold, can we catch up on our overdue orders?"
Archmagos Will did not answer Gamma's question. He, of course, knew they couldn't catch up, but that wasn't a reason for them to shirk their duties. Every day they stopped work, countless imperial battlefields lacked weapons. Work was their responsibility, their obligation, and the very value of their existence.
Seeing that the Archmagos didn't answer, Gamma continued, "I believe that Thedan encountering this war was both a danger and an opportunity. Now that the danger has been lifted, what we need to do is seize the opportunity!"
"An opportunity to destroy the old and establish the new! We should seize it!"
"Make Thedan great again."
"I've prepared a plan. Archmagos and Magos, please take a look. As long as the plan goes smoothly, Thedan can be reborn in just ten years, and its future will be even greater!"
"Give me a chance, and I will deliver results that satisfy you!"
Having finished his monologue, Gamma pulled out the holographic projection he had prepared long ago from behind him and played its contents. As the projection played, everyone present was drawn in by Gamma's plan.
The final outcome of this father-son confrontation between Archmagos Will and Gamma was that Gamma used his own posterior as collateral, signing a gambling agreement with the Archmagos. As long as Gamma's results satisfied Archmagos Will, the Archmagos would approve Gamma's plan and grant him authority.
Since coming to this world, it was the first time Gamma had truly let loose. The first thing he did was hold a large meeting for all the low-level Tech-priest.
At the meeting, Gamma once again transformed into a life mentor, a guiding light for the Tech-priest. He said he would lead them to create a brand new Thedan—a Thedan without year-round work, without endless overtime, and without endless kowtowing. As long as they were followers of the Omnissiah, they would have ample time in the future to pursue the path guided by the Omnissiah.
Bearing the titles of Fabricator-General's biological son and Children of Omnissiah, Gamma still had considerable influence among the low-level Tech-priest. The atmosphere at the meeting, after Gamma's grand promises, was such that it felt like Thedan's dawn had arrived with Gamma, and their future would be exciting with Gamma.
Only Leia and Louis felt that this scene was very familiar, and their bodies were telling them: Run, quick!!!
"Nobody is getting away!" Looking at the Tech-priest below the stage, Gamma revealed a sinister smile beneath his hood.
Gamma chose not to repair the damaged factories first, but instead led the Tech-priest to upgrade and transform the existing production lines. The purpose of the transformation was to break down complex work processes, which originally had to be completed by humans, into individual, discrete actions, using robotic arms to replace humans and achieve fully automated production.
He told the Tech-priest that liberating workers was liberating themselves, and simply using humans as machines was the greatest waste of "intelligent humans."
While transforming the production lines, he also arranged for Tech-priest to train workers, requiring them to be familiar with the production process they were responsible for before starting work.
Using his knowledge and "talent," Gamma successfully completed the transformation of several production lines. After trial operation and resolving discovered issues, Gamma invited Archmagos Will and other Magos to visit his achievements, and incidentally, to quiet the "true Party A father" who kept sending messages inquiring about progress.
The "true Party A father" and the Party A father shared the same problems: they only knew how to rush and how to make changes, yet their understanding of technology was limited. They were also very uneasy about the work of Gamma, their "Party B son," always feeling like Gamma was trying to fool them.
Seeing that results had finally emerged, Archmagos Will canceled all his engagements and eagerly led a group of Magos to find his "Party B son."
The first thing Gamma said upon seeing Archmagos Will was, "Why did you activate your shield?"
The Archmagos, out of habit, was a bit embarrassed by the question. He couldn't quite answer it, so he pretended not to hear and changed the subject: "Gamma, quickly, take us to see your results."
"Alright, Father, you should still turn off your shield. If people see it, they'll think someone is trying to assassinate you." With that, Gamma led the way, followed by the embarrassed Archmagos and the Magos with peculiar expressions.
As soon as they entered Gamma's new production workshop, the Magos noticed the difference. There were no terrifying Servitors on the production lines; instead, there were robotic arms continuously performing repetitive tasks. The eerie and grotesque sensory experience was gone, replaced by the mechanical beauty of the omnissiah.
"Praise the omnissiah!" a Magos murmured in admiration.
Gamma, who was leading the way, heard the praise from behind and couldn't help but strut a little. He pointed to the production line and said:
"This entirely new production line can achieve unmanned, round-the-clock production. We have modularly designed robotic arms replacing Servitors, using steel to replace weak flesh and blood. They are more stable than Servitors, have lower environmental requirements, are easier to maintain, and simpler to repair."
"There is nothing here that violates any prohibitions. I merely broke down the originally complex production processes, then broke them down further into single actions, and assigned them to robotic arms to complete."
"Trained workers are responsible for a small portion of what Tech-priest used to do. Dozens of workers cooperating can replace a Tech-Priest, and one Tech-Priest can simultaneously oversee several production lines. They only need to train and manage these workers and handle problems that the workers cannot solve."
"This production line no longer relies on human physical labor, but rather on human intelligence."
"More standardized products, higher production efficiency, lower labor costs. As long as we replace the old production lines with these unmanned production lines, with our current number of Tech-priest and workers, we can fully achieve the output of a single macro-branch. In the coming years, as the population recovers, our output of conventional weapons can even exceed the quantity we originally provided to the Empire."
Archmagos Will was thrilled! He knew his son could do it. He was truly infuriating, but he was also truly capable. However, discordant voices always appear at the most harmonious moments.
Just then, a disheveled little brat—no, a Tech-Priest—rushed out from a closed door within the production workshop, shouting as he ran, "I can't take it anymore! I can't take it anymore!"
But before he could run a few steps, he was hit by a blue electric current shot from within the door. With a cry, he convulsed and fell to the ground, rolling a few times forward.
The Archmagos, as expected of someone seasoned in "battlefields," immediately activated his shield and protected Gamma behind him. The Magos also reacted, and then they saw a "Blue Man" walk out of the door. This was Gamma's old acquaintance, Master Blue Man, whom Gamma had hired to "watch the place" and was responsible for electro-shocking abnormal Tech-priest.
Gamma then poked his head out from behind the Archmagos and said impatiently, "How many is this today? Drag him back quickly. Can't you see I have distinguished guests?"
Master Blue Man, to this young brat who used to cower before him but now showed no respect, apologized with a forced smile: "My mistake, my mistake. It was too sudden, I didn't react in time. My fault, my fault."
After speaking, Master Blue Man bowed to Archmagos Will and the others, then dragged the still twitching Tech-Priest back through the door, muttering as he went: "You're ungrateful. Such a good opportunity, would it have been your turn before! You made me lose my bonus. I'll increase your electrotherapy voltage by thirty percent later!"
There was no other way; Thedan, in its state of recovery, had no spare money to support these idle social individuals. The Lightning Monk Brotherhood also needed to eat.
The Archmagos and the others followed Master Blue Man into the door—into Gamma's black-hearted workshop. They saw countless Tech-priest, each at a workbench, manually assembling robotic arms.
"This is...?" the Archmagos asked, pointing to the Tech-priest, each with a deathly pallor.
Gamma, like a black-hearted capitalist whose hypocritical mask had been torn off and was now lashing out in anger, jumped up and down, deflecting blame: "If you weren't always rushing me, would I have locked them up to assemble robotic arms? And I didn't make them work for free; I pay them!"
The Archmagos's gaze turned to the large screen Gamma was pointing at. It showed how many robotic arms could be exchanged for certain technologies, with the number of zeros after the highest-level lost technology being frighteningly long.
The situation was this: the transformation of the unmanned production line required a large number of robotic arms, but the production line for modular robotic arms had not yet been put into operation. To quickly deliver results and shut up the Party A father, Gamma could only have the Tech-priest use their traditional skills to manually assemble robotic arms.
The short time and heavy workload made the Tech-priest complain endlessly. At first, Gamma used phrases like "difficulties are temporary, the future is bright" to coax the Tech-priest to work harder. But then, the robotic arm production line encountered problems that needed to be overcome. Seeing the promised deadline approaching, Gamma had no choice but to pull out the "robotic arms for knowledge" trick to buy time.
Even after the issues with the robotic arm production line were resolved, installation, blessing, and debugging still required time. Because Gamma's robotic arm production line was designed and produced by him from scratch, the equipment needed to be manually assembled, and the blessing process took much longer than the transformation of old production lines.
As time went on, the Tech-priest who were screwing in screws grew discontent. They began to suspect that Gamma had awakened his bloodline and was starting to act like the Archmagos, treating people inhumanely. Moreover, Gamma had previously led them in protests and strikes. Under the leadership of a few quick-witted Tech-priest, they decided to make Gamma experience what it was like to be a Archmagos, and incidentally, to remove a few zeros from the exchange table.
But they hadn't expected that Gamma had already prepared for this. Before they could even start their uprising, the surviving Lightning Monk Brotherhood members were hired to guard the place. At this point, Gamma stopped pretending and directly told them that once they entered this door, they couldn't leave whenever they wanted, and whether they wanted to work was not up to them.
He directly appointed Master Blue Man as the person in charge, saying he didn't care about the methods, only that he wanted to see more robotic arms.
Master Blue Man, patting his chest, expressed to Gamma, who had helped him at a crucial moment: "Young master, rest assured, I have plenty of ways to make them work honestly!"
After hearing Gamma's explanation of the cause and effect, Archmagos Will had no dissatisfaction whatsoever. He even thought Gamma was still too young for giving compensation. Serving the Omnissiah was every Tech-Priest's duty; they should know gratitude, and they must know what true blessings are!
----
Sarkozy hugged his frail mother, squeezing out his few remaining drops of strength to make her more comfortable, while his mother merely gazed at him, her pale, weak hand continuously stroking his face, as if to engrave his image into her soul.
The moment they became 'blood tithe,' their family plunged into hell. His father had already fallen ill and died due to the terrible conditions in the transport capsule; his body was dragged away, its whereabouts unknown.
Now his mother was also leaving, but while Sarkozy was heartbroken, he was also relieved that his mother could be freed. At least the suffering of reality could end, and her soul could return to the Golden Throne for eternal rest.
Through the broadcast in the transport capsule, Sarkozy knew they had arrived at their destination, another hell.
In this hell, he would live as a slave until his death.
According to the uncle, people on Forge World do not live long. How lucky, praise the Emperor! Sarkozy thought.
As the spaceship vibrated, the door of the transport capsule opened. He carried his mother on his back and followed the others forward, walking towards this hell called Thedan.
However, what happened next made Sarkozy begin to wonder if he had already died and if this was a hallucination before his death.
His mother was treated, and they were not separated but arranged to live together. The food was not bad, and they even received a can of meat every week. Because his mother was ill, she could receive an extra one each week until she recovered.
Since arriving in Thedan, Sarkozy's daily routine became bidding farewell to his mother in the morning, then attending training at school to learn simple mechanical theory and other basic knowledge. He also interned at the factory, learning from the master craftsmen how to apply the learned knowledge on the production line.
Sometimes he would also see Tech-priest. They would come to the factory periodically to thoroughly inspect the production line, checking if the master craftsmen had overlooked any mistakes. Each time, Sarkozy would be called to accompany them. This was a recognition from the craftsmen, who believed Sarkozy could become a Priest, and therefore should have more contact with Tech-priest.
Sarkozy, who originally lived in the middle hive and came from a relatively wealthy family, was only fifteen or sixteen years old, but his good family background allowed him to have contact with Tech-priest before. However, after communicating with the Priests in Thedan, he found that the Priests here were somewhat different from those he had encountered before.
The Priests of Thedan were easier to understand and approach. They were not stingy in explaining to the craftsmen and Sarkozy why problems occurred and how to avoid them. Some Priests would even occasionally chat with the craftsmen about topics unrelated to work.
The most frequent titles mentioned in their conversations were 'Omega the Wise' or 'Young Master Gamma.' Sarkozy had inquired about the name 'Gamma' from people who had lived in Thedan for many years.
The workers would point to their prosthetics and scars, saying these were injuries they sustained fighting alongside Young Master Gamma. They defeated the invaders, they defeated the heretics; it was Young Master Gamma who led them to save this world.
And the teachers at school praised him without reservation, saying that Omega the Wise not only saved this world but also changed it. He freed workers from dangerous and arduous labor, he allowed those who were originally cut off from becoming Tech-priest to once again pursue knowledge, and he allowed Tech-priest to go further on the path guided by Omnissiah.
Sarkozy understood. It wasn't that he hadn't come to hell, but that 'Omega the Wise' had changed the original appearance of this world.
In ten years, Gamma spent ten years to make Thedan reborn and even better than before. Unmanned factories across the planet produced various weapons and ammunition for the Empire day and night without stopping.
The saying, 'Using humans like machines is the greatest waste,' has been recognized by all Tech-priest. They have all seen the leap in productivity and efficiency brought by the improvement in worker quality, and this world is the best proof.
He made Thedan no longer pursue the extreme exploitation of workers' labor, but instead focused on improving their quality.
In these ten years, he changed many people and many things, but there was one thing he couldn't change, and that was his height.
Gamma (10)
So what is Omega the Wise doing now?
He was playing with his newly acquired 'toy.' With Louis and Ed watching, Gamma clapped his hands together and shouted:
'Transmute!'
As Gamma pressed his hands to the ground, a metal spear emerged from the earth, shooting straight towards the target in front.
'Bang!'
The metal spear hit the bullseye, then dissolved into a puddle of silver-gray liquid on the target.
This scene made Louis and the others' faces twitch. Ed couldn't help but blurt out:
'Gamma, you called us here just to watch you do something so foolish with nanobots.'
'What do you mean foolish? You Tech-priest have no romance,' Gamma said unhappily.
It was clearly very cool—
The nanobots Ed mentioned were recently excavated by Gamma from the underground ruins of the original settlement. Since the Archmagos sealed them, the entire Thedan had been fully focused on restoring production for ten years, with no spare energy to excavate them.
It wasn't until recently, after completing the Thedan transformation mission and having some free time, that Gamma suddenly remembered there was a treasure waiting for him underground. So he immediately reported to the Archmagos to restart the 'Ruins Development' project.
Archmagos Will did not refuse. He also didn't want Gamma to be idle. He was worried about what the Archmagos was worried about, which will be discussed later. Let's continue talking about Gamma's 'archaeological research.'
With the Archmagos's permission, Gamma immediately began organizing manpower. The Magos all signed up, but the project leader began to be picky. He asked the Magos to state their advantages, as he wanted to choose the best.
The allure of the ruins drove the Magos mad. To secure a spot, they began compiling their grave-digging and tomb-raiding experiences into books and submitting them to Gamma.
After reading them, Gamma privately told Jacob, 'Just pick one, it's enough for the Empire to burn them ten times over.'
His understanding of the lower limits of these veteran Tech-priest was once again deepened. Attacking xenos and heretics was one thing, but what was the deal with attacking friendly forces?
The methods were despicable, the behaviors insidious, truly astonishing. 'Picking up' and running was already the kindest. There were also quite a few who threw Greenskins into others' territories to create chaos and fish in troubled waters.
After carefully memorizing this masterpiece of the Tech-priest, Gamma burned it to prevent others with less self-control from learning bad habits.
After selecting a few Magos with whom he had better relationships, Gamma's 'Ruins Development Project' officially began.
Thanks to the efforts of their predecessors, they opened the 'main tomb chamber' with little effort. The result greatly disappointed Gamma. The good news was that the ruins were left by humans; the bad news was that they belonged to humanity's early exploration of the galaxy, and the technology from that period was not even close to that of the galactic colonization era. They didn't even have Warp drives.
How they got from Terra to the Far East is an unsolved mystery. The era is too distant, and the navigation data can no longer be restored. Most of the technological artifacts have also been damaged by the erosion of time, in a state where they can only be looked at but not touched; if you dare to touch them, they will break.
The only thing that could still operate was an environmental modification system. Perhaps the pioneers of human exploration of the galaxy had already prepared for spaceship malfunctions before setting off, forcing them to make an emergency landing on a planet and From now on to multiply and thrive there. Therefore, this environmental modification system was designed to be exceptionally stable and durable. Even tens of thousands of years later, upon detecting life signs, it could still automatically activate and operate, which is one of the reasons why there is so much life in this underground space.
Gamma had originally thought he could find an artificial intelligence in this system, but he was overthinking it. This system was designed for 'foolproof operation.' Perhaps the designers didn't believe that the people using this system could understand its principles. One only needed to input environmental parameters, and the system would automatically match a suitable plan from its internal storage and begin operating. There was no opportunity for human intervention throughout the entire process.
'How does this feel like the Age of Discovery, giving a ship to brave and reckless fools and letting them venture out to see who can find a new continent? Is this a new wine in an old bottle for the Age of Galactic Discovery?'
The above sentence was Gamma's thought after thoroughly understanding this system.
Several Magos came with high hopes and left disappointed, gaining nothing. The Holy Hall of the Great Foundry Temple received many artifacts that could only be admired from afar and not 'profaned.' Ordinary Tech-priest had more objects to bow to. The only one who gained anything was Gamma.
Among the many artifacts, he found the weak point in Thedan's entire knowledge system—nanotechnology.
Among the excavated artifacts was a nano-medical device with aged parts and completely lost functionality. Gamma learned related technology from this device.
Nanotechnology is not only a weak point for Thedan but also for most Forge Worlds. Within the entire Adeptus Mechanicus, only a very small number of Tech-priest master it, and they are basically all affiliated with the 'Micro-Omnissiah Sect.' This sect has extremely strong secrecy regarding technology, and if it weren't for their close ties with the Imperial Navy and the Assassin Court, they would likely have been declared heretics by Mars.
The main reason is that their doctrine contradicts mainstream views. Most Tech-priest believe that 'big is beautiful, crude is strong,' while the Tech-priest of the Micro-Omnissiah Sect believe that 'small' is closer to Omnissiah. The smaller, the closer, which is why they are ostracized by other factions.
+ Heretical Micro-Omnissiah. After Gamma learned the related technology from the medical device, he quickly recreated the nano-medical device. Others were already accustomed to his performance; this was not the first time he had done this. How could a 'Children of Omnissiah' not have some divine anomaly to live up to that title?
The design of this medical device also adhered to the concept of 'foolproof operation,' integrating the production, detection, and treatment of nanobots. Patients only needed to lie in the medical pod, and nanobots would perform surgery, repair wounds, or eliminate lesions.
After Gamma found a few patients and treated them for free, he felt that if the nanobot production function was removed from this medical device, it could perfectly serve as another flagship product for Thedan, sold to those wealthy planetary nobles and Rogue Traders. In the future, he would only need to sell 'consumables'—nanobots—and this source of wealth could sustain him for life.