Gamma's moment of kindness created a huge problem for him: the native inhabitants of this planet, the Kosa.
Being in a tribal civilization, they showed Gamma what 'tribal conflict' was on the very first day they returned.
No one knew the specific reason; perhaps two members of opposing tribes recognized each other's tribal totems tattooed on their bodies, and then the fighting began, with more and more people and tribes getting drawn in.
"Send out all the Electric Monks! Tell the Blue Man I only want results!" Gamma roared, frustrated that his train of thought had been interrupted by this mess, making him unable to recall his previous inspiration.
"What kind of situation is this? I was kind enough not to let them die from exhaustion!"
Watching Gamma grumble and complain, the others could only offer bitter smiles, unsure what to say. Their feelings were similar to Gamma's, but two to three million barbarians were a problem they now had to solve.
"How does the Empire typically manage savage worlds?" Gamma asked.
"They are usually used as conscription worlds. Savage warriors are very famous in the Astra Militarum. The constant wars and deadly flora and fauna among primitive inhabitants are excellent material for training soldiers," Finnie explained to Gamma.
After getting the answer, Gamma asked another question: "Do these Kosa know about the Tyranid coming?"
"They should know, but with their understanding, they probably think the Tyranid are world-devouring monsters from myths, and that we are heroes sent by the heavens."
"Their imagination is quite accurate. So, this means their willingness to fight is very high, right?"
"They believe that dying in battle allows them to ascend to heaven. The home worlds of those Astartes have astonishing elimination rates during conscription, yet countless people still flock to join."
After pondering for a moment, Gamma clapped his hands and said, "Hmm, I have an idea."
"We need to screen out the warmongers; managing the remaining Kosa will be much easier."
"Louis, didn't you say it was difficult to find orcs in the forest? Since it's hard to find them, let these natives find them for us. Tell those barbarian warriors that if they can bring me the corpses of Green Skins, I will give them weapons only heroes possess, cure their diseases, heal their disabilities, and fulfill their reasonable wishes!"
"This way, we also don't have to worry about stimulating the Green Skins and causing their development to spiral out of control."
Under the dual influence of the Electric Monks and material rewards, these savage Kosa quickly completed their division. The warmongers eagerly entered the Green Skin forest. Most of these individuals were adult males, with a small number of females, all eager to obtain hero-grade weapons or a glorious death.
The remaining honest people, as Gamma expected, did not stage another 'tribal conflict.' Under the guidance of the apprentices, they continued to serve as slave laborers for Gamma. However, Gamma, this slave master, was much more benevolent; he allowed them to rest, cured their illnesses, ensured they had three meals a day, and provided safe housing that would not be invaded by wild beasts.
Before long, Gamma earned the title "Benevolent Mega God." The Little Tech-Priest had no reaction to this; he had anticipated it, only muttering, "Where did O go?"
After the facilities Gamma needed were completed, these people ultimately could not escape the fate of picking up guns and fighting the Tyranid. Gamma could not change this; he couldn't take so many people with him, not even the Kosa children.
What he was doing now was merely "self-deception," but even he knew he was doing something laborious and futile. Yet, he still had to do it. If he didn't, his heart wouldn't be at ease; if he didn't, he feared he would slowly change.
Compared to these things that made Gamma feel annoyed just thinking about them, many good things also happened. For instance, Gamma discovered that his subordinates were full of talent. Half of the new crew members were former Hive World nobles, highly educated, and could become qualified Tech-Priest apprentices with systematic training, not to mention many other types of talents among them.
Upon discovering this, Gamma simply gathered these skilled individuals and categorized them. The docile Kosa were handed over to those skilled in management, the warlike Kosa were given to those with military talent and high combat ability, and those skilled in business were appointed by Gamma as commercial representatives for the Gear Fleet, responsible for helping Gamma sell goods. The intelligent ones were given to the Tech-Priest for focused training.
This arrangement satisfied everyone. The Tech-priest and apprentices were freed from miscellaneous tasks, the former nobles knew they had a better future, and they realized they had met a good captain who was discerning, benevolent, and knew how to use people. Even the resigned former slaves, who had been tormented, began to live more actively in the thriving atmosphere of the fleet.
The Gear Fleet's original barriers between slaves and nobles, and nobles and Priests, were broken down. Like gears coated with holy oil, the grinding sensation gradually disappeared, and they operated more smoothly and became more tightly integrated.
Gamma saw these changes and was delighted. This brought back the feeling he had when he was in the gathering place, letting him know that some things were changing because of him, even if these changes still couldn't alter the cruel truth of this world.
Days passed, and with the might of machinery, Gamma's gladiatorial arena would soon be ready for use. Although the Tech-priest hadn't yet figured out how the Green Skins appeared on Kosa, from the current situation in the Green Skin forest, the most likely possibility was that meteorite fragments carrying Green Skin spores had drifted in space for countless years, and by chance landed on Kosa Star, taking root and growing mushrooms.
The Green Skins here are currently developed enough to defeat the flora and fauna in the Green Skin forest, allowing them to emerge from the Great Green Skin Forest and seek opponents for a Waaagh! Unfortunately, they ran headfirst into humans and Tau preparing for a decisive battle against the Tyranid. The next day, ten thousand Tech-priest arrived, specifically to 'serve' them, and the leader of these Tech-priest was a Little Shrimp full of bad ideas.
The completion of the basic facilities finally allowed the captured Green Skins to be put to use. To ensure the Green Skins wouldn't cause any trouble, Gamma arranged three squadrons of castellan robots inside and outside the arena, with over a thousand castellan robots specifically tending to these dozens of living Green Skins.
"Waaagh! for me, quickly!" Gamma said, waving the whip in his hand.
The Green Skins present looked at each other, making no move. How could Green Skins listen to a Little Shrimp, especially one who only dared to stand behind armored glass? What if gork and mork found out and didn't let them Waaagh! anymore?
"Little Shrimp, we won't listen to you. Rotten Tooth, will you listen to a Little Shrimp?"
"I won't listen to a Little Shrimp. What about you?"
"I won't listen to a Little Shrimp either."
"Exactly, a Green Skin who listens to a Little Shrimp."
"Pah, despicable!"
Seeing the Green Skins disobey and even perform a crosstalk routine to tease him, Gamma didn't get angry; instead, he smiled, pointing his whip at the Green Skins and saying, "Hehehe, in that case, I'll just have to show you the methods of this Wise One!"
No sooner had the Little Tech-Priest spoken than the adjacent gate opened, and a squad of castellan robots marched out proudly, each castellan robot holding a crackling stun baton in both hands. Two castellan robots attended to each orc, and four stun batons made the Green Skins scream from the electric shocks.
Facing two metal behemoths over five meters tall, the Green Skins' counterattacks were as laughable as their bare fists. They merely provided a sound for Gamma, serving no other purpose.
Only after the Green Skins were all lying on the ground from the shocks did Gamma leisurely ask:
"Is the Wise One's stun baton Waaagh! enough?"
Ignoring the Green Skins' mouths, which couldn't open due to trembling and spasms, Gamma waved his whip again and said:
"Heh heh, still disobedient? Shock them again!"
Another good beating that brought tears to the Green Skins' eyes ensued. Gamma asked again, and the Green Skins received another beating. This cycle continued until one Green Skin, in a desperate effort, broke through physiological limits and created the miracle of an organic body resisting electric shock. As soon as the Little Tech-Priest asked the question, it immediately convulsed and answered:
"Wait, wait, wait, Little, Little Shrimp, what, what exactly do you want to do?"
Gamma slowly said, "I think you guys aren't Waaagh! enough, so I'm going to teach you what Waaagh! truly is."
"You, you're farting! We're much, much more Waaagh! than you Little Shrimps!"
"Oh, an Ironhide! This Wise One likes Ironhide. Men, continue shocking him!"
This time, four castellan robots and eight batons attended to this Ironhide. Seeing the Ironhide's treatment, the other Green Skins quickly admitted they were softies.
"You all remember, from now on, whatever I tell you to do, do it immediately! Whatever I ask you, answer immediately! Understand?!"
"Understood!" x N
"Hmm, very good. Now, stand facing each other! After you've stood facing each other, slap each other!"
"Little Shrimp, you—"
"Hmm, men, shock them—"
"You just watch!"
The game of mutual slapping successfully evolved into a brawl, just as Gamma had envisioned. The Green Skins showed all the Little Shrimps watching what 'fist-to-flesh' truly meant.
For Green Skins who fought to a decision, or whose eyes turned red and tried to kill, the castellan robots standing by would use stun batons to teach them what "stopping at the right point" meant. Once all Green Skins finished brawling, the winners continued to slap each other, and so on, until the champion of the "Slap Contest" was decided.
Once the castellan robots herded all the Green Skins back into their pens, the cleaning system would collect the Green Skin remnants from the fully enclosed arena. Specialized personnel would then scatter these Green Skin fragments, along with the Green Skin corpses submitted by the barbarian warriors, into Gamma's carefully selected "mushroom fields."
The "mushroom fields" also had strict guards and surveillance. Once a Green Skin crawled out of the ground, a castellan robot would escort him to the arena to participate in the "Slap Contest."
In the future, the Slap Contest might even be tiered, for example, by Grot, Boy, and Nob levels. Snotlings were excluded; they weren't very aggressive and would even take care of the mushroom fields themselves.
This entire process was Gamma's "Green Skin Breeding Plan." As for how to manage the Green Skins, he hadn't quite figured it out yet; it was a galactic problem, and the methods he'd thought of so far weren't very reliable. He could only continue working and thinking.
The Grand Inquisitor's idea was to 'use the xenos' methods to control the xenos.' While not entirely accurate, the meaning is close enough. He had heard that one of his colleagues in the Octarius Sector had tried something similar, but it seemed to have backfired.
The main reason he wanted to do this was the immense pressure of ground combat. Kosa Star was chosen as the destination for several reasons. Its remote location was one, and another was the vast forests on Kosa Star, where the abundance of life was enough for the Gorgon Hive Fleet to invest heavily in an attack. After all, for the Tyranid, Tyranid organisms that die in battle can be recycled after victory.
This also means that the humans and T'au on Kosa Star would have to face the entire swarm deployed by the Gorgon, a thought that makes one's scalp tingle. To alleviate this pressure, the idea of using the Greenskins emerged. No one was sure how high the war potential of these Orcs truly was.
"So your idea is to control the Greenskins in the Greenskin Forest, then gradually stimulate their development, confine their activities to that area, and when the Gorgon arrives, release the Greenskins you've been raising to supplement the Greenskin tribes there?"
"Yes, actually, the most direct and convenient method would be for us to constantly fight the Greenskin tribes in the Greenskin Forest, but that could easily get out of control and would also weaken our forces," Gamma nodded in response.
"That's true, but we can't predict when the Gorgon Hive will arrive. How do you plan to control the Greenskins there?"
"While Greenskin creations are quite bizarre, they are still limited to some extent by materials. Greenskins can't make internal combustion engines out of wood. So, I plan to drive the Greenskins into resource-scarce areas and use resources to limit them."
After carefully recalling the information about Greenskins in her mind, Inquisitor Finnie warned, "I must remind you that there are Orcs in Greenskin society called the Snakebites Clan, who are skilled at raising various war beasts!"
Upon hearing Finnie's words, Gamma also remembered such a Greenskin Orc. It seemed the Old Ones had considered situations of resource scarcity when creating the Greenskins. Now, a problem from 60 million years ago lay before Gamma, forcing him to continue burning his brain cells.
After much deliberation, Gamma couldn't figure out how to control the evolution of the Orc tribes. Finally, he helplessly said, "We'll take it one step at a time. Let's just do it. It doesn't matter if they become the Snakebites Clan, as long as the Greenskins can ultimately help us hold back the Tyranid. Even if the Greenskins grow strong, we can always use orbital bombardment to weaken them. We just need to control their technological development."
"Alright, proceed as you said."
"Then I'll leave it to you. If you need any help, just consult Magos Lauster directly. I'll be focusing on researching the detoxification process for the time being."
"Leave it to me. Your research results will be of greater help in this war!" Inquisitor Finnie said with a serious attitude.
After arranging the Greenskin matters, Gamma asked the other people present, "Does anyone else have any questions?"
Leia then said with an excited expression, "Gamma, after analyzing the Kosa's myths, we believe there's a high probability of ruins existing on this planet!"
At this, Gamma's brain, which had been somewhat fatigued from thinking about the Greenskin problem, immediately perked up. He quickly asked, "Tell me what's going on?"
"There are many reasons why such a barbaric planet might arise. A remote location and harsh ecological environment are all reasons why the humans there couldn't develop. But no matter what, the people on these planets are all descendants of immigrants."
"However, it's hard to determine whether the immigration occurred before or after the Imperium of Man was established."
"By analyzing the Kosa's myths and their inherited holy relics, we can confirm that these Kosa have lived on this planet for at least 15,000 years!"
After listening to Leia's explanation, Gamma understood why Tech-priest liked to venture into the Imperium of Man's frontiers and beyond its borders. Undeveloped virgin lands were treasures with every shovel stroke. Now, the important task of 'protective excavation' of human civilization's heritage, before the Tyranid arrived, fell upon him. As a Priest of the Omnissiah, Gamma readily accepted.
"Haha, I knew good deeds are rewarded. Then what are we waiting for—"
"Cough!" Inquisitor Finnie coughed.
Reminded of his other important task, the young Tech-Priest immediately withered. Gamma was crestfallen. Last time on Balat, he felt no involvement; this time, he simply had no time to participate. After a difficult internal struggle and a mental battle with his inner self, the withered Gamma stammered, "The ruins... just... just... I'll leave them to you!"
With that, he walked out of the conference room, looking back with every step. Once Gamma had left, Leia burst out laughing, and the others couldn't help but laugh as well. It was the first time they had seen Gamma make such an awkward and amusing expression.
This was Gamma's longest period of seclusion since becoming a Priest. The difficulty of physical detoxification was one aspect, and not wanting to hear about the heartbreaking ruins was another. Although the leader of the Gear Fleet was oblivious to outside affairs, everything outside was progressing systematically.
Inquisitor Finnie, responsible for controlling the Greenskins, had, with the cooperation of Priests, Adeptus Ministorum, castellan robots, and Dorn's Hammer, driven the scattered Greenskin tribes in the Greenskin Forest into the previously scouted mineral-scarce areas. They had also stationed heavy troops at crucial choke points and built fortresses to prevent the Greenskins from escaping.
At the same time, they began to systematically harass the confined Greenskins. The main ones carrying out these harassment missions were the Space Marine, who were tired of fighting the Grey. They really enjoyed this recreational activity, especially after seeing the Barbarian Warriors carrying Greenskin corpses to exchange for equipment. They then put their minds to it, swallowed their pride, and asked Inquisitor Finnie if they could also exchange.
When Inquisitor Finnie told Magos Lauster about this, he thought that since the minerals used were from Kosa Star anyway, it was better to convert these minerals, which would otherwise just sit in the mines, into weapons to arm humanity. So, he agreed to Dorn's Hammer's request and even offered better exchange conditions: living Greenskins, worth five times as much. As long as they could gather enough Greenskins, power armor, power swords, bolters, plasma weapons, and various vehicles could all be exchanged.
If their Chapter Master hadn't slapped them twice and made them kneel before Dorn's portrait all night to calm down, the Astartes of Dorn's Hammer, upon receiving the news, would have almost given up fighting the Grey altogether. Finally, after internal discussion, they decided that the Emperor gave them bodies that could go for months without rest precisely so they could better fight the enemies of humanity. So, they decided to work overtime! With such a great enemy before them, there was no time to rest. One person would do the work of two, and the saved person would go to fight the Greenskins.
The Space Marine' hunting range was concentrated within the Greenskin containment zone, where the Greenskin density was higher and the quality better, yielding more exchange points. However, Greenskins continued to emerge ceaselessly from other parts of the Greenskin Forest. The hunters here were the Barbarian Warriors among the Kosa. While some of them sacrificed themselves in skirmishes with the Greenskins, they were also gradually transforming. Under the management of the former military nobility, these Kosa had become proficient in using various equipment and were more obedient, while retaining their savage and fearless characteristics and hunting culture. If these people could survive the Tyranid, the Imperium of Man would gain a force similar to the Armageddon Orc Hunters.
(Barbarian Warriors)
Louis was in charge of the Greenskin arena. As someone who could almost be considered a xenos expert, Louis had always been very interested in studying Greenskin ecology. A daily stroll through the mushroom fields was part of his routine. However, Louis didn't have as many eccentric ideas for tormenting Greenskins as Gamma did. He continued to use Gamma's 'Slap Contest' to stimulate the Greenskins to produce more spores.
But after using the method for a long time, the 'Slap Contest' only made the Greenskins' faces and chins thicker and thicker, while the spores produced became fewer and fewer. In fact, due to excessive electrocution, the Greenskins began to develop resistance to electric shocks, and some Greenskins even started showing signs of insubordination. While this surprised Louis with a new Greenskin biological characteristic, it also gave him a headache.
However, having followed Gamma for so long, Louis had learned a lot from him, such as "let professionals do professional work." Coincidentally, the Gear Fleet was not short of talent, especially 'training' talent. Whether it was former pirate slaves who had experienced it physically, or former nobles who had seen and done many extravagant things, they were all experienced in tormenting people.
This allowed Louis to "select the best of the best" and quickly assemble a management team. Their task was to find ways to make the Greenskins both "Waaagh!" and obedient. With the help of these special talents, the Greenskin breeding farm was a scene of vibrant growth and fierce competition. Greenskin production steadily increased, and one Greenskin prison after another was built.
The excavation of the Kosa Star ruins was a major undertaking for the Tech-priest. They had already unearthed the remains of several lost cities and found many technological relics whose specific uses were unknown, most of which were damaged, with a small portion still functional.
However, because Gamma was in seclusion, these items were all sealed away. No matter how eager the Tech-priest were, they dared not touch these relics without Gamma's approval. This would be a challenge to Gamma's authority, and even if Gamma said nothing, Magos Lauster would ensure that those who broke the rules disappeared from the fleet.
Other Kosa also began military training. Taking up arms was their destiny, and they could only accept it, which they did willingly. For the benevolent "Mega God," before he went into the star sea to find weapons against the Beast of the Apocalypse, he had already settled their descendants in the safest fortress guarded by the Heroes. Even if they died, their bloodline could continue. The elders chosen to care for these children would, in the future, tell them their legends over and over again.
"Ahahaha, little Tyranid, just wait for a surprise from this Wise One!"
Gamma stood in his laboratory, hands on his hips, immensely pleased with himself, but unfortunately, no one was there to appreciate his "high spirits." This period of seclusion had been quite long, causing Gamma to not only talk to himself but also develop a habit of self-amusement.
The little Tech-priest, who had been cooped up for too long, urgently needed to get out and cure their "loneliness syndrome." After a nice bath and a full body spa from the massage robots, Gamma officially emerged from seclusion and began inspecting whether everyone had been "slacking off" in his absence.
First, Gamma decided to check out the greenskin gladiatorial arena and have Louis pick a hundred of the most Waaagh! greenskins for a "grand melee" to celebrate his successful emergence.
But when he arrived at the canyon where the arena was located, Gamma took one look and thought, "Oh no, the greenskins have escaped!"
Frightened, he hastily called for the Gear Boy to come and "cleanse the area" with its laser lances. If Louis hadn't appeared in time, Gamma would have scorched this canyon into a glass canyon.
"What's going on?" Gamma demanded, barraging Louis with questions. He was very angry now; such a major incident had occurred, and no one had reported it to him. This kind of deceptive behavior must never appear in his Gear Fleet.
Louis, who had seemingly run from somewhere and was still holding a mushroom, quickly explained, "It's a misunderstanding! Gamma, you misunderstood! The greenskins haven't gone out of control. Quickly, tell the fleet to stop the laser lances; there are still our people inside."
"Huh?" Although Gamma didn't know what had happened, out of trust in Louis, he immediately ordered the fleet to pause their actions.
Louis put the greenskin mushroom he was holding into a sample bag and explained, "Those are tamed beasts; they help us manage the greenskins."
Gamma had heard of "tamed people" but this was the first time he had heard the term "tamed beasts." He was a little suspicious that Louis had spent too much time with the greenskins and had been affected by their Waaagh! energy field. This thing was also psychic power, and he wouldn't be surprised by anything related to psychic power. He quickly stepped forward and grabbed Louis's hand; he had to use his innate ability to try and cure "Greenskin Louis."
"Why did you suddenly grab my hand?" Louis asked, puzzled.
"What did you say those greenskins were?"
"Tamed beasts, what's wrong?"
Gamma's mood was heavy. He hadn't expected that his own thoughts would harm Louis. Louis saw Gamma's distressed expression, thought about Gamma's actions just now, and then remembered Gamma's abilities displayed over a decade ago. He immediately understood what was going on, impatiently pulled his hand away from Gamma, and said:
"I haven't been affected by the greenskins!"
"Uh—…"
Under Louis's guidance, Gamma once again stepped into the canyon he had been away from for so long. Even though Louis guaranteed multiple times that those greenskins had safety measures, Gamma, who always prioritized personal safety, still called in over a hundred castellan robots to surround him and Louis in three layers.
"Are you saying these greenskins have been… tamed by your subordinates?" Gamma asked, not believing it at all.
He believed Louis's decision was too rash. If greenskins could be tamed, they wouldn't be one of the scourges of the galaxy.
"Not tamed; we reached an agreement with these greenskins."
"Agreement? What agreement?"
"We provide them with equipment, and they help us manage the unruly greenskins."
"Huh?"
"During your absence, we discovered that a small portion of greenskins began to adapt to the management system we established for them. Not only do they strictly enforce the regulations, but they also clash with greenskins who secretly violate the rules."
"However, this portion of greenskins is a minority, so they have always been ostracized by other greenskins. After discovering these special greenskins, I felt they were very similar to the Blood Axe clan. After discussing it with the Inquisitor, we decided to use beasts to control beasts."
"You don't know, greenskins, after being held captive for a long time, started showing signs of regression, becoming lazy, obese, and even shrinking in height. We had no choice but to take risks to ensure the plan wasn't affected."
"After selecting these greenskins, we assigned them as jailers, giving them better treatment, a certain degree of freedom, and also equipping them with uniform uniforms and batons."
"The results were excellent. Not only did they not show rejection, but they also formulated an even stricter set of regulations for themselves, such as their leather boots always needing to be spotless."
"They were also very diligent in dealing with other greenskins. Because other greenskins were hostile towards them, the Waaagh! energy field generated by this unified idea not only curbed the greenskins' regression but also greatly increased the production of spores and the growth rate of mushroom fields."
After hearing Louis's well-reasoned explanation, Gamma felt nothing but incredible disbelief. He still said, uneasily:
"Louis, you should understand that greenskins are creatures that pursue war. The meaning of their existence is to pursue their Waaagh!"
Hearing Gamma say this, Louis patted Gamma's shoulder and said, "We have considered this issue. We haven't forgotten how dangerous greenskins are."
"To resolve this hidden danger, I equipped these greenskins with self-destruct collars and installed surveillance in all their activity areas. At the same time, all trees and metal in this canyon were cleared out."
"After doing all this, someone among those responsible for managing the greenskins proposed that since greenskins crave war, and we raise greenskins to cope with war, why not directly tell the greenskins our purpose, tell them that we will give them a war that can destroy the world!"
"After discussion, we believed this idea had a complete chance of success. After showing the Tyranid' images to those greenskin jailers and telling them that these were their future opponents, these greenskins even actively requested to go to the greenskin forest to capture greenskins, but we did not agree to this request."
"After we refused this request, the greenskin jailers started looking for solutions from other aspects. For example, newly born Gear Kids would originally be sent directly to the arena, but now they are first sent to the jailer training camp for training, and only after being eliminated are they sent to the arena. Greenskins who complete the training will directly join the jailers."
"These jailers also show images of the Tyranid to other greenskins and tell them that those who perform well can participate in this Waaagh! with them."
"Now, more and more greenskins are willing to cooperate with us, and other greenskins, under their suppression, management, and guidance, have also started to become less passive."
Gamma opened his mouth, but in the end, said nothing. Such an unbelievable thing, even for someone as unconventional as him, was hard to accept for a while.
After explaining for a long time, Louis, feeling parched, also fell silent, resting his mouth. Thus, the two of them continued their journey quietly into the depths of the canyon, escorted by castellan robots.
The canyon now looked different from what Gamma remembered. Trees had been removed, the ground leveled, and many more buildings had appeared. However, from their appearance, Gamma still recognized these as prisons designed by Paul to hold greenskins. The biggest feature of these prisons was that all the roofs were transparent lighting facilities, which could refract natural light through mirrors and guide it via optical fibers, distributing it to every cell, allowing the imprisoned greenskins to photosynthesize and reduce "breeding costs."
Unlike before, now in front of these prisons, greenskins wearing large peaked caps, neat uniforms, and shiny leather boots, holding batons, were patrolling. The scene was so bizarre that even Gamma, an eccentric, felt it was extremely eccentric.
Just as Gamma was looking around at the changes here, something unexpected happened. Gamma heard the sound of commotion and also heard the greenskins' Waaagh! This startled him, but Louis, beside him, remained very calm. Seeing Gamma's reaction, he smiled and explained:
"Don't worry, this is an entertainment activity the greenskins came up with themselves. Every day, they will choose one prison, open the cells inside, and let the imprisoned greenskins run out. The prisoners are responsible for rioting, and the jailers are responsible for suppressing them. If they don't complete the suppression within the specified time, the jailers lose. If they complete it, the jailers win."
"If the prisoners win, they get extra food and various strange Squigs. If the jailers win, they get priority in choosing Gear Kids, more teeth, and the right to use weapons at the training ground."
"Wait, you're giving greenskins weapons! Are you crazy!" Gamma jumped up and down in agitation, like someone left behind by the times, pointing at a bikini poster by the roadside and cursing it as indecent.
Louis had anticipated Gamma's reaction and had already prepared his explanation: "This is also a compromise made to ensure the greenskins' combat effectiveness. These jailers also need to release their desire for battle and need to be stimulated."
"However, to ensure safety, they use training rounds specifically designed for greenskins by Paul. The characteristic of these rounds is that they are loud, have low power, and only have a shelf life of three days. After the shelf life, the gunpowder will be decomposed by enzymes inside and become duds. Currently, there are no signs of them being affected by the greenskins' Waaagh! energy field."
"Surprisingly, these rounds are very popular with the jailers. The difference between them and other greenskins is that they are exceptionally fond of their lives. In their words, if they die, they can no longer Waaagh!"
…
Once the trendsetter of the world, the designer of numerous heretical creations, now Magos Gamma, left behind by the times, somewhat wanted to return to his laboratory. He found it hard to accept how much the world had changed. Why, after merely closing himself off for a while, had the world become unrecognizable to him?
Another silent journey. This time, they changed direction. Gamma wanted to investigate the source of the commotion.
Upon arriving at the site of the disturbance, Gamma witnessed such a scene: greenskins in uniforms wielded their batons, beating greenskin prisoners who were fleeing in all directions. One strike to the mouth to prevent begging for mercy, two strikes to the legs to prevent escape, three strikes to the waist to prevent resistance. The enforcement had warmth (the warmth of blood), and the batons had force.
Among the greenskin prisoners, some were fleeing, others snatched batons and fought back against the jailers, and some even pulled out various homemade weapons to ambush and attack the jailers. These weapons were diverse and varied, with no fixed style, full of greenskin flair. Some were modified from cutlery, some were dismantled from prison cells, and some were polished from unknown bones. Gamma could tell that these prisoners had once defeated the jailers, because some of them threw their pets at the jailers' faces, letting the pets bite them.
Greenskins from several nearby prisons were all lying at the ventilation shafts, cheering for the prisoners, mainly with Waaagh! cries, interspersed with insults towards the jailers and disdain for the greenskins who had been knocked down.
The jailers responsible for guarding other prisons simply watched from the side, pointing at some unlucky greenskin in the field and laughing loudly. After laughing, they didn't forget to turn back and threaten the greenskin in their own prison who was shouting the loudest.
Just then, a prisoner's weapon flew out of the field. Gamma had a castellan robot pick it up for him to examine. After looking at it, Gamma for the first time so hated his own talent, because the material of this nunchaku was greenskin's… excrement.
Due to the simple craftsmanship, the entire production process of the Green Skin nunchaku, from raw material collection to shaping by hand, and then air-drying, flooded into Gamma's mind without a single omission.
The Little Tech-priest, utterly disgusted by the Green Skins' creativity and execution, were struck as if by lightning, their faces pale as they leaned on the castellan robots' legs, muttering to themselves, "I shouldn't be here."
Louis, who didn't know what was going on, thought Gamma was scared by the gore and quickly comforted him:
"Gamma, don't be afraid. There are hidden autocannons here, servo-skulls monitoring from above, and a squad of castellan robots and Adeptus Ministorum on standby nearby. If there are any signs of things getting out of control, they'll be here in minutes."
"Mhm." Gamma, who only wanted to vomit, managed a weak response.
Feeling unwell, Gamma had to stay put and wait until he felt better before looking around. While they waited, the Green Skin version of "You Run, I Chase" also came to an end. A Green Skin, two sizes larger than the others, appeared at the edge of the arena and blew a large whistle with his fanged mouth—this was the signal to end.
The other Green Skin jailers at the side of the arena, upon receiving the signal, rushed into the still chaotic scene with their batons. Gamma noticed that after the large Green Skin blew the whistle, the Green Skin Inquisitors, who had been lurking and ambushing at the edge of the arena, began to walk back into the prison on their own accord.
The Green Skin prisoners who were still persisting in their "struggle" were either reckless or had gone berserk and just wanted to fight, but these Green Skins quickly fell under a barrage of blows.
"That's the head jailer. He even demands that other Green Skins call him the Warden," Louis said.
After all the prisoners were returned to the prison, the Warden began to punch and kick the failed jailers, yelling and cursing. Yet, these jailers, whether their heads were bleeding or their bones deformed, stood ramrod straight, accepting the Warden's abuse without showing any dissatisfaction or desire to resist, as if they too believed that failure deserved punishment.
After disciplining his subordinates, the Warden jogged towards Gamma's direction, stopping a distance away from the castellan robots, and then shouted:
"Boss Louis, why weren't you at the mushroom farm today?"
Louis did not respond, but the castellan robots parted, allowing the Green Skin to see Gamma and Louis inside. After clearly seeing who the unfamiliar Little Shrimp was, the Green Skin Warden's blood-red eyes suddenly narrowed. It was this Little Shrimp who "helped him open the door to a new world."
"Come here."
Hearing Gamma's words, the Green Skin didn't hesitate and stepped into the castellan robots' encirclement, stopping again a distance away from Gamma.
Looking at the not-so-Green Skin Green Skin in the distance, Gamma's expression was very strange. He found that this Green Skin Warden was very clear about his situation and status, knowing that humans did not trust Green Skins, and also understood how to advance and retreat. Even though he told him to approach, this Green Skin still consciously maintained a safe distance.
"What's your name?" Gamma, curious about this Green Skin, asked.
"Reporting, Boss gear boy, my name is Ironhide. You were the one who gave me this name."
"Are you the Green Skin I electrocuted?" Gamma asked, surprised to encounter an acquaintance.
"Yes, Boss gear boy, you hit me really hard that day."
Not dwelling on the Green Skin's poor address for him, and indeed he was the boss of the Gear Fleet, Gamma incredulously sized up the Green Skin in front of him while recalling the original Green Skin who dared to perform "cross-talk" for him.
"Ironhide, how did you become like this?"
"Uh—I don't know either. At first, I wasn't used to it, then I slowly got used to it, and then I liked it. Once I liked it, I wanted to clean up those unruly Green Skins."
Hearing Ironhide's clear and well-articulated answer, if it weren't for his appearance, Gamma would not have felt that the person opposite him was a Green Skin. Then he asked:
"Ironhide, what are you thinking? You should be very clear about our purpose."
Ironhide bared his fangs and grinned, replying, "We all know you Little Shrimp want us to help you fight the bugs, and you don't trust us."
"Don't you want to have a WAAAGH with us?"
"Heh heh, Boss Kid understands us. We think about it every day, but we can't beat you guys."
"Aren't the bugs coming soon? There's a really good WAAAGH waiting for us, so I think we should endure for now."
"Let's save up more Kids, so we can have a good WAAAGH with the bugs then, heh heh heh." After laughing, Ironhide continued:
"I also know that other Green Skins don't like Green Skins like us. The first thing they think about when they get their hands on a weapon is how to fight us. We are few in number, so we need your Little Shrimp's help."
"Boss Louis took me and a few good boys to see the big things you Little Shrimp and the Blue Skins built. You didn't lie to me about the bugs. I also went into the woods to see those country bumpkins, they're too rustic. We look down on them. It's more WAAAGH to fight with you."
Logical, reasonable, with clear objectives, and completely undisguised. Gamma pondered for a long time but couldn't find any loopholes or lies in Ironhide's words. He somewhat understood why Louis gave these Green Skins such lenient conditions.
Since the Green Skins were so cooperative, it wouldn't do for the boss of the Gear Fleet not to show some appreciation. Seeing Ironhide about to pick up another ordinary large police baton, Gamma had Ironhide follow him to the Green Skin arena, where he found the already discarded stun batons, modified them, and made a large stun baton with special effects.
The most striking feature of this stun baton was that once the switch was flipped, dense electric sparks would flash on the front half of the baton, and the sound of the flickering sparks was particularly loud. The light and shadow effects were very intimidating, though the intensity of the electric shock was far less impressive than the special effects, only twice as strong as the original stun baton.
Ironhide, after receiving the reward, couldn't wait to try it out. He immediately declared that Gamma understood Green Skins and was the most thoughtful gear boy. Then, he impatiently rushed into the nearest prison to let those scumbag Green Skins who dissed him behind his back know who the Green Skin boss was here.
After Ironhide left, Gamma took the opportunity to tour the Green Skin arena and was once again disgusted by the management talents under Louis. He believed that if the subjects of these tortures weren't Green Skins, Slaanesh would surely be summoned. Which heretic came up with using triangular horses and turtle shell restraints on Green Skins?!
"These methods, which can punish disobedient Green Skins without harming them, were all thought up by them racking their brains. Thanks to them, the Green Skin farm wouldn't be developing so well now."
Louis, the simple-minded older boy, didn't forget to give credit to the "managers" in front of Gamma, completely oblivious to Gamma's "my eyes are blind" expression.
Stimulated all day, Gamma returned to his room dispirited, pulled out his handwritten copy of "The Emperor's Sayings," which he hadn't touched in a long time. The Little Tech-priest needed someone to confide in.
"Emperor, do you know what I went through today?"
(Emperor: You haven't shown your face in so long, how would I know? Quickly tell me where you are, so I can send someone to find you, it's important business!)
Gamma rambled on about his day's experiences.
(Emperor: My ears are dirty!!!)
Gamma, who hadn't slept well all night, decided to visit the Kosa today. He believed that those primitive barbarians would surely make him feel familiar.
After asking other Priests and learning that ordinary Kosa were currently undergoing military training, Gamma once again began his inspection work. Arriving at the Kosa training ground, Gamma's first sight was the Adeptus Ministorum standing guard.
Although he was a former pirate, he was now a loyal believer who had cast aside his past and devoted himself to the Omnissiah. Considering that the Adeptus Ministorum also had self-awareness, Gamma, as the fleet's head, believed he needed to show concern for these soldiers who were always ready to sacrifice themselves for him. So he walked up to the Adeptus Ministorum and said:
"You've worked hard. Is there anything you're not used to in your life?"
Then Gamma saw the Adeptus Ministorum kneel before him and say in a fervent and devout tone: "Great and merciful Mega God, welcome your return from the star sea."
"Gah!" Gamma let out a strange cry of shock. This was a Kosa.
"Who! Who did it!" Gamma roared.
That a Priest dared to transform someone into Adeptus Ministorum without his consent was unacceptable to Gamma. This was not only a challenge to his authority but also a challenge to his conscience.
Gamma's furious appearance frightened the Kosa kneeling on the ground. Even with his mechanically modified body, he couldn't help but tremble, but he still said in a devout and trembling voice:
"Great Mega God, I have offended your divine power. If you can appease your wrath, please punish me, shatter my body and soul."
In his rage, Gamma heard something amiss in the Kosa's words. This Kosa did not seem to be brainwashed.
Having learned from yesterday's lesson, Gamma was no longer the Gamma of yesterday.
"Answer me, what's wrong with your body? Did anyone force you to modify your body? Did anyone instill things into your souls?"
"No, no, no, merciful Mega God, it was all my own will. I was too weak originally to become your warrior, so I begged the Priest to replace my frail flesh with strong steel."
"Nor did any Priest modify my soul. The Priest told us that you are not unable to, you just dislike doing so, because you believe that a free and pure soul is humanity's most precious treasure."
Gamma fell silent again, because the actions of the Little Tech-priest, who were very conspicuous wherever they went with their guards and castellan robots, had been seen by the other Adeptus Ministorum-Kosa on guard duty. They were all kneeling on the ground now, which made Gamma feel very awkward.
Thick-skinned, pretending that he hadn't been the one angry just now, Gamma patted the shoulder of the person kneeling in front of him, signaling them to stand up, and also told the others to stand up. Then, he feigned praise, telling them they had worked hard, that they were all good comrades, brave and dedicated individuals, and that standing guard was a difficult and great task, and so on. Finally, somewhat flustered, he walked towards the interior of the training ground.
"Faith is truly a dangerous thing; one misstep and it can cause huge problems."
Magos Gamma, deeply regretting not having suppressed the "Mega God" faith at the first opportunity, looked at the Adeptus Mechanicus-style Kosa training camp and resolved in his heart that if a similar situation ever arose again, he would definitely invite the "cultists" for a talk.
The once primitive savages had now upgraded to technological barbarians, with the iron content in their bodies clearly exceeding that of organic matter.
The landmark buildings here were not various training grounds, but rather the modification center located in the middle of several training camps, with organic beings constantly entering and others, either curious or showing off their bionic limbs, constantly emerging.
Amidst a continuous stream of genuflections, Magos Gamma entered the modification center. Upon entering, he immediately saw a group of Priests already welcoming him in the hall. Many of these Priests were young faces who had grown from apprentices in the few years since their departure.
The educational reforms Magos Gamma implemented in Thedan resulted in the apprentices there having much higher quality and faster growth rates than those in other Forge Worlds, though in terms of efficiency, they still couldn't compare to cultivators like him and Louis.
However, this did not affect the promotion speed and proportion of the 40,000 adult apprentices Magos Gamma brought with him to Priests. Furthermore, Principal Gamma's "Wild Duck Strike Operation" continued, making those lovers under the stick work even harder to become Priests sooner, so they could be with their loved ones.
However, Magos Gamma heard that there were also incidents where overworking led to third-party interference. Magos Gamma, who prided himself as an educator, merely secretly watched a few melodramas of "Do you love her/him or me" through surveillance, without intervening.
Magos Gamma was not surprised to be greeted by Priests, but he was surprised to see Jacob there. From his attire, it was clear Jacob had just come from the operating table.
"You've all worked hard."
"You are the one who has worked hard, esteemed Magos Gamma." × N
After exchanging a few pleasantries with everyone and asking for their opinions, Magos Gamma approached Jacob.
"Jacob, why are you here? And what's with these Kosa?"
Jacob sighed and said, "I know you've always been very against the forced modification of people within the faith, but given the battlefield the Kosa are about to face, do they have a choice?"
"Before you went into seclusion for research, didn't you promise them that their bloodline would continue? Do you know what these Kosa did?"
"They selected the elders responsible for looking after the children and kept everyone who could hold a weapon."
"That means everyone. The old people nearing their end, the children barely able to lift a sword—they were all left behind. They risked everything just to increase the chances of victory."
"The more they trained, the more they understood what they were facing. The more they understood, the more desperate they became!"
"They realized they needed power. When the first Kosa voluntarily applied to be modified, more and more Kosa began to have the same idea."
"Is that so…" Magos Gamma murmured.
"After discussing with Magos Lauster, we decided to agree to the Kosa's request. The modified Kosa can greatly enhance the defensive strength on Kosa Star. We believe you would hesitate when facing this issue, but ultimately you would agree."
"Yes, I would ultimately agree—"
Magos Gamma rubbed his head. Magos Lauster and Jacob were the ones who understood him best; they were making a difficult decision for him.
"Thank you," Magos Gamma said to Jacob, but honest Jacob's next words made Magos Gamma speechless.
"However, we didn't expect the Kosa to have such a high acceptance of modification. Generally, such primitive civilizations value their bodies greatly, trying to keep them intact for burial. But these Kosa not only all accepted, they even have a similar idea to our faith: the less organic matter, the closer to the omnissiah."
"Later, we analyzed that it might be because they started believing in you."
The omnissiah's offspring retorted, "Nonsense! I don't have such ability!"
But Jacob's thought was, how can you prove you don't? Facts speak louder than words, and millions of Kosa are an ironclad fact. However, he understood Magos Gamma and knew he always denied being the Omnissiah's offspring, and he always disdained other Chaos God faiths, which was also one of the proofs of a "true god."
Foreseeing Magos Gamma's reaction, Jacob had already prepared another explanation. He said:
"You misunderstood. My meaning wasn't that you made the Kosa like this. It's that after the Kosa saw your guards and castellan robots, and us and the Adeptus Ministorum, they developed the idea that the higher the degree of modification, the closer they were to you."
"And you all, why didn't you explain it to them?" Magos Gamma complained.
The Tech-priest certainly explained to the Kosa, but mechanical ascension is the mainstream faction of the Adeptus Mechanicus. This involves the "political correctness" of the Adeptus Mechanicus. Moreover, they didn't have the perfect body of the Omnissiah's offspring, who could go days without sleep and still be energetic. How could flesh-and-blood Tech-priest learn more sacred technology without modifying themselves? Their explanation to the Kosa was also the Adeptus Mechanicus's standard line—just modify!
Jacob, who dared not tell Magos Gamma what the Priests were doing privately, spoke a truth:
"You also know the Kosa's cognition is low."
"Alright, alright, since it's already like this, just continue. Oh, by the way, what's going on with those people?" Magos Gamma asked, pointing to the Kosa kneeling nearby. These Kosa were male and female, old and young, and showed no signs of modification.
Jacob looked in the direction Magos Gamma was pointing and said, "They are all highly intelligent individuals who have been screened. Using them as warriors would be a waste of their talent, so we plan to recruit them and train them to become apprentices."
"I see. You've done well. We need a continuous supply of new blood to maintain the vitality of our exploration fleet."
This was the only thing that made Magos Gamma feel relieved these past two days. Happy, he specifically walked up to these new recruits to encourage them, telling the young ones to study hard, for the future was theirs, and telling the older ones to also study hard.
With our technology, at your age, you are at your prime for venturing out.
After encouraging them, Magos Gamma felt that since he was already here, simply going through the motions wouldn't show his concern as a great leader for his subordinates. So, he decided to stay at the modification center to guide the Priests on bionic modification and bionics knowledge.
Although Magos Gamma didn't modify himself, he was quite knowledgeable about how to modify others, and his skills were very advanced. Otherwise, the price of "bionic components" in Thedan wouldn't have been driven down to rock-bottom prices by him. Many Priests settled in Thedan precisely because of the good quality, low price, and superior performance of the bionic components.
This was also the confidence that allowed Magos Lauster and the others to agree to the Kosa's request. If it were other Tech-priest, they would surely think these barbarians were trying to take advantage of them and would turn them into servitors as punishment.
Magos Gamma originally had little interest in these bloody technologies, but one time, when he was wandering around, he heard a Tech-Priest say that his four-chambered heart was constantly malfunctioning. Magos Gamma was greatly displeased, never expecting that Priests in the Thedan he rebuilt would need four-limbed bionic bodies. He believed that the black-hearted capitalists had completely failed to grasp his "New Thedan Spirit" as the Crown Prince, and resolutely threw himself into the research and development of bionic components. He wanted to bankrupt the black-hearted Tech-priest with rock-bottom prices.
As for the outcome, there's no need to elaborate. It's worth mentioning that Archmagos Will once sold off his collections for a period to deal with cash flow problems.
Overall, the second day's inspection felt much better to Magos Gamma than the first day's. Although unexpected things happened, at least he didn't have to go back at night and continue mumbling to "The Emperor's Sayings."
As for the third stop, Magos Gamma decided to go see those warlike barbaric warriors. He chose this place mainly because Magos Gamma was currently worried about the Tyranid. He planned to recover before going to see the Tyranid under the Inquisitor's charge.
The barbaric warriors' activity range was in the Tyranid' great forest. To separate them from other Kosa, when Magos Gamma decided to let them hunt Tyranid for points, he built a hunting town for them on the edge of the Tyranid forest. Here, they could safely rest, exchange equipment, or treat injuries.
Gazing at the fantasy-style hunting town he designed, the little Tech-Priest's personal desires were once again satisfied. While warhammer had all the elements of fantasy, its art style was too grotesque, with each race more absurd than the last, unable to satisfy Magos Gamma's little fantasies. Fortunately, he had the ability to satisfy himself.
But things that made him unhappy always appeared when he was happy. Before he even got close to the fantasy town, he saw someone bullying someone else through his telescope. And the bully was someone he knew, which made Magos Gamma, who had just been fantasizing about being a hero, unable to tolerate it.
"Stop right there, you gangsters!"
"Magos Gamma, it's the Brotherhood."
The leader of the gangsters, who shamelessly paraded around all day with a group of "tattooed" naked men, dared to talk back to him. Magos Gamma was furious. He pointed at the Blue Man and said:
"If I say you're gangsters, you are! Tell me why you're bullying him? Aren't you all on the same side? I've only been gone for a short time, and Blue Man, you've already started fighting among yourselves!"
Seeing Magos Gamma angry, the Blue Man quickly put on a smiling face and explained, "Magos, you misunderstood. He's not with us. We are the Dharmakaya, he is Flash of Lightning."
Knowing the historical grievances between the two factions of Electric Monks, Magos Gamma couldn't continue to blame the Blue Man. However, he still couldn't stand the Blue Man leading a group of people to electrify one person, so he said:
"With the Tyranid enemy at hand, and other Magos willing to come to Kosa Star to help, we cannot bully their followers. Pay attention to unity, and don't do this again!"
"We didn't do anything to disrupt unity. He's not from another ship; he's from our ship."
"Hmm!? Wait, when did Flash of Lightning Electric Monks appear on my ship? Why don't I know about this?"
Gamma guessed that Flash of Lightning, the Electric Monk who had suddenly appeared, was connected to Blue Man when he saw Blue Man avoiding his gaze.
"Explain what's going on! If you don't give me a clear explanation, your Lightning Monk Brotherhood won't get a single penny of activity funds in the future!"
Blue Man, who relied entirely on Gamma's funds to maintain the faith of Source Power, panicked when he heard Gamma's words. After a long hesitation, he said:
"Magos Gamma, you understand the grievances between us and Flash of Lightning."
"Mm, get to the point!"
"After Flash of Lightning of Thedan died, my brother and I were naturally ecstatic, but after a long time, we felt a bit lonely."
Heh, the brute Gamma rolled his eyes at Blue Man and his brother.
"So, when your fleet was formed, our Brotherhood, after discussion, decided to dispatch elite, daring, and capable soldiers to join your fleet."
"On one hand, we can spread the Source Power faith, and on the other hand, share Source Power with more people."
You just want to electrify people! Gamma continued to roll his eyes at Blue Man and his brother.
"We shared a lot of Source Power, and many new brothers joined the Brotherhood, but we always felt like something was missing in our hearts. Later, I figured it out."
"What did you figure out?" Gamma asked with a hint of curiosity. He wanted to see what kind of bizarre answer this oddball would give him.
"We lack Flash of Lightning! A Lightning Monk Brotherhood without Flash of Lightning is incomplete. Dharma Body and Flash of Lightning each represent one side of Source Power's duality: release and absorption. Our Dharma Body represents release, and Flash of Lightning represents absorption."
Watching the naked Blue Man speak philosophical words with a devout expression, Gamma's face twitched. He said to Blue Man:
"So you found someone and forcibly transformed him into an Electric Monk of Flash of Lightning, so you would have someone to bully and attack again. Blue Man, how dare you! What do you take my fleet for?!"
Blue Man, whose petty scheme was exposed, saw that Gamma was taking it seriously and quickly explained:
"No, no, he was willing. After I told my brothers my idea, they also thought I made sense.
So, when we recruit new brothers, we show them the two scriptures of Dharma Body and Flash of Lightning and let them choose for themselves. The fact proves that our Dharma Body is stronger than Flash of Lightning; they all choose to join us. Only this kid insisted on joining Flash of Lightning."
"You're full of it!" The young Electric Monk of Flash of Lightning, who had recovered, pointed at Blue Man and cursed.
Gamma, with a clouded face, was already contemplating how to deal with Blue Man, who dared to lie to him. If he dared to lie now, wouldn't he try to usurp the throne in the future? Did he also want to transform Gamma into a little Electric Monk? He must strike hard.
He gave the youth an encouraging look, signaling him to tell all the grievances he suffered and how he was kidnapped and forced by Blue Man. Magos Gamma would surely restore order to the Gear Fleet.
Empowered by Gamma's backing, the youth immediately gained courage. He strode powerfully to Blue Man, completely overwhelming the shifty-eyed Blue Man with his imposing presence. The youth pointed his index finger at Blue Man's nose and said:
"Shameless scoundrel! What do you mean by giving newcomers a choice? Your 'choice' was to hide our Flash of Lightning sect's scripture under the table! If it weren't for the protection of Source Power that allowed me to coincidentally discover the true scripture, when would our Flash of Lightning sect ever be rebuilt? Bah! Hypocrite!"
Gamma's eyes widened, and he let out a silent "Ah!?"
"You're the one full of it! What true scripture? It's only good for propping up a table leg!"
Blue Man was furious, and electric arcs began to flicker on his circuits, but he forgot who was nearby.
"Both of you shut up!" Gamma roared. He had figured it out; this Electric Monk of Flash of Lightning also had a screw loose.
"I don't care about the grievances between your two factions. On my ship, there will be no internal strife from now on! No! Do you understand?"
With the big leader's outburst, the two protagonists of the tense standoff had no choice but to stop. Then, the Electric Monk of Flash of Lightning said to Gamma: "Respected Magos Gamma, it's not that I want to fight them, but they are too despicable!"
"And no ganging up on others!" Gamma added another sentence.
"Uh—Wise One, I'm not talking about that kind of despicableness. Instead of them squandering Source Power everywhere, they should release it to me so I can collect and safeguard it. The main thing is that the shameless Blue Man is withholding the activity funds you allocated to the Lightning Monk Brotherhood from me, preventing our Flash of Lightning sect from growing."
At this, Blue Man immediately became anxious and blurted out: "You're just one person, what do you need funds for? Is Magos Gamma starving you or something? Wise One, look how ungrateful he is! I even performed his transformation surgery, and he shows no gratitude at all!"
"Alright, from now on, a portion of this allocation will be set aside for you. However, since you have few people, this resource won't be much, and we'll decide based on the situation in the future," Gamma said, rubbing his aching head. He wanted to leave quickly and get away from these lunatics.
"Thank you, Magos Gamma," the youth thanked him. Blue Man pouted and said nothing more.
As Gamma was about to continue his fantastical journey, he suddenly remembered something and asked Blue Man: "Where did you get the Flash of Lightning's scriptures and technology?"
"After the complete annihilation of Flash of Lightning of Thedan, all their belongings were collected by me."
Alright, Electric Monks are also Tech-priest, also Tech-priest. It's normal for them to have a habit of being a bit light-fingered! Very normal!
"Alas, I feel so disappointed—"
Lying on the bed in the "Adventurer's Inn," Gamma stared blankly at the ceiling. Reality was harsh; adventurers without magic and various magical artifacts were completely different from Gamma's fantasies. Although he had complained that those Kosa who voluntarily underwent transformations were Tech Barbarians, it was only when he arrived here that he truly understood what Tech Barbarians were.
No one knew how Gamma felt when he saw a group of Kosa, disheveled and covered in grime, carrying cold weapons, with high-tech weapons on their backs, some limbs and organs replaced by grotesque prosthetics, carrying the hollowed-out green-skinned corpses, behaving barbarically and crudely, and reeking of body odor, swaggering past him.
"So disillusioned. How will you compensate me—" Gamma said to the ceiling again.
The Kosa had polluted Gamma's fantasy with their barbaric hunting culture. Fantasy-style buildings were defiled by terrifying dried animal heads—there were animal, beastman, and even human heads. Regarding these human heads, the person in charge of managing the area explained to Gamma that "blocking is worse than guiding." To make these barbarians obey management, they had to accept some Kosa customs, such as revenge duels, and allowing them to carry their enemies' heads as decorations.
As for the grotesque prosthetics on these Tech Barbarians that exemplified violent aesthetics, they were entirely the Kosa's own doing. Although they lacked the technology to modify these prosthetics, it didn't stop them from decorating the prosthetics' exteriors with traditional craftsmanship, painting tribal totems with mineral pigments, and applying patches of glue, teeth, scales, and sharp claws to the prosthetics. The Tech-priest were also too lazy to communicate with these difficult barbarians about such matters. The fantasy style Gamma expected did not appear; what lay before him was a town where Khorne followers could perfectly blend in and quickly disappear into the crowd. After repeatedly confirming that no suspicious cults had appeared here, Gamma finally decided to stay overnight, making up for his regret by staying at the "Adventurer's Inn." However, even the best inn here was too bad for the little Tech-Priest, who was accustomed to a life of luxury and whose every meal and item was a luxury, so Gamma suffered from insomnia.
After staring blankly at the ceiling all night, Gamma now planned to go find the Inquisitor and see how the free-range Green Skins were doing. He knew he had to see them eventually, and it was better to get it over with quickly than prolong the agony. After getting through that, the "main course" of the ruins awaited him.
Gamma, eager to finish his "main course," didn't procrastinate this time like he had in the past few days. He directly summoned an airship and headed straight for the fortress where the Inquisitor was located. When the airship reached its destination, Gamma disembarked and saw Inquisitor Finnie and a line of Space Marines already waiting for him.
"Long time no see, Magos Gamma."
"Haha, my sense of time is a bit off right now. I always feel like I just saw you all a short while ago."
"You've been alone for too long; it will gradually return. It seems you've already solved the problem, Wise One."
"Hmm, this time I've prepared a surprise for Gorgon. How did you guess?"
"I thought you'd come yesterday. Who would have thought you'd still have the mind to stay a night in the hunting town? It's hard for me not to guess."
"Uh—."
Gamma's expression was a bit awkward upon learning that Finnie had waited for him all day, but the Inquisitor didn't seem to blame him. Seeing him awkwardly rub his temple, she proactively helped him out:
"You've been cooped up in the lab for so long; you should get out more. Look, you're not as humorous as you used to be."
"Haha, I've even gotten used to talking to myself. Let's go, show me around here and tell me about these free-range Green Skins. You wouldn't believe it, when I went to Louis's place, I almost had the fleet burn that place to glass."
"The situation there was indeed a bit unexpected. Come with me, Inquisitor Finnie," she said with a smile, motioning Gamma to follow her.
As they walked deeper into the fortress, Finnie didn't immediately introduce the situation there but instead briefly explained the progress of the combined fleet to Gamma.
"Now, the Gorgon hive is only two more bait ships away from reaching us. We don't have much time left."
"Are there any unexpected changes?" Gamma asked.
Upon hearing Gamma's question, the Inquisitor nodded and then shook her head, saying:
"The plan is proceeding relatively smoothly. Although Gorgon tried to disperse its tendrils a few times, the fleet prevented them. It's now largely confirmed that Gorgon has fallen into the trap, and the combined fleet began transporting ground forces to Kosa Star not long ago."
"So, the fortresses and defensive positions that were built have already begun to be used."
"Yes, but there's also bad news that has come through."
Seeing Finnie's serious expression and furrowed brows, Gamma quickly asked: "Has Gorgon started to adapt to the combined fleet's mixed firepower?"
"Yes, it has started to adapt! The Carifex and the Razorfiend, these two Tyranid bio-ships, their carapaces had already evolved to be immune to Tau's ion weapons, but now they are also starting to show resistance to our focused energy weapons."
"Only focused energy weapons?"
"That's what's been observed so far."
Gamma, who had initially thought the situation might be worse, breathed a sigh of relief. Who would have thought that the macro-cannons he had always looked down upon had now become the most effective and unsolvable weapon against the Tyranid?
"Finnie, you don't need to worry too much. I will prepare special weapons against the Tyranid for them before the fleet arrives."
Magos Gamma had not spent so long in the laboratory for nothing; having solved the problem of nanorobot endurance within living organisms, he could be said to hold half a "Nanite Scourge." Once he solved "self-replication," Magos Gamma's name would undoubtedly be on the Assassin Court's list of dangerous individuals.
However, Magos Gamma wasn't too worried about this. What he wore, what he stepped on, what hung around his neck, what was tucked into his waist—he could stand still and let an assassin attack him, and the assassin would be half-dead from exhaustion. Any Imperial faction wanting to move against him would first have to consider Thedan and the Regent behind Magos Gamma.
Hearing Magos Gamma say this, the Inquisitor's face lit up with joy, and she said,
"Oh, it seems you have quite a surprise in store for the Tyranid."
"Heh heh, I'll fire a small one for you to see in a bit," Magos Gamma said with a smug expression.
The Inquisitor looked at Magos Gamma strangely. The little Tech-Priest hadn't hidden it away but had brought it out so openly.
This didn't fit her stereotype of Tech-priest at all. Sensing the meaning behind her peculiar expression, Magos Gamma said irritably,
"If you keep looking at me like that, I won't show you anything."
"Haha, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I just didn't expect it," the Inquisitor quickly said with a forced smile.
"Hmph."
Magos Gamma being so generous this time was primarily because he wanted to show off. The secondary reason was that this was originally a secret weapon prepared for Gorgon, and it would eventually be exposed to everyone in the fleet. Who was he hiding it from? The Tyranid?
"What's the situation with the Orks here now? Nothing strange or bizarre has happened, has it?" Magos Gamma asked with lingering fear.
"No, but Orks themselves are already strange enough. The Snakebites Clan here is also an anomaly among Ork clans."
Hearing that the free-range Orks had truly become Snakebites Orks, Magos Gamma complained, "It's still amazing. The Blood Axe and Snakebites Clans, both disliked by Ork society, we've encountered them all at once."
"Who says it isn't? But precisely because the Orks of Kosa have the characteristics of these two clans, our plan can proceed smoothly."
The two chatted casually all the way to the deepest part of the defensive fortress. This was a data center for a huge monitoring system.
Hundreds of personnel stared intently at the screens in front of them, and a dozen Tech-priest maintained the equipment's operation. These Tech-priest, seeing the Inquisitor enter with a small Tech-Priest just over three feet tall, quickly stepped forward to salute and greet him.
"Greetings to you, esteemed Magos Gamma."
"Hello, who are you?" Magos Gamma asked, looking at the Tech-priest whose attire clearly indicated they weren't from his fleet, feeling puzzled. His own people had never been so shabby.
"We are the accompanying Priests of the joint fleet," the leading Priest replied.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I've been in the laboratory for too long and didn't react immediately," Magos Gamma said awkwardly, having forgotten about this group of poor Tech-priest.
"You are too kind, too kind."
The Tech-priest, knowing the weight and achievements of the one before them, dared not accept Magos Gamma's apology. In their eyes, the fact that he even acknowledged them and didn't show impatience immediately meant that Magos Gamma was easy to talk to. They understood their own standing within the Adeptus Mechanicus.
Seeing these Tech-priest acting very reserved in front of him, Magos Gamma comforted them,
"Don't be nervous. You who maintain the Imperial war engines on the front lines are all remarkable and great. You who dare to face xenos and heretics, what is there to be nervous about when you see a Tech-Priest like me, right?"
"Magos, you—"
"Alright, show the courage you have in war, straighten your backs. We are all Priests of the Omnissiah, there is no high or low among us."
The dozen or so accompanying Priests looked at each other, then slowly straightened their bowed backs. But in their hearts, their respect for Magos Gamma deepened. They felt that this Magos was different from the Magos they had seen before.
"It was my oversight. I've been here for so long and never thought of you. How about this, go to my fleet's station and exchange ideas with the Priests who follow me, and while you're there, upgrade your prosthetics."
"Magos, we—"
"You can notify the other accompanying Priests. I'm not deliberately favoring you. In my opinion, you possess a wealth of practical knowledge, and this knowledge is very valuable. And don't worry, they won't reject you because of the modifications made for adaptation and emergency. My fleet isn't so dogmatic."
"Treating everyone equally" and "a sharp sword for a hero" are two great skills for winning people's hearts. To employ these two skills, one also needs a passive ability: high status and strong power. Magos Gamma coincidentally possessed this passive. Now, having instinctively awakened these two divine skills, he didn't realize that with just a few words, he had gained another circle of followers, nor did he know what kind of sparks would fly between his new and old Believers.
If the Inquisitor hadn't rescued Magos Gamma from the Tech-priest who wanted to "adopt" him, the little Tech-Priest would have almost gained a dozen "adopted sons" older than himself.
"Shouldn't the Imperium improve the treatment of accompanying Priests? Look how aggrieved these Tech-priest are, grown men wiping away tears."
Magos Gamma, unaware of his good fortune, didn't thank the Inquisitor who saved him. After the Inquisitor sent away the Tech-priest who wanted to cling to him, he immediately spoke up to defend his Believers. Hearing this, the Inquisitor was so angry she wanted to call the Tech-priest back.
"Yes, yes, my great and generous Magos Gamma, why don't I gather all the Tech-priest again after your inspection, and you can have a good chat with them?"
"Uh—let's go, I'll show you the secret weapon."
Seeing Magos Gamma guiltily change the subject, the Inquisitor smiled and said, "How about you first understand the Orks here? Save your surprise for last."
"Okay, your territory, I'll follow your arrangements."
"Follow me."
After being led by the Inquisitor to a conference room in the data center, Finnie laid out the compiled data in front of Magos Gamma.
At the same time, she activated the holographic projection and began to explain to Magos Gamma the changes in the Orks here since he had gone into seclusion.
"After we drove all the scattered Ork tribes in the Ork forest here and blockaded them, these Ork tribes first began a civil war."
"These Ork tribes initially did not exhibit the characteristics of the six major clans in Ork society. We'll temporarily call them Feral Orks, until an Ork Warboss named Iron Jaw rose to power."
As the Inquisitor explained, she played a holographic recording of Iron Jaw. From the image, by comparing Iron Jaw with the Ork Boyz around him, Magos Gamma concluded that this Ork was at least twice the height of a normal Ork. He was the largest Ork he had ever seen.
The giant Squig he rode was even comparable in size to a Knight.
"This Iron Jaw and the Orks he led showed clear characteristics of the Snakebites Clan. He led his Orks and various war beasts to defeat other Ork leaders and unify the Orks here."
As the Inquisitor spoke, a scene was played showing a group of Orks riding Squigs that looked somewhat like wild boars, wielding melee weapons, charging forward. Magos Gamma found it novel and also noticed some differences between these Orks and the Orks he had raised.
"Are the Orks under Iron Jaw stronger than other Orks?" Magos Gamma asked.
"Yes, a stronger physique is also one of the characteristics of the Snakebites."
Alright, as long as they don't play with technology, bulking up is fine. Should I add a project for the Orks in the breeding farm when I go back? Magos Gamma rubbed his chin, pondering.
"After Iron Jaw unified the Orks, the other Orks were quickly assimilated by them, and their physiques also began to become stronger. At the same time, we also began to harass the Orks, weakening them and also stimulating them."
"Have they caused any impact on our plan?"
"Not yet. Your plan to control the Orks through resources has been very successful. After these Orks became Snakebites Orks,
They began to pursue sharpened bone clubs, heavy greatclubs, and sharp-edged choppas, and they are very resistant to technological weapons. Even if they captured some simple firearms from other Orks, they all ended up in the hands of the Gretchin."
"Good Orks, indeed," Magos Gamma said, raising an eyebrow in jest upon hearing this news.
"Haha, indeed good Orks. I have another piece of good news."
"Oh, tell me."
"According to observations, these Orks frequently allow poisonous creatures to intentionally bite them. This not only makes them immune to certain toxins but also allows their bodies to rapidly produce antibodies upon contact with toxins."
"Hahahaha, it feels like the whole world is helping us deal with Gorgon, hahahaha."
Seeing Magos Gamma laughing so hard he was bent over, the Inquisitor also burst into laughter. She also hadn't expected everything to go so smoothly.
After laughing for a while, Magos Gamma began to read the documents in front of him. He needed to understand the Orks here in more detail. After finishing the documents and closing his eyes to think for a long time, Magos Gamma opened his eyes again and said,
"Given this, our plan can be even bolder."
The Inquisitor also nodded and said, "I think so too. After carefully reviewing the material on Orks left by our predecessors, I found that the disadvantages and weaknesses of a single Ork clan are very obvious. The reason why an Ork horde unleashed by every Ork Warboss can sweep across several star systems, or even several sectors, is precisely because his Ork army includes all Ork clans. The mutual complementarity between clans makes Orks capable of handling any situation."
"Although we can currently suppress the Orks' development, if we want the Orks to play a role in the war against the Tyranid,
From the current situation, it is far from achieving the desired effect."
Magos Gamma also agreed with the Inquisitor's idea: "The original intention was to use Orks to fight the Tyranid. If the Orks can't even withstand the Tyranid' first wave of attack, we would have to divert forces to protect the Orks to give them time to develop, which would be a joke."
"That's right."
"The key issue is when the Tyranid will arrive. Only by estimating the Tyranid' arrival time can we act."
The Inquisitor thought for a moment and said, "Leave it to me. I'll try to predict Gorgon's arrival time using psychic divination."
"You can use psychic powers?!" Magos Gamma looked surprised.
Finnie looked at the Tech-Magos who was exceptionally intelligent in most matters but very obtuse in some, and said with a helpless tone,
"I am an Inquisitor, and an Xenos Inquisitor at that. How could I understand those Xenos without psychic abilities? Do I have to learn their language and writing every time to understand them?"
Upon learning that Finnie possessed psychic abilities, Magos Gamma immediately wanted the Inquisitor to demonstrate a few psychic lightning bolts for him.
However, the Inquisitor ignored him, merely giving him a few glares before saying, "Unleashing psychic powers is dangerous for a psyker; it means one's soul might be exposed to the evil entities in the Warp."
After hearing the Inquisitor's explanation, Magos Gamma realized how unreasonable his request had been and lowered his head in embarrassment.
But he quickly remembered that Finnie was going to use her psychic powers to predict the Tyranid' arrival, and he hastily said, "Since that's the case, let's not predict the Tyranid' arrival time.
There's no guarantee of a result, and even if there is, we don't know if it's true or false."
Understanding that Magos Gamma was worried about her, the Inquisitor smiled and said, "I am an Inquisitor; protecting humanity is my responsibility, a mission granted to me by the Emperor."
Although Finnie's tone was calm, the determination it conveyed left Magos Gamma speechless.
The two looked at each other for a long time before Magos Gamma shrugged and said, "Alright, I won't try to persuade you anymore, but I'm quite curious about psychic prophecy.
It wouldn't hurt to let me observe, would it?"
"It's decided then.
Come on, I'll show you my secret weapon."
Magos Gamma started walking out, and the Inquisitor looked at his retreating back thoughtfully, then smiled in relief and followed him.
The two arrived at the fortress's open-air platform, one after the other.
Magos Gamma took out a servo-skull with detection and firing capabilities, and then retrieved a rectangular metal password box, about the length of an adult's palm, from the guard who had been following him.
After entering the password, the password box automatically opened, revealing its contents to the Inquisitor.
Seeing Magos Gamma's careful handling with a guard and a password box, the Inquisitor couldn't help but feel a surge of curiosity.
She stepped closer to get a better look and then said, "Your secret weapon is this silver liquid in a glass bullet?"
"Hehe, yes."
"What does it do?"
"You'll see in a moment."
Loading this special bullet into the servo-skull's gun barrel, Magos Gamma operated the servo-skull to fly towards the Ork camp.
The control panel in his hand displayed the real-time footage captured by the servo-skull.
After some time in flight, the servo-skull's detection device located a small squad of Ork cavalry.
After circling the Orks a few times, Magos Gamma pressed the fire button, and the bullet flew straight towards the chosen target, splatting onto the Ork's forehead.
The Inquisitor also saw this scene through the display.
She saw the hit Ork merely touch the shattered fragments on his forehead in a daze, not even letting out a roar.
Although the bullet fired by Magos Gamma wasn't even powerful enough to cause the Ork pain, Finnie's expression was as if she had seen something terrifying.
She saw that after the glass bullet shattered, a cloud of gray mist rose and quickly enveloped the nearest Ork.
As the Ork touched his forehead, his body began to "melt."
Finnie could only think of the word "melt," like ice melting into water.
The Ork didn't make any sound, as if he felt no pain, just staring blankly as his skin, muscles, bones, and organs continuously dripped away.