Trajan quickly departed with a complex mix of emotions, heading to escort the captured Harlequin.
Noah, meanwhile, refocused his attention on the experiment at hand.
The Custodian warrior who volunteered for enhancement lay quietly in the enhancement chamber, connected to countless precise tubes. A faint blue energy liquid slowly infused his body, and subtle runes flowed across the surface of his golden armor.
"How do you feel?" Noah asked calmly, monitoring the data stream.
"More powerful than ever... Warmaster," the Custodian warrior's voice came through his mask, filled with suppressed excitement and disbelief.
"Power is surging, my perception has become incredibly clear, I can even... vaguely 'hear' the whispers of the Warp, but I can easily keep them out. This feeling... it's incredible!"
Noah was enhancing the Custodian's Psionic. Since 'Super Strong' could not be directly loaded into the Custodians' genome module, he considered adding Psionic to their bodies instead.
This was Noah's current idea. After all, the combat effectiveness of the Custodians needed to be strengthened; although they were still the Imperium of Man's top-tier combat force, in Noah's eyes, their power was severely insufficient.
Noah had not yet thoroughly researched why 'Super Strong' or 'Strong' could not be applied to the Custodians. But since pure physical strength could not be further enhanced, it was natural to add some sci-fi power.
Psionic stood out at this moment... Considering that the Custodians possess powerful physical qualities and strength, as well as unwavering faith, they should be very compatible with Psionic.
After all, the body is the foundation of everything. With such a powerful body, learning Psionic would surely yield twice the results with half the effort, especially since Psionic in stellaris and warhammer are two different things.
Psionic in warhammer requires communicating with and borrowing power from Chaos Gods in the Empyrean, which undoubtedly carries the risk of corruption by the Chaos Gods.
But it's different in stellaris. Psionic in stellaris involves creating a space similar to the Shroud within oneself, storing powerful Psionic there, which can be called upon at any time.
This greatly tests the individual's physical qualities and condition. In the early stages, warhammer's different path, where Psykers are truly more powerful because they can call upon the Psionic of the Warp, will be superior. However, in the later stages, stellaris' Psykers will definitely be more formidable.
This is because they are strengthening their own great power and making it their own. However, the difference between the top-tier powerhouses of both sides is generally not significant, as both call upon energy from the Warp or the Shroud, so the difference is not large.
The true difference between the two different paths is not the strength of their power, but whether they will be influenced by Chaos Gods.
When calling upon Psionic in the Warp, one will inevitably be subjected to the whispers of Chaos Gods. Under the corrupting influence of the Warp, Psykers are highly likely to fall.
But calling upon Psionic from one's own body is another matter entirely; the influence of Chaos Gods will be cut off.
What Noah is doing now is precisely this: he is adding an internal Shroud to the Custodians, allowing them to master powerful Psionic to assist them in combat.
Most importantly, because the Psionic is called from their own Shroud, the Sisters of Silence's nullification field will have no effect on the Custodians.
The enemy's Psionic is nullified, while the Custodians can still use Psionic in combat and possess powerful physical combat capabilities.
Isn't this insidious?
"This feeling is normal, but your situation is not right. The fact that you can hear someone whispering in your ear is abnormal. Stop the experiment for now."
"I need to re-examine my theories and situation. You can go rest now. Remember, if there's anything wrong with your body, you need to report it to me immediately. Don't try to solve it yourself, and don't think about committing suicide to atone."
"Do you understand?"
Most people in the Imperium of Man consider sacrifice to be glorious. To prevent the Custodian from having suicidal thoughts if he felt he was useless, Noah specifically administered this preventative shot.
Upon hearing this, the Custodian warrior immediately sat up from the enhancement chamber, his movements fluid and full of power, but his eyes held a hint of solemnity and confusion. He carefully felt the new power surging within him, as well as the lingering whispers that seemed to come from the distant void.
"Yes, Warmaster. I understand." He nodded solemnly, "I will closely monitor any abnormalities and report them to you immediately. I will never act on my own or... make foolish decisions."
He knew that his current state was crucial to the Warmaster's research and concerned the future enhancement direction of the entire Custodian force. He absolutely could not ruin everything due to any personal negligence or impulsiveness.
Noah nodded in satisfaction, signaling that he could leave for the designated observation room to rest and for detailed data recording.
After the Custodian left, Noah immediately pulled up all the data streams from the experiment, his brow slightly furrowed.
"Being able to hear the Warp's whispers... this shouldn't be happening," he murmured to himself, his fingers flying across the virtual keyboard, re-calculating energy injection formulas and Psionic circuit construction models.
"The construction of the Shroud is based on the individual soul essence and mental power. Theoretically, it should form a closed internal circulation system, isolating direct intrusion from the external Warp. Unless..."
His gaze focused on several anomalous energy resonance peaks.
"That's it... the Warp energy in this universe is too active, and its permeability is too strong. Forcibly creating a high-energy 'Shroud space' within an individual is like building an air bubble in a turbulent deep sea.
Although it's a self-contained system internally, its very existence will generate a faint, 'quantum entanglement-like' resonance with the highly active external Warp.
For an enhanced Custodian with extremely acute perception, this resonance is amplified, becoming the 'whispers' that can be perceived."
"This isn't a design flaw, but interference at the fundamental rule level of the universe..." Noah fell into deep thought.
Directly porting the stellaris universe's Psionic system into this universe, where the Warp is extremely active, indeed leads to unexpected problems.
Although these whispers currently appear to be extremely low in intensity and cannot cause substantial corruption or influence, over the long term, or for individuals with weaker minds, problems are bound to arise.
"I need to introduce a 'filter,' or... a 'converter,'" Noah's mind raced.
"Current Psionic technology cannot completely isolate the Warp. If it cannot be completely isolated, perhaps... this resonance can be utilized?
Filter out the harmful, chaotic whispers, and only absorb the pure, ordered energy flow from the disorder... similar to... the principle of the Aeldari Webway, but more microscopic, more personalized."
He immediately began to modify the design, adding new filtering and conversion modules to the Psionic circuit.
This was a delicate and complex task, requiring extensive calculations and simulation tests.
Just then, the laboratory door opened again.
Trajan had returned, bringing the captured Harlequin.
The Harlequin were escorted by a combined force of Sisters of Silence and Custodians, with each Harlequin guarded by four Custodians and four Sisters of Silence.
A total of 20 Harlequin were brought in.
Twenty Harlequins, bound by special shackles, were escorted into the laboratory. Their magnificent attire was tattered, their masks cracked, yet their eyes still held that peculiar, almost fated calm and defiance.
These Harlequins said nothing; there was no 'you won't get any information from me' nonsense. They simply looked indifferently at the surrounding Custodians and at Noah.
For these Harlequins knew clearly that there was no possibility of them leaving; the power of the Imperium of Man had somewhat exceeded their imagination.
The presence of the Sisters of Silence was like an invisible shackle, making their Psionic as stagnant as dead water, while the sharp gaze of the Custodians locked down any potential physical resistance.
Trajan stepped forward and reported, "Warmaster, the first batch of captives has arrived. These are the most stable among all the current captives."
"But their will..."
He shook his head, clearly indicating that the Grey Knights' interrogation had not yielded substantial progress.
Noah's gaze moved from the complex Psionic design schematics to this group of alien captives.
His eyes were calm and unmoving, yet they instinctively sent a chill deep into the souls of all the Harlequins who met his gaze, as if they were being thoroughly scrutinized by an existence far beyond their comprehension.
"No matter," Noah said indifferently, temporarily setting aside the unfinished Psionic enhancement project.
Technological matters couldn't be rushed; they required sufficient rationality and meticulous thought, so research could be paused for now.
The immediate threat and intelligence priority were clearly higher.
He did not use any torture instruments, nor did he conduct a lengthy interrogation.
He merely slowly raised his right hand, and a faint trace of Psionic, subtle yet enough to distort the surrounding space and even be visible to the Sisters of Silence, began to swirl around his fingertips.
"Look into my eyes," Noah's command was like a decree, directly penetrating the minds of all the Harlequins.
The leading Harlequin struggled to resist, roaring, "The laughing god's dance cannot be spied upon! Your attempt is doomed to be futile!"
How could Noah's power be stopped by a few words from him?
The Harlequin's consciousness felt as if it was seized by an invisible giant hand, dragging him into an abyss.
The next second, he felt his thoughts, memories, and even the deepest mental barriers, being violently torn apart and sifted through by a brutal yet precise force!
"Ah--!" A piercing scream erupted from the Harlequin's mouth. This was not due to physical pain, but the extreme terror of his soul being completely spied upon and stripped bare.
The next second, Noah's Psionic directly entered his brain.
However, these Harlequins were, after all, beings protected by the Aeldari deity, the laughing god.
Just as Noah's Psionic consciousness, like a surgeon's scalpel, precisely cut into the deepest layer of that Harlequin's soul, a sudden change occurred!
The torrent of memories, which was about to be completely stripped and analyzed, suddenly paused, as if it had hit an invisible but incredibly resilient barrier.
Immediately after, a completely different torrent of consciousness, filled with madness, mockery, yet as profound as a galaxy, surged back along Noah's Psionic connection!
Before Noah's "eyes," the laboratory scene suddenly twisted and faded, replaced by a bizarre stage, garish and uncomfortably oversaturated with color.
The air was filled with a mixture of sickly sweet spices and the scent of blood.
In the center of the stage, a figure slowly coalesced—
He was dressed in an incredibly lavish costume, adorned with bells and shimmering gems, his figure tall and slender, yet his posture held an inhuman, almost dislocated flexibility and grace.
His face was covered by a bizarre half-crying, half-laughing double-sided mask, as if the mask was formed from living emotions: one side was extreme, twisted ecstasy, the other was an abyss-like, frozen sorrow.
He had multiple arms, deftly juggling blood-dripping daggers, twisted musical instruments, and countless threads shimmering with the light of fate.
The laughing god Cegorach — the Aeldari's Trickster and Playwright, Lord of the Harlequins, had now intervened in Noah's soul-search in a trans-dimensional manner!
"Oh dear, oh dear~~" A voice, with an exaggerated operatic tone yet chillingly cold, echoed directly in Noah's consciousness, as if whispering close to his ear.
"Look who it is? An uninvited, crude audience, wanting to peek at my meticulously choreographed script? This isn't according to the rules, is it, Imperium of Man's new 'Sun'?"
The laughing god's consciousness, like the slipperiest of eels, entwined with Noah's Psionic perception, attempting to interfere, mislead, and even inversely corrupt.
Countless absurd illusions, broken riddles, and inverted logical fragments surged like a virus towards Noah's core of thought.
This was the laughing god's usual trick: to cloak truth in endless lies and chaos, driving any existence that dared to pry into his domain into madness.
But all of this had no effect on Noah. Noah was not disturbed by the laughing god's mystery; instead, he stared at the laughing god with an expressionless face.
"You are an alien god?" Just these few plain words directly shattered the laughing god's domain; all the fabricated trajectories and tricks vanished before Noah's calm words.
"If you yourself appeared before me, I might indeed not be your match, but now, merely a wisp of your consciousness, do you think you have that ability?"
Noah himself was not at all intimidated by this Aeldari god.
If the laughing god were to rush before him, it would indeed be troublesome for Noah.
He might need to exert some effort to drive the fellow away, but... this was not the laughing god himself before him.
The laughing god's sinister smile shattered before Noah's calm words.
The laughing god's tricks were like the most intricate riddles, but Noah made no attempt to "solve the riddle"; instead, he used his Psionic, which was now far stronger than this avatar of the laughing god, to overturn the entire "riddle table"!
"Tsk!" A clear, distinctly displeased clicking sound came from the laughing god's consciousness.
The mocking, exaggerated operatic tone could no longer be maintained, becoming somewhat exasperated, "How... uninteresting! Rude! An unartistic barbarian!"
His phantom multi-arms danced wildly, attempting to re-weave illusions.
But Noah's Psionic had already taken over, like an invisible giant net, beginning to inversely analyze and pinpoint the essence and source of this consciousness projection of the laughing god.
"A mere consciousness projection, daring to play these illusory tricks before me?"
Noah's consciousness began to precisely cut into the existence of the laughing god's projection like a surgeon's scalpel, "Your clown show ends here."
Noah no longer merely tried to read the Harlequin's memories, but aimed directly at the laughing god's consciousness itself!
He intended to trace it back, and even attempt to extract deeper information about the laughing god's true form, about the Aeldari, and about this conspiracy from this projection!
Searching the soul and memories of a Harlequin was nowhere near as useful as directly searching the memories and information of this Aeldari god, was it?
"Oh? Trying to research me in reverse?" Surprise flashed through the laughing god's consciousness, then transformed into a mix of annoyance and extreme curiosity, "Interesting! Very interesting!
A Psyker actually planning to analyze a god, this is an insult to his true self!
The laughing god was enraged. Indeed, just as Noah had said, if he was merely a projection, he was no match for Noah, unless his true self came in person.
However, if his true self were to come, it would be hard to say whether Slaanesh would also come looking for him, as he possessed a vast number of Aeldari souls.
"Consider this round yours, you uninteresting 'Sun'." The laughing god's consciousness rapidly blurred and distanced itself, receding from Noah's Psionic perception like a tide.
"But remember, the script has only just opened to its first page. We will meet again... on a grander 'stage'... I hope you can maintain this 'uninteresting' calm then... Heh heh... Hahahahaha..."
Accompanied by a gradually fading, inscrutable laugh, the laughing god's consciousness projection completely dissipated, severing its last connection with the Harlequin's soul.
The laboratory completely returned to normal.
The Harlequin who had served as the "battleground" let out a faint gasp and completely collapsed, his eyes vacant, his soul utterly shattered and dispersed by the aftershocks of the two entities' confrontation.
Noah slowly lowered his hand, his expression still calm.
Although this retrieval did not yield any effective information, it did confirm that the Aeldari indeed harbored a monstrous conspiracy.
Otherwise, why would their Chaos God personally intervene to prevent him from acquiring the memories deep within those Aeldari souls?
Moreover... Noah's gaze swept over the other Harlequins. Weren't there still enough samples to continue the experiment little by little?
He refused to believe that the Aeldari god could come here repeatedly to stop him. If he truly could do that, then he would simply give up.
He would just have the Custodes, Grey Knights, and Sisters of Silence increase their vigilance.
When soldiers come, generals block; when water comes, earth covers.
The reason he wanted to uncover the opponent's plan was simply because his deep-seated belief in 'know yourself, know your enemy, and you will never be defeated' had taken effect.
A new Aeldari Harlequin was brought before Noah again, and immediately, Psionic once more pierced towards its brain.
This time, he didn't care about the miscellaneous details; his main focus was to strike first!
With so many Aeldari Harlequins, what did it matter if a few died here? Let the laughing god come to him all day long if he dared.
Noah wouldn't believe it. He wouldn't believe that every time he searched these Harlequins' souls, the laughing god could arrive in time and reclaim those souls.
Noah's Psionic brutally merged into the Harlequin's mind, then tormented its soul. Such methods naturally caused the Harlequin agonizing pain.
Screams of agony echoed through the laboratory.
However, none of the surrounding Custodes, Sisters of Silence, or Grey Knights cast any pitying glances at these xenos.
Xenos are xenos!
What did the life or death of xenos have to do with humans?
They only needed to die properly and quietly become corpses; that was the best help they could offer humanity.
As for the suffering they endured?
What was that?
In the past, Aeldari Harlequins, to protect some of their feral worlds or their Aeldari stellar colonies, would even actively lure Tyranid Swarms towards Imperial Worlds.
There were also Aeldari who would emerge from cities to plunder citizens of the Imperium of Man for their amusement. These incidents clearly Daemonstrated that all xenos harbored ill intentions.
Any pity you show to xenos is the greatest cruelty to your own future.
Because they will not remember your kindness; they will only see you as weak, then wield a butcher's knife and stab it fiercely into your heart.
Just as Noah's Psionic was about to touch the core memory region—
Buzz!
A familiar conscious fluctuation, tinged with mad mockery, once again attempted to intervene! The laughing god's projection seemed intent on repeating its old trick!
But this time, Noah was prepared!
"Get out!" Noah's consciousness was cold as iron. His Psionic instantly constructed a firewall composed purely of rational logic and orderly runes. It didn't block; instead, it actively crashed into the laughing god's conscious projection!
"Eh?!" The laughing god's conscious projection let out a short, startled sound of surprise, clearly not expecting Noah's reaction to be so swift and highly targeted.
His slippery consciousness was like hitting a high-speed rotating grinding wheel, instantly abrading and analyzing away a part of its outer layer of disguise!
After all, it concerned the life and death of the Aeldari. The laughing god didn't care about so much; he directly attacked with all his might. The powerful stream of consciousness instantly broke through Noah's obstruction again.
The next second, all the Harlequins' souls on site broke free from their bodies and were harvested by the laughing god. Regardless of whether these Harlequins were dead or alive, the laughing god took their souls.
Under the laughing god's full exertion, even Noah's prepared contingency plan couldn't stop him in time.
He successfully took away all the Harlequins' souls, but all these Harlequins died here, leaving Noah without a second chance to obtain information.
As a god who had lived from the Great Fall era until now, he was decisive and sharp enough.
All the Harlequins' souls were taken away by the laughing god, which also made the surrounding Sisters of Silence and Custodes react. Their weapons were directly aimed at the Harlequins in front of them.
But the next nanosecond, they discovered that these Harlequins were already dead.
Trajan stepped forward, wanting to say something, but Noah waved his hand.
"Forget it. The opponent's god exerted his full power. I shouldn't have searched their souls here. This is my fault."
"This should have been done on Holy Terra. There, that fellow human could have helped us. What a pity."
Noah sighed. This was ultimately his oversight. He hadn't expected a race like the Aeldari to still have a god.
At the same time, he had underestimated the god of this race, who was so decisive as to eliminate all these captured subordinates in one go.
"Since things have come to this, there's no need to say more. Custodes, Grey Knights, Sisters of Silence, strengthen the defenses there."
"Trajan, you are in charge of what happens next. In World 108, which world was the only one that these Aeldari failed to successfully infiltrate?"
"It's the Forge World, now known as Hephaestus." Trajan was well aware of which world had not been successfully infiltrated by the Autarch, so he quickly named the only surviving world at this stage.
Hephaestus was the first world in World 108 to complete its basic transformation. Now, there were no Underhives or similar things there.
It was precisely because of its complete technological advancement that the Autarch found it somewhat difficult to make progress.
"So it was there? Then just strengthen the defenses. I will dispatch 100 Chapters of troops, 1 million Space Marines, and you will mobilize 100,000 Custodes, 100,000 Grey Knights, and 100,000 Sisters of Silence for full alert."
"Maintain full alert to ensure they do not succeed. As for the planets where they have already succeeded, conduct a detailed investigation to find out what they are up to and then crush their plans."
"Understood!"
Under Noah's command, a large number of Custodes, Sisters of Silence, and Grey Knights Forces appeared in Hephaestus, Ideal city World, of the Segmentum Tempestus 108 Worlds to patrol, while the local garrison also began new vigilance.
As the first Ideal city World in the Segmentum Tempestus 108 Worlds, on the periphery of Noah, to complete its transformation, the Imperial garrison of this World was no ordinary legion.
Although the local soldier did not possess the powerful strength of Space Marines, five of them combined could definitely take down one Space Marine.
In addition, the local World also had a large number of mechanical forces for security and patrol duties.
It was precisely because the original garrison strength of this planet was already powerful enough that the Aeldari defenders had been unable to carry out any actions on this planet.
After all, Ideal city World was a highly technologically advanced World, possessing a large amount of complete security equipment.
Coupled with the powerful ground units on this World, although Harlequin were top-tier existences, they still could not escape death.
The Custodes, Grey Knights, and Sisters of Silence Forces, having recognized these individuals as Harlequin, did not kill them to avoid unnecessary trouble, but the ordinary forces were unaware of this.
The PDF on Hephaestus, Ideal city World, immediately killed the Harlequin invaders upon sight, and 29 Harlequin operating there had already been eliminated.
This is also why Harlequin from other Worlds are now gathering on this planet, because without reinforcements, they would likely find it genuinely difficult to complete their mission.
Besides the local garrison killing them on sight and the garrison's powerful strength, the most difficult part of executing the mission here was the location where they needed to place the equipment—none other than the governor's Mansion.
As the most heavily guarded place within an Imperial World, the governor's Mansion's defensive capabilities were imaginable, which was also why the Harlequin were utterly unable to make progress.
This was merely a fantasy of the Aeldari Harlequin; in reality, it was not so, they simply had no money and could not leave their homes.
Their diversionary tactics were ineffective on this planet, as this planet possessed a large number of basic combat units in addition to powerful units like the Custodes, making it difficult for them to contend.
It was even more impossible to have all the governor's Mansion's troops transferred away.
Only one option remained for these Harlequin: a direct assault!
The original leader of these 312 Harlequin was a Harlequin troupe leader among them, but because the laughing god had been severely dealt with by Noah, a Harlequin Troupe Master came here.
Shadowseer Troupe Master - Kaelix Mor
"In the grand tragedy of the cosmos, we are both actors and directors, and the executioners lurking behind the curtain.
Laugh, for the ending is already determined, and we shall present to you the most spectacular final act."
This was a powerful Harlequin Troupe Master under the laughing god.
Kaelix Mor's existence spanned an age almost untraceable. Legend has it that during the Great Fall, he performed a final dance for his dying kin on the burning fragments of a Craftworld, and was chosen by the laughing god ever since.
He was not the leader of a fixed troupe, but rather more like a "fate rectifier," appearing suddenly when he foresaw the threads of destiny at a critical juncture about to break or deviate, taking over the leadership of a local troupe, and then quietly departing after completing his mission, leaving behind a forever-changed trajectory of fate.
Now, at the moment when the Aeldari were facing a crisis of extinction, this was his time to appear.
Yet, even such a legendary Harlequin Troupe Master was helpless in the face of the situation on Ideal city World.
Ideal city World was simply too heavily guarded; on this day, he had just left his residence when his keen Psionic made him feel countless eyes fixed upon him, yet no one appeared around him.
Clearly, these were detection devices scanning him.
If not for his extensive experience and extremely strong Psionic and precognitive abilities, he probably wouldn't have even realized that something had already scanned him.
This was Ideal city World on full alert; under these circumstances, even the few remaining gangs were completely wiped out by the Custodes and Grey Knights Forces.
The environment of Ideal city World became exceptionally good, which further squeezed the Harlequin's living space.
Kaelix Mor's outing this time was to scout, mainly because he was truly uneasy about the skills of the Harlequin under his command.
Facing the Imperium of Man's sudden increase in vigilance, only he could complete the reconnaissance mission. A surprise attack on the governor's Mansion also required scouting, as they only had 313 people.
313 people attacking a heavily guarded governor's Mansion, and even needing to face planetary forces that might arrive to support within five minutes, without sufficient scouting and planning, everything would be tantamount to suicide.
Even after feeling the scanning gazes or "eyes" sweep over him, he dared not make any rash moves, still continuing forward like an ordinary person.
These "eyes" were not to be trifled with; if he were to disappear from here the next second, Custodes would immediately come to investigate.
Or if he appeared in some place in a manner inconsistent with an ordinary person, Custodes would also come.
To ensure he wouldn't be exposed, he could only pretend to be an ordinary Imperial Citizen of the Imperium of Man and proceed towards the governor's Mansion.
The ordinary residential area was quite far from the governor's Mansion, but fortunately, he had already disguised himself as an Imperial Citizen, so he could still use public transportation.
Kaelix Mor arrived at a bus stop and waited; soon, a maglev public bus flew over.
This was Ideal city World, where all equipment was state-of-the-art, so rail facilities and public transportation were also very comprehensive.
He only needed to take bus route 276, then transfer to bus route 391, then transfer to subway line 72, then transfer to flight 93, then transfer to bus line 113, then transfer to bus line K326, then transfer to bus line G56.
So many bus lines, it looks very troublesome, doesn't it?
Actually, for ordinary Imperial Citizen, it was no problem at all, because each of them had a personal AI to assist them with route planning.
However, this was equipment for Imperial Citizen; ordinary Aeldari could not use it at all.
After all, this device was compatible with the soul and genome; if their Aeldari people wore such a device, it would immediately trigger an alarm.
So, this Harlequin Troupe Master could only rely on his memory to proceed.
Of course, besides public transportation, he could actually hail a ride.
Just hail a flying car and fly directly there.
But he had no money... Ideal city World was different from other places; getting money wasn't that easy. Everyone already hardly used cash; some people with minor eccentricities would have a little loose change as a cash reserve.
Bartering was also almost non-existent.
The money in his pocket, which he could use for bus fare, was earned by performing as a clown outside.
Just thinking about the time he spent as a clown, Kaelix Mor couldn't stand it.
These uncivilized people of the Imperium of Man simply could not appreciate his art! His money, rather than being earned by him, was more like charity given to him by those people who pitied him, it infuriated him!
Kaelix Mor took a bus to the governor's Mansion. Although it was very cumbersome and slow, it did not mean there were no advantages.
Choosing the unpretentious method of taking a bus allowed him to perfectly avoid the extensive scrutiny of the Adeptus Custodes, Grey Knights, Sisters of Silence, PDF, and combat robots.
No one would have expected an Autarch Harlequin, whose target was the governor's Mansion, to use such an absurd method as taking a bus. After all, who would be wary of ordinary people riding a bus?
Thus, he rode the bus all the way to the governor's Mansion without any risks.
The Segmentum Obscurus 108 Worlds under Noah's command were completely different from the Imperial Worlds bearing the Imperium of Man's emblem. In terms of management, they were not filled with the same authority and hierarchy as the Imperium of Man.
Born in the Terran Federation, and possessing a high moral compass, Noah, who was exceptionally good to his fellow humans, treated ordinary Imperial citizens the same way.
Artificial moral codes were like this.
Everyone hoped to live in a highly moral and fair world.
The Terran Federation also hoped that all the colony worlds under its rule would be like this. Under this influence, even after several years in the Warhammer Universe, Noah still maintained his morality and rule of law.
Artificial moral codes did not mean that the common people were all highly moral while those at the top were not.
Everyone was held to high moral standards; they all possessed a high level of morality towards their fellow humans.
To build a harmonious and beautiful world, it's useless if only the people at the bottom have good morals.
Everyone knows that one bad apple spoils the bunch.
The Terran Federation would not allow such things to happen, so they adopted high moral standards for their fellow humans.
Moreover, they only applied this to their fellow humans, which meant they didn't have to worry about other unexpected incidents.
All humans in the universe should be citizens of the Terran Federation; all humans must be incorporated into the Terran Federation, then receive the Terran Federation's education, and begin their lives.
Based on this situation, the people became the object that the government must serve, and the government must dedicate itself to the people's lives.
In the Segmentum Obscurus 108 Worlds under Noah's rule, Ideal city World Hephaestus, which was the first to complete world transformation and new plan construction, naturally became like this.
When Kaelix Mor arrived at the governor's Mansion, he even wondered if he had come to the wrong place.
Because the governor's Mansion did not have the strict security he remembered, nor did it prohibit anyone from entering or exiting. Instead, it still allowed ordinary people to walk around the governor's Mansion.
Such a scene would not have happened even during the most prosperous period of the ancient Aeldari Empire, because even in the ancient Aeldari Empire, class distinctions still existed.
However, this situation also provided him with sufficient convenience for his reconnaissance. He, maintaining his disguise, swaggered towards the governor's Mansion.
With the blessing of the laughing god's melody, he unreasonably bypassed all the technological scans at the entrance of the governor's Mansion.
All scans indicated that he was an ordinary Imperial Citizen, and citizens were naturally welcome at the governor's Mansion. He was guided by staff to the guard post.
"Sir, if you wish to enter the governor's Mansion, please register here. After registering, you may enter the governor's Mansion. Apart from areas that are off-limits, you are free to go anywhere else."
"However, places that are off-limits are strictly off-limits. If you enter a forbidden area, you will be immediately expelled from Hephaestus."
"At the same time, all worlds under the Warmaster's rule will blacklist you, and you will not be able to live in any of those worlds."
These words from the staff member were an extremely terrifying threat to any Imperial Citizen.
In the Warhammer Universe, this world like a cesspit, were there any worlds better than the Segmentum Obscurus 108 Worlds under Noah's rule?
Not to mention that he was now living a life of comfort in Ideal city World, with his own job, and without worrying about Chaos corruption.
Just the fact that he would never be able to enter any planet governed by Noah again after being expelled was enough to make him collapse.
The outside world was precarious, so most human citizens, upon hearing such a threat, would strictly abide by the law and never dare to do anything offensive.
As for those who lost their minds, they were, of course, directly expelled.
After hearing what the staff member said, Kaelix Mor's face appropriately showed fear.
The Imperial Citizen he was impersonating was visiting the governor's Mansion for the first time, and every Imperial Citizen who came to the governor's Mansion for the first time and heard this threat would invariably show an expression of fear.
This was normal; not showing it would be even more conspicuous.
As a legendary Harlequin Troupe Master, Kaelix Mor naturally would not make such a mistake.
Seeing Kaelix Mor's somewhat fearful expression, the staff member, well-versed in such situations, calmly reassured him.
"Actually, you don't need to worry so much. The places you can't enter are generally inaccessible anyway, as the security system is not to be trifled with."
"Alright, sir, you may enter the governor's Mansion. If you have official business, you can first report to the office staff. When you reach the office, a dedicated robot will guide you.
If you have no business and are just here to visit, then feel free."
The staff member, having completed his guiding duty, naturally did not linger. He still had others to guide.
Kaelix Mor, of course, would not unnecessarily pester the staff member with more questions. If he really asked, he would follow the staff member's guidance to the registration desk.
Because he did not have a valid Imperial Citizen identity, he was actually unable to be entered into the system. But after all, the laughing god's divine power enveloped him.
He possessed powerful Psionic, and its Psionic within a certain range could indeed give him great authority. With the help of the Psionic, he successfully completed his identity registration.
Kaelix Mor used the identity of a human Citizen who had been bewitched and controlled by Psionic.
But it was limited to that; they dared not kill the Imperial citizens of World 108, because as soon as they made a move, the citizen's personal device would immediately send an alarm to the PDF.
But who could blame the Aeldari for having powerful Psionic?
Noah was not yet wealthy enough to equip everyone with devices to detect Psionic, so they succeeded.
Kaelix Mor, after completing the simple registration, successfully entered the governor's Mansion.
However, after entering, he showed no surprise at all; instead, his face was terribly grim.
If he had known earlier that he could enter the governor's Mansion just by registering, he wouldn't have sent Harlequins to test it.
Sixteen Harlequins had already died here at the governor's Mansion; they hadn't even seen the main gate of the governor's Mansion.
Kaelix Mor's emotions were extremely complex.
Although Kaelix Mor felt quite upset, he had at least managed to get in.
More importantly, he now knew how to smoothly enter the governor's Mansion.
They could simply capture a few more human citizens, borrow their identities, and enter the governor's Mansion openly. This was a very important piece of intelligence.
There were only 313 Harlequins of the Aeldari.
A number like 313 could not be considered many.
Just during the registration process, he had seen thousands of human citizens enter the governor's Mansion, and their small group was as inconspicuous as a pebble thrown into the ocean.
So, the first task of entering the governor's Mansion was settled.
They only needed to take a public bus to reach the governor's Mansion smoothly.
After entering the governor's Mansion, Kaelix Mor began to observe his surroundings and couldn't resist touching the wall.
Hmm... Although he couldn't tell what the building was made of, his Psionic told him that he couldn't break it.
What was the Ideal city World?
It was a world made of metal. Although for aesthetic reasons, the federation had added a large number of green plants to the Ideal city World to beautify the environment and make life comfortable for people.
However, in an important place like the governor's Mansion, high-grade armor was naturally needed for defense. The entire exterior of the governor's Mansion's building was covered with three-centimeter-thick necron armor.
Relying on a powerful anti-gravity system, this necron armor would not crush the entire building.
More importantly, even without the anti-gravity system, these buildings constructed with necron armor on the outside would not easily collapse, because this was the power of the wood engineering brother.
Some specific structures could allow these armors to support themselves without any problems.
But none of this was the most important; the most important thing was Kaelix Mor. Impressed by these experts, he knew very well that he had no way to deal with these walls.
This meant that once they stormed this place, they would be unable to destroy the surrounding buildings to use as cover.
And fighting in such wide streets, once the enemy was prepared, the Harlequins would face a massacre.
Moreover... Kaelix Mor didn't believe there would be no defensive facilities inside the governor's Mansion; they must be hiding behind these walls.
To ensure he had enough safety when he came over, he began to mobilize his Psionic, trying to penetrate behind the armor plates to explore the existence of defensive facilities.
However, the Psionic he released was like a stone thrown into the sea, unable to stir up any ripples.
The necron armor was not something his Psionic could penetrate; all his Psionic was absorbed by these terminator armors.
Feeling this situation, Kaelix Mor couldn't help but frown.
What should he do? Although he had gotten in, the surrounding passages could not be destroyed, and most importantly, he couldn't detect what weapons existed inside.
Knowing nothing, if they launched a frontal assault, how was that different from seeking death?
Even Kaelix Mor, a legendary Harlequin troupe master, was getting a headache now.
But ultimately, he was experienced and wouldn't give up on his mission just like that.
"Never mind these things for now, let's figure out the route first!"
Kaelix Mor secretly cheered himself up and soothed his mind.
He hadn't just walked idly along the way; he had paid attention to observing his surroundings.
Relying on his keen observation skills, he successfully discovered some topographical maps at corners and junctions, which showed him detailed paths for a certain area and also gave him a rough overall topographical map.
"These humans are truly arrogant; they actually published the topographical map of the planetary headquarters so brazenly."
"Such an unguarded, arrogant, and conceited race—I truly don't know what qualifications they have to destroy our great Aeldari."
Although Kaelix Mor was born during the Aeldari's peak as a Harlequin, he was, after all, just a small clown back then.
Moreover, the most glorious era of the Aeldari had passed too long ago, and he couldn't understand the confidence that they, as the most powerful Overlord-level race in the galaxy, had always represented.
The Aeldari were once like this too; they didn't worry about anyone entering their governor's Mansion, but now, under Slaanesh's pursuit, they were merely startled birds.
Even ancient Aeldari Harlequins like Kaelix Mor, who survived from the most glorious period, had already forgotten their past glory.
Kaelix Mor constantly looked down on the Imperium of Man's governor's Mansion and their vigilance in his heart, but in his actions, he seized every opportunity to meticulously record every map in his brain.
He didn't dare to take out paper and pen to draw maps, because no one in the Imperium of Man at this time would use such an outdated method.
For anything they needed to record, their human Citizen ID cards could help them with all recordings; there was no need for the ancient method of drawing maps.
In fact, it was precisely because the Imperium of Man had reached such an advanced level of technology that this legendary Aeldari Harlequin troupe master didn't dare to look at a map for too long when he saw it.
Looking for a short while could be explained as taking a photo, but if he looked for too long, it would be hard to explain and would attract the attention of others.
Although it probably wouldn't cause any problems, after all, some people just want to look more, right?
But at such a critical moment, if he could avoid attracting attention, he absolutely should.
He was not a legitimate human Citizen and could not withstand personal interrogation by the Custodian Guards.
Soon, half a day passed, and he had covered one-tenth of the governor's Mansion. He only needed to walk for another five days to record the entire map of the governor's Mansion.
As for why his speed was so slow, there was nothing he could do. The Imperium of Man's governor's Mansion was one of the largest buildings on a planet in the Imperium of Man.
There were many officials inside, so the building could not be small. At the same time, he could not display a speed exceeding that of an ordinary human Citizen, so this was the only way to manage his speed.
Kaelix Mor, feeling a bit annoyed, walked towards the public cafeteria. According to the time concept of ordinary human citizens, he should be going for lunch now.
Fortunately, the governor's Mansion provided meals; otherwise, he really wouldn't have any money for lunch, as all his money had been used up on the bus.
But if he didn't eat lunch, that would be too strange.
In Hephaestus of the Ideal city World, no one would be so poor, because the government provided welfare and also arranged jobs.
Not eating was not an option. If you used up all your monthly welfare, and the new government found you with no money and needing to eat, they would still issue you a relief fund through your ID card.
However, it wouldn't be like before, where a whole month's worth was given at once, but rather meal by meal, to prevent you from spending recklessly again.
In Hephaestus, Kaelix Mor felt that all his experience wandering the galaxy in this lifetime was meaningless.
Kaelax Mol mingled with the crowd heading to the public cafeteria, queuing like an ordinary human citizen to avoid being recognized and to conceal his presence.
The cafeteria was spacious and bright, offering a rich variety of nutritious and balanced food, far superior to anything he had seen in any human world, and even better than the rations in some Aeldari Craftworlds.
The food provided by the human governor's side was not merely about sustenance and taste; it had reached an artistic level.
The dishes were aesthetically pleasing, and their taste was indescribable, so much so that even he, a fastidious Aeldari, couldn't help but be greatly astonished after sampling the human delicacies.
Kaelax Mol had to admit that the current situation of humanity was somewhat beyond their expectations.
Such arrangements were only made by the Aeldari when the Aeldari Empire was still alive.
And even during the Ancient Aeldari Empire, only the high-ranking nobles could enjoy such gourmet food.
But now, the human governor's Mansion provided these foods for free to ordinary people!
The construction of every infrastructure project reflected humanity's current power and prosperity. No wonder such a powerful and wealthy civilization was able to wipe out the Aeldari.
Kaelax Mol held his spoon, delivering spoonfuls of delicious food to his mouth.
Yet, in his heart, he was calculating how to achieve his goal: to utterly destroy these 108 human world jewels.
If this were their Aeldari world, he would be overjoyed, but unfortunately, this was the world of the humans who had destroyed their Aeldari.
Based on the various pieces of information he had gathered so far, he had already obtained a partial topographical map of the governor's Mansion.
However, due to the unexplorable nature of the materials, he couldn't see which areas on these maps had surveillance or alarms, which still required his investigation.
As for the governor's Mansion's garrison, he saw very few defense forces, only some guards maintaining order and facilitating visits and business at the mansion.
Unlike the constant patrols of the Imperial Guard, Grey Knights, PDF, and Space Marines outside, the governor's Mansion was so quiet it was as if there were no enemies.
There was almost no defense here, but who would believe that?!
The nobles of the Imperium were a bunch of cowards; would they not protect their own safety? Even though everything Kaelax Mol had seen and heard during this period made him disbelieving, it was still true.
He believed that officials, nobles, and high-ranking individuals, regardless of their race, were all the same: they were all equally cowardly.
To clarify the specific details here as much as possible, after quickly finishing his meal, he began to stroll around the governor's Mansion again.
However, just like his previous strolls, no one stopped him; he was free to wander as he pleased.
His gains were also the same as before; besides obtaining more topographical maps, he still hadn't discovered what dangers and weapons were hidden within the maps.
Null-field armor blocked the exploration of Psionics, making it impossible for psionic energy to penetrate these armors and know what weapons were hidden behind them.
Kaelax Mol, after all, was a seasoned warrior. Even though the situation had become so unfavorable, he calmly walked around the entire governor's Mansion, exploring the locations he wanted to visit.
Just as he was strolling around the governor's Mansion, the Custodes and Grey Knights finally discovered the hiding place of these Harlequins.
Kaelax Mol was very experienced; he indeed knew how to evade the Imperial human's detection, but his subordinate Harlequins could not do so.
Technological worlds like Ideal city were almost unprecedented in the entire universe, so ordinary Aeldari Harlequins simply didn't know how to deal with such a world and maintain their concealment within it.
They were full of flaws, and various surveillance methods made these Aeldari almost impossible to hide.
While Kaelax Mol was investigating the situation in the governor's Mansion, the Custodes had already reported this intelligence to Trajan.
After hearing such intelligence, Trajan was overjoyed, abruptly stood up, and loudly gave orders.
"Now, quietly evacuate all citizens, assemble the troops, mobilize the legions, and surround that place with three layers inside and three layers outside!"
"Psionic disruptors activated, Webway disruptors activated, Warp lockdown activated! Block all their escape routes, Psionic lockdown activated!"
"If we can't wipe them all out this time, none of us can answer to the Warmaster!"
Trajan's orders were issued, and the Custodes began to execute them.
Under the pretexts of "municipal network pressure testing" and "regional signal upgrades," citizens around the target area were quietly evacuated to designated safe zones by smart guidance systems and community workers in an extremely natural and unalarming manner.
The entire process was smooth and swift, thanks to Ideal city's highly developed urban management and citizen cooperation.
Simultaneously, as personnel began to evacuate, Space Marines, Custodes, Grey Knights, and Sisters of Silence also entered this community.
A small fleet also arrived here, and four frigates began to blockade the high altitude of this area.
Special sonic disruptors were activated, emitting frequencies undetectable by human ears but capable of greatly interfering with the Aeldari's keen hearing and balance.
Webway disruptors were at full power, distorting the surrounding space-time structure, making any attempt to open an Aeldari Webway extremely dangerous and unpredictable.
Warp lockdown devices hummed, forcibly stabilizing the fabric of reality and significantly weakening the activity of Warp energy.
Psionic lockdown matrices were layered on top, forming multiple safeguards.
The Custodes deployed a full 50,000 troops, the Grey Knights deployed 100,000 troops, and the Sisters of Silence also deployed 100,000 troops, cooperating with 1,000,000 ordinary Space Marines.
Large numbers of legions surrounded the entire area, ensuring that even if these Aeldari tried to force their way through, they would have no chance of escape.
In the sky, a large number of orbital fighters were also ready for takeoff, prepared to intercept any potential assault teams.
On the ground, various types of Space Marine tanks and Annihilator tanks rumbled as they converged, encircling the area.
A vast net had quietly closed around Kaelax Mol, completely unbeknownst to him.
At the same time, Kaelax Mol, still "strolling" in the governor's Mansion, suddenly felt a strange pang in his heart.
It was the instinctive intuition of a battle-hardened warrior sensing danger, even though everything around him still appeared calm and peaceful.
Kaelax Mol had a feeling that something bad might be about to happen.
But he couldn't figure out what bad thing was going to happen, and he felt a bit distressed.