Alexander's will extended outwards like mechanical tentacles, gently touching the machine spirits hidden within the gunboats, perceiving the existence of those spirits of all machines.
Every screw and every cable of those gunboats was exposed to Alexander's control.
This was the ability he acquired from the Malicious Art domain: control over all machines.
Through the memories of the machine spirits in the gunboats, Alexander sought to find out which misguided individual dared to intercept a Primarch's vessel, only to discover that the instigator behind it issued commands through many complex and hidden layers of command.
The true mastermind was hidden behind the Imperium's convoluted administrative system; the machine spirits' memories could not trace back to the original commander.
Even the gunboats received orders from different command systems. The original commander must have had a considerable understanding of the entire imperial administrative system.
Hmm. This makes it unlikely to be the Adeptus Ministorum. Besides the Battle Sisters, the Adeptus Ministorum has no true official armed forces.
Perhaps the Adeptus Administratum, the Ministry of Justice, or the Navy?
Of course, it could also be Mars.
However, Alexander was only trying. He had other ways to find the real culprit.
Alexander calmed his mind and issued commands to the machine spirits in all directions with his will.
A slight, yet undeniable, tremor emanated from the ship beneath Alexander's feet, and at the same time, the gunboats chasing around the ship also began to tremble slightly.
"Oh no! the machine spirit is displeased!"
"Damn it! The gunboat isn't obeying me!"
"I've piloted it for over a decade, how is it out of control now!"
A wave of chaos spread from the surrounding gunboats. The pilots discovered with horror that the machines they once knew intimately suddenly experienced stagnation, glitches, and malfunctions. Some even completely broke free from the pilots' control and began to act on their own.
They seemed to be deprived of power, their flight speed abruptly slowed, and they descended uncontrollably towards the ground.
Tieron watched this scene in astonishment, but though he was old and fat, his mind was not slow.
He quickly recalled what had been mentioned in the doctrines of Saint Doraemon, which came through the Astra Telepathica:
Saint Doraemon is original power, one of the threefold wills of the Omnissiah.
Clearly, Saint Doraemon had displayed His unique miracle.
High Fabricator Belisarius Dora Cawl watched this scene. He slightly turned his head to look at his frozen and stunned Martian colleagues.
"111001101000100010010001 '111010001011011010000101' 111001011000111010011111."
The Archmagos uttered a series of complex binary ciphers, speaking to his Martian colleagues in front of him.
The meaning of this binary cipher was: "You should praise, for this is the miracle of original power!"
Meanwhile, the Archmagos from Mars were still immersed in shock, exchanging binary messages in low voices.
Belisarius Cawl watched this scene, feeling a sense of comfort surge through his neural network.
Logically, he should have gone directly to Mars to complete the second task Guilliman had given him ten thousand years ago.
But now, Cawl believed it was necessary for him to act as a prophet and instruct his colleagues who had not yet recognized the existence of original power.
These Adeptus Mechanicus Archmagos and Tech-Priests who had arrived at Luna and Terra would be the first group of Omnissiah believers to receive instruction.
Then Cawl would take them back to Mars to lay the groundwork for original power's arrival on Mars.
However, Alexander did not react to Cawl's actions. Cawl took this as original power's tacit approval.
What? Could it be that original power doesn't understand binary ciphers? How is that possible?
Alexander didn't pay much attention to Cawl's side of things; he merely watched as Tieron quickly coordinated the ground personnel, preparing a landing spot for their ship.
Well, using bribery, extremely efficient. "If we went through normal procedures, it would take at least half a month," Tieron said with a somewhat bitter tone.
Although the method was a bit abstract, the efficiency was high. The void ship quickly received landing guidance, with the landing position being within the auxiliary spaceport on the Eternal Wall, the Imperial Palace's city wall.
Not the Lion's Gate spaceport, Alexander thought, stroking his chin.
There are two spaceports within the Imperial Palace: the Eternal Wall spaceport near the outer palace walls and the Lion's Gate spaceport within the inner palace of the Imperial Palace.
After Tieron's coordination, the void ship carrying the Primarch was only allowed to land at the Eternal Wall spaceport, which is the outer palace section.
It's likely that someone within the inner palace of the Imperial Palace, among the High Lords, truly feared the Primarch and dared not let the Primarch land directly near them.
Alexander's expression was a bit strange. If only Guilliman was on this ship, he could understand their suspicion and fear of Guilliman.
But this ship wasn't just carrying Guilliman; it also had Sanguinius, the Archangel.
They actually suspected and feared even the Archangel?
Did they think that even the benevolent Sanguinius would not forgive the things they had done? So they tried every possible means to delay the two Primarchs from entering the inner palace?
But neither Sanguinius nor Guilliman cared about the High Lords now.
Alexander and the two of them now only wanted to go to the Sanctum Sanctorum in the inner palace as soon as possible, to the Throne Room, to face the Emperor.
Guilliman, Alexander, and Sanguinius quickly exchanged glances.
"Captain Valerius."
Alexander's gaze fell on the taciturn golden-armored warrior beside him.
Valerius, the Shield-Captain of the Custodian Guard, looked at Alexander, his eyes asking what Alexander needed him to do.
"We need to contact Lord Trajan Valoris, Captain-General of the Custodian Guard."
Irthu Haemotalion, the sallow-faced, bloated Chief of the Adeptus Administratum, was cowering in a gloomy safe room deep within his palace, trembling and gnawing on his fingernails.
He was a man who sat at the pinnacle of the Imperium's power pyramid, the chief of the High Lord Council, and the head of the Adeptus Administratum, the largest department in the entire Imperium. He was known politically for his insistence on maintaining the initiative.
But in private, he was an insecure man. He had the most power, but the foundation of his power was also the weakest.
Inquisitor Ers' power came from every Inquisitor; Kellam Purion, the Grand Master of the Astra Telepathica, derived her power from herself and the psyker; the Rogue Trader Representative's power came from the Emperor's letters of marque and countless riches.
The Pope of the Saint Church came from faith, the High Admiral from warships, the Captain-General of the Custodian Guard from the Emperor's perfect creations, the Navigator Ambassador from the Third Eye, the Fabricator-General General from Mars.
As the Chief of the Adeptus Administratum, his power came solely from parchment, scriptoriums, and hundreds of thousands of billions of Adeptus Administratum officials.
It was those poor employees, who could barely leave their workstations for generations, who crawled over desks until their spines deformed, that granted Ialtu.Simotriane power.
Irthu was never an individual; he was the embodiment of all Adeptus Administratum officials, scholars, staff, and their descendants. He was the representative of their will, the protector of their interests, and the gatekeeper of their traditions.
They were like countless cells, converging to form Ialtu.Simotriane.
Thus, with every breath Irthu took, he felt the immense burden on his shoulders, the lives and deaths of billions of Adeptus Administratum employees tied to Irtu.
Irthu had to protect the traditions of the Adeptus Administratum; in other words, Irthu had to firmly sit at the pinnacle of imperial power, maintaining the immutability of imperial law.
Because even the slightest change in imperial law would lead to countless people in the Adeptus Administratum losing their jobs, countless sudden deaths, and countless instances of chaos and corruption.
Irthu had done this job very well, exceptionally well, but now—
Irthu anxiously gnawed at his fingernails.
But now the Primarchs had returned.
"The Primarchs will bring the worst thing—reform!"
"Isn't that right, Lord Irthu !"
Nessus, Irthu'S most trusted subordinate and his Assistant Minister, said with a mournful tone.
Nessus was the only subordinate allowed into Irthu's safe room. Irthu trusted him completely.
Because Nessus was selected by Irthu when he was a child and raised from a young age.
His life, death, wealth, honor, and power were all tied to Irthu, making betrayal impossible.
Moreover, Nessus was always able to provide Irthu with the most needed advice.
"Exactly! Reform!"
Irtu shouted nervously:
"How can they be so bad! These fratricidal lunatics! They almost destroyed us once!"
"Now they're back, back to destroy us again," Nessus agreed, nodding.
"What else do they want to bring us? A new Great Crusade? Let a tide of blood kill all of humanity!" Irtu shrieked: "We must stop them, delay their progress. I need time to reach a consensus with the other High Lords."
"I have followed your instructions and had them land at the Eternal Gate spaceport," Nessus said softly.
"Very good, this is very good. My arrangements will stop them, hopefully for a few days."
Irthu suddenly stood up, waving his arms and shouting, as if cheering himself on:
"Nessus, quickly give me a list. Which High Lords can I persuade?"
"Minister of Justice Avellisha Drachma, Pope of the Saint Church Baldo Sylest, and High Admiral Merida Peris—we can definitely persuade these three."
"Grand Master of the Assassinorum Fadix, Fabricator-General General Ud.Udia.Raski, Rogue Trader Representative Kania Danda, and Captain-General of the Custodian Guard Trajan Valoris—we might be able to persuade them."
"Oh, I privately believe that perhaps Imperial Chancellor Tieron will also stand with us."
Nessus' lips curved slightly:
"After all, the Imperial Chancellor's power is entirely tied to imperial law. The corrupt and old Tieron might be unwilling to give up his power."
"Then we have many advantages!" Chief of the Adeptus Administratum Irthu almost shouted with joy.
Nessus stood in the dark corner, watching Irthu describe how he would deal with the two Primarchs, a faint smile involuntarily gracing his lips.
He murmured in a voice unheard by the mortal Irthu:
"Hercules kept his word, shooting an arrow into the monster's spine, the iron arrowhead piercing all the way to its chest."
"Nessus pulled out the iron arrowhead, and blood sprayed from both the chest and back, mixed with the serpent's venom of Hydra."