Rosales racked his brains but couldn't have guessed Emrys' audacity could be so great!
The Archmagos of the Dark Mechanicus seemed to have crashed after a single sentence, a torrent of extremely complex computational data making him silent for several minutes before he spoke in a tone of surprise, astonishment, and slight doubt: "Are you planning to defect to Chaos?"
From his perspective, there was basically only one possibility.
Otherwise, why would you, a perfectly good heir to a Rogue Trader dynasty, want Space Marine gene-seeds and modification surgery data?
Is it that you, young man, are too arrogant, or do you think the Imperium of Man's Inquisition and the Space Marines can no longer lift their blades?
"Don't talk nonsense!"
Emrys, filled with righteous indignation, loudly rebuked and retorted: "I am loyal to the Emperor and loyal to the Imperium of Man, how could I possibly defect to Chaos? Although we have a cooperative relationship, I will still sue you for defamation!"
"..." Rosales twitched his mouth, almost unable to suppress a laugh.
Since becoming a Archmagos, it had been many years since anyone could make him laugh; today was the first time.
But out of the concept of 'respecting' his collaborator, Rosales ultimately suppressed his smile and coughed twice: "Since you're not planning to defect to Chaos, you should be aware. If this thing falls into your hands, it will cause immense trouble. Let alone being the heir of Emrys, even a High Lord wouldn't be able to protect you."
"I am, of course, very clear about the great danger this will bring me."
Emrys smiled slightly, revealing a mysterious expression: "But this is my business, and I will handle it. Please rest assured, Archmagos."
Risks, naturally, exist.
Old school wisdom: Big waves, big money.
Within the Imperium of Man, information regarding Space Marine modification surgery is strictly prohibited from being leaked and is considered top secret!
Even within the various Space Marine Chapters, the specific modification surgery procedures have subtle differences, and only a select few are qualified to know them.
To enable an ordinary Human to cross the genetic hierarchy and enter the realm of a 'demigod', the most crucial 'implant' required is the Space Marine's gene-seed. This is the foundation of all modification surgeries; only after implanting the gene-seed can subsequent modifications be performed.
And currently, the biggest hurdle blocking Emrys is how to obtain 'gene-seeds'.
Asking his 'old man' for them would most likely result in him being kicked back.
He can't just rely on their good relationship to ask the Space Marines for them, can he?
That's even more impossible. Even the straightforward Albert, upon hearing him ask for gene-seeds, would not only slap him to death, but it would be considered giving face to Emrys.
So, after going in circles, Emrys could only set his sights on this Archmagos of the Dark Mechanicus.
Surely, a dignified Archmagos of the Dark Mechanicus wouldn't be unable to produce a few gene-seeds, would he?
Even if Rosales couldn't produce them, the Dark Mechanicus behind him surely could.
It wasn't that Emrys was overly confident, but rather that the Dark Mechanicus indeed had this capability.
Their power is immense. Although suppressed by the Martian Mechanicus, in the dark corners of the Imperium of Man, in places where the Martian Mechanicus has no control, they have intricate connections with many renegade Space Marines.
With the capabilities of the Dark Mechanicus, extracting dozens of gene-seeds from those renegade Space Marine Chapters would pose no difficulty whatsoever!
"I'm reminding you out of goodwill, after all, I don't want to lose another collaborator."
Rosales saw Emrys' determined mind, holding the bottle of 'black water' container, and after a brief data analysis, hoarsely said: "I can fulfill your request, but... I want one kilogram of black water. This is a fair trade of equal value."
"Five hundred grams."
Emrys, well-versed in the art of bargaining, habitually cut the price in half.
However, to his surprise, Rosales' eyes suddenly lit up, and he eagerly grabbed Emrys' arm, exclaiming excitedly: "Good, it's settled then, praise the Omnissiah, five hundred grams!"
Damn. I said too much!
Seeing Rosales' reaction, Emrys knew he had lost big time this round. But he was friends with Viggs, so dark water was dirt cheap!
HA!
He was still too young. If it were the old man bargaining, he'd probably aim for the ankles with the first cut!
Emrys, deeply sighing that he had learned another lesson, reluctantly nodded in agreement: "Alright, five hundred grams of black water, but I must remind you, the gene-seeds I want must not have any Chaos mutations. Otherwise, don't blame me for not honoring the deal."
"Don't worry, I promise to find you some good ones."
Rosales immediately guaranteed, swearing by the 'Omnissiah' that he would absolutely not try to fool Emrys with defective products.
On one hand, Rosales, thinking he had gotten a great deal, secretly gloated.
On the other hand, Emrys, while seemingly pained, actually didn't care at all.
If Rosales knew that Emrys had two entire storage rooms full of that black water, he probably wouldn't be smiling so happily.
Of course, from each other's perspectives, they both believed they were the ones who had gotten the better deal.
Isn't the foundation of cooperation precisely this?
A mutually satisfactory outcome is the basis for long-term cooperation, and this made Rosales appreciate the heir of the Emrys family even more.
"Praise the Omnissiah!" Rosales was very excited. A full five hundred grams of 'black water' could be exchanged for even more 'knowledge'.
By then, even becoming a Fabricator-General no longer seemed like an unattainable dream!
"Esteemed Archmagos Rosales, how shall we conduct this transaction?" Emrys brought up the most crucial question. He could get his hands on the black water anytime, but the key was the gene-seeds.
"Mr. Emrys, I'm very sorry. I've received a secret mission and will be leaving Roselle soon." Rosales said with some regret: "But please don't worry, I will contact you once I've gathered enough gene-seeds. We can then decide on the specific method of transaction based on the situation."
"You're leaving Roselle?!"
Emrys was a bit surprised. He had thought Rosales would stay for a long time, especially since there was still a Necron tomb here.
"Yes, it's a pity. Although I very much want to stay here, orders are orders." Rosales sighed regretfully: "There's a more important mission that requires me to execute it."
Thinking about how vast the Milky Way Galaxy was, and who knew where his next stop would be, Emrys felt that the transaction was indefinitely postponed.
Seeing Emrys' somewhat dejected look, Rosales immediately spoke to reassure him: "Don't worry, this mission is relatively simple. If all goes well, it will be over quickly, and it's not too far from Roselle, so it won't delay our transaction."
Not too far from Roselle?
Suddenly, Emrys had a bad premonition: "You're not going to Vigilus, are you?"
"Oh? You know about Vigilus too?" Rosales was slightly surprised, but quickly realized that the old undying Arthur must have told him, and nodded: "That's right, the forces of Hades-8 seem to have discovered some ancient artifact there. I've been ordered to investigate."
After saying that, Rosales seemed afraid that Emrys would think there would be a problem with this transaction, so he specifically added: "Don't worry, although the Mechanicus' influence on Vigilus is vast, we have an insider, so there won't be any problems. It definitely won't affect the transaction."
"...Or, perhaps, you shouldn't go?"
Emrys' mouth twitched. Of all places, why Vigilus?
All the flags have been set for you! 'I'll be back soon,' 'nothing will go wrong'—that place, without a doubt, will soon become a classic 40K 'tourist attraction'!
People's brains will be beaten to a pulp, with a savagery index of ten stars!
"Why?"
Rosales was a little puzzled. He kept feeling that Emrys' gaze was like looking at a dead man, which made him feel uncomfortably strange.
"Ahem, how about you give me an emergency contact method?"
Emrys couldn't reveal the future, so he could only settle for the next best thing, saying: "If I can't reach you then, I can still find someone else, right?"
If it weren't for Emrys being an important partner, Rosales would have already thrown a power axe at him. Isn't this purely cursing him to have an accident?
But after much consideration, Rosales still agreed to Emrys' suggestion.
He waved his hand and removed the servo-skull implanted in his back: "From a transactional perspective, your concerns are not unfounded. If something happens to me, you can use this servo-skull to directly contact Forge Archmagos Amos."
[Item Detected: Servo-Skull (Excellent)]
[Modified into a servo-skull because a gear was installed incorrectly during its life, contains a special communication array]
[Can provide energy: 10 units]
"Thank you very much for your understanding, esteemed Archmagos Rosales."
Emrys immediately breathed a sigh of relief. With the servo-skull, he no longer had to worry.
The only regrettable thing was that he had finally found a suitable collaborator, and now he was about to kick the bucket. It was truly a pity.
As for whether Rosales could return to live from Vigilus?
The probability was truly akin to winning the lottery. That place was simply a living hell, even more so than Roselle, with the difficulty at least seven or eight notches higher!
It could be described as a classic Warhammer free-for-all, not to be missed!
Emrys felt it wouldn't be excessive to light a stick of incense for the poor 'Rosales' in advance.
What, Vigilus?
Whoever wants to go can go, it's a rotten place even a dog wouldn't go to. Emrys would rather take another stroll through the Warp than go to Vigilus!
Once the Excalibur is well-rested, he'll immediately trick the old man into making a quick escape!