The Space Marine project is imperative and must be fully prepared, otherwise, if we intrude upon Mechanicus's territory and try to rescue someone, especially a heretic who deserves death, from under his nose, the difficulty would indeed be too great.
Firstly, the Emrys family's name holds little deterrent power for Mechanicus.
Rather, in Mechanicus's eyes, the so-called Merchant Dynasty is not much different from those Imperial nobles.
Mechanicus's Forge world possesses immense autonomy, which can be glimpsed from their vast Skitarii, several Machinicus God Auxiliary, and even Forge Worlds that can span the galaxy; it is also one of the few Forge Worlds capable of producing Leman Russ Tanks.
Barrels, recoil dampeners, and propellants are also high-quality products from Mechanicus, receiving widespread acclaim for their excellent quality, precision, and durability in the battles of the Astra Militarum and Space Marine.
Therefore, even the Mars Mechanicus Cult cannot directly control Mechanicus, and these people are focused on excavating Golden Age technology and researching ancient alien technology, which makes it unclear how many unknown dark technologies Mechanicus possesses.
This also leads to Mechanicus's Machinicus God Auxiliary often acting radically, for example, on Vigilus, where the Reductus Sector frequently experiences earthquake disasters, the reason being Mechanicus's Machinicus God Auxiliary's reckless excavation of 'Blackstone' creations.
Mechanicus, acting arrogantly and domineeringly, naturally faced resistance from many factions within the Imperium, and due to his issues during the 'Great Betrayal' period, his reputation became somewhat notorious and suspicious.
But even so, with the High Lord of the Imperium's ruling, Mechanicus's various suspicious activities would at most lead to some accountability, but... it would only be limited to the extent of accountability.
The alien Inquisition once dispatched dozens of Deathwatch kill teams to invade Mechanicus's Forge world, launching destructive attacks.
The final result was that all data and archives related to alien research in Mechanicus's Department of the Interior database disappeared overnight, and a large number of Skitarii intercepted all Deathwatch, covering up those dark secrets.
Unless one's brain has been gnawed by an Ogryn, no one would want to provoke these fanatical madmen!
Regardless of whether the person can be rescued, this operation is different from before; there must be a bottom line, which is that we must never bring trouble upon ourselves.
If the Gene-Seed is lost, we can find another way.
But if those madmen are provoked, the cost would be difficult for even Merlin to bear.
"Lord, here are the materials you requested."
Elsa delivered the organized materials, and after refilling his tea, quietly sat down beside him.
"Alright, thank you for your hard work."
Originally, Emrys had told her to rest, but he couldn't argue with her, so he could only let Elsa sit.
Flipping through the delivered materials, Emrys' brows furrowed slightly, his expression gradually becoming serious as he fell into contemplation.
"Is the rebellion already very serious?"
Elsa asked curiously.
"No, Siluria' situation is better than expected." Emrys put down the materials, but his brows remained tightly furrowed, as if an unresolved worry was troubling him: "Mechanicus's Skitarii has blocked the Orks outside the Hive, and the genestealer inside are also being gradually cleared out in the lower hive."
"Then why are you frowning?" Elsa blinked, looking puzzled. Since Siluria' situation was good, shouldn't he be happy?
"Under normal circumstances, yes..."
Emrys sighed, his index finger smoothing his tightly furrowed brow, and said with some trepidation: "But I suspect this is a conspiracy of the Gene Stealer Cult, a temporary flaw exposed to make Mechanicus lower his guard."
The genestealer entrenched on Vigilus have been developing for two hundred years, and the number of infected lower-class civilians and believers is conservatively estimated to be at least several billion, accounting for a large portion of the population.
However, the current situation is completely different from the number of genestealer, each time only a very small number... it's like a step-by-step probing and enticing!
He worried that if Mechanicus couldn't hold back and stepped into the trap woven for him by Zun, then the entire Siluria Hive would be completely lost!
The fall of Siluria wouldn't be the main concern; the key issue is that in the Siluria Hive's factory, there is a 'Warlord-class' Titan... the Dominion Overlord!
If this thing were destroyed, not to mention the impact on the future counter-attack situation across the entire Vigilus, just the enraged Mechanicus tech-priest would be enough for everyone to have a hard time.
Don't underestimate the Machinicus God Auxiliary's devotion to the Titan.
He had no doubt that if the genestealer really destroyed that Machinicus God Auxiliary, Mechanicus's tech-priest would truly go mad. While living as long as heaven and earth might be an exaggeration, he would most likely let the cunning ones and the Orks witness what the Omnissiah's iron fist is!
After much thought, Emrys couldn't come up with a good solution for Siluria' situation. He couldn't just go and tell Mechanicus's tech-priest that the genestealer' target was the Titan in their factory, could he?
Regardless of whether Mechanicus would believe him, if he dared to say that, those fanatical Gear Boy would turn him into a Servo Skull in the name of insulting the Omnissiah.
It's really a headache... Sure enough, Vigilus is a huge cesspit. After receiving the Gene-Seed and implants and performing the life-extending surgery for the old man, I'll get out of this cesspit as soon as possible!
To the dark side of the Imperium, that's where he can truly shine!
"Elsa, last night I asked you to contact Carol. When will they arrive at Vigilus?" Emrys temporarily put aside the Siluria issue and turned to Elsa.
Elsa glanced at the time and whispered, "According to the agreed time, if nothing goes wrong, Carol should have already arrived at the spaceport."
"Good, have Nergals go and meet him." Emrys nodded slightly. He had a very important matter that he had to personally confirm with Carol.
"I'll go do it right away."
Elsa immediately got up to inform Nergals.
"I advise you not to go to Siluria."
Suddenly, a familiar voice came from beside him, it was the elusive Hilda.
"Can you give me a little warning before you speak next time?" Emrys' eye twitched slightly. He was almost ready to draw his Execution Greatsword. He turned his head with a speechless expression and looked at Hilda: "What do you mean by that?"
Hilda plopped down on the chair. In just a few days, she had learned to cross her legs and lazily glanced at him: "You don't even understand High Gothic?"
Here it comes, the familiar aggression!
Emrys twitched his lips and held his forehead with his hand: "Of course I understand. What I mean is, explain to me, what do you mean by me not going to Siluria?"
"It means don't go."
Hilda was as blunt as ever.
"You have to give me a reason, right?" Emrys frowned, speechless: "For example, is it too dangerous? Or some other reason?"
"You will regret it." Hilda looked at him seriously and said, "You should know that I predict that once you go to Siluria, something will happen that will make you regret it." "Something that will make me regret it? Elaborate!"
Emrys immediately sat up straight and asked seriously.
His prophecy was fake, but her prophecy was real!
Although on Vigilus, the existence of the Great Rift made prophecies extremely unstable, she was an Eldar. Who knew what methods she had to avoid the interference of the curse scar?
"That's all."
Hilda shook her head and said, "I can only predict to this extent. Any more details are not possible."
"Is that even a prophecy?!" Emrys' eyes widened, and the slight respect that had just surged in his heart immediately vanished into thin air. Was she playing games with him?
"Otherwise?" Hilda looked at him disdainfully: "If I could predict so accurately, I would have been a farseer long ago. Would I still need to be sent to protect you?"
Well... it's very reasonable, impeccable logic!
Emrys was speechless by Hilda's brilliant logic, he held his forehead and sighed: "I shouldn't have held out hope for you, I was too foolish... So you mean, I won't be in mortal danger?"
From Hilda's prophecy, something would happen that would make him regret it, but the scope was too broad to determine exactly what it was. However, it also indirectly indicated that he himself should not encounter any accidents.
"Hard to say."
Hilda was still shaking her head, indicating she didn't know: "With the Great Rift present, prophecies are heavily interfered with, and the future is not set in stone. If there's any fluctuation, the outcome of the prophecy might deviate greatly."
"So, you mean... the Siluria Hive is in great danger?" Emrys asked in a deep voice.
"Something like that." Hilda nodded, but her expression remained relaxed, seemingly without any worry: "In short, there will be great danger, so I don't recommend you go to Siluria."
After speaking, she paused for a few seconds and said meaningfully: "Do you know? I predicted that you would regret it, but... you will still go in the end. This is prophecy, don't you find it annoying?"
"What if I resolutely refuse to go?" Emrys' stubbornness flared up, and he sneered: "I'll just defy your prophecy and leave Vigilus directly. What then?"
"Your Emperor was also a powerful prophet. Did he predict his own failure?" Hilda said calmly, without any emotion: "The future is indeed changing, but... it will always not deviate from the main storyline. Even if you don't want to go, someone will force you to go."
"Indeed, just as you said, it's very annoying."
After listening, Emrys sneered: "Since you know it won't change, why did you tell me?"
"Because I inherited the power of prophecy, I want to see a further future and prove my father was wrong, that fate can be changed." Hilda's tone was mixed with some complexity, her eyelids slightly lowered, obscuring her vision, and she whispered: "My father said you are special, so I want to see... if you can change the future."
He wasn't sure if it was an illusion, but he heard a hint of sadness in Hilda's voice.
"Your guest has arrived."
Hilda took a deep breath, returning to her usual demeanor, as if the emotions she had just shown were merely his illusion.
Then, she vanished into space, disappearing.
Leaving Emrys bewildered, pondering Hilda's words, until Elsa and Carol entered.
"Lord Emrys, how are you?" As soon as he entered, Carol anxiously came over, pulling him left and right, fearing there was something wrong.
When he heard that Emrys had been assassinated by the Drukhari, Carol was almost scared to death. This was the family's only heir. If he died on Vigilus, he wouldn't know how to explain it to his old brother Arthur!
"I'm fine, I'm very well, Carol." A warmth surged in Emrys' heart. Carol's concerned actions were not mixed with any personal feelings. He comforted him: "Thanks to His Majesty's protection, the Drukhari did not harm me."
"I heard you're going to Siluria?" After confirming that he had no injuries, Carol immediately urged: "It's too dangerous there. I don't think it's a wise decision for you to go to Siluria at this time!"
"I understand your concerns, but..."
Emrys hesitated for a few seconds, but ultimately didn't mention the prophecy: "But I have a reason why I must go. Please rest assured, I am confident I can protect myself."
Just as Hilda's prophecy said, either... he would actively go to Siluria, or he would be forced to go to Siluria by unknown fate!
He couldn't escape!
Looking at Emrys, whose mind was made up, Carol sighed inwardly. He knew he couldn't stop him: "Actually, I can guess one or two reasons why you called me here."
"How is the plan progressing?"
Emrys was a little nervous, looking at him with wide eyes.
"According to the information you left, the Spartan Project has achieved initial success, and currently ten people have achieved super-enhancement." Carol said in a steady voice: "Including Jackal, all have received the Super Soldier Serum enhancement and have been implanted with basic template biological armor based on your biological data."
The Spartan Project was a secret experimental project that Emrys, imitating the true Spartan Project, entrusted to Carol before his departure to create a specialized force. It used warhammer humans as a template to formulate exclusive enhancement serums and biological armor!
And Carol, being a Archmagos specializing in biology, was able to complete the deciphering at an extremely fast speed and specifically formulate it according to individual genetic differences.
"Jackal? Why is he in there too?!"
Emrys was a little surprised. He knew that the Spartan Project had an extremely high mortality rate, and he deliberately kept it from Jackal because he didn't want him to take risks.
"Jackal requested it himself." Carol sighed and said: "He believes that a Catachan Warrior should not die on the training ground, but on the battlefield. I couldn't argue with him and agreed without telling you."
"Never mind... as long as he lives." Emrys couldn't blame Carol and could only reluctantly accept this outcome.
"It's a pity, if you could give me more time, I'm confident I could integrate the loyalist army's enhancement serum with the Spartan Project to create even more powerful Warriors!" Carol's tone carried a hint of regret, clearly not very satisfied with the first batch.
"That's enough."
Emrys' confidence immediately doubled. With the first batch of Warriors produced by the Spartan Project, he would have a continuous supply of more high-quality Warriors!
Moreover, the multiverse is so vast, who knows, one day he might encounter a true Spartan Warrior!
By then, the 'Super Soldiers' produced by integrating the technology of many universes will grow into a force no less powerful than the Space Marine, or even stronger!
The Spartan Warrior program is currently in its first phase.
The improved Super Soldier Serum, adapted for warhammer humans, is almost on par with the Stormtroopers, judging by the data test results.
In addition, Carol incorporated the Engineer race's biotechnology, implanting a growable armor into the skin, forming a black carapace-like substance, which not only greatly enhances the 'Spartan's' survivability but also improves various other qualities.
As for the second phase of enhancement, that will have to wait for the Perfect T-Virus research.
He wouldn't dare experiment with this in the Warhammer Universe; who knows if it would attract 'Grandpa.'
With K and Tzeentch already watching him, he's under immense pressure and doesn't want to provoke the other two.
"Although the Spartan Phase One experiment was very successful, it still has a major drawback," Carol sighed with regret. "I'm not specialized in mechanical aspects, so I can't custom-build Power Armor for them. Only with more powerful Power Armor can they unleash their maximum combat potential."
"It's alright, Carol."
Upon hearing this, Emrys grinned and said mysteriously, "I know a friend who is very skilled at building Power Armor."
The friend he spoke of was, of course, Tony Stark. As the smartest genius in the Marvel universe, surely custom-building a dozen sets of Power Armor for his Spartan Warriors would be no problem, right?
"When did you meet him?" Carol was even more confused. This heir's network seemed a bit extensive!
"Uh, secret." Emrys cleared his throat. This matter couldn't be explained.
It could easily be mistaken for a Chaos ploy, so it was better to wait for the right time later.
"You must have something else, right?"
Carol looked at Emrys, who seemed to be hesitating to speak, and immediately guessed that he had something else to say.
"Ahem, you guessed right."
Emrys coughed twice, as if guilty, and his eyes darted around. "It's just a small matter I wanted to ask you about, to see if there's a solution."
A small matter?
Carol stared at the guilty Emrys, his sharp gaze making the latter scratch his head awkwardly.
After a long silence, he looked at Emrys meaningfully. "Do you know? You're very much like your randfather. I remember when he was young, every time he caused big trouble, he'd come to me just like you are now."
So it's a family trait, Emrys rubbed his head, smiling awkwardly but politely.
"For you to specifically come to me, it must be related to Hades 8, right?" Carol saw through Emrys' little thoughts at a glance, shaking his head and sighing, "What exactly is it? I know a few Archmagoss from Hades ; let's see if they can help you."
"It's not a big deal, just helping me save someone."
Emrys rubbed his nose and whispered, "It's just that their identity is a bit troublesome: an Archmagos of the Dark Mechanicum."
After hearing Emrys' request, Carol's thought array almost short-circuited.
Then, the Biologis' forehead seemed to ignite, emitting wisps of white smoke and heat, and his entire being went into a frozen state, as if his CPU was overloaded, falling into a prolonged silence.
Just as Emrys was considering whether to use physical cooling, Carol rigidly turned his head to look at him: "What did you say? I didn't hear you clearly, say it again."
"Uh..." Meeting Carol's gaze, Emrys felt even more guilty. "It's just, the Dark Mechanicum... please don't misunderstand, we're not friends, it's just a very simple transactional relationship. I swear to the Emperor!"
"How do you know people from the Dark Mechanicum?"
Carol felt very confused, but then he reacted and caught the key phrase: "Wait, you said transaction... what did you trade with them? The Dark Mechanicum are all heretics, you must not be deceived!"
At this point, Emrys no longer planned to keep it from Carol.
After all, he would have many plans in the future that would require the help of Carol, the Biologis. Moreover, during their time together, he had deeply felt Carol's paternal care for him, so he decided to explain a little.
"Ahem, actually, we've traded two or three times, but you can rest assured, I haven't lost out." Emrys took a deep breath, giving Carol a moment to catch his breath, and then dropped the bombshell: "As for the content of this trade, it's fifty Gene-Seeds, as well as 40 sets of implanted organs and 10 sets of Primaris implanted organs."
Boom!
Carol's thought array almost short-circuited!
It was like a bolt from the blue, directly frying him from the inside out, his temperature rising at a visible speed!
"What do you want Gene-Seeds for?!" Panic flashed visibly in his crimson electronic eyes, and his tone became extremely serious. Carol stared intently at him: "Don't you know that Space Marine modification surgery is an absolute taboo in the Imperium that cannot be touched?"
Space Marine were a super-soldier bio-gene template created by the Emperor for the Great Crusade, specifically based on the Primarchs and combined with humanity.
And the great Imperium of Man, the reason it could span one millennium after another in the dark, turbulent Milky Way Galaxy, besides the countless human soldiers who fought for it, the existence of Space Marine also played a crucial role!
As a Biologis, Carol knew more clearly than Emrys how much trouble would be caused once this matter was touched.
At best, it would be an Exterminatus.
As for the worst-case scenario, it would probably mean that there would be no place for Merlin to stand in the entire Milky Way Galaxy.
But Emrys still smiled without speaking, seemingly having no intention of explaining.
Looking at Emrys, Carol gradually regained his composure. Although their time together was short, he understood this young heir very well.
Ambitious and talented like his Grandpa, he was simply a born Rogue Trader!
He didn't believe that with Emrys' wisdom, he wouldn't consider the consequences of doing so. Once discovered by the Imperium, it would inevitably attract huge trouble!
If he was merely coveting the power of the Space Marine, then with the name of Merlin, he could completely recruit a group of Space Marine. Even if discovered by the Inquisition later, he could fully use the Rogue Trader's diplomatic immunity.
But once the taboo of the Space Marine was touched, it would be equivalent to no turning back!
"Can you tell me your reason for doing this?" Carol thought it over and over, forcibly suppressed his shock, sat back in his chair, looked directly at Emrys, and enunciated each word: "I don't believe that you don't know the consequences of doing this."
"Precisely because I know it very well, I must do this."
Emrys was very serious, his gaze unwavering, facing Carol directly: "If I say that I am doing this to cope with potential future dangers, would you believe me?"
In fact, he was also well aware that privately creating Space Marine would inevitably attract great risks.
However, The Sixth Sense in the dark, and the sense of urgency that constantly lingered in his heart and was intensifying, seemed to be urging him to do so.
To put it bluntly, it was unease!
It was unease towards the Chaos Great Enemy, Orks, Necrons, Aeldari, Tyranids, and also towards the Imperium of Man!
Don't ask why there are no Tau; the answer is that they are too strong.
He would never forget the scene of being swallowed by endless pain the moment he touched that cold Sun!
Just like the Primarch Roboute Guilliman's understanding of the 'Father' currently sitting on the Golden Throne, Emrys feared both external enemies and the Emperor.
Carol was silent for a long time after hearing this.
Finally, looking at the serious Emrys, Carol decided to trust his judgment: "Alright, I believe you, but this matter must be handled carefully, and it must not be leaked, otherwise... Merlin will be finished!"
If it were known by the Space Marine, High Lord of the Imperium, or the Inquisition, even a few more Imperial Trade Charters wouldn't save them!
"Don't worry, Carol, besides you and Elsa, no one else will know about this." Emrys breathed a slight sigh of relief. Even if Carol didn't agree, he would find a way to secretly manufacture them, but a unified stance was ultimately the best outcome.
"I will try to contact some old friends."
Carol inexplicably felt a little tired. As he expected, this heir was too much of a troublemaker.
"Then I'll leave it to you, Carol." Emrys thanked his elder from the bottom of his heart for saving him a lot of trouble: "I've already instructed Lucianne; she will send a professional team to the family flagship to perform surgery on Grandpa."
"Good, I'll keep an eye on this." Carol nodded slightly, but still felt a little uneasy: "There are many scattered Orks warships above the Reductus Sector, in a combat zone in space. It will be difficult for us to support you then, so you must be careful."
"Don't worry, Carol."
Emrys smiled and nodded, reassuring him: "I won't get into trouble. After Grandpa's surgery, we will evacuate Vigilus as soon as possible."
"I forgot to ask you, does your trade content not include Power Armor?"
Suddenly, Carol posed a soul-searching question.
Emrys fell into a brief silence. He seemed to have... really not mentioned it: "Uh, we should have this in our warehouse, right?"
"No." Carol glanced at him: "We don't need the Power Armor worn by Space Marine, so why would we specifically stock it? We originally had a few pieces of master-crafted Power Armor, but to save you, your gave them all away."
When he said this, Emrys could clearly hear a hint of complaint in his tone.
It made sense. Master-crafted Power Armor could completely be considered a family heirloom, but to save him, Holman had no choice but to bring it out.
"Uh..."
Now, Emrys was in an awkward situation.
He had completely forgotten about the Power Armor. To be precise, he hadn't forgotten, but rather thought that a Emrys Rogue Trader should have such a thing.
"Don't you know 'friends' from the Dark Mechanicum?" Carol's laugh sounded a bit sinister: "Just ask them for a few sets, wouldn't that work? They have plenty of MK7 and MK8, these two mass-produced types of Power Armor, in their Dark Mechanicum."
"Hiss... that makes sense!" Emrys suddenly realized. He wasn't unable to demand a higher price.
Besides, he took such a huge risk to rescue someone from Mechanicus's territory, so what's wrong with asking you for forty to fifty suits of Power Armor?
The MK7 Aquila and MK8 Errant Power Armors were developed at the end of the Great Heresy. Due to a lack of resources and the loss of many original technologies, the performance gap between these two types of Power Armor and previous generations was significant.
It is well known that the technology level in the Warhammer Universe tends to be older and more advanced.
Among the many Power Armor models, the MK7 and MK8 were truly a pair of 'struggling brothers,' with their only advantage perhaps being their abundance.
To this day, some poorer Space Marine Chapters still wear a mix of Aquila and Errant models.
As for the latest generation, the MK10 Primaris, that thing is too rare. It's a modular Power Armor designed by Archmagos Cawl specifically for Primaris Space Marines to handle different battlefield environments, almost as rare as the MK4 Maximus.
Having made up his mind, Emrys decided to inform Rosales later.
Surely, a mere forty to fifty Aquila Power Armors wouldn't be too much for a Archmagos of the Mechanicus to produce, would it?
To openly enter the Reductus Sector, a sufficient reason was needed.
Otherwise, as the esteemed heir of a Merchant Dynasty, his sudden visit to a hive world besieged by Orks would be more than a little suspicious.
Fortunately, Biologis Carol was there. Although he had joined Merlin long ago, he still maintained close ties with the Mechanicus. With this connection, Emrys saved a lot of trouble.
As night deepened, the Valkyrie Transport took off, traversing the vast, barren surface of Vigilus.
This journey was expected to last several hours, and at Emrys' specific request, the Valkyrie Transport would pass through the largest Vorian Sandstorm Vortex on Vigilus's surface to observe the situation inside up close.
According to Carol's plan, to forcibly cross the Vorian Sandstorm Vortex, advanced energy shield technology was required.
Coincidentally, this technology was held by Mechanicus. Besides the specialized fortress-grade energy shields, Vigilus also had many smaller energy shield technologies specifically installed on various aircraft.
Therefore, Emrys' objective for this trip had increased by one.
He intended to purchase a small, powerful energy shield device from the tech-priests of Mechanicus that could withstand the Vorian Sandstorm Vortex.
Even under the cover of night, they still had to be constantly vigilant during the flight, as they might encounter Orks racing in the wilderness.
The first part of the journey was relatively safe because even Orks wouldn't dare to race their vehicles near the Vorian Sandstorm Vortex. However, the latter half of the journey would depend on luck.
Before long, the Valkyrie arrived at the Vorian Sandstorm Vortex.
Emrys looked out the window. A massive sandstorm dominated the entire sky, like a terrifying giant beast. Under winds reaching hundreds of kilometers per hour, it stirred up dust that blotted out the Sun, even obscuring the Great Rift.
In the central area of the sandstorm, a chasm-like vortex was faintly visible, devouring the atmosphere like a black hole!
"Truly magnificent!" Emrys was deeply shocked. It was hard to imagine that such a cataclysmic sight was a relic of humanity from Golden Age!
Yet, even in a non-operational state, this single relic from Golden Age could create a terrifying device on a planetary surface that had persisted for thousands, even tens of thousands of years, capable of generating a black hole—it was simply inconceivable!
"Lord, what are you thinking about?"
Seeing Emrys lost in thought, staring at the sandstorm vortex, Elsa couldn't help but ask curiously.
"I'm curious, how powerful were humans during Golden Age?" Emrys could barely imagine the glorious extent humanity could have reached during Golden Age if the Iron Men rebellion had never occurred.
"Is it interesting to reminisce about these things?"
Hilda couldn't help but retort sarcastically, "You reminisce about humans from Golden Age, and I reminisce about the Aeldari at their peak. But haven't we all ended up in this half-dead state now?"
"Can't you just let me fantasize a little?" Emrys glared at her, annoyed.
"Would you like to hear our records of your so-called 'Golden Age'?" Hilda said indifferently.
"That's interesting, tell me." This was the first time Emrys had genuinely heard other races' evaluations of humanity, especially from the Aeldari, who lived in the same era, a concept that was extremely vague in his memory.
"What you call Golden Age, to be precise, should be the Age of Dark Technology."
Hilda cast a playful glance, a half-smile on her face. "Humans of that time were neither rational nor enlightened. On the contrary, they were one of the civilizations in this dark and cruel universe that employed the most brutal methods."
"Their capacity for destruction and devastation, coupled with their reckless ambition and arrogant self-perception as gods, once plunged the entire Milky Way Galaxy into a bloodbath. Of course, from the Aeldari perspective, we are in no position to mock you."
The Aeldari are still paying for the sins they committed.
The Aeldari harmed all living beings with one move.
However, the 'Golden Age' described by Hilda seemed vastly different from Emrys' impression.
It appeared not to be a particularly memorable era; on the contrary, it should have been the darkest period in human history, apart from the present.
Thinking about it carefully, the Emperor never acknowledged how good 'Golden Age' was, and even held extreme vigilance towards many relics from Golden Age, such as the well-known Iron Men and AI.
"Besides," Hilda said slowly, with a profound look in her eyes, "you don't really think that without the Iron Men rebellion, humanity from Golden Age could have continued its glory, do you? The Old Ones, Necrons, Aeldari... No race can escape the curse of the Warp."
"You have a point, but I don't want to hear it."
Emrys silently averted his gaze and sighed, "Unless we can get rid of the Warp, this cesspit, the Milky Way Galaxy will never know peace."
Of course, there was another possibility: perhaps on the eve of GW's collapse in a higher dimension, it would mercifully grant warhammer a peaceful ending.
"Cesspit? Good description."
Hilda's eyes lit up, agreeing wholeheartedly: "You're right, the Warp is a cesspit. That description is simply brilliant!"
This guy's thought process always made people feel so strange. Emrys, unable to complain, turned his gaze back to the window.
But that one glance almost made Emrys' heart stop.
He actually vaguely caught a glimpse of a disquieting green hue on the sandstorm-ravaged wasteland.
Oh no, could it be that they really ran into Orks?!
The moment this thought flashed through his mind, Emrys immediately notified the Valkyrie's pilot: "Accelerate! Accelerate! Accelerate!"
But it was clearly too late. The moment he saw that unsettling green, the other party seemed to have noticed them too.
That unsettling green suddenly began to accelerate!
And with a speed that almost defied common sense, it rapidly approached them, accompanied by immense noise.
"It's Orks!"
Hilda had obviously also spotted the rapidly approaching green.
"Can we outrun the Orks?" Emrys, encountering Orks for the first time, turned to ask Hilda.
"...Are you dreaming?" Hilda gave him a look as if he were an idiot and said, exasperated, "Unless you're sitting on a Necron Ghost Ark, don't even think about outrunning those disgusting mushrooms."
Boom! Boom! Boom!
With deafening throttles mixed with noise, the Orks, riding motorcycles, furiously charged towards them.
When they got closer and Emrys saw what the Orks called 'motorcycles,' he fell silent again. A pile of completely broken, trash, and scrap metal, forcibly assembled into the shape of a 'motorcycle' in a way that defied understanding.
Honestly, it was a miracle that this thing could even move. The fact that it was spewing black smoke and could catch up to a Valkyrie was simply outrageous!
At this moment, Emrys deeply understood the terrifying power of 'I Think Therefore I Am'.
As long as you have enough imagination, nothing is impossible!
If he could be reincarnated in his next life, he'd want to be a Ork. 'I Think Therefore I Am' was just too useful!
"All hands, prepare for battle!"
Despite having maximized their efforts to bypass the Orks' locations, they ultimately couldn't avoid them.
Emrys strongly suspected that his bad luck aura had returned. He helplessly ordered everyone in the transport to be ready for battle at any moment!
However, at that moment, a perplexing scene unfolded.
The swarms of Orks, riding their motorcycles, did not attack the Valkyrie. Instead, they all sped past it, letting out a deafening, extremely fervent and excited "Waaaaaagh!"
Everyone was completely bewildered, even the pilot was stunned.
What's going on?
The triple laser cannons were warmed up, and you just passed us?
But then, the Orks who had overtaken them didn't just leave. Instead, they circled around ahead, stopped again, and the most burly one, with a banner stuck in his back, frantically waved his arms at them, letting out incomprehensible shouts of excitement.
"Can you understand them?"
Emrys fell silent. This was one of the few prophecies that even the Traveler System couldn't translate.
Hilda's eyelid twitched slightly. After a strange silence of more than ten seconds, she seemed a bit exasperated: "They mean to challenge you to a 'Speed Waaaaagh,' which is a competition of speed, to see who runs faster."
Emrys was dumbfounded. He knew Orks' imaginations were sky-high, but he never expected them to be this wild!
The Ork Speed Freeks has sent you a race invitation?
Emrys' silence was deafening.
These Orks were chasing them simply because they wanted a thrilling race?
The pilot stiffly turned to look at Emrys, seemingly asking for his opinion, his bewildered and slightly stunned gaze perfectly reflecting his current frantic state of mind.
In his life, piloting a Valkyrie, he had experienced countless dangerous situations, such as flying through bombing zones, low-altitude fire reconnaissance, and thrilling high-altitude dogfights, but... racing against green-skinned Orks was a first in his life.
"I suggest you don't refuse these mushrooms' matching request," Hilda said calmly, seeing his hesitation. "Believe me, racing with them is much simpler than trying to kill them."
Emrys took her words to heart.
This brought up the unique reproductive method of the green-skins; every green-skinned Ork, in essence, was a combination of fungus and organism, so from birth, they constantly released spores. Once a green-skin was blown to bits, then congratulations... you would see even more green-skins sprouting from the ground!
Unless it was a promethium burner or high-temperature sterilization, it was very difficult to completely eradicate green-skinned Orks. And the 'Waaaaagh' aura constantly enveloping the green-skin race was an incredibly idealistic aura that even humans, Eldar, and Necrons found absurd.
To put it simply, once a certain green-skin started a 'Waaaaagh', and many other green-skins around believed, then the scene that followed would likely shatter your worldview.
"You're right," Emrys immediately informed the pilot. "No matter what you do, you need to outrun those damn green-skins, understand?"
"Understood, lord!"
To Emrys' surprise, a flicker of excitement suddenly appeared in the pilot's eyes, as if he had finally been unchained. He grinned menacingly, "After all these years, someone finally told me I could fly as much as I want!"
"..."
An ominous premonition surged into Emrys' heart.
"Uh... actually, you don't need to go that fast."
But unfortunately, as he spoke those words, a strong and powerful push against his back almost sent Emrys flying out, saved only by Hilda holding him down.
Clang! Clang!
The people in the transport bay behind were immediately thrown about, crashing haphazardly against various parts of the cabin. Angry Low Gothic curses came from the back, but they were too foul for the Traveler System to translate.
From the sound, it seemed the one swearing was Jackal.
"I forgot to mention, lord Emrys," Elsa, who was next to him, clearly anticipated this, having already buckled her seatbelt. She stuck out her tongue, "Before he retired, he used to fly transport planes on Cadia, making hundreds of round trips every day."
With Hilda's help, Emrys barely managed to fasten his seatbelt, his face covered in cold sweat. "Great, so he was a professional all along. No wonder the green-skins targeted us. Is this the unspoken understanding between masters?!"
At this point, he couldn't help but suspect that the green-skins targeted them precisely because the pilot's unique temperament was discovered, leading them to chase and specifically challenge him to a race!
Boom!!!
The Valkyrie's engines went full throttle!
Amidst violent vibrations, the furious thrust propelled the Valkyrie through the sound barrier. With no aerodynamics, pure brute force, a conical shockwave ring enveloped the fuselage, emitting a deafening roar, instantly surpassing the green-skinned Orks!
"Waaaaagh—!!!"
Match successful!
The green-skinned Ork Speed Freekz let out excited screeches, then, riding their dilapidated motorcycles, they defied the laws of physics and burst through the sound barrier!
For a few seconds, Emrys felt utterly exhausted.
No one should accuse anyone else of cheating. Whether it was the green-skins' idealistic aura or the Imperium's brute force, both things... were utterly ridiculous!
And so, the following spectacle unfolded!
On the barren plains of Vigilus, a Vigilus sandstorm vortex raged, a furious gale sweeping across the sky, filled with radiation and highly saline winds.
The green-skinned Orks, riding their smoke-belching motorcycles, dragging sonic boom trails behind them, chased a Valkyrie with its engines at full throttle, its turbine energy pulling out Mach rings!
The two sides engaged in a thrilling speed competition on the barren plains of Vigilus. It was a contest without a referee, yet both sides, despite their different languages, shared a mutual appreciation and passion for speed, pushing the limits and reaching new heights for their respective races!
Finally, in a no-holds-barred competition where winning was everything and friendship was an afterthought, Emrys' side narrowly won, being the first to reach the Siluria Hive District. The first Vigilus Human-Green-skin Race concluded perfectly.
The Speed Freekz stopped their motorcycles, watching them drive into the Hive District. The leading green-skinned Ork even roared at the pilot. According to Hilda's translation, it meant they had a great time and hoped to do it again!
The pilot also seemed to be enjoying himself, the corners of his mouth almost reaching his ears. He turned back, his face full of pride, "How was that?! Wasn't I amazing?!"
However, the cheers he imagined did not happen.
Instead, Emrys stared at him with a resentful expression: "You... once we get there, you'd better run fast. Don't let the people in the back catch you."
He had a blast, but it was poor Jackal and the others in the cabin who suffered. The Low Gothic curses almost never stopped, truly an eye-opener for Emrys.
He was genuinely afraid that once the transport plane landed, Jackal and the others, who had been tossed around the whole way, would wring the pilot's head off and kick it like a ball!
Only then did the pilot feel a bit guilty: "Surely... it won't come to that, right?"
He tried to open the communication device in the rear cabin, and from it came an angry roar, the fury almost overflowing: "Raman, I know it's you! Only a bastard like you could fly a Valkyrie like that!"
"When I get out, if I don't wring your head off, then I'm not a Catachan!"
After a few seconds of silence, the pilot, Raman, twitched his mouth and looked at Emrys with a pleading expression: "Lord, let's discuss something. How about they parachute down?"
If he landed, he wouldn't even have time to run!
What a talent... Emrys covered his forehead. Although he was almost thrown up his dinner, he had to admit that Raman was indeed an ace pilot!
Anyone who could take off and land hundreds of times a day on Cadia, braving Chaos artillery, if their luck or skill wasn't exceptionally strong, they would have been buried long ago!
Furthermore, if there was truly blame... he had given his permission. He couldn't just watch as the enraged Jackal and the others beat Raman half to death, could he?
And so.
Soon, the angry Jackal and his men heard Emrys' command: due to certain special reasons, they needed to parachute into the starport this time; the Valkyrie would not land.
"Fine!" Jackal gritted his teeth, half his face swollen from impact, and sneered, "You're something else, Raman. When I get back, I'll make sure you get a good taste of what Catachan is!"
Siluria Hive District, Starport.
Because of her special status, Hilda had activated stealth mode in advance, leaving the Valkyrie much earlier to infiltrate through underground pipes. So Emrys and Elsa parachuted down using grav-chutes.
After landing, Jackal was still unwilling, staring intently at the Valkyrie, his teeth grinding in anger. "Don't be angry, Raman couldn't help it." Emrys helplessly pleaded for Raman, patting Jackal's shoulder and comforting him, "Besides, the situation was urgent then. We had a group of green-skins chasing us. If he had flown slowly, we would have been in danger."
"Don't worry, I understand the reasoning."
Jackal took a deep breath and grinned menacingly, "I'll be very careful with my hands, I promise he won't get seriously hurt, at most he'll just be in the infirmary for a few months."
"...Alright."
Emrys thought for a moment and nodded in agreement.
He had almost thrown up his dinner from being tossed around; someone had to take out this 'frustration' for him, right?
Then, he looked Jackal up and down, a bit helpless, and sighed: "You, at your age, why did you have to get involved?"
Jackal, who had undergone the 'Spartan Project' modifications, was almost two meters tall. His muscles were even more robust and hard, and he looked completely devoid of his former age, his spirit renewed, clearly much younger!
"With this opportunity, why not try?" Jackal knew Emrys was worried about him, so he patted Emrys' shoulder and said earnestly, "Don't forget, I am a warrior of Catachan. I was born to fight. Rather than growing old safely in the rear, I'd rather die on the battlefield!"
Jackal was one of his few friends on Roselle. If possible, Emrys actually hoped to provide a safe retirement for this old soldier who had fought his entire life, rather than letting him step into this hellish galaxy once more.
But unfortunately... Jackal didn't seem to think so.
"Kid, don't overthink it," Jackal grinned, full of pride. "I'm a warrior of the Emperor. Even if I retire, I'm still a warrior. This is the path I chose myself. You don't need to feel sad for me. Even if one day... I really die on the battlefield, you should be happy for me!"
"Alright, I respect your opinion."
Emrys reluctantly had to respect the old soldier's wish.
"Don't forget me in your future plans, kid." Jackal, ever the old rogue, thumped his chest proudly: "No bragging, but with my current strength, give me a Chaos Space Marine, and I can still wring his head off, believe it or not?!"
"I believe you, I believe you..."
Emrys flattered him, thinking it was a bit exaggerated.
If he really encountered a Chaos Space Marine, it would be good if his own head wasn't wrung off, let alone wringing someone else's head off. Did he really think he was Marbo!
"Lord Emrys."
The Mechanicus Priest, clad in a rust-red robe, slowly approached them. After verifying their identities, he spoke in a flat, emotionless voice: "Archmagos Drayne specifically sent me to welcome you all. Please follow me."
Archmagos Drayne was one of Carol's connections, and on the Stygies VIII Forge world, he was a powerful Archmagos specializing in mechanical matters.
"Very well, please convey Emrys' respect to Archmagos Drayne," Emrys said, becoming a bit more reserved. After all, this was Mechanicus territory, and many noble titles didn't hold much sway with them.
The Mechanicus and the Imperium of Man were not in a superior-subordinate relationship, but a partnership. This could be seen from the Imperial flag, the double-headed Aquila, which indicated the vastness of the Mechanicus' influence.
Furthermore, in the High Lords of Terra's council, the Fabricator-General of the Martian Mechanicum also held a seat!
Many times, the Imperium of Man had no recourse against the Mechanicus. For example, on Stygies VIII on Vigilus, the Tech-Priests, in their pursuit of Blackstone, disregarded the lives of billions, causing crustal tremors through their rampant mining. Their unrestrained greed for technology constantly vexed the Imperium of Man.
This was not only happening on Vigilus. Throughout the vast dominion of the Imperium of Man, similar examples were everywhere, and the Forge worlds occupied by the Mechanicus were often granted special tax-exempt status by the Administratum!
As he pondered, they boarded a Rhino APC.
"I apologize, Lord Emrys," the Mechanicus Priest explained, "Due to the recent appearance of many genestealers within Siluria, riding in a Rhino APC is for your safety."
"Praise the Omnissiah, praise Archmagos Drayne," Emrys offered a devout prayer, "May the Emperor's enemies be purged swiftly."
"They will be."
The Mechanicus Priest said with full confidence, "The Omnissiah's wrath will burn those damned heretics!"
Soon, the Rhino APC arrived at the core Hive District, which was the Mechanicus stronghold, home to several massive factories. Emrys was arranged in a relatively peripheral location.
"Lord Emrys, Archmagos Drayne is currently busy commanding his forces, so please stay here for a few days," the emotionless Mechanicus Priest said. "During this time, you must not leave without permission, nor go anywhere else. Otherwise, if anything happens, you will bear the consequences yourself!"
With that, he departed directly.
"What do we do now?" Jackal frowned. He had been observing the Mechanicus' arrangements on the way here. He lowered his voice and said, "The surveillance is very tight. It'll be hard for me to avoid the Mechanicus' gaze. It seems... these gear-heads are very suspicious of our arrival."
"Let's not make any moves for now."
Emrys also had a headache. He hadn't expected that even with Carol's connection, Stygies VIII's vigilance hadn't lessened. They had even specifically placed them in the core area.
On one hand, it was for their safety; on the other, it made it easier to monitor their every move!
But fortunately, he hadn't placed his hopes on Jackal and the others anyway. Rather... they were bait!
"Next, I need to go find my dear friend and discuss... the matter of raising prices."
Emrys' lips curled into a shrewd smile.
The mansion the Mechanicum arranged for them was under strict surveillance by the Ecclesiarchy, clearly indicating that Archmagos Dreikris was highly wary of the suddenly visiting Valsius.
This was not too surprising.
Jackal led the first Spartan squad members on a few rounds outside, identifying all hidden sentries and surveillance equipment before returning to report.
"They're watching very closely, but it's not entirely impossible."
As a fierce Catachan, Jackal still found a tiny opportunity within the tight lockdown: "I can try to sneak into the pipes. The Ecclesiarchy and surveillance equipment barely patrol that area. It's the only loophole."
Genius!
Isn't that a coincidence? The genestealers are thinking the same thing!
Emrys gave a thumbs-up: "No, absolutely not. If you go into the pipes, the risk might be even greater than direct exposure."
"Why?" Jackal was a bit puzzled.
"Beneath our feet, it's probably already occupied by genestealers." Emrys pointed downwards, shaking his head: "The genestealer Cultists dug out a complex network of tunnels, just waiting for the right moment to take down the Siluria Hive District in one fell swoop. Wouldn't you be walking into your own death?"
"...Then forget it."
Jackal's mouth twitched, clearly knowing his limits.
Although he was enhanced now, if he ran into genestealers, two fists wouldn't be able to fight four hands, especially when it's the literal 'four hands'?
"Then what do you plan to do?" Jackal frowned. If he wouldn't let them take risks, who would rescue the target?
Regarding Hilda, Emrys hadn't told anyone except Elsa and Carol, so Jackal didn't know there was another person involved.
"Don't worry, we don't need to solve this."
Emrys deliberately kept them in suspense, then changed the subject: "I have other arrangements for the rescue target. Our purpose here is to draw fire and incidentally purchase small energy shields, nothing more."
"Tsk, I thought I'd get some action." Jackal was slightly disappointed. He was almost rusting on the ship. This time, he finally had a mission and thought he could show off his skills, but in the end, he was still idle.
"My thoughts are not the same as yours."
Emrys stood up, looking out the window at the sky above the hive district, obscured by large amounts of mineral waste residue. His mood was a little heavy: "If possible, I hope this time... no accidents happen."
Hilda's prophecy made him extremely uneasy.
So, if possible, after rescuing Rosales and purchasing the small energy shield device, he hoped to leave Siluria as soon as possible.
It seemed that Jackal sensed a hint of heavy atmosphere from his face, and he also reined in his smile, turning to say seriously: "Don't worry, unless I die... otherwise, no one will harm a single hair on your head!"
"Don't be silly."
Emrys glared at him, scolding with a laugh: "None of us will get into trouble, I promise."
Then, Jackal went out on patrol.
Emrys dialed the communication, waiting quietly for the reply from the other side. Soon, Rosales' projection appeared.
In just two days, he looked even more miserable.
The servo-skull on his shoulder was severely damaged, and the few mechanical infantry accompanying him were also almost on the verge of being scrapped. He himself suffered multiple damages. If it weren't for the high degree of modification, he would have probably turned into scrap metal by now.
"You, you finally contacted me!"
Rosales was like he saw a savior, tears almost welling up, assuming he had such things.
"Hiss... Esteemed Rosales, what happened to you?"
Emrys' eyes widened, saying in shock: "It's only been two days, how did you end up like this?"
"Don't even mention it..." Rosales recounted his experiences of the past few days with a heartbroken expression.
To escape the pursuit of the Ecclesiarchy, he was forced to flee into the fringe urban area, but this place had already been occupied by genestealers. Those infected with Tyranid genes directly treated him as a member of the Mechanicum, chasing him relentlessly!
The problem was, he couldn't explain. He couldn't possibly teach the genestealers how to distinguish between the Martian Mechanicum and the Dark Mechanicum, could he?
As a result, Rosales barely avoided being torn apart by the genestealers, using all his might to escape from the Tyranid claws and hide in a section of an abandoned promethium pipeline.
Fortunately, this promethium pipeline was a product of the Great Crusade era. Because it had been abandoned for too long, those genestealers were too lazy to scout here, which allowed him to barely cling to his life.
Now seeing Emrys, he was practically overjoyed.
"Esteemed Emrys, have you arrived at Siluria?" Rosales' face was full of hope and pleading. He really couldn't hold on much longer!
If he had known how dangerous Vigilus was, he would have at least brought a squad of Ecclesiarchy. At least he wouldn't have been reduced to being bullied by genestealers.
"Esteemed Rosales, I have one bad news and one worse news. Which one do you want to hear first?" Emrys prepared to set the mood, otherwise, speaking directly would be a bit too 'ugly'.
"What do you mean? You're raising the price?"
Rosales was so astute that he immediately saw through what this kid was planning, and his thought arrays were almost smoking with anger: "Esteemed Emrys, we've already agreed, you should uphold the spirit of the contract!"
"Hey, Esteemed Rosales, it's not that I don't want to uphold the spirit of the contract, nor is it that I want to raise the price." Emrys sneered inwardly. They were both thousand-year-old foxes, what's with the pretense?
So, he began to complain: "You don't know, as soon as I came in, I was closely monitored by Dreikris, and not even allowed to leave the residential area. How do you expect me to rescue you?"
"It's that bastard again!"
Rosales gnashed his teeth in anger: "Dreikris, I'll remember him. If it weren't for his betrayal, how could I have been hunted down?!"
"Oh? Elaborate!" Emrys' interest was immediately piqued.
"Dreikris had a private deal with Esteemed Amos, and I was the middleman responsible for the transportation. But who knew he would suddenly renege, which exposed my identity and led to me being hunted by the Ecclesiarchy!" Rosales' tone was full of resentment.
Clearly, he hated this fickle Dreikris to the bone.
"Back to the main point, this is just one aspect of the difficulty." Emrys sighed, adding more weight: "My people detected a large number of genestealers in the hive district, Esteemed Rosales, do you understand now?"
After a slight pause of a few seconds, he shook his head regrettably: "I've evaluated it, and the risk of rescuing you is too great, it has exceeded my bottom line, so... I'm very sorry, Esteemed Rosales, it seems our deal is off."
This move of his, retreating to advance, instead cornered Rosales.
He could run, but could Rosales run?
Sure enough, as soon as he heard that he was going to cancel the deal, Rosales immediately became anxious. He had waited so long, finally waiting for his savior, but now the person was backing out?
No, absolutely not!
"Esteemed Emrys, please forgive my rudeness just now!"
Rosales instantly became much clearer-headed, knowing that his life was in the other person's hands, and said humbly: "I implore you, you must save me, for the sake of the Omnissiah, and besides, I still have the gene-seed you need here!"
"Esteemed Rosales, from my personal perspective, I am very willing to rescue you." Emrys' face was full of regret, seemingly heartbroken: "But, behind me is Valsius. I cannot risk being designated as a heretic by the Imperium and bringing shame to my family's honor!"
Rosales was stunned. The other party seemed to be genuinely... giving up on the rescue, not just putting on a show to extort him again?
"Esteemed Rosales, may the Omnissiah bless you." With that, Emrys proactively ended the communication.
"Lord, is this... really okay?"
Elsa asked with some concern.
"Which aspect are you referring to?" Emrys turned to look at Elsa, chuckling: "Don't worry, he'll call back, because... besides us, no one else can help him. The more danger a person is in, the more they understand... how much their life is truly worth."
Sure enough, after only half a minute, Rosales called again. This time he seemed a bit haggard, and his words carried a few more hints of caution: "Esteemed Emrys, I won't waste any more words, what exactly will it take for you to save me?"
"Difficult, difficult, difficult."
Emrys did not answer directly, but said three 'difficult' words in one breath, then fell silent.
In such matters, his asking for it and the other party offering it were two completely different things. So what he had to do now was be patient and wait!
Rosales pondered for a long time, several minutes, which for an Archmagos was equivalent to centuries. Finally, he seemed to have made up his mind: "Esteemed Emrys, I don't know if your family has power armor ready for Space Marines, but I am willing to offer you fifty sets of MK7 Aquila Pattern Power Armor to compensate for your losses!"
A hint of wavering appeared on Emrys' face, but in the long silence and contemplation, he seemed to be weighing whether it was worth it.
Seeing that he was tempted, Rosales gritted his teeth and added another bargaining chip: "Esteemed Emrys, at most I can give you one more piece of information about a relic from Golden Age. This is the greatest price I can pay!"
Emrys, who had only intended to haggle a bit to avoid looking too greedy, hadn't expected such an unexpected gain: "Are you sure... it's information about a relic from Golden Age?"
"Yes, I can be absolutely certain!"
Rosales nodded, gritting his teeth: "This information was found by the Dark Mechanicum. Even if it's not a relic from Golden Age, it must be a high-tech product of some alien. I can swear this to the Omnissiah!"
"Good, then it's settled."
Emrys slammed the table, righteous and awe-inspiring: "We are all friends, how can I stand by and watch a friend fall into despair without caring? Please rest assured, I will immediately organize manpower to rescue you, Esteemed Rosales!"
Friends? Forget it... too expensive.
Rosales was too exhausted to complain. He just wanted to be rescued as soon as possible and never come to this wretched place, Vigilus, again!
After hanging up the call, Elsa couldn't help but laugh: "Lord, you are truly amazing. You wanted to raise the price, but it turned out he voluntarily raised it for you."
"Because he has no choice."
Emrys said indifferently, "Next, I'll leave it to Hilda. I hope everything goes smoothly, and we can leave here as soon as possible."
"It's a pity there's no Webway here."
He couldn't help but sigh. If there was a Webway, it wouldn't be so troublesome, and Hilda wouldn't have to run back and forth.
The Siluria Hive District does not have a 'Webway entrance.' Although the Eldar inherited the legacy of the Old Ones, they cannot independently create 'Webway entrances.' However, the Eldar are better than the Imperium of Man in that, although they don't know how to create 'entrances,' they do know how to seal them.
The Webway, left by the Old Ones, is intricate and not every path is safe.
Many of them lead to dangerous areas, and the Eldar Rangers, when discovering dangerous entrances, will seal them. This way, by referring to the maps, the Eldar can minimize risks.
"It's a pity, how great would it be if I had a mobile Webway entrance?"
Emrys couldn't help but fantasize, but unfortunately, even the Eldar don't have such a thing, so it's even more impossible for him.
Unless, one day he gets lucky and happens to encounter technology left over from Golden Age of humanity, then it might actually be possible.
Or, when the Traveler System takes him through to a high-tech world like StarCraft, Halo, or Aquila, he can directly bring interstellar Warp gates, and even the Emperor might 'rise from the dead.'
Broken and mottled sunlight streamed through the cracks in the radiation-filled clouds. In the abandoned fringe hive city, traces of fierce battles could still be seen on the collapsed building debris and discarded machinery.
On the scorching scorched earth, twisted corpses still remained, and transport pipes several meters in diameter were faintly visible amidst the rubble buried by the ruins.
The reddish rust and dust on the steel walls indicated that this section of the pipe had been abandoned for a long time. Even the genestealers rarely paid attention to such long-abandoned pipes.
Hilda, using Eldar technology, stealthily infiltrated the fringe hive district.
"So dirty."
A look of disgust appeared on her delicate face.
The main city of Siluria is an important area of Hades VIII, filled with reconnaissance arrays. Even with Eldar technology, it is difficult to infiltrate unnoticed, unless under special circumstances.
Therefore, she was forced to temporarily separate from Emrys, but still had two tasks.
On one hand, she was to monitor the movements of the 'Pauper Prince' cult from the outside, and report any significant developments to Emrys in advance.
On the other hand, she was to await Emrys' command to find Rosales.
The reason Emrys judged that Rosales was in the abandoned fringe hive district was simple: the main city was full of Ecclesiarchy forces, and with Hades VIII's capabilities, digging three feet deep would be a mild estimate. If he hid in the main hive district, he would be seeking death!
Want to play a trick in plain sight?
The Martian Mechanicum's dark technology will show you what cruelty is.
For the Martian Mechanicum, heretics, xenos, and even Chaos are not entirely without a tiny possibility of negotiation.
But, only heretics, the Martian Mechanicum cannot tolerate in the slightest!
Except for the fringe hive district abandoned by Hades VIII, Rosales basically couldn't go anywhere else.
Although the current fringe hive district is largely occupied by genestealers, it's still better than being hunted by the Mechanicum forces, isn't it?
Only Hilda 'suffered.' She has a slight phobia of germs and hates dirty and messy environments. The fringe hive district had all these elements. If Emrys hadn't repeatedly promised her, she wouldn't have been willing to come to this wretched place.
Eldar communication methods often rely more on psychic abilities, which are slightly different from ordinary human technology.
After sensing the Warp communication, Hilda immersed her consciousness in it and heard Emrys' voice: "The target is in the fringe hive city, B-32 area. Don't forget that you need to see the goods first."
In short, he was worried that Rosales would play tricks, which was one of the reasons for sending Hilda.
After all, the straightforward Hilda wouldn't tolerate that cunning 'oily guy.'
"Something disgusting is coming." Suddenly, Hilda's gaze turned to a certain spot, and her expression of disgust intensified.
Her figure once again vanished, as if merging with the surrounding air.
An imperceptible psychic fluctuation swept through the air. It was a Tyranid genestealer's ability to scout, but it was useless against her.
The Tyranid infected, ordered to search this area, tried to sniff out the annoying 'oil' smell in the air.
Not long ago, the great 'Revered Father Ancestral Dragon' had just announced the early arrival of the Ascension Day. As a result, a Tech-Priest broke in, and the 'Four-Armed Angel' within the cult worried that the Mechanicum was hindering them from embracing the great Four-Armed God-Emperor!
Thus, many infected individuals launched a carpet search of the abandoned area, gradually closing in on Rosales.
Leading them was the being referred to as the 'Angel' by the infected. He was different from those who were merely initially infected.
Four pale arms, a chitinous carapace covering his body, sharp claws that could easily shred steel, and an extremely resilient body allowed him to crawl anywhere at extreme speed.
"I can smell it... that scent is right ahead!"
The 'Angel' named Pal, in the Pauper Prince cult, was deeply infected and held significant power.
This time, Pal voluntarily took on the mission, aiming to prove himself before the great 'Revered Father Ancestral Dragon' and gain command of more troops.
Suddenly, his glowing green eyes locked onto an abandoned promethium pipe, which was hard to spot because it was buried under debris: "Found you... Attack!"
With a simple command, the infected genestealers surged towards the pipe as if mad.
However, just as they approached.
A thunderous roar, accompanied by a torrent of bullets, shot directly from the depths of the pipe, engulfing the brave vanguard and shredding them into minced meat!
But the greatest advantage of the genestealers is that they simply don't care about death, and their numbers give them an absolute advantage.
Countless infected humans, picking up various makeshift weapons as if scavenged from a junkyard, desperately returned fire into the pipe.
From time to time, someone would throw a bomb inside. Rosales was in a bitter state; he hadn't expected to be discovered by those damned bugs so soon after hanging up the phone!
He tried several times to rush out and relocate.
But alas, there were too many enemies. They desperately blocked him in the pipe, clearly intending to wear him down, which made him even more anxious.
Pal's somewhat horrifying, mutated face revealed a sinister grin as he roared into the pipe: "Damn heretics, it's you... who are hindering the God-Emperor from embracing his people!"
"What kind of Emperor?"
At this moment, a figure quietly appeared.
Pal didn't notice when a shadow appeared behind him, only feeling a slight pain in his neck.
Whoosh!
A sharp, cold gleam flashed.
Almost instantly, the disgusting Pal's neck was severed by a sword, and his head rolled with a thud.
Then, the figure disappeared again, like a ghost, flickering across the battlefield. Each time she appeared, a Tyranid infected's head was cut off!
With the cooperation from outside, Rosales quickly slaughtered the leaderless infected.
"So disgusting."
Hilda's eyes were full of disgust; she clearly hated the Tyranids.
If she had to list a ranking of things she hated, then besides Slaanesh, who always topped the list, and the Dark Eldar, who were always second, the Tyranids would definitely be high on the list, even more hateful than those green-skinned mushrooms!
She then flung her arm, sending blood splattering from her blade, and then looked coldly at the pipe: "I'll give you ten seconds. If you don't get out, I'll make sure you stay in there forever."
What a bold statement!
Rosales felt a bit angry, but his actions betrayed him. Since the other party could help him kill all the infected, she must be the person Emrys sent to save him.
After all, money was spent, and the speed was indeed fast!
Despite a slight resentment, considering the swiftness, Rosales decided to forgive Emrys. After all, a mere few dozen sets of Aquila Power Armor were not as precious as his old life!
Soon, Rosales emerged from the pipe, but upon seeing the identity of the other party, his thought arrays almost overheated: "An Eldar... Aeldari Eldar?!"
He had considered many possibilities, but he never expected Emrys to send an Eldar to save him!
By the Omnissiah... Rosales suddenly felt that compared to his identity as a Dark Mechanicum member, Emrys was the true 'heretic,' wasn't he?
"Do you have a problem with the Eldar?" Hilda felt an instinctive disgust towards the 'oily guy' in front of her, and couldn't help but tighten her grip on her Aeldari Warrior Blade.
"No, no, no, no problems at all, noble Eldar lady!" Noticing the Eldar's subtle movement, Rosales quickly explained in a fright: "Please don't compare me to the Martian Mechanicum. We of the Dark Mechanicum have always been very respectful of the Eldar!"
Of course, whether that respect was genuine was another matter.
"Where's the item?"
Hilda stared at him coldly, directly demanding: "Emrys said, 'cash on delivery.'"
"..."
Rosales took a deep breath, deciding to retract his previous sentiment.
He tugged at the parts on the corner of his mouth and said helplessly, "This Eldar lady, the item isn't on me right now. Would you mind saving me first, and then I'll give you the item?"
"I'll be watching you!"
Hilda watched for a few seconds and then said, "If you dare to lie to me, I'll put you on the Dark Eldar bounty list!"
"...It's not that bad, really not that bad."
Rosales was on the verge of tears. Where did Emrys find such a terrifying Eldar? He didn't want to be put on the Dark Eldar bounty list and definitely didn't want to exchange modification experiences with the Haemonculi!