Chapter 348: Dividing the Territory |
"Oh? The knife-ears are willing to give us ten Infinity Circuits? Are you sure?"
Palu Homeland, near the weirdboy's hut.
Lino was using his gene-editing ability to optimize the Emperor Boy's gene fragments, reducing the amount of Monocrystal and various raw materials required to cultivate him.
Palcador spoke from a short distance away:
"Yes, Boss. I just received news from the Purple Sprout. The knife-ears plan to relocate entirely to the end times, using soul fusion technology to merge the knife-ears of both eras into one. This will net them at least ten extra Infinity Circuits. They are willing to give us ten, and their only demand is that we let the Dark King be annihilated alongside the age of rebellion sub-universe."
This was a demand he could agree to.
In fact, Lino had originally planned to do just that.
He just needed to be careful; the knife-ears might tamper with the Infinity Circuits.
Once the ten Infinity Circuits were in hand, they would need careful inspection before being used in any experiments.
"Did the Purple Sprout say when they would transfer?" Lino asked.
Palcador said, "Boss, the boyz monitoring the Craftworlds reported that the small Craftworlds have already begun their transfer. The Purple Sprout said it should be completed within two months. The ten Infinity Circuits they're giving us will be left in the grand plaza in front of the Black Library for us to fetch ourselves. Additionally, before handing them over, Elina wishes to speak with you directly."
Lino set down the spore cultivation bottle, stood, and paced a few steps while leaning on his staff:
"Alright, have the Purple Sprout pass the word to Elina. I will dispatch a special envoy to see her shortly."
"Yes, Boss."
Palcador left.
Lino looked at the freshly loosened soil, feeling at a loss for words.
Viewed through the lens of traditional values, the knife-ears were a truly bizarre race.
Just recently, they had been clamoring to slaughter the Palu Orks, and now they had done a complete one-eighty, willingly giving away Infinity Circuits.
Prophecy, regarded as the ultimate standard by the knife-ears, acted more like a double-edged sword to other races.
If a prophecy benefited them, the knife-ears could be great friends.
If it was detrimental, they would immediately turn hostile and draw their blades.
Lino pondered, figuring that the knife-ears' shift in attitude likely had to do with him becoming a True Ork God.
Now that he was so powerful that even prophecy could no longer manipulate him, destiny itself had to yield, leading to a fundamental shift in the knife-ears' attitude.
With that in mind, Lino opened his system interface, selected a Blood Raven Boy to act as his representative, and controlled him to head toward the Black Library.
Isatrian carried Elina's teleportation beacon on her.
Lino possessed the Blood Raven Boy, traveled to Commorragh, and found Isatrian residing above the city ruins.
Using Isatrian as an anchor, Elina opened a portal, and Lino stepped inside.
Arriving at the Obsidian Archive once again, Lino felt more peaceful than ever before.
Elina's aura was noticeably weaker, and her psionic energy fluctuated erratically, as though she were recovering from a severe illness.
It seemed that even with an Infinity Circuit for support, the burden of resurrecting from death was hard to bear, especially for an Eldar deity's incarnation like Elina.
The power bestowed upon an incarnation by a deity was limited.
If she died a few more times, Elina would likely lose this portion of power and regress into an ordinary knife-ear.
"These are the user manuals and technical blueprints for the Infinity Circuits," Elina said, pointing at the Dataslate and parchment rolls on the table. "You can take them back and review them at your leisure. I can guarantee there are no traps on them."
"Your word doesn't count." Lino chuckled, looking at the crystal tome on the reading stand. "What it says counts. Only what it says counts."
Elina ignored the subtext. She extended a hand toward the reading stand, gesturing for him to proceed:
"Would you like to see what destiny has revealed for you?"
"No need," Lino said, waving a hand dismissively. "Just say what you want to say. I've been swamped lately and can't stay long."
"Alright, then I'll start with the revelations the prophecy gave the Eldar." Elina pulled out a chair, gesturing for Lino to sit across from her. "After the fall of the Cult of Omniscience, Tzeentch withdrew from the age of apostasy sub-universe and returned to the end times. However, this does not mean he suffered heavy losses. In fact, after operating in the age of apostasy for a time, Tzeentch's methods of corrupting lifeforms became much more efficient. Moreover, he gained an extra chaos Space Marine legion of roughly 130 million under his command. I imagine you already know where this legion came from."
Lino thought for a moment and nodded.
"It's the legion inside the void whale, right?"
"Correct. Tzeentch operated in the age of apostasy for about 120 years. He kept Ultramar's population levels within a certain range. Any population exceeding this range was partly sacrificed, while the rest, after undergoing strict screening, were secretly forged into chaos Space Marines and hidden inside the void whale. This is a highly mobile force, fiercely loyal to Tzeentch, and their combat effectiveness and operational speed are outstanding within the chaos faction."
Elina paused:
"Khorne, Nurgle, and Slaanesh took root in the dark side of the Imperium of Man during the end times. Ever since the Great Rift opened, the Imperium's dark half has lost contact with the rest of the Imperium of Man. Space Marine chapters, the Adeptus Mechanicus forces of forge worlds, Knight houses, and various other Imperial armed forces have been more or less corrupted by the evil gods of chaos, falling into heresy. Khorne, Nurgle, and Slaanesh hold roughly equal influence, carving up the Imperium's dark side between them. Tzeentch arrived late but caught up quickly; currently, the dark side of the Imperium is locked in a four-way conflict between the gods."
Lino considered this, then asked, "Has Guilliman awakened in the end times?"
"No. The prophecy tells me there are still a few months left until Guilliman's awakening."
Guilliman hadn't awakened yet, and the Great Rift hadn't opened either. That meant the current time in the end times should be right around the 999th year of the 41st millennium, meaning it hadn't yet entered the 42nd millennium.
At this time, the Imperium of Man was at its most turbulent and chaotic. It was no wonder the God-Emperor had no time to attend to matters in the other two sub-universes.
Elina continued:
"The four evil gods of chaos are entrenched in the Imperium's dark side, having poured at least a third of their power into it. We plan to ally with the Imperium of Man and transfer a portion of the evil gods' power over to the age of rebellion, leaving you to seal it. Under the most ideal circumstances, when the age of rebellion sub-universe is annihilated, the Dark King will be completely destroyed, and the remaining four evil gods of chaos will suffer massive losses to their strength, unable to stir up any trouble in the short term."
Lino raised his eyebrows:
"You want me to seal away a portion of the power of the four evil gods of chaos? You're thinking far too highly of me, aren't you?"
Elina spread her hands:
"If you are unwilling, we will not force it. I am merely offering you an approach to weaken the evil gods of chaos; I am not demanding that you must do anything. However, what I need to tell you is that the God-Emperor has already agreed to cooperate with us. That is to say, when the time is right, whether you are willing or not, we will transfer a portion of the evil gods' power into the age of rebellion."
Motherfuckers.
Lino said coldly:
"If you dare transfer it over, I'll dare transfer it straight into the age of apostasy and the end times. Try it if you don't believe me."
"It's no use, Lino. Our method of transferring the evil gods' power is beyond anything you can anticipate; you won't be able to resist it. Therefore, I suggest you cooperate with us."
Elina remained unmoved by Lino's threat, evidently having long foreseen his reaction from the Book of Destiny:
"I have one more thing to tell you. We know we cannot stop you from traveling to the other sub-universes, so we intend to make a few agreements with you. The age of apostasy sub-universe and the bright side of the Imperium in the end times are regarded by the God-Emperor as his territory; you had best not set foot in them. The Craftworlds in these two sub-universes belong to the Eldar, so please do not surveil us. Outside of these locations, you are free to come and go as you please."
Lino said, "The realspace dimensions, The Warp, and the Webway of the age of rebellion sub-universe belong to me. I can freely enter and exit The Warp and the Webway in the age of apostasy sub-universe. I can also freely enter and exit the Imperium's dark side, The Warp, and the Webway in the end times. Is that what you mean?"
"Correct."
Lino thought it over for a moment and couldn't immediately spot any issues:
"We can operate under those terms for now. I have no objections."
Elina spread her hands:
"Good. I'm done with my business. I will open a portal and send you back."
Lino stood up, cast a glance at the crystal tome, and stepped through the portal.
With the Blood Raven Boy monitoring Isatrian in Commorragh, Lino shifted his consciousness back to the weirdboy, called Palcador over, and recounted his exchange with Elina.
After Palcador heard him out, he pondered for a moment and said:
"Boss, are you sure the yellow weasel and the knife-ears will allow us to freely enter and exit the Webway and The Warp in the end times?"
"Yeah, I'm sure," Lino said. "I fink the yellow weasel and the knife-ears are harboring ill intentions. The Imperium's dark side in the end times is becoming a backyard for that rubbish thing. The state of the Webway and The Warp there is deeply worrying. If we want to utilize the Webway in the end times, we'll definitely have to put in a massive effort to clean it out first, which amounts to doing free labor for the yellow weasel and the knife-ears."
Lino picked up his hoe, turning over the fertile soil as he spoke:
"As for the yellow weasel and the knife-ears transferring the power of the evil gods of chaos into the age of rebellion sub-universe, I actually don't care much about it. After all, according to our plans, the age of rebellion sub-universe is just a testing ground. We'll experiment here with ways to extract energy from The Warp, and explore methods to coexist peacefully with the humies. Once the time is right, we'll relocate to the end times to avoid being caught in the annihilation of the age of rebellion sub-universe. I fink if we need to negotiate terms with the yellow weasel, we can use the Shrimp Empire in the age of rebellion as a bargaining chip."
Palcador nodded repeatedly:
"Yes, Boss, you are absolutely right. I just thought of an idea."
"Oh? Let's hear it."
Palcador pulled out a Dataslate and opened an experimental report:
"Please take a look at this first. These are the experimental conclusions Pader's research team obtained while testing the Psychic Engine within The Warp. The idea I thought of is related to this experimental report."
Lino handed the hoe to Zarg, took the Dataslate, and quickly reviewed it, a sharp gleam flashing in his eyes.
Pader was the Land Boy.
He was created based on the gene fragments of Magos Land.
Magos Land was originally an Artisan, exceptionally skilled in developing various scientific instruments.
After the Palu Academy created Pader, Lino personally implanted a third of the Super "I Reckon" Power into him.
Just this single third of the Super "I Reckon" Power was enough to completely transform Pader, achieving an effect where one plus one was far greater than two.
Take this experimental report in his hand for instance.
Lino's original intention had been for Pader to find a way to bypass the Eldar's technical limitations, deeply modify the Psychic Engine, and then use the modified product to directly extract energy from The Warp while inside it.
The experiments proceeded very smoothly. Armed with the Super "I Reckon" Power, Pader was like a tiger with wings.
He quickly grasped the principles of the Psychic Engine and cracked the Eldar's Warp energy compression technology.
Just earlier today, the Palu Empire's very first completely independently developed Warp Energy Compressor, boasting entirely autonomous intellectual property rights, was freshly manufactured.
Its compression efficiency was comparable to that of the Psychic Engine, with plenty of room for improvement.
The compression efficiency was calculated like this:
The energy response intensity of Warp energy inside The Warp was generally Alpha-class.
Warp energy of the same class would always, in a static state, occupy a certain amount of space according to its unit value.
Assuming an Alpha-class Warp energy value of ten to the tenth power joules, its volume in a static state at room temperature and pressure would be one cubic meter.
The Eldar's Psychic Engine could compress one cubic meter of Alpha-class Warp energy into a 10 cm × 10 cm × 1 cm Wraithbone wafer.
The Palu Empire's Warp Energy Compressor could produce a 3 cm × 3 cm × 1 cm Monocrystal wafer.
If one were to compress a 10 cm × 10 cm × 1 cm Wraithbone wafer into a Monocrystal wafer, its volume would be exactly 3 cm × 3 cm × 1 cm.
Therefore, they concluded that the Palu-brand Warp Energy Compressor's efficiency was equal to that of the Psychic Engine, and to some extent, even surpassed it.
When Pader tested this device inside The Warp, he accidentally discovered a peculiar phenomenon.
When six Monocrystal wafers formed a closed cubic space within The Warp, this cube would not be swept along by the surrounding Warp energy.
It was like a nail driven into a riverbed. The flowing Warp energy washed over it, battered it, and pushed against it, yet it remained firmly nailed in place. It underwent no displacement, nor did it vibrate on the spot; it was as if it had entered a state of absolute stillness.
Using an engineering ship as a reference point, Pader measured the Monocrystal cube and finally reached a conclusion:
This thing was indeed in a state of absolute stillness.
Not only did it remain stationary relative to the engineering ship, but also relative to The Warp itself.
This discovery drove the Paru Boyz and Gretchin scholars involved in the research wild with joy, and Pader even called it "the greatest discovery of the Palu Empire."
Upon reading this, Lino instinctively thought of one thing:
"Palcador, why do I feel that the characteristics of the Monocrystal cube are somewhat similar to the Webway? The Webway is located within The Warp, and it also exists in a state of stillness."
"Yes, Boss. It is no exaggeration to say that we have touched upon the core technology of the Webway. The idea I just thought of is related to us building a new Webway ourselves."
Lino's eyes lit up, and he blurted out in praise:
"Build our own Webway? Haha, Palcador, you're a fucking genius!"
