Chapter 349: Building Our Own Webway |
Building our own Webway. Just hearing the phrase made it sound like it would cost a massive amount of Monocrystal.
But thinking about it from another angle brought a different feeling.
The Palu Empire's Monocrystal was centrally stored in the underground Vault of the Palu Homeland.
In the future, they needed to build a Palu standing army of 500 billion and power over a thousand Palu-brand Infinity Circuits. Calculating the total, the warehouse had to constantly store over 10 billion tons of Monocrystal just to meet daily demands.
Such a massive amount of Monocrystal would take up a considerable amount of space in the Palu Homeland.
We could absolutely send them into The Warp, cover them with the Palu Shadow, and forge them into a Warp warehouse similar to the Webway.
When idle, this Monocrystal would serve as the Warp warehouse to store various high-turnover materials, ready to be accessed and restocked at any time.
In times of war, the Warp warehouse could be converted into a Warp fortress or Warp outpost. Combined with the Palu Shadow, it could engage enemies in a Warp-level confrontation.
Thinking about it that way, didn't the cost of building their own Webway seem much cheaper?
"Yes, Boss." Palcador noted the Shaman Boy's demands on his Dataslate and asked, "Are we still going to attack the knife-ears?"
Lino paced back and forth, his hands clasped behind his back.
"Suspend the attacks on the knife-ears. Call the fleet back and hand it over to Pader to assist him with the experimental work on the Warp Energy Compressor. I have a hunch that once we start extracting Warp energy on a massive scale, the chaos gods, the yellow weasel, and the knife-ears will react. Also, have the Palu Academy create another Land boy and name him Paderd. He'll be solely responsible for researching the Infinity Circuit."
"Yes, Boss." Palcador jotted down the key points and asked, "You mentioned earlier that Elina told your envoy the knife-ears and the yellow weasel plan to forcibly transfer a portion of the chaos gods' power into our sub-universe. How do you plan to handle this?"
Lino stopped and took a hoe from Zarg.
"The countermeasure is to enter the end times ahead of schedule, before they make the transfer, and dump the mess of the age of rebellion on them. I'll also find an opportunity to head to the end times soon to figure out the exact situation and see how the yellow weasel and the knife-ears plan to transfer their power. If the chance arises, I wouldn't mind interfering with their operation to buy time for the Palu Empire's migration."
"Got it, Boss. I'll urge Pader and Paderd to finish their research tasks quickly and design the perfect construction plan for the Palu standing army."
Lino discussed a few more details with Palcador before returning to the Shaman Boy's shack.
After becoming a True Ork God, the sub-universe no longer restricted the targets of his Waaagh Simulation.
Even while existing in the age of rebellion, he could still possess an Ork from the end times. This method of crossing sub-universes was far more efficient than using the dimensional conduits deep within The Warp.
Lino opened the simulation interface and manually searched for a target.
"I want to possess an Ork like this: he needs to be located in the Dark Imperium of the end times sub-universe, have plenty of Ork boyz under his command, and ideally possess at least one warship and abundant supplies," he commanded.
[Searching for simulation targets.]
[Search complete.]
[Search results: 155 matches.]
'That many?'
It seemed there were quite a few sizable Ork factions on the dark side of the Imperium during the end times.
Lino said, "Sort them from highest to lowest based on the number of subordinates and warships. Prioritize the warship count over the subordinate count."
[Sorting complete.]
[Search Result 1:]
[Name: Crimson Palm, Batorax.]
[Description:]
[He is the boss of the Crimson Palm warlord faction. He commands six warships—including one battleship, one cruiser, and four frigates—totaling 3 million Ork boyz.]
[The Crimson Palm operates in the Koronus Expanse on the dark side of the Imperium. He is currently on the Imperium of Man's bounty list and has recently finished a battle against the rubbish things.]
[Search Result 2:]
[Name: Forged Steel, Asumanfar.]
[Description:]
[The Forged Steel warlord boss. He possesses five warships, all frigates, totaling 2.2 million Ork boyz.]
[The Forged Steel's homeworld is located at the southern edge of the Segmentum Tempestus, right on the border between the dark and light sides of the Imperium.]
[The primary enemies of the Forged Steel warlord faction are the rubbish things surging out of Warp rifts.]
[They are currently fighting to defend their homeworld.]
[...]
Reading from top to bottom, Lino could only sigh at how incredibly chaotic the end times were.
In the age of rebellion, the Orks' enemies were usually humies, knife-ears, or blind xenos.
But in the end times, three or more factions often appeared on the same battlefield.
Take, for instance, an Ork warlord named Black Blade.
He had to fight the Space Marine chapters of the Imperium of Man on one hand, while facing off against the Necrons on the other. At the same time, the Space Marines were actively fighting the Necrons.
While the three sides were locked in a chaotic brawl, nearby demons caught wind of the battle and rushed over to join the fun, turning it into a massive four-way free-for-all.
The same situation played out across the dark side of the Imperium, though the participating factions varied. Sometimes it was a slugfest between Genestealers, greenskins, ribs, and knife-ears. Other times, the greenskins, ribs, and Genestealers would team up to beat the rubbish things.
In short, the defining feature of the Imperium's dark side in the end times was simply mayhem.
The Imperium of Man's forces on the dark side mostly consisted of death-defying Inquisition kill-teams, Inquisitors, Rogue Traders, and various Space Marine chapters ostracized by the mainstream Imperial powers.
Lino thought it over carefully. The Crimson Palm warlord faction suited him best.
This warlord was the furthest from Terra, located at the easternmost edge of the Eastern Fringe. It would be the easiest place to build momentum.
The other Ork factions were either under too much pressure in frontal combat or facing unfavorable battle conditions. He would have to spend extra Monocrystal just to turn the tide, making them a poor investment.
After confirming the target was the optimal choice, Lino started the simulation.
[Your simulation target is an Ork warlord boss from the end times. The base simulation cost is 1 million tons of Monocrystal.]
[The simulation target possesses 3 million Ork boyz. The simulation cost is increased by 3 million tons of Monocrystal.]
[The simulation target possesses one battleship, one cruiser, and four frigates. The simulation cost is increased by 950,000 tons of Monocrystal.]
[The simulation target is in a critically injured state. The simulation cost is reduced by 50%.]
[The final simulation price is (100+300+95) * 50% = 2.475 million tons of Monocrystal.]
[Start simulation?]
'Critically injured state?'
Lino raised an eyebrow but didn't hesitate, silently chanting in his mind,
'Confirm simulation start.'
His consciousness left the Shaman Boy's body, phased through the outer walls of the Webway, and directly entered The Warp.
After rapidly shuttling through for a brief moment, his consciousness arrived in a region of The Warp devoid of the Astronomican's light, where it merged with a greenskin fleet billowing thick smoke.
He dove headfirst into the battleship's bridge, and his vision went black.
When he opened his eyes and looked down at his current body's chest, a massive, bloody hole greeted his sight. Next to him, a Mad Dok scratched his head in frustration over the gruesome wound.
"Boss, things ain't lookin' good! Them rubbish things seem to have put some kinda psionic energy on yer wound. My meds ain't workin' on ya!"
The Mad Dok grabbed a bottle of alchemical potion, popped the cork, and poured the liquid right into the wound.
The potion quickly mixed with the blood, bringing a fiery pain that made Lino's nerves twitch, but it yielded absolutely no healing effect.
"Boss, look! It ain't my potion that's the problem. It's that sneaky psionic energy the rubbish things put on it. It's turnin' my medicine into some kinda blood toxin, makin' the wound get worse faster!"
Lino waved his hand, shooing the Mad Dok away. He cast his gaze further out, looking at the boyz gathered below the command platform.
With their boss on death's door, some of the more restless boyz were already gearing up to usurp him, just waiting for him to breathe his last before making their move.
Lino swept a cold glare over the eager boyz, giving a snort as he spoke.
"I ain't dyin'. I just got a blessin' from the Beast God Brother Li. Brother Li said He's got work for me to do, so He can't let me die just like that. Open yer peepers wide and bear witness to Brother Li's miracle!"
Lino closed his eyes and mumbled under his breath, repeatedly chanting phrases like "brother li is awesome."
In his mind, he pulled up the system interface and selected the Genetic Simulation.
Using his current body as the experimental subject, Lino implanted the ancient orks' genes—which boasted superhuman regeneration—into himself. While he was at it, he also tossed in the genetic sequence for the Palu Psychic Field, a standard-issue trait for every Paru Boyz.
The Palu Psychic Field was the first to manifest.
As the psychic field expanded outward from within, the malicious psionic energy entrenched in his wound was violently pushed out.
It appeared as a beam of malicious crimson light—as viscous as dried blood and as foul as a stubborn rock at the bottom of a cesspit.
The Palu Psychic Field annihilated, crushed, and obliterated it, eventually reducing it to a wisp of blue smoke that dissipated across the bridge.
Soon after, the ancient orks' regenerative genes kicked in.
The gaping hole in his chest was over fifty centimeters in diameter.
Yet in just half a minute, this horrific wound—which would have normally kept a whole team of Mad Doks busy for a long time—healed all on its own.
"Hsss—"
A collective gasp echoed across the bridge.
Ork regenerative abilities were already outstanding, but that was strictly under the premise that their heads hadn't been chopped off and their hearts hadn't been blasted to mush.
The boss's heart had long been obliterated from his chest cavity; he had only survived this long entirely through sheer willpower. But now, out of thin air, he had sprouted two hearts and three lungs, fully recovering as if he had never been hurt.
This was nothing short of a divine miracle!
Rapid footsteps approached.
The Shaman Boy sprinted over, clutching his staff. He dropped to his knees in front of the warlord boss, raising his arms high as he shouted,
"Brother Li is awesome! Brother Li is incredibly badass!"
As a Shaman Boy, he could clearly sense the True Ork God, Brother Li, descending upon his boss.
With the Shaman Boy taking the lead, the boyz beneath the command platform immediately began chanting "Brother Li," their voices crashing like rolling waves.
Lino took a moment to feel out his new body's condition and gave a slight, satisfied nod.
He stood up and stretched his limbs. The Shaman Boy scrambled to his feet, eagerly hovering at his side.
"Alright, quiet down." Lino pressed his hands down to silence the crowd, then asked, "Who can tell me what's the situation in the Expanse right now?"
The Shaman Boy bowed with deep reverence.
"Boss, let me fill ya in on the Expanse. After the Great Torch's light went out, the cultists of them rubbish things started holdin' sacrificial rituals on the Imperium worlds in the Expanse. They tore open Warp rifts and summoned demons right into the real universe. When we were lootin' an Imperium world earlier, we got ambushed by an army of them rubbish things, which is why ya got hurt..."
Lino listened patiently, gradually piecing together the current state of the Imperium's dark side.
Right now, it was the latter half of the year 999 in the 41st Millennium. There were only three months left until the 42nd Millennium.
Ever since the Great Rift tore open, the Astronomican's light had vanished from the Expanse, cutting off all contact with Terra. The local Astropaths and Navigators were completely unable to glean any useful information from The Warp.
Greenskin Warp travel, however, didn't rely on the Astronomican's light. It entirely depended on the skill of the weirdboy in charge of navigation.
The Crimson Palm's navigator boy was actually pretty good.
Taking advantage of the humies being isolated and helpless, they had been darting back and forth across the Expanse, viciously looting and pillaging everything in sight.
At first, they were unstoppable. But later, as chaos cultists grew increasingly rampant and the rubbish things began showing up more frequently, the Crimson Palm started suffering losses.
While listening to the Shaman Boy's report, Lino walked over to the viewport and observed The Warp on the dark side of the Imperium.
According to Pader's research reports, The Warp might seem chaotic and disorderly, but that disorder itself contained a certain underlying logic.
Without external interference, the flow of Warp energy followed the guidance of an eight-pointed star. The four colors of red, blue, green, and purple would always converge in four directions around the observer.
If the flow of any specific color did not align with the eight-pointed star, it meant there was an event drawing that particular color in that direction. This could be a sacrificial ritual or a massive non-sacrificial event, such as a full-scale war.
The Expanse had now effectively become a paradise for demons. Warp energy was constantly being drawn by mass casualties everywhere, making the environment for Warp travel incredibly hostile.
Lino pondered for a moment before issuing a command.
"Take us back to the real universe and find a quiet spot to rest up. I'm gonna give this fleet a deep overhaul."
"Yes, Boss. I'll get it sorted right away."
A few minutes later, the fleet returned to realspace, hiding out in a desolate asteroid belt.
Lino activated his Genetic Simulation and rapidly modified the boyz and Gretchins of the Crimson Palm warlord faction.
The modification template was based on the Blood Raven Boyz—this type of Palu Orks was perfectly suited for reconnaissance missions in unfamiliar territory.
Several days later, the modifications were complete.
Lino expended Monocrystal to open a portal back to the age of apostasy, fetched five access terminals, and installed them on the bridge of each warship.
He then found a nearby Webway gate marked safe by the terminals and entered it.
Half an hour later, Lino led his fleet charging back out of the gate, a grim expression on his face.
The Webway in the end times truly wasn't a place meant for the living.
Webway demons, Warp storms, chaos Space Marines, and twisted Warp creatures spawned in endless succession.
On the surface, that Webway gate had looked perfectly intact, but it had actually been a trap laid by the chaos gods to lure in the Palu Orks and Brother Li.
The moment Lino stepped inside, he ran headfirst into a demonic army lying in wait for him.
The moment the enemy spoke, they called out Lino by name. Clearly, they had long anticipated that the True Ork God would enter the Webway during the end times.
Was this a coincidence?
No, it wasn't a coincidence at all.
Lino swapped to several different Webway gates to explore, yet he still ran into premeditated demonic ambushes every single time.
The leader of one such demonic army even shouted:
"True Ork God, you won't make a splash in the end times! We've already destroyed the Universal Hall! The Webway belongs to the demons now!"
Setting aside whether the Universal Hall was actually destroyed or not, Lino was pondering. Building their own Webway in the end times was the Palu Empire's only viable option.
