bookbashuk Page 485
Page 485
The bullet bow is considered a rather impractical way to travel in Stellaris, because its accuracy decreases as the distance traveled increases.
Once players have the resources to build a large number of bullet bows, they often already have more convenient and accurate ways of navigation.
But those are stars.
And this is Warhammer.
Hades knew all too well how precious a way of traveling outside of the warp was to this world.
Hades suppressed his joy and hurriedly asked Blake a few details about the bullet bow. The more questions he asked, the happier Hades became.
He was quite certain that the bullet bow from Faos was the ultra-low-spec version of the Stellaris he knew.
Although it is more unstable, although it handles fewer ships, and although it consumes more energy, it is a purely physical journey, a being completely detached from the subspace.
Hades was almost having a blast.
The reason the Emperor went to great lengths to build the Internet was so that humanity could have a way of traveling without being interfered with by Chaos!
It is important to understand that during special periods, if the four Chaos Gods wished, they would never be able to reach them by relying on warp travel, and the messages from psionicists would be completely cut off.
Normally it's fine, but in times of war—for a vast empire, this is almost fatal!
This is why a means of navigation and communication that can escape subspace is crucial for the Empire's true development.
After escaping the influence of subspace, humanity developed this physical technology on its own!
Hades was certain that he had never left any information on this matter; he had simply told Faus to develop physical navigation technology, no matter how difficult it might be to achieve.
This is the glorious achievement of the sages of Faus, who arrived on their own initiative!
Hades, who was furious and disheartened by the parasites among humanity after learning of the High Lords' folly, was suddenly filled with renewed hope. He knew that in human history, humans and stars had always appeared together.
It's not just emperors and Primarchs, or living saints, who are qualified to lead the empire forward; among humanity, there are also shining stars.
Hades calmed himself down, but he couldn't suppress the smile on his lips. Perhaps only he and the Emperor truly knew what this technology meant.
Hades continued calmly,
"How did the Empire treat this technology?"
"The Star Language Court, the Navigator, and the Star Torch Court have joined forces to declare this technology heretical and have launched an attack on Faos."
Blake told him the truth, and almost instantly, Hades froze. Blake cautiously stared at Hades sitting beside him.
Hades looked almost exactly the same as before, but Black was certain something had changed; the smile on Hades' lips had become dangerous and chilling…
"The results of it?"
Hades asked softly.
Blake swallowed hard. His gut told him that the father of genes wouldn't hold a grudge against others, but in reality, even witnessing a volcanic eruption was terrifying enough.
"After his defeat, Faos voluntarily shut down the Blackstone Obelisk, used the psionic energy of the Great Vortex to repel the Imperial army, and then disappeared back into the Great Vortex."
Hades before him stood motionless, like a statue.
Blake quietly held his breath.
I don't know how much time passed; maybe a dozen seconds, maybe five minutes.
A broken piece fell from the black sculpture.
The next moment, a gust of wind slapped Blake's face, and the Pluto before him turned into a phantom—
At the same time, a roar came from the distant darkness, accompanied by a burst of lightning and thunder.
"—Damn it—insects!!!"
"A bunch of insects!"
"Insect!!!"
Bang!!! A huge explosion resounded in the distance!
Blake sat quietly in his seat, sensing the rage of the Father of Genetics, knowing he would probably have to wait a long time again.
He glanced at Barry, checking the veteran's health status once again.
--------
As the sky began to glow with a faint white light, Hades, radiating darkness from head to toe, slowly returned.
“Blake,”
Hades' voice was icy and chilling; Blake immediately stood at attention and saluted.
Do you know why Faos failed?
“I know,” Blake said. In fact, under the roar of the Golden Sage, this was a lesson every son of Hades had to learn.
"The Star Court and the Navigators are imperial institutions controlled by psionicists. These psionicists monopolize the empire's long-range navigation and communication. It is their monopoly that brings them supreme status and power, allowing them to have a seat in the High Lords Council."
"And the [Bullet-Measuring Bow] is a blatant challenge to the status of those in power."
Blake said, "Psionicists are already a discriminated-against group within the Empire. If they lose their value in long-distance voyages, they will be utterly despised."
"Therefore, the position and status of psionicists dictate that they must oppose this technology and stifle any newcomers who challenge their monopoly."
“Yes,” Hades said slowly, “I think that at that time, Faos had not yet established a way to temporarily replace warp travel throughout the entire Empire?”
Blake nodded.
“Yes, sir,” he said fluently, “that is why Faos is doomed to fail. If Faos wins this battle, at least four-fifths of the Star Speakers and Navigators throughout the Empire will go on strike—something the Empire cannot afford.”
Hades stared at Black for a long time, then sighed deeply, slumped back down, and lowered his head.
"Jin Du told you, so what did the Forging Worlds do afterward?"
Blake raised his voice slightly.
“In fact, my father, Faos, foresaw this scenario back then.”
"Moreover, even if Faos didn't announce it publicly, the Assassin's Court had already set its sights on Faos's world-building. During the same period, due to various coincidences, Faos lost at least five technologies that were under development."
"And the High Lord Council already knew about Faos's bullet-shaped bow technology, which is why those psionicists reacted so quickly."
“So,” Blake said.
The image of Sage Kim, usually so serene, yet capable of unleashing a torrent of curses and passionate pronouncements during class, flashed before his eyes. It was Sage Kim who revealed the truth of what happened back then.
"The Empire's alliance with Mars, though meticulously planned, failed to anticipate Faos's first step,"
The Golden Sage paused before the Hades' sons, who eagerly awaited his answer. The massive sage stretched out his full mechanical arms, completely absorbed in his own world. Bathed in light, his red robes shimmered as if flowing with starlight.
"Faos proactively released all the manuscripts and details of the bullet bow—sending a copy to the entire casting world!"
"In this world where knowledge is wealth, the noble act is something that fools will never understand!"
Jin raised his main mechanical arm high, bringing it to his face as if trying to grasp the light in front of him. In a daze, the neutron star under construction, which was building a bullet bow, appeared in Jin's palm.
The neutron star, shimmering with blue and white light, rotated slowly, like a bright lamp in the vast darkness.
"They may be able to destroy a world—but they cannot destroy all hope, just as we cannot wipe out all psionicists at once, and they cannot destroy all those who seek knowledge!"
“Given the right timing,” Jin clenched his fist and slowly lowered his hand, “the seed will sprout, the ashes will reignite, we just need a moment when they fall into disarray—to unite with the other forging worlds—even if there are dullards who don’t understand the significance of the bullet bow, there will always be someone who understands what it means, someone who will lend us a helping hand!”
Jin stomped his feet angrily.
"Furthermore, coercion! Bribery! Use the methods you all know, in the name of Hades! We have enough patience and time to do this—as long as the Empire remains under the shadow of the Warp, we will continue to act!"
"We will always be closer to truth and success than those biological beings driven by their base desires!"
"This is faith, this is the guidance He left behind, we will—"
"Listen to the lesson!"
A small cannon rose up in front of Jin's shoulder, and a small cannonball was fired at the Mingzi in front of Blake. The Mingzi dodged it, and then the cannonball hit Blake precisely on the forehead.
"Ow!"
"That's it."
Blake repeated King's words. The Hades in front of him had his head down and his face covered, so Blake couldn't see his face, but Blake sensed that the Hades seemed to be moved.
The father of genetics kept taking deep breaths until Blake finished explaining how the mass-produced bullet bow was developed, at which point Pluto's eerie voice finally rang out.
"...Blake, why didn't you tell me the rest of the story sooner?"
Blake blinked. "I went through it in the order of the lessons."
Hades let out a long, long sigh.
"Well done, Kim, Faos..."
Hades looked up, thinking he needed to visit Faos in person again.
The planet's star rose, and the sky, ravaged by Tyran, now shone upon them a pale, reddish white.
Hades had basically sorted out the situation. In fact, apart from those upsetting past events... Hades took another deep breath... The current situation presented to him wasn't too bad.
At least several legions were operating well, the Emperor was not seriously injured, and the most critical navigation problem was solved by Faos.
Even... Hades couldn't help but ponder, if he hadn't woken up, the Forging World, led by Faos and Greier, would have continued its relentless advancement in physical long-range travel technology.
Perhaps, even if he never appears again, these people will eventually reach the other side of victory amidst the ups and downs of human history.
But... since he's already here...
Thinking of those who worked so hard, Hades smiled.
"Blake, do you know how to speed up the construction of the [Soldier Bow]?"
Black paused for a moment,
"Another subspace storm?"
“No,” Hades said calmly, “we only need to kill the navigators and star speakers until the Empire has to establish other means to ensure normal navigation.”
“Break the monopoly,” Hades said dismissively, glancing at Sky Lion. The unfortunate Space Marine was about to wake up.
"The quickest way is to kill the person who has a monopoly."
“Of course,” Hades said slowly and methodically, “we can give these psionicists room to surrender, but it would be best to make an example of them beforehand to deter others.”
Hades gestured to Blake with his eyes, and Blake hurriedly helped Sky Lion Barry up, the warrior clearly not yet having reacted.
Hades, who was seated, gave a kind smile.
"Hello, valiant warrior, I am Hades, also known as the King of the Underworld by the Empire."
"We seem to be trapped on this planet. Can you contact the outside world using psionic communication?"
Blake glanced quickly at the father of genetics, then quickly at Barry, concluding that Barry hadn't heard what had just been said.
This is really great.
Because... because Barry is a psionicist.
Blake swallowed hard. This was probably what the warband taught them: to distinguish the real enemy.
Yay! That's it!
Happy Lantern Festival!
Chapter 558 People! Living people!
Hades realized that, in fact, not everyone could adapt well to his arrival like Blake Butcher.
Most people may experience a moment of confusion regarding the deities who emerge from the Book of Words.
Specifically, Barry the Lion woke up, saw Hades, and then fainted again from shock.
Of course, it cannot be ruled out that Hades has a special advantage over psionicists. Hades himself is currently unsure of how he appears to psionicists.
It might look like something extremely difficult to accept.
It could also be because... Hades's attire back then was somewhat shocking.
As Barry fainted again, Hades inquired once more about the recent situation in the star system from Black.
There's really nothing left on this planet, and Hades still hopes to find a planet with some metal resources to stay on.
Hades at least hopes they can be discovered by the Empire—or specifically the Death Guard, the Ultramarines—as soon as possible.
They are currently in the Orctalius star system, far from the Empire's side, which has already been conquered by the Tyranids. Further out, the Tyranids are engaged in fierce battles with the Orks.