bookbashuk Page 227
Page 227
Before discovering the "for Hades" thing, Hades could still fool his conscience, but now that he knows prayer is damn effective, Hades looks at these guys with a chill down his spine.
He wanted to forbid the prayers on the other side from calling out "Hades," but he was afraid that if he forbade it, these sages, who hadn't originally thought of it that way, would start to speculate wildly, wondering if they could use "Hades" in their prayers. Hades's prohibition would have the opposite effect.
Hades was internally pounding the ground in frustration. What kind of 30k problem was this?
While Hades was internally ranting and raving and frantically calculating how many resources these sages had consumed, the team finally arrived at its destination.
The towering church looked down on them, sunlight streaming down and making the church walls shimmer. A man stood before the church, devoutly watching Hades approach, the lights on his face beginning to flicker—a sign of joy.
Unlike other sages, the Great Sage Mint wore a long, scarlet silk robe, with prayers made of gold thread shimmering on the satin.
He held a sealed scroll in both hands and waited respectfully.
"My lord, under your blessing, Mint is thriving. On behalf of all the sages of Mint, I offer you my sincerest loyalty."
The great sage bowed, but did not kneel. He calmly presented Hades with the scroll, on which binary prayers were engraved and shone brightly.
Hades had no choice but to accept it. He kept a straight face, silently reached out, and took the scroll.
"My lord, this is the key and catalog of all knowledge, information, and money in the Mind. During your great expedition, the followers of the Om Messiah still adhered to your maxims and tirelessly explored the path of truth."
"Not bound by desires, not obsessed with obsessions, but for the sake of truth and humanity."
The Great Sage whispered, and behind Hades, the long procession also began to hum, as millions recited their creed together.
"Sir, we did it."
Hades swallowed hard, then lowered his eyes to look at the Great Sage who was bowing down.
"Yes, may truth and humanity endure forever."
At that moment, Hades felt that the light shining down from above the church was like a yellow robe.
He can now pass away peacefully.
I updated 7k today.
The plan to delay updates 2/14
Thank you so much to the patron [I love Zero Clothes the most] for the patronage and monthly votes!!! I'll work even harder to push myself to the limit!!!
263 Tech
263. Dian Technology
In fact, although these sages swindled and deceived those who came from other planets, they still had professional ethics towards the Death Guard.
Specifically, this is reflected in the transparency of information provided to the Death Guard and the act of offering tribute to Hades personally.
The sages of Mint, in their personal capacity, pieced together eight Fort Star-shaped intelligent mechs for Hades.
As for why there are 8 units, it's because according to regulations, every 5 units must form a group and report to the authorities. This would restrict and monitor the usage rights of these mechs. Therefore, the sages gifted Hades 4 mechs and 4 other mechs.
The reason Hades wasn't given 12 units was because that was all the sages could gather. Grei'e wasn't the main production world for mechs, so these things weren't produced by the sages. As for how they obtained them, Hades wouldn't concern himself with that.
Hades hesitated for a moment over the number, but then decided against it; any number would do as long as it wasn't 7.
Incidentally, Zhao Akada exists in the Forge World, which can produce Fortress-level intelligent mechs. Hades reasonably suspected that the two Forge Worlds might have communicated in some way behind the scenes.
He surveyed the mechs that the sages had pushed out; these three-person-tall mechanical humanoids gleamed with a slightly clumsy yet deadly light.
The rules of 30k are not as strict as those of 40k, so the current intelligent mechs are not as stupid as they will be in the future. Although the Crimson Protocol prohibits AI, it mainly prohibits strong artificial intelligence. For a humanoid weapon with a logic system that is still brain-like wet components, it seems to be biased to call it AI.
However, this is already enough to raise suspicions, so intelligent mechs are not very popular on the battlefield.
In name, the mechs must be under the command of the Mechanicus Legion. Of course, some legions have also deployed this weapon on a large scale: the Iron Warrior and the Iron Hand. Thousand Sons also have a small number of secret mechs.
Most of the mechs in the Great Expedition are Castle-level units. Take, for example, the batch of Castle-level units that Mint gave to Hades, which had "some other modifications"—
It is equipped with an ultra-heavy, heavy-hitting explosive gun on its shoulder, suitable for long-range bombardment; large explosive guns are mounted on both forearms; and a concussion shock device is mounted on one hand, which can use powerful electrical energy to shatter the enemy's internal organs.
With his other hand, Hades glanced at the gear-shaped cutter that emitted a faint green glow and decided not to comment.
In addition, the servo skull in the center of the mech is also a powerful reconnaissance system that can provide the operator with lateral battlefield vision assistance.
These mechs had long been painted deep black by the sages, with a slight moss-green tinge around their edges, like creeping moss, exuding the unique aura of death characteristic of the Death Guard Legion.
Of course, the transformation doesn't stop there.
The sage walked up to the mech soldier and bowed deeply, like an actor on a stage.
As the sage acted, the servo skull in the center of the mech's body lifted upwards, revealing—
An empty kernel?!
This mech was not equipped with biological wet components.
"Lord Hades, perhaps you have a better plan for this place."
The wise man spoke vaguely,
"We understand your uniqueness, and these mechs are a token of our gratitude to you. Therefore, we have made some personalized modifications in the hope that they can better serve you. We believe your discerning eye will immediately recognize the efforts we have made in this regard."
At the edge of Hades's vision was the green glow emanating from it. Hades's eye twitched almost imperceptibly.
"But we know that's not enough. Inside these mechs, two devices have been installed. The first is a disposable high-powered ion shield generator. At the expense of sustainability, this ion shield can create an extremely strong defensive force field to ensure that it can withstand extremely high damage, such as targeted high-saturation attacks."
"They will be your most loyal shield whenever you need them."
"The second device is the self-destruct trigger, which allows you to make these mechs exert their maximum effectiveness at critical moments, according to your needs."
Standing in front of the mechs, Hades stroked his chin. These tech-savvy guys still had a vague concept of his Black Domain, and these mechs were probably specially prepared for Hades by them.
Hades reached out and knocked on the mech's outer shell. A dull thud came from the steel frame.
Ordinary biological wet components—especially logic systems—couldn't withstand the ravages of the Dark Domain. These tech geeks probably knew of Ruibo's existence. After all, the prototypes for those knight mechs were provided by Grei.
Seemingly realizing that Hades was quite satisfied with these mechs, the Great Sage rubbed his hands together, and the indicator light on his face flashed excitedly.
"Actually, there are a few things I want to say, but I don't know if you would like to hear them."
Hades, focused on observing the mechs, casually grunted in response, completely ignoring the sage's reaction.
"Actually, when we were modifying these mechs, we applied to the Death Guard for permission to build a temporary base in Barbaros, and it was approved. The mechs were modified there, along with a one-time powerful ion shield generator."
Hades nodded casually; he knew that these tech geeks had chosen a spot under the Black Tower to build a makeshift laboratory.
Uh?
Hades finally realized what was happening, and he looked at the Great Sage with some fear.
“I remember that the creatures around the Black Tower would feel uncomfortable.”
Perhaps due to the overuse of the Black Domain last time, some residual aura remains on those Black Towers, and normally no one goes near them.
The indicator light on the Great Sage's face was still flashing excitedly.
"No, sir, that was, that was, that was just a preference of ours. We tried some modifications there, some attempts to restore the original truth of the world."
When a tech enthusiast tells you something like "restoring the truth of the world" or "reproducing the wisdom of Ohm Messiah," they're really just talking nonsense about "innovation and creation."
Given that Tzeentch and Vashtor truly exist in this world, innovation is susceptible to corruption, which is why the Mechanicus openly prohibits innovation.
However, they operate from beneath the Black Tower. In fact, on the Endurance, Kirkland's research department is also constantly surrounded by Untouchables, and Hades frequently goes there to disinfect and so on.
Hades pondered, then leaned down, his face almost touching the Great Sage's metal face, as the Sage's indicator light flashed faster and faster.
Hades narrowed his eyes, staring at the Great Sage's camera lens, and spoke in a rather low, hoarse, and slightly soft voice,
"I hope you will know your place and not engage in heretical behavior."
"Sir, do you want us to stop?"
Hades pressed his finger against the sage's generator to silence him.
“Report all your actions to me. If the discomfort caused by the Black Tower lessens, immediately cease all your actions.”
As the last byte fell, Hades instantly resumed his posture of admiring the mechs, as if he hadn't said anything at all.
The great sage trembled all over and bowed deeply.
"Understood, my lord."
Hades did not answer him, and continued to scrutinize the mech.
Yes, code, hurry up and finish clicking on the technology section.
I completely adapted the book reviews, and modified them considerably, so I won't go into details here... you know what I mean.
Chapter 272 Galo achieves a great victory today, while Hades suffers a crushing defeat.
Nothing to do today.
Vox jotted down those words in his diary and then let out a soft sigh of relief.
In his diary, the same short phrases had been repeated hundreds of times.
If only this kind of life could continue, Vox thought, staying in Barbarossa, where there was no war and no death.
He even considered applying to stay in Barbaros, but he knew he couldn't do it. To be by Mortarion's side, by Hades' and Garo's side, and to participate in every war of the Death Guard—that was his mission in this life.
The Death Guard fleet had been anchored in the Barbarus star system for some time. The Empire was very satisfied with their previous battles and therefore granted the Death Guard a period of rest. Apart from the busy Mortarion and Hades, the other Death Guards had a lot of free time during this period.
Following Hades' example, Garo established his own combat training department, teaching new recruits fighting skills and sustainably beating them up—Garo's explanation for this was that the Death Guard should not be allowed to relax during peacetime.
Mortarian and Hades affirmed Garo's ideals, so the combat company commander went from beating new recruits with a blank expression to beating them even more brutally with a blank expression.
Vox would sometimes go to Garo's fighting training center to practice, only to be beaten black and blue and thrown out by Garo, but he didn't come there just for the "beating"—
Perhaps it was because the resentment that Garo's expressionless face revealed was too deep, there was only one person in the entire Death Guard who rarely came to the combat training department, that's right, it was Commander Hades.
So, during their rest time while waiting to be beaten, the Death Guards often gathered together to tell jokes. This was an accepted practice, and apart from Hades, Garo and Vox also condoned it—and even participated in it.
Nobody knows why the usually humorous Hades would forbid such behavior, but whatever, since the commander didn't explicitly forbid it, then it's done where he can't see it.
Legion Commander Mortarian would sometimes come to visit, to see the combat skills of the Galaspa recruits, and to ask for jokes. Although no one could easily speak in front of the Legion Commander, everything became more relaxed after the Legion Commander himself told a joke that satirized psykers.
You can say anything except jokes about the legion commander.
Furthermore, since the Death Guard has been stationed in Barbaros, it can also search for suitable candidates for training courses on Planet 5, which is obviously a good thing, because for the first time, the food served by the Death Guard in the kitchen became edible.
The commander was particularly gratified during those days; everyone knew what had happened.
As for why they know these things...
The commander was betrayed by his own social management students. Through Hades' teachings, they had realized that they needed to stand with the masses at the bottom. So when facing other Death Guards, they decisively betrayed the commander at the top and revealed all the Hades strategies they had collected. Although it is rumored that they still have some trump cards up their sleeves, which are only for internal communication.
Vox was clearly devastated by this, as Hades' own student had betrayed him. But this didn't stop Vox from using some of the information he possessed to obtain an inside guide to conquering Hades.
The actions of those Death Guards who betrayed Hades were despised by most Death Guards, but under Hades' personal tutelage, they were undoubtedly the most active group within the Death Guard, representing the Cult of Mechanics, the Hounds of the Underworld, other worlds, and Death Guard officials themselves. Their network of relationships was quite extensive, and some of them had even become members of the Death Guard's management, advancing at an astonishing pace.
In contrast, Mortalian's poisons course resulted in more than half of the Death Guards consciously poisoning their food.
Rumor has it that, at Mortalian's instigation, they are using Hades as a test subject and betting on who can drug the commander; the stakes have now reached an unbelievable number.
Although Hades has not shown any signs of poisoning so far, the commander seems unaware that the food is poisoned.
Vox couldn't help but inwardly despise the Death Guards for a second, and felt sorry for Hades. Mortarion, Garo, and those Death Guards were clearly all finding their own amusement at Hades's hands.
Only Vox remained steadfastly guarding Hades' side, forming Hades' strongest shield.
Although Hades hadn't contacted him much lately, Vox thought dejectedly. Hades was wandering around the laboratory under the Black Tower, the laboratory on the Endurance, the laboratory in the Foundry, and the entrance to Mortalian's laboratory, completely ignoring the Death Guards.
Only those damn oil geeks and those boring technical sergeants spend all their time with Hades.
Vox cursed inwardly once again. If going to Mars weren't so time-consuming, he would have gone to learn it too, so that at least Hades wouldn't treat him from some kind of "higher perspective".
Incidentally, under the instructions of Hades and the master forger Enrique, the second batch of Death Guards to Mars has already boarded the ship, and the Death Guards sent earlier will be returning soon. It remains to be seen whether they can make it in time for the Death Guards' next battle.
Although Vox was saddened by the fact that Hades only knew how to spend his time in the lab doing research and development and was completely unaware of what was happening in the Legion, Vox expressed his understanding of Hades, saying that, aside from his role as commander, Hades was an extremely outstanding master forger.
To date, Hades has successfully contributed to Death Guard.
An improved super-heavy tank, the Death Crawler (greater firepower, thicker armor, and more toxic ammunition).
A ship-specific mecha-spirit lethal missile, [Nirvana] (Do not disassemble).
Two types of anti-psy grenades based on different principles: the "black grenade" and the "white grenade" (very few people know about them, and even fewer are equipped with them; Vox was fortunate enough to obtain two).
A flamethrower called "Will-o'-the-Wisp" (The flames are corrosive and have a special effect on psykers; Mortarion generously provided the recipe).
A simple exoskeleton, the "Black Lady" (for use with the Ghost Hound special attack; recommended to be paired with the Wandering Soul Green Light Dagger).
Vox wasn't a technical sergeant, and he didn't understand these things, but all he knew was the look of "he's not human" on the faces of the death guards when he went to question the technical sergeants in the forge.