Chapter 30: Avatar of the Mechanical Sage 5/5

Chapter 30: The Mechanical Sage’s Avatar 55

“Yes, Original. This is my final wish,” Jeyan said.

“I shall grant you mercy, Colonel Jeyan. Your soul will be with the Emperor,” Kiliman replied.

Kilimán placed his hand on Jeyan’s throat; with just a slight pressure, the man’s life could be extinguished.

Jeyan smiled calmly, utterly serene.

In this moment, the fear of death became insignificant.

He would return beneath the Emperor’s throne and reunite with the comrades who had sacrificed themselves.

The crackling of bones came suddenly and swiftly.

Jeyan’s head tilted to the side—no more breath.

Kilimán withdrew his hand and performed the Imperial Aquila salute.

Even though he was not a Space Marine, Jeyan was a true hero.

“Cremate his body, then bury him properly,” Kilimán ordered the others, turning to leave.

Bodies infected by the plague must be incinerated to prevent secondary contamination.

“Is uncle dead?” A little girl stood outside the infirmary, staring blankly at everything.

Mother was gone, father missing, grandmother dead, brother dead, and now even uncle was gone.

This world felt so lonely, so desolate.

Kilimán, having stepped out of the infirmary, looked toward the voice and noticed the child.

In her hand was a filthy toy; she stood alone among the crowd, staring blankly at him.

“Gather all the children who have lost their parents into the Imperial orphanages. Select the strongest among them to become soldiers of the Empire, training them to be warriors against Chaos.”

Kilimán issued a new command. He would give these children a chance for vengeance.

It was a reluctant solution. To neglect these orphans was to condemn them to a swift death, as they lacked the means to survive.

To care for them as ordinary children was impractical.

In this ruthless universe, abandoning those who cannot survive has long become a habit.

Kilimán could only ensure their survival this way: the Empire would raise them, and they would become the soldiers of the future.

Having dealt with Jeyan and the orphans, Kilimán did not leave immediately. Instead, he stayed at the hospital, listening to the voices of the people.

The fundamental reason for saving the Empire was to save humanity.

To save the Empire merely for its own sake was the most foolish thought.

The Empire’s purpose was to enable humanity to survive in this dark universe and to protect human interests to the greatest extent.

Not to sacrifice humanity’s interests to maintain the Empire.

But now the Empire was entirely reversed—constantly sacrificing humanity’s interests to support itself.

The Empire had become a playground for the powerful elite, and this had to change.

Kilimán remained to listen to the ordinary people’s thoughts to express one idea:

The Empire is humanity’s Empire, not merely the Empire of the nobles.

“We want jobs that can put food on the table.”

“Let my children go to school.”

“I hope to have some leisure time outside of work.”

“Can you improve the environment around the hive city?”

Kilimán carefully noted some of the important matters.

He would begin to reform the planet Zara, helping it establish a sound system and a relatively equitable society.

Rights and duties would be closely linked; there must be no more useless, worthless nobility.

He would also leave a small contingent of Space Marines on this planet.

Only when the planet was back on track, with a competent defense force, would he depart.

He gathered the surviving scholars and selected those willing to change Zara, forming a new ruling class.

The original ruling families were all abolished and reduced to commoners.

Their behavior deeply disappointed Kilimán.

When the war began, they fled into fortresses, ignoring the outside world.

It was their cowardice and selfishness that led to the rapid collapse of Zara’s garrison.

If not for Colonel Jeyan stepping up at the crucial moment to rally the collapsing defenders, Zara would have long since become a plague-ridden death world.

Killing them was also impractical.

The Imperial aristocracy was too vast. Though it would be satisfying to eliminate these people, it would provoke fear among the other nobles, driving them directly into Chaos’s arms.

These mortal nobles had woven the entire Empire into a vast web of power through millennia of intermarriage.

Once turmoil erupted, it would hasten the Empire’s inevitable death, already bleeding heavily.

This was no longer the Great Crusade era, with over a dozen Originals stationed across the galaxy.

The galaxy had become the domain of mortal nobles.

Kilimán alone, with a hardline stance, would only backfire.

He could not personally visit every planet, nor did he have the strength to manage the endless internal strife.

Compromise was necessary.

Only when he fully controlled the Empire or when Kaor crafted an unprecedented army for him could he take a firm stand.

Zara was being rebuilt.

With Kilimán’s help, Zara would become a cherished home for the survivors.

He also ordered the Tech-Priests of the Mechanicus to create new machines to improve the harsh environment.

At the same time, all factories were inspected to ensure emissions met standards, improving the local natural environment.

Such transformations would consume Imperial resources and divert attention.

But Kilimán cared little about this.

Without a memorable homeland, without a cherished childhood, how could ordinary people resist the allure of Chaos?

They must know what they were fighting for to steady their hands on their weapons and stand firm against Chaos.

Two weeks later, Kilimán’s fleet withdrew from low orbit of Zara.

Basic factories had been rebuilt, and food and water were self-sufficient.

The new rulers led the people to complete the remaining reconstruction and strive to serve the Empire as soon as possible.

A statue of Jeyan stood tall in the city center, gazing upon the home he had once sacrificed his life to protect.

The little girl he saved was sent to an Imperial orphanage.

These children would be trained from a young age, growing up filled with hatred and loathing for Chaos.

They would learn new tactics, new ideologies, and the latest knowledge of the Empire.

One day in the future, these children would become Kilimán’s most powerful blades.

The children of vengeance would be unstoppable.

The Maculage Radiance entered hyperspace.

Kilimán took the secret elevator, preparing to descend into the depths of the Maculage Radiance.

He needed to meet the Mechanical Sage Kaor—more precisely, one of Kaor’s avatars.

So far, the person Kilimán relied on most was still the Mechanical Sage Kaor.

He could not fight and conduct scientific research simultaneously; he needed assistance.

Mechanical Sage Kaor was the best choice. This radical Tech-Priest did not care where knowledge came from, only whether it was useful.

Kilimán needed Kaor’s help to convert the database’s knowledge into real power.

Otherwise, the database—their trump card—would be wasted.

The elevator hummed as it descended. Kilimán exchanged a few words with the auxiliary spirit.

“When will the second certification task arrive?”

[Host has not fully converted and utilized the currently unlocked technology. Unlocking high-level technology prematurely would disrupt the civilization’s progress and lead to an incomplete system.]

“So many requirements?” Kilimán was somewhat displeased.

Others’ trump cards started with ten consecutive draws, leveling to mythic in six days, and dominating the primal age in ten.

His own trump card made him farm, raise troops, and scheme with others.

Everyone traveled through time and space—why such unequal treatment?

[The advanced technological knowledge in the database is overwhelmingly powerful. The host must be fully prepared to prevent leaks. If high-level knowledge falls into enemy hands, the entire universe will be imperiled. Please use the existing technological knowledge to build a complete civilization system. The second-stage certification task will be issued in due course.]

“Can we negotiate? At least give me a hyperspace bomb to destroy the hyperspace demon,” Kilimán probed.

[The body resides in reality, the soul in the void. Until humanity gains the ability to flee the universe, it is not recommended to destroy hyperspace. Doing so would cause humanity to regress and gradually lose intelligence.]

“Nothing works, nothing is allowed. What use are you then?”

[I can cheer for you,ヾ(°°)] the auxiliary spirit replied.

Kilimán:

The elevator trembled and arrived at its destination.

The airlock hissed, and mechanical sounds arose as the elevator doors slowly opened.

Kilimán ended his communication with the auxiliary spirit and stepped into the depths of the Maculage Radiance.

“My lord, you have arrived,” a robed psyker emerged from the darkness, holding a force-field staff. He greeted Kilimán with the Imperial Aquila salute.

The watch has begun. Nearly fifteen thousand words. Generous and uninterrupted updates. The statistics will be counted until midnight. Whether to continue the updates is up to you, brothers.

Collect all data and favorites. Everything must be saved.

(End of chapter)