Warhammer: Don't Call Me the God of All Machines

Chapter 757 Open the Door, Free Trade (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

The world has never lacked intelligent people, and there are countless people like Orpheus Armengard who can deduce the truth from the slightest clues.

However, mere intelligence is of little use; only when combined with a touch of decisiveness and courage, along with the right timing, can it be transformed into a real opportunity.

As the first person to bravely take the first step, Orpheus has now gained the right to operate the first space bridge stargate in the entire empire.

Even she herself had not yet truly realized how enormous and lucrative the profits her courageous choice would bring to the Armengard merchant dynasty.

Obtaining operational rights means gaining control of an entire interstellar route, which generates far greater profits than any interstellar trade.

This is a genuine money tree, capable of generating a continuous stream of wealth for the traveling merchant family.

After reaching an agreement with Loshi, Orpheus, accompanied by hundreds of mechanical priests sent by the Advanced Technology Community, returned to the Calicus Sector with the newly built Space Bridge Matrix components from Ganymede.

Of course, given the space bridge's transmission limit of hundreds of light-years, it is clearly unlikely that a space bridge could be built directly from the Calicus sector to the solar system.

They will use the Calissis sector as a hub for a space bridge network, and then continuously extend space bridges into Terra, piecing together the entire network with segment after segment of space bridges.

Following the logic of tackling the difficult first, Roche should have chosen a star system near our solar system and built a space bridge to connect it closely with the human world of Throne.

But since traveling merchants and wanderers had already taken the initiative to approach him, Rosie decided to take bigger steps.

Start building the space bridge directly from the Calissis sector all the way to Holy Terra, so that all the worlds along the way can see how superior and convenient the space bridge is.

If you want to spread something good that no one in the world knows about, the best way is not to directly find the other party and try to persuade them with earnest words.

Human nature dictates that the vast majority of people do not believe in free lunches.

Most of the benefits that are offered to you are disguised bait and traps.

Humans are also characterized by arrogance and a tendency to be overly clever; most people believe that only they can discover the truth of things.

Therefore, the best approach is to choose a suitable partner, secretly share the good stuff with them, and then accidentally spread the news.

At this point, the tighter the news is kept, the more curious people will become, and the more they will want to know what kind of secrets they are up to.

Once they uncover the secret, they will spare no expense to secure a cooperation opportunity.

After three months of warp travel, Belisarius Caul finally arrived at the Callisis sector, where the Armengard merchant ronin dynasty was located.

Located on the edge of the galaxy, far from most important planetary hubs and warp routes, this place has limited ties with the Empire.

"The dangers I encountered along the way have only strengthened my belief that promoting the space bridge is the right thing to do."

"If we don't take the subspace route, we can avoid these dangers."

Kaul was still somewhat shaken, as they had encountered the enticement and threats of warp creatures more than once during their three-month warp voyage.

In the most dangerous instance, the enemy even managed to enter the interior of the merchant ship through some of the weaker-willed mortals among the merchant ronin.

Of course, the danger was just that—danger—and did not cause any more serious damage.

Guilliman and Losi both attached great importance to this space bridge construction mission.

The Primarch personally dispatched a hundred-strong Ultramarines guard and a think tank squad to protect them and ensure their safe arrival at the destination.

These Ultramarines who were able to remain by the Primarch's side were all extremely ruthless individuals who fought through the entire Horus Rebellion; each of them was a powerful warrior capable of serving as a Chapter Champion.

However, what surprised the Ultramarines the most was not the warp creatures that had invaded the merchant ships.

The Mechanic Sage, who was being protected, used his mechanical scepter to smash the heads of several ferocious and bizarre warp monsters.

The arc-shaped floating cannons and the thermal blast cannons mounted on his body blasted the physical bodies of those monsters in the real universe into pieces.

Belisarius Caul was a renowned sage, but that doesn't mean he was a weakling with little fighting ability.

If he were to actually unleash the dangerous methods hidden beneath his sage's robes, he might have to eliminate most of these Ultramarines.

"Sage Kaul, I am truly impressed. We owe you all the help you provided along the way."

"I never imagined that my hometown would become the first pilot sector for the Space Bridge. By the Emperor's grace, what an honor this is."

Orpheus Armengard knew the art of language; even among the priests of the Mechanicus, a few kind words could increase their favorability.

However, when these seemingly minor details are taken together, they become quite significant.

It's just a matter of saying a few more words; there's not much of a loss.

"You're welcome, Miss Orpheus."

"Your courage and decisiveness have earned our recognition because of your sense of responsibility."

Caul responded calmly, having already thoroughly understood the other party's background and style of doing things; everything had been planned in his genius mind.

The Armengard dynasty stands alongside ancient merchant and wandering families like Stavros and Harlock. While perhaps lacking in historical depth, they were still on the same level.

As the leader of this dynasty of wandering merchants, Orpheus was certainly not as simple as he appeared.

The Eldar sword she carried was a trophy Orpheus that she won in a duel against an Eldar pirate.

The fact that they were able to defeat the Eldar in close combat speaks volumes about their skill.

Even without the escort of the Ultra Warriors, the traveling merchants and their own guards are enough to get through this journey safely.

"Now that we have arrived in the Calissis sector, let's not delay and begin selecting a site to build the space bridge."

"You and the Great Sage Loxi have reached a consensus on cooperation, and your opinion will be given priority in the selection of the location for the Natural Space Bridge."

The Calicus sector is a vast region of space, containing a great many star systems.

The space bridge will inevitably be located in a specific galaxy, and the galaxy where it is located will inevitably take off in the future.

"Of course, our Armengard family will provide all the necessary materials and supplies without hesitation."

"This is for the future of our sector. Anyone or any force that obstructs it will face hostility and sanctions from the Merchant Dynasty."

"In order to better provide resources, I propose that the Space Bridge Matrix be built in the star system where our family's home planet 'Egaria' is located."

"This place was originally a hub for merchants and wanderers to trade, and it has close ties with other star systems in the surrounding area."

Moreover, the main force of our family is located here, which makes any subsequent arrangements much more convenient.

“In that case, continue leading the way,” Caul said.

"By the way, are there any obstacles to promoting the space bridge in the Calissis sector?"

"Can your merchant dynasty withstand these obstacles? If not, I will request Terra to send more garrison troops."

The space bridge network that will be established across the entire galaxy in the future will inevitably require a large amount of resources and manpower to maintain, and necessary armed defense is also essential.

"Most of the time, our merchant and ronin dynasties don't completely break ties. Even if there are frictions due to certain things, it's common."

"If our Armengard family has any real enemies, it is the Matchenko dynasty."

“Back in the top hive of Sibelius’s hive, I witnessed members of the Marchenko family kidnapping the inhabitants of the lower hive, drugging them with stimulants, and then forcing them to participate in a death game to please the nobles.”

“I immediately rebuked that bastard from the Matchenko family and settled the dispute by duel, but the hatred between our two dynasties has continued to spread.”

Upon hearing Ophie's words, Kaul couldn't help but feel even more favorably disposed towards her.

He wasn't one of those obsessed mechanical priests who, apart from being interested in the great works of the god of machines, paid no attention to anything else.

As a member of the Rand school, or rather the Roche school, he had long been influenced by Roche's ideas.

Technology should never be kept on a pedestal or treated as something untouchable and worshipped.

Technology that cannot be used by humans is meaningless, and the value of humanity is the value of technology.

This human-centered philosophy arose after the establishment of the Advanced Technological Community and differs significantly from the traditional Mechanicus philosophy.

Upon entering the Calissis sector, a wild landscape completely different from the solar system unfolded before Caul.

This place is remote, so the people on each planet are quite fierce.

Many people are engaged in trade, exploration, and other similar activities. As long as they find valuable goods and coordinates, they can become rich overnight.

The Armengard family's flagship, the Banshee, had an exceptionally high reputation in this sector; at least, not many fools dared to provoke it.

After arriving at Egalia, the home planet of the Armengard family, the fleet that had traveled a long way from the solar system was finally able to settle down.

"Patriarch, why are you back so soon? Have you already reached an agreement with Mars?"

When Orpheus led Caul and the others into the inner sanctum of the Armengard family's castle, a female mechanical priest immediately came to greet the patriarch who had just returned from a long trip.

"Let me introduce you. This is the Great Sage Belisarius Caul, who has come all the way from the Advanced Technology Community. He has come to the Calicis Sector on a very important matter."

"And all of us in the Armengard family must contribute to the mission of Sage Caul."

Orpheus introduced the group of strangers following her to the family members. In fact, she didn't need to introduce them; her chief craftsman, Verona, had already recognized Caul's identity.

Those within the Cult of the Machine God possess a complex hierarchical system and a method of identity recognition that is completely incomprehensible to outsiders.

Generally speaking, the titles and duties of mechanical priests can be divided into saints, gene masters, logicians, blacksmiths, and so on.

The craftsman, theoretically speaking, is a lower-level form of blacksmith, but the craftsman is different from the lower-level basic priests and monks; their status may be higher than one might imagine.

As for Caul, he is a disciple of the great sage Arkan Rand, and the newly appointed great sage of the Advanced Technology Community.

When someone like him personally visits a godforsaken place like the Calesis Sector, even the head of the local forging world would greet him with the highest honors.

Verona 112358 respectfully gave Caul a gear-shaped salute, and Caul returned the salute without any airs.

"From this moment on, all members of the Armengard family, including their associates, and all their resources and wealth, are under the command of the Great Sage Belisarius Caul."

“We will build a true engineering marvel here, which will be the foundation upon which our family can rely for thousands and thousands of years to come.”

Orpheus was a charismatic family leader, so the family members respected her not only because of her status, but also because of their genuine loyalty.

The moment she spoke, all commercial activities in the entire Armengard dynasty came to a standstill.

All merchant ships and all personnel began transporting the necessary resources under orders.

Kaul, without any hesitation, immediately began mobilizing resources with the mechanical priests and stone men who had come with him, and started building the space bridge.

"The original matrix of the space bridge brought back by the Great Sage Loshi has a total of 121 energy pillars and control pillars, and this level of space bridge can accommodate long-distance teleportation of about one hundred light-years."

"While this distance is sufficient, it is still too short on the scale of the Milky Way."

"Perhaps I should try to see what happens if I increase the number of space bridge matrices."

Kaul also studied the Cybertronian technology brought back by Roche and understood its theoretical principles.

However, whether it will work or not, we'll have to try it to find out.

Kaul activated his mechanical ark, the Explorer King, a colossal vessel that served as Kaul's flagship and mobile laboratory, capable of accommodating a large number of Guardians, the Intelligent Legion, and the Knight Family.

The unusual activities of the Armengard family immediately aroused the curiosity of other merchant ronin dynasties.

They had absolutely no idea what Orpheus was doing, or what those Mechanicus starships were building.

Rumors spread everywhere in a short time.

Some claimed the Armengard family had ingratiated themselves with a great sage, while others asserted that the Armengard family had led the Cult of Mechanics to rediscover the long-lost STC construction template. Caul had no interest in explaining; efficiency was all he cared about.

Despite the full support and cooperation of the Armengard family, the efficiency still fell short of Caul's expectations.

He simply used the production line built into the Explorer King to build some ships for interstellar mining.

These spacecraft, specifically designed for mining, can operate with far greater efficiency than ground-based equipment, since mining minerals is not a difficult task in the microgravity environment of space.

But where does the ore for space mining come from?

Human beings' production activities over thousands of years have long since exhausted the easily mineable mineral planets in space, leaving behind only "inferior mineral deposits" with harsh conditions and extremely difficult extraction.

However, Kaul soon showed these people who had lived in remote areas what efficient mining was all about.

His flagship, Explorer King, directly blasted apart some difficult-to-mine, low-quality mineral deposits with its main guns, turning them into numerous small fragments floating in space.

The mining ships then swarmed forward, using their decomposition rays to peel away the outer layer of rock, collecting only the precious minerals needed inside.

With raw materials in hand, the Explorer King's production workshop can operate at full speed.

With the continuous work of artificial intelligence and industrial-type Iron Man, a brand-new set of 121 energy columns and control columns was created.

However, these are only the core components of the Space Bridge Matrix. Kaul cannot directly expose the core of the Space Bridge to the outside. Instead, he wants to build a giant spaceport orbital system in space based on the energy pillars.

These are the major components of the material consumption, and Kaul estimates that it may take one to two years to complete the project.

"The space bridge is under construction, and the equally critical energy system must keep up."

"The stellar harvester is the key to solving the energy problem. As long as there is enough stellar energy, the space bridge can continue to operate indefinitely."

Kaul retrieved the specific data of the Star Harvester from the database of the Explorer King.

After being modified by humans, this unique Cybertronian technology was adapted to human usage habits and can be installed in ordinary warships.

"The original star harvester was far too exaggerated. Once activated, it could convert stars as large as the sun into usable energy batteries in just a short period of time."

"However, after studying it, the Great Sage Roshi discovered that to achieve this, it was necessary to rely on the power of the Leader Module."

After all, even among the Cybertronians, only leaders recognized by the Leader Module are allowed to use the Star Harvester.

"After the Fallen betrayed the other original Titans, in order to continue using the Star Harvester, he modified and weakened it so that it could be used normally without relying on the power of the Star Harvester."

The production line began producing human versions of the Stellar Harvesters according to the data in the database. This is the correct way to use the STC template of the Golden Age humans.

Commands are sent from a networked general database to specific production machines, guiding them to complete production and manufacturing.

After a long time, a metal instrument about two kilometers long was completed.

A complex network of energy lines runs through the area, giving it an awe-inspiring and mysterious aura.

“Go and fetch Orpheus Armengard. I’ll tell her how to use the Stellar Harvester,” Caul said to his attendant.

About half an hour later, Orpheus, dressed in a smart outfit and walking with a brisk pace, arrived on the deck of the Explorer King.

For some time now, she has been doing what Caul asked, coordinating the transport fleets to import necessary materials from other star systems.

The wealth accumulated by the Armengard family has even reached a very dangerous threshold due to this reckless consumption.

The Armengard family's main assets are in the financial sector, and they actually control relatively few physical assets, truly doing their utmost.

"What are your orders, Great Sage Caul?"

“An order?” Caul smiled, trying to make his tone more amiable.

“No, it’s not an order. I’ve seen all the contributions your family has made, and you have certainly not disappointed the great sage of Loxi.”

"The Space Bridge Matrix space station can be built step by step, and I will hand over the key energy source to you."

"follow me."

With Orpheus and some trusted confidants, Caul boarded a strange-looking starship.

It looks like a pyramid welded onto the back of a warship, appearing somewhat bulky and comical.

Numerous antennas and energy systems are distributed across the pyramids, making it unclear what their purpose is.

“The space bridge consumes a lot of energy every time it operates, and the ‘lot’ here may exceed the limits that you can accept.”

"A typical plasma reactor is like trying to fill an entire lake with a single water pipe – utter nonsense for the Space Bridge."

"Only the energy from stars is the cheapest and most readily available, so you need to use the star harvester on this ship to extract energy from the sun."

Orpheus's eyes gleamed with excitement. This little boat could actually affect the sun?

"Of course, your star harvester absolutely cannot be used on your star system's sun. Although it cannot absorb and convert the energy of the entire sun in a short period of time, it will still affect the normal operation of the star."

"Since it's so dangerous, are we really going to hand it over to us?" Orpheus countered.

"No need to worry. Since we dared to entrust you with this energy extraction ship that can cause devastating damage to the sun, we have taken complete precautions."

"The star harvester on board this ship will only start after it receives the information key from the space bridge. Without the key, it's just a pile of scrap metal."

"Furthermore, the location and operation of each star harvester will be monitored by the main AI. Your attempt to use it for dangerous purposes will certainly not be permitted."

After hearing Caul's description, Orpheus finally felt relieved.

"Thank you for your trust, Great Sage Loxi. I will certainly maintain the operation of the Space Bridge network and safeguard this transportation hub."

"With our example, other families and forces will inevitably gain a better understanding of the empire's high-level plans."

No one will say no to tangible benefits; they will inevitably join me in promoting the construction of the space bridge.

“Very well, in that case, I’ll leave the rest of the tasks to my colleagues and head back to the solar system first.”

"I hope you and your family will remember the oath you took today and never betray us."

The core matrix of the space bridge has been completed, and the star harvester spaceships capable of harnessing solar energy have been delivered to the Armengard family. Caul's mission here is now complete.

He had to hurry back to Ganymede, as he needed to personally oversee the upgrade and iteration of the Primal Forged Space Marines.

After seeing off the Great Sage Kaul, Orpheus still stared somewhat absentmindedly at the strange spaceship floating near the Banshee.

"They just gave it to me like that? They really trust me."

"I must live up to this trust. Everyone listen up, make the most of every minute and second to build the space bridge network in the Calissis sector as quickly as possible."

"Our family's opportunity to prosper has arrived. When this space bridge is completed, our family will become a truly indestructible force in the Calissis Sector."

"Other merchant ronin dynasties that want to use the Space Bridge will have to see if we agree."

"As for the merchant ronin families who are our enemies, I will not prohibit them from using the Space Bridge, but they will have to pay more usage fees."

"With such a powerful ally in hand, who would dare to oppose us?"

Listening to the patriarch describe the bright future, the exhausted family members were immediately filled with renewed energy.

As long as there are gains, it's worth putting in a little more effort and hard work.

What they feared was working hard but achieving nothing, but now, driven by the bright future of their family, they felt they had inexhaustible energy within them.

When the space bridge is completed, their family's fleet of traveling merchants will knock on the doors of star systems along the way.

At that time, they might be able to say to the human world outside of regular trade routes: "Open the door, free trade!"

……

The construction of the space bridge is a key strategic step planned by Losi, but it will take a long time to form a complete and usable network.

Not only did Roche send Kaul to build the first space bridge outside the solar system, but he also concentrated his efforts on building a super-large space bridge hub within the solar system.

In the not-too-distant future, all the star systems in the Milky Way will be directly connected to Terra via a space bridge.

With so many connection points, it is essential to plan ahead to avoid traffic congestion and reduced operational efficiency.

"If the space bridge can be repaired before the orcs launch a full-scale attack, it will be a great benefit to humanity."

"Sigh, after searching for so long, there's still not much news. Could it be that the ancient orcs have really vanished without a trace?"

Loshi felt as if he had returned to the time when he was exhausted in Macurag, with a lot of things to do every day. Only the thought that Guilliman was also suffering made him feel a little better.

During this period, his intelligence networks—the Mechanicus, the Assassin's Court, and the Imperial Guard—have not sent back any useful intelligence.

Even using psychic divination, they couldn't detect the other party's situation.

Whenever Loxi attempted to use her psychic powers to search for the other party's presence, all she saw was an endless green tide, and the obstruction of two savage and cunning wills.

He immediately realized that it was Brother Gao and Brother Mao who were preventing others from finding the ancient beastmen through prophecy.

He also dealt with several orc threats with swift and decisive action, but upon investigation, those were nothing more than smokescreens.

Loshi used the psionic token given to him by the prophet Uslan to call upon him and invite him to Terra for a talk, but he has not yet received a reply from Uslan.

The only bright spot right now is that Guilliman's Ultramarines Legion's original forging is progressing well.

With Guilliman's personal order, the Ultramarines did not have much resistance to the original Forging.

In comparison, the Ultramarines don't have as many strange legion cultures and traditions as other legions, making them easier to reform.

Marius Gage sent an interstellar communication to Guilliman, stating that all the Ultra Warriors in the Five Hundred Worlds were undergoing Primal Forging modifications, and the biggest drawback was the severe shortage of manpower and materials needed for the modifications.

Loshi had calculated how many Ultra Warriors would be needed to make him short-handed, but in the end he would always close his eyes and forget those damn numbers.

If he continued calculating, he would imagine a whole bunch of Smurfs dancing wildly in his head.

However, the feedback from other Space Marine Legions was not as ideal.

The Imperial Fist Legion stationed in Terra showed resistance to Guilliman's orders.

They claimed they did not want to taint the pure Dorne bloodline, nor did they want to have extra Primal organs in their bodies.

Sigismund, in particular, who was summoned back to Terra by Enrico, stated that the Black Templars, even without the Primal Forged, were capable of handling any intense war.

“If Dorn were here, those troublesome Imperial Fists would immediately obey orders with just a word from him.”

"Dorn, how the hell are we going to find Dorne?"

Losi sat in her seat, looking troubled, and casually rubbed her hair.

He needs to advance the construction of the space bridge, promote the forging of the Astartes Legion, and accelerate the modernization of the Imperial military's weapons. He needs to help find Dorne and find a way to contact the Eldar and the Necromancers to fight the Ancient Orcs together...

Oh right, Ryan and his friends are also a handful; nobody knows where they've all gone.

"I only came back to deliver technology, so why are so many things falling on my shoulders?"

Loxi made up his mind that once he had dealt with the ancient orcs, he would immediately set off again and leave this dangerous and deadly place.

I just hope that when Guilliman comes back next time, he won't be an old man with a full head of white hair, looking like a rusty tractor reviewing documents in the office.

(End of this chapter)