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

Chapter 761 The Ancient Spirit Clan and the Ancient Beastmen (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
Loshi had sent an invitation to the prophet Uslan a long time ago, but the latter had never replied.

According to Lothie's speculation, this Eldar prophet may have remained in the Webpath for some reason.

This is quite normal: after all, the Eldar of the Ark do not have a fixed place of residence and have been in a state of constant migration and wandering for a long time.

"Inform Guilliman that Uslan has arrived and it's time to prepare to discuss how to deal with the greenskin orcs."

“Enrico, it seems that Uslan brought one of our human warships with him. Go and check the keel number of that ship.”

"Please organize the details and then tell me."

Loxi immediately ordered the people around her to start taking action.

He still preferred the days when Hill was by his side. With Hill around, Rose didn't need to worry about anything; his meticulous assistant would take care of everything perfectly.

During this time, he had Enrico, the son of the Imperial Fist, by his side, but from Roxi's personal perspective, it was not entirely satisfactory.

Living with the sons of Dorne would be torture for an ordinary person.

However, Enrico's style of doing things is rather rigid, and he follows the rules completely.

But his efficiency was indeed very reliable; in just a few minutes, he had already obtained information about that human warship.

“My lord, that ship is not in the current Imperial Navy’s keel identification sequence. I searched through past historical records and finally found a trace in the Dark Raven Guard Legion’s database.”

"It is called the Vicious Claw. Back in the Great Crusade, Lord Corax gave it to a group of expeditionary forces, but those forces lost contact after entering the Ghoul Cluster."

"According to the latest intelligence, those 'Ash Claws' who entered the Ghoul Cluster have chosen to betray humanity, but they have not renounced humanity and joined the Chaos."

When the identity of the other party's defector group was mentioned, Enrico clearly showed his dissatisfaction and disdain.

The Sons of Dorne possess the highest honor of all the Astartes Legions—they are the Royal Guard of Terra, and their Primarch is the Grand Master of Terra.

Enrico quickly set aside his personal emotions and began to think rationally, like a "stone man".

"Since Prophet Uslan came with these Ash Claws, doesn't that mean the missing ancient orcs are very likely hiding in the Ghoul Cluster?"

"According to the Imperial's historical records, the Ash Claws have always stubbornly remained in the Ghoul Cluster, only occasionally choosing to come to the Salamas Sector for resupply."

"Unless something major happens, they won't leave that star system."

Natra Killin always thought that his little tricks went unnoticed, and that their deal with the Cult of Mechanics was a well-kept secret.

But in reality, that was just his opinion.

There were many other traitorous chapters like the Ash Claws. The Horus Rebellion involved many Astartes who betrayed their cause without realizing it, but many others also came to their senses and stopped following Horus.

The empire has always maintained a high degree of vigilance and surveillance over these traitors.

However, since these people haven't betrayed humanity and fallen into chaos, they've turned a blind eye.

The information contained in an event is often implicit. Even though Uslan had not informed them, Roxi had already analyzed a lot of useful information.

He drew a circle on the holographic screen, emphasizing that damned wasteland in the northeast corner of the Milky Way.

"The Empire's starlight could not reach that location; the entire Ghoul Stars were shrouded in darkness."

"The closest to it is the Midnight Lord's homeworld, Nostramore, and beyond that lies Guilliman's Five Hundred Worlds."

"Baal of the Holy Blood Angels, Chogoris of the White Scars, and Nocturne of the Salamanders are all in the Extreme Starfield. If this is true, these legion homeworlds will all face direct attacks from the Greenskin Orcs."

Loxi examined the highlighted points of light on the star map, calculating just how much power they could gather.

The Limitless Starfield is the largest of the five major starfields that humans have divided into.

Five of the loyal Space Marine legions have homeworlds located in the Extreme Starfield.

In the hazy star field west of the Ghoul Stars, there is the home planet of the Dark Angels, Caliban, and the home planet of the Space Wolves, Fenris, located in the southern part of the hazy star field and close to the Sun Star Field.

"If those greenskin orcs want to attack Terra from the Ghoul Cluster, they must first break through the independent fiefdoms controlled by these Primarchs."

"I'm afraid even the Emperor himself didn't expect that the strategy he set before ascending the Golden Throne—to have the Primarchs leave Terra and return to their homeworlds to establish independent kingdoms to protect the Throne World—would come in so soon."

"However, in this way, Guilliman's Five Hundred Worlds becomes the biggest shield. Hopefully, Guilliman will be able to stay strong after hearing the news."

In the Jupiter space, Uslan, aboard the Vicious Claw, and the Eldar warships escorting him, were heading to Ganymede's port for anchorage, led by the Jupiter fleet.

"More than a hundred years ago, when the Horus Rebellion broke out, this place was reduced to a wasteland."

"It's truly remarkable how the world has changed so dramatically. Humanity has reshaped the solar system in such a short time, transforming it from the ruins of war into a prosperous world once again."

Uslan said with some envy that he saw those orbital systems, which had been destroyed in the war, reappear in the universe.

Various merchant ships and transport ships came and went in an endless stream, like blood vessels maintaining the normal functioning of the empire's heart.

In contrast, the development of the Spirit Race seems to have completely stagnated. Not to mention a hundred years, even a thousand years have passed, and the Spirit Race has not changed much.

In fact, the fact that the Eldar have managed to maintain their stagnant development is already a testament to their considerable efforts.

Their current population size is completely unable to support the continuation of their civilization; they are in a state of slow death.

"Where is this...the solar system?"

"This this……"

If Uslan was merely shocked, then Zoe, the Ash Claws' think tank, completely shattered his worldview.

If we take the Istvan III massacre as the starting point of the Horus rebellion, then this human civil war began in 005.M31.

The Ash Claws being sent to the Ghoul Star Expedition by King Corax after the Battle of Gate 42 occurred in 002.M31.

Furthermore, even during the Legion's most difficult times, Corax never recalled this isolated force, meaning the Ash Claws were not actually involved in the major event of the Horus Rebellion.

Zoe still remembered what the solar system looked like in her memory. Although the Throne World was the most prosperous place in the human empire, it was definitely not as lively as it is now.

Every planet in the solar system, and even the slightly larger asteroids and moons, is already filled with human technological creations.

The various space stations, orbital platforms, starships, and the giant buildings and ring-shaped unknown structures visible to the naked eye on the Earth's surface left these country bumpkins from that godforsaken place, the Ghoul Cluster, utterly astonished.

"Wasn't the Empire severely damaged by the rebellion launched by Horus? How come there's no trace of war here?"

"Or is my injury too severe, causing me to hallucinate?"

Zoe felt completely disconnected from the outside world.

He couldn't even identify the class and model of those unfamiliar warships, and the orbital defense systems, which were outside his knowledge, made his scalp tingle.

Based on his sense of danger, he was certain that if the Vicious Claw he was on were to make any dangerous move, it would likely become a target for attack.

The Vicious Claws are completely outdated; those Imperial warships have a completely different style—simple, streamlined, and even the distribution of their weapon systems appears more rational and aesthetically pleasing.

"Kirin, what have we missed?"

"Have we been stubbornly holding out in the Ghoul Cluster all along, only to suffer the consequences of our own actions in vain?"

The curator of Ash Claws was heartbroken. He wasn't afraid of death; what he feared was that what he and his brothers in battle had been fighting for was meaningless.

They were outraged by Corax's disregard for their lives and honor, and vowed to fight for themselves, refusing to pledge their loyalty to the Emperor or Horus.

But now it seems that the empire doesn't care at all whether they are loyal or not.

They are not important at all.

Uslan saw through Zoe's complex and conflicted state of mind; for a psionic think tank, her condition was undoubtedly extremely dangerous.

Intense emotional fluctuations can create vulnerabilities in one's beliefs, which can be exploited by monsters in the warp.

"Don't overthink it, think tank."

“We have successfully returned to the Empire. I expect that Losi and Guilliman will ask you about the specifics next.”

"You just need to tell them everything you know, and you will be able to bring salvation to your warband."

“No matter what mistakes you have made in the past, you still have a chance to correct them. You must seize it,” Uslan sincerely advised.

The Vicious Claw docked completely in the spaceport, and after a slight tremor, the warship was firmly gripped by the spaceport's robotic arm.

The automated maintenance system began basic repairs on the riddled Vicious Claw, while simultaneously disinfecting it against viruses and investigating subspace contamination.

The Blackstone Anti-Psionic Matrix covered the area, and Uslan and Zoe immediately felt a painful sensation of difficulty breathing.

The hatch opened amidst the dull hum of the hydraulic system, and a space bridge connected the cabin to the spaceport.

Amidst the billowing steam, a squad of fully armed Iron Man guards had already entered the interior of the Vicious Claw.

"Put down your weapons, submit to inspection, and do not make any unusual movements."

Under the radiation of Blackrock's anti-psychic field, Uslan was also unable to use psychic energy to continue stabilizing the Astartes of the Ash Claws.

One second these warriors' memories were still of the warship leaping out of the warship from the subspace, and the next second they found themselves facing a group of completely unfamiliar iron men.

"Put down your weapons!" Zoe roared.

But his voice came a step too late; a bomb gun in the hand of an Ash Claw suddenly opened fire.

A cross-shaped burst of sparks erupted as the rocket-propelled projectile hurtled straight toward the Iron Man.

The kinetic warhead struck the energy shield on the Iron Man's surface, instantly creating a shimmering blue barrier that completely absorbed the attack's kinetic energy.

"Retaliate with non-lethal means!"

Iron Man hurled a series of magnetic chains with his backhand, which wrapped around the Ash Claws like shackles.

The next moment, a data attack from the main control AI quickly paralyzed these extremely primitive Mark II power armors.

With the servo system crashing and the power backpacks becoming unusable, these Astartes suddenly became prisoners trapped in living coffins.

Even the Dreadnoughts that were still in operation were affected and deprived of their right to operate.

Uslan waved his hand, indicating that these things had nothing to do with him.

"Just take him with you. The rest of you stay on this ship for a full check."

The Iron Men immediately made way for them, and in their eyes, Uslan's camp was marked as a green friendly force.

"Does the empire no longer need old guys like us? If I'm not mistaken, those should be the Abomination Iron Men."

"Does nobody care about the Scarlet Accord anymore? Are we crazy, or has the world gone mad?"

Zoe looked at the Iron Man Guards with a hint of awe. He could see clearly that the other side had used some non-lethal means to make the Astartes surrender.

“Rather than calling it madness, I think it’s more accurate to say it’s progress, think tank,” Uslan said leisurely.

After transferring in a spacecraft, the two quickly arrived at Ganymede's iconic planetary control tower.

Meanwhile, Guilliman, who had rushed from Terra Palace, was already waiting in Rosi's office.

“This kind of thing should normally be discussed in the Terra palace, but how could I let go of such an opportunity to get away from the Royal Guards?”

“Ever since my last confrontation with those high lords, although the Imperial Guard has expressed their support for my decision, they have also been secretly strengthening their oversight and checks and balances on me.”

"In name I am the commander of the empire, but in the eyes of those golden corns, I am just a prisoner with extraordinary abilities."

Guilliman took every opportunity to vent his frustrations. Without any hesitation, he poured the highly caffeinated beverage on Rosie's table directly into his mouth and drank it all down with a slight movement of his throat.

"It's a bit weak. The energy drinks in my office are at least five times stronger than this. Those are the ones that can keep me energized."

"If you need it, I'll have someone send you some later. I guarantee it's top quality stuff. Even a dead person could stand up and work another night after drinking it."

Rosie's expression was strange; Guilliman's Mackula-style lame joke left him unsure whether to laugh or cry.

"Come on, I don't want to work overtime like you until I die. I come back and have to deal with all this mess. How can you treat me like this?"

Hearing Rosie's teasing, Guilliman sighed.

"Look at how haggard I look. My dark circles are so thick that it looks like I've been cursed by some evil witchcraft."

My eye bags look like they were created by a poorly skilled plastic surgeon.

"I went to great lengths to keep the Highlords in check. All conflicts should wait until the issue of the greenskins is resolved before they erupt."

"The Space Bridge network is now being rolled out in an orderly manner according to our plan, but we don't know if it will be useful in the war against those green-skinned orcs."

That's how it is with Guilliman. Even if it starts as aimless chatter, after a while, he'll start bringing up his current political problems for discussion.

"Alright, alright, our guests have arrived."

Loshi sensed Uslan's soul aura getting closer and closer, and immediately interrupted.

Guilliman reverted to his original serious and dignified demeanor, exuding an unapproachable aura.

"Loki, it's been a long time."

Uslan's warm voice came from outside the door; even before he appeared, one could feel the sincerity in him. "All is well."

Loshi grasped the hand that Uslan offered, and the two embraced.

A century is nothing to the Aidalings; Uslan remains the same handsome, elegant, and refined prophet.

Rosie's immortality makes her immune to the passage of time, and the one who has changed the most among the three is Guilliman, who has a few more gray hairs at his temples.

"Let's not waste any more time on small talk. This is the Claw of Ash that I brought back from the outer edge of the Ghoul Stars."

“Zoe, now tell me what’s going on in the Ghoul Stars. You should be able to let your guard down now that you’re facing the Primarch.”

The think tank director took a deep breath; his usually hardened heart was still beating faster than ever when facing Guilliman.

Guilliman and his father had completely different temperaments. Guilliman, the ultimate master with golden curly hair, exuded a warm feeling like the sun.

Especially when those cobalt blue eyes looked at Zoe, he found it hard not to feel an instinctive sense of admiration.

"Lord Guilliman, I salute you."

“I am the chief think tank of the Ash Claws Chapter. You can call me Zoe.”

“You want to know what happened in the Ghoul Stars from me, but I must say—even I don’t quite know why things turned out this way.”

"Before this, I discovered through my psychic prophetic abilities that a devastating green tide would sweep across the entire Ghoul Star.

Therefore, I persuaded Chapter Master Natra Gillin to lead all the Ashclaws to wipe out the Greenskin Orcs.

"However, when we arrived at the green-skinned orcs' lair, those damned aliens had become far too powerful for us to handle."

Killing was killed in action, and the other comrades-in-arms also died there; only we escaped the battlefield.

"The Vicious Claw I was aboard was the last survivor."

Zoe described their sights and sounds on the Greenskin as concisely and clearly as possible, while Guilliman held a data tablet, occasionally writing and drawing.

Lothie quietly used her psionic powers to heal Zoe's injuries caused by the psionic rampage.

Unlike physical injuries, injuries to the soul can erupt suddenly at a certain moment, directly endangering one's life.

Zoe felt warm all over, as if she were soaking in a warm hot spring.

The excruciating pain gradually subsided, and as he gazed at Rosie, he realized that it was this mortal who had helped him.

"When did the Empire produce a mortal who could sit side by side with the Primarch?"

"Besides Makado, is there anyone else who could do this?"

Zoe kept her confusion to herself. Her current position was very sensitive, and any mistake could lead to utter ruin.

"Okay, we have a general understanding of the situation. You can go to the rest area and wait. A professional mechanic will come to help you repair and replace your equipment."

Zoe was taken aback; he hadn't expected to receive supplies from the Empire after coming to deliver the message.

"Lord Guilliman, we..."

Before Zoe could speak, Guilliman cut off his confusion.

“I know you’re worried about your chapter’s identity. It’s true that the Ash Claws are a traitorous chapter, but you haven’t sided with Chaos and have held onto your pride as humans.”

"Regardless of the reason, your Ash Claws' attempt to behead the green-skinned orcs to stop the Green Tide objectively made a significant contribution to humanity."

Moreover, you have traveled tens of thousands of light-years to reach us and deliver invaluable intelligence.

"Do you know that because of this information you provided, trillions upon trillions of people will have the opportunity to survive?"

"Merit is merit, and fault is fault; I never mix them up."

“I, Robert Guilliman, now the Supreme Commander of the Empire, forgive your betrayal and will have the Empire provide you with all the resources you need to rebuild the Ash Claw Chapter as quickly as possible.”

Guilliman's praise brought tears to Zoe's eyes, who had fled from the Ghoul Stars to this Astartes.

What noble character, what a tolerant spirit!
We...we...

Guilliman forgave us.

The approval of the Primarch is the most precious honor in the world for all Astartes.

At this moment, Zoe's mind was filled with the fanatical thought of serving Guilliman to the death, willing to sacrifice her life.

They failed to gain Corax's approval, but received Guilliman's commendation.

“You may leave now. I will come back to talk to you in a while,” Guilliman said.

Zoe knelt on one knee and gave the Imperial Commander a most sincere Eagle Salute.

With Guilliman as a guarantor, the return of Ash Claws to the Empire was a foregone conclusion. Zoe, no longer wanting to save face, decisively chose the optimal solution.

"Your skill in calming people down is truly exceptional. You've completely charmed Corax's rebellious offspring, leaving them utterly bewildered."

Losi remarked from the side, expressing his admiration for Guilliman's magnanimity.

"A united front, uniting all forces that can be united, is the key to victory."

"This is the wisdom of our ancient sages, and it has never been outdated."

"If they had surrendered to Chaos, they would have had no chance of redemption. But now that they have realized their mistakes and repented, giving them another chance is not a problem."

"Back then, the Terran Ultramarines of the 22nd Battle Group in my Legion were known for their expertise in brutal extermination operations with heavy firepower."

Although I don't like them, I still give them enough space and respect.

“I know that my brother Corax has a strong hostility towards the slave-owning ruling class because of his upbringing, which is why he is hostile to the Ash Claws who have an extreme personality, but I do not have these personal emotional biases.”

"Alright, alright, you two."

Uslan interrupted, "Now is not the time for reminiscing. Let's talk about the ancient orcs."

"Please wait a moment, one of the parties involved has not yet arrived."

Loshi glanced at the time. Just a few seconds after he spoke, Tarasin arrogantly entered the room.

"I could smell the stench of the Spirit Clan from a great distance. So it was you, kid."

Tarasin immediately started acting like a senior citizen, and Uslan's face instantly fell.

"Who do we have here? It turns out to be the Galactic Thief. I hope humanity's treasure trove can be a little safer."

Uslan noticed that Tarasin had changed; this damned space necromancer overlord had actually gained the aura of a soul.

This was completely beyond Uslan's expectations; good news from his nemesis was nothing short of bad news to him.

"Gentlemen, if you still want to argue, you can wait until after this is over."

"The situation is now very clear: the ancient orcs who escaped from the museum of Talassin have developed a large number of green-skinned orcs in the ghoul constellation."

"A new empire, even surpassing the former Ulanno Empire, is rising in the northeastern corner of the galaxy."

"Loshi said gravely, while Guilliman was already looking at the star map, calculating how far the green-skinned orc invaders were from the border of the Five Hundred Worlds."

Now that we know where the enemy is, at least we've solved the first step.

The next important task is to gather all available forces and launch a thunderous war against the green-skinned orcs.

"The Ghoul Cluster is a terrible place. The Derazak Bone Kingdom is entrenched there, and the Silent King has forbidden them from leaving the cluster."

Upon hearing the name "Ghoul Stars," Tarachin reacted vehemently.

"That was a corrupt dynasty infected with the Skinner virus, and any space undead would tremble at the mere mention of it."

“That’s not all bad news—if those green-skinned orcs want to completely unify the Ghoul Stars, they’ll have to take down that Bone Kingdom you’re talking about first,” Uslan said sarcastically.

"All of this trouble is caused by you, you troublemaker. If you hadn't collected the ancient beastmen, none of this would have happened."

Tarasin retorted without hesitation.

"Yes, that is indeed my fault, I don't deny it, but does your Aidaling race really have no problems at all?"

"Logically speaking, the ancient orcs were allies of your ancestors, and you were all creations of the ancient saints."

Now that the ancient orcs are rising again with their green-skinned orcs, what's your hurry? You're jumping around like a carbon-based monkey.

Tarasin's lips curled into a mocking and sarcastic smile.

"That's because, once the ancient orcs rise to power, their first target will be us space undead, and the second will be you Eldar."

Loshi and Guilliman immediately perked up their ears to listen carefully; it seemed that Tarasin, whose sore spot had been touched by Uslan, was about to drop another bombshell.

Uslan was speechless. His lips trembled as he tried to say something in his defense, but the words he had been trying to gather remained unspoken.

Tarasin then continued, beaming with pride.

"You Aidalings, whether in the past or present, can be described by a human proverb as 'a leopard can't change its spots.'"

"Your fickle nature and habit of betraying your allies did not appear out of thin air, but were inherited from your ancestors, the Ancient Spirits."

"When the War of Heaven entered its most brutal final stage, the Old Saints' alliance was already showing signs of defeat, and both the Orcs and the Old Saints were severely weakened."

"But your Ancient Spirit Clan is different. Due to the different strategic positioning, the greatest responsibility of the Ancient Spirit Clan is to repair and expand the Infinite Network."

This means that a large portion of your population and industrial facilities actually remained safely in the rear throughout the war.

"But later on, when the ancient saints were really short of troops, they could no longer protect the safety of your ancient spirit race."

The Creator dispatched the Ancient Spirits and those Spirit Gods to fight, providing the allied forces with time and space to retreat.

Uslan gripped the scepter tightly, unwilling to hear what the other party was about to say.

This is the dark history of the Eldar, a scar they have always tried to cover up and erase.

"Originally, the Eldar were only responsible for supporting and dealing damage, but once they were deployed to the front lines, they immediately suffered heavy losses under the fierce attack of the Star God Alliance."

"If it weren't for your spirit race's gods' ability to protect souls and resurrect the fallen in the infinite loop, the ancient spirit race would have been wiped out dozens of times over."

"But your advantage of immortality was completely shattered after the Nightbringers personally took to the field."

The ancient spirits who died under the Nightbringer's scythe had their souls completely harvested and devoured, and could no longer be reborn in the Infinite Circuit.

Although the God of War, Cairne, valiantly repelled the Nightbringers, who symbolized death, the latter still inflicted a curse on the Eldar and countless other intelligent races.

"The originally immortal Eldar gained death, and from then on, in the myths and legends of countless intelligent beings, the symbol of death is mostly a black shadow holding a scythe."

The details revealed by Tarachin undoubtedly answered some questions that had always existed in the minds of Roche and Guilliman, but had no clear answer.

"So this is how the image of death came about in the primitive beliefs of many real-world life forms."

"Keep talking, keep talking, Taraxin, don't stop!"

Tara-Sin continued to spew out the vicious truth, trying to expose the Eldar's hypocritical mask.

"At first, those ancient spirit races and spirit gods were able to barely hold on, clinging to their loyalty to the ancient saints."

While continuing to dig new tunnels in the network to make up for the losses, they also fought fiercely against the Star Gods on the main battlefield, using blood and sacrifice to buy time.

"But as time went by, the losses of the ancient spirit race began to rise steadily, and even the spirit gods were heartbroken."

"Those extremely sensitive and emotionally rich ancient spirits began to have an increasing fear of the Star God. They feared complete annihilation and being unable to perceive this world anymore."

"Therefore, undercurrents were surging among the Ancient Spirits, and more and more Ancient Spirits began to shirk their duties, caring more about self-preservation than victory in the war."

“Some of the ancient spirits have even begun to plot to completely seize control of the Web Path, hide their entire race inside the Web Path, and block all ways out to prevent our attack.”

Tarasin's mouth was like a double-barreled shotgun, firing incessantly, while Uslan's face changed rapidly in a short time, much like an overturned palette of paints.

"It needs to be made clear that your Spirit Race's gods are, strictly speaking, condensations of racial consciousness."

The beliefs of the Eldar shaped the character and authority of their gods, so as more and more Eldar began to shift their beliefs, the Eldar gods were forced to respond to the expectations of their followers.

"When the final battle arrives, the allied forces of our race and the Star Gods have begun to use the Tombstone Gate to invade the interior of the Webway."

Your last refuge is about to fall, and countless Eldar who toiled within the Webpath will perish instantly.

"The enraged Spirit Race and the Spirit God, disregarding the fact that the Ancient Saints and other subordinate races had not completely retreated into the Net Channel, brazenly shut down the Net Channel."

"Hahahaha! How ridiculous! Those ancient saints are locked outside the gates of the net they created by the very race they themselves created, and no matter how much they call out, no one opens the door."

"Thanks to the crucial assistance from the Ancient Spirit Clan, we seized a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and delivered a fatal blow to those Ancient Saints!"

(End of this chapter)