Warhammer: The Time Traveler

Chapter 355 The Shattered Primitive Body (Nine Updates)

Chen Yu knew that this was a fatal attraction for a warrior like Sigismund who had experienced countless battles and was well aware of the uncertainties and dangers of warp travel.

"This means that the movement of Imperial forces will become more predictable and faster, and will not be entirely subject to the control of the Star Court and the Navigator families. The strategic value of this for Legions...or Chapters, which need to deal with a wide range of threats, especially in the unstable regions of the warp, is self-evident."

He did not mention the interstellar potential that higher warp speeds might bring, which would be too shocking for those new to the concept and more likely to cause unnecessary concern.

He chose a more specific application scenario that better met the future expedition needs of the Black Sanctuary.

Sigismund fell into a long silence.

His gaze slowly shifted from the surreal scene of life in the canyon to Chen Yu's expressionless, mechanical face.

Even through the hard helmet, Chen Yu could clearly capture the shock in that gaze, and the almost instinctive caution that followed.

The impact of this news is far greater than that of creating an oasis.

It directly targets the very foundation upon which the Empire depends for its survival—the vast system built upon warp travel, the Astral Court communications, and the bloodline of the Navigators.

The four words "warp speed engine" that Chen Yu casually mentioned represent a force capable of overturning human traditions for thousands of years.

Time passed in silence, with only the winds of the dead whistling above the canyon.

After a long pause, Sigismund's deep voice slowly emerged from the helmet's loudspeaker, each syllable carrying immense weight: "You know very well what this means."

This statement is not only directed at the technology itself, but also questions the enormous waves that will inevitably follow.

The decline of the Star Court, the hostility of the Navigator family, the interference of Mars, and even the reshuffling of the entire imperial power structure.

He was trying to confirm whether Chen Yu truly understood what kind of double-edged sword he held, and the immeasurable consequences of displaying it.

He was referring not only to the technology itself, but also to the potential political upheaval and backlash from various factions.

“That’s precisely why,” Chen Yu replied frankly, “I must meet with Lord Dorne. The very existence of this technology is a huge risk. Without Primarch-level authority and foresight, it may bring not blessings, but chaos and civil war that will engulf the entire Empire.”

I need his judgment, and I also need his...protection.

Sigismund fell silent again, gazing at the desolate horizon of the distant dead world, as if weighing the weight of this information and the potential consequences of bringing it to the Primarch.

Finally, he turned around, his black power armor creaking heavily.

“I will report to my father personally.” His voice regained its usual firmness. “Prepare your presentation materials, Sage Chen Yu. The questions you raised do indeed need to be decided by him.”
-
This brief trip to the canyon was far more significant than simply visiting the experimental results.

For Sigismund, what Chen Yu revealed was perhaps not just two technologies that could change the course of the empire, but also an opportunity that could pull his father, Roger Dorn, who was mired in pain and confusion, out of endless self-blame and darkness.

Ever since Dorne brought back the cold body of Saint Gilles and the Emperor's mangled remains from the Soul of Vengeance at the very end of the Great Rebellion, Sigismund had a clear sense that his father, once the most resilient rock of the Empire, had developed cracks in his heart, or even broken it.

The Emperor's fall plunged the Primarch, whose life's creed was to fulfill his oath, into an unprecedented dark period. He believed he had failed in his ultimate duty to protect the Emperor and suffered immense pain as a result.

Sigismund witnessed Dorne remove his golden power armor, a symbol of glory, and don the black robes of repentance and mourning, leading his legions on a near-self-punishing "Repentance Expedition" to take revenge on the traitor in an extremely cruel way.

But Sigismund understood that this was not Dorn's nature; it was merely a way of projecting unbearable inner pain outward.

Dorne was trying to numb himself with physical conquest and witnessing the destruction of traitors, and to find an answer in the pain—an answer to how to move forward and maintain this crumbling human civilization after the emperor's silence, the betrayal of his brothers, and the devastation of the empire.

Dorn did not fully agree with Guilliman's "secondary army" plan, and he saw the division of the legions as a weakening of the legions' cohesion and tradition.

However, his rational side clearly knew that, under the current circumstances, this was a necessary measure to avoid excessive concentration of power and prevent large-scale betrayals in the future, a bitter pill that had to be swallowed for the stability of the empire.

This intense conflict between reason and emotion further exacerbated his suffering.

A more practical problem is that not all offspring of the Imperial Fist are willing to accept the split.

There are still a considerable number of warriors whose loyalty and sense of honor are closely linked to the "Imperial Fist" as a whole and cannot be easily severed.

How to settle these loyal but "out-of-place" warriors became another problem facing Dorn.

Sigismund knew that, given Dorn's current tendency toward self-sacrifice, he would likely end up choosing the most brutal path.

By throwing these unwilling warriors into the most dangerous, almost certain-death battles, allowing them to sacrifice themselves for the Legion and the Empire's "New Order" in the most glorious and thorough way, internal dissent and potential threats will be eliminated.

As a company commander and Dorn's most trusted second-in-command, Sigismund saw all of this and felt the pain in his heart.

He did not want to see his genetic father continue to torment himself in pain, nor did he want to see those loyal warriors meet a devastating end because of ideological differences.

But he struggled to find any way to break out of this suffocating predicament.

Now, what Chen Yu has brought out—the incredible creation particles and the even more revolutionary warp drive technology—is like a ray of light tearing through thick dark clouds.

Sigismund keenly realized that this might be the turning point.

A great creation capable of reshaping the world of the dead and expanding the territory for mankind, a strategic technology capable of changing the way imperial power is projected and may even affect the future form of warfare—this is enough to forcibly pull a leader trapped in past traumas back onto the track of facing future challenges.

This could give Dorn a new and worthwhile goal to strive for, one that transcends his current predicament, a grand vision that could reignite his sense of mission and responsibility.

This was no longer just for the future of the empire, but also for the soul of his father.

Sigismund clenched his fist; he had to persuade Dorn to give Chen Yu a chance to prove himself.

This may be the only hope for Roger Dorn to truly "return".

(End of this chapter)