Warhammer: The Time Traveler

Chapter 373 Arrival in the Solar System (Eighth Update)

The question posed by the Holy Son came so directly, as if he had already glimpsed a certain possibility through the veil of the subspace.

Chen Yu's voice was not hesitant at all. He did not press the other party on how he knew, nor was he surprised by this extraordinary insight. He simply accepted the question calmly, without exaggeration or concealment: "The new way of sailing will indeed change the empire, but it is not a panacea."

Its maximum speed is approximately a thousand times the speed of light, which, for a scale spanning the entire galaxy, is insufficient to completely replace the existing system that relies on subspace jumps for ultra-long-distance travel.

His crimson optical lens remained steadily pointed at the Holy Son as he continued his rational analysis: "More importantly, in the long process of promoting new modes of navigation, the Empire will face a fundamental problem—our lack of accurate star maps of the physical universe."

For millennia, all of the Empire’s star maps have been drawn based on the psionic mapping of warp channels and star torches.

To chart a safe and reliable faster-than-light route through the physical universe, we still need the unique talents of our navigators. We need you to use your perception torches to calibrate our path through the vastness of reality towards Holy Terra and other distant worlds.

He paused briefly, then added a crucial point for the navigators: "Of course, if this conventional warp speed is used, the navigators will no longer need to expose their psionic eyes directly to the turbulent waves of the warp."

They can conduct navigation work in a much safer environment, without constantly facing the evil and madness within.

This answer is frank and pragmatic. It points out the inevitability of change, clarifies the irreplaceable value of navigators, and also partially liberates them from the most dangerous responsibilities.

The Holy Son remained silent for a moment, his inhuman face revealing no particular emotion.

He tilted his head slightly, seemingly engaging in a silent exchange with the Elders of Verestana who were participating in the meeting through some kind of psychic connection in the shadows behind him.

After a moment, the Holy Son turned back to Chen Yu and Sigismund and made a decision: "Your honesty has earned our respect and shown us the way to coexist."

The Vilestana Clan agrees to provide the 'Eternal Expedition' and the Black Templar Fleet with the necessary navigators to assist you in your journey to Holy Terra.
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With the strong support of the Villestana clan, the Eternal Expedition and the Black Templar fleet were quickly replenished with crucial navigators.

Not only did the clan provide several experienced navigators to be assigned to the various ships, but more unexpectedly, the noble Holy Son Alaric Verestana decided to personally board the "Eternal Expedition" to lead the entire fleet with his exceptional psionic talents.

After the Holy Son boarded the ship, Sigismund and Chen Yu had a brief meeting with him in the tactical briefing room next to the bridge.

“Your Excellency,” Sigismund said bluntly, his tone tinged with scrutiny, “knowing the previous navigators had all perished, your decision to personally board the ship is admirable, but also questionable. Why would Verestana be willing to take such a great risk?”

Alaric Verestana responded calmly, his voice carrying the ethereal resonance characteristic of a navigator: "Lord Sigismund, the risk is always there, but the risk of stagnation is greater."

Sage Chen Yu showed us a path that did not completely exclude my people, a path that might allow my people to avoid walking on the edge of madness.

This hope is worth a big bet by Villestana.

I came here in person, both to ensure the absolute success of the voyage and to witness firsthand whether this hope is real.

His gaze shifted to Chen Yu, and a faint light seemed to emanate from the forehead band where his third eye was located.

Chen Yu's synthesized voice rang out smoothly: "Hope is based on pragmatism. Our previous discussions were all based on assessments of reality and technology. His Highness the Holy Son's personal presence will greatly enhance our ability to cope with the uncertainties of the subspace."

Alaric nodded slightly: "That is precisely my duty. So, let's begin this journey." The fleet set off again, leaping into the still turbulent but now clearly oriented warp.

With the Holy Son personally overseeing the Navigator's Spire, guiding the course with his pure bloodline and unwavering will far surpassing his peers, the initial stages of the voyage were exceptionally smooth.

However, in the latter part of the voyage, Alaric Verestana communicated to the bridge: "A large-scale subspace energy accumulation has been detected ahead. But its structure... is unusual."

As he put it, an unprecedented disturbance is rippling outwards from beyond the dimensions.

It was not born from the rage of chaos, but rather as a mark carved by some ancient will in the boundless chaos.

This force approached quietly, not tearing at the senses like an ordinary storm, but rather like a pervasive presence, gently enveloping the entire fleet in a surreal realm.

The profane colors that are usually associated with disorder and malice in the outside world—those rolling pinks and purples, morbid greens and angry scarlets—are diluted and purified here.

Instead, a grander, almost indifferent visual symphony unfolds: silvery vortices, like liquid memories, slowly rotate in a pale golden halo, dotted with points of light that are not stars, yet more constant than stars.

They are arranged in patterns that defy all geometric common sense yet contain profound laws, like singularities maintaining tranquility amidst eternal clamor.

It has no sound, yet it seems to directly strike consciousness; it has no form, yet it allows one to "feel" a guided flow.

The frantic whispers that attempt to penetrate the cracks of the mind during conventional subspace travel are drowned out here by a more vast and ancient "silence".

This silence is not stillness, but rather the absorption and reconstruction of all noise into a one-way, unquestionable will to advance.

The fleet was no longer battling raging waves, but was placed on a smooth track constructed of pure intention, gliding toward a single destination in a way that transcended the concept of speed.

“No need to be nervous,” Alaric’s voice came through the communicator, tinged with surprise and absolute certainty. “This energy flow… it’s not malicious. It’s guiding us, propelling us.”

I have never seen such a... gentle yet powerful warp tide. It is opening up a fast passage for us like never before.

This torrent, guided and tamed by an unseen force, propelled the fleet at unprecedented, physics-defying speeds through the waves of subspace. Distances that would normally take a long time to traverse were now drastically compressed.

As the bow of the Eternal Expedition once again tore through the veil of the real universe and detached itself from the warp, the planet bathed in the golden light of the starlight, the one that carried the heart of the human empire—Holy Terra—was already hovering in front of the main view.

They reached the finish line with incredible efficiency.

This journey, which had been fraught with obstacles and nearly ended abruptly, finally came to a close in a manner that was almost like being "escorted."

This unusually smooth progress, along with the peculiar subspace storm whose "harmless" and "guiding" properties were personally confirmed by the Holy Son, all vaguely point to a possibility beyond mortal comprehension—the Emperor's will may have already paved the final path for this fleet carrying crucial information.

(End of this chapter)