Warhammer: The Time Traveler

Chapter 386 Practical Test (Second Update)
The stalemate at the negotiating table was broken by an encrypted communication from Terra. Just as the two sides were arguing over technology patents and production licenses, Chen Yu released a message confirmed by Sigismund during a pause in the negotiations.

"Chief Sage, fellow sages," Chen Yu's synthesized voice was exceptionally clear in the temporarily silent council hall, "I have just received the latest news from Terra."

He paused slightly to make sure everyone's attention was focused: "Primarch Rogue Dorn is very concerned about the testing progress, and he has decided to visit Mars orbit soon to witness the first live demonstration of the warp drive."

Upon hearing this, the background buzzing of all binary data streams in the entire council chamber seemed to freeze for a moment.

The Primarch's personal presence signifies a change in the nature of this debate.

This was no longer a debate over technical routes within the Mechanicus, but had risen directly to the level of the highest will of the Empire, concerning the principle of whether or not to follow the Emperor's explicit decree.

Any excuse to delay or obstruct will fall flat before a Primarch, especially Dorne, who is known for his pragmatism, toughness and absolute loyalty.

The chief sage's metal face, covered with intricate patterns and inlaid with ancient processing units, remained devoid of any emotional fluctuation.

However, his three-second silence, and the noticeably increased ventilation noise emanating from the processor cooling grilles inside his torso in response to the sudden surge in computing load, revealed the intense turmoil within him.

He could not refuse, at least not in public, a Primarch's request for "observation," especially one who held the Emperor's decree.

Any attempt to do so would be tantamount to directly challenging Terra's authority.

“…In that case,” the Chief Sage’s voice finally emitted a string of finely tuned code, though its complex implications were still discernible, “preparations for real-world testing should indeed be put on the agenda immediately, without delay.”
It is both an acknowledgment of reality and a concession that had to be made under multiple pressures.
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The test site was ultimately determined to be a strictly cleared area in high orbit around Mars.

The test ship, specially built for this purpose, with lines that were quite different from traditional imperial ships, and which appeared unusually simple and even somewhat peculiar, was quietly floating in the void.

The rear engine compartment, which was specially designed, significantly enlarged and reinforced, was empty, like a chest cavity without a heart, waiting for the implantation of a vital organ.

Countless high-precision observation probes, multifunctional sensor arrays, and observation ships carrying experts and their technical teams, like schools of metal fish attracted by a magnet, surround the test ship in layers, forming a near-perfect spherical observation network.

All the optical lenses, energy detectors, and space fluctuation monitors were locked on that empty engine compartment exposed to the vacuum.

Chen Yu's massive, dark red mechanical body entered the test ship directly through the docking channel and went straight to the empty core compartment.

Through the high-resolution real-time images transmitted from the observation ship, all the sages and representatives from all sides in the council hall could clearly see every detail inside the cabin—except for Chen Yu and the base structure under his feet used to fix the engine, there was nothing there, no prefabricated engine parts or complex assembly facilities.

"Begin installing the warp drive core," Chen Yu announced calmly, his voice echoing across all observation channels via the internal communication system.

He did not summon any attendant servants, nor did he activate any kind of mechanical arm or assembly platform, nor did he retrieve any parts from the dimensional storage device.

He simply raised a finely crafted mechanical arm, extended his hand, and precisely aimed it at the center of the engine base.

The next second, a scene that left all observers breathless unfolded.

In front of Chen Yu's mechanical hand, the space itself began to exhibit subtle distortions visible to the naked eye, rippling like the surface of water to which a pebble has been thrown. Countless extremely fine, bright white particles, seemingly composed of pure energy, emerged from the void out of thin air. As if precisely drawn by some invisible force field, they began to rapidly converge, stack, and self-organize, with the center point of the engine base as the origin.

At first, it was just a hazy and amorphous ball of light, but it quickly outlined a clear and extremely complex multidimensional geometric structure at an astonishing speed.

The cold luster of metal, the outline of the thick conduit for transporting high-energy plasma, the intricate energy circuits and control system resembling a nerve plexus...

Everything was being constructed out of thin air, defying common sense, from nothing to something.

This scene is like an unseen god of craftsmanship, using pure energy as raw material and space itself as a canvas, to "draw" a massive and sophisticated faster-than-light engine directly from the design blueprint into reality.

The entire process was eerily quiet, with only the faint, low humming of the energy core within Chen Yu's body operating at full speed, still audible even after being isolated by the cabin walls, and the subtle rustling sound of countless energy particles flowing in absolute silence as they coalesced in an orderly manner.

“This…this is impossible…” A Martian sage on an observation ship frantically shifted the focus of his complex optical lens assembly, trying to find any trace of forgery. His internal data stream was showing chaotic ripples and error signals due to instantaneous overload.

“Matter reconstruction… direct energy-matter conversion…” Another sage from Lucius, known for his calmness and precision, also had a noticeable, unbelievable tremor in his usually steady synthesized voice. “This technology… is only mentioned in some of the oldest, mythical STC fragments… the highest achievement of humanity’s golden age… long considered to be completely lost…”

Great Sage Vox stared at the live feed, his only remaining human eye widening slightly in utter astonishment, while his prosthetic mechanical eye, positioned alongside it, recorded every physical parameter and energy fluctuation at top speed.

He instantly realized that the significance and impact on the existing technological system of the ability that Chen Yu was demonstrating at this moment were probably more profound and disruptive than the warp drive itself.

Under the gaze of countless eyes mixed with shock, fervor, greed, and disbelief, a complete warp drive, gleaming with a cold metallic luster and with an internal structure so complex that even the most seasoned engineer would be dazzled, miraculously transformed from nothingness to reality in just a few minutes, settling perfectly and steadily on the engine base of the test ship.

Its entire body is seamless, with a smooth, mirror-like surface. There are no traces of welding, riveting, or assembly, as if it was born to grow there and naturally "grown" out of this spatial structure.

With the engine installed, the spatial ripples subsided, and the light receded completely. Chen Yu casually withdrew his arm, as if he had just performed a routine equipment adjustment.

He turned to the internal communicator, his voice as steady as ever, without the slightest fluctuation: "Warp drive core installation complete. Preparing for power connection and system initialization."

The entire observation area fell into a near-frozen, deathly silence, brimming with a massive amount of information.

The previous heated arguments about technology patents, production licenses, and profit distribution seem insignificant, short-sighted, and even somewhat ridiculous in the face of this almost miraculous "creation" level technology.

All the sages, whether from the Martian headquarters or the Allied worlds, had their logic cores and processing units operating at overload, frantically trying to analyze, understand, and reassess this scene that completely surpassed their current technological understanding.

Chen Yu, this mysterious sage of exploration, not only holds the key to opening a new era in the starry sea, but he also seems to hold a portion of the power that should belong only to the legendary "creator" of humanity's golden age.

This game, which concerns the future direction of Mechanics, has had its dimensions and foundations completely and permanently changed at this moment.

(End of this chapter)