Warhammer 40k: Melee Warriors

Phitia asked Koken, "Sage, is this another opportunity for me to have an audience with the God of Machines?"

These words terrified Sage Semi. His biochemical brain, which was analyzing the data, went haywire. He turned around, very displeased with Phitia's disrespectful act of directly calling out the name of the God of Machines.

Komi didn't answer Fitaia, but simply reached out to remind her not to get too excited. He looked at Sage Semi and said, "Sage Semi, have you figured out what those fart demons' combat suits are like?"

Sage Sem honestly replied, "Orcish things have always been difficult to understand. They often rely on mysterious powers to force non-functional machines to keep running. I can imitate similar structures to create our own combat suits, but I can hardly guarantee that these suits will be loyal or even function properly. If you expect these suits to be useful in battle... you might as well focus your energy on purchasing more artillery."

After finishing speaking, Sage Sem glanced cautiously at Komi, feeling that he had accurately judged Komi's thoughts.

He summoned me after reading the report I had submitted; he must have wanted to learn some advantages from the fart's design to arm the army of Wudinggang.

Adopting the weapon design of the farts sounds rather blasphemous to the rules of the Mechanicus, but Sage Semi and his followers have a more flexible way of explaining this imitation.

That is, everything in the world is a manifestation of the power of the Archon. Our Cult of the Machine God is not a presumptuous creation, but rather, based on our discoveries, we have arranged and combined the mysteries of the Archon in a safe manner...

Through such rhetoric, the Sage of Sem has already fooled many technology inspectors from Mars Headquarters, and Mars Headquarters is also using similar rhetoric to fool the inspectors from the direction of the Imperial High Overlords.

The higher-ups set an example for the lower-downs; otherwise, he wouldn't have become the largest purchaser of unusual equipment in Wuding Port.

Koji nodded, indicating that he understood Sage Semi's concerns. He pushed the sugar closer to Sage Semi and asked, "Then do you know what this is?"

"A stepping stone to an audience with the God of Machines?" Sage Sem repeated Phitia's words, his voice filled with undisguised confusion and doubt.

The God of Ten Thousand Machines?

Koji thought to himself, if Mao Erge's brain could be a little more normal and he could create the things from the Heavenly War, then they really wouldn't be much different from the Myriad Machine God.

But after all, Sage Sem was a devout believer in the God of Machines and regarded the Emperor as a human being, so Komi could not tell him the truth. He was prepared to continue to use his eloquence to weave a huge and beautiful lie for him and Fetia.

The starting point... is, of course, the Machine Soul! This is a concept that is quite controversial even within the Machine God Cult.

Komi cleared his throat and said in a solemn voice to Sage Sem, "You are aware of the situation at Undetermined Harbor and on the Exterminator, aren't you?"

Which aspect are you referring to?

"Of course, it's in your area of ​​expertise."

“I must say…” Sage Sem couldn’t help but glance at Fithia, “Fellow believer Fithia’s way of protecting the Machine Soul is quite… unique. At least among the people I know, she is the first.”

Upon hearing this, Phitia immediately objected, "I am not a talented mechanical monk; I rely on the teachings of the saint, who is the guide who leads me to the path of truth."

Koken knew that Fetia would say this, and he continued to say to Sage Semi, "I taught Fetia a method so that she could better understand the emotions of the machine spirit. This is also the biggest support for you to take her as your apprentice. Although Fetia has taught you everything she knows, I can still feel that you still have many difficulties in learning."

"So this square thing... can help me overcome this?"

Komi shook his head, a mysterious smile on his face, and slowly replied, "Whether you can overcome it depends on your perspective on the Machine Soul. Tell me, Sage Semi. What are your thoughts on the Machine Soul?"

Sage Semi was speechless for a moment, not because he did not know the answer to the question, but because he knew too many reasons to explain the machine spirit.

It may be a remnant of the AI ​​system from the golden age of humanity. Such terrifying beings often reside within enormous and ancient wonders. Sage Semin does not possess such a thing, but his teacher's sealed vault does. The thoughts of those things can be released through electronic eyes, and every time they meet, Sage Semin breaks out in a cold sweat.

It could also be the remnants of the thoughts of previous users, such as Fei Ling and Ma Wen. Their predecessors needed brain-computer interfaces to connect with the Knight Mech's operating system. Over time, they would leave a part of their consciousness in that churning ocean of data, eventually condensing into a special kind of consciousness.

Another possibility is the memory of operations. Sage Semiconductor has seen this feature in many Thinker machines; the habits of the previous operator leave traces in the machine through input and output. Just like a person using an input method for a long time, the sentences they type out using the first letters will have characteristics.

Three explanations for the Machine Soul echoed in the mind of Sage Sem, who gave a brief answer under Komi's gaze.

“I believe that machine spirits are beasts that can be tamed and understood. When their instincts are restrained, they become an asset to the empire; when their instincts are not restrained, they become a burden to the empire.”

"Is this your opinion?" Komi rested his chin on his hand, looking somewhat bored. Sage Semi's thought process had indeed taken quite a while.

“This is not my opinion, but the view of our All-Encompassing Order,” Sage Sem corrected Komi’s words.

Komi nodded, and then presented his theory.

"The Machine Soul is the soul of the machine, and the machine is a vessel for the soul. Sage Semi, think about this carefully. Is there any machine in this world that is created out of thin air? Whether it is an ancient or modern machine, the reason for its existence is related to the exploration and creation of a race or a civilization."

Chapter 432: Short Answer Question: What is a Machine Soul? (20 points)

What is value?

Based on his knowledge, Komi knew that value was the undifferentiated human labor embodied in commodities.

Without human labor, there are no commodities, and therefore no value.

So what is a machine soul?

Komi replaced some words in this sentence to form the theory he wanted to explain to Sage Semi.

Machine spirit is a kind of undifferentiated civilized species condensed in machines and tools, with expectations and purposes, creating a growthable response.

Without the creation of civilized species, machines and tools would not have been born.

Without the existence of machines and tools, there is no basis for the generation of machine spirits.

Without the expectations and purposes that civilized species have for the machines and tools in their hands, the machine spirit would have no possibility of growing from immaturity to maturity.

While probability theory holds that anything is possible in the infinite, attributing the birth of machines and tools entirely to the conscious creation of living beings is somewhat arbitrary and crude.

However, given the current age of the Warhammer universe, expecting the universe itself to artificially create a refrigerator through the constant collision of molecules is simply a pipe dream.

Even if it were true, it would definitely be Tzeentch's conspiracy.

Stones picked up from the earth and branches broken from trees—things that originate from nature—cannot become the dwelling place of a machine spirit.

But when a creature chooses to piece together stones and branches to create a rudimentary stone axe, this tool, distinct from nature and embodying the maker's ideas, becomes the source of the machine spirit.

In a barbaric era lived barbaric people, who wielded outdated weapons, and within those outdated weapons resided clumsy and slow mechanical souls.

Tools for harvesting fruit, cultivating fields, and hunting became the beginning of civilization's growth. As the sun set and night fell, people gathered in caves to make simple repairs to their tools, or even to hold ceremonies to bless them, hoping for a better harvest the next day...

Machines and tools are made by human hands, repaired by human hands, and blessed by human hands. Through long-term interaction and use, this expectation becomes the nourishment for the machine's spirit to grow from immaturity to maturity.

This is Koken's explanation of the machine spirit.

Of course, Komi didn't actually discover the principle behind the generation of machine souls when he formulated this theory. He was merely inspired by the growing trend of machine fetishism on the Punisher, and while explaining their strange behavior, he tried to persuade the Sage of Semi to accept it.

At the battle debriefing meeting of Planet Killer, Komi learned of the feat that Jack and his fighter had accomplished.

An interceptor that crashed on the Planet Killer, with its engines destroyed, managed to escape the abyss of destruction thanks to Jack's response to the machine spirit.

In private, Koji also met with Jack, firstly to admire the man's outstanding abilities in flight, and secondly to see if the interceptor's machine spirit was really as magical as rumored.

When he saw Jack blow a kiss to the interceptor he called "Flying Wing" with great enthusiasm, and a shy emoticon appeared on the cockpit screen in response, Komi remained silent for a long time.

He thought of Bennett and Hela, but even Bennett and Hela weren't this outrageous. The Siren's Drop Pod was far more technologically advanced than Jack's vehicle, but its response was far less engaging than the plane's.

Bennett could only determine Hela's emotions through the vibrations of her body and the hum of her engine; the screen, which Bennett had licked clean with his tongue, could only display a few numbers.

If Hela could create several emoticons from characters like Wings, Bennett would probably clog Hela's drainage outlet.

The machine spirits inside the Punisher are becoming increasingly active. Initially, the machine spirits became active because Komi threw a few obedient demons into the machine.

Koji is becoming increasingly unsure about the activity of the machine spirits. He believes it's due to the influence of the curse on him, which has caused these machines to gradually acquire some of the activity of the subspace over time.

It was also felt that the influence of Fetia stealing technology from Mao Erge had caused a kind of humanistic, scheming power to ripple through the ship...

It might even be due to the influence of the Savior's faith that Komi's casual words of comfort to Bennet in the Broken Steel Fortress may have actually condensed into an immature entity in the warp.

Just like the Tau Empire and their gods...

Many questions weighed on Komi's mind, and the only way to find the answers was to take another step closer to this unknown path.

Therefore, Koji racked his brains to piece together this theory, hoping that it could be proven to be usable by the Sage of Sem.

If this machine soul theory really works... what will be the next step?

Komi didn't think that far ahead.

Komi's efforts to make his fabricated theories scientific were proven useful by the Sage of Semi. This enormous mechanical sage did not answer Komi for a long time, but stood there like a statue. Others could only confirm that the Sage of Semi was still alive by the beeping sounds emanating from his metal body.

After a long silence, Sage Semi said, slowly and deliberately, "So that's why... those people... call their guns 'darling,' and kiss the outer armor plates of their machines... not because the machine spirits respond to them, but because they do those things, that the machine spirits respond to them?"

Koji nodded slowly. He knew that Sage Semi's clever little brain had already started to fill in the blanks on its own. All he needed to do was pull Sage Semi's thoughts back when they went astray.

Sage Semi's breathing grew heavier, an uncontrollable excitement pumping from his heart. He suddenly felt that the doubts that had been troubling him had been perfectly answered in an instant.

He stretched out his hand, grabbed the blood sugar from the fart on the table, and swallowed it without hesitation.

The intense stench lingered in Sage Sem's perception for only a moment. The next instant, he felt his soul leave his body and arrive at the bottom of a mountain range made up of countless enormous machines.

Above those thick, impenetrable clouds, a powerful figure was creating a technological marvel that nearly stopped the heart of the Sage of Sem!

One point, two points, three points, four points, five points.

Five minutes later, Sage Sem recovered from his daze, gave Komi the most respectful Great Gear salute, and then said, "Many of my questions have been answered."

Komi nodded in satisfaction and ordered, "Now, Sage Sem, I need you and Fetia to assemble a combat suit unit for the Exterminator as quickly as possible."

“Yes, Sage.” Sage Sem received the order, turned, opened the door, and left.

After being patted on the head by Komi and used as a chair for a few minutes, Fitiya left contentedly.

After the two left, Komi leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling, pondering what kind of army he would build in the future.

Chapter 433: From Victory to Victory!

Bachsner... Hatalo No. 10... Duven II... Odeha...

The leader of the Black Legion, Warmaster Abaddon, was looking at the holographic star map on the bridge. His gaze swept quickly across the conquered worlds, like a hungry wolf staring intently at the remaining unconquered imperial worlds.

The chaotic army, primarily composed of the Black Legion, ravaged the Gothic Sector. Some planets were marked with skulls, signifying that those worlds had become dead zones in the war and plunder. From orbit, all that could be seen were rivers of blood from slaughter and spikes built from skulls.

Other planets turned red, meaning these worlds became supply bases for the Chaos army, and exploitation a hundred times more brutal than that of the human empire was taking place in every corner of the planet, with everyone becoming slaves to the cause of the Warmaster.

Every second, hundreds of millions of people are killed or injured. The even greater suffering nourishes many demons who have gone to war with the Black Legion, and also satisfies the dark gods in the warp.

The Warlord's honor guard stood watch around them; these Black Legion warriors, known as the Wolf Brothers, were all experts capable of taking on a hundred men single-handedly.

Their flesh and blood, sealed within their armor, had become inextricably intertwined with the demons, transforming them into powerful enchanted warriors loyal to Abaddon's will.

They are incredibly fast! Their strength is unparalleled! Their massive, iron-like claws can crush Space Marines into mincemeat, and their sharp tips can easily tear through Leman Rustank's thick armor.

The only problem with the Brotherhood of Wolves is the slow replenishment. Not all daemons are willing to share a body amicably with a Space Marine; most of the time, daemons just want to be the absolute dominant one.

This kept the number of the Wolf Brothers at an extremely low level, with only thirteen members.

The existence of the Wolf Brothers was particularly unfamiliar to the Empire, and even within the Chaos Warband, few knew that Abaddon had such powerful warriors hidden among his men.

Normally, Abaddon only brings along Despair, who looks more intimidating and moves slower, to serve as his personal guard.

The Despairbringers number only thirty, each clad in the Terminator power armor popular during the Great Crusade era.

If the ever-victorious Octar were to face the Despairbringers, he would surely be able to discern what their power armor signifies, even if it has become vastly different over the long years of war and the corruption of chaos.