Warhammer: Empire Reboot

Chapter 296 Deep in Mars

Laskian had initially thought Lawson was joking.

Until I heard about the Void Dragon Fragment.

He then realized that Lawson seemed to be serious and knew more than he had expected.

What lies sealed beneath Mars' surface has never been a topic of open discussion within the Cult of Mechanics.

Even among the great sages, very few truly know the complete situation; many only know that a certain forbidden zone exists deep within Mars.

Some people know that the place is related to ancient history.

You'll only encounter the name "Mars Dragon" on the next level down.

As for what it is, why it has been imprisoned there since ancient times, and why some of the oldest legends of Mechanicus are still intertwined with it...

The more you know, the less people are willing to talk about it.

Because this is no longer something that can be simply categorized as a technical document.

It involves faith; the Mechanic Church considers the Om Messiah to be part of divine truth.

The most dangerous aspect lies in the never-fully-explained connection between the Martian Dragon and the early history of the Mechanicus.

As long as someone stands up and combines the two in the most vicious way...

"The so-called divine enlightenment of the Mechanicus may have been influenced by an alien star god."

Even without complete evidence, simply spreading the word could cause the Cult of Mechanics to collapse from within.

Some in the Forgeworld would consider this blasphemy, some radical sages would demand that Mars be excavated to prove the truth, and some would simply regard the Void Dragon as a true mechanical god.

At that point, it won't just be a few sects fighting, but a full-scale war within the Cult of Machines.

Raskian pulled his mechanical hand back from Lawson's grasp.

“Sir, some jokes are not appropriate to make in front of the Cult of Mechanics.”

Lawson slowly wiped the smile off his face: "Do I look like I'm joking?"

Laskian was somewhat embarrassed; Lawson really didn't seem like him, which was the most troublesome thing.

Where did you learn this name from?

Lawson waved his hand, sat back down, and didn't press the matter further.

"Don't be nervous. Didn't you just say you were going to become one of the Empire's families?"

"Now that the Mechanicus is truly part of the Empire, I can't just turn around and push you into a religious civil war."

"It's precisely because I don't want anything to happen to you that I want the Void Dragon fragment."

Lawson poured himself a cup of tea: "Think carefully, right now, is the most dangerous thing the Void Dragon fragment itself, or this secret?"

Laskian's data processing core has already begun high-speed computation.

Lawson continued, "Under the current circumstances, even without the Void Dragon fragments, the Mechanicus can still operate, and the Forge World can still produce. You build ships, Titans, and maintain plasma reactors because of your own technical personnel, production system, and millennia of accumulated experience."

"The vast majority of members of the Cult of Mechanics don't even know what lies beneath Mars."

"This proves one thing: the existence of the Cult of Mechanics today does not depend on you running around touching that fragment every day to activate it."

The light in Raskian's eyes flickered twice; that made sense.

Mechanics has developed into a behemoth.

No matter how significant the impact of the Martian Dragon on the history of Mechanics, it cannot be simply equated with the Mechanics relying on it for daily operation.

Lawson said with a half-smile, "So if I really want to destroy the Mechanicus, the method is very simple: I just need to release the news."

"I don't need to worry about the rest; Mars will start fighting on its own."

"Something that could trigger a religious war within the entire Mechanicus is controlled by a very small number of people."

“This is not safe, not safe for the empire, and even less safe for yourselves.”

Raskian finally understood what Lawson truly wanted.

It's not about leading an army into the Martian subcontinent today to carry away the Void Dragon fragments; what Lawson wants is control, or at least shared control.

This is actually harder to refuse than outright robbery, and from a rational perspective, it certainly makes sense.

Lawson continued, "You will continue to be responsible for the existing seal, and the external information will remain unchanged."

“Ordinary members of the Mechanical Cult don’t need to know either. I’ll send a technical team in to study it first and figure out its current state.”

"The research data is shared by both parties, but the parts concerning the stability of the Mechanic Church's beliefs will not be disclosed. If we find anything that needs to be addressed, we will discuss the next steps."

These conditions are far more lenient than Raschian had initially imagined; in fact, they are quite generous.

The Void Dragon fragments remain on Mars, and the Cult of Mechanics continues to participate in their guarding.

The secret will not be used by Lawson to destroy the Mechanicus faith.

From this day forward, Mars can no longer keep it as its top secret.

Laskian's core logic was quickly deduced several times.

In the end, I found it difficult to find truly compelling reasons to object.

Lawson possesses the secret, and his strength is undeniable; if he truly wanted to seize it, the Cult of Mechanics couldn't stop him.

Now, they are willing to keep it secret, conduct joint research, and maintain the original seal. From the perspective of the Mechanicus, this is already the best outcome.

Raschian was still somewhat uneasy: "Are you really just going to do research first?"

Lawson had a friendly smile.

"of course."

Raskian stared at him for a few seconds.

For some reason, this smile made him more uneasy than when he had just said he was going to start a holy war.

Lawson had already given them the order to leave: "Go back and prepare. Don't worry, the Mechanicus are all Imperials now. Would I betray you?"

Raskian silently saved this sentence into his private database and added a note after it: "Highly doubtful."

The Sealholder of the Empire might not betray the Mechanicus, but Lawson might.

The problem is that Lawson is now the ruler of the empire.

Raskian left the Sealholder's Palace.

Only after the door was completely closed did Lawson turn his gaze away from the entrance.

The Void Dragon Fragment was certainly not something I decided on a whim.

The next stage of the upgrade requires Star God Fragments.

The Mechanicus, hidden deep within Mars, was merely a backup plan that Lawson had prepared in advance.

The galaxy is so vast, and there's more than one Necromancer dynasty in space; there must be more fragments of the Star God scattered across the ocean.

If we can find others, that would be best.

If he can't find it, he'll eventually devour this piece underground on Mars.

As for the fact that the Mechanicus would not lose any so-called divine enlightenment as a result, Lawson did not care.

The Martian Dragon is more like a thorn buried deep within the history of Mechanics.

What Lawson was really interested in was whether he could extract the value from it before swallowing it whole.

A 3D image of a space necromancer appeared before me.

Lawson stared at the projection for a while.

The old feud between the Star Gods and the Necromancers is far deeper than that between humans and the Necromancers.

If this isn't considered a blood feud, then there aren't many feuds in the entire galaxy that can be called feuds.

"Isn't the Star God the one who understands space necromancy the most?"

Lawson chuckled softly, "Then let me see just how much you know."

Five hundred T-series personnel have completed their relocation.

Three days later, on Mars.

Laskian personally led the way.

The further down you go, the fewer mechanical instructors there are around.

When they got really close to the core sealed area, even the mechanical monks guarding it started using an independent identification system.

Many people have been guarding this place for hundreds of years, yet they still don't know what lies behind the door. All they know is that this is one of the highest forbidden zones on Mars.

Today, for the first time, the doors were opened to a group of technicians from the dark side of the empire.

The research that truly belongs to the Martian Dragon began from this moment.

Deep within Mars, the last group of Mechanicus guards stood outside the massive sealed zone, refusing to leave.

The red light in the optical mirror of the leading sage flickered erratically.

"The sealing structure here has lasted for tens of thousands of years. Any incorrect energy manipulation could have incalculable consequences. I insist that the Cult of Mechanics should at least retain a group of supervisors to assist you from within."

The person in charge of the T sequence politely gestured "please" and led him to an observation platform outside the isolation door.

“You are absolutely right, Sage. Therefore, please take this best position on the outer layer to supervise.”

"The internal experiments involve the highest technical authority of the Seal Holder's Office and are not open to the public for the time being."

The Great Sage's mechanical eyes flashed a few times: "This is Mars."

The T-sequence leader's expression remained unchanged: "Therefore, the best spot has been reserved for you outside the door."

The great sage eventually led his men away.

General Raskian has already given the order, and there is no point in continuing the stalemate.

The heavy isolation door slowly closed, and multiple black stone barriers were activated in sequence.

Five hundred T-sequences began connecting to the device.