The Bizarre Adventures of the Oil Man, but Starting with Warhammer 32K

However, apart from the Temple, Leon was not fortunate enough to witness the other splendors of this Forge World. All the surrounding outsiders were dispersed, and the roads were blocked. Leon and his group were left with only a straight path leading directly to the Forge Council. Seeing this scene, Kurland curled his lips in disdain and said:

"I only wish they'd put in the same effort against the greenskins."

"Then you're probably going to be disappointed."

Leon looked at the roads that were blocked off to prevent them from running around. "I guess they only care about this when dealing with the Imperial Fists."

After all, the last time the Imperial Fists reached a Forge World in full force was on Mars a thousand years ago, when they stole over 40,000 suits of power armor and countless production equipment. The resulting "loss" is likely still fresh in the minds of the oilmen.

Sage Lifar noticed something unusual about this unusual situation: "It's been a long time since Maxim has received a group of people so formally."

"That's great! It means the Forge World values ​​the intelligence you brought back. The meteoric rise you desire is right before your eyes."

Li Ang encouraged.

"Whether to take it seriously or not is a matter of opinion."

Lifar had a sad face, and he still hadn't given up the idea of ​​packing up his belongings and running away: "I just feel like there's really no way I can get out of this..."

There wasn't much communication before entering the Foundry Council. Soon, Leon and the others entered the palace's statue-lined corridor.

This building, imbued with religious connotations, is filled with the low hum of running machines, as if the entire building itself is a living organism.

Deep within the building, a huge azure energy core is suspended on an altar-like control console, pumping energy into every part of the palace.

"This energy core is the top of the core energy supply system here, and it can also control all major production lines of the forge world."

Lifar explained the distinctive architecture of Maxim's Forge World to Leon and the others: "Every major production line on the planet funnels a portion of its energy into this core. It not only provides energy for the Forge Council, but also symbolizes the Forge Council's absolute control over the entire Forge World, under the witness of Om Messiah."

As soon as Lifar finished speaking, the lift platform in front of the console began to rise slowly.

The casting director, who had only been seen in the projection, now appeared in front of them.

On both sides slightly lower than the Casting Director's position, a total of eight sages or senior sages accompanied the Casting Director.

Li Ang could tell from their attire that they should be high-level executives in charge of engineering, biology, military affairs, data, etc. on this forging world.

However, this Forge World was ultimately small. Aside from the Forge Director, only the Military and Blacksmiths were considered Ruler Sages and Forge Masters among the High Sages. The other Sages were merely ordinary Sages, without attaining high-ranking titles like Logician or Geneticist. And judging by the symbol, the Ruler Sage in charge of the Military was also the Deputy Forge Supervisor for this planet.

They stood on the high platform, looking down at Li Ang and others in the center of the hall, their eyes full of scrutiny.

Compared to the grandeur of the palace, this appearance was rather ordinary. However, the last woman to appear caught Leon's attention slightly.

She was a woman with long reddish-brown hair and blue eyes. She wore a white coat and showed almost no signs of transformation. She stood out among the half-human, half-machine sages.

Sensing Leon's confusion, Sage Lifar quietly explained to Leon, "Christina is the core of the Titan Order, the pilot of the only Warlord-class Titan, and the commander of the Titan Legion on our planet."

Li Ang understood.

"quiet!"

As if he had noticed Leon and the others whispering to each other, Foundry Director Augustus struck the ground with the handle of the Ohm Messiah Axe, which symbolized his identity, making a dull sound.

"This is the Forging Council, the sanctuary that upholds the Creator's will. Everything that happens here will be witnessed by the great God of All Things."

The Casting Director's voice was icy: "A question. Sage Lifar, you said that the greenskin tide is about to engulf our Forge World. In the presence of the God of All Machines, can you provide sufficient evidence?"

Chapter 56: Policy of Non-Resistance.

"By Om Messiah, I swear that everything I said is true!"

Lifar raised his hands high, trying to prove his devotion to Om Messiah. He ordered his servitors to present the green-skinned specimens captured by Leon and his men one by one, and at the same time, sent the scan results from the research vessel to each sage via data stream.

"According to the guidance of Om Messiah, I went to Diamond Star and found that the greenskin fleet had destroyed any resistance forces on Diamond Star."

"When I arrived, the greenskin fleet had already left, but about 10 million orcs were left on Diamond Star. These orcs were rapidly multiplying on Diamond Star and had made a technological leap based on the wreckage of the Imperial warships that crashed on the surface!"

"Within a month, I believe these greenskins will be able to build a massive greenskin fleet on Diamond Star and launch an expedition to the surrounding area. Our Forge World, so close to Diamond Star, will definitely bear the brunt of the attack!"

"Even if the greenskins had wreckage to imitate, they wouldn't be able to build warships so quickly."

The Grand Sage who oversaw the biological aspects of Maxim's Forge World was clearly also an expert on the Greenskins. "Any data indicates that it would take at least three months for a group of Orcs to evolve from the surface stage to the cosmic stage. Sage Lifar, how did you come up with that estimate of less than a month?"

"Of course, it depends on their technological level..."

"Negative. The remains of the green-skinned tech guys you provided do not indicate they possessed near-cosmic technological capabilities."

Lifar was stunned, looking at Leon for help. The story about the Tech Boy's body and the month or so had all been provided by Leon. Now that his story had been refuted, he was completely at a loss.

If they were hunting a master tyrant from Diamond Star, then these sages would definitely be able to judge the level of the greenskins on Diamond Star from the corpse. However, Leon would not let his soldiers risk their lives just to get a corpse to prove it to them.

What's more, he has other supporting evidence.

"Wise men of Maxim. The reason these greenskins were able to launch an expedition in less than a month is simple: their origins were extraordinary from the very beginning."

Li Ang stepped forward and turned on the projection device on his body: "Everyone, please look, the one attacking Diamond Star was not a greenskin fleet at all, but an armed satellite transformed by the orcs!"

The projection device displayed the audio and video recorded when Leon and his team first emerged from the Warp. The orc totem on the battle moon, emitting a sinister aura, almost filled the entire camera screen. As the distance gradually closed in, the full view of the battle moon, surging with green tides, appeared before every sage present.

Even if it is just a video, such a fully armed satellite is still full of visual impact.

"This is the Ork battle moon. It is essentially a planet that has been hollowed out and heavily modified by the Orks. Although it is about the same size as the fortress satellites armed by our Mechanicus, it can independently navigate the warp!"

Leon explained the Battle Moon aloud to everyone, while observing the changes in the Maxim's sages on the stage.

"On Diamond, an entire planet was transported directly through the warp into orbit around Diamond's moon. The orcs didn't even take action, but the gravitational field of the battle moon had already triggered a serious geological disaster on Diamond."

"These disasters caused heavy losses to the Imperial Army on Diamond Star. The orcs who subsequently landed on Diamond Star disintegrated the Imperial Army's counterattack and stayed on Diamond Star to form a new tribe."

"Although the Battle Moon has been abandoned, the orcs on Diamond Star are all descendants of greenskins capable of building an armed satellite! The manufacturing technology has long been mined from their genes. They don't need to imitate it. All they lack to complete the expedition is a manufacturing process."

"This is why the Green Tide is sweeping across all star regions. Even if it's not in the path of the Battle Moon, no world can remain unscathed in this Greenskin Crusade!"

Lifar stared at the video in astonishment. This was information Leon had never presented to him before. The sages on the stage also began to whisper among themselves—but only among themselves.

Li Ang noticed that those who started the discussion were all sage-level supervisors. As for the senior sages and casting directors, they never expressed anything.

The one who reacted the most was Christina of the Titan Order. She leaned forward slightly and watched the video about the battle moon carefully with her azure eyes.

To avoid unnecessary exposure, Leon didn't record the video for too long, but it was enough to prove the horror of these orcs. When the video stopped playing, the sages on the stage who had exchanged opinions also stopped discussing.

Leon noticed that August's gaze shifted from the video to himself, and he finally spoke up, having never expressed his opinion before.

"A question. Sage Leon, as the biological sage of Huangquan No. 8, why did you arrive here with the Imperial Fists?"

"I was conducting research on the Chrome Beast and followed its movements to Diamond Star."

Leon's answer was flawless: "After the orcs appeared, I was forced to land on the surface of Diamond Star and reached an agreement with the Imperial Fists. They exchanged a debt of honor for my cooperation. With my help, the survivors of the Imperial Fists held out until the arrival of Sage Lifar's research vessel, who brought us back to Maxim as witnesses."

The truth is certainly not like this, but sometimes the accumulation of lies can become a convincing "truth".

The August Foundry Director inspected Leon's Sage Badge.

Communication in the Warhammer universe was primitive, and it was impossible for the various Forge Worlds to check each other's lists, so a badge was necessary to prove one's identity. The badge showed that Leon had registered as a Sage only thirty years ago.

Augustus found no signs of falsification in it—because it was real.

However, Kurland, who felt that the identities of Leon and the veterans of the Great Rebellion should not be revealed to the Forge World, naturally believed that this time was just Leon's disguise.

A problem that could have become a hidden danger in the future was thus eliminated.

Director Augustus remained silent for a moment, seemingly contemplating something, after finding no issues with either the video or the identity. He then struck the ground with his power axe again, signaling the end of this high-level casting meeting.

"Confirmed. Sage Lifar, we are aware of the situation you brought. The Forge World will conduct another confirmation of the actual situation. Until the confirmation is completed, you may not return to your post and must obey the summons of the Forge Council at all times."

Lifar's eyes widened.

"No, this evidence is enough to prove the truth, right? Not rewarding me is fine, but why are you putting me under house arrest? Augustus, you must give me a reason!"

Director Augustus ignored Lifar and turned to leave, but was stopped by Leon.

"Wait a minute, Augustus Casting Director!"

Augustus turned his head slightly.

"The Imperial Fists Chapter has suffered heavy losses and requires the power of the Forge World to rebuild."

"Denied. Sage Leon, you arrived at the Forge World as evidence. There is no provision in the Forge Act requiring the Forge World to assist with evidence. In nature, you are no different from greenskin corpses."

“So this is a new deal.”

Li Ang nodded slightly at Kurland, who took a step forward and said loudly:

"I am Kurland, Chapter Master of the Imperial Fists! I hereby promise that if Maxim's Forge World provides assistance in rebuilding the Imperial Fists, the Imperial Fists will aid Maxim in the next Green Tide attack and behead the Ork leader!"

Augustus turned around, his eyes flickering between Leon and Kurland, but he did not respond to Kurland's promise.

Only when Kurland showed signs of anxiety did he reply in his usual cold tone, "Agreed. Submit the list, and Maxim will provide you with the minimum necessary supplies."

The lights in the Foundry Council went out, and the sages followed the Foundry Director and disappeared into the depths of the palace without looking back. Only Christina turned back and, before being swallowed by the darkness, gave a deep look at Kurland, who clenched his fists.

"Only the bare minimum necessary supplies?"

Kurland looked at Leon, his expression a mixture of anger and disbelief.

"Oh, it's good to have it."

A mechanical servant stepped forward and said, "Please follow me. I will take you to the residence designated by the Foundry Director."

"Let's go first, Kurland."

Li Ang didn't want to stay here any longer: "We will have plenty of time to discuss this, but not now."

-

Casting Council Chamber.

The sage and Christina, who had originally left with the Foundry Director, had been dismissed at some point. In this secret room belonging to the Foundry Director, only the Foundry Director and two senior sages were present.

Behind them stood a silent group of holy servants. The room smelled of motor oil and burnt metal, and the walls were covered with ancient heraldry.

For the casting director, these are all proof of his former identity.

If knowledgeable Mechanicus carefully distinguished these emblems, they would definitely see that most of them came from Mars.

"The arrival of the Imperial Fists disrupted our plans."

The Deputy Foundry Supervisor, a Senior Sage, spoke first: "Their arrival serves as a warning to the entire Forging World. How should we proceed?"

Another senior sage in charge of the construction work looked disdainful and said, "Just follow the original plan. You're afraid of a bunch of defeated soldiers turning the tables?"

Director Augustus did not participate in their discussion. He simply admired the emblems on the wall until the two great sages turned their gaze to him. Then he slowly asked, "Report. Where has the Battle Moon arrived?"

"There's already a report of a battle moon being sighted in the system where the Hive World Endin resides. Considering the time it took to transmit the news, it must have been around a week ago."

"Situation. What are the Martian requirements?"

"They only asked us to bring back important technological data and the Titan Corps... They didn't mention anything else."

"Judgment. These Astartes will not pose any obstacle to Mars's demands. The focus remains on the Titan Order."

“It can’t just be that there are no obstacles!”

The deputy foundry supervisor was a little anxious. "It's not enough to just meet the requirements! Without enough priests and production lines, our status will be...!"

"It's not us, it's just you."

The forger corrected him, "The important production lines have long been relocated. The only one whose status can be affected by these things is you."

Director Augustus's mechanical eyes swept over the two senior sages, and the two sages who were originally debating fell silent for a moment.

"Anyway, I just want Mars to make sure nothing goes wrong."

Director Augustus gave the final order, his gaze returning to the wall of emblems.

“I often say that existence is everything, and everything is for existence.”

"As long as the technology survives, the glory of Om Messiah will never fade."

He murmured: "The glory of existence belongs to Mars, and the faith of existence... belongs to the true God of All Things!"

-

After that, everything was calm.

The Foundry Council did not take any action, and Leon and his men followed the instructions of the Foundry Council and stayed in the places assigned to them by the Foundry World without any complications.

But not everyone can endure the loneliness of silence.

At least not Kurland, who was fully focused on defending Terra.

The Imperial Fists' mission called upon him, yet he had yet to act. This burning feeling of being further and further away from his goal burned him, making this son of Dorne's current situation increasingly unbearable.

"I don't understand why I swore an oath of honor to the Chapter, only to receive only the most basic supplies!"