After returning to the space station, Duanmu Huai once again stood before the terminal and activated the construction system of the station.
[Core Module (Completed)] [Reactor (Locked)] [Enhancement Chamber (Locked)]
[Inquisition Library (LV5)] [Strategic Command Center (LV1)]
[Power System (Locked)] [Defense Module (Locked)] [Weapon Module (Locked)]
[Exterminatus (Locked)] [Void Barracks (LV1)] [Void Shipyard (LV1)]
[Special Buildings (Locked)]
[Remaining Construction Points: 7]
"Just enough."
Seeing this, Duanmu Huai couldn't help but sigh. Back in Manfred's castle, he had secured four relics, and with the three transferred from the emperor, the total should be sufficient.
Then, let's begin.
First, raise the [Inquisition Library] to LV10!
[Inquisition Library upgraded to LV10. Analysis speed +100%. Additional reward: Psionic Wisdom +1.]
[Psionic Wisdom (complete research on current analysis items)]
"Activate Psionic Wisdom!"
[Psionic Wisdom activated—Antimatter Energy Core analysis complete.]
[New construction unit acquired—Antimatter Reactor.]
[New construction unit acquired—Transdimensional Space-Tunnel Engine.]
"Excellent!"
Seeing this, Duanmu Huai clenched his fist and nodded.
Next..... unlock the [Reactor] and the [Transdimensional Space-Tunnel Engine]!
"....."
As his command echoed, the once-dim space station gradually lit up. At the same time, a faint rumble spread through the floors as they began to tremble lightly. Powerful energy instantly coursed through the entire station, transforming it from shadowy dimness into brilliance and light.
Meanwhile, a new system prompt appeared before Duanmu Huai.
[Detected: Station engines activated.]
[Activating Transformation Mode.]
[Available transformation—Queen of Glory-class Battleship.]
"Tsk tsk tsk, as expected of Old One black tech, truly impressive."
At this, Duanmu Huai could not help but sigh aloud.
Once a space station gained power and engines, players could unlock transformation forms. It was similar to the RTS base vehicle mechanic—you could fold it up into a mobile vehicle, then deploy it again into a base once you reached your destination. The available forms depended directly on the reactor's power output.
Generally speaking, the reactors players obtained in the early stages were only powerful enough to unfold into a reconnaissance ship, or at best, a lunar-class cruiser. Yet here, the Old Ones' antimatter reactor could actually sustain a Queen of Glory-class battleship.....
Old One technology was terrifying indeed.
The Queen of Glory-class was among the strongest battleships players could obtain in the mid-game. It came equipped with two mass drivers, twelve torpedo tubes, six heavy bombardment turrets, along with lances and macro cannons, supplemented by laser cannons, close-in defense guns, and anti-air batteries—together forming a massive firepower hub, almost comparable to a mobile fortress.
In general, Imperial warships all shared a similar design.
First, you built a steel foundation.
Then, you raised a Gothic cathedral on it, from several dozen meters tall to hundreds or even thousands.
Next, you extended a corridor several hundred meters to kilometers long from the cathedral's front.
Then you plated heavy armor on both sides of the corridor, and mounted all manner of macro cannons, lances, turrets, and other weaponry on every available surface.
Finally, you attached a triangular prow for ramming in front, and fixed engines to the rear.
Thus, "put a cathedral on an engine and call it a battleship"—that was the essence of pure Imperial-style technology.
To be fair, its Gothic elegance, grandeur, and noble aura did make it look spectacular.
"Activate transformation."
Standing before the command platform, Duanmu Huai gave the order calmly.
"Beep..... beep....."
Soon, sharp alarms blared, echoing through the empty vessel—most of those who had been aboard had already been sent back to their original worlds, so there was no concern about casualties. As the alarms sounded, the fortress before him began to shift.
The massive corridors extending from the station's core slowly rotated and folded together, like a person bringing both arms straight in front to clasp them. Next, the enormous [Void Shipyard] retracted and folded into strong, thick armor plating, locking around the corridors. One by one, windows opened as colossal macro cannons emerged, aiming into the void, ready to unleash their fury on anything within range.
Standing beside Duanmu Huai, both Anne and Kukulu stared wide-eyed at the magnificent steel colossus outside. Just watching such an unimaginable structure shift, transform, and merge was enough to shake them to their core.
Moments later, the station hovering in space had transformed into a colossal battleship. Duanmu Huai stretched out his hand, opened the command console, and soon a star map appeared before him, with countless web-like lines stretching across it.
The Webway.
Seeing those lines, Duanmu Huai exhaled in relief. This was what he needed most—the greatest of the Old Ones' black technologies, bar none.
The so-called Webway was a system of tunnels built by the Old Ones for travel through the Warp. One could imagine it like a subway system—the tunnels shielded any ship inside from the Warp's corruption and dangers, cutting off all threats from the outside.
In the human Imperium's era, mankind never had the means to build such tunnels. Their method was far more crude: simply diving into the Warp and pushing through. Naturally, this was not easy—it was like sailing on a dark ocean without compass or stars.
During the Imperium's prime, however, the great Emperor created the Astronomican, a beacon in the Warp, burning like a lighthouse that lit the darkness, guiding ships along their paths.
But after the Black Hole Project, the Imperium was finished, and the Astronomican vanished as well.
Of course, entering the Webway was not easy either. Only the Old Ones knew how to open and close its gates. The Eldar had learned fragments of this art, but the true, complete Webway remained exclusively theirs.
Except for players.
As a veteran player, Duanmu Huai had mastered how to open, activate, and navigate the Webway in the game. The routes the Eldar claimed and guarded were not even a ten-millionth of what the Old Ones had built. The sheer density of the lines before him was proof enough.
Duanmu Huai's fingers moved across the star map. As he acted, the map shifted, and he filtered out the broken or sealed tunnels, leaving only the intact Webway nodes.
"What are you doing, Sir Knight?"
Anne tilted her head curiously at the star map.
"I'm looking for a route—a path to my next destination."
"Next destination? Another world?"
"Something like that."
Duanmu Huai nodded, and Anne instantly lit up in excitement.
"Then can I come too? This time, can Gurrea come as well?"
"This time, I'll be going alone."
"Eh..... why?!"
Anne puffed her cheeks in protest, her displeasure plain. Duanmu Huai gave her a glance and shook his head.
"Because this is my trial. You know it—knights must pass their trials to advance to the next stage....."
"Oh, I see....."
Hearing this, Anne nodded in understanding, though soon she looked at him again in doubt.
"Then, Sir Knight, how long will you be gone?"
"For now....."
Duanmu Huai slid his hand again, linking the Webway routes together.
"At least a few months."
At that moment, the star map glowed blue, showing the Webway was connected. Duanmu Huai turned back to the girls.
"Alright, you should head home first. Once my trial is complete, I'll come visit you."
"Okay..... but Sir Knight, be careful."
"Safe travels, Sir Knight."
Anne and Kukulu bid him farewell, then stepped through the portal back to their own worlds. Duanmu Huai shrugged, then turned to Olgis.
"Olgis, I'll have to trouble you to guard my battleship for now, alright?"
"Yes, Master."
At his command, Olgis nodded lightly.
"Then, let's depart."
With that, Duanmu Huai pressed the button.
In the next moment, space before the ship collapsed inward, forming a swirling wormhole that expanded rapidly. Engines roared, unleashing blazing fire as the massive ship drove forward, plunging into the vortex.
Almost instantly, the view before Duanmu Huai shifted. A chaotic, prismatic tunnel filled his sight, but it lasted less than ten seconds before darkness returned—the starry void stretched before him again, with a crimson planet looming ahead.
"Old One technology, truly unmatched."
Gazing at the star map marker, Duanmu Huai silently gave his approval. Ordinary Warp travel was never this smooth. Normally, when players unlocked transformation, they would receive a string of distant coordinates and routes, following them to their next destination and beginning their spacefaring adventures there.
But Duanmu Huai had no need for such roundabout steps. This was like a completionist player—why wander around when you already knew where the hidden weapon was? Just grab it from the start.
Yes, this was exactly what Duanmu Huai sought—the hidden weapon, a secret advancement quest.
Now, at last, it was right before him.
(End of Chapter)