Everything is going smoothly. It appears that the Cult of Admonition's position in Tertium is not as secure as they had thought it was. It turns out that when the current Overlord is overthrown and a new one can provide care, the population changes sides very quickly.
Especially when your cult eats humans for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Oh, no! How can people not want to join our cult when we torture them?! How could it be?! How could they reject our invitation when we torture their family?! Who could see this happening?!
Yeah. If only the Imperium were not as Grimm as the entire universe, there would be no rebels, and the presence of the cult would be decreasing very fast.
|Congratulations on taking over half of Tertium from the Cult of Admonition! You receive 1 Gold Ticket!|
|Congratulations on rebuilding ¼ of Tertium! You receive 1 Platinum Ticket!|
Oh? It appears that we have managed to take over half of Tertium. That is good. Additionally, Macrotek Taldius has finally completed the first sector. We can now move the others to this new sector and leave some space in the Sanctuary.
The Mechanicus is working hard alongside the workers.
It turns out that giving workers proper payment and treatment motivates them to work faster and more eagerly compared to when they are paid nothing. I understand that the Imperium cannot pay them because of how many humans there are, and I can only pay them because of my tinker techs, which can produce a monstrous amount of food, but let me vent, alright?!
Even paying them with food makes them work faster and more eagerly, especially when the food is delicious and filling. It turns out, one of the Biologists has access to an STC that makes fruits and vegetables more filling and nutritious.
The only reason it is not implemented is due to the lack of ancestors of the fruits and vegetables in the STC. It turns out that potatoes are extinct in this universe, and the STC that allows humanity to create better food requires a real and original potato to work.
I shake my head and look at the data feed of the Cogitator in front of me. Canto hates this thing, but she cannot do anything at the moment. Cogitator is a computer, but it is a combination of both futuristic and ancient.
There are numerous redundant codes that slow down the computer, just as with the hardware. Redundancy is beneficial because if one part fails, the other will take up the load. However, the redundant parts in the code and hardware make the computer work more slowly than it should.
It is as if the person making this device does not know how to optimize the components inside the computer. That person only knows that part is needed, but doesn't know for what.
I shake my head and promise to fix this mess later. This was created by one of the priests to serve as a field cogitator for my use. If there is one thing I am impressed by the Mechanicus, it is the fact that their goods are all very durable and easy to use.
All of the field machines are easy to use and repair.
I release a sigh and read through the new data coming in from the Sanctuary, giving me a report about the progress back home.
Man… I've been here for so long that I started to call the Sanctuary home, now.
I shake my head and summon my system. I decided to use my Gold Ticket and hope to get something good from the gacha. I watch it roll, and after a few seconds, I widen my eyes at the result of the roll.
[Knighting]
|Epic Ability|
You can convert an ability of yours into a ring that you can bestow upon someone willing to receive. Once they accept the ring, they shall receive the ability you bestowed upon them, and you shall lose said ability. However, your ability slots shall stay the same no matter how many abilities you bestow on others. Once they accept your gift and are knighted, they are bound by your orders as your vassal and will remain loyal to you even when outside influence tries to break your bonds. If you take the ring back from a Knight, they lose their status and can never be knighted again. A Knight can be teleported to your location every 24 hours. You cannot bestow this ability on others, and you can only bestow one ability per person.
This is…
I look at the new ability in shock. This changes a lot of things. I can continue to play my part as the Omnissiah. I can bestow one of the Tinker abilities to high-ranking tech priests and make them loyal to me. Hadron and Taldius will be very happy with this gift.
Look, as much as I'd like to make all the tech I have inside my brain, I simply cannot do that. Because of the God Emperor's announcement across the galaxy, I need to act as a leader, and it takes a lot of my time to tinker.
I shake my head and decide to use my Platinum Ticket. I watch it roll and hold back a shout of excitement at the result.
[Machine Spirit Mechanic]
|Epic Trait|
You are a special kind of mechanic; whatever sufficiently advanced technology you make has a newborn Machine Spirit inside of it. The existence of a machine spirit passively enhances the quality of the machine over time, thereby increasing its performance. Depending on the mood of the spirit, the machine can work even more efficiently or perform worse and even prevent a user from accessing it altogether. More mature Machine Spirits can even use their tech autonomously and independently. All Machine Spirits you create naturally see you as their creator.
This is… I look at the cogitator and hear a hymn coming from it. In fact, I can hear songs coming from all the machinery around me. All of them are singing to me, attracting my attention. They want my praise and attention.
It gives me the creeps.
The sound is like a choir, with a hint of scraping metal in the background. It is creepy, but also interesting. Beautiful? Nope. It is far from beautiful, but it is interesting. I try to deactivate it, but I notice it is a trait, not an ability.
I take a deep breath and try to push the sound away. I make them into background noises, and try to continue as if nothing is happening.
I shake my head and take out the vox unit. I enter a certain frequency, and I say.
"Rita, come to my tent."
If we have already taken over half of Tertium, that means the Salamander is done with their mission. That means we only need to take over the underground section of the Hive. The Space Marines are formidable on the battlefield; they are truly exceptional. However, when it comes to the underground battlefield, where we cannot destroy many things, they are not the right choices.
My Guardians are the perfect soldiers to handle this situation.
It is also something I master. What? I am tired of staying in this place. Don't get me wrong. I don't mind leading from the back, but I am tired of the others looking at me as if I fart a miracle and shit a prophecy.
Now I understand why the God Emperor does not want to be seen as a God. My words are weapons, and with zealots looking at me as if I am the best thing since a slice of bread, they will take my words and go ham with them.
Hell, they even write down the way I sleep, for goodness' sake. They count how many times I turn around and how many times I need to take a piss. I shudder to think of when the rest of the Sisters of Battle arrive here.
I snap from my thoughts and see Rita enter my tent. She gives me a salute and says,
"My lord!"
"Relax, Rita. Where is the young woman who loves helping others?"
"She is now blessed by her God, my lord."
"Right. Anyway, we will depart and start cleansing the underhive of Tertium. I shall take command of the Guardian, while the Imperial Guards and the PDF take care of the problem on the surface."
"Do you want me to gather the others, my lord?"
"Yes. We will depart in an hour. Make sure they are ready."
"Yes, my lord!"
"Ah, before you leave, I need to give you something. Kneel, Rita."
She looks at me in confusion, but kneels in front of me. I walk toward her and use my [Knighting] ability. A ring appears above us and slowly lands on my right hand. I take the ring and offer it to Rita.
"Rita of the Sanctuary, I declare you shall be a Knight of the Sanctuary from now on. As my knight, you shall receive a power. This ring shall be the symbol of your knighthood, and bear the responsibility to come along with this power. Will you accept this position, Rita of the Sanctuary?"
She looked at me in awe and lowered her head while raising both of her hands.
"I humbly accept this duty, my lord."
I put the ring on her hands, and see it get absorbed by her body. I can feel my ability disappear. Not really disappear, but it is rather muted. I can feel its existence, but I can no longer reach for it.
As for Rita, I can see her light up at her new power. As for the ability I give her, it is the [Railgun] ability. I know that this ability will be perfect for her. Rita is among the best marksmen in Sanctuary and is only beaten by the Space Marines. Turning any magnetic object into a bullet is a deadly weapon if used correctly.
It is something that I rarely use because I have something better, but for Rita? It is a life-saving ability.
"From now on, you shall be called Rita Lamonia, Knight of Kael."
She stands up, and I can see fire in her eyes. I give her a nod and continue.
"Go ahead, Rita. Gather the others. We have heretics to kill."
"Yes, my lord!"
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