Just as Tallen Wick was in a state of panic, the three strange-acting Magos approached him. The Helldivers soldiers on the road actively made way, respectfully retreating to the side.
The Magos in the middle leaned down. No expression could be seen on his mechanical faceplate, but his voice was surprisingly calm: "Magos Tallen Wick, my surname is Vasilevich, you can call me Dimitry."
"Magos...Magos Dimitry," Wick struggled to get up, bent slightly, and asked in a cautious, almost humble tone, "May I ask... what exactly is going on? Is an alien fleet about to invade this place?"
His optical sensors scanned the Helldivers troops in the distance, who had already begun using heavy engineering machinery to expand the island's area out of thin air. His confusion outweighed his fear: "But if aliens are truly about to invade, why choose to establish a defensive position on this barren planet? Is there... anything worth protecting here?"
"There are actually many reasons," Dimitry said bluntly, without any intention of concealing anything. "Let me think... First, it's to test some of our newly developed weapons in an actual battlefield. Other battlefields are too crowded and complicated for such deployment.
This place is located on the edge of the galaxy, so remote that even the Imperial Ministry of Interior doesn't bother to visit. No matter what happens, it won't attract the Empire's attention in a short time."
"Secondly..."
"Wait!" Wick suddenly interrupted him. He took a deep breath of filtered air, nervously rubbed his two mechanical hands, and said in an almost pleading tone, "Uh, that... could you stop talking? I... I'm suddenly not very curious anymore..."
Tallen Wick knew very well that in this cruel galaxy, the phrase "You know too much" was a complete and indisputable reason for execution.
Wick now deeply regretted why he had instinctively tried to probe their intentions. He clearly knew that these guys were full of peculiarities and secrets, yet he actively probed them on this remote planet where no one could help him. Wasn't he just rushing to his death?
"Alright then, let's change the subject." Dimitry seemed to see through his fear and said accommodatingly, "Magos Wick, what is your area of specialization? Biology?"
Wick hesitated for a moment, then honestly replied, "Regarding the study of biology, I wouldn't dare say I've delved too deeply, but I have indeed surveyed the ecological chains of many planets. In fact, my main research direction is to record the general conditions of newly discovered planets for the Empire and provide feasible development suggestions..."
As soon as he said this, the two Magos next to Dimitry's eyes lit up. One of them, Boni, even shouted, "Fantastic! Wick! This is truly fantastic!"
But Wick took the exaggerated praise as sarcasm and gave a bitter smile: "In fact, my work is basically useless. Whether the reports submitted receive a response only depends on whether the Omnissiah blesses you.
After all, compared to developing new worlds from scratch, the Empire prefers to reclaim those lost planets from which taxes can be collected directly. My other colleagues all think this kind of work is completely meaningless, and only Magoss like me... who enjoy adventure and record-keeping, would engage in it long-term."
"How could it be useless? It's extremely useful!" Another Magos, Leonid, directly stepped forward, grabbed Wick's mechanical arm, and started walking. "Come, come, it's inconvenient to stand here and talk, let's go inside and discuss in detail!"
Faced with the overwhelming enthusiasm of these three, Wick was caught off guard. He was almost "invited" into his own simple room by the concerted efforts of the three. Wick was seated in the main chair, while the other three eagerly sat down in front of him. Looking at the three in front of him, every one of their body movements, every focus of their optical sensors, was filled with undisguised anticipation, and Wick was completely stunned.
Dimitry leaned forward and said sincerely, "May we begin, Magos Wick? How about you tell us all your experience, starting from when you lead an exploration team to the orbit of an unfamiliar planet, and what you would do next?"
Wick hesitated. He carefully scrutinized the three in front of him, using all his analysis modules, but could not detect even a trace of falsehood or pretense in their overflowing enthusiasm.
They seemed... genuinely, very, eagerly wanting to listen to the details of his unappreciated work.
An indescribable, fervent emotion surged into Wick's heart. In the decades he had been a Tech-Priest, this was the first time... he felt acknowledged, felt needed! Wick felt a warm current flow into his circuits, and those logic circuits, long dormant from years of repetitive, monotonous work, felt invigorated for the first time.
"Then... then I'll start," Wick straightened his back, revitalized his spirit, "However, I might be talking for a very long time..."
"No problem, no problem! We have plenty of time!" Boni made an exaggerated welcoming gesture. "Please! Please! Describe it in as much detail as possible!"
A long time later.
"...Through cross-referencing samples and final calibration of the atmospheric circulation model, the preliminary survey of a planet is basically complete," Wick concluded. He looked at the three in front of him, who had been incredibly focused from beginning to end, their optical sensors even flickering at high frequency to record every detail. A warm stream of data flowed into his logic core.
How fortunate! He had actually met three colleagues on this remote, barren planet who truly understood the value of his work!
"A brilliant account, Wick!" the Magos who had introduced himself as Boni exclaimed, "This will undoubtedly bring tremendous help to our cause!"
"Yes," Dimitry nodded solemnly, "This kind of 'zero to one' pioneering experience is simply invaluable to us, worth more than an Emperor-class Titan!"
"Although I also hope my research findings can be recognized," Wick, flustered by the exaggerated praise, said disbelievingly, "But... that statement is really an overstatement."
"If you don't believe it, then so be it." Leonid, who had been silent, stood up and stretched. "We've been in here for so long, it's time for us to go out, otherwise those three lads will start making a fuss again."
Boni snorted: "If it weren't for the higher-ups insisting on assigning us guards even in the game, why would we need them? If it really comes to war, our modified bodies are much more formidable than theirs!"
Wick wisely chose not to interject into this topic he completely didn't understand. With the joy of finding kindred spirits, he walked out of the room with the three. However, the next second, his logic circuits were disrupted by the sight before him.
Not far outside the camp, a huge fire pit was burning fiercely, and Helldivers soldiers silently threw the "bodies" of other soldiers into it, one by one.
Wick tremblingly raised his mechanical arm and pointed at the terrifying deep pit: "What... what is going on?! How... how did so many Astra Militarum die? There shouldn't be such a threat on this planet!"
"Uh..." Dimitry was speechless for a moment. He also found it difficult to explain to an "NPC" that this was a "collective suicide" undertaken by everyone to quickly reset their fatigue status and build fortifications with maximum efficiency.
He could only vaguely say, "You can... understand it as a special combat method of theirs. If you really can't understand, just maintain respect."