Alexander looked at Belisarius Cawl's achievements on the table and was somewhat speechless.
Cawl had previously asked Alexander if he could research the items Alexander had exchanged for.
Although Alexander agreed, he didn't really have any hope.
22nd century technology was more miraculous than miracles to this universe. Even if many of the items Alexander exchanged for were civilian cheap goods, discounted promotional products, or even children's toys, they were still technologies beyond this universe's comprehension.
It was like a child's watch returning to the Stone Age. Even if the technology on it was insignificant in modern civilization, just scraps from industrial production, it was still incomprehensible to primitive people.
But Cawl actually produced results, and these results had considerable practical utility, which made Alexander's scalp tingle.
He slightly raised his head and looked at the Mad Clock hanging in mid-air.
Cawl had exchanged this from Alexander using a significant portion of his accumulated wealth over the past ten thousand years.
A glance was enough to know that Cawl had made a long period of time pass within his laboratory while only a few seconds passed in the outside world, thereby gaining more research time.
He just didn't know how many times Cawl usually sped it up, or how much time he used for research.
Looking at the fatigue and pain on his face, one could imagine it was a long period of time.
But even with the Mad Clock.
Alexander glanced at the 'Body Clay' on the table, pulled off a piece, and put it into his four-dimensional pocket.
[Item Name: Body Clay]
[Origin: Explorer King]
[Rating: A crude imitation of Body Clay, achieved by using a strong Psyker shock to penetrate the growth layer within the Body Clay, stimulating it to self-replicate. However, due to non-standard and incorrect cultivation processes, the Body Clay has severely degraded. While greatly reducing the difficulty of cultivating Body Clay, it has also led to an extreme decline in its performance and made it difficult to shape. Although it can be used for limb repair or organ transplantation due to its growth properties, its practical value is not high.]
[Production Time: 002. M42]
[Status: Degraded]
[Value: 1500 credits]
Although the four-dimensional pocket's evaluation was 'crude,' 'simple,' and 'degraded,'
Even the hypercube labyrinth used by the Necrons to trap the C'tan, the pinnacle of galactic dimensional technology, was rated by the four-dimensional pocket as 'simple' and 'suitable for children's toys.'
And for this thing cultivated by Cawl to receive an evaluation of "practical value is not high" from the four-dimensional pocket already proved the worth of Cawl's brain. After all, not high practical value doesn't mean no value.
Moreover, looking at the introduction in the four-dimensional pocket,
The principle of this Body Clay was that Cawl used some kind of Psyker technology to break the self-replication restriction of the Body Clay, allowing it to self-propagate, but at the same time, it lost the ability to be shaped by hand.
And Cawl actually found another method, relying on extremely complex electrical stimulation to manually shape the clay little by little, and because the Body Clay could self-propagate, it could automatically grow together with the human body.
Alexander then curiously picked up the red Belisarius Metal.
To be honest, when he saw this thing, Alexander was really startled.
Its shape was somewhat similar to All-Metal.
All-Metal is the cornerstone of almost all secret tools, an almost universal material, but extremely difficult to produce. Even in the 22nd century, it is almost a non-renewable resource.
If Cawl had silently synthesized All-Metal, then even the 22nd century would probably invite him to be an academician.
A closer look would reveal that this polygonal metal only somewhat resembled All-Metal.
All-Metal is orange, while this metal is red. All-Metal is almost entirely crystalline in form, while Belisarius Metal still largely maintains the appearance of metal. And every face of All-Metal is a perfect pentagon, but Belisarius Metal is a collection of irregular polygons.
More importantly, Cawl said this metal was researched from the Phantom Thief DX Suit. The Phantom Thief DX Suit is one of the few that does not use All-Metal.
It uses Pipla Metal.
Pipla Metal is a type of metal created by Dr. Pipla, a research partner of Dr. Hartman who created All-Metal. It can be converted from any common metal resource, and its function is similar to All-Metal, but unfortunately, the manufacturing technology is not yet perfect.
Therefore, only a small number of tools are made of Pipla Metal.
Cawl's Belisarius Metal should be a reverse-engineered part of the technology for manufacturing Pipla Metal. Because Belisarius Metal, like Pipla Metal, can be synthesized from any common metal.
With this speculation, Alexander put the Belisarius Metal into his four-dimensional pocket.
[Item Name: Belisarius Metal]
[Origin: Explorer King]
[Rating: A metal made through reverse-engineering the results of Pipla Metal, a crude pirated version of Pipla Metal. It can be synthesized from any metal, but has almost completely lost the versatility of Pipla Metal, retaining only the characteristics of being relatively easy to process and having relatively high hardness. Furthermore, its production process requires extremely high temperature and pressure for a slow reaction, so its practical value is not high.]
[Production Time: 002. M42]
[Status: Authenticated as a pure pirated version]
[Value: 15000 credits]
It really was the result of reverse-engineering Pipla Metal. How the hell did Cawl's brain work?! He truly is a genius!!!
Yes, from the perspective of the 22nd century, Belisarius Metal was a crude pirated version, having almost removed all the functions of Pipla Metal, leaving only a little of its relatively easy-to-process and relatively hard qualities. Even these two points are not outstanding among 22nd century materials.
But according to Cawl, this stuff is easier to process than auramite, has a lower production difficulty than auramite, requires cheaper materials than auramite, and is even harder than auramite. In this universe, it's an incredible, perfect material.
To make Power Armor for Space Marines or even cover the outside of Imperial starships... Cawl is a damn genius.
Alexander's gaze towards Cawl immediately became eager.
His purpose in coming to Cawl was to hope that Cawl could conduct some research on 22nd century technology.
For this, he specifically exchanged for two items.
In front of Cawl, Alexander took out a thick stack of manufacturing manuals, almost as tall as Cawl himself.
Cawl was stunned for a moment, and then looked slightly at the name of the manufacturing manual lying in front of him: "anywhere door Manufacturing Manual"!!
This made Cawl immediately widen his only remaining eye, and his massive metal body trembled slightly.
He looked at the stack of manufacturing manuals, his gaze as if he were looking at the greatest holy relic in the entire galaxy, as if he were looking at absolute truth.
Alexander then pulled out dozens of materials for making the anywhere door from his four-dimensional pocket and threw them in front of Cawl.
That manufacturing manual was generated by the item 'Inventor Machine' that Alexander exchanged for. As long as the materials were prepared and assembled according to the instructions, any tool could be manufactured.
However, tools like the anywhere door are extremely difficult to produce, and many of the materials are not found in the Warhammer universe, and can only be generated through another item, the Material Box.
Alexander's hope, of course, was not just for Cawl to make dozens of Anywhere Doors; he had other needs.
"I hope you can modify the anywhere door so that it can be used by starships, whether by building an oversized anywhere door or by some other method, as long as you can do it," Alexander said, looking at Cawl.
The anywhere door is good, but the problem is that it is too small. It's almost impossible for a starship to pass through it when used alone. So Alexander hoped that Cawl could modify the anywhere door to support large-scale fleet navigation.
This should be feasible; theoretically, the size of the anywhere door can be changed.
"This item is a three-function selection version. It can enhance one of your intelligence, physical strength, and appearance. While one is enhanced, the other two will decrease accordingly. This might be useful to you."
"Besides the Mad Clock, I will also leave you many high-efficiency pills, and you should keep the Speed-up Clockwork as well."
Belisarius Cawl listened to Alexander's words, seemingly sensing something.
"My Lord?" he asked, somewhat in panic.
"I may have to go into a deep sleep for some time," Alexander said softly.
Cawl's reaction was more intense than Alexander had expected.
Belisarius Cawl, who had endured ten millennia through sheer willpower, and had fragmented his own consciousness to fulfill the Emperor's and Guilliman's mandates, was so terrified that a few tears streamed down his face.
He suddenly prostrated himself, almost kneeling before Alexander, and murmured in a pleading tone:
"My Lord, have we defied your will? Or have we made the same mistake, forcing you to sacrifice for us?"
"Are you also going to leave us, to face this deep, dark galaxy alone?"
"I am not a god, you know that," Alexander said, a little vexed. Cawl's extreme reaction genuinely surprised him.
In his opinion, Cawl was an extremely proud man.
Unlike many in this galaxy, Cawl truly believed in humanity, believed in the wisdom of mortals.
And this was not baseless arrogance, but confidence born from the accumulation of wisdom over a long life.
But now, Cawl showed an expression that could only be described as fear.
"Of course you are not!"
"You are not, and the Emperor—Omnissiah—is not either."
"Your humble servant has survived for ten millennia in the galaxy, and has long known how cold and ruthless, how chaotic and fickle the gods of this galaxy are. All the darkness in this galaxy is the hands of the gods toying with pathetic mortals."
"They despise mortals, letting them fall into superstition and ignorance, abandoning wisdom for false faith, abandoning reason for barbaric ideologies, letting the wisdom Omnissiah and you bestowed upon mortals go to waste."
Belisarius Cawl said sorrowfully:
"Only you and Omnissiah, one after another, came to this dark galaxy, guiding us, believing in us, making us believe in the light of reason, telling us that the wisdom of mortals can also follow in your footsteps. When will the gods be as benevolent as you and the Emperor?"
"Yet we mortals are weak and ignorant, making mistake after mistake that led Omnissiah to sit upon the Golden Throne, silent for ten millennia, and willingly degenerating into superstition, becoming pawns on the gods' chessboard."
"Until you walked among us, I saw your figure and knew you were like the Emperor. You are undoubtedly original power, humanity's hope for regaining reason and wisdom."
"But now, have we made the same mistake again, causing you to leave us too?"
Cawl's words made Alexander stiffen slightly. He had never seen Cawl in such a state.
Alexander was silent for a moment, then said to Cawl: "I am only temporarily sleeping. I will return, Cawl."
"You swear!" Cawl instantly looked up and shouted.
"..I swear." Alexander raised his hand slightly, saying with a wry smile.
Then Cawl abruptly lowered his head again: "I implore you to understand the fragile emotions of mortals. Over ten millennia, I have witnessed too much superstition and madness. Reason seems only a distant afterimage sketched by Omnissiah, and your reward seems to have made reason possible."
"As long as you still walk among us, then the mere fact of your existence can make people feel the possibility of the age of reason dawning. Therefore, you are irreplaceable."
"..Everything else can be sacrificed, only you cannot be sacrificed. Everything else can die, only you cannot die. We cannot repeat the Emperor's mistake."
"I ask you to promise that you can sacrifice anything to protect yourself. You will not protect the human race with your own sacrifice, as the Emperor did."
"The human race can be reshaped, but we will not have another Omnissiah or original power."
Alexander's mouth opened slightly, unsure how to respond to Cawl.
Perhaps it was because he still hadn't fully adapted to this universe, still retaining some of his previous life's morals, or perhaps simply because many people in this world already held significant weight in his heart. He truly couldn't bring himself to tell Cawl that he could sacrifice everything, even the entire human race, to preserve himself.
Only a god had that right; he was just a person.
Alexander was ultimately speechless, letting out a soft sigh, then turned and pulled out the anywhere door from his Pocket Dimension, passing through it to leave the Explorer King.
Cawl remained prostrate on the ground, clutching the item Alexander had given him, his face filled with only sorrow and pain.
Before the Golden Throne, Alexander emerged from the anywhere door, looking up slightly at the mummified corpse on the Golden Throne.
Emperor Nobita was sitting silently on the steps below the Golden Throne, waiting for Alexander.
"Is everything resolved?" the Emperor's will, residing in Nobita's body, looked up slightly and asked.
"It's resolved." Alexander nodded slightly. He took out the three years neet pillow from his Pocket Dimension and threw it onto the ground.
He seemed to be deep in thought, looking at the three years neet pillow for a while.
Alexander remembered Sanguinius saying that when Alexander woke up, he would look bitter.
The three years neet pillow would surely provide an answer, and it could only be an answer he didn't want.
After pondering for a moment, he looked at Emperor Nobita and asked: "Did you know you would end up like this after boarding the Vengeful Spirit?"
Emperor Nobita was momentarily stunned by Alexander's question, then chuckled twice: "Even Sanguinius knew his fate, would I not know mine?"
"Then you still went. Did you ever consider the option of escaping with a portion of humanity? Would that have been a better choice?"
"..I did have the chance to do that at the time." The Emperor did not deny it, nodding gently: "Escaping with a small number of humans, building a Pocket Dimension to survive."
"But you still boarded the Vengeful Spirit, and then became like this." Alexander took out bedding, spread it out, and lay down in a comfortable position, continuing to stare at Emperor Nobita as he asked.
"Because more people would survive if I boarded the Vengeful Spirit."
"How many?"
"..Countless." Emperor Nobita patted his knees and said with a smile: "So I went."
Then Emperor Nobita also couldn't help but laugh out loud. He rubbed his forehead: "Honestly, I was even scared by my own courage at the time."
"Actually, I'm a bit socially anxious and a bit timid. Rather than being a monarch, enjoying glory and war, I'd prefer to live a peaceful life, playing games, fishing, farming, and doing research."
"The entire Great Crusade and even the Great Heresy were just me pretending to be a great monarch."
"In fact, many times, I felt Malcador was braver than I was, but unexpectedly, I stumbled and bumbled, and I actually played this role until the end... Hahahaha."
Emperor Nobita couldn't help but smile, a hint of pride quickly replaced by bitterness.
Recalling the Great Crusade and the Great Heresy, he even wondered if he had the right to feel even a little proud.
"..Actually, I've always wanted to ask you, friend, in your heart, did I do more good or more harm? Tell me honestly?"
At this point, Emperor Nobita suddenly paused. He only then realized that Alexander had fallen asleep at some unknown point, leaning on the three years neet pillow.
Emperor Nobita smiled helplessly. He glanced at the mummified corpse sitting on the throne, as if looking at himself, and also at something terrifying.
Finally, he shook his head, then silently looked at the sleeping Alexander.
"I have long known."
"Known that I would personally kill my first son, and witness the Warmaster turn to dust."
"I would return victorious, but with no songs of praise, only the lamentations of the common people."
"I would return to my Golden Throne, personally sweep away the ashes from the throne, and sit upon it... for millennia upon millennia."
"I was indeed helpless, but I chose this path myself."
"I only ask that one day, humanity no longer needs me, that they pull my bones from the throne and judge my life."
"At that time, whether it be praise or curses, I will accept it with joy."
"When you awaken, tell me the way to reach that day... I pray."