Traveling through the Warp was incredibly boring, so Rhodes could only train his Cosmic Phantom Beast Fist in the ship's gym.
Ever since entering Warp travel, Rhodes kept a close eye on one thing: the fate of the zombie monster he had sent out!
When Nurgle had just taken the zombie monster, Rhodes was already prepared to use the monster's identity to approach Nurgle!
But strangely, after bringing the zombie monster into his realm, Nurgle didn't interrogate it immediately. Instead, he tossed the monster into a big cauldron of thick soup to stew.
Rhodes didn't even get a chance to speak, as if Nurgle intended to boil his monster into soup straight away.
Rhodes could only feel helpless.
But the Warp is a sea of souls, not bound by real-world laws, so Nurgle simmering the zombie monster wasn't actually to cook and eat it.
Instead, he was infusing the zombie monster with his power through a special enchantment. Nurgle's cauldron was unique—inside it simmered all kinds of plagues, but they all also contained Nurgle's own power.
Once, one of Nurgle's little daemons accidentally fell into the cauldron, and when Nurgle fished it out, it had transformed into a Great Unclean One.
There's unimaginable power in Nurgle's cauldron. To receive Nurgle's blessing in the Warp is to drink his stew, or to be simmered in the cauldron.
After entering Nurgle's garden, the zombie monster was continuously stewed, absorbing energy from the plague cauldron.
Green plague power surged into the zombie monster, transforming its cells, strengthening its body. The twisted, deformed life force of Nurgle made the monster even stronger.
So every day, Rhodes observed the state of the zombie monster, sometimes even remotely controlling it to swim in the cauldron, confident that the system's protection would keep him from being corrupted by Chaos.
If this were anyone else—someone without the system's protection—swimming in Nurgle's cauldron would almost guarantee they'd become one of Nurgle's champions.
More than a month had passed since that war. During this time, whenever Rhodes controlled the zombie monster and opened its eyes, all he saw was an ugly green face.
A bloated, green, fat creature with an iron ladle kept stirring the cauldron, and Rhodes' body was right in the middle of it.
The zombie monster's stats in the system had completely changed: its height had increased from 60 to 80 meters, weight was now unknown, and its body was now made of both Warp and physical energy.
It gained buffs like plague spread, virus spread, pain immunity, and more!
"You're awake, little guy?" The big green fatty looked into the cauldron affectionately and asked.
As soon as he started stewing the special plague, Nurgle noticed that the Zombie Monster in the cauldron occasionally showed self-awareness.
But this self-awareness was only a kind of cognition; it had no soul, no Warp projection, which puzzled Nurgle.
"Great Father, how much longer are you going to stew me?" Since he'd been discovered, Rhodes stopped pretending and directly spoke through the zombie monster.
"This is our first conversation! You're strange. You clearly have no soul!
I was even planning to make you a Great Daemon, to fit a soul into your body, but you have self-awareness." Nurgle stirred the cauldron, repositioning the monster.
"Just treat me as a kind of necromancy," Rhodes said.
"No soul can't work in the Warp. I'll arrange a special soul for you," Nurgle declared.
He'd considered the zombie monster had never had a soul, so it needed one.
"Maybe I'll generate a soul of my own in the future. After all, I'm already self-aware. Are you planning to erase me by giving me a soul?" Rhodes asked.
"No, you don't understand. A soul without self is not life at all. I'm talking to a stone!" Nurgle replied.
No daemon dared refuse him. This newly-born creature, with no soul of its own, could hardly refuse a gift.
In all the wars with the other Chaos Gods and humanity, many of Nurgle's Greater Daemons and Daemon Princes were still without bodies.
So he had plenty of souls on hand.
Rod didn't protest.
The zombie monster's body is system-controlled.
Besides, after being stewed in Nurgle's cauldron, the zombie monster now held Nurgle's chaotic power. After the transformation was complete, Rhodes expected a system upgrade or option.
"Come, accept Father's gift. You'll get a new body—one that can walk the material universe as a god." Nurgle carefully selected a soul from among his Greater Daemons.
The daemon thanked Nurgle profusely, praising him.
"It's the highest honor, Great Father! I'll fight for you in this body, bring you glory, and spread your faith."
Amidst the praise, the Greater Daemon's soul was put into the zombie monster.
As soon as it entered, the Daemon tried to take over, but something unexpected happened—a strange force wrapped around his soul.
He felt it being torn, corroded, and destroyed.
It was the system's power: trying to seize a system-monster triggers a passive defense. Forcibly taking over the zombie monster is irrational!
"What's wrong, little one? You two need to get along. Your consciousnesses will soon fuse. This body has a native awareness—you need to merge with it but don't hurt it. You'll inherit its memories, correct?" Nurgle said.
"No! Great Father, my soul is being wiped out—please help me!
I don't sense another soul, nor any consciousness as you said, but something is destroying my soul!" The Greater Daemon rolled and howled in the cauldron.
Giant question marks appeared over Nurgle's head.
He could feel his Daemon's soul dissolving, but this wasn't a soul struggle.
If it were a soul battle, he'd love to watch—whichever soul won would be rewarded.
But now, something was different.
"I told you, Great Father, this body is mine. I don't need a soul. By putting one in, you're just giving me a snack." Rhoesd, controlling the zombie monster, spoke.
The daemon was shocked. There was no soul aura, yet the body was conscious—how?!
"Oh, how curious! If you devour my Daemon, can you generate self-awareness?
Or even a soul? Then eat away—one's not enough, I have two or three!" Nurgle made no move to save his Daemon, watching the battle with interest.
"No! Great Father, save me!" the Daemon howled.
Soon, there was silence. His soul was completely destroyed by the system. The only pity was that Rhodes didn't earn any system coins from it.
Those killed this way grant no system coins.
"Looks like you succeeded, but I still can't sense your soul—is it still not enough? Want me to give you more Daemon souls, or even fragments of minor gods?" Nurgle asked.
"Stop, Great Father. Any more souls will only be wasted.
No matter how many Daemon or minor god souls you give, they'll all be digested by this body.
I'm just the body's consciousness—a special existence." Rhodes said.
Nurgle didn't argue but beckoned to the distance.
"Isha! I've found something fun."
A beautiful figure appeared in Nurgle's garden—radiant with silvery light, long green hair, stunning features, and an aura of life.
This was Isha, the Eldar mother goddess, the goddess of life!