"You want me to give you an explanation!?
"I think it's you who need to give me an explanation!"
The little Tech-priest, with furrowed brows and wide eyes, was truly enraged. He felt he had given these outsiders too much face, daring to challenge him on his own turf. Today, he would make sure to thoroughly slap these Eldar's faces!
Yvraine looked at the Iron Men and Eldar surrounding them, as well as Gamma, who was floating in mid-air radiating a terrifying aura. She understood that this matter had spiraled out of her control, and a mishandling could trigger a major war.
But even so, she couldn't make concessions. Otherwise, if Gamma continued to employ his "open conspiracy" and let it fester, the already fragile stability of Eldar society would collapse; it would only be a matter of time.
"Gamma, I warn you, you must stop your conspiracy against the Eldar, or the situation will descend into something none of us wish to see!"
This statement directly made the little Tech-priest laugh in anger. He tilted his head towards Yvraine and said, "Heh heh, what a grand accusation. Please, go wash your mouth out with some soap before claiming I'm developing bioweapons to exterminate the Eldar!"
"I truly thought too highly of you. It turns out you've been planning to go to war with me all along."
"But this is good too. A war will shatter your delusions, and I won't have to consider so many things when I act in the future. Very good! Excellent!"
No sooner had Gamma finished speaking than the Eldar who had come with Yvraine felt a tremendous force pressing their bodies to the ground.
Their weapons and staffs slipped from their hands, striking the floor and cracking it.
Before they could react and summon their strength to counter this sudden weight, several black stone pillars descended from the sky. Green lightning spread across their surfaces, arcing between the pillars, and then the Eldar enclosed within felt a suffocating sensation, like fish out of water.
Among these Eldar were many ancient beings who had lived for thousands of years. At the first sight of the pillars, they exclaimed, "Blackstone!"
"Oh, good eyes!" Gamma said in a sarcastic tone. He couldn't achieve the astronomical-scale psychic nullification of Szarekh, but creating an anti-psyker field with Blackstone was quite easy.
"Gamma, you!"
Yvraine used her sword to prop herself up, preventing herself from falling. Although she didn't possess the almost absurd psychic powers of other Craftworld Farseers, Death had granted Yvraine power beyond death. Her exquisite martial arts, near-immortality, and ability to summon an Avatar of Death still made her one of the strongest Eldar present.
"What about me? Do you think I'm like Guilliman, who will give in to your every whim if you just throw a tantrum and act spoiled?"
Hearing the little Tech-priest fabricate rumors about her and Guilliman in public, Yvraine, both annoyed and angry, cursed, "You're full of it!"
"Tsk, no class."
With that, Gamma increased the gravity within Yvraine's vicinity again, venting some frustration and allowing the little Tech-priest to calm down a bit. He began to consider how to deal with these Eldar.
Kill them?
The others were one thing, but the power latent within Yvraine made Gamma feel a bit tricky. Thinking of the various rumors about the Avatar of Death, he didn't want that power unleashed on his Craftworld.
Let them go?
Are you kidding! If he didn't show them some serious might this time, where would his authority be?
As the little Tech-priest pondered, Eldrad, who had received the news, arrived on the scene. After glancing at Yvraine and the others trapped within the stone pillars, he quickly approached Gamma and asked, "Your Highness, what is this?"
Gamma spread his hands helplessly and said, "This isn't my fault. They deliberately provoked me and even accused me of wanting to destroy the Eldar. Isn't that infuriating?"
"If I wanted to destroy the Eldar, I wouldn't wait until today. I think they never intended to live peacefully with us from the start. What they did before was just to buy time. I estimate that the Craftworld allied forces should have already arrived here. You should quickly arrange for civilians to evacuate, and the Webway also needs attention."
"Pay attention to those new Eldar who have joined us; there must be spies sent by other Craftworlds among them."
Upon hearing this, Eldrad glared at Yvraine with fire in his eyes and cursed, "Shameless! Despicable! I was blind to trust you. All that spirit bone was wasted on a heartless ingrate like you!"
"Idiot! If we thought that, we wouldn't have come to you so ostentatiously today. Assassinating you would have been more effective," Yvraine said angrily.
"Uh—"
The little Tech-priest felt that what the other party said seemed to make a bit of sense. Of course, he didn't believe Yvraine; Gamma believed in his own technology.
He had indeed found no anomalies around or within the Craftworld.
"Then why did you bring a bunch of people here so aggressively to find me?" Gamma asked, puzzled.
"To make you stop your conspiracy of spreading panic in Eldar society!" Yvraine gritted her teeth, stating the purpose of her visit.
Gamma's face flushed upon hearing this, and he defended himself, "I just wanted the Craftworld's civilians to have a sense of crisis, to get more people to devote themselves to learning useful knowledge, and not waste their energy on useless things like the Path of the Dancer or the Path of the Painter. If you inquire with anyone of slightly higher rank, you'd know what's going on. How is that a conspiracy?"
"You want to use panic to make more Eldar join you. Do you think we can't see through that? The population situation of other Craftworlds is already not optimistic. If you are allowed to absorb their population, their very survival will be at risk!"
"It's not my fault they don't have children," the little Tech-priest grumbled, dissatisfied.
Could he force Eldar to "do it"? Besides, the way Eldar "do it" was quite... eye-opening. Female Eldar took a long time to conceive and required additional genetic material from one or more partners throughout the entire gestation period.
He was still a "child"; such topics were too early for him!
Moreover, he couldn't control the affairs of other Craftworlds!
Casually dispelling the power he had imposed on Yvraine and the others, the little Tech-priest said impatiently:
"My Craftworld, my rules. Your Craftworld's problems aren't caused by me. I can't control if you want to control public opinion. If you're afraid of civilians knowing the truth, you can simply prevent Eldar who have been to Ulysses from going to your worlds."
"Not everyone is willing to be an ostrich with their head buried in the sand. I think you've been floating in the sky for too long, moved by self-sacrifice for too long, and forgotten that the populace is the foundation. Don't forget, you too once came from among them."
"You have no right, nor the qualification, to make me stop!"
Then he turned and left. This whole mess was a waste of his time. With this time, he'd rather go watch the handmaidens dance.
After Gamma left, Yvraine also led the Eldar of the Webway Council away from his palace, crestfallen, and sat together in silence in the council building.
"We intended to pressure him, but instead, we got lectured," someone broke the silence with a complaint.
"He doesn't care about our opinions. Ulysses has the confidence to face the truth, while for us, both covering it up or revealing it are wrong," another person said with a bitter smile.
"Honestly, during my time on Ulysses, I've dreamed of the same thing happening in my homeland more than once. At first, I thought they were prophetic dreams, but after having them so many times, I realized it was just 'what you think about during the day, you dream about at night,' hahahaha."
As he laughed, two lines of clear tears appeared on the Eldar's face. This scene made the other Eldar fall silent once more. After a long while,
Yvraine spoke:
"You all know his strength. As he gains control of more and more human worlds, the pressure we can exert on him will become smaller and smaller."
"This worries me greatly. Right now, he is still willing to let us oversee the Webway. In the future, when Gamma's power expands to the point where he no longer needs to consider us, what will become of us then?"
"We must make a decision before then!"
The Old Prophet Eldrad looked at Yvraine in surprise, then smiled and said, "Yvraine, the Webway Council was something you personally championed. Why are you now becoming so apprehensive?"
"Heh heh, after spending so much time with someone whose mind is full of schemes and conspiracies, I've started to grow a brain too," Yvraine said self-deprecatingly.
Those who knew Yvraine understood who she was referring to as "someone whose mind is full of schemes and conspiracies," which made them recall the little Tech-priest's recent jibe at Yvraine. The atmosphere in the meeting room became somewhat awkward.
"I really like the human word 'crisis'—it signifies both danger and opportunity."
Hearing the Old Prophet say this, Yvraine looked thoughtfully at Eldrad, as did the others.
Eldrad was one of the oldest and most farsighted Eldar psykers. He had always tried to adjust the scales of fate to ensure the survival of all Eldar. Although he was exiled from his homeland for the theft of corpses, he still held high prestige in Eldar society.
"I foresee that the destiny of the Eldar and the Imperium of Man are closely intertwined. For the Eldar to survive, we must ally with the Imperium, and it must be a true alliance," Eldrad said to his kin, stating his proposition.
Compared to the surprise and incomprehension of the other Eldar, Yvraine didn't react much. She had known the Old Prophet's thoughts from the beginning.
From rescuing survivors during the Fall of Cadia to working with Cawl to resurrect Guilliman, and finally, the alliance between the Death Guard and the Imperium—all were orchestrated by him.
"I once thought the key to everything was Guilliman, but now I have some different ideas."
"Are you referring to Gamma?" someone asked uncertainly.
The Old Prophet nodded and said, "Although we had a conflict with Gamma today, it also showed me something else. Everyone, please recall what he said when he suspected there might be an Eldar allied force."
Prompted by Eldrad, the Eldar began to recall the recent events, and soon someone exclaimed in surprise, "The first thing he thought of was to have the civilians evacuate!"
At this point, another person said, "Indeed, from his behavior, he didn't seem to intend to put Ulysses's forces on the front line either."
"Eldrad, what do you mean?" Yvraine asked.
The Old Prophet didn't answer but instead asked, "Yvraine, what would Guilliman do?"
This question made the Harbinger of Death's expression stiffen. She knew very well that Guilliman wouldn't care about the lives of any Eldar other than her.
No answer was an answer. Eldrad, having received his answer, continued, "Gamma is very emotional. He does favor humans, and this has a lot to do with him being born human and living in human society."
"These past few years, I've also been trying to gather information about Gamma's past. What you don't know is that Gamma also holds considerable prestige in the Tau Empire."
"Tau Empire?" someone who heard the name for the first time asked.
"A young race with naive and innocent dreams for the galaxy, developing rapidly, and having absorbed many weaker races.
They now hold a place in the current galaxy."
"Did Gamma ever help the Tau Empire?"
The Old Prophet's expression was a little strange upon hearing the word "help." He found it hard to judge whether what Gamma did was truly help, but he still nodded and said, "Indeed, he has considerable prestige among the Tau Empire's technical personnel!"
"So you think Gamma is a better alliance partner?" Yvraine asked, feeling a bit uncomfortable. As for why she felt uncomfortable, she couldn't quite figure it out at the moment.
However, Eldrad shook his head, an action that puzzled the others. Then they heard the Old Prophet say:
"From everything in the past, it can be seen that he doesn't have much prejudice against races other than humans. The closer one's relationship with him, the more he values them."
"Since the Ulysses Eldar already hold a certain position in his heart, and he wants to absorb the Eldar population to strengthen his forces, we should seize this opportunity to directly join his faction!"
Eldrad's radical statement deeply shocked the Eldar, including Yvraine. They found the Old Prophet's views "a bit" extreme. "I know it's hard for you to accept right away, but please hear me out," the Old Prophet said to his agitated kin.
After exchanging glances, the Eldar quieted down. They genuinely wanted to hear why Eldrad thought this way.
"First, population decline is a problem faced by every Craftworld. We must find a way for our population to grow naturally, otherwise, time alone will destroy us."
"While chatting with Ulthwé officials, I learned that the number of pregnant kin on Ulthwé has increased several times over their previous annual average!"
"Ah!"
Someone involuntarily gasped, and others' eyes widened in shock at the news. Those chosen as representatives were elites from various Craftworlds; unlike those solely focused on combat, they were entrusted with this task because they possessed a broader perspective and judgment far beyond others, and had a certain understanding of their homeworlds' situations and the Eldar's overall condition, which is why they were so surprised.
"This ratio surpasses even the Wild Eldar, who are protected by the World-Soul and are naturally open-minded. This means that given time, Ulthwé has the potential to become the largest Eldar group among the Craftworld Eldar, and even the dominant ethnic group, through this ebb and flow."
The Old Prophet's inference was not an exaggeration. Take the Ark World Iyanden, for example; it is most famous in Eldar society for its Wraithguard. In essence, its population is no longer sufficient to sustain the Craftworld's operations and defenses, forcing them to raise the dead to fill the ranks.
"Having lived this long, my greatest realization is the immense and terrifying power of time. You can imagine, when the Ulysses Eldar become the dominant Eldar, what will be the point of our current precautions and concerns about the Ulthwé Craftworld?"
While most fell into contemplation due to the Old Prophet's words, representatives from several smaller Craftworlds appeared more anxious. Compared to other Craftworlds, the situation on their homeworlds was more pressing. It was not uncommon among the Craftworld Eldar for some to abandon their homes and join other Ark Worlds due to disaster or other reasons.
"Archmagos Eldrad, how would your proposal solve his problem? Are we to entrust our lives completely to his whim, like the Ulysses Eldar?"
After a moment of thought, the Old Prophet decided to extinguish their last shred of fantasy:
"There's no way to have your cake and eat it too. Even if a 'side-effect-free' boon were given to you, you would still worry and wonder if you were being deceived. There is no reward without effort; this is an unchangeable truth. Every gift has its price marked in fate."
...
Yvraine then spoke, "Prophet Eldrad, stop beating around the bush and just tell us your plan!"
"Alright, young people have no patience," the Old Prophet grumbled softly, then raised his voice so everyone could hear him: "We shouldn't negotiate with Gamma, but rather with the Ulysses Eldar. We should make them allocate a portion of their political resources to other Craftworlds, and in return, we will not hinder their absorption of population."
"The Ulysses Eldar are a whole in his mind; he doesn't care about any specific individual. Any Eldar with the Ulthwé label, in his eyes, is no different."
"This—" The people present looked at each other, unsure how to evaluate the Old Prophet's proposal.
Sure enough, someone quickly asked, "What's the point of us doing this?"
Eldrad replied, "This brings me to my second point: do you all think we can afford the cost of stopping him now?"
Of course not. Otherwise, they wouldn't have compromised back then, nor would they have accepted the Webway Management Committee. Ultimately, no single Craftworld or group of Craftworlds was willing to stake everything to eliminate the threat Gamma posed to the Eldar.
Gamma now was like holding a loaded pistol, and the Eldar standing before him wanting to kill him were more numerous than the bullets, but no one wanted to be the unlucky one shot dead.
"Since we can't, we'll just have to adapt."
...
"My idea is that individuals joining the Ulthwé Craftworld sporadically will be quickly assimilated by Ulthwé, but if someone organizes these scattered kin, they will be our 'nails' driven into Ulthwé."
"At the same time, we must secretly control the rate of population flowing into the Ulthwé Craftworld and support representatives from other Craftworlds to gain a foothold in the Ulthwé Craftworld."
Yvraine's eyes lit up, and she said, "You want other Craftworlds to participate in Ulthwé's politics and then use this method to influence Gamma!"
"Indeed. If you understand Ulthwé's political system, you'll realize that Gamma only cares about his control over the forces in his hands. The specific policies and plans are proposed and executed by the officials. He mostly watches the officials squabble with a 'watching the show' mentality."
"I'm not asking you to directly pledge allegiance to the Ulthwé Craftworld and Gamma. Putting all your eggs in one basket is too dangerous. I hope that every Craftworld can have a place within the Ulthwé Craftworld."
"Both inside and outside, joining but not fully joining!"
At this point, the Old Prophet stopped, looked around, and said, "No matter what, Gamma's appearance has given us another option. You all know very well what a living god means."
"You could very well swap your homeworlds with Ulthwé. What choices would you make then?"
"My proposal is to leave a way out for other Craftworlds so that when all hope is lost, besides a desperate fight, there can be other options."
"Even if Gamma wants to act against the Webway or other Craftworlds in the future, with our people by his side, his nature will inevitably have some reservations."
"Even if we fail, it will just be one more to add to our countless failures."
Eldrad's proposal made others view the impact of Gamma from a different perspective. It was the old saying again: everything has two sides.
Afterward, the Eldar representatives of the committee engaged in a fierce debate over the Old Prophet's proposal. At the same time, they relayed the Tech-priest's overt scheme and the Old Prophet's ideas back to their homeworlds.
Gamma wasn't concerned with the affairs of these distant Eldar. He was still waiting for the Primaris Exemplar to recover and bring him the treasures Archmagos Cawl had collected.
During one of Gamma's treatments, he suddenly mentioned that he had served Archmagos Cawl for thousands of years. At the time, the Tech-priest didn't think much of it, but then the more he thought about it, the more something felt off. Why would the Primaris Exemplar suddenly want to talk about this with him?
The cunning Gamma felt there must be a deeper meaning. Thinking of the Primaris Exemplar's stubbornness and the Archmagos's poor memory, the Tech-priest understood. The next day, he took the Primaris Exemplar on a tour of his treasury under the guise of visiting.
Strict security protocols ensured that no one but the two of them knew what happened inside. In short, the Primaris Exemplar came out with a few more items, and the Tech-priest smiled happily. Both were very satisfied, almost to the point of becoming sworn brothers.
"Is backstabbing one's own old father in the blood?" the Tech-priest muttered to himself before falling asleep in bed.
Gamma's secret deal was dwarfed by the undercurrents within the Craftworld Eldar. While the larger Craftworlds were still weighing the pros and cons, the smaller Craftworlds made their decision first. The population growth alone was enough to tip the scales in their hearts towards Ulthwé.
But something unexpected happened. When representatives from the smaller Craftworlds approached Eldrad to express their willingness to pledge allegiance, the Supreme Seer was extremely enthusiastic, with a demeanor that suggested, "Brother, what took you so long? I missed you so much! From now on, consider this your home; don't be shy."
However, when they requested official positions, Eldrad's face darkened to a frightening degree, his eyes clearly conveying: "You stinking outsiders, how dare you!"
This forced the Webway Management Committee to hold another meeting, where the Old Prophet Eldrad's face was also very dark.
"Hmph, Eldrad is truly disappointing! That scoundrel disregards all kinship for the sake of his petty power," a rejected representative said angrily.
"Heh, you didn't see that old geezer's hateful expression then; he didn't even bother to hide his disdain!"
"He's not like us. He has a god's protection above and his kin's efforts below, and he manages all the awakened psykers under that person. Just based on his mentor-disciple relationship and his status as the head of the Psychic Academy, his position in that person's heart is crucial, and it will only rise as that person's power expands in the future. How could he possibly look favorably upon us?" another person said sarcastically, full of resentment.
"As I see it, it's lucky we're Craftworld Eldar and not easily found. If that barbarian world were unfortunately discovered, Eldrad would suggest that person directly conquer it."
"He's eating his fill, dripping with oil, and unwilling to even share a drop of soup with us. Shameless!"
"Eldar scum!"
"Well said!"
The others watched the few who were both mocking and self-deprecating, who had wanted to be the first to try something new but ended up with nothing, feeling speechless while also looking at the Old Prophet's dark face.
Eldrad's face turned a bit red beneath the dark, but the plan was his, so he had to say something: "Ahem, I really didn't expect Eldrad's lust for power to be so strong. But the Ulysses Eldar valuing official positions also indirectly shows the influence of close advisors on Gamma."
"Archmagos Eldrad, the Ulysses Eldar have no intention of giving us power. After the news spread, Ulthwé officials are now very hostile towards us. What should we do?"
After a long period of thought, the Old Prophet asked, "Before I state my idea, I hope you can honestly tell me your homeworlds' attitude towards my proposal. If there's strong opposition, then there's no point in me speaking!"
This time, representatives from several small Craftworlds spoke first: "The Prophet Council's attitude is supportive. Although the Warstrider has some objections, the reality of the situation is there, so they didn't say too much, only believing that this move would further weaken our already fragile strength."
"Our situation is similar; reality leaves us with little choice."
"More or less."
After the small Craftworlds spoke, representatives from medium and large Craftworlds also successively introduced various situations. What was unexpected was that these Craftworlds had a high acceptance of Eldrad's plan. Except for a few who were still deliberating or observing, there were no clear objections, which relieved the Old Prophet's hanging heart.
"Since that's the case, why don't we take a strong dose of medicine? Ulthwé can pledge allegiance, and so can we. Let's choose one Craftworld to represent us, and like the Ulthwé Craftworld, directly pledge allegiance to Gamma. The other Craftworlds will provide support from behind, using this opportunity to send our people to his side."
At this moment, Eldrad, who was complaining to others about the lack of self-awareness among the outside Eldar, suddenly shivered.
The young Tech-priest, sitting on his throne, propped his chin with one hand and scratched his head with the other. He felt a bit confused, yet also somewhat smug.
He was smug because people were coming to pledge allegiance to him even before he had to exert any effort.
The confusion stemmed from the same reason: after sending off Archmagos Cawl, who genuinely didn't want to leave—this was true, it wasn't the young Tech-priest waiting for payment and urging him; Archmagos Cawl, immersed in his communication with his "code confidant," simply refused to go. If the young Tech-priest hadn't mentioned there was another Thedan, his urging would have been useless. Even so, the Archmagos looked back three times as he left, asking Gamma several times if he was being tricked.
After finally coaxing Archmagos Cawl away, Gamma thought he could settle down and continue his research. The Archmagos had given him several excellent ideas for the gravity engine, providing no small amount of inspiration to the young Tech-priest.
But not long after, a sizable delegation from Ulthwé Craftworld arrived, signifying that the Craftworld Samhain was seeking to align with Gamma.
This news invigorated the common people of Ulthwé; they spontaneously took to the streets to welcome their kin who were joining them, while the high-ranking officials, led by Eldrad, all had faces as black as the bottom of a pot.
"Eldrad, what do you think?" asked Gamma, who had just finished playing the role of a benevolent ruler.
The Supreme Seer, his face cold, replied faintly, "Your Highness, there must be something fishy about this!"
"Alright, your faces are all so dark, I'm not blind. Tell me, what's actually going on?"
Under Gamma's persistent questioning, Eldrad had no choice but to truthfully reveal who had sought him out and for what purpose.
"Your Highness, not long after you had a conflict with them, they proactively sought to join us. I feared there might be a trick, so I subtly refused them, but I never expected—"
The old fox spoke evasively, avoiding the crucial points.
"Well, now they've come in a grand manner. If we don't accept them, it will be difficult to get other Craftworlds to join us in the future. However, you don't need to worry too much about them having ulterior motives; with me here, they won't be able to stir up any trouble."
'That's not what I'm worried about! How shameless, how base!' the Supreme Seer muttered to himself.
"You are all of the same race, so I'll leave this matter to you to handle. As long as they are loyal, they will have everything they deserve."
"Yes!"
After leaving Gamma, the Supreme Seer led his long-waiting elite soldiers and valiant generals to confront the Samhain Craftworld's delegation. The moment he saw Eldrad, Eldrad understood that this old troublemaker was behind it; that old man loved to do unexpected things.
"Oh, isn't this Lord Eldrad?"
The Samhain representative, Dam, who had been rejected by Eldrad once, greeted him with a grin, embodying the sentiment of 'yesterday you ignored me, today I'll make you unreachable.'
"Hmph!" Eldrad snorted coldly, ignoring the other party and walking directly up to Eldrad, saying, "What a clever tactic!"
"Heh heh, it's merely a reluctant measure taken because some people are too greedy," the Old Prophet retorted, showing no politeness.
...
It was false to say Eldrad had no regrets; he had effectively pushed out a competitor. But all he wanted was for the minor Craftworld to abandon its culture, sovereignty, and identity to join the Ulysses Eldar. Was that request too much?
Compared to the freedom gained from breaking free, what were these sacrifices?
"Your Highness, considering we are of the same race, has entrusted this matter entirely to me. Now, let us thoroughly discuss the future!" The Supreme Seer revealed his eerie, pale teeth, smiling as he spoke to Dam.
Eldrad's authoritative aura, cultivated over many years, made Dam instinctively shrink his neck. He felt that Eldrad and the Ulysses Eldar behind him were not Eldar at all, giving him a dangerous sense of being completely devoured, with even his bones ground down and swallowed.
Seeing the plea for help from his side, the Old Prophet knew it was his turn to step in. This kind of situation was not something a young man like Dam could handle. Although it would have been more appropriate for Samhain Craftworld's Supreme Seer to appear, he had already led the essence of his entire clan to settle elsewhere, so the Old Prophet had to take over his duties.
"Eldrad—"
Eldrad interrupted the Old Prophet, looking at him with confusion and asking, "Why is Lord Eldrad still here? We have important internal Craftworld matters to discuss, so please leave!"
...
"Lord, you are exiled, it is not appropriate for you to stay here, otherwise it would be bad if Ulthwé Craftworld misunderstood that you also want to join us!"
...
"People, you must have—"
Eldrad's tens of thousands of years were not lived in vain. Legend has it that he had interacted with the Emperor, and their relationship seemed to be quite good. As the old saying goes, "birds of a feather flock together." To have a friendship with the Emperor as an alien, the Old Prophet's thick skin was quite remarkable. After being provoked by Eldrad so many times, he still smiled and said:
"Heh heh, Eldrad, don't waste your breath. Making things too tense won't benefit either of you. After all, you wouldn't want His Highness Gamma to know that you are deliberately excluding 'your own people,' would you?"
"Think about it, what impression would a person who disregards even kinship leave in the heart of His Highness Gamma, who values emotions so much?"
"Would His Highness wonder, if he treats his own kind this way, how would he treat humans?"
...
The first encounter ended in a draw, both sides feeling they had met a formidable opponent. After taking their seats, they immediately entered the second round.
This time, Ulthwé Craftworld still launched the first attack. A Ulthwé official spoke in a sarcastic tone:
"The Samhain brethren have quite mixed blood, *spit*!"
The word "mongrel" is an insult in both High Gothic and Eldar languages, but it was perfectly suited to describe the Samhain representatives, who, aside from uniform attire and forehead symbols, had slight differences in skin color and appearance.
As elites from various Craftworlds, when had they ever suffered such humiliation? This remark was like a giant element poured onto a bonfire, pushing the already tense atmosphere to another level.
"Cough, cough!"
Hearing Eldrad's reminder, the Eldar, who wanted to demonstrate the magnanimity of major power diplomacy, had to suppress their anger. The Old Prophet had already given instructions before Ulthwé arrived: by no means should they fall for Eldrad's provocation; they would be delighted if Samhain voluntarily left!
"Eldrad, stop playing these petty tricks. Let's be frank and open!"
The Supreme Seer of Ulthwé Craftworld gnashed his teeth, looking at Eldrad, who seemed to have victory in his grasp. Yet, he also understood that the moment Gamma nodded and accepted Samhain, Eldrad had already lost the initiative.
"Alright! But I truly didn't expect you to go to such lengths. As expected of Lord Eldrad, who can stir up the galaxy with just his words, you actually persuaded them!" Eldrad leaned back in his chair, one hand on the table, staring intently at the Old Prophet as he spoke.
"No choice, if you can't beat them, join them. It's also a survival skill. If you can do it, why can't others?"
"Heh, are you perhaps underestimating His Highness Gamma, thinking he won't notice your calculations?"
Eldrad shrugged indifferently and replied, "We never thought of hiding it, nor do we care. You are doing it for survival, and so are we. In my eyes, there's no difference between us."
At this moment, a Ulysses Eldar retorted, "Lord Eldrad, you're mistaken. His Highness's trust in us is evident to all. Even the humans he favors haven't been able to snatch an inch of it. First come, first served; order and hierarchy are the foundation of harmonious coexistence!"
"Young man, we are Eldar, not humans. What are a few decades in our eyes? It's not appropriate to apply their rules to us."
Just as the Ulthwé representative, who had been refuted by Eldrad, was still thinking about how to respond, another person spoke for him, "That was before. His Highness's grace allows us not to live as cautiously as we once did. The environment has changed, and rules must naturally change too. Absolute equality, treating everyone the same, is not conducive to development. Appropriate competition can better stimulate the enthusiasm of the populace."
"I'm sure you all have seen the changes and progress in our Ulthwé over the past decades. Most of it was brought by His Highness Gamma,
but a very small part was achieved by ourselves. Have you seen this kind of progress anywhere else?"
"You might as well take a look at this!"
Including the Old Prophet, the Samhain representatives were all drawn to the images displayed by the projection device placed on the table. The content was simple: a Wraith construct, more closely resembling an Eldar in form, was performing various movements flexibly. Besides its peculiar appearance and agile mobility, what was more important was that there was no Soul Prophet guiding it nearby!
"What is this?" someone couldn't help but ask.
The Eldar who brought out the projection said with fervent enthusiasm, "Our second possibility!"
"Second?"
"Resurrection!"
"Hiss!" xN
Not to mention others, even the Old Prophet was startled by the word "resurrection." He hadn't expected Ulthwé Craftworld to have such a crazy idea.
Ulthwé's Chief Bonesinger proudly declared, "All of this was achieved by ourselves. Although it is still incredibly crude,
and incredibly rudimentary, we have the belief and the strength to perfect it little by little, ultimately allowing us to have a second, even a third life."
Amidst his shock, the Old Prophet asked, "Do you know what you're doing?"
"Heh, do not use your narrow minds to speculate about His Highness Gamma. This path is one that he guided and directed us to walk!"
...
Eldrad saw that the other party had been stunned by the news they deliberately leaked, and after taking a solid "warning shot" they had prepared, he then spoke faintly:
"Showing you these is to tell you not to assume that everything will be fine and you can rest easy just because His Highness Gamma has accepted you. Our current position in Ulthwé is the result of our efforts, and it is because His Highness saw our loyalty and value!"
Others didn't catch the subtext in Eldrad's words, but Eldrad, who had spent a good deal of time in the Imperium of Man, understood it—'You want to be on equal footing with us? Are you worthy?'
The Old Prophet sighed at the difficulty of the Ulysses Eldar and then glanced at his own "naive" people, feeling immense pressure this time. He alone had to face an entire team, and each of them was a capable individual.
Despite his headache, Eldrad was not one to be trifled with. If one plan failed, he would devise another. Changing the subject, he shifted from his previous confrontational stance and said:
"Eldrad, the die is cast. Continuing like this will not benefit either of us. Don't forget, we are compatriots.
The true competitor is humanity. Rather than internal strife, it's better to unite."
"I strongly agree with one point you just made: we Eldar must demonstrate value that humans do not possess to secure a place in his heart!"
Seeing the other side proactively seeking closeness, Eldrad laughed inwardly. This was precisely the effect he wanted. Just as Eldrad, that old fox, had said, making things too tense now wouldn't benefit anyone.
Eldrad, having regained the initiative, also appropriately extended the goodwill of the Ulysses Eldar. He said, "The Old Prophet is right, we are of the same race, and we should not engage in internal strife."
"Cooperation for mutual benefit and mutual support is what we should be doing."
After a pause, Eldrad deliberately looked at the Samhain Craftworld representatives, who were disguised as elites from various Craftworlds, and said, "Prophet Eldrad has extensive experience, and you should also be aware of the complexity and cruelty of politics."
"To be honest, we are also very concerned about the increasingly expanding human forces under His Highness. They are now slowly uniting and see us as their biggest competitors."
"I say this frankly, you are not a match for those human representatives. Unfamiliar with His Highness and unfamiliar with this place, you will be caught off guard and give His Highness a very bad impression!"
"Precisely for this reason, we elders are needed to guide them, wouldn't you agree, Eldrad!" Eldrad said, extending his hand.
Eldrad, understanding Eldrad's meaning, smiled and extended his hand as well, performing the ancient Eldar alliance ritual with Eldrad.
"Pleasure working with you!" x2
The little Tech-priest, this muddle-headed ruler, didn't really care how Eldrad negotiated with the Samnium Craftworld. He only knew that the number of his maidservant group had increased, and because of the appearance of 'competitors', they served him even more diligently, making Gamma very happy every day.
The number of Craftworlds in his hands also doubled. Although the Samnium Craftworld was smaller than the Ulthwé Craftworld, it was still a celestial-class vessel. The little Tech-priest couldn't decide how to deal with it for a while, so he simply called everyone together to ask for their opinions.
Unlike in the past, this long-awaited 'grand court meeting' featured many new faces, including Eldar and humans, which indirectly indicated that the little Tech-priest's influence had expanded considerably during this period.
"I've called you all here today mainly to ask for your thoughts on the modification of the Samnium Craftworld."
Gamma's voice echoed in everyone's ears, regardless of distance. The humans and Eldar who were seeing the little Tech-priest for the first time were startled by the sudden voice but quickly returned to normal.
"Your Highness, why don't we first hear the thoughts of Doom, the Prophet, since Samnium is his homeland?" Eldrad, who had reached a private agreement with other Craftworlds, suggested.
"Hmm, yes, it's appropriate to ask the original owner for his opinion. Doom, you —"
Before Gamma could finish speaking, Doom, who had reached an unattainable height at a young age, stammered, "It's all up to Your Highness!"
"Ugh, useless fellow! I give you a chance, and you can't even use it!" Eldrad cursed inwardly, but since they were allies now, the Supreme Seer, even if he cursed, still had to cover for the other party, so he could only say:
"Your Highness, please forgive him. Prophet Doom hasn't quite adapted to our ways yet."
"Oh, it's fine." The little Tech-priest waved his hand dismissively, then said to Doom in a relaxed tone:
"You don't need to be so nervous. I don't eat people. Have the civilians all been settled?"
After taking a deep breath, the young Prophet replied, a little nervously, "Reporting to Your Highness, everything has been arranged properly. They are very grateful for the new life Your Highness has bestowed upon them."
"That's good, but still, be careful. Cases of losing control can still occasionally happen."
"Eldrad has already arranged for personnel to specifically explain precautions to the populace and help them adapt to life in the new city. Currently, no special situations have occurred."
"Hmm, although you let me decide, the souls sleeping in the Infinite Circuit of the Samnium Craftworld need you to handle them. To ensure energy supply, they cannot all be transferred to the Infinite Circuit of the Ulthwé Craftworld yet."
"Yes, I will coordinate and appease them with Eldrad."
Since the original owner had no objections, the little Tech-priest asked again, "What are all your opinions?"
This time, someone Gamma didn't expect jumped out; it was that annoying fellow, Sage Kobe. The Tech-priest suggested, "I propose converting the Samnium Craftworld into a forge ship, so that —"
"Stop! Dozens of worlds and billions of people are waiting for you to transform and manage. You should not interfere in Eldar affairs!"
"Yes."
The little Tech-priest's direct refusal also made the Eldar officials who wanted to object give up their plans to speak. It wasn't that Gamma was biased — well, the little Tech-priest admitted that he would deliberately favor the Eldar in some matters, but this wasn't favoritism; it was merely to balance the two factions.
Once one faction gained an advantage in his power, they would inevitably try to influence him with their energy.
If it weren't for the lack of suitable candidates, Gamma would even want to support a third party in his 'court'. Eldrad and Doom had long informed him about the other Craftworlds, and Gamma, as Eldrad said, was not displeased by this. As more and more human worlds were reclaimed under his control, the little Tech-priest was also happy to see the Eldar increase their stakes in him.
This was the political art of "practicing a crane-like posture, with two scriptures under a thousand pine trees." The little Tech-priest now understood the true meaning of governing by doing nothing.
"Your Highness, why not transform the Samnium Craftworld into a dedicated warship? This could greatly enhance the defensive power of the Ulthwé Craftworld and allow our forces to extend along the main routes of the Webway." The head of the Craftworld's Warstrider proposed.
Gamma thought this suggestion was good, and he had considered it as well. Although the Eldar Craftworld's navigation routes were not fixed, they were not entirely without trace. It wasn't just one or two Craftworlds that had been found by the Imperium, Tyranids, or Orks. There could never be too much defensive power for the main base.
However, the little Tech-priest was wavering between the options of 'building high walls' or 'three burrows for a cunning rabbit', which was why this grand court meeting was held.
"Hmm, does anyone else have an opinion?" Gamma asked again.
After waiting a while and seeing no response, he said, "Since no one objects, it's decided then."
At the same time, the little Tech-priest thought to himself with a bit of shame: 'They've been wandering the galaxy all this time, yet they still have such a strong sense of attachment to their homeland. I think the idea of three burrows for a cunning rabbit isn't bad at all...'
Gamma's current psychology perfectly demonstrated what it means that what you can't have is the best, and what it means to regret your choice immediately after making it.
Temporarily without a third Craftworld to make up for his regret, the little Tech-priest, after making the decision, wanted to return to his bedchamber to be comforted by the Eldar Miss. But Sage Kobe, that old fellow, jumped out to bother him again, "Your Highness, I have something to say."
Hearing this, Gamma lazily glanced in the direction of the Eldar, and after confirming that they were ready for 'battle', he asked impatiently:
"What is it?"
"A request has come back from the front line. They have discovered a Saint world and want to ask how you wish to handle it."
Gamma was momentarily stunned. Thinking of the special nature of a Shrine world, he didn't know how to deal with this Saint world, which was full of fanatical Emperor worshipers. Also, he was worried that the 'Yellow Skins' (a derogatory term for the Imperium) might use this Saint world for some nefarious purpose.
After some thought, the little Tech-priest decided it was best to understand the situation clearly before making a decision. After all, it wasn't a very urgent matter; otherwise, Calgar's communication would have reached him directly, and Kobe wouldn't have needed to relay it.
"I understand."
Having said that, the little Tech-priest lifted his leg to leave, but the old Tech-priest had no intention of letting Gamma go so easily, so he spoke again:
"Your Highness, according to my statistics, the average consumption of resources by Eldar civilians far exceeds that of human civilians. To demonstrate your fairness and impartiality,
I believe we should reduce —"
Before Sage Kobe could finish speaking, an Eldar official stepped forward to retort:
"Silence, old fool! Which of our food, drink, and daily necessities isn't self-produced and self-consumed by the Craftworld? Do you pretend not to see the food transported from the Craftworld to various places every month, and thus it doesn't exist?"
"Yes, but that's no reason for your wanton waste!" Sage Kobe declared righteously.
"Nonsense! If you say we're wasteful, provide evidence! I have a statistical report here on the organic content of Afak's daily waste over the past year. Let's see who's truly wasteful!"
Well done! The little Tech-priest silently gave a big thumbs-up to his sycophantic subordinate in his heart, then walked towards the bedchamber behind the main hall without looking back.
Gamma, whose regret was temporarily forgotten thanks to the diligent comfort of the Eldar Miss, went to the combat command center in the Webway to find Calgar and Ventris to understand the situation of the Saint world only after checking all the experiments.
The little Tech-priest, who rarely visited the Webway, would always exclaim every time he saw the ruins of the Eldar Empire's cities:
Although their practices were perverse, their aesthetics were truly impressive!
Thinking that this beautiful city now belonged to him, Gamma even felt like making it his capital. Not only Calgar and his forces were gathered here, but also most of the branch warriors of the Ulthwé Craftworld, the Eldar pirates who had defected, and Gamma's Iron Men legions.
Calgar and his team's duty was to command Gamma's gradually forming legions and a portion of the Iron Men, pushing outwards along the Webway to reclaim lost human worlds.
The Eldar's duty was to investigate the conditions of the various Webway routes connected to this node, sealing off any damaged sections to prevent daemons from slipping through the broken gaps in the Webway, while also clearing out all sorts of strange and unusual monsters within the Webway.
No one knew how these monsters evolved or how they came to be in the Webway. To adapt to the highly deceptive environment of the Webway, most of their eyes had completely degenerated, and they relied entirely on smell and hearing to move.
The Iron Men's duty was simple: to 'fight'. Calgar sought them when needed, the Eldar sought them when needed, and when no one needed them, they were like old humans waiting to be hired at a job fair, holding up their self-made signs and standing in the easiest 'job-finding' spots, awaiting their battle.
"Good at close-quarters combat, good at long-range support, good at stealth and ambush! Good at stealth and ambush?"
Gamma looked up in confusion at the six-meter-tall Iron Man in front of him, patted his metal thigh, and asked, "How come I don't remember you having a stealth and ambush function?"
"Magos, if we don't have it, we can learn it." The Iron Man lowered his head and replied proudly.
"Hmm!" The little Tech-priest was greatly surprised. A prodigal son returning to the right path?
"Did you upgrade your chassis?"
"No, who would bother with that? I have a simpler method, Magos, look."
The Iron Man said, carefully taking a large cloak from a bag beside him and putting it over his chassis. As the psychic power of this spirit bone equipment was activated, more than half of the Iron Man's body disappeared in a shimmer of optical camouflage.
Staring speechlessly at the two exposed metal legs and two large feet in front of him, Gamma's twitching face said, "Is that how you ambush?!"
"Of course not, Magos. You see, if I just squat down, no one can see me."
Looking at the clowning Iron Man, Gamma gave him a hard kick and then asked, "How do you move when you're squatting? Do you inch along? Don't you know your own weight? Do you think the enemies are all deaf?"
To his surprise, the Iron Man showed no sign of introspection, instead saying proudly, "I already thought of what the Magos said. It's a bit small now, but once I save enough money, I can just ask a Bonesinger to enlarge it, can't I? This cloak originally only covered my head. It got this big because I had someone modify it later."
The little Tech-priest no longer wanted to say anything about this 'heretical cultivator' Iron Man who sought 'external help', but before leaving, he still asked:
"Where did you get this cloak?"
"I found it while clearing ruins. I wanted to keep it, so I traded it from Conquest using my military merits."
"Alright."
If things continued to develop like this, 'Strong Light Dragon Gall Spear' and other such evil items would eventually appear on the Iron Men. Alas, a family misfortune! The little Tech-priest thought with 'immense melancholy'.
Gamma, who had temporarily forgotten the regret in his heart thanks to the diligent comfort of the Eldar Miss, went to the combat command center in the Webway to find Calgar and Ventris to understand the situation of the Saint world only after checking all the experiments.
The little Tech-priest, who rarely visited the Webway, would always exclaim every time he saw the ruins of the Eldar Empire's cities:
Although their practices were perverse, their aesthetics were truly impressive!
Thinking that this beautiful city now belonged to him, Gamma even felt like making it his capital. Not only Calgar and his team were gathered here, but also most of the branch warriors of the Ulthwé Craftworld, the Eldar pirates who had defected, and Gamma's Iron Men legions.
Calgar and his team's duty was to command Gamma's gradually forming legions and a portion of the Iron Men, pushing outwards along the Webway to reclaim lost human worlds.
The Eldar's duty was to investigate the conditions of the various Webway routes connected to this node, sealing off any damaged sections to prevent daemons from slipping through the broken gaps in the Webway, while also clearing out all sorts of strange and unusual monsters within the Webway.
No one knew how these monsters evolved or how they came to be in the Webway. To adapt to the highly deceptive environment of the Webway, most of their eyes had completely degenerated, and they relied entirely on smell and hearing to move.
The Iron Men's duty was simple: to 'fight'. Calgar sought them when needed, the Eldar sought them when needed, and when no one needed them, they were like old humans waiting to be hired at a job fair, holding up their self-made signs and standing in the easiest 'job-finding' spots, awaiting their battle.
"Good at close-quarters combat, good at long-range support, good at stealth and ambush! Good at stealth and ambush?"
Gamma looked up in confusion at the six-meter-tall Iron Man in front of him, patted his metal thigh, and asked, "How come I don't remember you having a stealth and ambush function?"
"Magos, if we don't have it, we can learn it." The Iron Man lowered his head and replied proudly.
"Hmm!" The little Tech-priest was greatly surprised. A prodigal son returning to the right path?
"Did you upgrade your chassis?"
"No, who would bother with that? I have a simpler method, Magos, look."
The Iron Man said, carefully taking a large cloak from a bag beside him and putting it over his chassis. As the psychic power of this spirit bone equipment was activated, more than half of the Iron Man's body disappeared in a shimmer of optical camouflage.
Staring speechlessly at the two exposed metal legs and two large feet in front of him, Gamma's twitching face said, "Is that how you ambush?!"
"Of course not, Magos. You see, if I just squat down, no one can see me."
Looking at the clowning Iron Man, Gamma gave him a hard kick and then asked, "How do you move when you're squatting? Do you inch along? Don't you know your own weight? Do you think the enemies are all deaf?"
To his surprise, the Iron Man showed no sign of introspection, instead saying proudly, "I already thought of what the Magos said. It's a bit small now, but once I save enough money, I can just ask a Bonesinger to enlarge it, can't I? This cloak originally only covered my head. It got this big because I had someone modify it later."
The little Tech-priest no longer wanted to say anything about this 'heretical cultivator' Iron Man who sought 'external help', but before leaving, he still asked:
"Where did you get this cloak?"
"I found it while clearing ruins. I wanted to keep it, so I traded it from Conquest using my military merits."
"Alright."
If things continued to develop like this, 'Strong Light Dragon Gall Spear' and other such evil items would eventually appear on the Iron Men. Alas, a family misfortune! The little Tech-priest thought with 'immense melancholy'.
Finding Calgar, who was frantically putting on his helmet, Gamma couldn't help but quip, "I say, is it really that bad, Calgar?"
"Aren't you afraid that wearing a helmet for too long will give you claustrophobia? If you get that, the Imperial gossip will have another rumor: the Ultramarines Chapter Master is secretly an Ogre."
Calgar, adjusting his helmet with both hands, snorted and ignored the young Tech-priest who had shown up without an announcement.
Ventris, standing nearby, diverted the embarrassing topic for his Chapter Master and asked, "Why are you here at this time?"
"Didn't you say you found a Shrine World? I came to understand the situation."
"Do you really need to make a special trip for this?" Calgar asked, a bit puzzled.
The young Tech-priest walked to a chair that was too big and high for him, but just right for a Space Marine. After struggling to sit down, he finally replied:
"Why wouldn't it be? You all know how fanatical the people of a Holy World can be."
"If we absorb it rashly, and don't handle it well, we could very likely end up fighting a civil war. Besides, the Warp and those traitor Word Bearers love to target Shrine Worlds, so how can I not take it seriously?"
The name "Word Bearers" stirred the hatred in the Ultramarines' gene-seed. Their hatred for those traitors would not cease until one side was utterly destroyed.
The same applied to the Word Bearers who had pledged allegiance to Chaos.
With a chilling glint in his eyes, Ventris said, "You guessed right. There is indeed a Word Bearers warband there right now, enslaving the populace and performing their blasphemous rituals!"
Gamma was greatly surprised. He truly didn't know his mouth was so accurate, and quickly asked, "Have you engaged them yet?"
"Not yet. We were afraid they'd escape, so we didn't kill those traitors immediately!"
What do you mean, afraid they'd escape? Clearly, you want to annihilate them. Thinking this, Gamma asked again, "Is our fleet strong enough to annihilate a warband?"
At this moment, Calgar, whose gauntlets creaked, explained, "They have already opened a Warp Rift on the planet's surface, and daemons are constantly pouring out of it!"
"Completely fallen?"
"No, we observed signs of engagement in the central cathedral area."
The young Tech-priest didn't know whether to be happy or sad about this news. If it had fallen completely, it would have been easier to deal with.
Survivors meant he couldn't go all out to make the daemons and traitors suffer.
"What's your plan?"