As Adam spoke those confident words, the Silent King immediately raised his head with great interest.
A barely perceptible glint flickered within his emerald eyes.
The supreme ruler of the Necrons knew full well that the entity standing before him was a true deity of the material universe.
So, through what method did this deity intend to prove his point?
The Silent King was indeed quite curious.
Adam cleared his throat and began pacing back and forth across the spacious, tomb-like hall, his footsteps echoing crisp and clear against the black stone tiles.
"Lord Silent King, you should understand this very well," Adam began, raising a single finger as he explained smoothly. "The conflict between humanity and the Necrons is largely driven by territorial boundaries and domain disputes.
Your kind went into slumber during an ancient era, but after so many millennia have passed, calling humanity parasites who took over the galaxy while the Necrons slept would be a bit unreasonable."
He paused in his tracks and turned to face the holographic projection upon the throne.
"In their rise to power, humanity relied on no help from the Necrons, nor did any Necrons attempt to stop humanity's ascension. After all, it's not as if none of your people were awake back then."
The corners of Adam's mouth curled up slightly, his tone carrying a hint of teasing: "For instance, a certain museum curator woke up a very long time ago—his collection even includes ancient artifacts from humanity's Mesopotamian era."
"—I reserve my opinion on that matter."
The Silent King interjected abruptly, his voice as unruffled as ever.
Adam gave his head a small shake, ignoring the objection, and pressed on: "And that is precisely the core point of contention right now. The galaxy is indeed vast, spanning the cosmos, yet it is also small—so small that it cannot accommodate two galaxy-spanning space empires coexisting in peace."
He spread his hands, his expression growing serious.
"So why don't we change our approach? Why not find a path acceptable to both sides?"
The Silent King narrowed his eyes, his holographic projection leaning forward slightly.
"What is your meaning? Let us lay our cards on the table."
Suddenly, the Silent King froze.
His command protocol core completed countless calculations within nanoseconds, as if grasping a hidden implication beneath Adam's words.
The underlying meaning behind those words ultimately pointed toward a deduction he didn't particularly care for.
"Let me guess."
The Silent King's voice grew deeper. "Could it be that you want me—or rather, all Necrons—to abandon the galaxy and march beyond it into extragalactic space to carve out new territory, leaving the entire galaxy to humanity?"
The air in the grand hall instantly froze.
"I shall speak plainly—that is utterly impossible."
A cold light flashed in the Silent King's green eyes. Though his voice remained flat, it carried an unquestionable authority.
"Asking the sovereign of a grand species to hand over what rightfully belongs to his people? To casually forfeit such vast territory is by no means the act of a proper king. Even though I have waged war across the galaxy for ten thousand years and conquered countless worlds, those domains are the treasures I plan to bestow upon my subjects."
He raised his chin slightly, displaying the pride belonging to the supreme ruler of the Necrontyr.
"None of these favorable terms serve as a reason for me to voluntarily give up the galaxy."
Even with the massive bargaining chip of biotransferral on the line, it was out of the question.
Besides, the Silent King was not even entirely convinced at this moment that the so-called biotransferral would succeed!
Adam let out a soft sigh.
"It seems this is where our conflict lies."
He gave his head a gentle shake, looking like someone lamenting another's lack of foresight.
At the same time, this highlighted the fundamental difference between the Necrons and the Aeldari.
The Aeldari were down to their last breath; it was no exaggeration to say they had one foot in the grave.
If not for good fortune bringing the Craftworld Aeldari to Adam's side in time for him to act decisively, the Aeldari might well have met total extinction by now.
The Necrons, however, were entirely different.
Indeed, the vast majority of Necrons longed to reverse biotransferral and experience living flesh once more.
Yet that was no reason to blackmail them into surrendering their core interests.
At worst, the Silent King could simply wash his hands of the matter and go straight to war—unlike the Aeldari, they were in no desperate rush to grasp at a lifeline.
To a degree, this was a variation of "after me, the deluge."
'So long as I destroy my soul first, I don't need to worry about the Warp's influence!'
At the thought, Adam shrugged.
"I wasn't naive enough to think you'd agree to such an entirely unreasonable request."
The Silent King's holographic projection shifted slightly.
Adam's bluntness actually caught him somewhat by surprise.
This god, at least, was far more candid than the C'tan back then.
"—Mm. Go on."
The Silent King nodded, gesturing for him to continue.
"That is because I shall promise you a far better world."
Adam's voice turned grave.
"A vaster territory—a far more expansive galaxy."
The Silent King's holographic projection came to a sharp halt.
His emerald pupils flickered abruptly, their light turning immensely deep in an instant. Countless calculations erupted within his command protocols as nanosecond thoughts raced furiously.
'I see.'
'So that's how it is?'
Uncountable streams of light and shadow flashed through the Silent King's cognitive circuits.
Things that had been baffling before seemed to connect together all at once.
"That's right, a brand-new universe, a brand-new galaxy," Adam said with great satisfaction, pleased that the Silent King had caught his meaning.
"Without exaggeration, that is a future worth trading another vast galactic domain for."
This was Adam's plan.
The parallel universe he spoke of naturally came from a certain Foundation world—the world of "Per Aspera Ad Astra."
Adam intended to offer it as a new home for the Silent King and his Necrontyr subjects to gain a fresh lease on life, avoiding direct conflict with the Imperium of Man.
As for how to bring the Silent King and his entire military legacy along?
It was actually quite simple.
If one recalled, when Adam returned to this galaxy from that universe last time, aside from bringing back the "Square Peg in a Round Hole" as an ultimate insurance card, he was also handed something directly by that secretive O5 Councilor—a small briefcase meant to hold anomaly containment vessels.
Unremarkable as it looked, it held vast wonders within.
It was a true "pocket universe" by the Foundation's definition—or rather, a "baseline reality."
As for how such a thing was created, Adam hadn't quite figured it out himself.
Yet under his appraisal, it was not merely a space, nor just a storage pocket.
In the conventional sense, pocket dimensions like Warp bags merely expanded or folded existing space to stuff items inside for storage.
That pocket universe was different.
In Adam's judgment, though small in volume, it was a genuine universe in every sense.
A feat of sheer high-tech wonder.
Thus, with the amplification of Adam's reality warping, this universe could expand without limit or ceiling. So long as Adam wished it, he could easily pack the entirety of the Necrontyr civilization into that briefcase and lead them all back to the Foundation universe, completing a true cross-universal voyage.
Now, it all depended on whether the Silent King was willing.
"To think such a thing exists..."
The Silent King was genuinely stunned.
Inside his command protocols, an entirely new galaxy seemed to take shape.
Countless calculations continually expanded, simulated, and weighed options within his consciousness.
'I see.'
The Silent King slowly raised his head, his voice carrying a sense of sudden enlightenment: "It seems I have come to realize something."
He paused.
"In that case, I seem to understand your origins. You are likely not a god born of this universe, but a traveler from an alternate cosmos, arriving here from your homeland. Am I correct?"
Adam smiled.
"You catch on quite fast."
He spread his hands generously, a hint of frankness in his smile: "That's right. That is where I come from."
The current Adam was powerful enough that he no longer cared about such minor details being revealed.
If this gave the Silent King some peace of mind and prompted him to hand over all the C'tan shards sooner, it would be worth more than anything!
The Silent King finally let out a sigh of relief.
In a way, this solved a massive enigma in his mind.
A god from an alternate universe.
That provided a thoroughly logical explanation for his background.
To the Silent King, a god capable of wielding equal power in both the Warp and realspace simultaneously was utterly unbelievable.
Even with Necron technology, such reality-subverting power remained beyond explanation.
Now, learning that this entity hailed from another universe where the fundamental rules themselves might differ...
Everything made sense to the Silent King now.
"In that case, my former standards of judgment no longer apply," the Silent King spoke, a rare touch of human sentiment creeping into his tone. "It seems you truly are the sort of god who considers himself human. Is that a habit brought over from that foreign world?"
He nodded thoughtfully.
'The cosmos is vast indeed, full of all manner of wonders.'
'I thought that dried-up sorcerer on the throne was already an exception among exceptions, but to think there is an even greater case!'
The Silent King began reorganizing his thoughts.
If this was a deity from another universe, certain assumptions could be re-evaluated and reconsidered.
After all, every single god born of this universe had a reputation score well in the negative.
The Emperor? The figure sitting on the Golden Throne could tell lies without batting an eye.
The C'tan? The Deceiver tricked the Necrons into biotransferral, a debt still unsettled to this day.
The Laughing God went without saying—essentially a creature that went about spreading illusions and deception everywhere.
As for the filth in the Warp—the Silent King did not even care to mention them.
However, if it was a deity from an alternate universe...
His trust score, it seemed... might not be quite as abysmal as those others.
Perhaps he truly would fulfill the contract struck here.
At this thought, the Silent King raised his head and asked, "This other brand-new galaxy you speak of—could you describe its specific conditions to me?"
Adam smiled.
"It is a very normal galaxy. Chronologically, it appears quite early. For one thing, the humans on Earth there have not yet fully stepped beyond their home system. The timeline is not even at 3K yet—meaning less than three thousand years."
He gestured in the air.
"Their conventional technology tree lags far behind yours, but it is undeniably bursting with life. Numerous civilizations roam and thrive across the stars. That galaxy contains no extragalactic marauders like the Great Devourer, and its level of crisis doesn't even come close to this one."
Adam's tone turned even more enticing.
"Furthermore, a wonderful aspect of that galaxy is that it lacks anything like the Warp. Humans there travel using methods similar to warp drives, and there are no so-called Warp gods spying on realspace."
He met the Silent King's emerald gaze, his words deeply sincere.
"For the reborn Necrontyr, it would be an ideal destination."
'Yes, exactly.'
'Just like that!'
Adam tried extremely hard to keep his composure, refraining from bursting into laughter on the spot.
Who would have thought?
Tricking someone into another universe actually felt remarkably great!
Truth be told, every word he spoke was fact, without a single lie.
'Is this how that golden figure felt when he tricked me into this universe back then?'
'No.'
Adam sternly reminded himself in his mind.
'Must hold it in!'
'Can't laugh now—wait a bit, declare victory later!'
The Silent King fell silent.
He sank back into deep thought once more. The lights of calculation flickered irregularly within his emerald pupils, like a simulation running on a galactic scale.
The two Phaerons remained standing on either side like statues, not daring to utter a sound.
They knew their master was currently making a choice capable of deciding the fate of their entire species.
Finally, the Silent King spoke slowly: "This matter is of paramount importance. I require some time before making a final decision."
His voice remained flat, yet that flatness no longer held the absolute refusal from the beginning.
"Or to speak more clearly: even if I fully accept your terms, certain preparations must be made in advance to ensure nothing goes awry."
"This is both for your sake and for ours."
Grasping the implication beneath his words, Adam nodded and offered a warm reminder: "In that case, you best hurry. Given how the current situation is unfolding, time is running out."
He gave the Silent King a meaningful look.
"The galaxy is likely to become quite 'vibrant' in the days ahead. Do keep that in mind."
"—I shall take it into consideration."
The Silent King's holographic projection offered a faint nod.