Back at Kasr Kraf, Creed convened another meeting.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Zeke began circling the Kasr Kraf bastion, knocking on doors one by one.
There were simply too few people to trade with in his own camp, so Zeke decided to extract every last Emerald available in Kasr Kraf.
It wasn't an easy job; Zeke felt like a door-to-door salesman.
Facing the Cadian people, he stood there like a fool, staring at the ground and rapidly clicking through trading panels.
Villagers couldn't breed here, otherwise, he wouldn't be in a state where he couldn't even build a trading hall.
As Zeke exchanged Emeralds, he got used to this sales routine.
Working his way from the perimeter to the center, he arrived at Creed's conference room and walked inside.
There, he encountered an unexpected guest.
Standing before the conference table, Zeke looked up at a figure that nearly scraped the ceiling.
A Tech-Priest entirely shrouded in gilded red robes.
Belisarius Cawl. Archmagos Dominus, Prime Conduit of the Omnissiah, Father of the Primaris Space Marines, Savior of Guilliman.
His titles were endless. He was an ancient monster who had lived for who knows how many thousands of years—so long that even his primary personality couldn't remember it all.
Incidentally, he had the highest HP of anyone Zeke had ever seen.
A full 5,000 points. 500 were red, and the other 4,500 were blue.
Zeke surmised the blue represented void shields or something similar.
Archmagos Cawl was a 'Monster' unit, in the same weight class as a Titan.
You could never imagine how many weapons and unknown devices were hidden beneath those red robes.
Whenever survival was at stake, Cawl would pull out some black technology from under his robes that even he didn't fully understand.
That was why Zeke jokingly called him Doraemon Cawl—or simply, Dora-Cawl.
"Zeke Mason. I know you." Cawl lowered his head, looking at Zeke before him.
"Klein mentioned your name to me. He said you possess some very miraculous machinery."
"Yes. 'Mechanical Power,' that is what I call it," Zeke replied.
Cawl bent his massive frame to enter the conference room, and Zeke followed close behind.
The room was filled with old acquaintances: Creed, Wolf Lord Bloodhowl, the Imperial Fists.
"Is the Archmagos Dominus here because of an interest in the Blackstone Fortress?"
Creed sat at the head of the table. He really couldn't figure out what wind had blown this personage here.
"Half correct. To be precise, not the Blackstone Fortress, but the Blackstone itself."
Cawl's chatterbox switch was flipped, and countless words spilled from his vocalizers.
At first, Zeke could somewhat follow along—something about Blackstone suppressing the Warp.
But as it went on, it felt like being back in a university advanced mathematics class; his brain started to feel heavy and drowsy.
"And this," Cawl concluded, "is the proof of my hypothesis."
Not a single hero in the room could offer a response.
They were like students called upon in class to answer a question, stammering and unable to say a word.
"Are there any questions?" Cawl asked, witnessing the silence of the commanders around him.
"Yes," Creed said. "What does all that mean?"
"Correct," Wolf Lord Bloodhowl added. "Please explain it again."
"Which part do you find ambiguous? Can you be specific?" Cawl replied.
He showed a hint of agitation and annoyance.
Zeke took a step forward. "I understood what you meant. You're saying that Blackstone can help us defeat Abaddon more effectively, correct?"
Archmagos Cawl revealed a gratified smile.
"If you were on Mars, someone like you would become a Tech-Priest far easier than those others."
Become a Tech-Priest? Forget it. Zeke shook his head mentally. I don't want to go through another College Entrance Exam on Mars.
To become a Tech-Priest on Mars, one had to undergo a series of studies and exams. The difficulty and pressure were comparable to three years of agonizing entrance exams (actually, far beyond that).
"The Elysion Pylons. There exists an extremely complex underground mining network there, permeating with Blackstone veins. Castellan Creed, I apply for permission to investigate that area."
Cawl stated the purpose of his visit.
"Go ahead and do it," Creed nodded.
"Where are the Elysion Pylons?" Zeke moved to Wolf Lord Bloodhowl's side and asked quietly.
Bloodhowl spread out a map and pointed to the southwest corner.
"A while back, air forces found a crashed merchant ship there. It was smuggling animals."
Zeke compared the location. Isn't this near my spawn point?
No doubt about it. A crashed animal smuggling ship—that was exactly where he had found Cow.
Archmagos Cawl declined Creed's offer to send soldiers for support as he exited through the door, heading toward the location of the Elysion Pylons.
Seizing the moment, Creed pulled Zeke aside.
"Abaddon can't hold back anymore," Creed said, unable to hide the turbulence in his heart. "Unable to break our defenses for so long, he is deploying more and more troops onto the Cadian continent."
Creed didn't finish the sentence, but Zeke knew what he was going to say. The opportunity to raid the Blackstone Fortress was coming soon.
"During this time, I will gather all troops and mobilize every ounce of power available," Creed stated firmly.
Zeke nodded to show he understood, then pushed open the door to chase after Cawl.
Zeke intended to go to the Elysion Pylons as well. According to the Tinkers' Manual, Blackstone was a material he could now collect since he had a Netherite Pickaxe.
"Mind if someone hitches a ride on your research trip?"
Not knowing what tone to use with such an ancient monster, Zeke decided to just state his request directly.
"You are also interested in the Blackstone?"
"Sort of."
"Then you should know the rules of the Adeptus Mechanicus. Knowledge in exchange for knowledge."
Zeke felt a slight change in the tone and vocabulary Cawl used; perhaps he had switched to a sub-personality to converse.
Knowledge? That was the one thing he didn't lack. Besides, even if you have Minecraft knowledge, it doesn't mean you can use it.
Zeke agreed without hesitation.