Chapter 77: New Abilities and the Ceremony
Verre departed. Pavian then approached, appearing incredibly eager; even his bionic eyes were flashing along with his excited mood.
"Pavian, calm down. If you have something to say, just say it!"
"My Lord! It's done! It's done! A total of three Yamato-class Battlecruisers on Agalos have all completed construction!"
Pavian was over a hundred years old, yet at this moment, he was as excited as a child.
Hearing this, Lucan also couldn't help but stand up.
From this moment on, he possessed warships capable of FTL travel without needing the Warp!
"Excellent! Pavian, I will immediately arrange for people to familiarize themselves with the warships. After the ceremony, we will begin trials! Keep this strictly confidential until then. Also, make some modifications to these three warships. Can you install some temporary cargo holds on them? I need the ships to be able to carry more personnel."
"Temporary holds? That should be possible. And rest assured, your warships can conduct planetary flight. The construction zone on Agalos has been completely isolated! Only the Tech-Priests under my command can enter!
There is one more thing, my Lord. Since we began venerating the Holy Machine, it seems we have acquired some special abilities."
"Special abilities?"
"Yes!"
Saying this, Pavian took out a Purity Seal covered in inscribed prayers.
Lucan knew of this kind of thing. Like blessed incense and holy water, they were items used by the Adeptus Mechanicus to soothe and please machine spirits. However, what was written on this one was no longer prayers to the Omnissiah, but prayers to the Holy Machine – the SCV.
Pavian walked towards a Cogitator in the room, then piously affixed the seal to it with sealing wax. The previously inactive Cogitator, after having the seal applied, actually activated on its own.
A string of binary code appeared on the screen.
Lucan didn't recognize binary, but having shared a portion of the Machine Faith, he could also sense the machine spirit was currently expressing endless joy.
"Are you saying the seals you inscribe can please machine spirits?!"
"That's right! This is an unprecedented ability! It can be accomplished without prayer, and this seal even possesses the ability to purify corruption! My Lord! This is the power bestowed upon us by the great Holy Machine! The machine spirit has acknowledged the Holy Machine, and it has acknowledged us! As believers in the Holy Machine, we too can act as agents of some of its divine office!"
It was known that in the world of Warhammer, everything from a Titan down to a boltgun possessed a machine spirit. The machine spirit embodied the concept that all things have a spirit.
And a pleased machine spirit was very important in this world, not just for making these mechanical constructs function normally, but also for allowing them to perform far beyond their original specifications when in a state of joy.
Once Pavian and the other Tech-Priests possessed this ability, they could bypass the tedious rituals of appeasing machine spirits. In normal times, this was fine, but in battle, this was a force multiplier.
With the same level of weaponry, your weapons would fire faster and more accurately than the enemy's, your warship engines would have greater output and speed, and even your void shields could withstand a few more hits than others.
"Is there a time limit on the seals you inscribe?"
"At least for now, we haven't discovered any point at which they lose effect!"
Lucan now finally understood the benefits brought by sharing that faith.
This branch of the cult managed by Pavian had acquired a remarkable ability.
With the allure of this ability, surely more members of the Mechanicus would join Lucan's Dynasty.
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Half a month later.
The residents of Agathos Hive City happily walked out of their homes.
The Dynasty had begun implementing a population registration policy on Agathos. While registering the population, their special skills were also recorded. Lucan needed everyone to contribute to the Dynasty's development.
Today, the Rogue Trader's officials distributed an extra day's worth of rations and energy cells to every registered resident.
The people thanked the Rogue Trader for his generosity and benevolence, because today was the day of the formal inauguration ceremony for the great Rogue Trader, Lucan Mongorte.
Apart from the workers essential for maintaining the hive's operations, everyone else received a day of paid leave. Lucan even gave triple pay to those on duty, which made the duty roster spots highly sought after.
If the nobles of the uphive were still able to enjoy their good life, then the change in the lives of the underhive dwellers was the greatest.
The gangs that oppressed them were gone. Under Lord Lucan's orders, the nobles no longer regarded their lives as disposable commodities.
And as long as they worked hard, the Rogue Trader had also fulfilled his promise.
More work-points and lower exchange prices allowed them to eat and drink their fill, while also having spare money to purchase other things.
And the presence of the Medics also solved the medical problems that had long plagued the underhive.
The Medics' treatment was incredibly cheap. In every district, Lucan had stationed a Medic.
It didn't cost many resources anyway.
The Dynasty's foremost objective was still expansion and the plunder of wealth. For these underhive workers, being able to live out their lives in peace was their highest aspiration.
And now, they also had a new hope: to join the Rogue Trader in protecting this hard-won life.
In other words, to strive to be loyal to the Rogue Trader!
And during this time, warships from various factions, carrying their envoys, also arrived in the orbit of Agathos.
Agathos had never been so bustling.
At this moment, Pilgrim's Square had been completely repaired.
The populace was gathered here, and Lucan heard them loudly calling his name. This was support from the bottom of their hearts.
In piety and awe, they cheered for Lucan becoming their new leader.
"Now this is what a normal world should be like!"
And at this moment, a voice sounded in Lucan's mind. This signified that Lucan's leadership was truly what the people desired.
"Have thoroughly grasped one planet. Second game program can now be loaded."
"Game Program loadable (1/2)."
"Third game program can be loaded after thoroughly grasping 10 habitable planets."
After hearing this voice, Lucan almost shouted out in excitement. He even wanted to ignore the ongoing ceremony and immediately open the system to check.
The ceremony was still in progress, so Lucan temporarily endured.
And after the cheering, came the judgment of those traitors.
One by one, the captured traitor family heads and leaders were tied to pyres.
The populace cursed these people who had brought suffering to this planet and its people, and they would now atone for their actions with their lives.
The executioner soldiers stood behind them. The Dark Gods they believed in would no longer protect them. After Bishop Holter had proclaimed their crimes, the soldiers lit the pyres. Only fire could purify their bodies and souls.
The agonized wails of these individuals brought the crowd's emotions to a peak.
And after the execution came a grand military parade.
With terrifying production capacity, it wouldn't be long before combat suits covered every soldier on Agathos.
Lucan was now in a situation where he had more equipment than men.
Banshees circled above the parade formation, and warships flew close to the orbit.
One neat formation of soldiers after another marched through the square: the Marine formation, the Marauder formation, the Firebat formation.
These soldiers had just experienced a war against Chaos and the Genestealer Cult.
Victory had raised their morale to an unprecedented level.
This left the dignitaries watching from the stage deeply shocked.
The synchronized footsteps of the soldiers in combat suits even drowned out the cheers of the populace.
And the roar of the Siege Tanks' engines pushed the atmosphere to a climax. This was Lucan declaring to everyone that he had the ability to protect his people!
And when the parade procession had passed, the people who had been watching the ceremony from the side also approached Lucan.
Verre introduced them to Lucan at his side; these were the envoys and representatives from various factions.
The Navy, the Departmento Munitorum, the Departmento Interno, the Adeptus Mechanicus, the Ecclesiarchy, and several neighboring Rogue Trader Dynasties.
They had all come after receiving an invitation.
And this military parade also let everyone know that the Mongorte Dynasty was about to rise.
(End of Chapter)