Warhammer: I don't want to become a stinky can!

But after Hades passed by, the car didn't move; it simply remained stationary.

Without hesitation, Hades broadcast the message directly to the other side.

"Hades, Death Guard of the Fourteenth Legion, wishes to meet you."

This was no ordinary message; Hades was using encrypted language.

As for which encryption method it is—

The car door slowly opened, and a sage dressed in a scarlet robe appeared before Hades. He was a rather unremarkable sage, unlike the towering figure of the Jordanian sages or the attire of the female sages he had seen before. He was quite conventional, and among a group of sages, he would just be the background figure.

The only unusual thing was that the sage's hood was adorned with pendants, but instead of the usual incense burner or gold ornaments, they were two rough black stones.

"Hello, Hades of Deathguard."

Unlike Hades, the sage spoke directly, his most ordinary electronic voice blaring harshly, devoid of any emotional fluctuation.

"I did make a mistake; deploying Kim-306 was a bold move."

Before we get to the main point, would you be willing to tell me exactly which step you saw through?

Hades surveyed the terrain and the area behind the sage, and only after confirming that the sage was not stalling for time did Hades speak.

"He was too obsequious to me."

It's as if it was completely tailor-made for Hades, with its deliberate electronic expressions, anthropomorphic voice, and highly directional answers.

It's not that all sages are lifeless; some sages with very different personalities do the same, but these people all have a distinct sense of self.

During his interactions with King, Hades became certain that King did not possess such a thing.

It's not that it doesn't exist, it's that it's been constantly running away.

Moreover, every time Hades deliberately brought up a topic, the other party would suddenly stop thinking.

And the unexplained disappearance, the deliberate recording... Oh, right, and the reminder the old car gave him.

The sage opposite paused for a moment.

"I see."

"I am very sorry for my previous behavior. I was originally a sage who studied the field of anti-psychic energy. When I accidentally learned about your special constitution, I rashly hoped to study it."

“I do not wish to harm you. If you permit, I may execute Kim-306 as an apology, just to appease your anger.”

"I am not angry."

Hades suddenly spoke.

The other party paused for a moment, and Hades could sense their thought process spinning.

"I did not intend to harm you, but I acted rashly in a moment of panic. If you are not angry—"

The sage slowly turned to the side.

"Could we come to the car together to discuss the cooperation in detail?"

"cooperate?"

Hades feigned doubt, but in fact, this was also his purpose.

They came to Mars to find a sage who studies anti-psychic powers. No wonder. Makado told him to come over immediately.

"Yes, if you wish, we can conduct research without harming your body."

Hades blinked.

"Sure, but let's talk here."

Do you think I can't see the static force field in your car?

Thanks for subscribing, happy reading! (ω｀)

I also want to thank my fellow reader, Mechanicus Kraft, for his help. He was very helpful in explaining the Mechanicus's combat weapons (ω).

By the way, the female mechanical sage Collier Jersey who appeared in the first two chapters is based on the character design by reader 404Null, and there are pictures of her!

Hmm. Once I figure out how the site places its Easter eggs, I'll add that picture...

Chapter 100 Anti-Psionic Sage

In the distance, the roar of garbage trucks continued.

An abandoned wasteland, a large graveyard piled high with metal.

Hades stood still, the time ticking away on the display screen inside his helmet.

"I suggest you get straight to the point."

"Otherwise, I would have to send out the distress signal I had prepared beforehand."

A glint of light flashed in the electronic eyes of the mechanical sage opposite.

It was a miscalculation; this Death Guard was far more cautious than he usually appeared.

However, Hades discovered the gold he had painstakingly planted at the Tech Sergeant Base beforehand, which greatly reduced the credibility of the previously collected data.

What distress signal is that?

The wise man needs more information.

"Don't act stupid."

Hades began, calmly stating his position.

"What you should be thinking about now is why I'm interested in the collaboration you're talking about, instead of trying to take me away."

“I was already aware of your trap before I set off, but I came here because I was curious why you were staring at me.”

"Give me your reasons, or you'll be exposed even if you kill me now."

The Crimson Sage remained unmoved.

"Why do you think you can threaten me, a technical sergeant in a newly formed legion?"

Hades slowly pulled out the letter from Mortarion from his power armor gauntlet. Although the letter didn't contain much substance, the seal of Terra Palace, the Primarch's personal crest, and the crest of Macador were still somewhat useful.

"Because I have someone behind me."

Once the sage opposite him had clearly seen the seal on the letter, Hades calmly put it back.

This tactic is called "borrowing the tiger's might," ensuring that the sage won't suddenly knock him away with a club and put him in a sack.

At least in the previous encounters, the rudimentary version of the Electric Staff held by the opposing mech servant was not the most orthodox form, but rather a poorly cobbled-together version. Not only was it missing key runes, but even some basic circuits were not functioning correctly.

In other words, this Scarlet Sage did not reach the level of contacting the Electric Monk.

There are two possibilities. The first is that the sage's attempt to capture Hades was an individual act and did not involve any organization.

The second possibility is that the other side is an organization, but it hasn't given this operation a very high level of importance.

Regardless of the scenario, as long as Terra or a Primarch investigates seriously, the other side will suffer. In the first scenario, the Sage will most likely be eliminated.

In the second scenario, the sage in front of him would also be scapegoated by the organization.

Want to eat Hades?

It also depends on how big your internet is; you can't have too small an appetite.

Judging from the way the other party arrested him, it's clear they didn't want to escalate the incident.

Furthermore, based on the previous analysis of the messages sent by Jin, Hades could roughly determine the location of the sage's lair.

Even if that information is encrypted and relayed multiple times.

"So, give me a reason not to report you."

Compared to Hades, the mechanical sage Kirkland opposite him felt his only remaining wet tissue throbbing wildly.

After realizing that he had set up a trap, the other party not only did not avoid him, but instead chose to come looking for him.

The other party's goal is not merely to protect himself; he has other intentions.

It seems that the plan to use the other side as experimental material has backfired.

If it were a collaboration, Kirkland's thought engine was humming. Some experiments could not be completed while ensuring the stability of the experimental materials.

In the sage's calculations, the only variable is the Death Guard's connection to Terra and the Legion.

He had no information about Hades.

However, the Sage's immediate priority is to stabilize the opposing Death Guard and prevent himself from being exposed.

With such a precious sample, Kirkland's computational circuits were boiling; he didn't want to miss Hades!

Hades' observations were consistent with what he knew about the "cursed."

The opponent's anti-psychic field was the most peculiar one he had ever encountered.

Its intensity can even create a vacuum in subspace, but at the same time, it is extremely controllable. According to previous observations, Hades can control his anti-psychic field to below his body surface so as not to affect his daily life.

Unlike any untouchable sample in previous studies, he could not let go of this precious sample.

And he agreed.

The factions among the sages are also intricate. As a sage who is dedicated to researching anti-psychic powers, he has to use his skills and future potential to gain status in exchange for more information and technology.

Kirkland spoke up.

"I am Lanze, a pagan sage who studies anti-psychic technology. I have been collecting information on the Untouchables and various alien anti-psychic technologies."

"I discovered you by chance. Your anti-psychic field is much stronger and different from that of other untouchables."

"How is it a coincidence?"

The sage decided that telling the truth wouldn't affect the rest of the conversation.

“I captured a psionic vacuum from the subspace, and after calibration calculations, the location is shown to be the Barbarus star system.”

Hades blinked. The psionic vacuum refers to the dark domain that Hades couldn't reclaim before?

Even such minute things can be discovered.

However, what Hades didn't know was that the Sage captured the vacuum created when his Dark Domain erupted, but Hades' memories had been altered and he didn't remember this event.

Hades thought to himself.

The sage opposite me is clearly quite skilled, so why is he not mentioned in the original work?

The sage spread his hands, as if to say that he had said all he could.

"After that, I noticed you,"

Anti-psychic powers were either on the fringes of research or under the direct control of the Emperor before the Great Rebellion.

Before him appeared a wild anti-psychic sage.

He was proficient in anti-psychic powers, yet went unnoticed by the Empire. They resorted to improper means to capture Hades, which, combined with what Macardo and the sage had said earlier, suggests...

The sage before Hades was clearly an anti-empire figure who did not want to be noticed by the empire.

But the empire needs his technology.

Hades stared at the "Lanze" sage before him, and a crazy conjecture suddenly popped into his head.

Could it be that the sage before him had sided with the anti-imperial faction, only to be killed by the very force he had pledged allegiance to during the great rebellion?

After all, some of the sages in the past were merely anti-emperors, intending to restore their Martian seats, but after joining Horus, from Chaos's perspective, these sages who researched anti-psychic energy would definitely be the first to be eliminated.

Let him test the waters.

"If it's about anti-psychic energy, you can contact the Empire directly. I think an organization like the Silent Sisters' research department would welcome you to join."

A wise person will not associate with a liar.

Moreover, if one enters the imperial system, the sage himself will be subject to scrutiny.

Kirkland's current flowed through the driver; he couldn't do that. He couldn't associate with a tyrant who had deceived the god of machines.

"."

He still remembers that day.

That day, it rained on Mars.

Thick clouds obscured the continuous mountain range, blinding lightning spread through the clouds, and muffled thunder rumbled, oppressive and low.