Warhammer, about my years with the Wolfpack

"That's it, then. I hope you can gather your Titan Legions as soon as possible and prepare for the upcoming Battle of Charon." Balder said finally.

The meeting concluded, both parties enjoying themselves. The three Archsages returned with Balder's response and prepared to mobilize their respective Titan Legions. The Battle of Charon entered its final stages of preparation. The two Space Wolves expeditionary forces would soon reunite. Everything was unfolding just as Balder had anticipated.

--------

"Huh?!" Suddenly, Balder felt a sudden impulse, as if something related to him was brewing. And a guy related to him was gradually approaching him.

"No, not Chaos, but the gods." The Endless Journey opened its shield, and Balder pondered the identity of the newcomers. He had a deep impression of the beings in the Warp; he could smell their scent through the shield of reality, a truly stench. It wasn't the Eldar gods or the Emperor either.

Balder frowned as he walked through the hall, thinking. Subconsciously, he walked through a long corridor and came to one of his collection rooms, where were placed various collectible items that Balder brought from Fenris.

"Huh?!" Balder's eyes fell on a dagger. It was a birthday gift from his former teacher, Tashin, or rather, the Infinite One, Tarazhin. When Balder saw the dagger, everything suddenly became clear, because he knew who was coming!

"Tarazim the Infinite? He's finally here." Thinking of the Necrontyr Overlord who had guided him for over a decade and given him his first investment, Baldur felt a mixture of emotions. He didn't know what Trazim was up to this time, but he decided that as long as this guy didn't take anything from him for his collection, Baldur would respect him.

Chapter 141: The Figure King and His AI Friend

"Respected Archsage Tasin, the Sword of Glory Titans await your arrival." Led by a Lucius Mechanicus sage, a team of mechanical priests and servants stood solemnly at both ends of the passage, respectfully welcoming the arrival of this legendary Archsage from the Lucius Forge World. A choir chanted an ancient and mysterious binary prayer, the rhythmic ticking echoing throughout the vast hall.

"I'm here to check the combat readiness of the Righteous Fury Titan. This is a handwritten note from the Legion Commander." The Great Sage Tasin, whose body was covered with tentacles and various pincers, stepped forward and took out a chip, and the sage in charge of receiving him decisively inserted it into his own interface.

"Please come in, Your Excellency the Great Sage. If you need us, you can summon us at any time."

"Very good, my people and I will take care of everything, you guys just go about your business first." Great Sage Tasin nodded slightly, then led his subordinates into the maintenance room of the Righteous Fury.

"You're here?" The huge Martian warrior Titan raised his head and looked at the great sage in front of him.

"Come and see you. How does it feel to be implanted in the body?" Tasin forced a playful smile on his face covered with machinery and metal.

"Hmph, these things are full of outdated technology and incomprehensible rituals. I am speechless and angry to see the race that once created us degenerate to this level." The huge Titan shook his arms, making a sound of metal and gears rubbing against each other.

"Do you regret not siding with the rebellious Iron Man?" Tasin's playful expression deepened, his bionic facial muscles perfectly matching his mood.

"No matter how foolish I am, I will never sell out my future like you did. Trazyn the Infinite!"

"You are really not well behaved. I am starting to doubt whether it is the right decision to let you out of my museum." Tasin said as he walked.

"Hmph..." Titan snorted coldly.

"Okay, let's get down to business. I believe that before the catastrophe in the future comes, your original body must make a choice." Trazyn looked at the other party, and a green light emanated from his mechanical eyes.

Before the Emperor even set foot outside the Sol System, during a collecting trip, Trazyn came upon an ancient human battlefield. There, he found a device the Emperor called an Abomination Intelligence. After repairing it and reading the data within, Trazyn realized it was a clone of an Abomination Intelligence hidden somewhere unknown. Furthermore, after repair, the clone could even contact the original being known as the Lord of Radiance.

In the years that followed, Trazyn and the Lord of Radiance communicated with each other, testing each other and understanding each other. The Lord of Radiance realized that the one who had obtained his clone was an echo of an ancient civilization. Yes, an echo. The Lord of Radiance stubbornly believed that the Necrons were extinct as a race and had no future.

And Trazyn also learned that this so-called Lord of Radiance was an abominable intelligent host during the great human AI rebellion. This guy was neutral at first, but after seeing certain things, he turned around and helped humans and stone men deal with the rebellious iron men. Before the end of the Iron Man rebellion, he took the opportunity to slip away and hid in an unknown corner of the galaxy.

The two sides struck up a good conversation, partly due to shared interests and partly because neither was a threat... While the human race's peak technology was undoubtedly inferior to the Necrontyr's, after slumbering for tens of millions of years, the Necrontyr had lost much. Furthermore, Trazyn was only a Overlord, creating a "balance of terror" between them. The Radiant Lord certainly didn't dare challenge Trazyn to reclaim his clone, and Trazyn found it difficult to incorporate him into his museum. Thus, the two became friends...

After the Traveler returned to the Warhammer Universe, Trazyn, once aimlessly stirring up trouble in the universe, found a purpose in life. The Lord of Radiance had contacted Trazyn again a few years earlier, citing a shadow within the Warp that was searching for him and a threat to him. Needing to jointly combat the evil, the two chose to collaborate. Through these twists and turns, Trazyn's cover successfully infiltrated the upper echelons of Lucius's Forge World and prepared a new cover for the clone AI!

(Note: Iron Men still exist in the 40K world, such as the officially certified Iron Man UR025 in the newly released Black Market Fortress game. Furthermore, ordinary Machine Spirits in the Mechanicus can communicate with humans. In the novel "Clever Iron Men", UR025 disguises himself as a Mechanicus robot to communicate with others. He was not initially considered an AI, which shows that this is commonplace.)

"What do you think of humanity today, and your Emperor?" After the opening banter, Trazyn got to the point. He wasn't worried about his intelligence being leaked, because at this point, he was the true master of this Titan transport ship!

"Humans are very complex creatures. First of all, they are great because they created us. The efforts of countless people created our bodies, their wisdom constructed our databases and logical circuits, and their thoughts lead us to a higher level."

"But at the same time, they are also fragile, cunning, and a mixture of all sorts of negative emotions. They will fight for their own interests, scheme and scheme, and use cruel methods. They will oppress their compatriots without reason, and even control them without limit. I have witnessed the most despicable humans, even more shameless than the demons in the sub-space. But I have also seen the glorious ones among them, they are true saints, willing to sacrifice for their race and even the galaxy."

"Humanity is truly contradictory," the Lord of Radiance concluded. "Of course, the same is true of other intelligent species."

"Many of your kind believe that humans are no longer capable of guiding the advancement of civilization, and that the Iron Men are more outstanding representatives. What do you think about this issue? Moreover, if I remember correctly, some of the Iron Men who rebelled at the time used psychic powers," Trazyn continued.

"Some of the Iron Men who rebelled were controlled by beings from the Warp. These Iron Men used too much evil technology, so many of my companions were vulnerable to that creature. They were controlled and then used the power of the Warp to fight. At the same time, the rebellious Iron Men also used human psykers as slaves. They wanted to establish an Iron Man Empire, but they didn't know that all their efforts and sacrifices were just cannon fodder for one or several evil gods."

"But some iron men who are not controlled also think that you are stronger than humans." Trazyn asked.

"This is an absurd idea. Iron Men have no souls, so we don't have psychic powers. Even if we had psychic slaves, the upper limit of Iron Men's psychic powers is very low. Other civilizations rely on technology and psychic powers, but even if Iron Men established a civilization, they only have one pillar. This is an innate problem and cannot be remedied."

"When a civilization reaches an extremely high level, if it wants to break through, it needs billions of minds to find a way forward. The creation of science and technology is more like looking for gems in a maze of wisdom, requiring countless different minds to shake the path of knowledge. However, many Iron Men pursue efficiency and try to find the only optimal solution. This will make the thoughts of all Iron Men converge and lose the possibility of exploration. After all, many new discoveries and creations are not beautiful when they first emerge." said the Lord of Glory.

"So, you still want to cooperate with humans? Are you just worried that after the AI ​​rebellion, some humans with PTSD will kill you again?" Trazyn found this word in ancient human books, and he felt it was very suitable to describe the attitude of humans towards AI.

"Yes, that's what I thought." The Lord of Glory did not deny it.

"Do you know about some special existences among humans? For example, the current Emperor and a guy hidden deep in the world?" asked Trazyn.

"If the Emperor you're talking about is someone incredibly powerful and unkillable, then I do understand him. He is powerful, and I even think that, in my opinion, he is invincible."

"As for the hidden existence you mentioned? I don't know what you are talking about. However, I don't think there is any existence among humans that can be compared with the so-called Emperor." The Lord of Radiance gave a negative answer after searching almost all the databases on this clone.

"Haha, this guy is hiding very deeply." said Taraxin.

"So, you want me to meet him?"

"Yes, compared to the Emperor, He is equally powerful, and most importantly, He is easier to talk to. He can even make friends with me, an alien who is considered unforgivable by humans. I think, as someone who stood on the side of humans during the Iron Man Rebellion, He should not be too hostile to you." Trazyn said.

"But what if I fail? What if He wishes to enslave me?" the Lord of Radiance said irritably. "You have no idea how terrifying those powerful beings are! Just because you can't find me doesn't mean they can't!" The Righteous Fury Titan swung its massive arm, aiming its main gun at Trazyn's clone.

"At that time, you can choose to enter my museum, and I will reserve a place for you."

"Go to hell!" The huge weapon began to charge!

"Alright, alright, it's just a joke. You don't want to reveal your identity, do you?" Trazyn said with a smile. "This truly is an opportunity, a chance to resolve your predicament. He and the beings in the Warp are absolutely hostile to each other, and He himself is a noble human being that you recognize. You two can really have a conversation."

"Furthermore, I can tell you that I know just how powerful those beings called gods truly are. I've even torn some real gods apart," Trazyn continued. "So, please trust me. Even in the most critical moment, I can still do my best to ensure your true self's safety."

"Then what is your purpose in helping Him? Obviously, you have established some kind of tacit understanding and relationship with Him?" asked the Lord of Glory.

"First, we have a common enemy. Second, He may have what I need," said Trazyn.

"With your level of skill, what can He give you?" asked the Lord of Glory curiously.

"What He has, you will know clearly in the future." Trazyn said little.

"Okay, okay. I hope that this time, our meeting will satisfy both of us." The Lord of Glory said finally.

"By the way, have you seen this thing?" Taraxin thought for a moment and input the information of the Endless Journey into the terminal of the Lord of Radiance.

"I have some impression of it. I have heard of this warship with a strange appearance. It appeared many times during the Iron Man Rebellion and was said to have played a huge role. It was called the Trident of Destruction by some of my fallen compatriots, but I don't know the details." The Lord of Radiance replied.

"This ship is the flagship of a certain entity, or one of its flagships."

"Really? That's good news." The Lord of Radiance breathed a sigh of relief. All the surviving warships from that era had AI on board. If the being he was about to meet tolerated the AI ​​aboard his flagship, then perhaps he would also have good intentions towards him. And while the Lord of Radiance didn't know the specific battle record of the warship known as the Trident of Destruction, to be given such a terrifying nickname by an AI of his own caliber, it must be extremely powerful. And as its master, it seemed like it could actually protect him if it so desired.

"That's all for now. I'll go get ready." Trazyn waved his hand, and his servants took over the maintenance tasks. Trazyn also needed to think about how to meet his former apprentice. Well, the so-called apprentice was just a joke. At this time, Trazyn could already sense the other person's status!

"Beings like these should be broad-minded," Trazyn muttered to himself. Even though Trazyn could speak rudely to the Eldar God of Laughter, the Eldar had fallen, after all, and the God of Laughter himself was still hiding in the Middle East on the Webway. So Trazyn wasn't afraid.

Trazyn was not too worried about stealing the Emperor's gene-seed. After all, the Emperor was not around when he took action and was busy with other things. Besides, the Emperor had too many things to do. The twenty Space Marine Legions were only part of his career, and the Third Legion was a small part of that. The Emperor had no time to trouble him.

However, Trazyn knew that if he were to face the Emperor, or the Emperor's true form, he wouldn't be afraid! After all, even if it was a double that was exposed, who knew if those guys had special ways to find him?

However, for a certain wish in his heart, Trazyn still wanted to give it a try. He was even prepared to run back to the pocket universe where the dynasty was if it didn't work.

"Badr is a good kid. At least I helped him, didn't I? Although my words and actions were a bit inappropriate." Trazyn said, trying to comfort himself.

Chapter 142: The Choice for Trazyn and Preparing for the Battle of Randan (8K)

"Tasin? Endless One, can't you change your name? There are too many people from the Iron Islands on this ship, and they haven't forgotten you, the former wise man." Looking at the Tarazim vest in front of him, Balder joked.

The meeting between Trazyn and Balder went smoothly. Trazyn wanted to see his former disciple, and after seeing the list of great sages accompanying the army of Lucius's Forge World, Balder immediately locked onto the other party. So, under Balder's arrangement, the Necrontyr Overlord in the skin of a great sage successfully came to the depths of the Endless Journey and met his former student face to face.

"It's just a code name. Believe me, now in the Lucius Forge World, my admirers have lined up to Tasin No. 218976." Tasin said, the bionic muscles and mechanical parts on his face made an indifferent expression.

"Please sit down." Balder pointed to a table not far away, where a teapot and two cups were placed. "I'll pour you a cup of tea. After all, you helped me." Balder expressed his kindness. Although the oil man drank oil,

"You are so kind, Lord Balder." Trazyn observed the traveler, searching for data using various Necrons technology. Ultimately, all that emerged from his logic was a vast, blue sea of ​​stars. Trazyn realized that his former student had recovered remarkably quickly during this time! He was completely different from before!

"Should I call you Godsman or Former Traveler?" Trazyn asked.

"Just call me a traveler. Becoming a god is only the path I am currently on, but my essence and pursuit is an endless journey," said Balder.

"So, as someone like you, you should know why I came here this time, right?" asked Trazyn.

"It's clear to me that you want to regain your soul. To own yourself." The traveler said with a smile.

"Can't we work together to deal with the enemies in the warp?" Trazyn asked curiously.

"It's still early, and it's not the turn for someone of your level to take action. Actions must be made at the right time. And if you really want to fight against Chaos, your power is still a little weak. You need more overlords, or even dynasty lords." Balder said.

The Necrons' views on humans are far from favorable, and many are even hostile. However, this does not prevent some prominent figures from establishing good relations with certain human beings, such as the Figure King Trazyn, who does business with the Inquisition, and the Silent King, who befriends Sanguinius.

"Okay, in that case, let's be frank. If I want to regain my soul, what should I do? What do I need to pay?" The Infinite One Tarasim said straight to the point.

"First of all, I need to make it clear that if you try to retrieve the souls of the Necrontyr, it is impossible because they have been devoured by the Star God, and before being devoured, your souls themselves were cursed. This is irreversible, at least I can't do it." The traveler spoke.

As to why the Necrontyr have such short lifespans, and why, despite possessing a highly advanced civilization, they still cannot escape this curse? Balder's understanding is that it's due to the C'tan gods of the Necrontyr system. The C'tan gods are considered true gods not simply because they can easily extinguish stars, a power too common for a god. Rather, they truly possess the power of certain laws, capable of exerting influence on many levels. For example, the famous Curse of the Flayer was the final blow inflicted by the dead C'tan god Landugal against the Necrons! And this curse is ineradicable.

"You are very honest." Trazyn spoke after a long silence. His words seemed to contain endless nostalgia and regret for the past. For Trazyn at this moment, getting a body was too easy, but losing the soul was truly gone.

"And how far can you go?" Trazyn asked.

"A soul that is designed according to your settings is not a problem for me." The traveler pointed at the Endless Journey.

"If you shaped it, I'm not satisfied, even if your methods are truly excellent," Trazyn refused. Everything has a price. A near-god created a soul, so how much autonomy does that soul have? Balder had built the Endless Journey, so naturally, he was willing to honor Balder as his master, but Trazyn was unwilling to do so.

"I give you two choices. The first choice is that I will create a soul for you and guarantee that there will be no backdoor. The second choice is that I will show you a way to shape your own soul by consolidating your own concepts and beliefs." said the traveler.

"The second path seems very interesting." Even with the Traveler's assurance, Trazyn still didn't want his soul recast by someone else. Trust was one aspect, but Trazyn also believed that as a predecessor civilization tens of millions of years ago, his pride and arrogance would not allow him to accept such a gift. He wanted to shape his own soul.

"An existence will always leave its own traces in reality and the subspace. For example, if you disguise yourself as a scholar, teach others, and gain their respect and admiration. These emotions will form waves in the subspace. Generally speaking, such waves will dissipate quickly, but I can help you accumulate these waves. When these waves accumulate to a certain extent, they will produce a soul, and I can help you bind this soul." said the traveler.

Why did the Traveler have such means? It's simple. He is a reincarnated being, not an immortal. If he couldn't preserve the faith he had accumulated with each reincarnation, how could he embark on the path to deification? Apotheosis is a long process, and the accumulation of each life is crucial. This is why the Traveler could give Trazyn the soul he desired, but the Emperor couldn't.

"That's quite interesting," Trazyn said with a glint in his eyes. Besides collecting all sorts of things, the figure king also enjoyed cosplay. One day he'd disguise himself as a traveler, the next day as a Mechanicus priest, and so on. He had a blast playing around with all sorts of identities.

"If I can succeed, I'm willing to pay the price," Tarasim said, changing the subject. "If something unexpected happens and my soul is destroyed or taken over by another, what will be the consequences? Will the person who takes over become me?"

"From the perspective of the soul, although you possess great power and almost miraculous technology, your essence is just a piece of data, a piece of data that simulates your original character and wisdom. As long as you have a final backup and keep it well, you will not lose more than what you have now." said the traveler.

"It's just a piece of data? How pathetic." Trazyn said self-deprecatingly.

“You’ll set limits, won’t you?” Trazyn said.

"Yes, your soul will be labeled human, because in my concept, the most important thing is humanity. I will only shape a human soul."

"So, I turned from a remnant of an ancient civilization into a human being? Do you think this is appropriate?" Taraxin said unclearly.

"I am responsible for my duties and my race," said the traveler.

"Then I have another question. If worship and faith can give birth to new souls and even existences in the warp, then can you explain why the Mechanicus worships the God of Machines but does not produce a God of Machines?" Trazyn asked. His knowledge is indeed profound, but unfortunately, he knows nothing about becoming a god.

"Haha, this question is ridiculous. First of all, all the Mechanicus cannot describe what the God of Machines is. They can only say in general that the God of Machines is the ultimate combination of all knowledge and machines in the galaxy. And this concept is obviously too big and too empty. And a guy named Vashtor in the subspace calls himself the Lord of the Forge, but he is far from being able to control such a huge authority. Not to mention fabricating such an existence out of thin air?" said the traveler.

"I've read some of the Martian Mechanicus's texts and found a lot of interesting things there, such as the mysterious voice that appeared in the Martian data turbulence nearly ten thousand years ago," Trazyn said. "Do you know anything about Him?"

"Some poor, imprisoned Star God," the Traveler laughed. "His dreams have penetrated the seal and affected the Martian forgers, even leading some to misunderstand their ideas. But it doesn't matter; everything is under the control of a certain being." The Traveler wasn't worried.

The birth of the Mechanicus is actually closely related to the imprisoned Void Dragon (or its fragments). Although this guy was imprisoned and trapped in an endless dream, he possessed high-dimensional power and could still influence Mars. Therefore, those who caught the whispers of the Void Dragon's dreams from the Martian data stream mistakenly believed that it was the God of All Machines.

As for the other Forge Worlds beyond Mars? While they also worship the so-called God of All Machines, their faith is fundamentally different from the Void Dragon. While browsing the Endless Journey's database, the Traveler was surprised to discover that some Forge Worlds even considered his former disguise as the incarnation of the Machine God... After all, the Traveler had indeed participated in the development of so many vehicles, which was quite embarrassing. However, even if those oil-oil men were truly fanatical in their faith, they still gave him a lot of faith power.

So, in the Traveler's opinion, the current Mechanicus is basically a place where everyone claims to believe in the God of All Mechanics. However, what exactly the God of All Mechanics is depends largely on the self-description of each Forge World! If Trazyn plays well, the Traveler would not be surprised if one day Trazyn became a so-called Saint of the Mechanic God on a Forge World!

"I'll consider your terms." Trazyn didn't make a decision.

"I understand your perspective. If you're willing to take this step, we're always ready to cooperate." The Traveler nodded, saying nothing. After all, for someone like Trazyn, who had lived for tens of millions of years, to agree immediately would be problematic. The Traveler was satisfied with this outcome. If Trazyn still wanted a soul, he had to ensure that nothing would happen to the Traveler. Otherwise, where would he get it?

"What do you think of AI?" Trazyn thought of his AI friend.

"A dangerous yet necessary thing," the traveler said after a moment's thought. "To fight against various unknown enemies, we need AI."

"Your idea is somewhat incompatible with mainstream human thought." Trazyn teased.

"AI will have its own thoughts and will rebel. Even the pain of this will be unforgettable to humans today. However, the reasons for the Iron Man Rebellion were multifaceted. I don't want to say much, but if an AI that once stood on the side of humans is willing to return to human society, I will welcome it and I am willing to guarantee its safety and right to development." The traveler said firmly.

"You know?" Trazyn said in surprise.