Warhammer: Don't Call Me the God of All Machines

Chapter 877 Elsa's Whereabouts

Whether it was because he had been suppressed for too long under Nurgle's imprisonment, or because Slaanesh was relentlessly pursuing him from behind, the decadent and depraved aura of pleasure was almost right in front of him.

When Elsa heard the Emperor's words, her whole body trembled slightly as if she had been electrocuted.

"Miss Aisha, you don't want to fall into Slaanesh's hands, do you?"

There's nothing wrong with that statement; the Emperor was simply advising Elsa against doing something foolish.

However, when these words reached the ears of the goddess, they stirred ripples in her heart, which had long been weathered by life's storms.

The pantheon of the Spirit Race is not a group of gods who do not eat human food. In a sense, these Spirit Race gods are more like mortals who have acquired divine power.

They also had their own joys and sorrows, loves and hates; for example, the goddess Elsa even became partners with the hunter god Chnos.

Of course, Kronos had long been killed and devoured by Slaanesh, and Aisha herself had been "protected" by Nurgle until now.

Nurgle is not a licentious and depraved chaotic god like Slaanesh. Just as his name "Father" suggests, Nurgle regards all life in his garden as his children and family.

Elsa is Nurgle's acknowledged family member and his most precious love.

However, Nurgle's love is different from the love of other beings. He is like a fat, perverted man who simply wants Elsa to stay by his side forever and ever.

Nurgle would personally brew the Plague Soup and give it to Elsa first. As a fellow goddess of life, Elsa would naturally heal herself, and Nurgle would record the time it took for Elsa to recover in order to judge the effectiveness of his creation.

This cycle continued for countless years, and Nurgle never imagined that his relationship with Elsa could transcend that of kidnapper and prisoner and reach another level.

Just as Nurgle rejected total death, He preferred stagnation to change.

This also means that even if Elsa accepts Nurgle, they cannot have a daughter, Lilith, like Elsa and Chronos did.

Hearing the Emperor's words, Elsa's mind went completely blank. Her cheeks flushed, and strange thoughts kept popping up and being extinguished.

"Ms. Elsa, you wouldn't want yourself to..."

The Emperor's words kept churning in Aisha's mind, twisting into different forms.

No one knows whether her hesitation and fear stemmed from the prospect of leaving Nurgle, or from the fear of an unknown fate if she fell into the Emperor's hands.

Or perhaps, Aisha simply felt indebted to her long-deceased husband, Kunos, for the blasphemous and immoral thoughts that arose in her mind.

Even the emperor couldn't understand what was wrong with Aisha. Anyway, after he finished speaking, the Elven goddess suddenly became quiet and was frighteningly docile.

"Could it be that Elsa has been imprisoned for too long and has developed Stockholm syndrome?" the Emperor wondered to himself.

"Don't be fooled by Elsa's pure and innocent appearance, her compassionate nature, and her pure and innocent nature. She is, after all, a member of the Spirit Clan, and just how cunning the Spirit Clan is is an unsolved mystery."

The Emperor was unaware that Slaanesh was pursuing them too closely, and the power emanating from Prince Pleasure had already subtly altered all the creatures around them.

Slaanesh, being the god of indulgence and pleasure, is fully aware of all mental fluctuations and even the most subtle psychological activities.

Sally noticed the romantic thoughts that were arising in Aisha's mind.

"Elsa! Elsa! My dearest, so you also enjoy immoral behavior!"

"I'll spit out Kronos right now. If that doesn't work, we'll drag Nurgle along. Come, come to my side, and I'll take you to paradise~"

"Why hide your true feelings? Even if you really have fallen in love with that stinking, rotten fat bastard Nurgle, I won't blame you..."

"Love is a power that transcends everything; for love, I can change..."

Slaanesh kept emitting seductive music, but the Emperor snorted coldly and directly blocked the spiritual energy fluctuations emanating from him.

In the vast subspace, a scene unfolded that defied the comprehension of countless demons.

Under the golden sun, the human emperor, accompanied by Aisha whom he had protected, along with his children and comrades, was pursued closely by Slaanesh and Nurgle, two incomparably powerful Chaos Gods.

Many subspace beings, from birth to death, are never worthy of witnessing such a sublime and magnificent being.

But now they not only saw them, they even saw these chaotic beings chasing each other wildly in the warp.

Some of these subspace creatures, caught in the shock, even forgot to flee, throwing themselves wholeheartedly into this once-in-a-lifetime chase.

Of course, the result of getting so caught up in the excitement was that he was completely torn apart and crushed by the storm stirred up by the warp god, turning into a part of the etheric currents.

The Emperor's golden light raced through the subspace, like an unstoppable meteor, smashing everything in its path.

Whether it's a bizarre nebula, a planet formed from countless chaotic energies, or a giant entity whose size is measured in light-years, they are all directly pierced and torn apart.

Behind him were two terrifying wills capable of annihilating galaxies.

Wherever Nurgle went, he left behind putrid, despairing pus and plague. These spread plagues then had their own projections in the real universe. Countless lives were defeated by this sudden disease, and even entire races were brought to the brink of destruction.

Slaanesh left behind a dazzling trail of light, its glow exuding a deadly allure, attracting countless warp creatures like moths to a flame.

The power of the two Chaos Gods is gradually closing in, and the distance between them and the Emperor is getting shorter and shorter.

The emperor's expression was stern, and he could feel the pressure he was under increasing rapidly.

In the warp, to simultaneously confront two enraged Chaos Gods was a crazy thing that even he found exhilarating.

Although he was not afraid, with the boost from the Trinity, he was confident that he would not be at a disadvantage.

But the most important thing now is not to fight Nurgle and Slaanesh, but to get Aisha to a safe place and protect her.

This goddess of life is crucial to the progress of the human network project.

Return to Terra? No, that's a foolish idea.

That would be tantamount to directing two enraged evil gods directly into the heart of humanity. Although there would be the obstruction of the Veil of Reality and the suppression of the Star Torch, the entire solar system would be greatly affected by Nurgle and Slaanesh, which is simply not worth it.

The Emperor's gaze pierced through the chaotic ethereal currents, locking onto a single direction—a node that stubbornly shone with a faint light of order amidst the warp storm, a crucial hub of the Comoros's inextricable network.

"We will return to the Net Path and use its power to stop the Chaos God." The Emperor's voice rang in everyone's ears.

Rosie didn't know what the consequences of doing this would be.

Although Comoros is a crucial and extremely stable node in the network, it was attacked jointly by two Chaos Gods.

However, there is no room for maneuver now; if this drags on any longer, the Emperor will be overtaken by Nagle.

The golden comet instantly changed direction and rushed toward the crack at the entrance of the net at a near-self-destructive speed.

boom! boom!
The filthy tentacles of Nurgle and the pinkish-purple iridescent light of Slaanesh slammed violently against the outer wall of the entrance to the net passage almost simultaneously.

The entire network space where Comoros was located groaned under the strain.

The incredibly sturdy net barrier, crafted by Ancient Saint Technology, trembled violently, like a crystal dome struck by a heavy hammer, instantly covered with spiderweb-like cracks.

The newly erected imperial flags within Comoros fluttered wildly, the imperial construction crews stumbled and fell in terror, and even Rogdorn felt the ground beneath his feet tremble.

"Don't panic, humanity will stand strong!"

The Primarch's voice drowned out the fear, and upon hearing Rogue Dorn's battle cry, a sense of determination and resilience suddenly arose in everyone's hearts.

Comoros was trembling; the colossal city, recently ravaged by the Cataclysmic Disintegration and the ensuing great battle, seemed to be groaning in despair.

However, the legacy of the ancient sages has ultimately stood the test of time.

After its light dimmed for a while, the light of the network barrier burst forth with an even stronger radiance of order, forcibly repelling and expelling the power of the evil god.

Comoros is a very important node in the network. Unless the Chaos God has the ability to destroy all the networks connected to Comoros in one go, there is nothing that can be done about it.

It's like uprooting a tree; the Comoros is the thickest main root, while the other web channels are the ubiquitous branches, all firmly rooted in the gap between the warp and the real universe.

Conversely, the attack from the evil god seemed to have awakened and angered the self-awareness of the web, causing the web in Comoros Fujian to rapidly contract and heal as if it had a life of its own, in order to resist the attack from the enemies in the warp.

The massive forms of Nurgle and Slaanesh were forcibly blocked outside the Web.

These gods, who are almost omnipotent in the warp, suffered a rare and significant defeat in the face of the Net Dao.

"Do not--!!!"

Nurgle's roar was filled with desperate lamentation, and his enormous, pustular body convulsed violently with rage, spewing forth a rain of filth that corroded the galaxy.

He watched helplessly as the golden light carrying Aisha disappeared into the net, as if he had lost his most treasured possession.

"Aisha has been taken into the net by the Emperor, we have no chance."

"Thank goodness for you, my dear brother, we all missed our chance."

Slaanesh's voice carried a hint of annoyance, but more so a twisted excitement.

He licked his lips, his eerie eyes fixed on the entrance to the net: "However, you can run away, but you can't hide, dear Emperor~"

"You can't protect Elsa forever. Humans can't control the Elven goddess, so let me do it!"

Inside the net, the emperor's golden light subsided slightly, revealing his figure.

With the obstruction of the Infernal Network, the God Emperor's power of faith and the Black King's power of destruction are blocked. The Emperor can only use his own human power now, which greatly weakens his strength.

“We’re back. With the protection of the Internet, the two of them can’t do anything to us.”

The Emperor's voice resonated with psychic energy, allowing even the evil gods outside the net to hear it.

Slaanesh's psychic communication, tinged with mockery and seduction, forcefully pierced through part of the network's barrier, resounding in the Emperor's consciousness like a sweet whisper between lovers:

"Why be so heartless? You took my dear Elsa away, can you really bear to do that?"

"I can't live a single day without Elsa!"

"Look at this... I'll return your most perfect son, the proud phoenix Forgrim, to you, how about that?"

One for one, isn't that fair? He misses you terribly.

"To you, Aisha is just a foreigner, and foreigners are not to be trusted. Why are you so determined to protect her?"

“And a Primarch, a precious son of an Emperor, is far too important to you humans.”

"Whether it is hoping that Fogrem will turn back from the wrong path, or to give Fogrem a fair trial in front of all humanity in the galaxy, it is a wise choice."

As Slaanesh spoke, he reached out and, across an unimaginable distance, grabbed the fallen phoenix who was entangled with Enkali.

Fugrim was completely bewildered. In his demon form, he and Enkali were tightly embracing each other, like two terrifying snakes intertwined and entwined, yet exuding an indescribable and peculiar charm.

Beauty and ugliness, holiness and depravity, innocence and lewdness are mixed together, creating this indescribable scene.

"My lord, why have you brought me to this place?"

Fugrim showed no shame whatsoever, openly revealing his beautiful body.

Slaanesh smiled at Forgrim and then revealed his plans.

"I intend to return you to your father. I simply cannot bear to see you separated from each other. What do you say?"

Forgrim was immediately filled with terror. He turned his head sharply to look at the net, as if he could see his father's figure right in front of him.

The Emperor's eyes were icy cold. He saw his son, but sadly, Forgrim had become a filthy and repulsive creature.

He gazed at the swirling, iridescent shadows beyond the net, his voice carrying unparalleled authority and undisguised contempt.

"Fulgrim?"

The emperor's voice was full of disdain, and he began to speak without any mercy.

"That coward who kneels to pleasure and embraces depravity to escape pain? He is no longer the son I knew."

A pathetic wretch who couldn't even uphold his own will, a disgrace who betrayed humanity, betrayed his brothers, betrayed honor—he doesn't even deserve to be called an enemy.

“I can forgive and pardon Peturabo because I saw change in him, I saw his belief in turning back, but what about Fugrim?”

"You do not deserve."

While in the Comoros, Peturabo, who was directing the Imperial Fist and other engineering teams in their rescue efforts, heard the Emperor's voice. He remained motionless, like a block of solidified steel.

Tears welled up in his eyes, and his steely core burned with an emotion hotter than magma, yet he stubbornly chose to internalize and absorb all of it.

"Steel inside and out."

"Steel inside and out."

Peturabo read it twice, then buried his excitement in his heart and continued to enthusiastically build Comoros's defense system.

He was not like Forgrim; he was far more noble than that proud son of the emperor.

“Forgrim, behold Feralus Manus, my steel hand, who faced your temptations and endured your torments, yet never yielded to your vile nature; his noble soul burns eternally in the flames.”

“His loyalty is as unchanging as the stars, his will is unbreakable. This is true perfection, this is the quality my offspring should possess. You have failed everything, Forgrim.”

The Emperor knew of the close relationship between Forgrim and Feralus, and his attack pierced Forgrim's most vulnerable spot.

Ryan, Ruth, and Chagatai Khan stood tall in the net, their eyes burning with pride.

Like Feralus, they chose loyalty and steadfastness, while the likes of Forgrim were nothing but a joke.

Just as the Emperor and Slaanesh were exchanging barbs, another strange, eerie, and joyful psychic energy surged forth without warning within the Comoros Web Node.

The space distorted like ripples on water, and a group of figures dressed in colorful costumes with exaggerated and bizarre movements appeared out of thin air—it was the clown troupe.

As always, the clowns set up the stage and laid the groundwork, preparing for the appearance of the real protagonist.

The first to appear was the cheerful and carefree God of Laughter, accompanied by Mortalian, who was dressed in military attire and had a serious expression.

"Ah! What a wonderful show, what a magnificent drama!"

The voice of the God of Laughter rang out, full of dramatic exaggeration.

"Congratulations, Your Majesty, on the successful retrieval of our poor goddess of life from the garden of the Father."

Higoki turned his gaze to Aisha, a rare and subtle complex emotion appearing on his face.

"Elsa, it's been a long time."

"I never imagined that we would meet again after the fall of the Pantheon."

Xi Gaoqi slowly stepped forward and embraced the somewhat weakened Spirit Clan Goddess.

Elsa also wept with joy. The feeling of escaping from imprisonment and seeing old friends again is something that those who have never experienced it can never understand.

The four greatest joys in life are meeting an old friend in a foreign place.

"Xi Gaoqi, you're still alive, that's wonderful."

Were you really there? I didn't see you at all. I thought you escaped because you didn't come.

The goddess of life could no longer contain herself and voiced the question that had been troubling her for so long.

The mask on the Laughing God froze instantly, followed by an awkward laugh.

"Yes, I was there. I was just playing support the whole time, so you didn't see me."

"It's just that my positioning was too perfect, so it's normal that you didn't see me, since you're not good at fighting at all."

“I absolutely did not run away on the spot, I did not use other spirit gods as scapegoats, and I did not use deceptive power to lie to you that I am still in the Pantheon.”

Aisha understood what was going on after hearing Higoki's incoherent answer.

But she didn't blame Xi Gaoqi for anything. As everyone knows, the God of Laughter has no fighting power and is practically the worst among the gods.

He was able to escape from Slaanesh's clutches and has been doing everything he can to protect the Eldar. He has done the best he can and is far more competent than I, the Eldar mother goddess.

And what exactly did she protect?

When Aisha thought of the suffering of her people, she began to weep. As soon as her tears fell to the ground, they immediately turned into crystal-clear spirit soul stones.

It was the Soulstone that protected the souls of the Eldar, protecting them from the Slaanesh's devouring.

The Clown Spirit Clan immediately rushed forward and carefully collected the soul stones.

Mortalian, on the other hand, gazed at Aisha with a more complex expression.

When he was deeply mired in Nurgle's Plague Gardens and was about to give up and compromise, it was Elsa who told the Primarch to persevere.

It was she who gave Mortarian the antidote, curing him of the Nurgle plague, and in doing so, transformed him into the woman he is today.

Mortalian has half Aisha's blood flowing in her veins, and she is instinctively extremely close to the goddess of life, but she also hates the goddess for making her the way she is now.

Aisha stopped crying and reached out to hug Mortalian.

However, the stubborn Pale Queen refused to embrace Aisha, forcibly controlling her body and directing her gaze towards Nurgle beyond the Web.

“Mota…Lian…my child…” Nurgle’s consciousness whispered painfully, filled with the sorrow of being betrayed by his child.

Aisha was practically Nurgle's lover, while Mortalian was Nurgle's most cherished child.

If Mortalian were still by Nurgle's side, the title of the most beloved child would never have fallen to Kugas.

Nurgle will give Mortalian all the good things, spoil her unconditionally, and love her alongside Elsa.

But now, everything is gone. The net and the wretched cursed beings separate them, tearing them apart.

Nurgle's wails grew even more piercing, and the entire Warp seemed to tremble with pain.

However, no matter how miserably Nurgle, the utter loser, cried, no one, not even a god, sympathized with him.

Conversely, the more distressed Nuguri is, the happier and more enjoyable everyone else is.

Happiness doesn't arise out of nowhere; it simply shifts.

After exchanging pleasantries with Aisha, the God of Laughter immediately conveyed his purpose to the Emperor.

"Your Majesty, this remarkable hostage rescue has come to an end."

Now, may we ask you to return our lost goddess to her bewildered people? The Aidalings need Aisha's guidance, especially in these...dark times.

"Don't forget, there is a sacred covenant between humans and the Aida race. Humans would help Aida rescue the Goddess of Life, and you did just that."

The Emperor's gaze swept over the weakened Aisha, then looked at the Laughing God and Mortalian, before finally shaking his head slowly.

"Return it? No."

“I rescued Elsa, so I have the right to do what I want with her.”

"The covenant only mentions that we will help rescue Elsa, but it doesn't say whether we will return her to Eldar after we rescue her."

"Moreover, in reality, each of the Eldar worlds is struggling to survive, and the Dark Eldar in Comoros was just wiped out by us."

“The Adaling are not strong enough to protect Aisha. Handing her over to you is tantamount to exposing her once again to the Slaanesh and Nurgle’s desires.”

He pointed to the terrifying, churning power outside the network barrier and said solemnly.

“Look outside, they have never given up. Only humans have the ability to protect Aisha.”

“I can let Elsa hide in my dark library; it’s safe enough there,” Laughing God said firmly.

“What difference is there between that and running from one cage to another? The moment Aisha steps out of the Black Library, Slaanesh and Nurgle will notice,” the Emperor retorted directly.

The expression beneath the mask of the Laughing God was obscured, but the psychic fluctuations indicated that He was thinking rapidly.

Higoki was calculating how many trump cards he still had that could persuade the Emperor to return Aisha to Eldar.

But before He could figure it out, the Emperor spoke first.

"How about this, let's each take a step back."

“Let Aisha stay here in Comoros, a core node of the Web that was built by the Ancient Empire and is now under our control. It has powerful barriers and military forces, making it almost the safest place in the galaxy for her right now.”

"If you, the Aidalings, wish to see Aisha, come to Comoros and meet the goddess."

"We need Aisha's help to manufacture spirit bone materials, and it would be best if she could help us train a group of spirit bone chanters who can manufacture spirit bones."

The Emperor laid out his conditions; his true purpose in saving Elsa was to expedite the construction of the human network.

Upon hearing this, Aisha immediately raised her head, her emerald green eyes looking at the Emperor and then at the God of Laughter.

Ultimately, she seemed to have made up her mind.

Her weak but clear voice rang out, carrying an ethereal divine quality and a hint of weariness.

“I agree to stay in Comoros.”

Aisha's gaze swept over the ruined but being rebuilt by humans in Comoros, as if she could see the tragic deaths of those dark Eldar.

As the mother goddess of the spirit race, Aisha doesn't distinguish between different types of spirits; she loves them all equally.

"Comoros is indeed very safe. I can balance the Adarin and humans here, which is a win-win situation."

"Our bloodline has withered away. I will bestow upon all Aida who possess Soul Stones the blessing of procreation."

"The seeds of life will sprout new shoots and bloom into flowers from the soil of despair."

As Aisha spoke, a pure, vibrant emerald light flowed from her fingertips, merging into the void of Comoros like a seed.

All the Eldar present, including Mortalian, felt something deep within their souls being touched and warmed in that instant.

The God of Laughter's rare genuine laughter was not a playful joke, nor was it a fake laugh for the sake of performance.

During the Old Spirit Empire era, the Eldar had Aisha's blessing, and they did not have much difficulty in having offspring.

However, with the fall of the Eldar Empire and Aisha's capture and imprisonment by Nurgle, the Eldar race, deprived of their blessing, dwindled in number, and their reproductive capacity was simply insufficient to support a great race.

Elsa looked at the Emperor with a special kind of admiration and gratitude in her eyes.

"I sense your human desire for spirit bone materials. You intend to repair and build the Infinite Network, right?"

“I will teach you psionicists how to communicate with the Web and how to efficiently condense spirit bones, as a reward for your saving and protecting me.”

The emperor was overjoyed upon hearing Aisha's reply.

As long as the goal is achieved, there's no need to worry about other details.

"Deal." The Emperor said succinctly.

"The details that followed were handled by my comrade-in-arms, Losi."

"We have selected a group of the most outstanding psionicists who are gifted in materials science and psionic energy to learn how to create spirit bones."

They are truly fortunate to have such excellent mentors now.

Loshi smiled wryly. Neos was really stubborn; he would only start something and then dump the rest on others.

A conflict between humans and the Elven race was quietly dissolved into nothingness.

Aisha will remain at the Comoros Web node, which is controlled by humans, to provide the Eldar with crucial reproductive blessings and Soulstone support, while also providing humans with vital Spirit Bone technology.

The Eldar welcomed back their goddess, humanity gained a larger and more stable supply of spirit bones, and the Slaanesh... at least got some fun.

Only Nurgle lost everything and became a complete loser.

After the warp tide receded and the gods returned to their own realms, the mournful and indignant cries of the Father could still be heard in Nurgle's Garden.

(End of this chapter)