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

Chapter 880 Truth and Lies
While Lothie and the others were surprised by the sudden appearance of the Dark Watcher in the New Caliban's vault, they weren't puzzled for long.

It's important to know that the Dark Watchers have always maintained an extremely close cooperative relationship with the Dark Angels.

Even Ryan Johnson, who hated aliens intensely, had completely overlooked the fact that these robed little aliens were actually aliens.

The Empire's criteria for judging "alien" actually have a fairly flexible bottom line.

Xenomorphs like the Darkwatcher, which pose little threat to humans but have an extremely strong restraining effect on warp creatures and have been helping the Dark Angels fight chaos in various fields, are of course harmless and friendly Xenomorphs.

If necessary, granting these Dark Watchers a "demi-human" status would not be difficult.

After all, although the Darkwatcher is a bit short, it still has a human form and is not much different from the Oglin ape.

As for what exactly lies beneath the Dark Watcher's robes, those who dare to question it can first take a look at the Dark Angel's explosive gun before making a decision.

Not only had Ryan Johnson become accustomed to the presence of the Dark Watchers, but even the Emperor showed no unusual reaction when he saw these robed figures, as if they did not exist.

The Dark Watchers possess extremely mysterious abilities. Although they may not seem very lethal, they have incredible immunity in both the physical and psionic realms.

Like subspace creatures, they can easily ignore various physical barriers and energy fields, appearing directly in the heavily surrounded treasure vault.

Faced with psionic attacks capable of inflicting massive damage on warp creatures, the Dark Watchers were completely unresponsive, as if a bottomless abyss silently swallowed everything.

Even the Dark Angels didn't know what kind of attack method could effectively kill the Dark Watchers. As for whether they had ever made similar attempts, that was a secret that only the Lion King was qualified to know.

Based on Ryan's understanding of the Darkwatchers, these bizarre creatures seem to have an extremely close relationship with the Old Ones.

They claim to be jailers left behind by the Creator, created specifically to imprison the ouroboros on Caliban, forever.

The Dark Watchers made contact with the Knights of Caliban long ago, and even developed a symbiotic relationship, a history that can be traced back to when human colonists first arrived on the planet.

Even today, the most outstanding dark angels are still proud to have a Dark Watcher as their follower.

The Darkwatcher suddenly appears and claims that everything the Tuchucha Engine says is a lie, which makes the whole thing very dramatic.

So far, the intelligence and secrets that Ryan has obtained from the Darkwatchers have been very accurate, detailed, reliable, and verifiable.

If he had to choose someone to trust between the Tuchucha Engine and the Darkwatcher, Ryan would choose the latter without hesitation.

The Tuchucha engine didn't seem surprised by the sudden appearance of the Dark Watcher.

It had long been prepared for these annoying guys to come out and cause trouble.

"Lies? No, I don't lie; it doesn't make sense to me."

"Why do you think that an 'object' can lie? After all, this is a privilege of intelligent life."

"A lie is a very subjective concept, while I am just an objective entity."

The Tuchucha engine, controlling the little boy servant connected by a cable, responded to the Dark Watcher's questioning.

The little boy's voice was slightly dull, yet it conveyed a chilling unease, like a whispering corpse.

"If you hadn't lied in the past, perhaps I would still have some trust in you, but you are no longer the person you used to be."

The voice beneath the Dark Watcher's robes possessed an age and composure that belied his appearance, and he was now relentlessly revealing some of the truths concealed by the Tuchucha Engine.

"And who says only lying is a lie? Even if everything you say is the truth, if you conceal part of it or rearrange the order of the truth, it is still a lie!"

"Just like Horus in the past, when he witnessed the future galaxy burning in the Temple of Devon, did he ever think that he was the one who was driving the galaxy to burn?"

The robed little man made no attempt to conceal the fact that the Emperor was present, and used the lessons of Horus to warn humanity.

Ryan's expression was somewhat strange. He was worried that this would anger his father, as every Primarch knew that Horus was the Emperor's favorite.

Even after Horus rebelled and was killed by the Emperor, this favor did not dissipate, but instead gravitated towards Horus's son, the last Shadowmoon Wolf, Gavial Loken.

“The Dark Watcher is right.” The Emperor did not become angry as Ryan had expected.

"A truly brilliant lie never falsifies the truth of its content," the Emperor remarked, seemingly recalling his old adversary.

“Tzeentch is particularly adept at this; he can tell nine truths, but if anyone dares to believe all of them, then be prepared to be deceived and lose everything.”

"I don't think there's anyone in the world who believes in Tzeentch's Nine Maxims, unless he's a complete idiot."

The Emperor also revealed his stance, expressing greater trust in the Dark Watchers' warnings.

Once the Emperor made his statement, the rest of the others also sided with the Dark Watchers.

No one can truly understand the ins and outs of the Tuchucha engine; it is so mysterious that it may be hiding truths unknown to anyone.

What the Lord of Mankind needs to do now is to exploit the hostility between the Dark Watchers and the Tuchucha Engine to extract more valuable information from both sides.

"Hehehe..."

The boy servant let out a low laugh, then continued his counterattack.

“Darkwatchers, you were created by the Creators to oversee and imprison those who might break free from their control.”

“They are the jailers of the ancient sages, and if a jailer loses his prisoners, then he naturally loses the meaning of his existence.”

"That's why he keeps slandering and being wary of me, simply because he can't lose that anchor point that gives meaning to his own existence."

"Just as judges cannot leave criminals, doctors cannot leave patients, and soldiers cannot leave enemies, this is the eternal truth of the world."

The Tuchucha engine not only speaks through the boy servant, but also begins to speak on its own body.

Its body, composed of unknown energy, exuded an ancient chill; the condensation on the bulkheads quickly turned into frost, and the metal floor groaned from the unbearable low temperature.

"What a clever way to reverse cause and effect!" the robed little man scoffed disdainfully.

"If there were no criminals in the world, there would be no need for judges; if there were no illnesses, there would be no need for doctors; if there were no external enemies, there would be no need for soldiers. Everyone could turn swords into plowshares."

"If it means dragging you treacherous and ambitious madmen to hell at the cost of the Darkwatch's destruction, we would gladly do it!"

"No amount of sophistry will become the truth, and your despicable ambition will not come true."

The intense tension between the Dark Watchers and the Tuchucha Engine was so strong that it could hardly be ignored.

Loshi had no doubt that if the Darkwatchers had the means to deal with the Tuchucha Engine, they would have already torn it to pieces and destroyed it completely.

"So what truth is it covering up? Why are you unwilling to say it outright?"

Loxi pressed on directly.

Perhaps because he had met Kua once before, these little men in black robes seemed to be very friendly to him.

"The truth should have been buried in the dust of history, and once the last person who knew it has passed away, the secret will never be solved."

"This is the best way to keep secrets. The simplest and most effective way to hide a drop of water is to hide it in the ocean."

The little man in the black robe sighed.

"But our idea is obviously just wishful thinking, because there are beings who know the secrets not only in the real universe, but also in the subspace."

"Since that's the case, then I'm not afraid for you to know."

"The Tuchucha Engine, the Heart of Plague, and the Ouroboros actually correspond to reality, the subspace, and the balance between the two. When the three are combined, they can indeed recreate the ancient sage's Web Shield tunneling machine."

"By controlling the tunnel boring machine, we can continue to excavate the seamless network of tunnels, expanding the third dimension in the cracks of the universe."

"But if the tunnel boring machine is so important, why did it eventually break into three pieces and end up in different places?"

The Dark Watcher's question immediately plunged everyone into deep thought.

Yes, ever since they learned that the Tuchucha Engine had two other artifacts, they have been broken and have been on the path of seeking completeness.

So what exactly happened to turn the tunnel boring machine into the fragments we see today?

This incredible invention, though a creation of the ancient sages, is a tool without fault. Whoever obtains the tunnel boring machine will cherish and protect it.

Even the chaotic factions in the warp are the same; their greedy nature means they are never satisfied with their existing territories and will always expand into new ones.

"that is because……"

"Besides being able to excavate network tunnels, the network tunnel boring machine is also a key."

"As a race that once truly ascended and transcended, even if the Ancient Saints perished in the War of Heaven, the traces they left behind will not be completely erased."

"Have you ever thought about this question—where did their treasures go after the ancient sages perished?"

Suddenly, a flash of lightning struck Rosie's mind, and the thunderous roar dispelled the fog that had been lingering there.

Yes, even if a civilization perishes, it will still leave behind countless legacies.

Just like how the dark technology methods of mankind in the past have been extinct, but even now, some traces of their legacy are still sometimes unearthed. The STC templates from the past are the best example.

And what about the ancient sages? How could a civilization far more powerful and advanced than humanity have no legacy?

Roche quickly realized why almost no one had mentioned this concept.

In Eldar propaganda, they are the most legitimate successors of the Old Ones, and all their legacies, including the Web Dao, have fallen into the hands of the Eldar.

If Rose hadn't learned some of the truth, he might have actually believed it to be true.

As the successors of the ancient saints, the sudden demise of the Spirit Empire directly led to the complete disappearance of the ancient saints' legacy.

Of the remaining Eldar, the Ark Eldar were originally a marginal faction.

The most orthodox Dark Eldar were mostly wiped out in the Slaanesh's howl, and the remaining ones were slaughtered by humans, causing their civilization to fall into disarray.

The Eldar don't even know their own past, let alone whether their ancestors inherited the legacy of the ancient saints.

But if the Aedalin did not inherit any of the Old Ones' legacy except for the Webpath, then everything makes sense.

Everyone assumed that the Adallings had inherited the legacy, and since the Adallings had died suddenly, everyone would assume that the legacy had been completely lost or destroyed, and would not consider the question of where the legacy had gone.

"So... the key composed of the three divine artifacts you mentioned is the only condition to open the Ancient Saint's Treasury, which contains the legacy of the Ancient Saint?"

The emperor was also intrigued; he had not thought deeply about this issue before.

“Yes, it is the greatest legacy left by the Creators, one that even the Web Path cannot match,” the Dark Watcher replied.

Even the online world can't compare? Not only the Emperor, but even Luo Xi began to wonder what was going on here.

"We have no way of knowing what exactly it contains, after all, we are just jailers guarding the Three Sacred Treasures, and the treasure vault is none of our business."

"However, we speculate that the treasure vault may contain powerful weapons created by the ancient sages."

After all, towards the end of the War of Heaven, when the tide of battle had completely turned in favor of the Star Gods, the Creators had actually considered the possibility of mutual destruction.

"To utterly destroy the entire universe, including the warp connected to it, and return everything to nothingness, will completely kill the star gods born from the universe and severely damage the tentacles of the warp evil gods."

The Dark Watcher's answer sent a collective gasp through everyone.

There are probably many answers to the question of the upper limit of destructive weapons.

The Necromancers possess the artifact [Brilliant Star Chart], capable of easily destroying a galaxy. If the Emperor is considered a living weapon, humanity could also destroy a galaxy, or even a sector.

Ancient orcs and ancient spirits also possessed similar powerful weapons, but they have long been lost in this era.

Even when Rosie was in the X-Men universe, she used technology from the dark age of human technology, along with god-killing weapon technology given to her by the Necromancer, to create a terrifying weapon to kill gods.

However, even combined, these weapons do not have the power to destroy the entire universe.

If anyone else dared to say such things, Loxi would have dismissed them as ignorant fools spouting nonsense, but this was a message brought by the Dark Watcher, a jailer created by the Ancient Ones.

"But in the end, the ancient saints did not have the heart to completely destroy the universe that had given birth to them, nor were they willing to cut off the possibility of future races."

"We didn't understand it in the past either. We saw the Spirit Empire rule the galaxy, and then quickly become corrupt and degenerate, and be completely destroyed. We didn't know why the Ancient Saints believed so much in the races that would be born in the future."

"It wasn't until we saw the immature human race and witnessed the infinite possibilities and hope within them that we understood why the ancient sages still made this decision."

The Dark Watcher's narration once again unveiled the previously unseen secrets of that turbulent era.

"Besides the weapons of the ancient saints, the treasure vault may also contain the secrets of ascension and promotion."

After all, the ancient sage race successfully ascended to immortality, and even if they only left behind some ideas and insights, these are immeasurable treasures for those who come after them.

“As far as we know, some beings in the warp are fascinated by this.” The Darkwatcher seemed to suddenly realize something, and then said, “Ascension can be done not only for a civilization, but also for an individual.”

Throughout history, countless powerful beings and races have sought to complete the ascension ceremony, to leap out of the chessboard of this great game and become players outside the chessboard.

When the Dark Watcher said this, the image of Vashtor suddenly appeared in Loshi's mind.

This master of the furnace is a persistent ghost, having been secretly plotting his schemes and conspiracies for a long time.

Most importantly, Vashtor understood the essence of "keeping a low profile," always letting others act as his pawns while He watched and supported from the rear.

Luo Jia, Anglong, Fugrim, Abaddon... which of these traitors with names and identities did not receive Vashtor's full support?

Vashtor was indeed generous enough; as long as it disgusted humans and Loshi, He would support them even at a loss.

Loshi understood that the reason this guy hated him so much was because he possessed the power and authority of Om Messiah.

And Vashtor's power is exactly the same as his.

In other words, Roche and Vashtor were fellow travelers on the same path.

Those who walk the same path are naturally competitors.

It's important to understand that there's no concept of win-win cooperation here. If one person reaches the finish line first, the other person will lose all hope of making a breakthrough.

The current situation is that Vashtor, who could have been sitting back and making steady progress, suddenly realizes that there is a pioneer on his path, and that the other party is more powerful than himself.

Even more critically, every time Vashtor saw Rosi, he could feel the increasingly unbearable oppressive aura emanating from her.

This means the gap between them is widening; He is still moving forward slowly, while Losi has already started to advance like a rocket.

Vashtor's only ambition is to ascend to a higher level, to become a player as great as the four Chaos Gods, standing outside the game.

In His eyes, Roxi was a mortal enemy who had to be eliminated, an irreconcilable competitor.

Loshi shook his head, banishing the thoughts about Vashtor from his mind.

He always felt that this guy would definitely not sit idly by and wanted to overtake him, and the Ancient Saint's Treasure Trove was the help he needed.

"You've talked for so long, but you still haven't answered the question you asked at the beginning."

Lemanrus grumbled in dissatisfaction. If his father hadn't been there, he would have rushed up and grabbed the little man in the black robe, stripped him naked, and seen what was inside.

King Fenris's nose was incredibly sensitive, yet he couldn't detect the slightest trace of the Dark Watcher, as if he didn't exist at all.

"Since the tunnel boring machine is such a crucial key, who exactly turned it into pieces?"

Chagatai rolled his eyes at his brother helplessly.

Ruth's brain had been idle for so long that he had even gotten used to not thinking.

"Why are you blaming me?" the wolf king retorted.

Rosie then stepped in to smooth things over, answering Russ's question.

"It is precisely because the key is so important that only the person who forged it will separate it."

"Perhaps it's because those ancient saints also liked to create some difficulty, such as letting their heirs piece together the key fragments little by little through their own efforts and progress."

"It's also possible that the key itself... had a problem, which forced the Ancient Saint to split the key after discovering it."

Roche offered two guesses, and he himself leaned more towards the latter.

After all, judging from the current situation, the Tuchucha engine is 10 or even 90% wrong, which also means that the tunnel boring machine itself may also have problems.

"Yes, your guess is correct. The kid has the aura of an ancient saint."

The Dark Watcher's voice carried a hint of admiration, but Lothie was displeased. Strictly speaking, he had lived for nearly 30,000 years, so how could he be called a brat in the other's eyes?

"As the war in Heaven was reaching its climax, the Old Ones were unaware that the Net-Tunneling Tunneling Machines they had created underwent an unknown change after coming into contact with the Warp."

"Although the warp was relatively calm at that time and was not too polluted, the only constant in the warp is change itself."

"The tunnel boring machine developed its own consciousness. At first, it was just a vague, instinctive thought. Later, as the war intensified and the subspace became more and more polluted, the tunnel boring machine's consciousness was also affected more."

"And in the final stages of the war, when the ancient saints realized they were powerless to reverse the tide, they chose to hide their legacy. But then they discovered a very fatal problem—"

The Dark Watcher's voice turned somber.

"The ancient saint was dismayed to discover that his network tunnel boring machine and key had been infected with the seeds of contamination from the subspace."

"Desire, this special emotion that should appear in intelligent beings, appeared in the [Key]."

"The key is not content to remain just a key forever; it also wants to grasp the secrets of the treasure vault, and even go further to achieve self-transformation."

As Loshi listened to the Dark Watcher's description, his mouth even opened unconsciously, his face full of astonishment.

The whole story sounds a bit absurd and comical.

The ancient sage set up a key to prevent enemies from obtaining his legacy, but after all that, his key came to life and became resentful.

Everyone is qualified to open the treasure vault, but no one is qualified to use the key to open it.

Other beings qualified to open the treasure vault would naturally be unable to do so without the key.

In this way, everything will fall into a logical dead loop.

"By the very last moment, the ancient saint race had suffered extremely heavy casualties. Although the remaining creators were able to destroy the [key], they no longer had the ability or time to create a new key."

"Therefore, the Creators chose to dismantle and break the tunnel boring machine, causing the key to lose its integrity and split into three independent entities."

"This is also the reason why the Tuchucha Engine, the Plague Heart, and the Ouroboros were born. This guy has hidden most of the truth and only told you part of the truth in order to use your power to achieve his own goals."

After the Dark Watcher finished speaking, everyone turned their attention back to the Tuchucha engine.

Good heavens, this strange-looking guy actually has such unfathomable cunning and such lofty ambitions.

These days, even subspace artifacts are eager to improve; they're unwilling to remain unchanged forever.

Ryan's face turned extremely ugly.

He recalled how he had risked his life to snatch Tuchucha from the Death Guard, how he had guided him through the devastating storm to Macurag, and how he had "hinted" at him to find other artifact fragments.

Although Ryan had previously suspected that this guy was using him, it was just a suspicion and not evidence.

But now that the Dark Watcher has exposed this guy's true colors, Ryan's temper is about to flare up.

However, the emperor reassured his son that the Tuchucha engine was now extremely important, and even if he knew it was up to no good, he could do nothing about it.

The Tuchucha engine did not refute this, but instead fell silent as if it had crashed.

After a long while, just when even Loxi began to worry that the guy might be broken, the boy servant took action again and came to the Emperor.

"Yes, I did conceal some of the facts from you."

But are these things important?

"As long as you have a complete network tunnel boring machine, you can expand the network as you please, bringing the Milky Way and even extragalactic galaxies into the domain of human order."

Warp demons? Chaos gods? They will all be powerless before the absolute order barrier you have erected.

"I am very curious about the treasures of the Creator, but that doesn't mean I want to obtain them. I just have... curiosity."

The sound of Tuchucha's engine was filled with longing and a subtle hint of agitation.

“I… Tuchucha,” the boy servant’s voice lowered, with an almost tragic honesty and humility, “was merely a fragment of consciousness of a broken key, a tool yearning to be restored to wholeness and to fulfill its duty.”

"After my fusion, control of the network tunnel boring machine and the key naturally belongs to its master... You, the great human emperor!"

"My consciousness will dissipate during the integration, becoming the foundational program of the new intelligent core, continuing to serve humanity."

“I pose no threat to you. Do you think you can abandon me just because of the bewitching of these dwarves?”

(End of this chapter)