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

Chapter 905 What does it mean that beastmen are also human?

Compared to piloting that old Thunderhawk through the Eye of Fear, traveling faster than light via the network is far superior in both efficiency and experience.

The God Emperor's apostles used their psionic energy to weave and condense a small lightship capable of containing all the Primarchs, and relied on this lightship to move forward rapidly.

The scenery inside the net tunnel flashed past at a dizzying speed.

At certain key points and intersections, people can clearly see the magnificent ruins left by the ancient race—a magnificent complex of buildings several kilometers high, made of some kind of unknown crystal and spiritual bone; huge arches and complex supporting structures that meander like mountains, spanning multiple dimensions.

There are also some bases and interfaces that are clearly remnants of some kind of mega-facility, whose design concepts and technological levels far exceed human current understanding.

These miraculous creations silently tell the story of the glory of the Ancient Empire and even the earlier Ancient Saints.

Their complexity and the technological principles they contain are so profound that even the Primarchs, with their genetically enhanced superhuman vision and brain processing abilities, cannot help but feel dizzy from information overload after prolonged viewing.

Even someone like Mortalian, who had an extreme aversion to and instinctive resistance to psionic energy, couldn't help but let out a very soft, yet heartfelt, sigh of awe when he witnessed those tall, ancient, and clearly miraculous structures created by powerful psionic races, all beneath his heavy breathing mask.

“Only a truly powerful and prosperous civilization could create such an unimaginable spectacle,” the Death Guard Primarch clone remarked.

"Although I still loathe those pretentious Eldar aliens, I have to admit that even at the height of the Great Crusade, our human empire was still visibly far from the Eldar's former glory."

He abruptly changed the subject, his cloudy eyes looking at Magnus, the apostle piloting the lightship, and posed a practical question.

"You say the Empire now controls the Internet, but do we truly have the ability to maintain this vast network?"

Without a matching, systematic, and comprehensive maintenance system, even the great legacy left by the ancient saints will eventually wither and be exhausted under the continuous erosion of the warp and natural wear and tear.

The King of Barbaros had a very complex attitude toward the God Emperor's Apostles; he was neither close to them nor completely rejecting them.

The intense hatred for psychic power and the gratitude for being saved and fed by the other party intertwined, solidifying in Mortalian's heart into a peculiar emotion called "twisting".

He wanted to maintain his aloof and independent stance, yet he couldn't resist the urge to extract more detailed information about the current state of the empire from this knowledgeable apostle, to satisfy his growing curiosity and a subtle, almost imperceptible concern.

As for Mortalian's personality, Apostle Magnus was well aware of it; whether in his original form or as a clone, he was equally eccentric.

However, compared to his "sister" Mortalian, who had become the leader of the Eldar and was even more elusive, this clone lacked a bit of arrogant affectation and had a kind of pure, unadulterated awkwardness that Magnus found strangely "friendly".

“We now naturally have the power to repair and build new network tunnels. The ancient sage’s shield tunneling machine, which was used to build network tunnels, has been mastered by the Great Sage Loxi. We have grasped the lifeline of network tunnels.”

"In the recent Second Comorian War, the Great Sage Loshi defeated and destroyed Vashtor, the Lord of the Soul Forge, on the battlefield, completely annihilating this warp sub-god."

Upon hearing Apostle Magnus's account, those Primarchs present who had interacted with Lothie immediately brightened up.

"As expected of the person I chose. Back in Macurag, I realized that Roshi had irreplaceable value to humanity. He is a reliable and trustworthy comrade-in-arms, as well as my close brother."

Clones Guilliman clenched his fist excitedly, feeling quite thrilled to receive news of his old friend.

Mortalian glanced at Guilliman, a hint of disdain flashing in his eyes.

"Brother? Even the emperor regarded him as a close comrade-in-arms, and you still consider him a brother?"

"Or do you actually harbor ambitions to take his place? Even if you're just a clone, Guilliman."

Just now, when the Apostle Magnus was relaying Guilliman's opinion, the clone Mortalian heard it clearly.

Of all the loyal Primarchs, Guilliman now holds the highest position, even eclipsing the former Warmaster of Horus.

Following the reorganization of the Imperial domestic affairs, the High Lords Council lost its former extraordinary status and transformed from a power institution into an executive body, with Guilliman becoming the de facto ruler of the Empire.

The high lords will only be capable subjects in the future, not rulers and masters of the empire.

This was undoubtedly an extremely difficult fact for Mortarian to accept.

Before this, he had always believed himself to be the most powerful and special of all the Primarchs, while Guilliman? He was nothing more than an ambitious local warlord holed up in the Five Hundred Worlds.

"Ambition?"

Cloned Kiliman was both angry and amused.

"Only a fool would think that crown is a good thing. You only see the power that the crown represents, but I see the responsibility that the crown represents."

"If you want to wear the crown, you must first bear its weight. Didn't you see that even our father was unwilling to bear it? And you still think I'm ambitious?"

Cloned Guilliman genuinely wanted to find a planet in Macragge to live in seclusion, but his original self had clearly anticipated his mindset and directly demanded that the Apostle Magnus bring the clone back.

Even if it were a clone of Guilliman, if he were in that position, he would definitely make the same choice once he knew that there was another version of himself who could share the pressure.

But now he's the one being conscripted, so naturally he's full of resentment.

The Apostle Magnus simply watched the Primarch clones argue amongst themselves, and as long as they didn't start fighting, he didn't care about anything else.

The century of torment on the Golden Throne, and the baptism of countless human desires and thoughts after becoming an apostle of the God-Emperor, have completely transformed the once proud, arrogant, and disdainful Magnus.

In Rosie's words, Magnus, the most dangerous super-giant baby in the galaxy, has finally survived his rebellious phase and matured after experiencing so much.

Magnus longed for the days when his brothers were all around, and now, in these Primarch clones, he seemed to see his fantasies come true.

After Guilliman and Motarian's argument subsided, Magnus leisurely spoke again, steer the conversation back to the net:
"In fact, not long ago, the situation inside the Infinite Network was far from so orderly. This great miracle left by the ancient saint had withered quite badly. Many areas had long been abandoned and collapsed, and even eroded and polluted by subspace energy, becoming a nest occupied by demons and aliens."

His words immediately drew the attention of all the Primarchs, even the sulking Guilliman and the brooding Mortarion pricked up their ears.

"After the fall of the Eldar Empire, those Eldar completely lost the ability and willingness to maintain and repair the network on a large scale."

And when the vicious cycle began to compound—network damage leading to increased subspace erosion, which in turn caused more networks to fail—everything spiraled out of control like a snowball, ultimately resulting in the dangerous situation we initially discovered.

The words of the Apostle Magnus immediately aroused even more curiosity among the crowd.

However, they did not interrupt, but let the other person continue to tell their story slowly.

"And for us humans, after making huge sacrifices, we finally conquered and occupied Comoros, this crucial network node city, and only then did the turning point begin to appear."

High Sage Loshi, relying on the fully mastered Webpath tunneling machine and through limited cooperation with some Eldar gods, successfully activated and awakened the long-dormant primordial consciousness of the Webpath.

"Does the Web possess self-awareness?" CloningMagnus interjected in surprise.

“Yes,” the apostle affirmed, “although this self-awareness is not as personalized as that of us humans or the Eldar, it is more like a vast aggregate of collective instincts and rules that maintain its own existence and operation.”

Since the fall of the ancient sages, the consciousness of the Net Dao has gradually weakened and fallen into slumber.

The Ancient Spirits, indulging in extreme pleasure and decadence, did not devote much energy to maintaining the Web Path, instead regarding it as a natural tool and refuge.

"This also means that over the long course of history, when the network has been fighting against external erosion from the subspace, it has often been able to rely on instinctive, passive, and localized reactions, and has been unable to effectively unify and coordinate the power of the entire network for defense and self-healing."

However, this situation began to change fundamentally after the tunnel boring machine was restarted and reconnected to the tunnel core.

A glint of light flashed in Magnus's eyes; he was also gradually beginning to understand the power of the tunnel boring machine.

This ancient sage's artifact can not only efficiently open up new paths in the network, but also activate the network's self-awareness.

"It's like... forcibly injecting vitality into a giant who has been asleep for many years, is seriously ill, and is nearing the end of his life, and awakening his subjective consciousness," the apostle explained with a vivid metaphor.

"Once the giant's consciousness awakens, his immune system and metabolism will begin to operate efficiently and in a unified manner, naturally generating strong resistance to clear lesions and repair damage."

"The immensely vast Infinite Network, precisely because its original consciousness is gradually awakening, begins to actively purify the polluted and occupied areas within its body with a clear purpose, and opens up the network branches that have been blocked or broken for various reasons."

"As for those long-standing and exceptionally stubborn 'lesions' areas... the powerful legion under the Emperor, specifically formed for the Web Path, will arrive with maximum efficiency and sweep away all warp demons, wild Web Path creatures, or remnants of the Dark Eldar with overwhelming force."

"Today, the Internetway is regarded by the Empire as a strategic lifeline and sacred territory that cannot be lost. The Internetway itself has also developed an unprecedented attitude of tolerance and acceptance toward the human Empire because the tunnel boring machine has been taken over by humans and has felt the efforts of humans to repair it."

A unique, mutually beneficial symbiotic relationship is forming between the two, driving everything in a positive cycle.

After listening, Klon Guilliman let out a long sigh of relief. His mind, which was always busy with calculations and planning, seemed to need some time to digest this overwhelming amount of information.

"It's unbelievable that, in our memory, the Empire is still fighting bloody battles for the ownership of every planet and the security of every sea lane."

And now, the Empire has actually begun to restore and control the legacy of the ancient saints, and is even able to establish a cooperative relationship with this legacy itself.

His tone was filled with a sense of unreality, as if he were in another world. His cobalt blue eyes reflected the shimmering barrier of the net, as if he were seeing a completely unfamiliar yet beautiful future that belonged to humanity.

"Things are not what they used to be... that phrase couldn't be more apt."

Klonhorus echoed in a low voice, his feelings even more complicated.

As a former Warmaster and instigator of the Great Rebellion, the Empire in his memory was both a powerful conqueror of the galaxy and also harbored deadly internal rifts.

Now, hearing that the empire had not only weathered its darkest hour but had also embarked on such an unimaginable path of development, a mix of relief, shame, and a strong sense of dislocation enveloped him.

"We old guys still have memories of the Legion and the Great Crusade. It takes some getting used to these things all at once," he said with a wry smile.

Meanwhile, Magnus the clone fell into even deeper silence and regret.

The grand vision described by the Apostles—that humanity could walk safely on the Web and even coexist with it—was the Emperor's original dream and the best way to avoid dependence on the dangerous Warp.

And all of this seems to have been destroyed... destroyed by his reckless psionic communication, which he had made in the first place to warn his father about Horus's betrayal.

If he hadn't destroyed the artificial network that the Emperor had so carefully maintained, leading to the demonic invasion and forcing the Emperor to sit on the Golden Throne, would humanity have been able to access and master the true network sooner? Would the Great Rebellion have been avoided? Or would it have been less devastating?
Countless "ifs" and "could have" gnawed at his heart like venomous snakes, causing him to painfully close his one eye.

Just then, the gentle yet undeniably powerful voice of the Apostle Magnus rang directly in the clone's ear, as if speaking to himself.

"Don't look back, and don't try to beautify the path you've never taken. Every choice you made in the past had its inevitability at the time."

The Chaos Gods' spying on and distortion of human destiny are all-pervasive. Even without the Prospero incident and that psionic communication, they would have found other ways to create other incidents to hinder and destroy Father's Webway plan.

Perhaps it will be another accident, or another betrayal... The important thing is that we have gone through hardships and paid a price, but in the end, we still found the way forward and are closer to our goal than ever before.

Focus on the present; regret is a pointless waste of time.

These words, like warm sunshine, slightly dispelled the gloom in clone Magnus's heart and also made the other Primarchs thoughtful. Clone Peturabo, who was extremely interested in the Network Engineering itself, raised a very practical question from a technical perspective.

He frowned, looking out the window at the seemingly endless branches of the network: "Such a huge and complex system would require an astronomical number of troops for its daily maintenance, patrols and mopping-up operations."

The Web of Circulation spans the galaxy, with countless nodes and branching paths. Just how many armies does the Empire currently possess that can afford to dedicate themselves to the Web of Circulation? The manpower and resources required are no less than, and perhaps even exceed, those of the Great Crusade.

"Moreover, the Empire is not without enemies in the galaxy. There are space pirates, unknown alien races, and representatives of chaos. All of these require a massive army to suppress and eliminate them."

"If we commit most of our forces to the cyberspace, what will happen to the outside world? Will we lose our territory?"

Upon hearing this, the Apostle Magnus once again wore that mysterious smile, as if he knew everything but did not want to reveal it completely for the time being.

"Regarding the issue of troop strength... Peturabo, you don't need to worry. The current empire is not lacking in available troops."

Moreover, I can assure you that in the foreseeable future, the Empire will never again be troubled by a shortage of troops.

This answer clearly failed to satisfy Peturab, who sought precise data and detailed plans, and further confused the other Primarchs.

Where did the empire get so many troops? You must know that the dangers and enemies within the Net Path have exceeded the limits of what ordinary armies can handle. What is needed here is a more elite and powerful army.

Is Astartes expanding its army? The Iron Legion? Or has the Emperor brought out the Thunder Warriors again?
Just as the Primarch clones were discussing and speculating about this.

Suddenly, in the far distance ahead of the light boat, on the main road of the network, a formation of aircraft carrying out a patrol mission appeared.

The aircraft were rugged and angular, full of a unique violent aesthetic. They were painted in bright red, green and metallic colors, and their style was clearly mixed with the special flavor of the Ork people, and a feeling that was similar to the technology of the human empire.

"Enemy attack?! It's the Ork!"

Clone Horus, Chagatai Khan, Guilliman, and others had all participated in the war against the Ulanor Orc Empire and recognized the distinctive style of the Orcs almost instantly.

Their fighting instincts were immediately triggered, the force fields of their weapons were activated, and they prepared to fight the group of green-skinned orcs that had suddenly appeared in the heart of the Empire.

They couldn't understand why the orcs were here, but their instinctive reactions were remarkably consistent.

"Don't be impatient."

Apostle Magnus calmly raised his hand to stop them. He didn't even change the course or speed of the lightship, but simply used his psionic energy to send a special identification signal with a strong authentication mark to the orc squadron ahead.

A surprising and even terrifying scene unfolded: after receiving the signal, the orc patrol did not charge forward with its usual "Waaagh!" battle cry, but instead quickly slowed down.

These orcs were quite illogical; they maintained a relatively neat formation throughout, slowly approaching the lightship.

Even those menacing-looking fighter jets made some kind of clumsy but clearly intentional swaying motions in the air as a sign of respect and welcome.

The Primarch clones were all stunned, staring dumbfounded at the approaching orc vehicles.

This gave them the opportunity to observe closely and discover that these orcs seemed completely different from what they remembered.

The Orcs still have strong, bulging green muscles, but their equipment is more uniform and neat, with even a visible sheen from maintenance, and the painted markings are more regular.

The Primarch clones even saw some bizarre combinations of Imperial double-headed eagle symbols and orc totems.

The orcs also appeared more disciplined, with less of the chaotic and frenzied noise. Through the portholes, you could even see some orc pilots operating complex instrument panels instead of randomly banging on the terrible control interface.

Just as the Primarchs were about to have their brains shut down, unable to comprehend this illogical scene before them, an exceptionally tall and strong giant with deep, dark green skin flew out from a fast assault boat at the rear of the Orc squadron.

His power armor, a blend of orcish style and Imperial craftsmanship, gleamed under the glow of the net. One shoulder plate featured a roaring orcish head, while the other bore the image of a fire lizard behemoth, a creature unique to Nocturne.

He was carrying a huge, precision-engineered power warhammer, the style of which felt incredibly familiar and dear to Klon Vulcan.

"Haha, it seems I've arrived just in time!"

"After I learned about Istvan III, I immediately brought my men here, but I didn't expect to run into you guys in the online world."

The giant laughed and then removed his helmet.

The clone Vulcan inside the lightship suddenly stood up, his eyes wide with disbelief as he stared at the approaching dark green giant.

"This is my original form?! But how... how did it turn green, and with orcs..." He even subconsciously touched his dark skin to confirm that he was still the same as before.

The one who arrived was none other than Vulcan, the Lord of Fire Dragons.

The dark green Vulcan landed easily at the front of the lightship, nodded in tacit agreement with the Apostle Magnus, and then looked enthusiastically at the dumbfounded, question-marked faces inside the lightship, especially the clone that looked almost exactly like him.

He grinned, revealing a bright and warm smile, a smile that still carried the honesty and enthusiasm of the Fire Dragon Lord, but also incorporated more of the orc's boldness and untamed spirit.

"Yes, it's me! Vulcan!"

He spoke loudly, his voice powerful, and patted his thick, dark green breastplate, which made a deep, reliable sound.

"As for my appearance? You may not know what happened. I actively absorbed and fused with the Waaagh energy essence of the Ork. Now, I am not only the genetic prototype of humanity, but also the emperor of the Ork."

"Under my guidance and discipline, the Orcs are integrating into humanity. They are no longer humanity's mortal enemies, but loyal warriors fighting for humanity's future."

He stretched out his armored hand, and wisps of green Waaagh energy arcs danced at his fingertips.

The Primarch clones stared at the Orc Emperor Vulgan as if they had seen a ghost.

When did humans become emperors of the orc race? What does it mean that orcs are also part of humanity? This is simply... unbelievable!
Vulcan looked at the disciplined orc troops waiting quietly behind him, his tone carrying a hint of pride, as if he were looking at his most prized creation.

"After the war with the Ghoul Orc Empire ended, I embarked on a journey to gather the scattered Orc tribes across the galaxy."

"I used my authority and force to successfully make wave after wave of orcs submit and join my side."

“I changed their savage and brutal nature. I imparted and instilled human discipline and culture into these orcs, making them able to communicate like demi-humans.”

The Ork people behind Vulcan all looked at their emperor with fervent reverence and worship.

They wholeheartedly agreed with Vulcan and fully endorsed all the actions he had taken.

As Vulcan's personal guards, many of them were remnants of the former ghoul orc empire and had witnessed how Emperor Kirk ruled the orcs.

Emperor Kolk's ghoul orc empire, though seemingly incredibly powerful, did not fundamentally change the orc race.

He just made the orcs bigger, stronger, and more waaagh!

This is why, in the war with the human empire, the ghoul orc empire, after initially achieving some victories, was quickly defeated and collapsed.

The facts have proven that if the Ork chooses to follow the old path of fighting against humans, destruction will be their only fate.

However, after Vulcan became the Orc Emperor, he brought about a completely different change.

Humans and orcs began to cooperate and integrate deeply, and the two sides were no longer enemies.

Relying on human culture, institutions, and wisdom in warfare, coupled with a more complete and comprehensive industrial system than that of the orcs, the orcs under Vulcan's command were able to experience the joy of waaagh more than ever before.

They ravaged various alien races across the galaxy, besieged and slaughtered cults that worshipped Chaos, and engaged in fierce battles with human rebels within the Eye of Terror's range. After the Second Comoros War, the Emperor even sent a summons to Vulcan.

Humanity now needs Vulcan's strength, especially the strength of his unimaginably large legion.

The Orc Emperor, with his Orc army, began to pour into the Web Channels from all over the galaxy, launching indiscriminate attacks on non-human enemies within the Web Channels to make up for the shortage of human troops.

That is why Magnus dared to say that humanity in the future would not have a shortage of troops.

In the harsh environment near the Eye of Fear and the Dark Realm beyond, Vulcan has created numerous breeding planets for orc spores.

These planets have harsh environments, unsuitable for human survival and development, but they are paradises for orcs.

As long as there is a star that provides light and heat, orc spores can grow.

Vulcan even sought extensive assistance from the Empire to enable these orc spores to reproduce more rapidly.

In the past, planets spread by these orc spores would quickly spawn Orcs, who would then fight each other driven by instinct until a final warlord was decided.

The warlord would then annex other orc settlements, constantly launching one waaagh after another!

When the orcish plague begins to cross humanity's red line, the Empire will send troops to suppress it. Then, due to the vast difference in size, the orcs will quickly be wiped out, until the surviving spores continue to expand and reproduce.

It's like an unsolvable cycle, where the power of humans and orcs is wasted in a vicious cycle of fighting and tormenting each other.

However, Vulcan's arrival completely disrupted this cycle, and now the number of orcs in the galaxy is greater than ever before, reaching a terrifying level of exponential explosion.

These orcs united under the rule of Emperor Vulcan and brought him a massive amount of waaagh energy.

Vulcan even opened the entrances to the net tunnels on those orc breeding planets, allowing newborn orc boys to rush into the net tunnels and fight against the entrenched enemies, thus filtering out the strongest ones.

Orcs are not afraid of death, but they are afraid of having no war to fight. Vulcan fulfilled his promise to the orcs - there really is endless battle in the Web, where orcs can rampage and unleash their instincts.

Furthermore, thanks to the convenient teleportation of the network, the orc army was able to move quickly to every corner of the galaxy, making full use of the Green Tide's terrifying advantages.

Clone Horus swallowed hard and winked at Vulcan, whose skin was dark green.

He suddenly realized that what Apostle Magnus had said earlier—that their return to the Empire would not bring them much benefit, but might instead cause even greater turmoil—was not a lie.

How many Primarchs would it take to match the influence of a single Orc Emperor, Vulcan?

They don't have the ability to suppress, command, or guide trillions of orcish hordes across the entire galaxy.

Faced with sheer numbers, what would be the point if each of these Primarch clones were equipped with an Astartes Legion?
An extremely eerie silence fell inside the light boat.

Each clone needs time to piece together its shattered worldview.

Ahead, the disciplined orc guard, like the most loyal honor guard, guided them toward Holy Terra.

(End of this chapter)