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

Chapter 917 The Plan to Repair the Eye of Fear
While Guilliman's mission was successfully completed, an important meeting was held simultaneously on Holy Terra.

"For the sake of a better tomorrow for the galaxy, there are a few things that must be done before we leave the Warhammer universe."

"Don't think about handing over what your predecessors could do to your successors."

"The scar of the universe, the Eye of Fear, must be completely sealed off. This is not only to prevent the rebels in the Eye of Fear from swarming out every now and then to plunder and kill on a large scale."

"Moreover, it is to give our already extremely weakened universe a safe period to recover and heal itself."

In the conference hall of the Holy Terra palace, all the high-ranking officials of the Empire and human allies were already seated.

The Lord of Mankind sat alone in the seat of honor at the long table, while on either side of the table, Loshi, Macado, Waldo, and others sat upright.

Since the original Guilliman had gone to handle matters related to the esoteric religion, the clone Guilliman attended this important meeting in his place, a decision tacitly approved by both the Emperor and the Seal Master.

They also understood that perhaps in the future, the position of Imperial Regent would be shared by two people, with the clone Guilliman assisting the original Guilliman in his work, which might reduce some of the Primarch's resentment.

As for the seats of humanity's allies, the Eldar's laughing god Xi Gaoqi and the incarnation of the goddess of life Aisha also looked serious and earnest.

However, standing next to Laughing God, the representative of the Space Necromancers, Endless Tarachin, looked at Hiccupy with a hint of disdain.

Even a fun-loving person like Tarachin still feels his nerves being constantly tormented when he encounters someone with a higher level of fun than himself.

Although the God of Laughter appeared dignified and meticulous, he was actually secretly chatting and joking with Tarasin using his psychic powers.

The God of Laughter's topics were incredibly diverse: from the ancient grudges and conflicts between the space undead and the Aidaling, to whether Tarachin had erotic dreams, whether the object of those dreams was the original Fearful Ones or the metal-bodied space undead, and whether Tarachin could reproduce a new race on his own, etc...

Tarasin wanted to ask to be moved to a different seat countless times, but he couldn't find an opportunity to speak and could only endure Higochi's constant mental harassment.

The goddess Elsa covered her mouth and chuckled, trying her best to suppress her emotions and not make a fool of herself in such an important diplomatic occasion.

She subtly used her psychic powers to signal Hiccup to behave, but Hiccup only verbally agreed, while secretly continuing to do as he pleased.

Loshi also heard the bizarre questions that Laughing God had asked Tarasin, but he was currently in a meeting explaining and agreeing on humanity's next strategic plan and didn't have time to get involved in their nonsense.

"Based on the intelligence we have obtained from the Ancient Saints, the Ancient Spirits, the Ancient Orcs, and the Necromancers of the Space, our universe was ravaged by a war that shook the very foundations of the universe countless ages ago."

"The constant war destroyed so many galaxies that by the time we were born, the entire universe consisted only of the Milky Way and the surrounding Large and Small Magellanic Clouds and Andromeda Galaxy."

"Like a lake gradually drying up and eventually becoming a small puddle that may disappear completely at any time, this is our Milky Way."

The holographic projection in front of Roche constantly changed, intertwining and outlining a model of a scarred universe.

In this dim universe, a pinkish-purple scar stands out most.

That was the Eye of Fear, like an ugly, festering sore, clinging tightly to the remnants of the universe.

It will not spread and expand suddenly; the veil of the universe firmly suppresses the Eye of Fear, preventing the infiltration of non-material forces.

But it cannot be erased or removed, the curtain cannot repair it; it simply remains there quietly, lingering without healing.

Just looking at this virtual holographic projection, everyone present felt a suffocating feeling stuck in their throats, unable to spit it out or swallow it down.

Regardless of race, all are children born of the universe, and their roots lie in the Warhammer universe. The Eye of Terror and the warp behind it are digging up the roots of all races.

Once the universe is completely destroyed, these races that have been born will become rootless, with nothing left to rely on or cling to.

According to Roche's conjecture, just as Holy Terra is to humanity, the Warhammer universe holds an irreplaceable and special significance for all life it has given rise to.

If Terra perishes, humanity will also lose its future.

That's why, after the Webpath Project failed, the Emperor insisted on sitting on the Golden Throne to protect Terra from immediate destruction.

If the real universe were to be destroyed, all races, including humanity, would also be cut off from the future.

Even whether life forms that left the Warhammer universe and dispersed to other multiverses would be affected in the same way is still unknown.

"Defending our universe is a consensus that all races should reach, and no one can stand aside on this point."

"I agree!"

After Losi finished speaking, Tarasin finally found his chance. He almost jumped up and spoke up.

The Emperor, Loxi, and the others focused their attention on Tarasin, and Higoki then restrained himself somewhat and stopped teasing and provoking Tarasin.

If there is anyone the Laughing God fears, then Slaanesh would definitely rank first, followed by the Emperor in second place.

Slaanesh is the natural nemesis of Eldar, while the Emperor is a human god capable of traversing both the physical universe and the web.

If you anger Slaanesh, he can still play hide-and-seek with his clown troupe.

If they anger the Emperor, then the Eldar will truly have nowhere to turn and might as well just wash their necks and wait to die.

"Our race of the Fearful Dead has taken the lead in understanding the universe. According to the research results of our race's top scientists, the universe's self-healing ability far exceeds our imagination."

"Even in its current state of damage, our universe has not completely lost hope. As long as we can seal that damned Eye of Fear and prevent the forces of the subspace from interfering with the universe's self-repair, everything can turn around."

When Tarachin came out to share his theory of necromantic space, everyone listened attentively, whether it was Rosie or Guilliman, not daring to miss a single detail.

Compared to the Eldar, who have boarded the human ship and staked everything on it, the Necromancers in space are much more independent and autonomous.

Apart from Taraxin, the other space undead almost all maintained a wary and hostile attitude towards humans, at most ignoring them, neither supporting nor opposing them.

When Tarachin was describing the theory, the smug look of the astrologer Eurycan came to mind.

Although Eurican was annoying and had never gotten along with him, Tarasin dared not underestimate the man's intelligence.

The astrologer Orikan was born into the Sotek dynasty, but through his own abilities, he rose to become the chief astrologer of the Silent King.

However, after the bio-transformation incident, Orikan and the Silent King had disagreements and conflicts. The Silent King left the galaxy, Orikan returned to the Sotek Dynasty, and served the Storm King Imotek.

Both the Storm King and the Silent King maintained good relations with him because his knowledge and skills were truly unmatched.

"As long as there is no external interference from the warp, our current technological capabilities are fully capable of restarting the Warhammer universe and repairing this severely damaged cosmic environment by utilizing the underlying mechanisms of the cosmic cycle."

Even the Emperor frowned upon hearing Taraxin's words and began to consider the possibilities.

"A universe reboot?" Cloned Guilliman asked.

Only after he actually took over Guilliman's duties in handling the empire's affairs did he truly witness the rapid development of this great empire.

Compared to the empire he remembered, the current empire has far surpassed it in many aspects, and the gap is widening.

"This sounds a bit absurd. Even if the universe could really be rebooted, it shouldn't be something we could do."

“Your suspicions are valid, Regent,” Tarasin continued, “but on the path of technology, our people have gone further than all of you combined.”

"Of course, this does not mean that our race is superior to humans, but rather that the times are different, the environment is different, and the results are naturally different."

"You were born far too late. In the heyday of our race, the Star God, the embodiment of the rules of the real universe, was still active in the universe."

“You are all aware of the feud between our race and the Star God. It was through studying the Star God and the information he once told us that we came to the conclusion that the universe can be restarted.”

Tarasin's answer at least made the humans present feel a little better.

“Don’t listen to him. How long have you humans been around? How long have the space undead been around? The fact that you can be compared to the space undead only proves your superiority,” Higoki said.

Tarasin snorted but did not refute.

"Because of the existence of the Star God, our race's development can be described as a leapfrog rapid one, which is equivalent to having the reference answer directly in front of us to look at."

"Some early civilizations, in order to develop technology, will continuously build particle colliders with higher and higher scales in order to explore the microscopic world of the universe. This is fundamentally a way of understanding the universe in a way that is closer to its essence."

"However, the more advanced a civilization's observation methods are, the more it can sense the greatness and profundity of the universe. From molecules to atoms to quarks, matter seems to be infinitely subdivided, which also means that the observation of the universe is actually a gradual process."

"And the Star God is the shortcut to the root, allowing us to skip the countless troubles and detours."

A glimmer of light suddenly appeared in Rosie's mind.

He realized that he had underestimated the importance of the Star God. The humanoid Star God, Danteok, was now mainly tasked with leading his Nirvana Steel on conquests.

This is an enormous waste; the most suitable place for Danteok is not the battlefield, but a cutting-edge laboratory.

It seems that the advanced technological community can accelerate its research into the fundamental rules of the universe through Danteok.

“Reboot the universe…” Guilliman repeated the awe-inspiring phrase, but his brow remained furrowed and his cobalt blue eyes were filled with worry.

Guilliman often needs to view problems from a cold, realistic perspective rather than an idealistic one.

He knew all too well just how complex this vast Galactic Empire was; even just going through it would take a long time.

It's fair to say that the human empire is essentially a mountain of garbage code. As long as it continues to function, it's best not to touch its underlying logic, because fixing one bug may very well lead to even more bugs.

"Your Excellency Tarachin, your idea is indeed grand, even insane."

But please forgive my bluntness, what would happen to everything we have if the universe really did reboot?
Millions of worlds within the territory of the human empire, with trillions of people.

Will our civilization, our history, and even this sacred Terra palace beneath our feet, built over thousands of years, all vanish in the cosmic reboot, becoming nothingness fuel before the birth of a new universe?

Guilliman's voice echoed in the conference hall, carrying a heavy sense of reality, pulling everyone back from the grand vision Tarachin had painted to the cold reality.

This is indeed a core issue that cannot be avoided.

“That’s not the case, Robert,” Losi continued.

“Your concerns are entirely valid. We cannot sacrifice everything we have to pursue a distant future, but we are not unprepared either.”

Loshi manipulated the holographic projection in front of him, switching models to display a concept he wanted to express. "Don't forget a crucial key. When I left this universe and went to the multiverse, I obtained the key technology of dimensional technology from those gods."

"One of the most important applications of the Dimension Engine, which is built using Dimension Technology, is to 'cut out' a relatively independent region from the spacetime structure of the main universe."

"If the day truly comes when we must restart the universe, we can, in the long enough time before the restart process begins, migrate as many of the core populations and most important technological creations of humanity and other allied races that are willing to join as possible into such a 'mini-universe' that we have pre-built."

Since Lothie brought dimensional technology back to the Warhammer universe, some of the warships have been equipped with dimensional engines, gaining greater maneuverability than traditional warp engines.

However, the application of using a dimensional engine to cut spatial structures has been in the research stage and has not yet reached the point where it can be implemented.

"Although we may lose almost all of our planets, vast territories and countless fixed assets, we have preserved the most important component of civilization—our population."

"Once the universe reboot is complete, a brand new, healthy, vibrant, and resource-rich 'new universe' will emerge."

At that time, we can release the seeds of fire stored in our microcosm, just like sowing seeds on a piece of land that has just been baptized by fire and become incredibly fertile.

What we lose is a weary, battered old garden, but what we gain is the right to explore an entire new universe—a blank canvas upon which we can freely paint our own masterpieces.

Guilliman's brow relaxed slightly, but his doubts were not completely dispelled.

This idea still sounds too grandiose and risky.

Guilliman then raised another crucial question: "What about the web? We paid a huge price to gain the ability to repair and build webs."

It is our lifeline in combating the subspace and maintaining stable connections across the empire's borders.

With the universe rebooting, the structure of the real universe will undergo drastic changes. What will happen to the Webpath system?

Rosie nodded, clearly having considered the issue as well.

"The Network System is essentially a gap dimension between the real universe and the subspace."

Loshi explained that the holographic projection changed again, revealing the complex structure of the network, which resembled tree roots or a neural network.

"It is not fully embedded in the structure of the real universe, but rather attached to it."

According to our research, by utilizing existing network tunnel boring machines and combining them with the powerful dimensional engine, we can perform an extremely precise operation—network stripping—at a specific point in time before the universe reboots.

"We can temporarily peel the entire network system relatively intact off the 'skin' of the real universe, a process similar to temporarily removing the roots of a large tree completely from the soil."

After the universe restarts and the 'new soil' of the real universe is formed, we will carefully reinsert the network system into the new real structure based on the new cosmological constant and physical laws.

Of course, this requires extremely high technology and a rapid ability to adapt to a new universe, but it is theoretically feasible; the material and structure of the net itself are sufficient to withstand this level of operation.

The Spirit Race's God of Laughter, Xi Gaoqi, who had been listening attentively, finally put away his cynical expression. He clapped his hands lightly, a rare hint of appreciation in his eyes.

"A brilliant idea, Your Excellency Roche. Comparing the network to a transplantable root system is both interesting and bold."

Our ancient texts, preserved by the Aidaling people, contain scattered records of similar concepts, suggesting that the technology of the ancient sages did indeed have the potential to lead in this direction.

However, the laughing god suddenly changed his tone and his expression became serious. His gaze swept over the emperor, Loshi, Tarasin, and everyone else.

"However, everyone, please allow me to remind you of a most basic, and also the most brutal, premise—"

All your wonderful ideas about cosmic reboot, dimensional refuge, and network transplantation are based on one premise: that we can successfully close, or rather, completely seal off the Eye of Fear.

He stood up, his slender fingers pointing to the grotesque cosmic scar in the holographic projection, constantly radiating chaotic energy.

"Humanity, including many later races in the galaxy, has a common misconception about the Eye of Fear."

The voice of the God of Laughter was ethereal and melodious, as if bringing back that ancient history.

"You believe it to be the enormous wound created when the most young god Slaanesh was born, when the cataclysmic event of Elysium tore apart the real universe."

That's right. The birth of Slaanesh did indeed deliver the final, and most fatal, blow, completely solidifying its form and causing it to continue to deteriorate to this day.

"But the root of the disease of the fearful eye is buried much earlier than that."

The eyes of the Laughing God gleamed with the light of ancient memories: "As early as 60 million years ago, during the War of Heaven, our creator, the Ancient Saint, in order to fight against the Star God and his servants, namely the space undead transformed from the Fearful Ones, did not hesitate to use forbidden power."

"In order to maximize the advantage of psionic power, the Ancient Ones deliberately tore open the veil of the real universe in the area where the Eye of Terror is located, artificially creating a huge rift, so as to draw power from the warp more directly and turbulently, and transform it into destructive weapons and infinite energy."

Tarasin's metal jaw opened and closed silently, a cold glint flashing in his eerie green eyes, as he replied, "Indeed, it is clearly recorded in our people's ancient war archives."

"That airspace was once one of the most powerful nodes of the ancient saints' power, and also the area where the structure of reality first began to become unstable."

An endless torrent of psionic energy was drawn from the warp, washing over the structure of reality and leaving indelible damage.

It could be said that the ancient sages, in order to win the war, personally planted this seed that would ultimately destroy the galaxy... and even the universe.

This was the first time Loshi had learned that the Eye of Fear had such a history; he had always thought it was Slaanesh's doing.

However, blaming the ancient saints is putting the cart before the horse and taking advantage of their extinction, which makes it impossible for them to refute.

The ancient saints planned to repair and mend the wounds of the universe after winning the war, but they did not expect that even so, they would still lose the war.

"In the later stages of the War of Heaven, with the decline of the Old Ones, this rift went out of control and began to continuously erode reality."

It was the Necromancer Kingdom of Space at that time that used a large number of Black Stone Obelisks. By taking advantage of the cluster effect caused by the massive application of Black Stone Obelisks, they temporarily 'stitched' this rift and prevented its immediate expansion.

But this is only a temporary solution; the scars on the existing structure have already formed, making it incredibly fragile.

“Until Slaanesh was born…” the avatar of the goddess Elsa sighed softly, her voice filled with sorrow.

"The torrent of emotions that had accumulated over countless generations of the Spirit Race’s indulgence finally broke through the seal set up by the Space Necromancers, which had been loosened over tens of millions of years."

"The ancient wounds were blasted open by an unprecedented force, forming the terrifying eye we see today, which is perpetually flowing with chaotic pus."

The birth of Slaanesh was not the cause, but the final straw that broke the camel's back, the spark that ignited the already piling-up powder keg.

"So, folks, what we are facing is not a simple wound, but a thorny problem that has existed for a long time, been treated and reopened many times, and is now deeply infected."

The Eye of Fear connects to the deepest reaches of the subspace, through which primordial, disordered, and surging chaotic energies constantly pour into our universe.

Turn it off? Easier said than done!

"The Old Ones were unable to fully control it, and the Necromancers of the Space at their peak only temporarily sealed it away. The birth of Slaanesh caused it to completely spiral out of control."

The God of Laughter surveyed the entire audience: "What we are about to do is a cause greater than that of the Ancient Saints and the Necromancers of the cosmos. It requires not only technology and power, but also the unity of the will of all races and unimaginable sacrifices."

A long silence fell over the conference room.

The words of the God of Laughter unveiled the despairing historical and contemporary difficulties behind the eyes of fear.

The silence was broken when the emperor spoke again.

His voice was steady yet carried an undeniable decisiveness.

"It is precisely because it is difficult that we must do it. It is precisely because our predecessors failed to complete it that we, the generation, need to put an end to this problem."

The gaze of the Lord of Mankind was so tangible that it swept over every participant.

"Now is not the time to argue whether it can be done, but to discuss how to do it. After all, we have no way out and can only go all the way down this path."

"Our enemy is chaos, and closing the Eye of Fear is the first and most crucial step."

“We need to integrate all known technologies: the psionic legacy of the Old Ones, the blackstone technology of the Necromancers, the unique technologies and dimensional technologies of humanity, the Eldar’s knowledge of the webpaths… and perhaps even utilize certain powers of the warp itself.”

As Luo Xi listened to the Emperor's encouragement, his anxiety gradually dissipated, and he was greatly encouraged.

This is a great undertaking, and someone has to do it, so why not them?
To this day, they have accomplished many incredible feats, and the complete restoration of the Eye of Fear will surely be their next goal.

“Endless One, I need you to contact all the space necromantic dynasties that you can win over, especially those dynasties that possess the ancient sealing technology of the War of Heaven. Even if you can't get their help, you can at least gain some experience and lessons.”

The Emperor spoke to Tarachin, and the Endless One bowed respectfully, not daring to be disrespectful in the slightest.

"The Eldar have the deepest connection with the Warp, and I need you to provide all the ancient knowledge about the internal structure and energy circulation of the Eye of Fear."

Higoki and Aisha accepted the order, as the location of the Eye of Fear was once the capital of the Spirit Empire, and they were quite familiar with it.

The emperor finally turned his gaze to the humans present.

"Humanity will mobilize all resources: Terra, Mars, all Space Marine Legions, the Mechanicus, the State Religion... the entire Imperial machine must be set in motion for this goal."

Dimensional engines and network stripping technology must move from theory to practical testing as soon as possible.

"This is not only for the survival of humankind, but also for the common future of all races born and raised here."

The eye of fear must be closed, and the universe must be given a chance to breathe.

If rebooting is the only way for the universe to be reborn, then we must ensure that our civilization can survive this catastrophe.

"To achieve this goal," the Emperor's voice rose higher and higher, as if containing boundless power, "we will spare no expense."

At all costs?
The beings such as Higoki, Aisha, and Tarachin all sensed humanity's resolute attitude.

The meeting has ended, but the real challenges have only just begun.

Each delegate left their seat with a solemn expression. They knew that closing the Eye of Fear would inevitably require the use of war.

Chaos will never allow the Eye of Fear to be repaired so easily, as that would mean the malevolent entities of the High Heavens would never again have the chance to touch this universe.

This war may become the largest since the War of Heaven, and the battlefield may not be limited to the real universe.

(End of this chapter)