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

Chapter 971 The Chosen One of Death and the Black Library
Xi Gaoqi's voice had lost all its playfulness, leaving only a cold heaviness.

The speed at which the bone dice spun at His fingertips slowed down, as if it were under invisible pressure.

"What?!" Elsa exclaimed in shock, her pale green gauze skirt fluttering even without wind.

“Enyead?! That prophecy… that…” The goddess of life spoke with disbelief.

“Yes,” Higoki’s voice was low and sigh-like, “When the end of the Eldar comes, the God of the Dead, forged from the pure soul and the ashes of the God-King Asuyan, will awaken. He is the nemesis of Slaanesh and the gravedigger of the Eldar.”

"Before devouring that evil of pleasure, He will reclaim all His bloodline and merge all the souls of Ida together to complete Himself."

The God of Laughter repeated the ancient prophecy word by word.

Aisha swayed slightly. As the life goddess of the Elven race, she had no fear of death itself.

Life, decay, and death are mutually cyclical, together forming the threefold path of life's reincarnation.

Without death, there would be no new life, and the entire universe would be overwhelmed by the pressure of uncontrolled proliferation of life, until it perishes.

If we focus on decay, then everything will be stuck between life and death, eternally stagnant.

If only death remains, then everything will end, and there will be no trace of intelligent life in the world, only endless nothingness.

In a sense, each link of these three paths has a suitable counterpart.

Life corresponds to Elsa, decay to Nurgle, and death to Aeneid.

However, compared to Elsa, Nurgle's power is far greater. The benevolent father, who sits on the throne of corruption and decay, is much closer to the essence of Eldar gods than Elsa and others.

But Aeneid does not represent the natural cycle of death, but rather the complete annihilation of the Eldar race.

Aeneid will draw upon its boundless power through the complete annihilation of the Eldar to carry out the sacred vengeance of the Eldar against the Slaanesh.

If it were the Eldar race that was fragmented and teetering on the brink of extinction, then awakening Death to destroy Slaanesh at the cost of their own complete annihilation, as the race's final lament, would be a dignified and heroic choice.

But now things are different. The Eldar and humans have closed the Eye of Fear together, banished the Chaos Gods' ambitions toward the real universe, and everything is just beginning to flourish.

Just as the Eldar had gained a glimmer of hope and were about to rebuild their homeland, this Grim Reaper suddenly began to emerge. Who could accept this?
“This…how is this possible? The prophecy says His birth requires…” Aisha began to try hard to recall her past memories.

The Eldar are most fond of using psychic prophecy, and so are the members of the Pantheon. Although Aeneid was never born, he did appear in prophecies.

“Inierd needs almost all the souls of the Eldar as fuel to ignite that final fire of vengeance before he can awaken,” Higoki finished for her. “Or… gathering all five of the Old Woman’s Swords can also awaken him.”

In this suffocating atmosphere, the light and shadow at the temple entrance flickered slightly.

Loshi, the Emperor, Makado, along with Tarasin and Orikan, entered Aisha's temple from Comoros, their arrival instantly breaking the solemn atmosphere within the temple.

Higoki and Aisha immediately sensed it and turned to look.

Aisha subconsciously suppressed her overflowing fear and returned to her usual gentleness, while Hiccup instantly switched back to his exaggerated clown pose, as if the heavy conversation had never happened.

"Dingling bell~!"

Beside the God of Laughter, a series of urgent bell rings sounded from somewhere. He skipped forward to greet them: "Aha! Look who has graced us with their presence! Distinguished guests, welcome..."

“We heard it all outside.” Loxi calmly interrupted the God of Laughter’s welcoming remarks, his gaze falling directly on Hiccupy’s mask.

"Regarding Victor, regarding Enierd, Higoch, we are allies. Shouldn't we be frank about such a crisis concerning the very survival of the Eldar race?"

Xi Gaoqi's movements froze for a moment, then he let out a series of slightly dry "giggle" laughs, like rusty gears turning.

The smile on His mask seemed somewhat forced.

"Oh dear, we've been overheard... How rude of me. But, well, this is a family scandal after all... a family scandal! I was planning to handle it internally, so I didn't want to trouble you all." He shrugged, trying to downplay the matter.

"Family scandal?" The emperor's deep voice rang out, echoing like a great bell within the temple.

"A 'Death God' who could potentially destroy the entire Eldar and harbors an instinctive hostility towards other intelligent life, is merely a family scandal in your eyes?"

As soon as the Emperor spoke, the God of Laughter became visibly nervous. He knew very well how terrifying the power of this Lord of Humanity was, and how ruthless and merciless he was towards any enemy who might threaten humanity.

“Hypercion, we need to know the whole truth; it concerns the very foundation of our alliance.”

Aisha sighed softly, stepped forward, and spoke for Higoki, who was momentarily speechless.

“Your Majesty, Lord Roshi. It’s not that Higoki intentionally concealed anything, but this matter… is too thorny, and we have only just learned of the situation and have not yet had time to make a decision.”

She turned her gaze to Xi Gaoqi, signaling Him to continue, since everyone already knew, and there was no point in continuing to hide it.

The God of Laughter shrugged helplessly, and the dice on his fingertips began to spin rapidly again.

"Okay, okay, what an incredibly curious audience."

Xi Gaoqi's voice returned to its original gentle and narrative quality, like a narrator on stage slowly telling the background story.

"Theoretically speaking, the Eldar are no longer in danger of extinction, so they will not awaken Death. But as you have heard, Victor, that dark Eldar scum who escaped the Comoros purge, has shattered this premise."

“Victor must have had some incredible luck, or rather, he was probably deliberately guided and came into contact with Iniede by chance.”

"After all, for Aeneid, the Eldar's existence was meant to be His fuel. He yearned to awaken and to take revenge on Slaanesh; it was His primal instinct."

"And Enierd, who has not yet awakened, may have realized that the Eldar will no longer gradually slide into the abyss of destruction as before. He chose Victor as his backup plan, interfering with his own destiny and bringing himself into existence."

"There are two ways to bring Aeneid into existence: one is to bring the Eldar to the brink of extinction, and the other is to gather the five Swords of the Old Woman."

The God of Laughter's words were somewhat obscure, but Rosie and the others were not mortals who knew nothing about gods. For a god who had not yet been born to interfere with things in the past across time was not actually that rare in this universe.

It's simply that Iniede realized her mission was impossible to complete, so she started interfering with the course of fate without regard for the rules.

"After making contact with Inieed, or at least part of Inieed, Victor found an old woman's sword under His guidance."

Xi Gaoqi thoughtfully explained to everyone what the Old Woman's Sword was.

"There are five swords in total. They are the transformations of the hand of the ancient goddess Mori Hague, who governs souls and destiny."

"The goddess who thirsted for wisdom tempted her companion, the bloodthirsty god of war, Bloodhand Kane, to cut off one of her hands. She then drank the blood from her severed wrist and gained the cosmic wisdom that flowed within."

The severed hand fell into the hands of Val, the god of craftsmen. Val used the five finger bones of that hand to forge five divine swords imbued with the power of fate and death—the Old Woman's Sword.

"Wait a minute," Loxi suddenly interrupted, feeling that these spirit gods might all be mentally unstable.

"Is it that Morrie Hague had her husband Kane cut off her own hand in order to drink the blood of wisdom flowing through her veins?"

Not only Rosie, but also the Emperor, Macado and others found it hard to understand.

“Yes, I know it sounds ridiculous, but it’s true,” Higoki shrugged and said with a self-deprecating laugh.

"If you accept this fact, then let me continue."

"Each of these five swords of the old woman possesses the power to twist fate and tear souls apart. Legend has it that when they are all gathered together, they can be fused into an ultimate artifact: a weapon that perfectly matches the death divinity of Aeneid."

Loxi learned the whole story through the God of Laughter's explanation.

"So, Iniedet wanted to circumvent the near extinction of the Eldar by collecting all five Old Woman Swords, thus enabling his own rebirth. At the same time, he also wanted to obtain the power of the Old Woman Swords to forge this divine artifact for himself?"

"That's right!" Xi Gaoqi suddenly clenched his hands together, gripping the spinning spirit bone die tightly, making a piercing scraping sound.

"Even if Death God Aeneid is resurrected through the Sword of the Old Woman, He will not let the Eldar go. After all, the more Eldar die, the stronger He will become, and the greater His hope for revenge will be."

“Even Aisha and I, the two brothers and sisters of Aeneid, may not be spared by Him. He is not only the death of Eldar, but also the death of the Pantheon.”

"That fool Victor thought he had become Death's chosen one and escaped Slaanesh's gaze and covetousness, but in reality he was nothing more than a sacrifice and tool for Aeneid's premature arrival!"

"Once the five swords are gathered, and Inieder gains enough power to manifest, the first thing He will probably want to take back is Victor and all the Eldar souls He can find!"
Then came the Ark World, the Clown Troupe, the Savage Eldar… until finally, those Eldar compatriots who had already begun rebuilding their homes in their new territories, He would force us all to prematurely face that prophetic end!

The Emperor's brow furrowed deeply, and Macado's expression grew even more grave.

Tarasin stopped looking at the temple's decorations and began stuffing something into his pocket.

The Endless One listened with great interest to these earth-shattering gossips from within the Elven race, completely absorbed in the story.

In the past, Tal Rashin might have had a headache dealing with Aeneid, since, strictly speaking, the Eldar's hatred wasn't limited to Slaanesh.

The Necromancers are also the Eldar's mortal enemies. At least the Necromancer who doesn't even care about the Eldar and just shoots them all indiscriminately doesn't distinguish between which Necromancers are allies and which are enemies.

Now, Tarasim has the advantage of having humans as his backers; any troubles will be dealt with by humans first, and he won't have to worry about anything. While everyone is still shocked by the news of Iniede, Tarasim has a good opportunity to thoroughly examine the Aisha Temple and see if there's anything worth collecting.

"As for whether the Grim Reaper, if it were to be born, would turn its attention to humanity after wiping out the Eldar, this is no longer a matter of possibility, but an inevitable outcome."

“The sheer number of human souls is an irresistible temptation for any being that thirsts for power. It would be strange if Death weren’t interested in humans,” Rosie said to the crowd.

A heavy silence fell over the temple.

"Where is Victor now? Which old woman's sword is he wielding?" Losi continued to ask the Laughing God.

“The Soul Sword, Veliszal, the most powerful and also the most ominous of the five old women’s swords,” the Laughing God replied.

"This sword should be hidden inside the Eye of Fear, on Billel IV, a Eldar homeworld that has long been swallowed by Chaos."

Xi Gaoqi paused, a hint of frustration and helplessness in his voice: "At the most intense moment of the Battle of Kadia, all of our attention was focused on fighting against the main force of Chaos."

"And Victor, the cunning thief, took advantage of the chaos created by the Allied forces to sneak into the wreckage of Billel IV. Through his faint connection with Iniede, he found this long-dormant murder weapon."

Upon hearing this, Tarasin felt a wave of remorse wash over him.

"There are only five such divine swords in the entire galaxy. They are practically natural collectibles, and I knew nothing about them!"

Rosie frowned: "What about the rest?"

"As for the remaining swords of the old woman," Higochi continued to list, "the sword of sorrow, Kavil, is said to be able to evoke the deepest grief in all things and cause the enemy's will to collapse; the sword of silent shrieking, Asuvar, those who are killed by it cannot even scream, and their souls will be instantly swallowed by eternal silence."

"There is also the Sword of the Old Woman, whose core power is cleverly hidden within a powerful Eldar artifact called the Twilight Spear, which requires a special method to separate. As for the fifth sword... even I do not know its name or whereabouts."

"Victor only got Veliszal?" Losi confirmed.

"It seems so at the moment." Xi Gaoqi nodded, and the tension in everyone's hearts eased a little.

Even the God of Laughter doesn't know where the fifth Old Woman's Sword is, so it's easy to imagine how difficult it would be for Victor to collect all five swords.

"Finding the remaining Sword of the Old Woman is no easy task. Victor has received guidance from Iniede, and he is probably like a puppet being pulled by the threads of fate, desperately searching for the next key for his master, the Grim Reaper. There is still a long way to go before he can awaken Iniede."

The God of Laughter's voice regained its unique, almost frivolous ease.

"So, my dear friends, instead of being disturbed by a shadow that is still brewing, let's focus on the goal that is within our reach right now."
I know where the treasure left behind by the ancient sages is; now I can lead you to its entrance.

Luo Xi gave Xi Gaoqi a deep look; the generosity of the God of Laughter made one feel a little strange.

“Xi Gaoqi, you don’t seem to be very interested in the Ancient Saint’s Treasure? Haven’t you ever thought about keeping it for yourself? After all, it should theoretically be the legacy of the Spirit Race.”

“Exclusive possession?” Higoki let out a string of exaggerated laughter. “What an interesting idea, my dear Rosie!”

"You're really wronging me! Am I, Xi Gaoqi, the kind of selfish god?"

Tarasin and Eurykan, standing to the side, nodded slightly in unison. If this clown god wasn't cunning, he wouldn't have managed to trick the outsiders into such a miserable state.

Xiao Shen cleared his throat and adopted a sincere attitude: "Okay, to be honest, the key to unlocking the treasure—the network tunnel boring machine—is in your hands. Without the key, it's useless for me to know where the treasure is."

"And to be honest, I'm really curious, extremely curious! What exactly did those ancient sages, those creators who always had stern faces and talked nonsense, leave behind in their final moments?"

"Is it some kind of ultimate weapon? Or knowledge that records the ultimate secrets of the universe? The thrill of solving an ancient mystery is much more interesting to me than simply possessing a treasure."

"I'll let you open it; I might even be able to watch the excitement and satisfy my curiosity. Why not?"

Loxi and the Emperor exchanged a glance. Higoki was very frank, and the reasons he gave seemed reasonable to Loxi and the others.

“Very good.” Rosie nodded. “Then tell us, where exactly is the treasure of the ancient saints hidden?”

Higgins stopped keeping everyone in suspense and raised a finger, pointing to his feet.

"It's right here in the net."

"To be more precise, it's located at the very deepest part of the [Black Library]."

"The Black Library?" Loshi was no stranger to this name. It was the ultimate forbidden land guarded by the Eldar, and was said to contain all the secret knowledge about chaos and the universe since the War of Heaven.

“Yes, the Black Library,” Hiccupy affirmed. “It’s right here on my turf.”

"In the legends of the outside world, the Black Library is a special ark world, but it is completely different from any ark that sails through the stars."

The Black Library exists only in the intricate and ever-changing dimensional labyrinth of the Infinite Network.

To reach this legendary treasure trove of knowledge, visitors must traverse the most hidden and dangerous paths in the network, facing the trials of ancient and terrifying automated sentinels and psionic traps.

"I can't help but say that," the God of Laughter said with a hint of mischief, but then changed the subject.

"But that's for ordinary people. For me, going back to the Black Library is like going home. As long as I give you a pass, you can freely enter the Black Library."

Loxi truly hadn't expected that the entrance to the ancient treasure he had been searching for would be hidden in the Eldar's most secret Black Library.

He had long heard of the Black Library, but he had always been too busy with various matters to find the opportunity to visit it.

Now, with the search for ancient treasures underway, this is indeed an excellent opportunity.

"But rather than saying the Ancient Treasures are in your Black Library, it would be more accurate to say that you built the Black Library on top of the Ancient Treasures, wouldn't you?" Rosie suddenly paused, calculated the timeline, and then asked in return.

Xi Gaoqi was stunned for a moment, then waved his hand and said.

"Okay, okay, it doesn't matter."

"All you need to know is that these two things are together."

Led by the God of Laughter, the group once again stepped into the ever-changing Infernal Web.

The Black Library's position in the network is not fixed; its self-awareness controls its constant movement through the deepest and most inaccessible folds of the network.

Without the personal guidance of its master, Xi Gaoqi, even the Emperor's all-knowing spiritual perception would have struggled to accurately locate the legendary Temple of Knowledge in this complex environment interwoven with spiritual energy turbulence and spatial traps.

"My library only welcomes those who are destined to be there," Higoki explained in his characteristic playful tone as he nimbly leaped and turned amidst the changing light and shadow, dodging invisible spatial rifts and lurking psionic vortexes.

"Wisdom and luck are both indispensable. After all, any page in the Black Library, if it falls into the hands of evil or foolish people, could become the spark that ignites an even greater disaster."

The scene of the net swept rapidly around the crowd, its colors distorting into indescribable vortexes, and its energy flow emitting a low hum.

Occasionally, one can see some strangely shaped spirit bone structures or energy nodes flashing with dangerous light in the distance; those are the automated defense system surrounding the library.

"Has someone been eyeing this place all along?" Loxi asked, his gaze sweeping over the cleverly avoided trap marks, some of which had already been triggered.

“Oh, of course!” Higgins exclaimed dramatically. “The spyers are like moths drawn to a flame, coming in droves. Among them, the most persistent one is probably that Thousand Sons Wizard named Azak Ahriman.”

"He coveted the knowledge in my library about curing the Curse of Flesh, like a cunning mole, and tried countless times to dig a tunnel to get here."

The God of Laughter's voice carried a hint of barely perceptible smugness.

"However, my maze and sentinels are not to be trifled with. Every attempt he made was unsuccessful, and several times he almost trapped himself forever in the gaps of the net."

"It's strange, though. Lately, this Ahriman has been quite quiet and hasn't shown any signs of trying to get closer. I wonder if he's finally given up or is brewing some bolder plan."

Losi immediately understood; it seemed that Ahriman had disappeared along with Abaddon.

During the conversation, the surrounding network landscape suddenly changed.

The distorted light and shifting colors seemed to be smoothed out by an invisible hand, revealing a deep, heavy darkness that appeared ahead, as if it could absorb all light...

That darkness was not nothingness, but rather the boundary of some kind of entity.

A colossal, indescribable "building" silently floats at the end of the network space.

It is not constructed of brick or metal, but rather appears to be carved from a single piece of the purest obsidian.

Its form is difficult to describe using conventional architectural language. It resembles a Gothic castle with pointed roofs, yet it also incorporates the unique beauty of the Eldar, full of organic lines and spiral structures.

The sharp towers pierce the invisible dome, and the huge archway is as deep as the entrance to a black hole. The whole structure exudes an ancient, solemn, and cold aura that keeps people at a distance.

Through those huge windows, one can vaguely glimpse a corner of the library's interior.

That was a world of books, with endless, towering bookshelves arranged in a boundless array, stretching into the depths beyond the reach of sight.

(End of this chapter)