Warhammer 40K in a box

Chapter 258 Mariupol Forges the World

After spending a considerable amount of time finally resolving the issues with the four Astartes Chapters, Chen Xi did not immediately return to Rostov, but instead went to Mariupol Foundry World.

The shuttle pierced through the thick industrial clouds and landed on the main platform of the foundry world.

When the hatch opened, a pungent smell of promethium and a wave of heat from burning metal hit you.

A squad of Christian guards, clad in red robes, stood in two rows on either side, their mechanical prosthetic eyes flashing a cold red light.

"Judge Chen Xi, welcome to the Mariupol Foundry World." The leading Foundry Sage spoke in a synthesized mechanical voice, his deep red robe revealing a sophisticated mechanical arm, and his skull-shaped metal mask inlaid with rotating optical lenses.

Although he was saying welcoming words, his electronic voice was flat and monotonous.

Chen Xi nodded slightly; such a cold attitude was perfectly normal within the Cult of the Machine God.

Or rather, this is the standard attitude most tech enthusiasts have towards outsiders.

Those priests who showed him enthusiasm were actually exceptions resulting from long-term collaboration.

But Chen Xi's keen intuition told him that beneath the sage's calm exterior lay a kind of indescribable aversion.

It wasn't overt hostility, but more like... a kind of wariness? Or perhaps an instinctive resistance.

The ventilation system of the foundry world emitted a low hum, mixing this subtle tension into the oily air.

Chen Xi did not delve into the origin of this emotion. Throughout the Empire's long history, the relationship between the Mechanicus and the Inquisition has always been one of cooperation and suspicion.

He stated his purpose directly, his voice still clearly audible amidst the ceaseless roar of machinery in the foundry world: "I'm here to address the logistical supply issues for this expedition."

The expedition has expanded, leading to a surge in demand for weaponry and equipment. I need Mariupol Forge World to supply more ammunition, munitions, and other strategic materials.

The mechanical eyes of the Forging Sage gleamed with a cold blue light, and a steady, mechanically synthesized voice came from beneath the metal mask: "All furnaces in the Mariupol Forging World are operating at full capacity, providing ample logistical supplies and equipment for the expeditionary force."

Although his tone remained cold and aloof as was typical of the Mechanicus, the sage still used his other mechanical hand to pull over a floating servo skull.

The mechanical construct, crafted from a pure skull and brass, emitted a ghostly green light from its eyes. As the sage's fingers moved rapidly through the void, a series of holographic charts unfolded in the air between the two.

Data such as production progress, material reserves, and transportation arrangements are arranged in a precise mechanical standard format, with every detail shimmering with the faint light of binary code.

Although the forging sage was indifferent, he still spoke with a kind of calm fervor unique to motor enthusiasts: "Please believe in the devotion of the Mariupol Forging World to the God of Machines."

For Foundry World Mariupol, this expeditionary order is of extraordinary significance—it is one of the few mega-orders it has received in the millennium since the founding of Foundry World, and its scale may even be the largest in history.

Data surged through the Thinker array, and after countless Mechanicus's meticulous calculations, an exciting conclusion was reached: if this order could be successfully completed, the Mariupol foundry world's productivity, technological reserves, and even its status within the Mechanicus would experience a qualitative leap. It would no longer be an obscure, peripheral foundry world, but an industrial powerhouse comparable to renowned Imperial foundries like Riza and Lucius.

Therefore, when Chen Xi's shuttle landed on the core platform of the casting world, he was greeted by an unprecedentedly bustling scene.

Thousands of giant furnaces spewed thick smoke, and torrents of scorching metal surged through refined metal pipes. The hum of robotic arms and the roar of forging hammers intertwined to create a deafening industrial symphony.

The sky was bathed in the dark red glow of the ceaseless furnace fires, and the air was thick with scorching metallic vapors and the acrid smell of burning promethium.

In every corner of the foundry world, mechanical priests are working with fervor.

Their prosthetic limbs spun at high speed, data cables connected to the Thinker terminals, and binary prayers echoed continuously in the data stream. Servo skulls moved in groups between production lines, supervising the precise execution of each process.

The religious protection patrols closely guarded key facilities to ensure that production order was not disrupted.

The entire foundry world was like a Titan awakened, with every gear and piston running at full speed for this unprecedented production frenzy.

The might of the god of machines was on full display at this moment—rivers of adamantite and fire surged endlessly, and binary hymns echoed in the sound of every machine in operation.

The mechanical priests of the Foundry World in Mariupol, whether radical advocates of technological innovation or conservatives adhering to ancient dogmas, have reached a rare consensus at this moment—they must seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make the name of the Foundry World resound throughout the galaxy.

But beneath this facade of unity, undercurrents still flow. In the shadows between production lines, in the encrypted channels of the data sanctuary, the debate between the two factions never truly ceases.

They have only temporarily set aside their doctrinal differences, like two engines that are temporarily operating in sync, with their internal gears still turning at their own pace.

“I believe in your devotion to the God of All Machines,” Chen Xi said slowly, his fingers casually tracing the Inquisition Rose Knot gleaming coldly at his waist: “But the servants of Om Messiah…”

He paused deliberately, making the silence all the more jarring amidst the roar of the machinery. This pause was like an invisible data probe, precisely piercing the other party's most sensitive nerve endings.

“The examples of the Mechanicus in the past,” he continued, his voice carrying the inquisitive and authoritative tone characteristic of an inquisitor, “have made me distrust certain aspects of your actions. I hope you can change my mind this time.”

The mechanical prosthetic eye of the Sage suddenly flashed a blinding red light, and the speaker under his metal mask suddenly emitted unstable electrical noise.

“If those heretics hadn’t strayed from the orthodox faith in the God of All Machines!” The sage’s voice, unusually devoid of its mechanical calm, trembled with obvious emotion, “wouldn’t have happened at all if they hadn’t chased after alien technology!”

His robotic arm twitched involuntarily, and the hydraulic pipes hissed as if the intricate mechanical structure within him could not suppress the rage of this religious fanatic.

Upon hearing this, Chen Xi finally understood why the forging sage in front of him seemed to have a subtle sense of rejection towards him; it turned out that he was a conservative fundamentalist.

(End of this chapter)