Warhammer 40K in a box

Chapter 519 Spirit Bone Technology

“The project’s direction has strategic value.” Chen Xi finally spoke, his voice not loud, but carrying the absolute weight of a governor’s decision, clearly penetrating the background buzz.

His gaze swept over the excited red light flashing behind Caul's complex optical lenses, finally settling on the calm eyes of the sage Oregana, with an approval of her judgment.

"But safety is an absolute non-negotiable premise. Continue to deepen theoretical research, especially the two core challenges of energy confinement stability and machine soul compatibility. Optimize your suppression and stabilization schemes."

"The 'Psionic Knight' project shall not conduct any activation tests involving living psionics or substantial energy output until it submits a comprehensive safety assessment report that I am convinced of and that reduces the risk of runaway to an extremely low level."

He turned to Caul, his tone gentle yet firm as refined gold: "Great Sage Caul, I understand your desire for breakthroughs, but the foundation must be solid."

He then looked at Olegana: "Sage, focus on resolving those key bottlenecks."

In the complex array of multiple repeating eyes in the Kaur, the red light flickered rapidly several times, and the internal lens group emitted subtle calibration sounds, as if it were performing massive data calculations.

Finally, his voice emitted a low hum mixed with binary noise: "I understand your caution, Your Excellency. Practice is the sole criterion for testing truth, but the foundation does need to be strengthened. We will redouble our efforts to seek technological breakthroughs."

The movement of his auxiliary robotic arms seemed to carry a slight lag due to computational overload.

The mechanical humming in the core area of ​​the research station seemed even heavier.

The low growls of the giant analysis array, the roar of coolant flowing through thick pipes, and the friction sounds of servo joints intertwined.

The data stream continued to cast ever-changing shadows in the dim space.

The servo skulls, like devout monks, tirelessly circled the silent steel behemoth, their scanning beams leaving fleeting traces on the ancient, mysterious runes like the glow of prayer.

The lower-ranking priests chanted binary hymns in hushed tones at their posts, treating every byte and every energy fluctuation they observed as a sacred offering to the god of machines, continuing their exploration of the alluring yet dangerous forbidden knowledge hidden deep within the Titan armor and the rough prototype.
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A few days later, Chen Xi was dealing with a mountain of government data boards in the governor's study.

Outside the window, the ever-burning lights of Rostov's main star city illuminate the night sky; inside, there is only cold rationality and heavy responsibility.

The bottlenecks in his research on the Psionic Titans and the immense risks of the "Grace Knight" project weighed heavily on his mind.

At this moment, the incense scent permeating the study seemed to be disturbed by an extremely faint spiritual energy fluctuation carrying the fragrance of exotic herbs and trees.

Chen Xi looked up and, unsurprisingly, saw Valise Moore's figure appear silently from the shadows in front of the viewing window in the corner of the study.

Her long, silvery-white hair shimmered like moonlight in the indoor light, and her golden eyes gazed calmly at Chen Xi.

"Do Eldar prophets always like to show up uninvited like this?" Chen Xi put down the data panel, his tone flat, revealing neither joy nor anger.

He was not surprised that Vallis was able to break through the governor's mansion's security; the prophet's psychic abilities were unfathomable.

"The gateways of humanity are not always impenetrable labyrinths for travelers who weave their webs and listen to the whispers beyond the veil." Vallis's voice was clear and ethereal, like the whispers of distant stars.

She turned around, her gaze seemingly piercing through Chen Xi, seeing into the tangled thoughts deep within his soul. "I sensed... the fog of confusion, and that thirsty call for power. Deep within your steel palace, where prayers of iron and fire echo."

Chen Xi did not deny it: "The Great Sage's project has encountered an insurmountable technological chasm. The power that humanity is trying to control may be more... elusive than we realize."

"Unpredictable?" A faint smile played on Vallis's lips, as if she had discerned the tangled threads of fate.

"It's more accurate to say that your human methods are too... rigid and lack resonance. You try to imprison and drive the untamed song of life, which flows like the tides of the sea of ​​souls, with cold metal cages and tyrannical chains of will."

"It's like trying to confine a newborn star in a rusty iron cage—either the cage collapses and the star perishes, or the light is suffocated and distorted, attracting hungry, pain-fed shadows from beyond the veil to peek into the cracks."

She took two light steps forward, as if gliding through the web of fate, a soft yet resilient milky-white light naturally swirling around her fingertips.

This light was not flame, but rather solidified moonlight and flowing ballads. It flowed and condensed at her fingertips, quickly forming an extremely small yet exquisitely complex three-dimensional rune model, like the trajectory of stars, radiating a pure and stable soul pulse.

"We, the Eldar, breathe and share the fate of the Sea of ​​Souls, having gone through countless cycles of stars. Our spirit bones..." Valis's gaze fell on the milky-white model at her fingertips, filled with a deep reverence for the ancient art of creation.

"...It is neither a mineral from the earth nor a metal forged by the fires of the mundane. It is the crystallization of the essential resonance between the song of will and the sea of ​​soul, the manifestation of a living melody on the curtain of reality."

"It is by nature the most perfect resonating chamber of the flame of life, the most obedient conduit of melody, and the most resilient thread of destiny. It is as gentle as the radiance of the mother star, yet as resilient as an ancient vow; it can bear the power of a starburst, and it can also blend seamlessly with the soul song of the rider, becoming one with it."

Chen Xi's gaze was instantly drawn to the milky-white spirit bone model.

He could clearly sense a quality within it that was completely different from the violent psionic energy on the Titans—a restrained, highly ordered, and resilient power.

"You mean..." Chen Xi's voice carried a hint of inquiry.

“I can share the basic spirit bone ‘song’—its whispers of growth, its woven rhythms.” Vallis looked directly at Chen Xi, her molten gold eyes carrying a resolute determination to bow to fate for the sake of survival.

"It can fundamentally untie the knot that binds your materials, allowing the flow of energy to surge like the most harmonious melody. Its stability and efficiency are a dream that your rigid iron rules and imposed shackles cannot reach."

“More importantly…” The spirit bone model at her fingertips shimmered with light, simulating a structure similar to the core of a knight mech.

"...The spirit bone itself is the echo of the soul. It can awaken the 'soul essence' dormant deep within your steel behemoth, making it easier for it to listen, understand, and ultimately accept this new power, regarding it as an extension of its own bloodline, rather than an invading anomaly or curse."

"This touches the essence of that steel heart far more deeply than your crude 'appeasement' spells and cold 'coupling' protocols."

Vallis paused for a moment, then added, her tone regaining its detached, condescending air.

"Of course, this is only the prologue to the 'song.' To truly master this war epic that resonates with steel and soul, we need those craftsmen among you humans whose souls still resonate with 'craftsmanship' and 'spiritual charm,' to sculpt it with their hearts, rather than relying solely on cold logic."

"And... a knight whose soul burns bright enough to ignite the furnace, whose will is as unyielding as an ancient star core, to become the singer of this poem."

(End of this chapter)