Warhammer 40K in a box

Chapter 520

The air in the study gradually grew heavy.

The massive, white orbital rings of Rostov-2 stretched across the pristine sky, while the vibrant ecological dome and bustling city presented a tranquil and peaceful scene, creating a stark contrast with the gradually solidifying atmosphere in the study.

The use of alien technology was not unprecedented for the Empire, but it was a highly taboo subject.

For the Empire, and especially for the Mechanicus, the purity of technology is of paramount importance; in a sense, the purity of technology is a crucial cornerstone for the Empire's existence.

Any foreign creation that has not been thoroughly purified and understood may become a vessel for the will of the wicked, leading to catastrophic corruption and depravity.

The empire has a history of painful lessons. For example, a coating technology that was discovered and widely applied was eventually proven to have been corrupted by chaos, causing all imperial troops coated with it to instantly defect.

Therefore, the Empire's scrutiny of new technologies, especially alien and heretical things, has become almost obsessive.

A technology's purity review can take hundreds of years to verify, and even if it passes verification, it can still take hundreds of years for the technology to be put into production and produce physical products.

The fact that the entire process was stuck for a thousand years is not an exaggeration for the empire.

The Empire's caution in this matter has already been proven by countless bloody facts to be absolutely necessary.

This is why only a very small number of departments within the Empire have the authority to use heretical or alien technologies.

Moreover, this authority is limited to using certain alien or heretical creations and involving their technology to a limited extent. It is by no means a way to directly integrate alien technology into the Empire's technological system to produce spirit knights.

It could be said that every word of this proposal is like an Emperor-class Titan embracing the Great Impure One and dancing a flamenco dance on the nerves of the Inquisition and the Mechanicus.

However, Chen Xi could not directly refuse this proposal.

Chen Xi believed that Kaul could handle the design and manufacture of the Psionic Knight.

His ability to independently complete the design and manufacture of the original Space Marines' complete technology and supporting equipment over ten thousand years is enough to prove the terrifying extent of Caul's ability and knowledge.

However, this also exposes a major problem with Mechanicus: its slowness.

Moreover, given the Mechanics' conservative approach to unknown technologies and their cumbersome, ritualistic research process, it might take them centuries to solve the technical problems. The final result would more likely be relegated to archives due to its impracticality, becoming yet another forgotten technology.

Chen Xi doesn't have ten thousand years to wait for a technological breakthrough, nor does he have a thousand years to undergo technological review.

He doesn't even have a hundred years to put his technology into production.

He only has twenty years. After that, the Great Rift will open, and it will be too late. But adopting Valis's proposal is completely different. The Eldar's mature spirit bone technology is enough to enable psionic knights to achieve this in a short time.

"Human Governor, I understand your concerns. The Eldar and humans are on different paths." Her voice resounded directly in your consciousness, carrying the unique detachment of the Eldar. "But now, the shadow of chaos threatens all living beings. I offer you the most direct and efficient solution to your current predicament."

Vallis slightly raised her hand, and a barely perceptible stream of light seemed to glide across the spirit bone ornaments she wore at her fingertips.

“Spirit Bone,” her thoughts flowed into Chen Xi’s consciousness like a cool spring, “is not a simple mineral or a synthetic material as you understand it. It is the crystallization of the life and soul power of our Spirit Race, and it resonates with the purest and most harmonious energy of the Warp.”

Any material your empire currently possesses, whether refined ceramic steel, complex plastic steel, or bio-alloys of the Mechanic Church, is as coarse as gravel compared to pure crystal in terms of psionic conductivity compared to the most basic spiritual bones.

They can cause losses, blockages, and even dangerous resonance distortion.

She paused briefly, and the invisible psionic disturbance caused more noticeable, water-like ripples in the air around her.

"More importantly, it is stable. The structure of the spirit bone is naturally able to anchor itself to the tides of the warp and resist the erosion of the whispers of chaos. It will not easily collapse or produce uncontrollable feedback under the impact of your 'forbidden' psionic energy. Your technological bottleneck," Vallis focused her consciousness, with an undeniable certainty, "lies in forcibly using incompatible matter to control power that you have not yet fully understood, the result of which will inevitably be inefficient, dangerous, and have a fatal upper limit."

The spirit bone is not 'controlled'; it is itself an extension and container of that power.

This 'innate advantage' derived from the essence of life is something that no matter how much human technology climbs, it cannot 'replace' in the foreseeable future.

What it can offer you is the ability to break through that fragile barrier that you've painstakingly built with your flesh and steel.

She took a step forward.

"As for guarantees?" Her tone was flat. "There are no absolute guarantees, Governor of Humanity. Technology itself is neither good nor evil; the key lies in the user and the protective measures. What I can offer is the basic principles of the Spirit Bone technology, as well as the key design solutions for its integration with human mechanical structures. Subsequent analysis, protective layer construction, risk assessment and control—that's the work of your mechanical priests. This is an exchange, not a gift."

Chen Xi remained silent, his fingers unconsciously tracing the smooth surface of the table. Immense risk coexisted with tempting rewards. Time was of the essence.

“The Great Rift is about to tear the galaxy apart,” Vallis’s voice deepened, carrying a prophetic quality. “The Dark Ages are imminent. The old order and technological barriers are utterly fragile before the destructive waves sweeping across the galaxy. Humanity needs stronger weapons, needs faster breakthroughs. Clinging to the creed of so-called 'pure human technology' is a fatal slowdown in the face of this existential crisis.” Her gaze was fixed on Chen Xi. “The Spirit Bone can accelerate your 'Psionic Knight' project, making it a weapon against the darkness more quickly. That’s my reason.”

Silence fell upon the study once more, broken only by the faint rumble of the distant city's engines. Chen Xi's gaze swept across the room and the view outside the window. Valis's words coldly pointed out the reality: the threat of the Great Rift was imminent, and conventional research and development could not keep pace. Spirit Bone Technology—this key from the aliens, fraught with unknown risks yet incredibly sharp—might be the only way to break the deadlock.

“Prophet Valis More,” Chen Xi finally spoke, his voice carrying the governor’s decisiveness, “I accept your proposal.” He raised his hand to indicate, “but only for the psionic transmission and stabilization matrix technologies required for the 'Psionic Knight' project—the fundamental principles and the core solutions for integration with human machinery. Transmission must be at the highest level of secrecy. Technical analysis, risk assessment, and actual integration work must be led and controlled by my people. This is the bottom line.”

Vallis nodded slightly, and the pale blue spirit bone model hovering at her fingertips vanished instantly. "A wise choice, Human Governor. The data stream will be transmitted encrypted as you requested. May this fusion bring power to your battlefield." Before her words had even finished, her figure began to fade, leaving only a faint trace of dissipated energy.

(End of this chapter)