Warhammer 40K in a box

Chapter 535 The Once Glorious Era

The emergence of the second Primarch, Ferrus Manus, had no significant impact on the surface operation of the Rostov subsector.

In stark contrast to Hathor's style of comprehensive intervention and sweeping administrative affairs, Feralus's role was more like a deep-seated underground current.

Its influence is mainly reflected in technological innovation and production capacity release.

Such changes often require time to accumulate before their true scale becomes apparent; they are not immediately effective.

Therefore, it took Chen Xi a full three months to clearly grasp the actual benefits brought by the Steel Hand Primarch through a detailed report submitted by Hathor.

"The foundry's production efficiency has increased by about 15% so far." Hathor, still wearing her well-tailored executive secretary uniform, held a tablet displaying data streams as she gave Chen Xi a precise report.

She stood tall and spoke in a steady, professional tone: "Ferus has optimized several key production lines, significantly reducing reliance on manual labor in the production process. The freed-up workforce has been redistributed to other positions, thereby driving up overall production capacity."

Chen Xi was not surprised by the result.

He nodded slightly, his fingertips unconsciously tapping the table.

If he can't even achieve this basic level of efficiency improvement, then he's not like the Primarch of the Iron Hand he knows, who is known for his mechanical talent and rational efficiency.

"Did Felus himself... say anything?" Chen Xi paused slightly, his tone carrying a hint of barely perceptible caution.

The shadow of their unpleasant meeting still lingered, and he had to worry whether the hard-hearted Primarch would harbor any resentment.

He looked up at Hathor, his gaze questioning.

Hathor naturally understood what Chen Xi was truly concerned about, but she seemed to deliberately avoid giving a direct answer about "emotions".

She adjusted the way she held the data tablet, her gaze falling on the screen: "Ferus did express his dissatisfaction with the current state of Mechanicus. He believes that the current cult's worship of 'Om Messiah' is too fanatical, to the point that it seriously neglects the study and exploration of the essence of technology."

She looked up, meeting Chen Xi's gaze, and added, "As you know, in the era thirty thousand years ago, although the Mechanicus also revered technology and machinery as gods, its religious atmosphere was fundamentally different from the... almost fanatical devotion of today."

The mechanical priests of that time were more like a group of tireless technical archaeologists and engineers. Their primary goal was to collect scattered ancient knowledge, organize it, study it, and reverse engineer it, in order to recreate humanity's lost glorious past.

She paused, her brow furrowing almost imperceptibly: "And the current Mechanicus... if I may be so bold, they give me the impression of a bunch of madmen who only know how to worship and chant rigid prayers to cold machine shells. Technological advancement seems to be no longer their primary goal."

Chen Xi nodded understandingly, letting out a sigh heavy with historical weight: "Ten thousand years... is just too long."

Even the once glorious human empires, after a brief golden age following the Great Expedition, have irrevocably fallen to their current state.

It's not surprising that the Mechanicus has evolved into what it is today; in fact, given the overall corruption of the Empire, they are relatively... 'stable'.

Moreover, there are different factions within the Cult of Mechanics, and some branches may have religious characteristics…

He was about to continue commenting on this difference when Hathor suddenly interrupted him.

She leaned forward slightly, her sharp eyes fixed on Chen Xi: "Wait! You just said... 'a peaceful and prosperous era after the Great Expedition'? But wasn't the Great Expedition immediately followed by a bloody civil war that swept across the entire empire due to a great rebellion? Where is the peace and prosperity to speak of?"

Her tone was full of confusion, as if Chen Xi was describing a parallel universe that was completely contrary to her understanding.

Chen Xi was slightly taken aback, clearly not expecting Hathor to react so strongly to this historical juncture. He gathered his thoughts and explained, "After the Great Rebellion was finally suppressed, it lasted from the M31 to the M32 era, spanning nearly 1,500 years."

During that period, the Empire, under the joint leadership of the surviving Primarchs, did indeed enter a relatively peaceful, prosperous, and stable era.

It could be said that at that time, the Empire and human civilization partially realized the blueprint you conceived during the Great Expedition.

Seeing the mixture of shock and hope on Hathor's face, he continued in detail: "Back then, the Primarchs still existed, the Empire's technology was advanced, and rationality and the spirit of science were highly regarded."

The overall social atmosphere is positive, uplifting, and full of vitality.

The peace lasted so long that even Primarchs like Guilliman began to worry that the massive Astartes Legion itself could become a threat to the stability of the Empire, leading to the dismantling and reorganization of the Legion during the M32 era.

Chen Xi's tone carried a hint of historical lament: "However, I'm afraid even Guilliman himself did not expect that shortly after he completed the compilation of the Astartes Codex and promoted the dismantling of the Legion, he would be seriously wounded by having his throat slit in a duel with Fugen."

Like his father, he eventually slept in the static field for a full ten thousand years.

The other surviving Primarchs also left or disappeared for various reasons... The vast Empire was left without a Primarch to hold its ground.

When the last Primarch, Vulcan, perished in the War of the Beasts, the highest power of the Empire fell entirely into the hands of mortal bureaucrats.

"As for the speed at which they degenerated and became corrupt..." He paused for a moment, "...it was actually slower than imagined. The empire's comprehensive corruption and degeneration, its slide into the abyss of religious fanaticism, ideological stagnation, and technological stagnation, occurred roughly during the long period from M35 to M38."

The state religion rose to power and completely controlled the minds of the people.

The entire empire raced headlong towards theocracy and obscurantism, ultimately taking the form of the massive, decaying shell we see today.

After Chen Xi calmly recounted the empire's vicissitudes over the past ten thousand years, Hathor fell into a long silence.

Her gaze seemed to pierce through the air before her, directed towards that distant and unfamiliar future.

Her face was a complex mix of emotions—a bewilderment at how time had diluted the pain of the rebellion, a regret at the fleeting nature of the golden age, and a profound sorrow at the empire's ultimate decline.

Originally, she thought the empire's decline was a direct consequence of the Horus rebellion.

Only now do I realize that the rebellion was more like a cruel beginning.

The truly long process of corruption, however, was completed step by step by mortals themselves in the darkness after the Primarchs had departed.

“However,” Chen Xi’s steady voice broke the silence, pulling Hathor back to reality from his heavy thoughts of history, “those are all dust from thousands of years ago.”

Rather than dwelling on the past, we should focus on the present.

He looked into Hathor's eyes, which were refocused but still carried a hint of historical burden, and his tone became serious and pragmatic: "The problem between you and Feralus needs to be resolved eventually."

This isn't just about her; it's about how you'll face Guilliman and other potential Primarchs in the future.

He leaned forward slightly, his gaze sharp and unwavering: "I cannot hide your identity forever. When the Great Rift tears open the curtain of the galaxy and war engulfs everything, I need you—as the Primarch—to step back onto the battlefield."

(End of this chapter)