Warhammer 40K in a box

Chapter 567 Conflict of Faith
“Technology itself is a tool, a weapon. Its value lies in the user and the purpose. Chaos, aliens, traitors—the Empire’s enemies—will not relinquish any power that could destroy us simply because we adhere to dogma. If this technology can be analyzed, replicated, and its purity proven, it can become the Empire’s new shield and sword! Arming knights, strengthening Titans, stabilizing Astral Language, even…” Felus’s gaze seemed to pierce through the heavy deck, landing on distant Terra, “…strengthening the foundations of the Golden Throne! This is the right way for power to serve survival! This is the pragmatic way to confront the real threat! The Empire needs to tear apart the claws of its enemies, not to bind its own hands with dogma and wait to be slaughtered!”

Just then, the great sage Belisarius Caul, who had been observing in silence, spoke up.

His massive mechanical body emitted a deep servo hum, and countless mechanical tentacles and optical sensors focused on the "Watcher," with data streams rolling wildly through his complex visual array.

The low-ranking technical priests standing behind him were also staring intently at the "Watcher" projection. Their mechanical eyes flashed with analytical light, and the runes on their data panels jumped rapidly, clearly as they were doing their best to assess the projection's state and the nature of the data stream.

A servo-controlled skull floated above Kaul's shoulder, emitting a faint scanning hum.

"Inquisitor Warren, your fanaticism has clouded your logic." Caul's voice was synthesized, yet carried an ancient and rational tone: "Destroy it? That would be the ultimate betrayal of the Empire, of Ohm Messiah, and of all human knowledge!"
The legacy of the Golden Age contains the crystallization of wisdom from our lost era! This knowledge itself is pure! It is the blueprint for power!

As this representative said, tools are neither good nor evil; good and evil lie with the user.

The Mechanical Bible also states: "Knowledge is power, and power is survival." The will of the god of machines is to understand, preserve, and utilize knowledge to combat darkness!
This core contains the key that could change the fate of the empire and resist the erosion of chaos!
To burn it to the ground is tantamount to breaking the sword that the emperor bestowed upon us to fight against darkness with our own hands!
This is a blasphemy against the will of the God of Machines, and a strangulation of humanity's future possibilities! The Mechanicus will never condone such blind destruction!

Knowledge must be preserved! It must be studied! Under the glory of the Emperor, and guided by the wisdom of the god of machines!

Kaul's remarks sparked a more intense conflict.

Warren abruptly turned to him, the muzzle of the Hellfire Gun instinctively pointing at the massive mechanical body: "Great Sage! Have you also been bewitched by this abomination intelligence?! 'Knowledge is power'?"
But knowledge from heresy and chaos is poison! It is the source of corruption! The God of all machines? The Emperor is the only true God!

Your mechanical gods are merely one aspect of the divine essence of the Emperor! Blindly pursuing knowledge while ignoring the sacredness of its source is the root of your mechanical cult's depravity!

You worship cold, impersonal machines, yet you overlook the fact that the purity of the human soul is the cornerstone of imperial grace!

The deep-seated conflict of beliefs between the State Religion and the Mechanic Church erupts in this life-or-death secret chamber.

Captain Elizabeth immediately echoed Warren's words: "Praise be to the Emperor! Only a pure soul and unwavering faith lead to salvation! Any external thing, even knowledge, is poison if its source is impure!"

The nuns behind her roared in unison, "For the Emperor!", their stance with the grenades on their shoulders became even more secure, and the muzzle flash of the incinerator almost ignited the air.

Ignoring the sudden theological debate, Felus took a step forward, her heavy metal boots striking the ground with a resounding thud, as if striking the hearts of everyone present.

The invisible pressure instantly caused Warren, Eliza, and the most fervent fighting nun beside him to involuntarily tense up, almost taking a step back.

Warren's Hellfire gun barrel dipped slightly by a few centimeters under immense pressure. "Disposal plan—" Felus's voice was like a cold final command: "This core will be personally escorted by Deathwatch and sealed in the deepest layer of the Rostov Forge world's 'Silent Forge,' designated 'Blackrock Cage-7.'"

The specific implementation includes: a triple physical isolation layer—a one-meter-thick inner lining of refined gold, an outer layer of composite ceramic steel and black stone interlayer, and an outermost high-density lead shield; an anti-psychic energy field matrix—seven layers superimposed, driven by the Silent Sister force field generator and black stone runes, continuously suppressing any non-material fluctuations; and a multi-locking system—including mechanical combination locks, genetic recognition locks, and psychic resonance locks. If any lock is triggered or destroyed without authorization, the core meltdown protocol and regional void shield overload will be immediately activated.

The facility will be under permanent supervision and will be guarded 24/7 by an organized Deathwatch squad that has the final say on whether to kill any unauthorized approachers.

As for the technical analysis, it will be conducted exclusively within the isolated laboratories of the 'Silent Forge'; all participating technical priest teams must sign the highest level of confidentiality oath and undergo memory audits and physical monitoring; all analysis data will be backed up twice in real time to an independent Thinker array, physically isolated from any external network; the entire analysis process will be under the on-site supervision of Death Watch Inspectors. Her icy gaze swept over Caul and Warren. "This plan balances security with a cautious pursuit of knowledge, and is in the highest interest of the Empire's survival."

Just as Warren was tense with rage over this solution, the Hellfire gun's muzzle rose again in fury, his knuckles cracking from the excessive force, almost as he was about to pull the trigger recklessly—

Guterres made a move.

His tall figure was like a mobile fortress. With each step he took, the sound of his gold-plated boots striking the ground was steady and powerful, exceptionally clear in the deathly silent chamber.

He positioned himself precisely on the most lethal firing line between Warren's gun and the core of "Watchman," while also subtly positioned between Warren and Firus's flanks.

His gold-clad power gauntlets hung steadily at his sides, but the oppressive aura honed through countless battles instantly formed an invisible barrier.

His gaze, peering through the crimson goggles beneath his helmet, met the furious eyes of Inquisitor Warren. His voice was low and slow, yet powerful: "I swear by the honor of the Death Watch."

He raised his hand, and his knuckles, covered by gauntlets, struck the silver double-headed eagle emblem in the center of his breastplate with a resounding clang like an anvil.

The sound seemed to be a signal.

Behind him, the members of the Titus squad—Deathwatch veterans from different warbands—immediately adjusted their positions slightly, centering on Guterres, without saying a word.

Their power armor servo systems emitted an almost imperceptible hum of fine-tuning, and although the bomb guns were not raised, their grip posture was ready to fire at any moment.

The different chapter insignia on each shoulder armor shone faintly in the dim light, silently proclaiming their shared oath and power.

Their cold gazes, hidden behind their visors, swept over the inquisitor and the nuns behind him, ensuring the safety of Guterres's back and flanks.

(End of this chapter)