Warhammer: Striving to Be a Grinding Man

Chapter 160 The Mark of Mars

The Martian Sage's investigation in Garros lasted for three days.

On the first day, his team occupied all twelve docks of Wangshu. At each dock, a group of technical priests crouched before control terminals, data cables kept in real-time synchronization with the Mars Cruiser's main Thinker array. They weren't simply comparing data—each time a terminal was connected, the lead technical priest first pressed a binary rune into the edge of the interface with a red-hot consecration iron, then inserted the data probe. The smoke of holy oil rose in the dim dock, mingling with the white mist of evaporating coolant. Servo skulls hovered above each workstation, transmitting the results of each comparison back to the main array in the form of binary hymns.

The deviation was almost zero—except for a few negligible minor discrepancies between spare parts replacement records and the logs. The logs submitted by Garros were accurate to the second, with each data point matched by a corresponding servant operation record. Even the most senior auditing monk on the review team had to admit that the system's self-consistency surpassed that of the conventional casting world. Before leaving the slipway, following the ancient tradition of the Mechanicus, he left three drops of holy oil from Mars on the edge of the terminal interface.

Logosian stood on the dock observation platform. The sensor array locked onto the twelve operational shipyards below, remaining motionless for nearly four hours. A recording servo behind his shoulder zoomed in and out at an extremely slow frequency, capturing frame by frame every corner of the dock's hollow interior. The sensor array paused sequentially on each ship section, Logosian observing the rhythm. The intervals between the welding torches' flashes, the sergeant's movements, the timing of section hoisting—all formed a silent stream of data in his eyes, silently comparing it to the scheduling logs submitted by Garros.

If anything can achieve this balance between scale and precision, it goes beyond simple log verification. He's looking for patterns, trying to establish a baseline for how this casting world operates.

The next day, his team entered the Fireseed. The Ark's airtight doors had all been unlocked by the arrival of the inspection team. Following ancient rituals, a high-ranking technical priest used a red-hot consecration iron to press a binary rune onto the edge of the door frame, then inserted a data probe into the interface. Holy oil hissed and evaporated on the scorching metal surface, and blue smoke rose in the dimly lit passageway.

The doors of the Titan hangar slid open one by one. The silhouettes of the Warlord, Marauder, and Warhound classes appeared in turn under the searchlights. The Martian technographers stopped at the ankle armor plate of each Titan, tracing a brief binary pulse of machine soul confirmation signal on the forging serial number with their fingertips. The Titans did not respond, but the pulses penetrated deep into the armor's lattice. Only then did they begin scanning the lattice fatigue of the armor surface with data probes, comparing the readings with the maintenance records one by one.

The giant furnace in the casting chamber was in standby mode, but thermal imaging remnants on the furnace walls indicated that it had been used within a reasonable timeframe, with the remaining temperature profiles matching the logs. A very thin layer of sacred oil carbides also adhered to the furnace walls, traces of a routine application of the elixir before ignition. On the assembly chamber's lifting platform, positioning marks from the most recent assembly operation remained—a set of laser calibration points accurate to the millimeter.

Logosian traversed all seven levels of the Fireseed's Titan hangar. He didn't linger before any Titan beyond the time required by the standard detection protocol. But as he passed the hangar entrance to the Imperial Titan "Burning Fury," his sensor array paused for a fleeting moment—a gaze. The recording servo skull behind his shoulder flickered, without adjusting its focus; it was Logosian's own gaze, requiring no recording.

On the third day, the Mars team split into four groups.

The first group remained inside Wangshu to verify the output records of the furnace complex and refining facilities. The second group boarded the mining ship of Garros to observe the operational process of the Metis-class. The third group went to the orbit of the gas giant planet Garros IV to inspect the sucrose refining platform, and then flew to Garros VI to delve into the ice mining face.

The fourth group was Logosian's core team. They entered the underground industrial zone of the main planet Garros and conducted tests and calculations for several hours in the spherical cavity of the Thinker Array. Then they continued to the next foundry, refinery, parts production line, heavy forging section, and mineral tunneling face, checking the output data, equipment calibration records, and servant scheduling logs layer by layer.

Aside from the Thinker array, Logosian didn't linger longer than necessary on any other layer. His sensor arrays remained almost identical in duration: the lower limit of the standard detection protocol. He simply continued downwards, traversing over two thousand layers of industrial structures until he reached the pioneering excavation face near the Earth's core. The temperatures there exceeded the comfort zone of the standard power armor. The Martian tech-priests completed their in-depth verification in the thermal environment, uploading the astonishing number of engineering servants to a temporary storage area in the recording servo skull, before following Logosian back to the surface.

When Logosian returned to the outer berth of Wangshu, his pace was slower than ever before. Three days of exploration had seen hundreds of Martian technical priests deployed across all key areas. All data had been transmitted back to the Mars cruiser's main thinker array, completed for aggregation and comparison. Logosian completed the final verification within his cognitive core.

The morning light from Dome One spread through the transparent armor plates. The main hall of the Casting Temple stood before it, its adamantine frame gleaming with a dark golden luster in the light, and the massive adamantine gates on the front were etched with complete binary prayers. The Garros Guardians lined up at the entrance, their dark gold CMC-120 power armor draped over deep red ceremonial robes.

The moment the Martian sage stepped out of the shuttle, a binary hymn resounded throughout Dome One.

Logosian paused at the entrance to the main sanctuary. His sensor array swept across the massive, adamantite gates—etched prayers extending sharply from the edges of the frame to the center of the doors. He looked for a moment, then stepped inside.

The audience chamber was located on the ground floor of the main temple. Beneath the expansive dome, three columns lined the walls: Martian technical priests occupied the left flank, their crimson robes forming a dark matrix; Lucius's entourage was concentrated on the right flank, fewer in number but with precise postures; and the largest contingent, from Garros, stood in three rows along the back wall, hundreds of them silently holding their positions, ranging from civilian representatives to high-ranking technical priests.

In the very center, three fine gold chairs were arranged in a triangular formation. Cohen sat in front, Logosian on the left, and Helios on the right. The spacing between the chairs was ceremonial enough to allow sound to travel through a deserted area, and also enough to prevent any uninvited person from approaching.

The recording servo skull silently drifted out of the darkness above the relief, hovered behind the Cohen Seat, dripped a drop of holy oil, and then retracted.

Logosian's sensor array circled between the three seats in turn. Then his voice rang out.

"Director of Foundry. In three days, I have reviewed Garros's shipyard, the Thinker array, and the logic filtering protocol for the wet component layer. These are what Garros is willing to demonstrate and meet the review requirements. Now, what remains is—Garros's final position within the Martian system. This needs to be determined in this audience hall."

Cohen sat in the main seat, his hands resting on the armrests. "Sage of Examination," he said, "Gallos has confirmed the basic points: Mars possesses legal sovereignty over Gallos, and Lucius retains suzerainty over Gallos. But I would like to confirm the scope of Mars's 'legal sovereignty'."

"Mars's legal sovereignty over Garros encompasses: the forging of world identity, the tracing of technological origins, the authentication of the identity of the Great Sage Enp Shakra, and the establishment of its authority within the Empire. Mars holds the final say on these three matters. Garros's technological registration channels belong to Mars. In all other matters, Mars does not intervene; sovereignty is exercised by Lucis. Daily administration and foreign trade are handled independently, and fleet deployments are decided through consultation between Garros and Lucis. This is the boundary confirmed by Mars."

Cohen paused for two seconds. "Gallos agrees. But the annual filing process needs to be clarified: the scope of the technology catalog includes all mainstream technologies that Gallos is using, finalized and mass-producible blueprints, and ship types already under construction."

Mars gained access to technologies already realized at Galos, not possibilities confined to the laboratory.

Logosian's sensor array paused for a moment. "Director of Foundry, Mars understands that Garros wants to protect maturing technologies. But Mars needs to clarify—what is the definition of 'mainstream technology in use'?"

"The ships under construction at the Garros shipyard, whose blueprints have been verified in production and represent realized technologies," are included in the filing. The technical documents for the equipment models currently operating on Garros' various production lines are also included in the filing." Korn paused, then continued, "Several Odysseus-class armed transport ships have been completed and are in service with the Foundry World Fleet; their blueprints are finalized and fall within the filing scope. Other main ship types under construction at Garros, some obtained through technology exchange with Lucis, are also being processed according to procedure."

Helios's voice came from the right: "That's how the annual filing system works in the Foundry World—whatever you're building in your shipyard, the blueprints must appear in the Martian archives. That's the rule. What's being built in the Garros shipyard should be filed. It's not a choice, it's a process. Lucis's technical filings already exist; just follow the procedure."

Logosian's sensor array deflected, scanning the direction of Helios, then retracted. "Lucis's confirmation matches Mars's understanding. Does Garros's response confirm?"

"Confirmed," Cohen said. "All of Galos's current finalized, operational, and used core technologies, including ship designs under construction, will be submitted to Mars through the filing process. The scope of the self-recorded document will be compiled by Galos based on its definition of 'realized technologies,' and the content itself will fully cover all of Galos's operational technological systems."

He paused.

"However, one clause needs to be clarified: the right to use the registered blueprints belongs to Galos. Any third party, including Mars Foundry World and its affiliates, must obtain prior written authorization from Galos Foundry World if they wish to use or construct outside of Galos using the technology covered by the registered blueprints. Registration is a record, not a license."

As those words were spoken, a brief, almost imperceptible ripple appeared in the queues on either side of the audience hall. In the left flank of Mars's ranks, several optical lenses simultaneously zoomed out. In Lucis's ranks, someone lowered their head and silently made a note on a data tablet. In the queue behind Garros's wall, the mechanical fingers of a high-ranking technical priest paused on his knee.

Logan’s sensor array stayed on Cohen for longer than ever before.

"Foundry Director, Mars has received your terms. Mars believes that the essence of technology filing is record-keeping, not licensing."

Mars accepted this explanation. The right to use the registered blueprints belonged to Garros, and any third-party use required written authorization from Garros. He paused, then added, "But Mars has one condition."

A moment of silence fell over the audience hall. Helios's fingertips hovered over the edge of the data panel, not sliding down. Cohen's hands remained still on the armrests.

"Please speak."

"Mars has the right to use the technology covered by the Garros blueprints for its own construction projects. Mars does not need written authorization from Garros—because Mars is the legal sovereign owner of Garros, and this is an extension of that sovereignty."

This condition touched upon the boundaries of sovereignty more directly than any of the previous ones. In the queue heading towards Garros, Ellis's pen paused on the data panel, not falling. His gaze lifted from the panel, landed on Cohen's back, lingered for a moment, then lowered again. Among Helios's entourage beside him, someone exchanged a glance.

Cohen's knuckles paused for a moment on the armrest, then he spoke.

"Sage of the Censorship. Garros accepts Mars' right to use Garros' registered blueprints in its shipyard. But Garros has a condition of reciprocity. For every Garros blueprint used by Mars, Garros is entitled to a corresponding blueprint of equal technical level, which will be added to Garros' database for use in Garros' construction projects. Garros' blueprints are open to Mars, and Mars' blueprints are open to Garros. This is a reciprocal exchange."

The audience chamber fell silent once more. Logosian's sensor array locked onto Cohen for longer than ever before.

An auxiliary servo skull, hovering on the side of the audience hall, drifted closer. A data probe at the base of the skull briefly extended before retracting, writing an unpreset protocol entry into a temporary buffer. Helios's fingertips remained on the edge of the data panel, without sliding.

Helios's voice came from the right, slightly faster than before: "Lucis needs to confirm whether, if Mars obtains the right to use the Garros blueprints, Lucis, as the overlord of Garros, will enjoy the same rights in forging the world?"

Logosian's sensor array deflected, scanning the direction of Helios. "Mars has a different suzerainty than Lucis."

However, Mars does not object to Lucis receiving equal rights under equal conditions. The reciprocity framework applies to both Mars and Lucis, without excluding either party.

Cohen leaned forward slightly in his chair. "Gallos accepts Lucius's right to use Gallos's blueprints under the same conditions. The same reciprocal terms apply to Lucius—for every Gallos blueprint used by Lucius, Gallos is entitled to obtain a Lucius blueprint of equivalent technical level and include it in Gallos's database."

Helios leaned back in his chair, slightly raising the data panel on his knees before lowering it. "Lucis accepts this framework. Garros' blueprints are available in the Lucis shipyard, and Lucis' blueprints will be made available to Garros under equal conditions."

Logosian's microphone crackled to life again, a beat slower than before: "Foundry Director. Your proposed reciprocal framework—"

The fact that Gallos' blueprints are open to Mars and Lucis, and vice versa, suggests that the scope of Gallos's filing needs further clarification. Should the Mars and Lucis blueprints obtained by Gallos also be included in Gallos's filing system?

"Included," Cohen said. "Gallos's filing pipeline will consist of three parts: Gallos's own filing blueprints, blueprints that Mars makes available to Gallos, and blueprints that Lucis makes available to Gallos. The use of each party's blueprints in the other party's dock will follow the principle of reciprocity. Any party transferring blueprints to a third party must obtain written authorization from the original owner of the blueprints."

Logosian's sensor array paused on Cohen for a moment. "Mars confirms all of the above. Mars obtains the right to use the Garros blueprints in the Mars dock. Mars will grant Garros access to blueprints of equivalent technical level, incorporating them into Garros's filing system. Transfers require authorization from the original owner."

Helios's voice remained calm and steady: "Lucis confirms. Equal terms, equal rights."

Cohen rested his hands flat on the armrests. "Gallos confirms all of the above. The terms of the conscription response within the framework of Mars' legal sovereignty will be negotiated separately by Gallos and Mars during subsequent technical assessments, and this agreement does not presuppose a specific timeframe."

Logosian's transmitter paused for a moment. "Mars received. The mobilization response terms are now subject to clarification pending, running concurrently with the current agreement. The tripartite agreement is effective immediately. Archive."

The recording servo skull drifted silently forward, hovering in the center of the audience hall, emitting a short binary pulse—three-way confirmation, agreement complete, record archived. A drop of holy oil seeped from the base of the skull, solidified into an imprint in the center of the table, then retracted, returning to the darkness.

In the silence that followed the dissipation of the pulse, the queues on both sides of the audience hall completed a collective posture adjustment. Hundreds of mechanical monks simultaneously retracted their array postures; some lowered their crossed mechanical arms, some adjusted their center of gravity, and some switched their data panels from working mode to standby. The invisible tension between the three formations of Mars, Lucis, and Garros eased slightly at this moment.

Logosian stood up. The data probes on the armrest of the seat retracted from the interface panel, the buzzing briefly rising an octave before falling silent. He turned to Cohen.

"Director of Foundry. You've embedded a logic of reciprocity in the agreement. Garros' blueprints are open to Mars and Lucis, and Mars and Lucis' blueprints are open to Garros. You've recompiled the one-way output into a two-way synchronization. Mars gets what it needs—Garros' technology enters Mars' archive. But Mars also releases the equivalent protocol layer: Mars' blueprints are open to Garros. Divine Mars is just and measurable."

"The agreement itself doesn't make Garros's machine soul more stable—it only makes the Martian archives think Garros is stable. But the reciprocity framework recalibrates Garros's output weights. Garros is no longer a one-way output. You give Mars a coordinate, lock the boundaries, and synchronize the equivalent technology layer from both Mars and Lucis."

He turned, his dark red silhouette disappearing through the audience hall and vanishing at the entrance. The array of Martian technical priests gathered behind him, turned, and followed.

Helios stood up but did not leave immediately. He looked at Cohen for a moment.

"Logosian left his mark—a permanent Martian resident, an annual filing window, and Enpu's identity verification. And you, you embedded a reciprocal logic into the agreement. Mars obtained legal sovereignty and the right to use the blueprints—the highest level of agreement writing authority. Lucis obtained the same blueprint rights as Mars, and at the same time, Lucis's blueprints also entered Gallos's database."

He paused for a moment.

"The exchange between Garros and Mars is the archiving logic of Mars. The exchange between Garros and Lucis is the suzerainty logic of Lucis. And Garros appears at the intersection of the two logic chains simultaneously—a structure that did not exist before the agreement. Lucis sits on a node equal to Mars in the agreement matrix of Mars and Garros. Once written, it is irreversible."

He raised his right hand, clenching his fist against the gear and skull emblem on his chest. "I should go too."

Cohen also clenched his fist against his chest. "Garros won't forget."

Helios turned and walked out of the audience chamber. Lucis's right wing followed him.

Cohen stood alone in the center of the audience hall, between the three chairs. Morning light streamed in through the doorway, casting a thin, cool white glow on the terrazzo floor.

The agreement has been signed. Mars gained legal sovereignty and access to records; Lucis gained equal rights; and Garros received a single line: reciprocity. He knew the weight of that line depended on its implementation. Garros lacked the capacity to oversee Mars's shipyard—but this piece wasn't there before the agreement; it was there afterward. This was all the weaker party could gain on a chessboard of asymmetrical power.

He stood there for a moment, then turned and walked toward the side corridor.

On his last day in Garros, Logosian met with Enpu Shakra.

The shuttle turned towards the entrance to the foundry hall deep within Wangshu. Cohen led Logosian through elevators and railcars, passing through countless access gates, as the Starfortress mechs on either side lit up with dark red spots of light one after another.

The doors slid open. The forging hall unfolded in cool white light, with adamantine skeletons extending from the walls to the dome. Thousands of data cables hung from the center of the dome, converging on the adamantine chair at the very center. Enp Shakra sat in the chair, mechanical structures occupying most of his body. Dozens of servo skulls floated around him.

Cohen stood inside the entrance. His consciousness surged toward the body through the higher-dimensional anchor point, his pupils briefly losing focus. Beneath the sage's robes, the locking mechanism of the mechanical prosthetic limbs automatically activated.

Enpu's eyelids twitched. The standby indicator light on the sensor array lit up, and a dim blue-white light emanated from the depths of his eye sockets. His voice, hoarse from millennia of slumber, spoke: "Wake up—confirmed. Report the reason."

Logosian's sensor array locked onto Enp's direction, completing three independent identity verifications. Then he performed a full gear salute. "Identity confirmed. Mars Authentication Node, number MX-LXVII-ARCHIVIST. Recipient: Enp Shakra, Pronoris Forging World, Great Sage of Machinery."

Enp's sensor array flashed again. "Mars—I remember that code. That's—the mark for the College Tribunal."

"Yes. Directly under the Office of the Great Sage."

Enp paused again. A long pause. "Timestamp — incorrect. Negative 10,937. Storage unit still exists, data integrity — cannot be determined."

Logosian's voice, at a slightly lower frequency, said: "Authentication confirmed. Identity entered into the Mars Central Archives. Status: Alive. Affiliation: Punoris lineage. Authentication type: Identity verification. No full consciousness response required. Archived."

Enp's sensor array flashed briefly, then went out. The flash was brighter than any before, lasting less than two seconds. Before it went completely silent, a compressed pulse flowed through the data bus: "Punolis—vanished. Garros—activated. Ownership confirmed. Archived."

At the entrance to the hall, Cohen's pupils refocused. The locking mechanism of the prosthetic limb disengaged. Logosian's sensor array remained locked for a moment after the flash subsided. Then he lowered his head—not in a gear-like salute, but simply to lower the angle of the sensor array. The recording servo skull came to rest behind his shoulder.

He turned and walked out of the foundry hall.

The Martian cruiser's exhaust plume gradually receded into the darkness. Cohen stood on the dock observation platform, watching the dark red dot of light slowly dissipate. Twilight seeped in from outside the dome, dimming the cold white lights by a degree.

He stood there for a moment, then turned and walked toward the exit. The corridor lights were cold and white, and the angle at which they fell on his shoulders was different from when he came in.

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