The Astartes Family's Notebook

"I have no intention of mocking you, but with your experience, you should know what the situation is like inside the Cult of Mechanics. In fact, I don't have many choices left, so even knowing the risks, I am still willing to trust you."

How much are you prepared to give?

"Battleships are really no good. Their combat effectiveness isn't much higher than that of battlecruisers, but their status is extremely sensitive, and it's very troublesome to try to balance things out."

"..."

For the first time, Kaz had the illusion that he was a country bumpkin. Hearing this, it seemed that this old cyber devil was a corrupt official who had infiltrated the Empire deeply and was very experienced.

"On a side note, do you mechanical engineering students really dislike producing large ships?"

"That's a digression. The larger the project, the greater the profit for our Mechanical Cult. Mars is eager to restart the production project of the Glory Queen-class battleship, but the Imperial Military Affairs Department is blocking it."

Kaz had only intended to use the topic as an excuse to make a sarcastic remark, but the conversation shifted to an area he wasn't familiar with, and his gaze suddenly cleared.

"how do I say this?"

"The navy, from the time of ancient Terra to the present human empire, has always been a preventative war deterrent, a capital-intensive and uncertain investment. Ship production has a long cycle and is highly dependent on technological routes. Once the initial investment is made, continuous investment is required until completion, otherwise, it will be a complete loss. Under such circumstances, how could the Cult of Mechanics refuse to produce large ships? They are cash cows!"

Oh, is that so?

Hmm, it seems that's true.

"So what kind of compensation can you offer me?"

"I'm afraid you wouldn't feel comfortable giving me a ready-made ship directly, so let's use a high-grade general equivalent as payment."

Oh, a face-saving fruit, huh.

How will the payment be made?

"Send the box and the experimental data to Planet Frankis III, and you'll get your payment immediately."

"where?"

"In the Pacific Starfield, near the New Restoration Land, there is the Frankish III, a well-known industrial world. The local Mechanicus's ability to pay is beyond doubt; you can verify this for yourself."

Kars only started laughing after locking the power armor in place.

Dude, was this part of your plan?

After all these years of wandering, it turns out this is where my dream began.

How do I get there?

"Didn't Huangquan No. 8 open a branch base in the Pacific Star Region? First, send this kid to their Forging World's liaison office in the Extreme Star Region. They'll arrange a navigator for you. Then, take subspace travel directly to the Pacific Star Region."

"Aren't you coming with the boat?"

"If I could move, why would I need you to deliver goods?"

By this point in the conversation, Kaz had already formed some guesses about the identity of this cyber ghost.

If it really is Doraemon's alter ego, then everything makes perfect sense.

"Okay, I'll take this order."

Fun fact: Doraemon, who can hang out with the Regent, is also a well-known fan of coconut fillings.

Although Belisarius Caul himself doesn't admit it, his original self has always considered himself a loyalist, but his alter egos have caused just as much trouble.

How should I put it? Even though Kaz is a cloud hammer, there are just too many jokes about Great Sage Kaul. He is an unavoidable figure when entering the Warhammer fandom.

It's true that Doraemon's true form is very mature and composed. As the person in charge of soul fusion technology, he has even turned himself into a Gestalt-thinking soul fusion monster. How could he not be composed?

However, the task he carried was too heavy. He could not complete the heavy responsibility entrusted to him by the Emperor with his physical body alone. Therefore, Master Kaul naturally chose to study the art of external avatars.

As for the personality of Caul's clone...

Bizarre and strange?

Kaur the Changer.

The Great Sage's academic standing within the Cult of Mechanics is unquestionable, but Caul's reputation among tech enthusiasts is notoriously complicated.

You created your own clone, so you have to bear the consequences. Why would you publicly deny that the clone's actions are related to the original?

If this old cyber ghost is truly a clone of Caul, and he doesn't even have a Guardian Army comparable to the Astartes Chapter accompanying him, who knows how many Forgeworlds would choose to ambush him if the information were leaked.

This is the underlying logic of the Warhammer universe: high-level techies are inherently part of the rare and precious resources.

When Kaz first emerged from the Eye of Terror, his thought was to avoid causing trouble for the Warband, so he would first go to Deathwatch to clean up his mess and return to his mother Warband unscathed.

However, the more one longs to shed the title of "Destroyer of Destruction," the more one experiences the extreme tendencies of the subspace.

Now that Kars has finally seen the light, he realizes that the Warband Leader was just someone pushed up by the gang members to take the blame. Lord Saladin, we respect you!

My desire to go home has never been stronger.

Katz took the job.

The arrogance of the "engine oil guy" is hard for outsiders to understand without having truly delved into the inner workings of the Mechanical Institute.

However, according to Choon, the equipment in this secret research facility is indeed high-end, and if you wanted to buy it on the market, the price list might actually be higher than that of a finished Moon-class cruiser.

What does "internal price" mean?

"One frigate, perhaps."

That's quite a lot.

"Be careful when you dismantle it. According to the agreement, these devices are now ours. Don't damage them carelessly."

"clear."

The cyber ghost, suspected to be a great sage, didn't care at all that Astartes was dismantling his research equipment. After personally sealing the research data, that wisp of his soul disappeared.

Who are you now?

"I am who I am."

Do you know what happened?

"I know, my senior is very particular about rules. He even helped me sort out my messy logical thinking. I have never felt so refreshed."

Who asked you that?

"Your Huangquan No. 8 also has a branch base in the Extreme Starfield?"

"Three."

ha?

"Yellow Springs No. 2 in the Storm Starfield, Yellow Springs No. 4 in the Hazy Starfield, Yellow Springs No. 6 in the Peace Starfield, and Nos. 3, 5, and 7 are all in the Extreme Starfield."

Is Huangquan No. 1 still around?

"Huangquan No. 1 did not survive the old night. Now, all the trademarks related to the Huangquan series are in the hands of Huangquan No. 8. If we open another branch base, it will start from No. 11. No. 9 and No. 10 have been sealed off for unknown reasons."

"Since you can tell me, then this isn't classified information from the Forging World, is it?"

"It doesn't belong to outsiders, it's just that they can't access it. Those who have business dealings with Huangquan No. 8 know about these things."

"So what's the next step?"

"I've already contacted the higher-ups. Once your identity verification is approved, Huangquan No. 5 will send someone over. At that time, you can directly report through official channels. You can first go to Huangquan No. 6 to register, and then go to Frankis No. 3 on your own."

The plan sounds perfectly reasonable.

It was only after becoming an Astartes that Katz realized what kind of people the "oil guys" were, and that opening branch bases was the underlying logic code they had etched into their chips.

The exact number of forged worlds the Empire has is unknown, not only to Holy Terra, but even the Martian headquarters may not have reliable statistics.

It's impossible to say how many planets that should have been classified as part of the Forging World were instead registered under the name of the Industrial World by the Machine Oilers to evade their responsibilities.

The Human Empire is a makeshift organization, a fact that Kars often unconsciously overlooks.

In the end, Kars still couldn't succeed with Deathwatch. Instead, the initial alternative, the Mechanicus, inexplicably extended itself to his feet.

"Lord Samar, I haven't caused you any trouble along the way, have I?"

"Not counting."

It's not that there isn't any, but rather that it doesn't count; Katz was polite, courteous, and distant.

"The forging ship has been taken away by the other two guys. I need to have some achievements to show for myself when I get back, otherwise I'll have a hard time."

Haven't you already received guidance from a revered immortal on your path of cyber cultivation?

"So, could you give me that box numbered eight?"

Kaz thought about it, didn't refuse, and nodded in agreement.

"It's fate that we've traveled together. Since fate has brought us together, I'll give it to you."

Katz's straightforwardness surprised the academic spy.

"As expected of Lord Samar, I was narrow-minded."

The prepared rhetoric and the exchange of benefits were completely useless; the academic spy from Huangquan No. 8 bowed deeply.

"I have worked hard, even if I have not made any great contributions. With your help, I believe I will be able to pass through the realm of the Sage without any obstacles. Please feel free to ask if you need my help in the future, and I will grant your request."

This is a very important promise.

Kaz simply nodded without saying anything more. All good things must come to an end; let's all go home.

Compared to the tumultuous events of the previous decades, the journey home was surprisingly uneventful.

The Zerg did not come, and the Vanguard inexplicably fought a battle. It seemed that Kaz had shielded the Tyranid system from disaster. Until the Yellow Springs lineage's oil guy really sent someone to pick up the academic spy and take him home, the entire system was calm and peaceful.

Then, without taking the initiative, admitting, or refusing, the "Blood Ravens" went through the Mechanicus and recruited a navigator. Incidentally, the disguised machine oil guys who were guarding the Yellow Springs No. 8 in the Extreme Starfield formed a transport fleet to the Yellow Springs No. 6 in the Pacific Starfield.

Why not take advantage of free resources? Even though Astartes only has one destroyer, the half-corps of Space Marines inside gives the captains a lot of peace of mind.

Along the way, quite a few space pirates did indeed have malicious intentions. The oil guy's transport fleet was notoriously lucrative, and now that they've all become space pirates, who cares about your business?

But coincidentally, Kaz was just worried about the recruits' lack of training.

Suppressing bandits is good; we can't ignore space pirates.

During this time, they also encountered other Astartes from other loyalist chapters.

"Company commander, something's not right with this group of Astartes who call themselves Blood Ravens. Isn't their leader holding the Dark Angel's power sword? And while the power armor paint is the same color, the design styles are too diverse."

“You’re too young to understand. This is normal for the Blood Ravens.”

"Ah! If that's the case, why didn't you accept their request to board the ship, Company Commander?"

"What the hell? That's a Blood Raven!"

It's hard to say whether Blood Raven's reputation was damaged or Katz's reputation was damaged, but after returning to the Pacific Starfield without any disasters or illnesses, completing the handover procedures at Huangquan VI and refueling the destroyer with promethium fuel, Katz set off for Frankis III.

It's so nice to be back in my hometown.

Unlike the feeling of being lost and confused when looking around with a sword in the Hazy Starfield and the Extreme Starfield, in this Peaceful Starfield, Kaz knew where to go even with his eyes closed.

The Frankish III is home to instructors from the Wasteland Wings Chapter; once you arrive there, you can contact the mother chapter.

With home just a step away, Kaz began to worry about the "Blood Duck Gang".

It remains to be seen whether the more than 140 gene seeds accumulated over the years will be enough to impress the leader of Saladin's warband.

Oh, no, it's more than 130. Those ten gene seeds from the Redemption Angels Legion need to be returned.

However, in the place where nothing should have gone wrong, an accident still happened.

As soon as the destroyer leaped out of Mandeville Point, the system defense fleet reacted immediately.

Um......

Back then, I was just a student in a targeted training program. Apart from the training facilities and the hydroponic tank of the engine oil guy, I didn't really know anything about the star system Kaz where Frankish III was located.

It seems to be developing quite well now.

It's normal for the local star system defense fleet to be on guard when encountering Imperial-style ships with inadequate identification information; there's nothing to worry about.

However, after Kaz revealed his identity, the level of vigilance increased, and he refused to let "Blood Raven" land on the planet's surface, which was going too far.

"I want to see the leader of the Black Knights Chapter."

"The leader of the Black Knights Chapter stated that they have no business dealings with your chapter and that you should contact the company commander if you have any questions."

"I want to see the leader of the Wasteland Wings Chapter."

"The leader of the Wasteland Wings Chapter stated that, in accordance with the principle of unity among brother units, they stand with the Black Knights."

"Where are the guardians of the oath?"