Warhammer, I really didn't intend to form a second empire!

When Kebohar's clone passed through the gangway of the Lishan, its body, cast entirely of alloy, and its movements, which were almost binary, proved that it was a forged general.

Otherwise, a reckless motorist would never allow his behavior to become so dogmatic.

The humanoid silhouette, made of metal and ceramic steel, was covered in a deep red robe, and the joints of its mechanical arms moved almost silently.

Zhao Zheng sat down at the low table in the reception room, watching the metal clone take its seat in the chair opposite him. His gaze lingered on the clone's head for a moment before he spoke.

"The General of Casting has come in person; surely it's not just to deliver these three ships?"

The facial structure of the Kebohar clone gleamed faintly with a metallic sheen under the light.

He did not answer Zhao Zheng's question directly, nor did he begin with the usual religious rituals of the Martian Mechanicus. Instead, he bowed slightly and responded in his metallic voice.

“We have been following your world of casting for some time now. Isaac and Albert have sent some reports back to Mars mentioning your progress in materials science and energy storage technologies.”

"Normally, a legion only has one Glory Queen, but you gave me three. What does that mean?"

"This is just a small gift, nothing more. Consider it a small compensation for the delay in delivering the Glory Queen to the Second Legion."

Zhao Zheng leaned back in his chair, his gaze lingering on the facial structure of the metal clone, without taking the initiative to speak.

Kebohar continued.

"We came here to ask you some questions. Some of your technologies are relatively close to the characteristics of the Dark Ages in Martian records, but they do not completely match the existing records."

"We believe that this is far superior to the technology system we currently possess, so we would like to ask you if you would be willing to establish a closer technical exchange relationship with us."

After listening, Zhao Zheng did not answer immediately; he leaned back in his chair and remained silent.

The fact that Kebohar came to ask for technology shows that the Martians have indeed noticed something beyond their current level, and he roughly knows what these things are.

What technology do you want to discuss?

"Materials science, energy storage media, energy system optimization, bioengineering technology..."

Kebohar's clone rattled off a list of categories in a steady and clear tone.

"We can provide you with Imperial standard-specification expansion plans for the Foundry World, standardized production line blueprints for the Titan Legion, manufacturing methods for the Queen of Glory battleships, and some technical agreements related to the Covenant Era."

Zhao Zheng nodded, reached out and patted the metal clone's shoulder twice, then smiled with satisfaction.

"Pleasant to work with."

After Zhao Zheng agreed to the Mars Mechanical Cult's request for cooperation, the sudden atmosphere of a transaction was quickly replaced by a more pragmatic tone.

Before leaving, Kebohar's clone handed over the technical team and berthing rights of the forging ship on his three Glorious Queens to Kongming, indicating that subsequent communication matters could be handled directly without having to go through the Martian body.

The delivery ceremony for the three Glory Queen-class battleships took place on the fourth day. Zhao Zheng did not hold a special celebration, but simply had Kong Ming arrange a standard commissioning procedure to officially incorporate the three ships into the First Expeditionary Fleet.

The ships, marked with the Qin Dynasty emblem, were moored alongside the Great Wall-class battleships in their orbital berths on the Qiankun Star, their surface armor gleaming with a uniform metallic sheen under the starlight.

The delivery of the Glory Queen was just one part of a technological exchange program between the Martian Mechanicus and the Qin Dynasty.

Kebohar never explicitly stated what he wanted, but left the framework for cooperation on the low table in the meeting room before disappearing into the end of the elevator shaft with his red robe and metallic body.

Zhao Zheng was not entirely at ease with the Mechanical Cult's stance, especially when they presented him with a cooperation list that was almost too precise.

However, he still decided to accept, because the technical exchange itself had practical value, and the cooperation conditions offered by the Mars side did not have any obvious pitfalls.

The seed has been planted, and Zhao Zheng is not in a hurry as to what fruit it will bear. He has plenty of time to wait for it to sprout slowly.

The delivery of the Glory Queen-class battleships only occupied one line of annotation on Zhao Zheng's schedule, but on the third day after those three silver-gray behemoths were docked in the orbit of Qiankun Star, he was already standing in the deepest underground foundry of Chiyang City, with a holographic blueprint slowly unfolding in front of him.

The blueprint was huge, taking up an entire wall.

The diameter of the keel, the thickness curve of the armor layer, the flow direction of the energy conduits...

These reference data are all clearly marked.

This was extracted from the technical exchange materials brought by Kebohar's clone; it was the highest-specification shipbuilding plan that the Martian Mechanicus could provide.

In order to appease Zhao Zheng, they even omitted many details about the prayers, keeping only the most crucial core data.

Zhao Zheng stood in front of the blueprint for a long time, his gaze sweeping from the ram at the bow to the engine nozzle at the stern. He paused several times at locations marked "Energy Core - Reserved Interface," and then noted down those locations one by one on the engineering panel next to him.

The energy interface was fine; living metal and refined gold were hard enough to withstand damage. However, Zhao Zheng had some different ideas about the energy source.

He remembered the gift the emperor had given him after Sanguis' return.

So, can I do it too?

Zhao Zheng suddenly became a little curious about his current ability to control his psychic energy.

If this succeeds, these glorious queens will probably never have to worry about running out of energy again, and could easily use it for tens of thousands of years without any fear of depletion.

Moreover, Kebohar's attitude was a bit off. Although Zhao Zheng couldn't quite put his finger on what was wrong, he always felt that these motor enthusiasts were very cunning.

Although they treat the Qin Dynasty well, as those who know, know that they have no respect for anyone except for Om Messiah.

Even the Primarchs rarely paid any attention to him at this time.

Ultimately, it's because the Mechanicus and the Empire are not subordinate to each other. If you insist on saying there is a subordinate relationship, it's that the Mechanicus is subordinate to the Emperor.

After all, if anyone saw a giant golden guy who landed unharmed after stepping on a meteor shower and could say, "Come on the Great Expedition with me," even if you were the Great Sage of the Mechanicus, you would think he was the mechanical god Ohm Messiah.

Although both sides are well aware of the situation, do you really want to face an enemy that can cause the entire Martian mechanical spirit to tremble? The mechanical spirit might just betray you on the spot and turn its guns on you.

What the hell are you talking about?! If you don't back down and stop being a lackey now, are you just waiting to get fucked?

Thus, the Imperial Double-Headed Eagle came into being. The Empire and the Mechanicus each went their separate ways, with the Empire providing materials and the Mechanicus responsible for logistical and fire support as well as all military funding.

These tech enthusiasts are shrewd and know exactly what's going on. They know that this whole "Om Messiah" nonsense is just a choice made after weighing the pros and cons.

However, for Zhao Zheng, these were all mutually beneficial and good things.

The Glory Queen is the highest-spec battleship currently in service with the Empire. Its firepower, armor, and Void Shield strength far surpass those of the Great Wall class, and its defense and firepower have been elevated to an extremely high level.

If we can use Daqin's special materials to reproduce and upgrade it, it will be a substantial technological leap.

Looking at the keel structure on the blueprint, Zhao Zheng began to estimate the time required to complete it under the existing casting conditions on Qiankun Star, and then added a more compact correction value next to that set of numbers.

"A batch of refined gold and living metals will be transferred from the local foundries on Qiankun Star to prioritize the manufacture of the dragon bones for the new Queen of Glory."

"Adjust the foundry schedule, elevate the construction sequence of the Glory Queen to the highest priority, and maintain the existing pace of the Great Wall and Ironborn production lines."

Zhao Zheng's palm gently traced the edge of the holographic blueprint, then stopped at the reserved interface for the energy core in the middle of the dragon bone, his fingertips lingering for a moment on the fine marking line.

The blueprints sent by Kebohar were a complete design, with its energy core set up as a huge spherical device, a reactor specifically for burning promethium.

If we were to actually stuff a star inside, could these reactors really withstand it?

Zhao Zheng had some doubts about the quality of these reactors. After all, the energy and temperature of a star are terrifying, and even adamantite and living metal probably couldn't withstand it.

Zhao Zheng stood in front of the observation window of the foundry, his gaze passing through the thick, fine-gold glass and landing on the keel of the giant ship that was slowly taking shape below.

That was the first Glory Queen-class battleship built entirely by the Qin Dynasty, and it was larger than any battleship he had ever seen before.

This is the first truly independently built Glory Queen-class battleship of the Great Qin Dynasty, and it will also serve as the standard template for the Great Qin Dynasty's future production of Glory Queen-class battleships.

Because this Glory Queen was built according to Zhao Zheng's own ideas, it is a ship that belongs exclusively to him.

As for the marshals at the front, they have already sent back the blueprints for the Glory Queen, which are unique to their own fleet style. At that time, Great Qin will open three more production lines to produce three Glory Queens per cycle.

……

Construction has been underway for nearly six months.

From laying the keel to assembling the frame, and then to welding the outer armor plates section by section, every step was carried out in accordance with the standard specifications provided by Kebohar. In addition, more weapon arrays were installed, and Zhao Zheng's own preferred style was incorporated.

It involved a complete replacement of the materials.

The armor alloys that the Martian Mechanics originally designated as "standard configuration" were directly replaced with composite plates of living metal and refined gold in the foundry on Qiankun Star.

The material of the energy conduit has also been upgraded, using a directional crystallization alloy extracted from the ancestral core technology and mixed with spiritual bones.

Even the most basic circuit components have been replaced with micro energy storage units produced by Daqin.

Zhao Zheng's gaze slowly moved along the outline of the ship's keel, from the ram at the bow to the engine nozzle base at the stern, pausing briefly at several key points to confirm that their structure and dimensions were consistent with the markings on the blueprints.

Kongming stood to his side and slightly behind, the data panel in his hand already turned to the latest page of the construction progress. His gaze was also on the keel below, watching the green patterns slowly flowing on the living metal surface, gradually forming a coherent network as the ship's structure was completed.

Zhao Zheng watched for a while, then turned around, looked at Kongming, and asked.

How much longer will it take to complete the Epang Palace?

"Based on the current progress, it will take about four more months. The installation cycle of the outer armor and weapon array is longer than expected, mainly because the laying process of the new energy conduit has higher requirements than the standard specifications, and it needs to be adapted section by section."

Zhao Zheng nodded; the time was shorter than he had expected.

After receiving the blueprints from Kebohar, the shipbuilding technology of the Martian Mechanic Church had been largely absorbed by the Qin engineering team. Coupled with the stable supply of materials, the construction cycle was naturally much faster than expected.

However, the new materials technology needs some time to test its performance to ensure it can withstand the impact of stellar compression injection.

"I will handle the energy core myself."

Zhao Zheng said.

Kongming glanced down at the notes section on the data board and did not raise any objections.

After watching for a while, Zhao Zheng returned to the Lishan and prepared to set off to find a suitable practice target.

After all, although there are many stars, it still takes some effort to perfectly compress a star.

Let's set a goal: before crushing a hundred stars, we can perfectly create a small energy ball!

Chapter 73 Using Stones to Shoot Down the Nightwing Fighter?

On the day the keel of the Epang Palace was joined together in the Qiankun Star orbital dock, Zhao Zheng stood in front of the observation window of the foundry and witnessed the last main beam being sent into its designated position by the hydraulic arm.

The beam was over several hundred meters long and its surface was covered with dark patterns of living metal, which gleamed evenly under the light.

When it precisely engages with the longitudinal bars on both sides of the keel, the entire ship's skeleton finally reveals its complete outline.

The project commander reported confirmation of the keel's closure over the communication channel. His tone was calm, but Zhao Zheng could detect a hint of restrained satisfaction in his voice—the joy of seeing the project under his control nearing completion.

He didn't say much, just told the engineering team to continue with the next phase of work as planned, and then turned and left the observation window.

Construction of the Epang Palace entered a faster phase after the keel was joined.

The laying of armor layers, the installation of weapon arrays, and the deployment of energy conduits were all completed one by one in the Qiankun Star orbital dock, with each step executed according to the specifications marked by Zhao Zheng in the blueprint.

Living metal and refined gold composite plates are welded piece by piece to the surface of the ship to form a uniform dark gray outer shell, while the micro energy storage units manufactured based on the ancestral core technology are embedded in the energy network inside the ship and establish a stable connection with the main energy core.

Zhao Zheng had been closely monitoring the construction progress, and every few days he would go to the orbital dock and stand in front of the observation window for a while, watching the giant ship gradually transform from a skeleton into a complete form.

The joy of watching your own "perfect design" gradually appear before your eyes is something many people dream of their whole lives.

After all, who wouldn't want a Glory Queen battleship that's over 30 kilometers long and exclusively their own?

This is the glorious queen who can conquer the galaxy, making enemies call her father and aliens call her grandfather.

As Zhao Zheng watched the Epang Palace being completed in the dock, he carefully scanned every corner with his psionic energy, as well as the thirteen thick void shield reactors, and nodded in satisfaction.

This is his precious treasure, he absolutely cannot afford to scratch or bump it. If there is even just one scratch, Zhao Zheng feels he will not be able to sleep that night.

When the main structure of the Epang Palace was completed, the Mars Mechanical Religion confirmed the in-depth technical exchange and cooperation.

Kebohar's clone sent a standard-format cooperation agreement via encrypted communication, outlining the technology-sharing schemes between the two parties in the fields of materials science and energy systems.

The agreement was worded conservatively, with no clauses implying that the Martian Mechanical Cult would have to hand over core technologies. It mainly focused on technological areas of mutual interest to both Mars and Qin, which could be exchanged.

However, Kebohar's intention was clear: to exchange Mars' STC for the Qin Dynasty.

After reading the agreement, Zhao Zheng replied with a brief "Agree" on the communication terminal, and then sent the agreement to Kong Ming, asking him to arrange the subsequent specific coordination matters.

At the same time, the four brother legions under the Qin Dynasty also began to make progress in their respective expeditions.

With the fire support of the Imperial Dragon Legion, the Fourth Legion completed a multi-front coordinated offensive against the Forging World of Incaladion.

Fricks's army adopted a different tactical approach in this offensive, strengthening the combination of offensive and positional warfare and reducing casualties in frontal assaults.

The Fourth Legion is particularly adept at using armored forces and Titan mechs.

Odin and Thor led the way, Goliath assisted, Banshee and Thunderhawk conducted aerial reconnaissance and provided air support, and the armored forces advanced all the way.

The battle to recapture Caladion went exceptionally smoothly, leaving those tech-savvy guys who had enhanced themselves with blasphemous biological technology yelling in disbelief.

The battle report recorded key data from this battle.

The heretical oil enthusiasts above were completely wiped out, the industrial facilities on the planet were basically intact, the casualty ratio was extremely low, and the Qin Dynasty gained a complete casting world, which could be put into use with just a few modifications.

At the end of his report, Fricks included a self-report, his tone carrying a hint of barely perceptible satisfaction: "The new tactical system is working well, and the brothers are adapting very well to the new equipment."