"Always remain humble; never let power or knowledge cloud your judgment."
As Qin Mo turned to immerse himself in his research, Vanessa suddenly spoke.
Qin Mo's figure trembled slightly before he slowly turned his head, fixing his gaze on Vanessa's eyes. "What did you just say?"
"Always remain humble; never let power or knowledge cloud your judgment," Vanessa calmly repeated, unfazed.
If anyone else had said this, even Gray, Qin Mo would have accepted it without a second thought, as the statement itself held wisdom. But coming from a psyker, it left a bitter taste in his mouth.
"Do you think I'm in a good mood right now?" Qin Mo pointed to his head. "My mind is filled with disgust and hatred. I can't coexist with a psyker."
Qin Mo understood all too well that his intense loathing toward psykers and the Warp stemmed from the influence of the Star Gods' power within him. Though not all Star Gods shared such deep-seated hatred for the Warp, the differences between the Star Gods themselves were greater than those between gods and men, and it wasn't uncommon for some Star Gods to despise the Warp with such fervor.
"You despise the Warp and psykers? Then shouldn't you study psykers, delve deeper, and develop weapons to counter their abilities?" Vanessa walked past each piece of equipment, her tone matter-of-fact. "All these tools, these marvels of material science—within your hands, the physics of the material universe are but toys. But in terms of psychic abilities, you have no talent. You can't even sense the Warp, while I, on the other hand, am different."
Hearing this, Qin Mo paused in thought, ultimately suppressing his revulsion. "Tell me what you know."
Vanessa nodded immediately and began to explain everything she knew, starting from what the Warp was, to how psykers harness their abilities to manipulate reality, transforming psychic energy into tools of offense or reconnaissance.
In her teaching, Vanessa treated Qin Mo as a complete novice in matters of the Warp. She even delved into forbidden knowledge, discussing the Chaos Gods and their domains.
Qin Mo listened in silence, filtering through the information in his mind, discarding what he already knew and carefully storing what was unfamiliar.
The lesson spanned an entire Terran day. Fortunately, Qin Mo's intellect was sharp enough; otherwise, Vanessa would have had to break down the knowledge in painstaking detail, consuming far more time.
"A psyker's power doesn't originate from themselves but from the Warp. If I were to describe the process of using psychic abilities in one word, it would be extraction."
"Does this spark any ideas?"
After finishing, Vanessa looked at Qin Mo expectantly, awaiting his questions or any insights he might have gained.
"Psykers exist in the material universe. If I can find a way to sever their connection to the Warp before they can draw on psychic energy, I might be able to neutralize their abilities," Qin Mo mused aloud, eyes closed as inspiration flooded his mind.
Without listening further, he immediately turned to record his thoughts on paper.
Vanessa, nodding in approval, then shifted to a new subject. "By the way, are you planning to spend your entire life here in the Taron System? Imperial warships use Warp drives to travel. If you ever step into the Warp, wouldn't you go mad?"
"Why should I rely on a Warp drive?" Qin Mo looked up at her.
"What else would you use? The Webway? Don't be ridiculous. The inertia-less drive? Sure, you might be able to build it, but could you use it? You're not made entirely of metal," Vanessa retorted.
"I have a better idea, but I need time to study and develop it. In my vision, I will use a method far faster and more direct for interstellar travel."
"Oh..." Vanessa raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Care to share a hint, considering I've just taught you all this psychic knowledge?"
"No."
"You haven't thought of anything, have you? You're just bluffing. In the end, you'll still need a Warp drive," she teased.
"Yes, you're absolutely right."
"..."
Vanessa, exasperated, decided to press no further, but she left Qin Mo with a warning. "You're fortunate. The rebellion has helped you sift through your subordinates. Nearly all your guards are trustworthy, except for Grot."
At this, Qin Mo stopped writing and turned to her.
"He revels in battle too much," Vanessa said. "You can take this as an attempt to sow discord, but I'm merely telling the truth."
Qin Mo was silent for a moment, then nodded in acknowledgment. "You're right."
As Vanessa considered elaborating on the dangers of such bloodlust, Qin Mo pointed to the door. "Return to your cell."
"Understood." Vanessa nodded and left the underground chamber.
Outside, the guards promptly secured her in an array of psychic dampeners, layer upon layer, until she was clad in restraints resembling armor, and then escorted her back to her cell.
...
Once Vanessa—the source of his disgust—was gone, Qin Mo fully immersed himself in his research.
His mind worked in two directions: one half focused on developing anti-psychic technologies, while the other pondered the matter of Grot. Though the possibility of Vanessa's manipulation couldn't be discounted, her observation was accurate.
Grot took too much pleasure in combat.
He favored the grav-hammer over more destructive shoulder cannons or the shotgun lasers that could annihilate hordes of enemies in an instant. The grav-hammer was meant to be a last-resort self-defense weapon, akin to a dagger—rarely used but indispensable. Yet Grot relished using it, not to create craters on the battlefield, but to crush his enemies into pulp.
If this tendency was left unchecked, a grim possibility loomed—Grot could draw the attention of Khorne, one of the Chaos Gods.
"Guards, summon Grot back," Qin Mo called out to the door, but after waiting for some time, no one entered.
Sensing something amiss, Qin Mo hurried out, only to find his guards sprawled across the hallway, snoring loudly.
He rushed to Vanessa's cell.
Inside the cell, someone remained, but it wasn't Vanessa. Instead, it was the rebel bishop who had fled the battlefield. Her body was grotesquely swollen, yet somehow her vital signs persisted. She was still alive, her eyes even moving to lock onto Qin Mo with a look of bewilderment. She had no idea why she was there.
Vanessa must have brought her here, Qin Mo realized.
In less than half an hour after leaving the chamber, Vanessa had managed to escape and deliver the bishop to the cell. Her psychic power was evidently immense.
Fortunately, for now, no matter how strong Vanessa's psychic abilities were, she wasn't an enemy—at least not yet.