Qin Mo and Cawl walked through the corridors of the fortress, heading toward the testing grounds where the cooling technology was stored.
Cawl's massive frame nearly filled the hallway, but thanks to the spacious design of the fortress, he could still observe the interior. Along the way, they passed a prison cell, which held a female Genestealer. From her tattered attire, it was evident that she held a significant position within her kind.
"A rebel bishop. She's of no use anymore, but I keep her as a trophy, part of my collection," Qin Mo said casually.
Cawl made no comment and silently followed Qin Mo to the entrance of the testing grounds.
While Qin Mo easily entered, Cawl had to retract his many limbs and protrusions, squeezing his bulky form through the entrance.
"The facilities here are far inferior to those on my *King of Explorers*," Cawl grumbled after forcing his way in, glancing around at his surroundings.
In the center of the testing ground stood a machine resembling an Astartes Dreadnought—its design and structure familiar, though cruder and less refined.
"This is a weapon I designed for a dying operator, but it's a failed prototype, long discarded," Qin Mo explained as he approached the machine, his hands moving swiftly across the controls.
"It's equipped with powerful weapons, but I neglected the operator's experience and safety during its design."
"I'm about to simulate a scenario where it overheats after prolonged combat."
Cawl frowned slightly, sensing an uncomfortable similarity between Qin Mo's design and his own Dreadnoughts—not in appearance, but in its inherent flaws.
Once the simulation was set, the interior of the Dreadnought began to overheat, its occupant—a dummy—quickly consumed by flames.
"My solution is simple," Qin Mo said, picking up a tool resembling a flamethrower connected to a backpack. He approached the Dreadnought and commanded, "Print cooling device."
Material from the backpack was drawn into the tool, and a portion of the Dreadnought's armor was disassembled. Qin Mo proceeded to embed what appeared to be electronic veins into its inner structure. Once integrated, the armor was reprinted, and a small box was affixed to the Dreadnought's back.
"Let's run the simulation again," Qin Mo said, returning to the controls.
This time, the Dreadnought didn't overheat. While there was no visible change, Cawl's sharp eyes detected the rising surface temperature, yet it remained in perfect balance.
"The heat is collected, and you can redirect it to power energy weapons, funnel it into the engine, or even attach a heating system—handy for polar worlds," Qin Mo explained.
Cawl watched intently, staring at the cooling device for a long moment before asking, "How is this even possible?"
Cawl himself had designed a variant called the *Redeemer Dreadnought*, which shared the same fatal flaw of overheating during extended combat, often leading to the death of its operator, even though they were far from whole to begin with.
He had contemplated similar cooling systems before, but the challenge lay in how to collect and transfer the heat, and miniaturizing such systems was nearly impossible.
Approaching the Dreadnought, Cawl inspected the cooling mechanism closely. His analysis revealed that the key wasn't miniaturization but a unique, unknown metal that had been used.
"This metal is incredibly sensitive to heat—it absorbs and stores it, even blocking its transfer," he murmured.
"This is a modified alloy derived from adamantium," Qin Mo said, moving to a corner of the room to retrieve a small, box-like STC labeled "Cooling." "With this STC, you can print cooling systems onto a wide array of objects."
"What material are you using?" Cawl asked.
"Heat-absorbing metal. It's one of the industries here in the Talon System. Considering you're my only client in the Imperium, I can grant you a streamlined purchasing privilege, free of bureaucratic red tape," Qin Mo said with a grin.
Cawl's curiosity deepened. He wanted to know more about how this heat-absorbing metal was made, but after some thought, he realized that asking would be futile. All he could hope for was that Qin Mo wouldn't demand an exorbitant price for the raw materials.
"Ten thousand thrones per ton. But thrones aren't acceptable currency—you'll need to pay in populations or other common trade goods," Qin Mo declared, spreading his hands.
In reality, the price was already exorbitant, as the so-called heat-absorbing metal could be made from stone or any atomic structure. The real cost was time, since only Qin Mo had the ability to harness the power of the C'tan to create the material. Unlike typical shipbuilding alloys that could be mass-produced with labor and equipment, the cooling metal required Qin Mo's unique touch. That said, he could easily create a sphere of the stuff a hundred kilometers in diameter with his current abilities.
The reason Qin Mo was willing to trade with Cawl wasn't purely transactional—it was a form of charity. Unlike giving Vic the STC, this exchange required some return.
Cawl, not bothering to haggle, nodded in agreement. "Deal."
"Then it's settled." Qin Mo placed the STC on one of Cawl's appendages, waving his hand to dissolve the failed Dreadnought prototype into a pile of scrap.
It suddenly dawned on Cawl that, given the technological prowess of the Talon System, creating a fully functional Dreadnought would be no problem for them. What he had witnessed might merely have been a demonstration unit.
"This technology is invaluable," Cawl remarked. "I will honor my promise and sever my ties with Vic, ensuring he has a promising future within the Mechanicus."
With that, Cawl stowed the STC inside his chassis and lumbered out of the room.
As he walked through the fortress halls, his mind buzzed with unanswered questions. The STC for the cooling system—it had to have been created by Qin Mo. How had he made an STC template? Could there be an STC that could fabricate other STCs? The thought was both troubling and fascinating.
But Cawl chose not to pursue the mystery further. The cooling technology he had acquired today would solve many of his current problems.
As Cawl pondered these thoughts, a stream of code appeared in his electronic eye, a message composed of zeros and ones that he could instantly decode.
"Host has arrived at the capital." The sender was Vic.
Upon seeing the message, Cawl made a firm decision. If Host issued an extermination order or resolved to purge the Talon System, he would make sure to extract Qin Mo at the first opportunity.
At the very least, Qin Mo would have a safe haven aboard the *King of Explorers*.