Within the illusion crafted by Mimicry, all the imagery of Talon's Twelfth Star System was vividly displayed.
Qin Mo stood within this surreal realm, observing alongside Mimicry, whose form shifted incessantly. Leviathan, this grand creation, still filled Qin Mo with pride. Like the Hyperdimensional Sky and Dimensional Transmission technologies, it was indeed a masterpiece. Perhaps not flawless, but a masterpiece nonetheless.
"Why don't you simply deploy some agents to eradicate the plague from the planet entirely?" Mimicry asked with curiosity.
"Because this is an experiment," Qin Mo replied, then elaborated on the reasoning to Mimicry. In short, Leviathan, developed within two months during Talon's expansion phase, was not solely intended for plague eradication. It wasn't packed with medicines because it was meant to be tested—could it use the resources of a target planet to eliminate all adversaries?
Mimicry, now taking the form of a stone, swayed in acknowledgment. "I see. Truly the work of a craftsman—you've transformed this star system, once occupied by upright apes, into one of such strength and advancement in just a year and a half."
Qin Mo laughed heartily at the praise from a fellow star god, but his expression soon turned serious as he gazed at Mimicry. "Where have you been lately?" he asked. Mimicry had been absent for some time. Though they had initially agreed to collaborate with Mimicry supplying intelligence, it often vanished for periods.
"If not for your disappearances," Qin Mo continued, "we wouldn't need to send out fleets for scouting. We could have directed you to survey every system in Talon's sector, waited for the Tribunal's departure, and directly moved to plague-ridden systems to eradicate the pestilence."
"You know my mind is fragmented, my memories incomplete," Mimicry replied, now assuming the form of a warship. "Memories, to other C'tan, are merely glimpses of the past. To me, they are tangible realities. I sometimes cannot discern if I am in the past or the present."
Qin Mo pondered and then said, "From now on, give me regular reports, whether you are in a memory or otherwise." Initially, Mimicry thought this a sign of Qin Mo's concern, but upon reflection, noted the command in Qin Mo's tone and grew indignant. "You control every life within the Talon System, oversee each subordinate, and now you seek to control me, a star god? Aren't you a bit overbearing?"
"I'd rather not," Qin Mo replied calmly. "But given our alliance, I'd prefer to bring you back to reality should you lose yourself. Besides, you wouldn't want to be lost in some uncertain memory, would you?" As he spoke, electricity gathered at Qin Mo's fingertips. The instant the current formed, Mimicry's illusion flickered, unable to stabilize, as it oscillated between Qin Mo's original surroundings and the illusion.
"My physical form isn't here, but it would work. If I become lost again, give me a jolt." Mimicry agreed, swaying in what resembled a nod.
"Will you report to me regularly, then?" Qin Mo asked.
"Yes, I'll remember," Mimicry affirmed.
Qin Mo nodded, acknowledging that while he indeed had a strong desire for control, he wasn't aiming to control Mimicry but rather to safeguard it. Should the Death Dynasty someday decide to trade Mimicry for gains or should it be discovered and devoured by other scattered star god fragments, things could go awry.
"The plagues," Mimicry now took the shape of a woman, eyes fixated on the Twelfth Star System. "Why do they rage around Talon, yet not within it?"
The illusion shifted to the Talon System, narrowing to planetary level. Mimicry swiftly scanned Talon's three worlds, confirming the absence of any plague.
"No need to search further—it's true," Qin Mo confirmed. Talon's system held no infections; if it had, the central intelligence would have eradicated it immediately.
"Is it possible that the plagues are spread by passing vessels?" Mimicry suggested, manipulating the illusion. The display transitioned to a reverse sequence, as if rewinding through time, capturing the Twelfth System's recent events.
Qin Mo considered Mimicry's method akin to the trace-reversal technique he once used atop the Talon Spire.
Thus, they rapidly rewound until millions of years in the past, when the worlds within the Twelfth System remained primitive. Only the Talon Fleet and the Empire's Grand Expeditionary Fleet had traversed this region, as well as the first colonial fleet arriving tens of thousands of years prior.
"I was mistaken," Mimicry admitted, shrugging in resignation.
"Nurgle's Plague might not necessarily require a carrier. It could simply emerge within the cosmos itself," Qin Mo suggested.
"Then why hasn't Talon's System been affected?"
"Perhaps because…" Qin Mo pondered further, contemplating whether his growing star god influence could be creating a barrier against warp effects. For instance, when warp engines are used, one must venture to the Mandrake Point, keeping as far from stars and planets as possible to avoid severe consequences.
Star gods, too, could act like celestial bodies, shielding from massive warp effects. Thus, there was no plague, whereas outside Talon lay the Mandrake Point, allowing Faithless Plague to spread beyond Talon.
Qin Mo shared his thoughts with Mimicry, then asked, "Shouldn't you know more about such matters than I?"
"My memories were shattered long ago. I don't even know what this 'Mandrake Point' of yours is," Mimicry replied, shaking its head.
"No matter," Qin Mo said, casting his gaze over the illusion. "Show me the state of each star system within the Talon Sector."
"The Talon Sector? You've even named this sector already?" Mimicry remarked, displaying each system's details for Qin Mo's strategic inspection. The Talon Fleet had cleansed or was cleansing the entire sector with remarkable efficiency; in three days, they'd eradicate the Faithless Plague across the sector, allowing a brief respite.
Qin Mo resolved to document every world within the sector and extend Talon's methods of governance to them. Those who resisted, including governors, would be purged by the military as thoroughly as any plague. Order would spread to every corner of the Talon Sector.
Oblivious to Qin Mo's intentions, Mimicry showed every star system's status, granting Qin Mo a macro perspective. Moments later, at the sector's edge in the Seventeenth System, strange violet fissures materialized, and twelve warships emerged from the warp into the material universe.
"Are they enemies?" Mimicry inquired.
Qin Mo's gaze sharpened upon the unexpected fleet, whose vessels resembled the Empire's Lunar-class cruisers and Storm-class frigates, though twisted and grotesque. Their metal hulls were laden with flesh, the surfaces bearing writhing green tendrils, grotesque eyes, fanged mouths, and other organic features.
"We only need to watch. Leave the rest to the fleet," Qin Mo instructed.