With the technological support of the Adeptus Mechanicus, the development of the King's Court district would be greatly enhanced.
Of course, this nominal Adeptus Mechanicus branch on Urth must be entirely loyal to Eden.
With Moss, an absolutely loyal machine being, as the leader, loyalty shouldn't be an issue.
Kall eagerly welcomed Eden and Moss into the room. As they sat down, a drone made from a human skull floated over, carrying cups.
The skull was packed with mechanical components, its surface coated with oil, and its multiple mechanical arms gleamed, freshly polished.
It offered each person a cup, then extended a pipe from its mouth. With a hiss, it filled each cup with a thick, oily liquid—some kind of tea.
Everyone had a cup.
Kall enthusiastically invited them:
"Governor, Sage, please try it. This is a special mechanical fuel drink passed down by my Sali family. It's said to be a recipe gifted by a Tech-Sage. Quite delicious, and very helpful in communing with the machine spirit."
Saying this, he gulped it down, clearly enjoying himself.
Eden stared at the tea, unwilling to drink it.
Isn't this just engine oil?
Those tech-priests not only heavily modified their bodies but even replaced their blood with special substances to prolong their lives.
Who knows what strange things they would drink?
Then, to his astonishment, Eden watched as Moss calmly raised his cup and drank the beverage.
After drinking, Moss seemed to feel invigorated and nodded, praising:
"Not bad. Praise the Omnissiah!"
Eden: ???
You can even drink?
Seeing Moss finish his drink, the skull drone floated over and refilled his cup.
Noticing Moss's curiosity about the drone, Kall proudly introduced it:
"Sage, this is a special modification of mine. Pretty impressive, isn't it?"
As he spoke, he patted the smooth, shiny skull of the drone with pride:
"To be honest, this is my father!"
???
Eden froze for a moment before realizing what Kall meant.
Kall was saying that the skull belonged to his father.
Eden felt a bit unnerved.
Kall sure wasn't treating him like an outsider—having his father personally serve tea.
In truth, Eden knew what this skull drone was: a servitor skull.
In simple terms, servitor skulls were general-purpose drones in the Imperium, used by many organizations, including the Adeptus Mechanicus, who particularly favored them.
Servitor skulls had various functions, such as battlefield communication, ammunition resupply, and serving as mechanical assistants.
Especially among the powerful tech-priests of the Adeptus Mechanicus, it was common to modify and enhance servitor skulls.
Some were even equipped with powerful weapons and shield generators.
It was much like how wealthy people in Eden's old world loved customizing sports cars—an expression of both power and technical skill.
Moreover, the human skull symbolized purity in the Imperium, so human skulls were often used to create servitor skulls.
However, not just anyone's skull could be used—only the most loyal servants of the Emperor were worthy of offering their skulls as materials.
Thus, within the Imperium, especially in the Adeptus Mechanicus, having one's skull made into a servitor skull after death was seen as a great honor.
This was why Kall proudly introduced his father's servitor skull.
Of course, there was another layer to this—Kall was shameless.
According to the information Eden had, Kall's father had fervently wished for his skull to be made into a servitor skull before his death.
But due to his less-than-stellar record, it was a mercy that he wasn't put on trial. He was far from qualified to be used as a servitor skull.
Yet it seemed Kall had secretly fulfilled his father's wish by turning his skull into a servitor skull, albeit without proper authorization.
In other words, Kall had forged "fake papers" for his father and was now brazenly showing off in front of Eden, the Governor.
And as far as Eden remembered, Kall's father had similarly turned his grandfather into a servitor skull.
Also unauthorized.
It seemed to be a family tradition of the Sali.
Eden suddenly felt exhausted by the absurdity of it all.
Forget it. After all, he had chosen these people himself. He would just pretend not to know about this.
Later, he would have someone from the Internal Affairs department update Kall's father's records.
However, Eden couldn't shake the feeling that Kall might cause some serious trouble.
But there was no better choice at the moment.
He needed Kall's audacity.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Eden got straight to the point, proposing the idea of funding the reconstruction of the Adeptus Mechanicus branch on Urth.
This proposal was met with enthusiastic approval from both Moss and Kall.
Moss, of course, was just playing his role.
But Kall was genuinely eager to join in rebuilding the Adeptus Mechanicus branch. He could hardly wait.
After all, he was desperate to solidify his counterfeit identity and become a true tech-priest, restoring the glory of his family.
As for his actual skills, well, at least his grandfather had been a Tech-Sage.
Kall, in his mind, had perfectly inherited both his father's and grandfather's mechanical philosophies and had surpassed them.
Of course, to the Adeptus Mechanicus, this only made him more of a heretic.
But that didn't matter. In Eden's view, those who were loyal to the Emperor and even more loyal to him were the pillars of the Imperium!
As for whether the reconstruction of the branch needed official approval from the Adeptus Mechanicus?
Eden dismissed the idea entirely.
Once the branch was established, it would have its own "official" recognition. The internal structure could simply approve itself!
This approach had no problems whatsoever.
Although the Adeptus Mechanicus was nominally united in their worship of the Omnissiah, internally, they were rife with countless sub-sects and conflicting doctrines.
As the saying went, "There are as many beliefs in the Adeptus Mechanicus as there are stars in the sky."
Doctrinal wars like the infamous "Binary Schism" had left them in chaos.
Some powerful Forge Worlds openly defied the orders from Mars, engaging in technological heresy without any hesitation.
So Eden had no need to worry about the Adeptus Mechanicus. With the Great Rift cutting off communications, he had the perfect opportunity to set up his own operation.
As long as it grew strong, everything else would fall into place.
Soon, Eden, Moss, and Kall reached an agreement to rebuild the Adeptus Mechanicus branch on Urth.
Moss would be the branch's chief overseer, with Kall as his assistant.
They would also select appropriate personnel for evaluation, with those passing the tests becoming new members of the branch.
Of course, this selection method was only temporary.
In the future, they planned to use vat-grown individuals, with data-linked knowledge being implanted into them in the fetal stage, allowing them to quickly begin working.
A few days later, the location for the Adeptus Mechanicus branch was finalized—Kall's mechanical factory.
A statue of the great Omnissiah was erected at the entrance to the factory.
The base of the statue was inscribed with the following credo:
"Nothing will stop your pursuit of knowledge.
No one will hinder your quest for sacred technology.
None shall prevent you from standing beneath the Machine God!"
On the day of the official inauguration, Eden led the officials of the King's Court district to witness the founding of the Adeptus Mechanicus branch.
The ceremony took place in front of the Omnissiah statue at the factory entrance.
Moss pulled the lever, igniting the flames within the factory, starting the engines.
And then, the hymn echoed:
"Ring the great bell once! Pull the lever, start the pistons and the pumps...
Ring the great bell twice! Press the button, fire the engines, ignite the turbines, and breathe life into them...
Ring the great bell thrice! Sing in unison, and praise the Omnissiah!"
As the enormous gears of the factory began to turn, and the roar of steam filled the air...
The Adeptus Mechanicus of Urth was officially established!
(End of Chapter)
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