Imperium's one-week limited-time mission soon came to an end.
Based on this, Dukel selected 10,000 reserve members from the Second Legion through the Heart Network and converted the limited-time mission into a long-term one.
In the upcoming expedition wars, the top 100 Heart Network members earning points each time will be automatically selected as reserve members of the Second Legion.
As a reserve member, to become a true member of the Second Legion and Dukel's descendant, one must undergo the fusion of gene-seeds.
However, the gene-seed of the second original body has significant flaws.
The Grand Magus of the Mechanicus still possessed a batch of gene-seeds from the Second Legion. When he attempted to use them, he was stopped by Guilliman, who feared the defects in them.
Lian Kaul holds the seed of the Second Legion, and Gris, who has been by his side for thousands of years, should also possess it.
By now, Dukel had a rough understanding of what the flaw was.
He sat at his desk, working out on scratch paper how to resolve the genetic seed defect.
Efilar and the Grand Sage entered the Primarch's office together. The Grand Sister was holding a thick list of names.
"Your Highness Dukel, this is the file you requested." The elder sister placed the file on the desk, looking as if she wanted to say something but hesitated. Finally, she couldn't help but speak.
"Let me add one more thing. These people have not undergone rigorous special training and belong to different chapters. Their loyalty cannot be guaranteed, I'm afraid."
"I'm afraid it's difficult to proceed, right?" Dukel smiled and took over the file.
"Don't worry. These people have all gone through my special training and are guaranteed to be competent."
"Ah? But... when?"
Efilar looked at the Primarch in disbelief. As one of the high-ranking human beings who often interacted with the Primarch, she knew the character of this prince well. Since his resurrection, this prince had spent most of the year in deep thought in his room, and his excursions could be counted on two hands. How could he have trained so many people?
"There is no need to doubt, Efilar. Be firm in your faith. The future will have its own answers."
Dukel seemed to sense her confusion and spoke in a gentle tone.
Both Efilar and Gris have firm faith in the Human Empire, but because they hold high-ranking positions and require a certain degree of autonomy, they have not yet been invited into the Heart Network.
"All right."
Efilar nodded, bowed to Dukel, and left the room.
After she departed, the Primarch's attention turned to the Great Sage Gris.
"Your Highness, what is your request for me to come here?"
Gris's artificial eyes flashed red, constantly analyzing Dukel's expression to ensure that no information was missed.
"Gris, I need your help." Dukel spoke without hesitation. "For ten thousand years, you have been trying to awaken me from my loss of control. That is why you should be very clear that there is no possibility of my recovery, right?"
"This..." Gris stood in place, unsure how to respond.
This was a secret he had hidden deep in his heart, one he had refused to think about, but now it was brought to light by the Primarch without mercy.
Gris was to Number Two what Kaul was to Number Thirteen.
No one understood the Primarch better than they did.
Gris knew the flaws of No. 2. In his mind, the Primarch was like a wheel that moved forward relentlessly. He was always advancing, which made him so powerful.
But once he went down the wrong path, there was no force that could bring him back.
Yet, the wheel had returned without warning, and now it was running smoothly on the right track.
It had been a year since the original body was revived, and so far, Gris had found no hidden dangers that could cause it to go out of control again.
It was all so unbelievable.
It was as if this wheel that had always moved forward had never veered off course.
Even the Great Mechanical Sage, with his intense thirst for knowledge, dared not probe the mystery further and ultimately attributed it to the power of the Emperor.
"This is all the blessing of the Divine Emperor, Your Highness."
"You are wrong, Gris." Dukel shook his head slightly. "Unfortunately, this time it is not the Emperor's blessing."
"It's that I found a way to fix the flaws myself."
As he spoke, Dukel stood up, pointed to his forehead, and established a mind-network connection with Gris.
"Don't resist, Gris. The truth you want to know is right here."
These words ignited the Great Sage's desire for knowledge. Gris opened his heart without any defenses.
Next,
"Bite!"
After a pleasant tone, a translucent panel appeared before his eyes.
"This is..." Gris looked at the Primarch in surprise. After seeing the other's nod, he made a choice.
His consciousness was then transported to a vast, dark space, where countless words flashed before his eyes like rapid fire.
"The incredible is neither psychic power nor technology."
"Your Highness, what is this?"
After going through a highly mechanized process, Gris couldn't help but feel a rush of excitement.
"The mind network is an ability I developed based on my own characteristics," Dukel explained. "It is also the mind network that helps me resist the emotional impact that comes with absorbing faith, so I am free from the risk of losing control."
As he spoke, Dukel directly poured a large amount of information into Gris's brain through the mind network.
After interpreting this information, Gris's heart was filled with great shock.
"Your Highness, your wisdom is so profound and awe-inspiring."
Dukel waved his hand in disapproval of the Great Sage's praise.
"You have the gene-seed of the Second Legion in your possession, right?"
"Absorb this knowledge quickly, and then transform the gene-seed into an organ similar to the heart network port and subset. This way, I can retain my psychic characteristics without losing control due to genetic defects."
"I will name it: Psychic Engine. By then, the Second Legion will be officially established."
"The expedition is about to begin. You can only complete these studies on the 'Fire of the Soul.'"
"Go ahead. I want to see results as soon as possible."
Dukel ordered.
"As you wish."
After Gris bowed, he hurriedly left the office. As a great sage with an insatiable thirst for knowledge, he couldn't wait to start his research.
In the following days, Dukel was busy preparing for the great expedition.
When all preparations were nearly completed, an astropath reported to Dukel:
— In the subspace, a fragment of information had been obtained.
After analyzing the chaotic and noisy signals, it appeared to be a distress signal.
The origin of the information came from a lost world located inside the Nanlis galaxy on the edge of the Storm Star Region.
After hearing the news, Dukel showed a strange look.
Oh my God! I just received a distress message when I was about to go on an expedition.
The vibrations in the subspace were becoming increasingly intense, making it extremely difficult for ordinary psychics to transmit information. Subspace storms frequently disrupted messages.
In this case, the message had been delivered to him at such a precise time.
It could either be a pure coincidence... or a provocation from the Chaos forces.
Either way, Dukel was determined to find out for himself.
"This group of Chaos Demons really seems to regard me as prey."
A bloodthirsty smile curled on Dukel's lips.