Even if Kaul truly beca a Dark chanicus, there was no need to fear betrayal.
Any vessel blessed by Eden found it nearly impossible to betray him.
Even if they were tempted or controlled, he would sense it imdiately, allowing him to withdraw the blessing and strip them of their powers.
Thus, to Eden, blessed vessels were reliable and trustworthy.
The anti-gravity platform landed, extending spider-like chanical legs, scuttling forward with Kaul aboard.
His voice, filtered through a voice modulator, sounded excited.
"My lord governor, the ritual is prepared. We are ready to ignite the Machine Spirit at any ti!"
"Good job,"
Eden praised Kaul, looking approvingly at the nearly 30-ter-tall skull-shaped machine structure.
"All the resources I've given you have been well spent. Now, let's go and light up the Machine Spirit..."
With that, he took a step toward the machine.
However, Kaul stopped him.
"Not that way, my lord. The Machine Spirit core is over here."
Eden had a bad feeling about this.
Following Kaul, they arrived at a smaller chanical structure nearby.
There, he saw a five-ter-wide chanical sphere, connected to a web of cables.
Most of these cables linked to a large chanical conduit stretching into the void.
Kaul spread his arms, proudly introducing the contraption.
"This is the Machine Spirit core, the culmination of the Salii family's wisdom and my greatest invention!"
He pointed to the large conduit.
"Once activated, the Warp energy extractor will draw energy from the void, providing the core with the power it needs to ignite the Machine Spirit..."
Eden raised a brow, pointing outside.
"Then what's that big contraption out there for?"
"Ah, the grand workshop of the great Kaul."
Kaul answered without hesitation, revealing that he had nad the skull-shaped machine structure in his honor.
...
"So all the resources you requested went into building the Machine Spirit core, and nothing was misappropriated?"
Kaul, slightly guilty, still kept his tone firm.
"O-of course not! That workshop is a vital facility for my Machine Spirit Link research!"
He absolutely had misreported.
Eden felt a pang of regret.
That had been half of the resources accumulated over three millennia by the Grant and Hoffman families, squandered on Kaul's vanity project.
But there was nothing he could do.
Blessings could increase loyalty but didn't fully control thoughts or alter personality.
Kaul, feeling Eden's intense gaze, nervously shrank.
"My lord... perhaps we should proceed with igniting the Machine Spirit to avoid missing the auspicious timing..."
"Fine, but if it fails, you'll be eting the Emperor soon."
"It won't fail!"
Kaul brimd with confidence in his invention.
Eden gritted his teeth, trying to convince himself to let it go.
After all, he'd still get value out of Kaul in the future.
With Eden's approval, the ritual to light the Machine Spirit began.
Tech-acolytes lit incense and polished the Machine Spirit core.
It was a lengthy process, and Eden found himself yawning.
But he endured, respecting the rites ant to honor the Machine Spirit.
According to Kaul, the Machine Spirit already resided within the device, simply awaiting awakening.
As the final rites concluded, a deep, resonant chi from the chanized bell startled Eden back to full alertness.
Finally, it was ti to awaken the Machine Spirit.
Kaul busied himself at the control panel while the tech-acolytes chanted hymns, hoping to please the Machine Spirit.
With each line of code and input complete, the Warp energy extractor activated.
The large conduit began pulsing with energy, reaching into the Warp.
Eden could feel the conduit bridging the void.
However, it was not just a random connection to the Warp—that would be too dangerous.
The conduit was set to connect to the channel Eden had established when he created his psychic core.
Simultaneously, Eden's mind delved inward, his consciousness returning to the mini-sun.
In a flash, he found himself in the Warp, manipulating the mini-sun.
The first thing he did upon arriving was to send a psychic ssage to the Emperor.
The ssage's gist was simple:
"Your Majesty, it's , an ally... this thing is mine!"
He knew he needed to notify the Emperor.
It would be rude otherwise, especially since this large conduit was about to intrude into His domain.
As usual, Eden received no reply to his psychic ssage, which he had grown used to.
No response ant it was received and approved.
If disapproved... well, he'd know.
Monts later, ripples appeared in the Warp space not far from the mini-sun.
It had arrived.
The conduit from the Warp energy extractor followed the established channel, settling securely in place.
Once stabilized, Eden directed the mini-sun's energy into the conduit.
The energy flowed into the physical world, providing a constant power source for the Machine Spirit core.
Seeing the conduit running smoothly, Eden couldn't help but marvel.
"Kudos to Tzeentch for this tech—impressive!"
With everything running as expected, Eden's consciousness swiftly returned to the physical world.
He was eager to see if the Machine Spirit core would function as planned.
Upon regaining his vision, he saw the core encased in the radiant golden energy of the mini-sun.
Golden currents crackled around the machinery.
The complex gears of the Machine Spirit core whirred to life, and the transparent cables surrounding it glowed a brilliant yellow.
The tech-acolytes chanted their hymns with renewed vigor, their song reaching a crescendo—
Hum!
Eden felt an awareness beginning to stir.
"Praise the Omnissiah!"
Kaul's chanical arms waved with excitent.
"The Machine Spirit has awakened!"
The Salii family's dream, pursued for nearly a thousand years, had finally been realized; Kaul had created the ultimate Machine Spirit!
In his excitent, he tried to communicate with the Machine Spirit.
"Hello, I am your creator!
Wait... why is the Machine Spirit displeased?"
Kaul was panicked. This was the precious creation of the Salii family; nothing could go wrong.
He scratched his head in desperation, wondering where he'd erred.
Had he forgotten to light incense? Or had he startled the Machine Spirit with his enthusiasm?
Snatching an incense burner from a tech-acolyte, Kaul leaned toward the core, speaking gently.
"Dear Machine Spirit, I am your creator.
Forgive my boldness, please. If there's anything you need, just ask."
But the Machine Spirit ignored him.
Instead, it addressed Eden, warmly and affectionately:
"Father..."
(End of Chapter)
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