Chapter 65 A New Conquest Mission

“This was all the Forefather’s doing. Honestly, I have no idea how he pulled it off,” Sanguinius explained, detailing the exact process of Sanguinis’s creation to the group. He then asked her to summon her rigging, finally convincing everyone that the adorable girl standing in front of them truly was the Gloriana-class battleship, Red Tear.

“How can a Gloriana-class battleship turn into a little girl?” Archmagos Cawl’s optics whirred, completely lost. The Archmagos Dominus felt his entire worldview and baseline understanding of reality being dragged through the dirt and violently stomped on.

He had encountered Abominable Intelligences from the Dark Age of Technology before, and some of them could even shapeshift. But they could only rearrange their mechanical forms! They couldn’t transform into soft, sweet-smelling human girls! And as for Warp corruption? Sure, the Immaterium could mutate and animate a ship, but it always twisted them into horrific, fleshy monstrosities. Sanguinis’s very existence defied both the Omnissiah’s logic and Warp mechanics entirely.

Cawl approached Sanguinis, reaching a mechadendrite out as if trying to touch her cheek.

“What are you trying to do, creepy old man?” Sanguinis immediately hopped backward, putting distance between them.

The moment she moved, her massive ship rigging unfurled behind her. Every single gun battery and macro-cannon leveled directly at the Archmagos. Cawl jumped back in sheer terror. Those were the actual, full-scale cannons of a Gloriana-class battleship. If she opened fire, even an Emperor Titan wouldn’t survive the volley, let alone him.

“I merely wish to analyze your physiological composition and dermal material,” Cawl frantically explained, holding his mechanical hands up in surrender. “Just a simple scan, nothing more! I mean no harm!”

“I’m not letting a creepy old man scan me!” Sanguinis huffed, putting her hands on her hips.

“Just one scan. I beg of you, please let me scan you!” Cawl pleaded, refusing to give up. Standing before such a miraculous creation and not being able to study it? He’d die with his optics wide open in sheer regret.

“No way.” Sanguinis ducked behind Sanguinius for cover.

“I possess precious STC fragments! Miraculous creations from the Dark Age of Technology! If you cooperate and let me perform an examination, you may choose anything you desire!” Cawl gritted his teeth, painfully offering up his most treasured hoards.

“Still no,” Sanguinis firmly rejected.

Just as Cawl was desperately trying to calculate how much more he could offer, a portal materialized next to the group, and Vane stepped through.

“Respected Forefather!” Seeing his chance, Cawl instantly switched targets, rushing over and bowing deeply to Vane. “Respected Forefather, please have mercy on me!”

Vane blinked, utterly confused. “What’s wrong with you?”

“Did someone find out you’ve been illegally messing with the lost Primarchs’ gene-seed again?”

Cawl froze instantly. Even with his back turned to the three Primarchs, he could physically feel their gazes bore into him, suddenly turning incredibly hostile.

“Forefather, that is slander! Pure slander! You mustn’t listen to the vile lies of those shameless scoundrels!” Cawl practically shrieked. “As an Archmagos Dominus, I have always abided by the laws! I strictly adhere to the Treaty of Olympus! I would never partake in illegal or heretical activities!”

Vane just chuckled. “Forget it, I can’t be bothered to expose you right now. Just spit it out, what do you want?”

“Forefather, I simply wish to know how you transformed the Red Tear into Sanguinis,” Cawl practically groveled.

“Oh, just with this Wisdom Cube.” Vane pulled a glowing Wisdom Cube straight out of his inventory.

“This single cube can transform a warship into a human?!” Cawl stared at the Wisdom Cube, his optical lenses dilating with unmasked greed.

“Want it, little Cawl?” Vane asked, grinning playfully.

Cawl nodded so fast his head bobbed like a mechanical chicken, the servo-motors in his spine whining under the strain.

“A hundred thousand star systems, and it’s yours.”

“A hundred thousand star systems?!” Cawl hesitated. “Isn’t that a bit… steep?”

“Make it a hundred and fifty thousand.” Vane didn’t even entertain haggling, immediately jacking up the price.

“Deal! I accept! Please don’t raise it any higher, Forefather!” Cawl immediately reached out, snatching the Wisdom Cube from Vane’s hand and cradling it like his most precious treasure.

Eldrad, Yvraine, and the rest of the Aeldari watched the exchange in absolute shock. An actual divine artifact capable of transforming a warship into a living girl was just casually handed over to Belisarius Cawl. They had to admit, the Forefather was obscenely generous. As for the price tag of 150,000 star systems? They didn’t even bat an eye. An interest-free loan with zero repayment deadline? What was the difference between that and a free giveaway?

Moving past the little Sanguinis incident, the group walked across the platform toward the entrance of the obsidian tunnel. A colossal, absurdly massive tunnel filled with swirling grey fog loomed before them.

“Does this tunnel actually lead all the way to the Cryptus System?” Guilliman asked, turning to Sanguinius.

Everyone immediately perked up, desperate to hear the answer.

“Are you questioning me?” Vane asked, leaning in close to Guilliman.

“No! I’m just curious!” Guilliman frantically shook his head. He hadn’t forgotten how quickly that 150-billion-star-system debt had piled up. Rule number one: never argue with the Forefather. Otherwise…

“Yes, this tunnel goes straight to Cryptus. The Forefather built it using his mobile fortress,” Sanguinius confirmed, putting everyone’s doubts to rest.

“But would the Chaos Gods and daemons really just sit back and let the Forefather build a highway through their territory?” the Lion asked, thoroughly puzzled. Back in the day, their father had been heavily outplayed by the Four Gods specifically because of the Webway Project, which was why he was currently stuck on the Golden Throne.

Sanguinius gave a strange look—glancing at Vane, then back at the group—before continuing.

“Of course the Four Gods and the daemons didn’t want him to. But the tunnel is heavily shielded; daemons can’t breach it. In order to ensure the tunnel’s integrity, the Forefather intentionally left small gaps in the shielding to act as traps. He lured the daemons inside, mass-executed them on an industrial scale, harvested their spiritual essence as crafting materials, and then had his golems use those very materials to patch the tunnel…”

Sanguinius laid out the exact architectural blueprint of the Nether Highway. Everyone listening was completely stunned.

Building a high-speed highway through hell is crazy enough. But intentionally leaving gaps to lure daemons in for automated, industrial-scale slaughter?! Honestly, it feels like the Forefather is more demonic than the actual daemons.

“Oh, it’s just standard automation,” Vane said, waving his hand as if to tell them to calm down before launching into an impassioned speech. “Building a tunnel is nothing! Once we yank the Emperor off that Golden Throne, we’re going to completely renovate the Warp! The Immaterium is supposed to be the final resting place for human souls, yet it’s not under the Imperium’s jurisdiction? Isn’t that a total betrayal of our ancestors?!”

If anyone else had said that, they would have been locked up in an asylum. How much amasec do you have to drink to confidently suggest ‘renovating’ the Warp?! But because the words came straight from the Forefather’s mouth, no one dared to question it. They knew for a fact that the Forefather genuinely had the power to back up his insane claims.

Right on cue, Eldrad, Yvraine, and the other Aeldari Farseers exchanged a look and silently reached a consensus.

“Respected Forefather of Humanity, there is a matter we must bring to your attention,” Yvraine said, stepping up to Vane with utmost respect.

“What is it?” Vane turned, curious.

“It concerns the Drukhari, the Dark Aeldari. These twisted nobles of the old Aeldari Empire have entrenched themselves in the Webway and become a cancer to all races. They threaten the very future of our people. We humbly beseech you to deliver your divine punishment and eradicate them entirely.”

After officially allying with the Imperium, Eldrad and the Farseers had held a serious internal debate regarding the Drukhari. Sure, the twisted freaks hiding out in Commorragh were technically their kin, but their ideologies couldn’t be more opposed. Led by the Archons and Haemonculi, the Drukhari constantly raided Imperial worlds, orchestrating massive massacres and brutally torturing Imperial citizens. If the Ynnari didn’t sever ties with them now, it would definitely cause massive political friction with the Imperium later down the line.

They had been slightly hesitant before, but after seeing Vane casually construct an obsidian highway straight through the Warp, they made the decisive call to throw the Drukhari straight under the bus and fully embrace the Imperium. Asdrubael Vect and his cronies were never going to support the Ynnari anyway, so they might as well sell them out to score major brownie points with the Imperium.

Vane was actually surprised. He didn’t expect the Ynnari to be so utterly ruthless as to sell out their own cousins without a second thought. But logically, it was the smartest play. In the original lore, the Drukhari constantly went on raiding and pillaging sprees, and the Craftworld Aeldari always ended up taking the blame and being forced into wars with the Imperium.

[System Module detects new information. Main Quest Activated: Locate and defeat the Drukhari; completely destroy the Dark City of Commorragh. Reward: 10% Total Conquest Progression. Unlocked Title: ‘Destroyer of the Dark Aeldari’.]

Vane’s eyes lit up as he read the system prompt, a hint of genuine excitement crossing his face. Kicking off the Age of Primarchs, wiping out the Drukhari, and completing the previous quest to defeat Hive Fleet Leviathan would bring his total conquest progress straight to 30%. At this speed, he’d fully conquer this universe in less than a year, allowing him to finally return to the Infinite Pocket Dimension and the Minecraft Universe.

“Since you guys are practically begging me, I guess I’ll have to find some free time to kick in Commorragh’s front door and wipe out the Drukhari,” Vane agreed, nodding at Yvraine’s request.

The entire delegation of Aeldari Farseers let out a massive, collective sigh of relief.