Chapter 166: Got Groped
Graia's cooperation request came surprisingly fast. Hades had originally thought those oil-heads would drag it out for the full month's deadline, but just two weeks later, a massive fleet from Graia had already arrived.
Graia wasn't a small forge world. Not only did it have its own independent Legio Astraman, but on its ochre-hued surface stood the miracle of countless industrial machines piled high—the "Crown of Graia," the planet's main forge complex. This towering and ornate megastructure could even detach from Graia's surface and fly independently.
Like a massive crown torn directly from the planet and lifted into the stars, the Magos and Skitarii of Graia echoed with doctrines glorifying violence, their pumping engines roaring in unison.
This was the first major forge world that the Death Guard might actually cooperate with, so once the fires of Graia-106 died down, the Death Guard's Primarch, Mortarion, returned to his flagship Endurance to prepare for the upcoming negotiations—
—Which meant, in practice, picking up the documents Hades had written and giving them a glance.
Cue the Hymns!
A host of servo-servants adorned with ornate lace knelt reverently on either side of the crimson carpet. Red cloth draped from servo-skulls floating in the air, golden threads woven into silk banners, incense wafting through perfumed braziers.
[.]
Mortarion stood at the end of the red carpet's center. Flanking him were Hades and Garro. The Primarch stared blankly at the almost radiant, golden-shining carpet, as if evaluating whether he had misjudged how much this forge world valued the Death Guard.
Hades was incredibly thankful for his helmet—otherwise, everyone would see the sweat pouring off him.
Didn't he specifically say no fanfare? No public displays? What the hell was going on here?!
This reception wasn't just a political welcoming—it had religious overtones. No, scratch that, it is a religious reception!
Mortarion and the rest of the high command, unfamiliar with the tenets of the Adeptus Mechanicus, might've just found these rituals strange, chalking it up to local customs.
But for the Techmarines from the Armoury, standing farther away due to their lower rank, this was shocking.
What the hell was this? Had the Mechanicus in this world gone insane? Did they believe the Death Guard held some kind of divine status?
While the Death Guard being held in high regard wasn't necessarily bad, the Techmarines couldn't figure out why this was happening, no matter how hard they thought.
Low whispers spread across the private comms channels unique to the Techmarines, but it was clear no one understood what was going on—only that it was increasingly bizarre.
"The Sacred Hour has come!"
Binary code waves pulsed outward, and the mechanical priesthood—once motionless as steel—finally began to move. A sea of red robes and cables surged toward them, the signature incense of sacred machine-oil filling the air in waves.
Among the robes, Hades caught sight of the Tech-Priest he'd previously contacted—toward the front, though off to the side. Judging by the layout of the procession, that priest likely had little real influence.
At the very front, the Archmagos approached. His already-bent back and waist were nearly touching the ground; his body trembled, as if to kneel, yet he forced himself to stop just short.
"Greetings, noble lord of the Death Guard,"
The Archmagos spoke while staring at Mortarion with the massive central eye embedded in his forehead—but all around that great cyclopean eye were clusters of smaller eyes, and their glimmer was... off.
Having studied optical transmission, Hades realized instantly: those tiny glints meant the Archmagos's compound eyes weren't actually looking at Mortarion—they were all watching him.
"We have awaited your arrival with great anticipation."
Those spider-like compound eyes were practically gazing at him with longing. Hades felt goosebumps prickle across his skin.
Behind the Archmagos, the bowed heads of the red-robed crowd flicked glances toward Hades as well. Countless eyes swept across him—some crazed, others confused.
Just as Hades felt like he was about to be annihilated by the stares of these oil-heads, Mortarion mercifully came to his rescue.
"The Death Guard also looks forward to collaborating with Graia," Mortarion's raspy voice rang out.
Perhaps even he thought the ceremony was overkill, because—rarely—he added another sentence:
"We too are eager to meet with you."
The Archmagos's expression briefly flickered before he quickly turned around to lead the way.
"Then please, let us continue discussions aboard our ship."
The massive procession began to withdraw. Servo-skulls scattered lab-grown petals from their mouths, while the machine-servants began chanting sacred hymns dizzying in their complexity.
Expressionless, Hades brushed off a pile of petals that had landed on his pauldrons—but after only a few steps, another mini petal-mountain had formed on them.
His eye twitched.
Hey! You—! Hades could already see a few Magos secretly scrambling to grab the petals he'd just brushed off.
At this point, Hades didn't even dare imagine what lay ahead for him.
. . . . . . .
[Is that him?]
[Yes, that's the one! That's the man!]
[Doesn't look like it…]
[What do you know? That's called low-key!]
In a side room adjacent to the negotiation hall, more than a dozen lesser-dressed Magos were arguing fiercely.
Just over a dozen people, and already they'd split into camps:
"Hades is definitely a god."
"Hades might be a god."
"There is a god, but Hades isn't it."
"There are no gods, so Hades can't be one."
"Who cares if he's a god, he's strong so I'm in."
—and of course, the "here-for-the-drama" faction.
The drama faction even started a betting pool on Hades' true identity. Odds were evenly spread.
Two weeks earlier, a compressed, choppy video clip had gone viral across Graia's entire info-network—despite its unknown origin, crude resolution, and short duration. It exploded across the forge world like a memetic virus. The figure wreathed in glowing green lightning became the hottest topic for hobby discussions.
Even Graia's long-standing #1 gossip topic—"Unit-03 Oil's Price Hike Again?!"—was finally dethroned.
Some said the video was fabricated to pressure anti-alliance factions into compliance. Others dismissed that idea, claiming the upper ranks didn't care about public opinion. And then there were those who insisted it was a divine miracle, utterly divorced from petty political motives.
Regardless of the theories, every Tech-Priest agreed on one thing: that video carried a faint trace of divinity.
A flash of knowledge—gone as quickly as it came.
Some even compiled multiple versions of the footage, spliced together into "enhanced" edits for sale. These supercuts were especially popular among the lower-ranked Tech-Adepts.
But while the general public debated endlessly, Graia's higher-ups had already traced the upload's data trail back to source: Fabricator 021.
In heated discussions with Fabricator 021, the Archmagos showed no unified stance—but overall, they leaned in favor of cooperating with the Death Guard. Even setting Hades aside, being the first partner of such a massive legion brought immense prestige and economic opportunity.
And based on firsthand combat observation during Graia-106, the Tech-Priest of Graia respected the Death Guard's unflinching devotion to war. Their refusal to retreat matched ancient Graian doctrines perfectly.
The only reason Graia had hesitated before was due to administrative inefficiency—and a stubborn, widespread belief that "maybe if we wait, a better offer will come along."
That video, however, ignited the passion of Graia's religious zealots. Led by these fanatics, a diplomatic fleet was assembled at an unprecedented speed. Bureaucracy was fast-tracked, permissions granted instantly, and the Archmagos raced eagerly toward the Death Guard.
Their zeal... had successfully terrified Hades.
'Please stop coming closer aaaaAAAAH—'
Hades screamed internally while dodging the thirteenth Magos who "accidentally" tried to bump into him.
<+>
If you want to see more chapter of this story and don't mind paying $5 each month to read the latest posted chapter, please go to my Patreon [1]
Latest Posted Chapter in Patreon: Chapter 188: No One Can Reject Horus[2]
Link to the latest posted chapter: https://www.patreon.com/posts/131840711?collection=602520[3]
https://www.patreon.com/collection/602520?view=condensed[4]
[1] https://www.patreon.com/Thatsnakegirl
[2] https://www.patreon.com/posts/131840711?collection=602520
[3] https://www.patreon.com/posts/131840711?collection=602520
[4] https://www.patreon.com/collection/602520?view=condensed