Chapter 278: Cosmic Genesis and the Warhammer Internet
Lucan used his accumulated Unity to unlock his second Ascension Perk. The loading of the third was now just around the corner. For his second choice, he selected "Cosmic Genesis" without hesitation. As the perk loaded, the option for the Synaptic Lathe appeared in his technology interface, though it required 40,000 Physics research points.
With more territories now under his command, the Tech-priests who had previously served the Imperium in those regions were incorporated into the Mongorte Dynasty. Cawl, along with the large number of elite Tech-priests who followed him, had also officially joined Lucan's service under an employment contract.
As a result, his technology point acquisition had increased by another 500 points, effectively doubling his research income. Cawl had not been idle for the past ten thousand years; his followers were numerous. Fortunately, research points did not decay if unused and could be stored like a special resource.
Lucan also appointed Cawl as his new Chief Scientist, which increased his research speed by another 15 percent. With this research speed bonus and his previously accumulated Physics points, he would now need less than two years to acquire the technology to build the Synaptic Lathe. And the pace would only continue to accelerate. Lucan estimated that he could fully complete the research within another year after that.
As he had expected, the Unity cost for the third Ascension Perk had risen to 10,000. However, with his current income, he would have enough in just over a month. Following the system's pattern, the fourth would likely cost 100,000 points. This meant he had to be very careful with his third choice.
Once the Synaptic Lathe was built, the technology at his disposal would advance by leaps and bounds.
At that moment, Lucan was aboard the Stellar Pioneer, which was docked in orbit above Terra. All of the warship's experimental areas had been cleared out to serve as the exclusive research labs for Cawl and Pavian. A massive mechanical construct, which occupied almost the entire research section, was currently running. Fifty percent of the warship's plasma reactor output was being channeled to power it. Ranks of Tech-priests were maintaining the device and monitoring its data streams.
"Cawl, Pavian, how is the thing I asked for coming along? Guilliman is in a hurry for it!" Lucan said, looking at the two busy figures.
Cawl, however, did not even lift his head in response to Lucan's inquiry, remaining completely focused on his work. His mechanical brain was operating at full capacity.
"Lord Lucan," Cawl complained, feeling the pressure, "my computational power is indeed high, but it is not without its limits! I have to complete Lord Guilliman's tasks and conduct research for you here. I need more time!"
The workload of developing the Primaris Marines and building his own Armor of Fate had not been this intense. For the past year, he had barely had a moment's rest. If it weren't for the resilience of his current body, it would not have been able to withstand such a continuous high-level operation.
"Lord Cawl, don't complain!" Pavian, in contrast, was full of energy. "Isn't it great to conduct research under Lord Lucan? There are no restrictions here! We can speak freely! You can unleash your genius as you please! The Dynasty is a paradise for us researchers! I think... we can put Lord Guilliman's tasks on hold for a while. Of course, I'm not saying his tasks are unimportant. Researching more suitable wargear for the Imperium is certainly necessary. But what we are doing now is something that can change the entire Imperium! That wargear is nothing in comparison. Our names will be sung throughout the Imperium! By the Blessed Machine, I think I'll soon have the chance to earn the title of Archmagos!"
"Pavian, if it weren't for Lord Lucan's request," Cawl retorted, "I would never let someone with your personality study under me. Technology itself is what we should pursue, not the empty titles you speak of!"
"My apologies, but when I think of the changes we are about to bring to the Imperium, I can't help but get excited."
"Cawl, there is nothing wrong with having ambition," Lucan said, speaking up for Pavian. "Ambition is what drives us. I believe Pavian can handle this desire well."
"Hmph... very well, Lord Lucan," Cawl relented. "The 'Internet' you mentioned is almost complete. Your quantum communication system and the underlying logical code of the Purifier Network provided by Karax have saved us a huge amount of time. Otherwise, I would never have been able to write code on this scale in just one year. The two technologies have surprisingly high compatibility. What we need to do now is to continuously improve and expand upon it. This will be an ongoing task.
"However, I must advise you: you can distribute the sub-servers to various planets and factions according to your plan, but this central server before you must be kept firmly in your own hands and under the most stringent monitoring. As the number of sub-servers expands, its physical volume will continue to increase, and the energy it consumes will also grow. The engines of this warship will soon be unable to provide sufficient power for it.
"As per your request, I have integrated my own AI technology into the central server, combining it with the servo-systems from your Stellar Pioneer and Gorgon warships. Their systems are, in essence, a form of low-level artificial intelligence. I'm sure you are well aware of the attitude of the current Imperium and some of the more dogmatic Tech-priests towards AI. If they were to find out, the consequences would be severe. The fear of the Abominable Intelligence is deeply ingrained in the Imperium. They will not care whether this technology is truly safe. You must maintain strict secrecy. And AI itself is inherently unpredictable."
Cawl warned Lucan that conventional Imperial cogitators and wetware simply could not handle the massive data flow that the Internet would generate.
"Rest assured, Cawl," Lucan replied. "How could I hand over something so important to others? I will move the central server to my capital, Agathos. And since you've mentioned it, I'll trouble you to oversee the system for me. I will grant you sufficient authority. Cawl, I know you've made quite a few of your own duplicates. Don't they also use artificial intelligence? In the current Imperium, no one is more skilled in the research of AI than you. Don't think of it as a burden. It's all for the Emperor, for humanity! And it won't be long before I can provide you with even more mature technology."
Hearing this, Cawl could only accept. Although he didn't show it as much as Pavian, he was just as passionate about what he was doing. As Pavian had said, they were truly doing something that would change the Imperium. It seemed his workload was about to increase yet again.
Cawl and Pavian walked over to the mechanical construct that now filled almost the entire laboratory and began to operate it.
"But Lord Lucan," Pavian asked, "are you sure this system won't be corrupted or hacked by Chaos?"
"There is no such thing as a one-hundred-percent secure system in this world," Lucan replied. "All we can do is minimize the possibility of accidents. And when paired with the Mark of Purity from the Cult of the Holy Machine, it shouldn't be a major problem."
Lucan still had faith in the effects of the Mark of Purity. Furthermore, this machine was now interwoven with a large number of Daemon-steel nerve clusters created through his own "Mechanicus Authority." He could sense any abnormal changes, and he could even feel the massive machine-spirit within the construct. The combination of StarCraft servo-systems, Warhammer AI technology, and his own divine-mechanical authority was brewing a very special machine-spirit within. Of course, its security would require further algorithmic upgrades in the future.
"Lord Lucan," Pavian announced, "I have already backed up and packaged this technology and sent it back to the Dynasty. All of the Dynasty's worlds have completed the upgrade. If you wish, you can test the results. You can connect to the Mongorte Dynasty's network from right here."
With that, Pavian began to initialize the system.
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