Chapter 356: Like a Creator
These bonuses would be even more pronounced than what they were in the game. They wouldn't just increase the output of research points; they would also increase the abilities of the individuals themselves. Here, they were not just a number in a game; they were living individuals, and their autonomy could improve the Dynasty's strength in all aspects.
Even with the bonus from the Synaptic Lathe, Lucan still felt that the pace of research was a bit slow. After all, no matter how many bonuses he had, he would never feel it was enough.
As the Ascension Perk finished loading, Lucan began to check the traits on the species interface. The number of usable trait points in the species interface had increased again, reaching a total of 8.
Traits like "Natural Scientist" only cost one point, and "Ingenious" only cost three. Lucan could, with these eight trait points, turn the Tech-priests of the Cult of the Holy Machine into a group of omnidisciplinary, all-around research personnel, fully developed in every aspect. The Dynasty had fewer and fewer opportunities for these Tech-priests to fight, so there was no need to add combat-related traits for them.
And for the combat personnel, a trait like "Very Strong" only cost three points. If its effect was truly as described, then he could really mass-produce super-soldiers. The improvement that the "Strong" trait gave to his soldiers was a bit lacking. Lucan needed his conventional forces to have a decisive advantage on the battlefield to be able to launch an all-out war and to pave the way for the subsequent Aetherophasic Engine.
And besides the enhancement of researchers and combat personnel, once genetic ascension was popularized, it would also raise the industrial level of the Mongorte Dynasty, and even the entire human race, to a terrifying new level. The "Communal" trait, which cost 3 points, would allow workers to dynamically adjust their gene expression according to their work environment. Add the 3-point "Ingenious" and the 2-point "Industrious," and you had a total of 8 points—everything needed for a perfect worker.
One could imagine what the Imperium's productivity would reach if its workers had the diligence and work capacity of a Genestealer Cultist. If needed, he could even modify humans living in extremely harsh environments. For example, the people of the Cryptus System were plagued by radiation. With Genetic Resequencing, he could completely give them the ability to survive in that harsh environment. If food was scarce, he could even add the "Photosynthesis" trait to the people on these barren planets, just like the Orks. But that was a last resort. If one could sustain life by eating, then normal eating was still more appropriate. The pleasure of eating was an important part of being human.
But this, in the end, represented a great improvement in humanity's adaptability to harsh environments. After all, there were too few planets that were truly suitable for human life. Once they could be modified, the number of planets humanity could utilize would increase once again.
Pavian, who was still at the Synaptic Lathe, received an urgent recall order.
When he began to learn and experiment with the genetic technology provided by Lucan, he was left completely stunned.
"By the Holy Machine... this technology... My Lord!" Pavian stammered. "We can now call ourselves Creators! This isn't just creating life; we have practically mastered evolution!"
Only now did Pavian remember the scene when Lucan had first become a Rogue Trader. At that time, Damon and his Raiders, clad in their powersuits, had occasionally called Lucan "Creator." He hadn't understood it then, but now he truly understood the meaning of that title.
To be able to so casually master genes, without even having to worry about whether an individual could withstand the strain, and to be able to perform a perfect modification... what was that, if not a Creator?! This was absolutely not a level a human could reach. Even the Emperor could not have reached this level, could he?
The moment he received the technology and confirmed its effectiveness, Pavian had immediately performed the modification on himself first. "Natural Physicist," "Natural Sociologist," "Natural Engineer," and "Ingenious"—four new genes were inserted into his genetic code.
At this moment, he felt that his mind had never been so clear. Many of the technical problems that had plagued him, that he had been unable to break through, were now suddenly clear to him. Compared to the "Engineered Evolution" Ascension Perk, the previous "Gene Tailoring" technology was like a joke.
Seeing Pavian's state, Lucan was very satisfied.
"Pavian, what are the resources and time required for these modifications?"
"These technologies are very mature! Of course, the best way is to mass-produce through the cloning vats. But in the end, the individuals produced in those vats will need time to learn and adapt. It is more in our interest to first perform the genetic modifications on existing individuals. As for the resources consumed... my Lord, I believe that no amount of resources would be too much. The benefits this can bring us are simply too great! And I have also seen a 'Rapid Breeders' trait in this technology, which can greatly increase the speed of natural reproduction."
The increase in the speed of natural reproduction was considerable, but for the current stage, its effect was the lowest. In the long run, however, it was the most powerful. After all, the current population of the Imperium was already uncountable. It was impossible to modify everyone one by one or to fill the gap with clones. By having a portion of the population that had accepted the Rapid Breeders and other genetic traits interbreed with the unmodified population, one day, all of humanity in the galaxy could achieve transcendence.
"Proceed with the cloning vats and the modification of existing individuals simultaneously!" Lucan ordered. "The modification of the soldiers can be put on hold for now, just a few small-scale trials. Concentrate your efforts on modifying the core members of the Cult of the Holy Machine first. We must accelerate our technological breakthroughs once again!"
"I understand, my Lord! I will see to it at once!"
However, Pavian did not head to the bio-lab immediately. Instead, he went to Cawl's workshop. The Archmagos was still engrossed in the principles and manufacture of the warp drive. Seeing the smug look on the suddenly-arrived Pavian's face, Cawl was a little confused. His augmetic eyes seemed to notice something different about Pavian. His body's various functions were clearly operating at a level far beyond their original state.
"Ah... Archmagos Cawl," Pavian said with a sigh. "In the end, you missed out."
"Missed out?!" Cawl was still in a fog.
What Pavian meant was that Cawl's mechanical modifications were simply too severe. Ever since Pavian had accepted the first stage of modification from the Divinity Machine, he had not added any more mechanical prosthetics to his body. The same was true for some of the other core members of the Cult of the Holy Machine. It was precisely because they had retained enough of their flesh and blood that they had the opportunity to undergo the modification of genetic ascension.
For someone as heavily modified as Cawl, there was not enough flesh left to undergo the modification. But it was not necessarily a bad thing. He had, through his own strength, already walked a different path: the path of mechanical ascension.
But ironically, it was Cawl who had, at the very beginning, wanted most to preserve his fleshly body.
Watching Pavian leave after saying that one cryptic sentence, Cawl still couldn't understand what he had meant. But a few days later, he discovered an anomaly. Many of the core Tech-priests of the Cult of the Holy Machine seemed to have suddenly had their minds opened. One after another, they were displaying the kind of genius that was a rare find even on a forge world.