"..." The Lion, Lion El'Jonson, was at a loss for words.
What did he mean by cost? Is it money? He hadn't discussed money in a very long time.
"Don't look at me like that. This stuff is extremely valuable. Right now, I've only got a few left. And If I'm ever allowed to form my own legion, these special Saibamen can serve as the Apothecaries of my legion.
"Without them, there'd be no way to cultivate perfect gene-seeds." Axis explained.
Saibamen would have a huge role in the future. He couldn't assign one to every single Primarch.
What if half of them really end up rebelling, even with his influence!
Standing off to the side, Russ's mouth twitched.
Only a few left? You've got over twenty seeds stashed away!
"What do you mean by 'cost extra'? Are you referring to the 'crowns' the Imperium issues nowadays? How much do you want?" asked the Lion, thinking, It's just a number anyways.
Money.
What a strange thing it was. Not just the Primarchs, but even to a random planetary governor… To them, money was just numbers.
What was actually valuable were all sorts of rare goods and treasures.
Even a captain of the Adeptus Astartes could mobilize sums that would boggle the mind.
In fact, many newly conquered worlds were still using their own currencies; the Imperium's currency wasn't even fully standardized yet.
All wartime resource allocations were dictated by the Emperor's orders, or you could say, life itself was the Imperium's true currency.
"No, I'm not speaking about money. What I meant was, I can't just give this thing to you for free." Axis replied.
"Oh? Then what do you want?" asked Lion El'Jonson.
So, in the end, this kid just wanted a favor.
Axis stroked his chin, thinking hard about what he actually needed.
Top-grade power armor? Any power armour was disposable to him at this point. Power weapons? He had plenty. Battleships? He had no use for more.
He already had a Gloriana-class battleship, and if he became recognized as a Primarch, Mars would custom-build him anything else he asked for.
Honestly, he really wasn't lacking for anything.
"How about this, just give me a blank order." Russ suggested, "Lion, sign your name on it. In the future, if Axis ever needs it, he can use this order to call for help from the Dark Angels."
"No way. The right to deploy a Space Marine Legion rests only with the Primarch and the Emperor." Lion shook his head and refused without hesitation.
Only the Emperor and the Primarch could command an entire legion.
"This wouldn't threaten the Imperium, nor would it be a betrayal of the Emperor. It would simply allow the Dark Angels to assist Axis's forces, or help Axis personally in a war," Russ argued.
It was the most reasonable offer Russ could think of.
Anything else Lion could offer, the Space Wolves could also provide without worry.
Axis nodded from the side. This was the fairest and most appropriate deal.
Being able to freely call on the Dark Angels Legion in the future…now that would be fun.
Yes, to Axis, it was just for fun.
If he ran into an enemy he couldn't handle, even the entire Dark Angels Legion wouldn't be enough.
"I can't hand over my entire legion's strength to someone else. There has to be a limit." Lion insisted.
"Then set the cap at 3,000. With your signed order, I could mobilize up to 3,000 Dark Angels at once. Your successors will honor this agreement too." Axis replied.
After the legions were broken up in the future, a chapter would have just about a thousand marines. If it ever came to that, a force of 3,000 would be like calling on three chapters at once!
"That's acceptable," Lion agreed, nodding.
To him, 3,000 warriors was barely a drop in the ocean compared to a legion of hundreds of thousands.
He saw this as Russ and Axis offering him a way out.
Lion immediately produced a document and began drafting the order.
"Three times. Even if you're not around in the future, the Dark Angels have to abide by this pact," Axis said.
Lion didn't hesitate to agree, how could he ever not be around?
To him, this order was utterly harmless.
Three thousand warriors? That was almost nothing.
Little did he know that, in the future, when Axis finally produced this unique order from a Primarch, the expressions on the faces of the Dark Angels would be… truly something to see!
To guarantee the authenticity and validity of the order, Lion El'Jonson even specially recorded a digital video statement.
In the recording, as Axis requested, he clarified that even if he was ever absent from the Legion, the Dark Angels would still be bound by the agreement: they would obey Axis's orders three times, with the number of warriors strictly limited to under 3,000 each time.
The pact was made in duplicate: one copy kept by Lion himself, and the other by Axis. Russ acted as a witness, signing both copies of the agreement.
"Alright! Lion, you're getting a great deal out of this," Russ said cheerfully. "Axis's Saibamen absolutely meet the requirements for Abhumans, and honestly, even for standard Imperial humans!
"They can use ki, and their ki can be used to empower your Legion's warriors.
"You could even use ki to purify your gene-seed, bringing it to a state of perfection, flawless, without any mutations at all."
"My gene-seed is already perfect, completely stable, without any mutations or flaws," Lion responded.
His gene-seed was indeed known for being the most stable and perfect.
"Just try it and see the difference," Russ shrugged.
"So, when can we start? How long will it take?" Lion asked.
"We can start right now. Russ and I will head back to grab the materials. You just get some high-quality soil ready, a good amount of nutrient solution, and one gene-seed," Axis replied.
Lion nodded.
Soon, Russ and Axis boarded a small transport craft and returned to their flagship.
Axis immediately ordered all members of the Fourteenth Company to get ready to take over the Gloriana-class battleship.
He himself headed to the lounge, opened the safe, and took out a single Saibaman seed.
At that moment, Axis still had 23 Saibaman seeds left; this would be the fifth one he had used.
"What happened when you went to see Lion El'Jonson? Are you really planning to give him a Saibaman?" Kasha came over and asked.
"I fought the Dark Angels, and then I fought the Lion… That's basically it. Now he owes me a favor, and I'll give him a Saibaman in return.
"So, Your old man relayed the information through Lion. I'm pretty much set to receive official recognition as a Primarch…"
Axis quickly explained the whole trip to Kasha.
He also took out the signed order from Lion, along with the preserved video evidence.
"You really went out of your way. I'll thank you on Lion's behalf," Kasha said.
To her, a deployment order for 3,000 marines was almost as good as a freebie. With this war nearly over, would she finally be able to reclaim her true identity?
"Haha, well, he is my brother-in-law, so I've got to look out for him a bit," Axis laughed.
With this order, he'd be able to have some real fun with the Dark Angels in the future.
The First Legion would have no more secrets, he'd see to it!
"Oh, by the way, Axis, your very first Saibaman's life is at its end now. I can't even tell if it's dead or alive anymore," Kasha said.
"I know about that. What's its situation now?" Axis turned to ask.
"A few days ago, it turned into a tree. Now it's blooming, and I think it'll soon bear seeds," Kasha replied.
Axis's very first Saibaman hadn't been altered in any way, and it was completely in its original state, so its lifespan was the standard, just a few decades.
The remaining Saibamen had all been fused with Primarch gene-seed, so their lifespans were at the Astartes level, at least a thousand years, if not more.
"Let's go have a look," Axis suggested, and together they entered a secret laboratory.
The first Saibaman was there, now completely unrecognizable.
It was no longer humanoid, but a towering green plant over ten meters high.
It still required massive amounts of nutrient solution, and its life was truly at an end, about to blossom and produce new Saibaman seeds.
"I guess we'll harvest quite a few seeds this time. Would these new seeds be the same as the ones you're holding?" Kasha asked.
"They're won't be the same," Axis replied, "Ki is a hurdle you can't ignore. I'm not even sure if these seeds will actually produce new Saibamen."
Even if they did sprout, their power would likely be greatly diminished.
This Saibaman was an experiment.
Axis wanted to see if a Saibaman that hadn't grown in the Dragon Ball world, after dying naturally, could leave behind seeds that would give rise to new Saibamen in this universe.
Only these pure, original-form Saibamen could grow into a new Saibaman tree and finally produce new seeds.
The others, whose genetics had been mixed with other species, no longer counted as true Saibamen and couldn't properly reproduce.
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Guys!! powerstones!! 70 more ps for the next bonus chapter!
have a great day/night!