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Chapter 173: Raven: I Have to Work? Yamete!!
A hall appeared around the doorway. The space was huge, and a person standing alone inside would look like a speck of dust.
Light orbs drifted through the air, casting streams of glow downward. Some spheres stayed dark in the shadows, but others flickered urgently.
Raven studied them carefully. These were the universes from their previous trips, and the flickering meant distress signals, cries for help from across dimensions.
"A plea for help from the Transformers Universe."
The sphere for that realm pulsed constantly. Raven knew without checking that this came from Supreme Tai-kun, crying out because he'd lost his throne.
"A plea for help from the Type-Moon World?"
"A plea for help from the Halo World!"
"A plea for help from the Honkai Universe!"
More names followed, and each flickering orb showed chaos spreading across dimensions.
Raven tested his enhanced abilities. "The primal power has been absorbed enough, so the Mist Space has upgraded. I can access deeper information now, but what new functions does it have?"
Through careful testing, Raven found the most important change. He could create spatiotemporal anchors, which would build permanent passages between universes. This went far beyond their previous methods.
Their earlier trips had been like sailing the Warp under a Gellar field, one fragile barrier against the void. These permanent corridors would work like the Webway itself, providing sealed paths through space that were safe from Chaos corruption.
These passages would change everything: no more subtle influence and careful diplomacy. With stable corridors, the Imperial war machine could pour through endlessly, bringing the Emperor's light to distant worlds through conquest instead of conversion.
The difference was huge. Previous ventures had been like delicate courtships that needed finesse and patience. Conquest offered brutal simplicity, overwhelming force and victory by any means until the defeated sang hymns of submission.
The gentler approach carried less risk. Even failure brought no revenge from other dimensions. But conquest? Once they chose that path, defeat would bring terrible punishment. The thought of enemies ravaging Terra while he cried for mercy made Raven uncomfortable.
Raven analysed deeper. "These new abilities cost a lot. Building permanent anchors needs vast amounts of cosmic origin."
The problem became clear. He needed a target that would pay for itself; otherwise, the cost of building permanent passages would bankrupt them before they gained anything.
He looked at the Transformers Universe. The Cosmic Emperor had stolen Supreme Tai-kun's authority, so a permanent passage could help them fight a war to restore the rightful ruler. They could also prevent future takeovers through extended Imperial oversight.
"I'm such a generous person," Raven told himself with satisfaction.
But practical thinking cooled his helpful impulses. Transformer technology was incredibly advanced, so in direct war, the Empire might be at a serious disadvantage.
"Maybe I should pick something more manageable."
After long thought, Raven found several weak universes that would be easier for the Empire to conquer.
Across infinite-dimensional reality, universes varied hugely in size and power. Massive cosmologies, such as Marvel and Saint Ruins, had main universes plus many smaller ones surrounding them.
Others had no such protection, small, isolated realms spanning only billions of light-years with weak civilizations and incomplete laws.
These made ideal targets: universes like the Devil Fruit world, Naruto realm, Azure Lane, Demon Slayer, Hogwarts, and similar places. Victory could come with minimal cost while harvesting substantial cosmic origin.
When Raven presented his analysis to the Emperor, he met unexpected resistance.
"Our focus must stay absolute," the Emperor declared. "Every resource, every effort, every thought must go toward unifying our galaxy. Only when humanity stands united under one banner can we look toward distant realms, and only when our strength is complete and our civilization set on the right path."
The Emperor's refusal came from growing urgency in his consciousness. The alliance between the four Chaos Gods and the Contamination Source had shown him how vulnerable they were, so he wanted rapid growth in Imperial power, the means to counter Chaos even when he wasn't there.
The idea of leaving Terra only to return and find his life's work destroyed by the Dark Gods was completely unacceptable.
"But you don't need to go personally, my lord," Raven explained his new abilities.
"Through spatiotemporal tunnels anchored by dimensional bridges, the Empire could send select forces to conquer distant universes. We could claim their resources and knowledge without risking your presence."
This method was completely different from their previous careful trips. Before, they had worked with subtlety and small footprints, but conquest would invite stronger resistance from the universe itself and greater risk of counterattack. The elite forces sent through could face total destruction, which would make the initial investment a complete loss.
Universes like the Transformers realm still posed big dangers. What if the enemy used the AllSpark and turned every piece of Imperial technology against its creators?
But the advantages were equally strong. Unlike their previous journeys, which only brought knowledge and temporary influence, these dimensional tunnels would enable true conquest. They could plunder exotic resources and rapidly strengthen Imperial power through absorbing foreign capabilities.
The Emperor studied Raven with patience before responding.
"Why not handle this preparation yourself?"
"Me?" Raven pointed at himself in surprise.
"My current duties consume every moment," the Emperor explained. "The Empire's development needs constant oversight, building instantaneous teleportation networks and communication arrays demands attention, and implementing the magic net proceeds on schedule. I simply lack the time for interdimensional conquest."
The Emperor's schedule had indeed reached maximum capacity during this critical period.
"You want me to actually work?!" Raven's face showed genuine horror. Visions of administrative mountains danced before his eyes, and his ideal life involved happily eating fried foods while directing the Emperor, that tireless workhorse, through endless labor.
"Forget it. Absolutely not. I refuse completely."
The Emperor's patience with such laziness wore thin. He began to suspect Raven's claims about needing imperial binding for dimensional travel were elaborate lies motivated purely by avoiding work.
"You could delegate the responsibilities," the Emperor suggested. "Build a framework, distribute the tasks, and limit your role to strategic direction."
These words completely revitalized Raven's interest.
"My previous life as a corporate worker limited my thinking! I'm now a ruler of the Empire, so why should I work like the Emperor? I should recruit a workforce and exploit them ruthlessly!"
Following the Emperor's advice, Raven decided to oversee this matter personally. He immediately began assembling teams for the preparation of interdimensional invasion.
His first candidate was obvious: Constantin Valdor.
Political struggles on Terra had grown intense. Representatives from various star sectors, local power brokers, Rogue Traders, the Adeptus Mechanicus, and countless other factions fought covert battles for advantage: conspiracies, schemes, betrayals, and manipulations spread throughout the Imperial hierarchy.
Only the Emperor's overwhelming presence prevented these tensions from exploding into open assassination campaigns and systematic sabotage during critical operations.
Raven understood these entrenched interests perfectly. Even as supreme ruler, establishing an entirely new department for interdimensional conquest would trigger opposition, and shortsighted individuals would seek to obstruct or take such power for themselves.
He had no intention of wasting time on political games with such petty concerns. This messy business needed a specialist, and Valdor was the perfect solution.
As Captain-General of the Adeptus Custodes and the Emperor's right hand, Valdor could ensure that troublemakers simply disappeared permanently.
Raven found Valdor in the Custodian Guard's exclusive laboratory complex. The man had become obsessed with upgrading their genetic enhancement protocols since returning to Terra, and his dedication to this improvement project bordered on fanatical intensity.
Valdor wanted the Custodes to have absolute military power, the power to suppress all other military forces within the human Empire if necessary.
Each Custodian was individually crafted through genetic enhancement, unlike Space Marines who shared common gene-seed templates. This made their creation process incredibly complex and resource-intensive, but it also made them irreplaceable guardians of the Emperor's will.
[End of Chapter]