Chapter 21: The Great Divine Mechanicus Sect!
With the upgrade to the "Omega's" locomotion system, the operating system had to be upgraded to match. Any changes to the operating system inevitably touched upon one of Omega's major weaknesses: the "Machine Spirit." He couldn't quite grasp the difference between a "Machine Spirit" and a "machine spirit."
To avoid turning his beloved "Omega" into a paraplegic, Omega decided to seek the counsel of the "Master of Kowtowing," Magos Jacob. After all, no one understood how to appease a Machine Spirit better than a Rune Priest.
Jacob was delighted that Omega had come to him for advice. The opportunity to impart his life's knowledge to a genius favored by the Omnissiah filled Jacob, a priest who had been kowtowing for over forty years and was steeped in ritual, with a sense of purpose.
"Omega, what do you think a Machine Spirit is?" Jacob asked.
"It is the collective term for the automated systems and operational mechanisms of a technological artifact," Omega replied.
"Hmm, a very standard answer. But that's not what I asked. I'm asking what you think."
"What I think?"
"Yes, what do you think?"
"Err... Abominable Intelli—"
Jacob quickly cut him off. "Not quite, not quite!" So there is a 'quite' and a 'can be quite'! Magos Jacob, you're not being honest!
Under Omega's suspicious gaze, Jacob guiltily glanced at the place where he hid his own forbidden things and continued, "The 'Machine Spirit' is different from the forbidden Abominable Intelligence because it does not have the ability to self-upgrade."
Omega nodded, making an analogy. "Oh, like an animal with strong instincts but no higher intelligence."
"Correct. Their nature is close to that of a beast. They can exhibit hatred, stubbornness, and preferences."
"An artificial beast?"
"Ahem, that's one way to put it."
"So can they evolve? Can they..."
Jacob stopped Omega before he could continue, warning him sternly, "Omega, from now on, do not mention Abominable Intelligence in front of anyone again."
"Understood. We're talking about the 'Machine Spirit'."
"Yes," Jacob stressed again. "We are only talking about the 'Machine Spirit'!"
"Right, got it."
Jacob nodded and continued, "A Machine Spirit should not have the ability to act completely autonomously."
"Oh."
Although there were only the two of them in the room, Jacob subconsciously and furtively scanned the surroundings before whispering, "But there are records that indicate a Machine Spirit of a certain age can, in fact, do just that."
Omega's thought: Right. If anyone asks, just say it's the grace of the Omnissiah!
"So a Machine Spirit is just a 'Machine Spirit' then?"
Jacob was pleased to see how quickly Omega had grasped the "art" of cog-head speech. "Not entirely. The Machine Spirit is a broad concept with multiple meanings."
"Multiple?"
"Yes. Let's start with 'multiple'."
"Alright."
Omega adjusted his posture, ready to listen attentively. Magos Jacob began to explain the meanings of the "Machine Spirit."
First Layer - The Religious Concept: The Machine Spirit as a religious concept has existed for a long time. From the very beginning, the Cult Mechanicus believed that a "machine soul" exists in all machines, and it is because of this soul that machines can be used.
Second Layer - The Technical Concept: As a technical concept, the Machine Spirit is divided into two categories. One is the physical, non-conscious Machine Spirit—the sum of concepts reflecting the "physicochemical properties" of a tool or device. For example, the Machine Spirit of a tank chassis in a foundry reflects the success rate of the casting process and the various performance characteristics of a single chassis. These are non-conscious but very helpful for production. The other category is the automated systems and operational mechanisms of a technological artifact. "Operational mechanisms" refers to the hardware. For example, if a vehicle's wheel falls off, a hardware failure, it is an expression of the Machine Spirit's displeasure. "Automated systems" refers to the software. For example, if a vehicle's operating system is attacked by scrap-code and cannot be driven properly, that is also an expression of the Machine Spirit's displeasure.
Third Layer - The Metaphysical Concept: The metaphysical concept of the Machine Spirit can also be divided into two categories. The first refers to "miraculous machine phenomena": a machine starting on its own; a Kastelan Robot wandering around by itself; a Land Raider that fought off Orks for a whole night without a driver, killing a Warboss and his retinue. Don't ask. If you ask, the answer is "the grace of the Omnissiah!" If you ask again, your supply of weapons and promethium will be cut off.
The second category is the rarest and most miraculous—when a human invests emotion into a technological artifact, causing it to develop its own projection in the Warp. This allows it to perform beyond the limits of its design and materials. For example, a weapon that keeps killing enemies on the battlefield without ammunition; a plasma gun that never overheats; a vehicle that keeps running without fuel. In short: the tech has gained a soul of its own.
"Err, really?"
"Really!"
"So kowtowing actually works?"
"It works! Hey! Omega, it's called 'blessing'! 'Appeasing'!"
"I always thought it was a trick... just a placebo effect!"
"What do you mean, a trick! Although we are believers of the Machine God, we are also Tech-Priests who demand rationality, logic, objectivity, and materialism from ourselves. Without sufficient data to support it, we would not be able to convince the majority of priests!"
"Oh, oh, can you show me the data evidence?" Omega asked, still skeptical.
Jacob chuckled and pointed at Omega. He took out a dataslate and handed it to him. "Take this back and read it slowly. When I first became a priest, I was just like you. When your back hurts so much you can't stand up straight, anyone would question the necessity of blessing. This data is the legacy of generations of Rune Priests, collected and compiled. Every new Rune Priest receives this data as a gift after they get their spine replaced."
Omega thought to himself: 'Replacing the spine' and 'the spine replacing you'... what a 42k workplace horror story.
Taking the "spine" of the Rune Priests, Omega bowed to Jacob to show his respect for the man who had taught him so diligently. "Thank you, Magos Jacob!"
"Hahaha, I need to save the pict-capture of this moment. In the future, if anyone doesn't believe that I taught Archmagos Omega, I'll show them this to shut them up, haha."
"Don't worry, it won't be long," Omega said, deliberately puffing out his chest with an air of confidence.
"Haha, I'll be waiting. It's getting late, you should go back."
"Okay, goodbye. I'm heading back."
After spending a few days modifying the "Omega" and carefully reading through the data collected by the Rune Priests, Omega sighed. "The end of science is truly metaphysics."
You might not believe in the Omnissiah, but a blessed ship has a thirty-nine percent lower chance of encountering misfortune during warp travel than an unblessed one.
You might not believe in the Omnissiah, but blessed weapons and vehicles have a twenty-six percent lower failure rate in the same environment than unblessed ones.
You might not believe in the Omnissiah, but a blessed machine takes thirteen percent less time to commission than an unblessed one.
So, when faced with such a large, proven dataset, even if you still don't believe, what's the harm in kowtowing to the "Machine Spirit" just once?
Omega was kowtowing right now, bowing deeply before the data storage devices he had hand-crafted, muttering as he did so.
"Brother, I'm sorry about the other day. I wasn't sincere enough. It was my fault. Today, I'll make it up to you."
"Brother, strictly speaking, I created you, so you should be my child. But a great man doesn't sweat the small stuff. From now on, let's have our own terms. I'll call you brother, you call me dad."
"Brother, in the future, if anyone who isn't me tries to modify your data, you remember to resist to the death. I'll remember you for it."
"Brother..."
Regarding this perverse behavior of psychologically manipulating a Machine Spirit, Omega justified it as a consequence of objective reality. The Machine God wasn't around, the Omnissiah was half-paralyzed, and none of them were useful. Only kowtowing to the Machine Spirit seemed to have some effect.
His active mind allowed him to manipulate the Machine Spirit while his thoughts wandered. Those Machine Spirits that have gained sentience are quite similar to the spirit artifacts and sword spirits in cultivation novels! They are both man-made, and they both gain intelligence because of human emotion. Strong emotional investment can accelerate their growth.
And the people in cultivation novels level up by using secret manuals. The secret manuals are the technological knowledge of the cultivation novels. My great Tech-Priests also level up through technological knowledge.
The secret manuals in cultivation novels are kept secret. In the Warhammer universe, no one understands secrecy better than my great Adeptus Mechanicus.
The secret manuals and equipment in cultivation novels can be traded. My great Adeptus Mechanicus's knowledge and equipment can also be traded.
The people in cultivation novels ascend by cultivating secret manuals. My great Adeptus Mechanicus people ascend through technological modification.
So, if my great Adeptus Mechanicus changed its name to the 'Great Divine Mechanicus Sect,' it wouldn't seem abrupt at all!
Omega, the Sect's Divine Child, grew more and more delighted as he thought about it. He imagined himself punching "heretical demonic sects," kicking "xenos monsters," and saving the common people from the "demonic disaster of the warp." The "Master of the Emperor's Gate," the number one sect, would bow his head in submission...
Knock! Knock! Knock! "Omega, open the door!"
The knocking startled Omega from his fantasy. Annoyed at being interrupted, he got up and grumbled, "Who is it?"
"Open the door! It's me! Rhea!"
"Oh."
Omega opened the door to see a frantic-looking Rhea. He was about to ask what had happened, but before he could speak, she blurted out, "Where's your comms unit?! Why aren't you responding to messages? Pack your things, we have to leave!"
Omega, who had been completely engrossed in his kowtowing and fantasizing, had tossed his dataslate aside. He had no idea what was going on. "Huh?!"
"Hurry! Just take the essentials! Meet in the main hall!" Rhea said before turning and leaving, giving him no time to ask questions.
Omega immediately grabbed his dataslate and checked the messages:
There's been an uprising! Pack your things and come to the main hall! Respond when you see this!