Less than ten minutes after Alex switched back to the Governor, the Adeptus Mechanicus sent a formal notice, requesting him to withdraw this precious god of machines from Kharkov.
For this, they were even willing to dispatch an entire Titan Legion to serve the Expeditionary Force, rather than let this precious divine machine remain in such a dangerous place.
Upon hearing that the Adeptus Mechanicus was willing to dispatch an entire Titan Legion, Alex was somewhat surprised that these Tech-Priests were truly willing to go to such lengths.
It should be known that even by the standards of the Adeptus Mechanicus, a Tier 2 military strength Titan Legion could deploy as many as 100-120 war engines, even if most of them were Warhound-class Titan or Reaver-class Titans. The deployment of an entire Legion was a terrifying sight.
Alex didn't even hope for a Tier 2 Legion; even a Tier 3 Titan Legion by Mars standards would have dozens of Titans available for combat.
At this level of military strength, leveling a Kharkov would indeed be very simple.
However, after some hesitation, Alex did not agree to the Adeptus Mechanicus's request, but instead stated that he wished to meet with the Mechanical Sages of the Adeptus Mechanicus.
Several hours later, the shuttle carrying Alex slowly landed on the planet's surface.
Through the porthole, he was shocked to see that a steel fortress had already risen on the formerly empty plain—the Priests of the Adeptus Mechanicus had, in just a few hours, built an astonishingly large defensive fortification around the Psyker War-Master.
Although this Titan was tens of meters tall, a behemoth in the eyes of ordinary people, for the Empire's powerful infrastructure capabilities, a structure of this scale was merely another demonstration of the Adeptus Mechanicus's efficiency and fanaticism.
Red-robed Tech-Priests directed swarms of Servitor and slave laborers, rapidly constructing the main framework of the fortress with quick-setting concrete.
Private collections from various Sages were continuously transported in; plasma reactors, Void Shield generators, and adamantium armor plates, which should have been carefully preserved by the Sages, were now unsparingly installed throughout the fortress.
Even more alarming was that when Alex's shuttle was still two hundred kilometers away, it was firmly locked onto by the fortress's advanced augur array.
Although she repeatedly sent identification codes and was confirmed as friendly, the targeting reticles of the automated turrets and laser anti-aircraft arrays still followed the shuttle like shadows.
Clearly, the Adeptus Mechanicus regarded this psyker titan as an irreplaceable holy relic, and any approaching object would be met with the most stringent vigilance.
The shuttle's machine spirit even emitted an uneasy hum from sensing so many weapon locks, and it wasn't until the shuttle had come to a complete stop on the fortress's landing platform that those deadly aiming beams finally moved away.
"This is the first time I've been targeted by so many weapons in an Imperial-controlled area," Alex said as he stepped off the shuttle, looking at Cawl and the other Mechanical Sages who had come to greet him.
Cawl merely shook his head slightly in response, then said, "This god of machines is too precious; we must ensure its safety."
"Ensuring its safety, but it's not necessary to point so many weapons at an Inquisitor, is it?" Although Alex wasn't emotional about this, he didn't intend to let the topic drop easily.
"The Adeptus Mechanicus is willing to offer compensation for this, but the safety of the god of machines must be guaranteed!" Cawl seemed to be making a concession, but still insisted on his bottom line.
For the Adeptus Mechanicus, they don't care whether Imperial territory is occupied by xenos, nor do they care if the Empire faces a crisis. In fact, for the Adeptus Mechanicus, no Empire would be better, because then no one would covet their precious machines.
When encountering precious and powerful ancient technological relics, the Adeptus Mechanicus doesn't think about how to research, replicate, and popularize them, but rather how to enshrine these incomparably precious holy objects.
So in their eyes, this incomparably precious Psyker War-Master should be enshrined in the most sacred temple on Mars, receiving the worship of countless god of machines believers, rather than being used on the battlefield.
"But the Kharkov war zone needs this god of machines to stabilize the front line," Alex said calmly, and this statement officially kicked off his struggle with the Adeptus Mechanicus.
"We are willing to exchange it for an entire Titan Legion," Archmagos Cawl's mechanized voice carried an undeniable firmness.
"Mobilizing an entire Titan Legion would take a lot of time," Alex frowned slightly. While this was indeed tempting, he knew that to a large extent, it was a pipe dream.
"And can the Adeptus Mechanicus truly divert an entire Titan Legion to a secondary campaign in such a remote Star District?" Alex was highly skeptical, though he knew full well that to obtain this Psyker War-Master, the Adeptus Mechanicus would spare no expense.
"Near the Mariupol Sector, a Tier 3 Titan Legion is stationed, possessing approximately 50 deployable war engines," Cawl responded, well-prepared.
Alex merely curled his lip in disdain upon hearing this: "A Tier 3 Titan Legion? A force of that size probably doesn't even have heavy Titans equipped, does it? Is deploying them to the battle really feasible?
Although the Expeditionary Force faces a relatively small-scale war, Archmagos, you must have personally experienced the technological prowess of the Necrons. While a Titan Legion of this size is indeed powerful, it cannot replace the strategic value of this psyker titan."
"Precisely! We absolutely cannot leave this sacred machine here! The Necrons could damage it at any time!" Cawl excitedly waved his mechanical appendages, metal joints grating harshly, his voice strained with emotion: "psyker titans have long been extinct in the Empire! This is the only known Warlord-class Psy-Titan! It is a miracle bestowed by the god of machines!"
Cawl's mechanical eye glowed with dangerous red light: "Even the slightest damage would be a blasphemy against the god of machines and an immeasurable loss! The Adeptus Mechanicus would rather exchange an entire Titan Legion than allow it to suffer any harm!"
After a brief silence, Cawl seemed to have gone through an intense internal struggle, adding: "If you are willing to entrust the psyker titan to the Adeptus Mechanicus for research, I can represent the Adeptus Mechanicus and assign a Titan Legion to your personal command."
"Assigned to my personal command?" Alex could barely hide his shock, "Does Archmagos mean that the full allegiance of this Legion would be transferred to me?"
This far exceeded his expectations—not small favors like a few new Warhound-class Titans, but an entire, fully structured Titan Legion, including dozens of various Titans, their associated transport fleet, and elite Titan guards!
To put it bluntly, with this scale of military power, coupled with an Astartes Chapter and enough Astra Militarum, he would be fully capable of conquering an entire Star District.
-------------------------------
I've already uploaded 70 chapters of this story on Patreon!
If you enjoy it, come check out the latest chapters in advance.
[patreon.com/TripleCrown07]
Thank you so much for your support!!!
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"