"The project direction has strategic value," Alex finally spoke, his voice not loud, but carrying the absolute weight of a Governor's decision, clearly piercing through the background hum.
His gaze swept over the excited red glow flickering behind Cawl's complex optical lenses, finally resting on Sage Olegana's calm visors, carrying an acknowledgment of her judgment.
"However, safety is an absolutely non-negotiable prerequisite. Continue to deepen theoretical research, especially on the two core difficulties of energy containment stability and machine spirit compatibility. Optimize your suppression and stabilization solutions."
"Before submitting a comprehensive safety assessment report that convinces me and can reduce the risk of loss of control to an extremely low level, the 'Imperial Knight' project is not allowed to conduct any activation tests involving live Psykers or substantial energy output."
He turned to Cawl, his tone softened but firm as adamantium: "Archmagos Cawl, I understand your desire for breakthroughs, but the foundation must be solid."
He then looked at Olegana: "Sage, focus on solving those critical bottlenecks."
In Cawl's complex multi-compound eye array, the red light flickered rapidly several times, and the internal lens group emitted subtle calibration sounds, as if performing massive data calculations.
Finally, his vocalizer emitted a low hum mixed with binary static: "I understand your caution, Governor. Practice is the sole criterion for testing truth, but the foundation indeed needs to be consolidated. We will redouble our efforts to seek technological breakthroughs."
The movements of his several auxiliary mechanical arms seemed to carry a slight delay after computational overload.
The mechanical hum in the core area of the research station seemed even heavier.
The low growl of the giant analysis array, the roar of coolant rushing through thick pipes, and the friction of servo joints intertwined into a single sound.
Data streams still cast shifting light and shadow in the dim space.
servitor skulls circled the silent steel giant tirelessly like devout monks, their scanning beams leaving fleeting traces like the radiance of prayers on ancient, mysterious runes.
Low-ranking Priests chanted binary hymns in low voices at their respective posts, treating every observed byte and every ripple of energy as a sacred offering to the god of machines, continuing to explore the alluring and dangerous forbidden knowledge hidden deep within the Titan armor and the crude prototype's rudimentary form.
—
Days later, Alex was in the Governors Office study, dealing with mountains of administrative data slates.
Outside the window were the never-ending lights of the Hive City on the main planet of Rostov; inside was cold rationality and heavy responsibility.
The bottleneck in the psyker titan research and the enormous risks of the "Imperial Knight" project weighed heavily on his mind like a dark shadow.
At this moment, the scent of incense permeating the study seemed to be disturbed by an extremely faint psychic fluctuation, carrying the fresh fragrance of exotic plants.
Alex looked up and, without surprise, saw Vallis Mor's figure, as if woven from shadows, silently appearing by the viewing window in a corner of the study.
Her silver-white hair flowed with a moonlit sheen in the indoor light, and her molten-gold eyes calmly observed Alex.
"Do Aeldari seers always like to arrive uninvited like this?" Alex put down the data slate, his tone flat, betraying no emotion.
He was not surprised that Vallis could bypass the Governors Office security; this seer's psychic attainments were unfathomable.
"Human portals, for travelers who weave through the Webway and listen to the whispers beyond the veil, are not always impregnable mazes," Vallis's voice was clear and ethereal, like the distant whispers of stars.
She turned around, her gaze seemingly piercing through Alex, seeing the tangled thoughts deep within his soul.
"I sensed… a mist of confusion, and a ravenous cry for power. Deep within your steel temple, where prayers of iron and fire echo."
Alex did not deny it: "Archmagos Cawl's project has encountered an insurmountable technological chasm. The power humanity attempts to wield, its essence may be more… elusive than we perceive."
"Elusive?" Vallis's lips curved into an extremely faint arc, as if she had discerned the tangled threads of fate.
"Rather, your human methods are too… rigid and lack resonance. You attempt to confine and drive the unrestrained song of life, which flows like the tide of the soul sea, with cold metal cages and brutal chains of will."
"This is like trying to cage a nascent star with a rusty iron cage—the result is either the cage breaking and the star perishing, or its light being suffocated and distorted, drawing the hungry, pain-feeding shadows from beyond the veil to covet the fractured seams."
She took two light steps forward, as if gliding through the web of fate, and a soft yet resilient milky-white glow naturally swirled around her fingertips.
This light was not fire; it was more like solidified moonlight, a flowing song, flowing and condensing at her fingertips, quickly forming an extremely tiny, yet structurally intricate and complex three-dimensional rune model, like the trajectory of stars, emitting a pure and stable soul pulsation.
"We Aeldari, breathe and share destiny with the soul sea, having experienced countless cycles of stars. Our Spirit Bone…" Vallis's gaze fell upon the milky-white model at her fingertips, carrying a deep reverence for ancient artifice.
"…is not a mineral from the earth, nor metal forged by mundane fire. It is the crystallization of the song of will resonating with the essence of the soul sea; it is the manifestation of a living melody upon the veil of reality."
"It is inherently the most perfect resonance chamber for the flame of life, the most obedient conduit for melody, the most resilient thread of fate. It is gentle as the light of a mother star, yet tenacious as an ancient vow; capable of bearing the immense power of a stellar explosion, and also able to blend seamlessly with the soul song of its wielder, becoming one."
Alex's gaze was instantly drawn to the milky-white Spirit Bone model.
He could clearly feel the contained qualities within it, distinctly different from the rampant psychic energy in the Titan—a power that was restrained, highly ordered, and full of resilience.
"You mean…" Alex's voice carried a hint of inquiry.
"I can share the basic 'song' of the Spirit Bone—its whispering growth, its weaving rhythm." Vallis looked directly at Alex, her molten-gold eyes showing a resolve born of having to bow to fate for the sake of the greater survival.
"It can fundamentally untie the dead knot of your material constraints, allowing the flow of energy to surge like the most harmonious melody. Its stability and efficiency are a dream unattainable by your rigid iron laws and imposed shackles."
"More importantly…" The Spirit Bone model at her fingertips glowed, simulating its integration into a structure similar to the core of a knight titans.
"…the Spirit Bone itself is the echo of the soul. It can awaken the dormant 'soul resonance' deep within your steel giants, making them more easily listen, understand, and ultimately accept this new power, viewing it as an extension of their own bloodline, rather than an intrusive discord or curse."
"This reaches the essence of the steel heart far more effectively than your crude 'pacification' incantations and cold 'coupling' protocols."
Vallis paused, then added, her tone returning to that detached coolness of one who surveys the mortal realm.
"Of course, this is merely the prelude to the 'song'. To truly wield this war epic of steel and soul resonance, your human artisans, those whose souls still possess 'craftsmanship' and resonate with 'soul resonance', must sculpt it with their hearts, not merely with cold logic."
"And… a Knight whose soul is blazing enough to ignite the forge, and whose will is as resilient as an ancient stellar core, to become the chanter of this epic."
------------------------
I've posted 70+ chapters in advance on Patreon.
Webnovel updates will still be daily, as usual.
It might not seem tempting right nobut who knows what the future holds?
[email protected]/TripleCrown
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"