Hello everyone, I hope you are doing fine and well. I truly mean that.
I'm writing to explain exactly what happened over the past half year and why updates were so long, random, and frustratingly slow.
You see, my father was diagnosed with tuberculosis (TB). The unfortunate part was that we did not have enough money to get all the required medical tests and treatment. It was discovered that his lungs were filled with water, almost half a liter. He had severe coughing fits that lasted for minutes, constant fever, extreme exhaustion, and he was unable to work. He was so tired that he couldn't even sleep properly. Many nights, he had to sit on a chair just to breathe, drifting in and out of sleep from sheer exhaustion.
That was our reality for nearly six months.
Even after family support and help with the operation, I can say honestly that without that help, handling it alone would have been a death sentence for us.
Naturally, most of my focus during this time was on fear, constant fear that I might lose him. My friend had lost his father similarly just in December. The mental and emotional strain was overwhelming.
I started working on Webnovel not only because I had this vision for a long time, but also because I saw others there using Patreon, and I had hope, just a small hope, that maybe I could reduce the burden on his shoulders. And it did. I cannot express how much it meant to me, mentally and physically. Even a few hundred dollars makes a huge difference when you are running a household under medical stress.
Now, after the operation, there is a lot of relief. The TB treatment is still ongoing, but his breathing has improved a bit, and things are finally stabilizing a bit. He still can't work on anything and has coughs that pain him, but the treatment is going well.
For the first time in months, I have some time for myself again, a good thing, I can sleep at night, not just from exhaustion every day.
From now on, I can finally commit seriously. I will post regularly, work harder, and begin writing my own original fiction. I also have some good ideas planned. If you read my TWD fanfic, I hope you liked it. Sadly, it's only 5 chapters so far, but I will continue it, so don't worry.
...
Some of you have been here for a very long time. I completely understand and do not blame anyone who just quit due to my lack of updates. Your time should never feel wasted.
But some of you stayed. Some of you came back. You were here, and you didn't know my thing, and I didn't want to say at that time, and come off as some guilt-tripping guy, that was not me, I guess.
Still, you like the work to come here on Webnovel or paid, I truly cannot thank you enough.
Yes, this is fanfiction, but in these times, your support on Webnovel work meant everything. It reminded me that I can still do something meaningful, that my life is not as hopeless as it felt for years.
So yes, going forward, there will be original fiction, along with carefully edited and translated fanfiction.
Thank you, everyone.
I won't disappoint you any further.
.......
Chapter 157: Recording a Wonderful Life
In the deep, endless void, the tomb world of the Necrons floated in silence.
This was a desolate realm, devoid of light and sound, where only endless darkness and ancient majesty shrouded the entire planet.
Deep within the tomb's heart, a magnificent underground throne room stretched across vast spaces. Trazyn's sarcophagus rested upon the throne, shimmering with faint bluish-green luminescence.
However, in the silence, a strange sound quietly arose.
"Waaaaaagh~ Trazyn, come to Cadia!"
"Waaaaaagh~ Trazyn!"
"Waaaaaagh~"
Like a giant ork alarm clock, it kept roaring in Trazyn's auditory receptors.
Wearing a Dalmatian sleeping cap, Trazyn suddenly opened his optical sensors and sat upright. He roared furiously.
"Damn it! Which bastard is calling me? Come out and fight me one-on-one if you dare! Don't disturb my stasis!"
After a while, when silence returned, he lay back down to continue his rest.
After half of Terra had been rebuilt, he had finally entered hibernation again.
"Waaaaaagh~ Trazyn, come to Cadia!"
"Waaaaaagh~ Trazyn!"
"Waaaaaagh~"
The ork's roar echoed through his consciousness once more.
This was the ninety-ninth time he had been disturbed, and he roared in absolute fury.
"Cadia! Cadia! I'm going to Cadia, and I'll kill you, you wretched bastard!"
Rather than acting directly, Trazyn channeled his consciousness into a surrogate host. Eerie green energy surged into the surrogate body, its optical sensors suddenly ignited, and it set out on the path leading from the tomb.
Each step rang with the resonant sound of metal, solemn and heavy.
Trazyn's surrogate arrived at the starport in the tomb world and stopped before a warship that had slumbered for countless millennia.
His surrogate boarded the vessel and stood at the center of the bridge. By connecting to the warship's core systems, he initiated the navigation protocols.
He slipped into the Webway.
But as soon as he entered the network, he heard terrifying roars, as if some colossal entity had awakened and something was fighting against it.
But now was not the time for curiosity about such matters. He immediately crossed the web-tunnel and arrived near Planet Cadia.
Trazyn's warship rapidly approached Cadia's orbit, and everything gradually became clear.
A massive rift hung in the void, as if the universe itself had been torn open with a grievous wound. Twisted light flickered within the tear, surging with indescribable energies of Chaos.
On the other side of the rift, a Blackstone Fortress, like a colossus in the universe, was frantically unleashing devastating beams of light. Each ray tore through space, reducing the surging daemonic hordes to ash.
Trazyn's optical sensors flickered in confusion.
"When did the human Imperium become so valiant? It wasn't like this before!" Trazyn stood before the warship's observation window, muttering to himself, faint green light flickering in his eyes.
Fortunately, he hadn't missed the spectacle, and suddenly those irritating whispers didn't seem quite so annoying anymore.
He slowly raised his mechanically perfect arm, and a beam of light in his hand coalesced into an ancient photographic device.
Trazyn adjusted the camera to the optimal angle, and his surrogate subtly adjusted his posture, striking an elegant yet dignified V-sign pose.
The rift, the beams of light, the Blackstone Fortress, and the daemons reduced to ruins were all perfectly framed in the picture.
"Recording the beauty of life. How delightful!" Trazyn spoke in a deep, ethereal voice. Although his metallic face remained expressionless, it radiated unparalleled confidence and satisfaction.
With a gentle flash of the camera, a magnificent image was captured. Trazyn glanced down to check the photograph and expressed profound satisfaction with this work of art.
"Ah~ This is such a treasure. I'll see if I can add it to my collection later."
Trazyn pressed himself against the window, his optical sensors scanning the Blackstone Fortress. He was practically salivating, metaphorically speaking.
In his view, the universe would be destroyed sooner or later, and by preserving such artifacts, he at least maintained symbols of civilization from this era.
I'm such a benevolent individual!
...
Meanwhile, Francis, who was still firing wildly from Blackstone Fortress, also noticed the newcomer.
Just as he was about to investigate further, a sticky, oppressive feeling manifested in the control room.
"They're here! They're here! It must be Him influencing us!" Magnus roared from the device as if facing a formidable enemy. The deeper his understanding of the warp grew, the more he could feel the vast gulf between himself and the Architect.
"Another hallucination, is it? So unoriginal! Watch me handle this!" Francis said.
Francis downed the Primarch's blood he had prepared in one gulp, and a burst of golden radiance flashed behind his head.
Magnus stared in confusion.
Francis instantly transformed into the Emperor's appearance, except this time the Emperor didn't seek Magnus out.
It was peculiar, but Magnus didn't have time to ponder it.
As the psychic flame ignited, the awkward, sticky sensation quickly dissipated.
Then Francis turned to Magnus and said calmly, "See? I've got it handled easily! Why don't you hurry up and close the rift? It'll be a catastrophic problem if He takes direct action soon."
Magnus was stunned for a moment, then nodded frantically. "Right, right! I'll do it now!"
His psychic will coalesced into a massive crimson rune, hovering directly above the rift, radiating overwhelming pressure. With the support of psychic energy, the tear began to tremble violently, and the surrounding void seemed unable to withstand the force, emitting piercing sounds of reality tearing.
Suddenly, an enormous bird-like talon tried to reach through.
"It's over! We're going to be too late! Oh no! Oh no!" Magnus roared, his hands frantically channeling psychic energy.
Seeing that closing the rift in time was impossible, Francis rushed over and shouted, "I'm here to help you!"
As he spoke, he threw a powerful punch, striking Magnus's most vulnerable spot.
"Aaaaaaaahhhhh!"
With a deafening scream, Magnus unleashed an unprecedented surge of psychic energy. It crashed like a tidal wave into the rift. The psychic amplifiers of Blackstone Fortress were activated to their absolute limit, and the entire fortress trembled violently.
The rift began collapsing rapidly. The chaotic runes at the edges were torn apart, and the surging daemons were completely vaporized under the impact of the psychic torrent.
Just as the bird-like talons were almost fully extended, the tear shrank to a thin ray of light, then, with a thunderous bang, closed completely, leaving only darkness and silence.
Seeing this, Francis relaxed his tensed fists.
"Oh Oh Oh~."
Magnus curled up into a ball, twisting and turning like a crimson sausage. Large beads of sweat dripped down his face as he groaned incessantly.
Francis stared awkwardly. "Well, you know it was unavoidable. How could I possibly want to hurt you? This was all for our survival!"
Francis patiently offered justification, but upon reflection, he realized that this method of stimulating psychic energy seemed remarkably effective.
Seeing the other person wearing his father's face, Magnus wanted to curse, but held back. Even if his father punched him once, or even ten or eight times in succession, he would still interpret it as his father's stern love.
So Magnus, suppressing his pain, grabbed Francis's arm and asked through gritted teeth, "I...I...my psychic power...is my psychic power the strongest?"
Francis, wearing that regal visage, stroked Magnus's head and spoke with utmost kindness. "You're the finest psyker in the galaxy!"
Hearing his "father" praise him, Magnus smiled with immense satisfaction and then fainted.
Francis looked at his fist, then at Magnus, confusion flickering in his eyes, and murmured, "What just happened?"
However, he could not let his guard down yet. He pointed his cannon at the warship where Trazyn resided and sent out a communication request.
The moment the call connected, Trazyn sent a message.
"Are you selling this fortress? I'll trade you a Thunder Warrior Legion, plus a few Custodians or something. How about it?"
Francis paused. "Long time no see, Trazyn. You used just to snatch things directly. Why are you being so polite today?"
The tone of voice sounded remarkably familiar to him, as if he had encountered the person not long ago. He finally remembered after sifting through his memories and matching characters.
His eyes widened in surprise. "So it was you all along! Where did you hide the scepter? Even thieves have their codes! How could you take everything? What about the people who come after you? I must reform your bad habits. Quickly hand over the scepter to me. I'll keep it safe for the tomb owner so you don't lose it."
Trazyn said nothing. The two were truly birds of a feather.
Francis, along with Trazyn's surrogate, landed on Cadia from the warship.
Before he could speak, he heard a commotion. Looking in the direction of the sound, a group of albino orks was gathering on a wide-open wasteland. They formed a rough circle, gesturing wildly and letting out deafening "Waaagh" roars.
He spotted a strangely shaped scepter in the center of the circle, emitting a faint blue-purple glow. The top of the scepter appeared to be inlaid with some twisted psychic crystal.
"This is..." Francis began.
Trazyn stopped in his tracks, a hint of doubt in his metallic voice. "But I don't have your contact information, do I? Is this how you found me?"
Francis waved his hand, indicating helplessness.
Seeing this, Trazyn realized what had transpired. Despite being a mechanical life form, he still roared in fury.
"So it was you who orchestrated this! You've prevented me from getting proper stasis for dozens of days! You must compensate me! Consider that scepter as an apology."
"After going around in circles, he still wants to profit." Francis glanced at him and said disdainfully. "You're not only aesthetically challenged, but you're also delusional! If you want the scepter, trade it for a piece of blackstone from a tomb; otherwise, forget it."
Blackstone material from a tomb!
That was Blackstone from an entire lord's territory. Trazyn had never encountered such a ruthless merchant.
"Impossible! At most, half a tomb's worth."
On Mars, a cyborg priest, dressed in crimson augmented robes, strolled through the cathedral-library.
He stopped before a bookshelf. The shelf was inscribed with intricate sacred symbols, signifying the extreme importance of the contents it contained.
His prosthetic arm reached toward the bookshelf, his fingertips nimbly gliding over the rows of tomes, until book number 99 fell down.
[End of Chapter]