Noah's judgment was correct; there were too many Daemons, and too many cultists.
Although the human forces now completely overwhelmed these Daemons in quality, Terra was a planet.
This human capital had more than a trillion people, and now that they had become cultists, they had become the Imperium of Man's most troublesome problem.
This was the capital of the Imperium of Man, and large-scale weapons of mass destruction could not be deployed.
Therefore, they could only deploy troops to retake the land inch by inch. The war had fallen into a protracted battle, and the Imperium of Man's Imperial Army was not numerous enough.
At least until the astronomican was rekindled, external reinforcements were received, and the continued appearance of Daemons was curbed, the Imperial Army on Terra would still need to constantly fight a security war.
For Guilliman, the only good news was that he had successfully built the factory Noah told him about on the 7th day and had successfully started producing ork food.
A ork factory was closely guarded by the Custodes.
Orks could be said to be blasphemous creatures; they were close relatives of Chaos, so this matter must never be known to anyone. This was a secret of the Imperium.
Because at this time, after truly understanding the benefits brought by ork food, the Custodes had no desire to destroy this factory.
The amount of food it provided was simply too much, and its benefits far outweighed the risks.
As a result, this factory was preserved by the Custodes and heavily guarded. No one was allowed to enter the ork factory, only the servitors.
An endless stream of food was produced from the ork factory, then processed through one procedure after another and provided to the citizens of the Imperium.
Although most of it was protein paste, a small portion of ork meat was still preserved and made into ork canned goods, which tasted far better than ant-cow canned goods.
This allowed the citizens at the bottom of Terra to taste a bite of meat.
The predicament of the Imperium of Man was truly tragic; a stellaris civilization actually couldn't even feed its own citizens. How absurd was that?
Their lives had reached a point Noah could hardly imagine; it was precisely because of that one bite of meat that these citizens became pious once again.
The corruption of Chaos gradually began to lose its powerful effect, and the numbers of cultist armies and Daemons also began to show a significant decrease.
While this couldn't compare to the Emperor rekindling the astronomican, it was indeed good news.
Although Terra had not been fully reclaimed by the Imperium of Man, the threat of Chaos was indeed gradually being cleared away.
Just waiting for the astronomican to be rekindled, then everything would be settled.
Guilliman thought so in his heart, and at the same time, he was already mentally prepared, understanding that the matter of Terra could not be resolved in a short time.
He was ready to fight here for several months, or even over a year.
Until his father rekindled the astronomican.
However, this matter took a turn in the 3rd month.
When the time came to the beginning of the 3rd month, Noah finally completed the Webway project.
A passage led directly to the colony he had been on before.
Thanks to the powerful communication technology in stellaris, even though Noah was not on his own planet, he was still able to control its development.
Having two colonies, he now had a huge army at his disposal.
The number of PDF troops had surged. After Noah expressed his need for troops to clear out the Terra rebels, the forces on the planets were once again expanded.
When the Webway was opened, all the PDF on his two planets combined had reached 48 million.
After deducting the 20 million PDF troops needed to be left as garrison forces, Noah successfully mobilized 28 million Space Marines.
Of course, this was the Imperium's name for these PDF, Noah still referred to them as pdf.
At the same time, the number of titan machine spirit cooperating with these 28 million pdf also reached 8,000 units.
In order to effectively clear out the forces of Chaos, Noah mobilized most of the titan machine spirit he could deploy.
A full 6,000 units, equivalent to the Imperium's warlord-class titan, were mobilized by him, ready to come to Terra with the 28 million pdf.
Undoubtedly, this was a powerful army, and the number of Space Marines in this army was even more than during the Great Crusade period.
As the Imperium's new Warmaster, Sun Lord Noah had all the authority to mobilize troops, so after the Webway passage was established, Noah came to the barracks inside the Terra Imperial Palace.
The garrison of the Imperial Palace was usually handled by the Custodes, so Noah also planned to place the Webway here. He held a Webway energy cube in his hand.
He only needed to place this Webway cube in a specific area to open the Webway, and the Webway's power would be supplied by two zero point core, which Noah had also crafted by hand during these two months.
Although the Imperium's energy cores could also provide some energy, their power was too low.
Therefore, Noah had no choice but to use his own equipment.
After two months, he left his research laboratory for the first time and appeared before the outside world.
As he walked out of his laboratory door, the two Custodes guarding him knelt on one knee and saluted him.
In the Imperium of Man, only Noah could receive such an honor.
Even as the 13th Primarch, the 13th son of the Emperor, Guilliman could not receive a single-knee bow from the Custodes.
"My Lord, you have finally emerged. The fires of war on Terra have begun to gradually subside. Under the command of Regent Guilliman, even without the Emperor's astronomican rekindled, we estimate we can retake all of Terra within two years."
"In addition, the production base developed by my Lord has also begun operation and can continuously provide enough food for the citizens of Terra."
"To be able to retake Terra within two years, even without the Emperor's astronomican rekindled, is all thanks to your farm."
After Noah came out, the Custodes naturally reported to him about the Imperium's activities during this period, particularly emphasizing the matter of food.
After all, the food production provided by Noah alleviated Terra's food shortage problem, which directly dealt a heavy blow to the Daemons.
Listening to the Custodes' report, Noah nodded. Such a scene was not surprising to him.
As a top scientist of the Terran Federation, he had encountered such things in the federation before; it was normal for an army to protect his safety.
"I know about this. I'm out this time for something more important."
Noah's psionics directly helped the two kneeling Custodes to their feet, then he said to them,
"One of you take me to the barracks, and the other go notify Commander Trajan. I have something I need his assistance with."
"Understood." The Emperor's orders given to Noah were equivalent to his own orders, so the Custodes did not hesitate and immediately carried them out.
The Custodes led the way, and as they walked quickly, Noah followed close behind them, even though these Custodes were nominally outstanding products of the Emperor's alchemical metal.
But in Noah's eyes, they were just so-so; he was not only following the Custodes but also studying this mysterious Imperial Custodes force.
Although Noah had always conducted research experiments in his laboratory,
his psionics had always been focused on the battlefield.
During the Battle of Lion's Gate, he had observed the performance of the Custodes, and a unit of this caliber was indeed very effective in ground combat.
However, their numbers were a bit too small, so Noah was thinking about how to increase the quantity of these troops.
What good are a mere ten thousand Custodes? Not even enough to guard a home.
At least they need to be organized into legions to conquer the galaxy, right?
Who knew that in this galaxy, humanity could not destroy planets one after another at will, like the Terran Federation before.
Therefore, while the Custodes led the way, Noah continued to use his superhuman brain to ponder how to mass-produce these Custodes units.
Since both were superhuman existences, under the guidance of the Custodes, Noah arrived at a Custodes barracks after half an hour of walking.
This barracks was very spacious, with only 10 Custodes stationed there, along with two dreadnoughts, and a large number of defensive fortifications had also been completed.
This was a training barracks for the Custodes. Since Noah expressed that he needed a relatively large space, the Custodes brought him here.
Upon arrival, Noah looked at the barracks and then spoke.
"The size here is about right. Good, I will now tell you what I intend to do. I want to open a Webway.
This Webway can connect to my planet, allowing me to mobilize reinforcements from there to support Terra."
Noah finished his words, but the Custodes froze in place—
All along the way, he had been wondering what Noah needed a relatively spacious barracks for, and he never expected it to be for opening a Webway.
The word Webway was not a pleasant term for the Custodes.
Even ten thousand years later, with the Custodes having completed their replenishment, they still had a strong reaction to the Webway.
Even after Noah uttered that sentence, the dreadnoughts nearby also awoke, their gazes uniformly directed at Noah.
The veterans inside the dreadnoughts were elders from ten thousand years ago, existing when the Emperor could still walk among the vast cosmos.
These Custodes had truly participated in the War of the Webway, so their reaction was particularly strong upon hearing Noah's words.
Even though Noah was the Sun Lord Imperial Warmaster personally appointed by the Emperor, capable of even mobilizing the Custodes, these dreadnoughts still fixed their gazes firmly on Noah.
They instinctively wanted to raise their weapons and aim them at Noah.
The term Webway was simply too triggering for the Custodes.
However, upon seeing Noah, they still tried hard to suppress the turmoil in their hearts.
On one hand, Noah's action of removing the poison for the Emperor could be said to have given the Emperor a chance at recovery.
This development and situation gave these Custodes an opportunity to atone for their mistakes.
At the same time, Noah was also the Sun Lord Imperial Warmaster personally appointed by the Emperor, and the Custodes were commanded to obey his orders.
For both emotional and logical reasons, these fellows should not draw their weapons against Noah.
On the other hand, and most importantly, Noah's power was unparalleled within the entire Imperial Palace of Terra.
Unless the Emperor personally intervened, no one would be a match for this new Imperial Warmaster, the Sun Lord.
Not only his personal strength, but just the mechanical combat units he brought out would be enough to sweep through the entire Imperial Palace of Terra.
Faced with so many issues, the Custodes and their dreadnoughts had only just raised their weapons before their powerful rationality pushed them back down.
The Custodes responsible for bringing Noah here looked at him and thought for a long time before he finally spoke.
"Respected Sun Lord, I do not have the authority to give you an answer. Please allow me to seek our Commander of the Custodes, Trajan, to speak with you."
"Please understand, we Custodes have a great apprehension regarding the Webway. This all concerns a battle from ten thousand years ago; please grant us some time."
As he spoke, this Custodes quickly motioned for an attendant behind him to bring a record of the War of the Webway.
"Before our Commander arrives, if you find yourself bored, you may read this record about the War of the Webway. We hope you can understand us."
The Custodes could be said to be very polite. Noah, possessing full moral integrity, naturally would not lay down the Webway before the Custodes agreed.
He reached out and took the book that recorded the War of the Webway, and spoke.
"I will carefully consider what you have said. Go find your Commander of the Custodes; let him discuss it with me. I will not place the Webway facility before you return."
"Just go; I will read about the War of the Webway you mentioned."
Noah's words immediately reassured this Custodes.
Several months had passed since Noah arrived on Terra, and the Custodes were well aware of what kind of existence this great figure was; he possessed full moral integrity.
Such an existence simply should not appear in this universe.
He even had the Emperor's trust, so even though the Custodes felt they should be more cautious, they still involuntarily believed him and then turned to leave.
Noah, holding the book that recorded the War of the Webway, entered the barracks. The original Custodes in the barracks still knelt on one knee before him, showing respect.
However, as they knelt, Noah's psionics always managed to gently lift them up.
As a scientist of the Terran Federation, honestly, he did not wish for his fellow humans to kneel before him.
His fellow humans kneeling before him was something he found somewhat unacceptable.
But if xenos stood and spoke to him, he would find it even more unacceptable.
After leaving Noah, that Custodes immediately found their Commander, Trajan.
Trajan did not go directly to Noah. Instead, he turned and went straight to the Throne Room to seek the Emperor's guidance.
This matter was simply too significant; he could not make a definite decision.
Since the Emperor could now communicate with them, he chose to seek the Emperor's guidance.
Half an hour later, Trajan received the Emperor's guidance.
The Emperor's meaning was very clear: just let Noah do as he pleased.
He trusted the judgment of his 13th son, who was a human technological titan of full moral integrity, and he also believed that someone who spoke of humanity's manifest destiny was not a bad person.
Of course, most importantly, this person claimed to be human.
This point was most affirmed by the Emperor, who also considered himself human.
He believed that such a person would never be a bad person.
He had witnessed Noah's actions.
He could not be corrupted by Chaos.
Earlier, Khorne had wanted to bestow power upon Noah, but what was the final result?
Khorne's power simply could not be bestowed upon Noah.
To say that such a fellow would be used and corrupted by Chaos was utter nonsense.
Since the Emperor himself had given instructions, Astra Militarum Commander Trajan naturally could not object.
To show respect for Noah, he personally came before Noah.
At this time, Noah had also finished reading all the details of the Webway War.
He understood why the Custodes had such a strong reaction to the word 'Webway'.
After all, having suffered such a great loss, their strong reaction was normal, so before Trajan came over, he first extended his hand to express his apology.
"I apologize, I didn't realize that this word would cause such a huge impact on you, and that you had suffered such a great loss with these technologies."
Noah's apology was sincere, and Trajan, who had just arrived to explain the matter to Noah, was stunned.
After a long while, he finally came back to his senses, then extended his hand and shook Noah's.
Although Guilliman had said that Noah was a highly moral big shot, when such a highly moral person actually appeared before him, the Commander of the Custodes was still completely bewildered.
How could this universe and world, as broken as a toilet, have cultivated such a highly moral big shot?
It was purely defying heaven.
Although he thought so in his heart, Trajan still chose to sincerely apologize to Noah.
"It's alright, it's not your fault.
I have already received the Emperor's will; he told me that you are allowed to do anything within the Imperial Palace.
So I must also apologize for any unfriendly actions the Custodes may have taken towards you before."
The two reached a reconciliation, and after shaking hands, Trajan chose to follow behind Noah.
Not only that, but Trajan also issued a call to arms for all Custodes, and Custodes in the Imperial Palace were continuously rushing towards this direction.
At the same time, the Custodes who were cooperating with Guilliman in battle, except for four left to protect Guilliman, all the rest also returned to the Imperial Palace.
The lessons of the War of the Webway were still vivid; before, the Emperor had blocked the Warp Daemons there for them, but now the Emperor could no longer stand up.
Although humanity had once again gained a highly moral big shot, and Noah even possessed powerful psionics that seemed to be able to seal the Webway.
But in their opinion, Noah's psionics was ultimately no match for the Emperor's.
Then Noah would also definitely need them to buy time; to be safe, the Custodes needed to gather to resist the Warp Daemons should any problems arise with the Webway.
Noah also perceived the actions of the Custodes, but he said nothing.
After all, this was experience summarized by the Custodes after their last lesson.
This was not a distrust of him personally; rather, it could be said to be preparation to assist him, so Noah naturally had the mood to talk with Trajan.
He felt it was necessary to improve the Imperium of Man's Custodes' post-traumatic stress disorder regarding Webway technology.
So Noah, who was about to stand up and walk towards the center of the camp, instead stopped his steps.
He slowly turned his head and looked at Astra Militarum Commander Trajan, who was following beside him.
"Commander Trajan, I have read about your Webway War, and I fully understand your wariness towards Webway technology, but I think you don't need to be so overly cautious."
Trajan originally wanted to say something to explain the impact of the Webway War.
However, he remembered that the person in front of him was, after all, a big shot with full technology and full morality.
Therefore, he did not show off his meager skill but continued to listen quietly.
His gaze was fixed on Noah, and the meaning in his eyes was clear.
You continue, I am listening—
Noah was also very satisfied that the Commander of the Custodes did not interrupt him.
"Your previous Webway War was mainly due to an accident; one of your Emperor's sons, a fellow human, broke his psionics shield.
That is, Magnus, the Primarch of the Thousand Sons Legion, in order to warn the Emperor of Horus' betrayal, used powerful psionics communication to penetrate the Warp, breaking the outer wall of the Webway, leading to the swarm of Warp Daemons."
"The main factor why this war broke out was that the outer wall of the Webway was broken by powerful psionics.
This is one of the problems why your Webway War broke out."
Noah's words, heard by the Commander of the Custodes, were absolutely blasphemous and heretic, as he either spoke of the Emperor, his son, or a fellow human.
How heretical these words were goes without saying.
However, since Noah had spoken this way when conversing with the Emperor, the Custodes also understood what kind of existence this person was, so they did not object to this matter at all.
Trajan nodded seriously, believing Noah was right.
"Yes, just as you said, the main factor why this war broke out was that the outer wall of the Webway was broken, allowing Warp Daemons to continuously pour in."
"Very good, I am very satisfied that you can understand this point; it seems you can also learn knowledge well."
Noah's face was beaming with a warm smile, affirming what Trajan had said, and then continued.
"So what you are most worried about should be the outer wall of the Webway being broken, which would lead to a continuous influx of Warp Daemons, thus triggering a War of the Webway."
"But what I have made is different; it uses a large amount of my resources and technology, and it is not the kind of Webway you remember."
"You certainly won't understand if I talk about technology and techniques, so I'll put it in terms you can understand."
"I have thoroughly studied your Webway; before coming here, Guilliman and I walked through this thing. I once studied it; this thing has been around for a very, very long time, like an old, dilapidated dirt road."
"No one has built this road, and no one has maintained it, so its fragility is naturally destined; this thing itself is not an eternal existence."
"Your Webway is such an existence; its time is too long. Before use, you did not carry out detailed maintenance and repair on it, so it could not play the role it should have.
But this one I made is different; it has just been created, and its outer wall is still tough."
"At the same time, you don't have to be afraid of this thing breaking. Even if it breaks, I have prepared two zero point cores for it.
The energy generated by these things can repair this damaged Webway and mend it back, even if the damage is only temporary."
"For this Webway, as long as there is an energy supply, it can always exist and continuously repair any damaged locations."
"Later, if you feel it's not safe enough, you can increase the energy supply to this pipeline. With enough energy supply, I dare to guarantee.
Even if one of the four gods actively takes action and breaks the pipeline, as long as you can provide enough energy, it can still restore it."
Noah's face was full of confidence, and after the Commander of the Custodes heard these words, he was incredibly disbelieving.
Is this what they call a top research big shot with full morality?!
Trajan is the Commander of the Custodes. As a Custodian, he could be said to know a little about everything, so after Noah finished speaking, he already understood.
As a top-tier existence personally appointed as Warmaster by the Emperor, this fellow created a Webway completely different from the one the Emperor had once created.
The Webway the Imperium had discovered was something left behind by ancient beings.
The Emperor would only use this thing, not repair it.
Even the Aeldari themselves couldn't repair it, so once it was damaged, the Emperor was powerless. He could only try his best to block it with his buttocks, with his butt crack.
However, the Webway provided by Noah was completely different. It was supplied by energy, and once the Webway was damaged,
as long as enough energy could be provided, the Webway could even repair itself.
This was completely different.
Although Noah's Webway might also experience something like the Webway War, the Warp Daemons would not have an endless stream of reinforcements.
As long as they could hold on for a period and then increase the energy supply, the Webway could recover.
The daemon invasion would be directly interrupted.
This was completely different from the previous War of the Webway; there would be no endless stream of daemons pouring in, and the Custodian Guard had enough confidence to stop them.
The only problem was energy.
Energy wouldn't be an issue; they could just have the Adeptus Mechanicus set up two ion cores here and provide energy continuously.
Although Noah said that the two zero-point energy cores in his hands could already provide enough energy,
the Custodes still felt that more was needed, as no amount of insurance was too much for the Emperor's safety.
Trajan didn't speak. Noah felt that he should have understood, so he didn't continue to waste words with him and began the final phase of the Webway construction.
As he fiddled around and completed the last step, a psionic Webway appeared in the Custodes' barracks.
Meanwhile, a massive passage also appeared around the governor's Mansion on Trajan IV.
The local PDF was not at all surprised by this scene, as Noah had already given them orders.
"Webway detected! The Grand Marshal's Webway has opened! Immediately proceed according to the plan!"
After technical robots and scientists quickly came forward to conduct a detailed investigation and verification of the Webway, they began to order the PDF to pass through the Webway.
"Verification complete. This is a normal Webway. Our troops can now be ordered to advance."
Webway travel was extremely fast. Despite the vast distance between the Segmentum Tempestus and the Central New Territories, they would only need to march for two hours within the Webway to arrive.
This technology was definitely one of the top technologies in the Terran Federation.
Under normal circumstances, for slightly more distant star systems, the Terran Federation would establish stargate routes or Webway routes.
More developed starfields usually had both of these routes.
This was like the highways and high-speed rail of humanity in the 2K era.
Ordinary hyperspace routes could be considered highways, and direct travel through space could be considered ordinary roads.
The Webway and stargates, however, could be directly designated as airplanes or high-speed rail.
The wealthier a star system, the more stargates and Webways it possessed.
Generally, to determine if a star system was prosperous, you only needed to observe how many Webways and stargates it had, as the maintenance of these two things also required energy expenditure.
Reinforcements from Trajan IV had already entered the Webway, while the Custodes on this side were standing by in full battle readiness.
They were constantly on guard against the appearance of Warp Daemons, and dreadnoughts were also activated, aiming their weapons at the Webway entrance.
Facing their behavior, which was as if they were facing a formidable enemy, Noah merely waved his hand and then motioned for Trajan to step forward.
Trajan stepped forward, his golden power armor appearing even more majestic under the psionics glow emanating from the Webway.
He gripped his Guardian Spear tightly, his gaze fixed on the depths of the Webway, as if ready to face a bloody battle at any moment.
However, Noah merely patted his shoulder lightly, his tone as relaxed as if discussing the weather:
"Relax, Commander. My Webway isn't the 'second-hand goods' the Emperor used back then."
Trajan didn't turn his head, and his vigilant posture didn't relax in the slightest:
"Sun Lord, you may be confident in your technology, but the threat of the Warp cannot be underestimated. Once daemons invade—"
"—they'll be burned to ashes directly," Noah interrupted him, making a gentle gesture with his finger, and a circle of blazing white outer wall suddenly appeared at the edge of the Webway.
"See these? This is a 'psionics Firewall.' Any unauthorized Warp entity attempting to break in will be directly disintegrated into fundamental particles."
"Of course I've thought of these things you're considering. Ordinary Warp Daemons trying to touch the Webway will only find death. Don't worry."
As he spoke, Noah pulled Trajan to a machine, and that brand-new machine displayed the status of the entire Webway.
"The operation of the Webway will be taken over by you Custodes. I originally intended to have Guilliman's Ultramarines guard it, but since this is the Imperial Palace, it's best for you to guard it."
"This machine can show you the status of the entire Webway. If any damage occurs, just press this button next to it to increase the energy output.
This can further repair the Webway and also clear out enemies that have entered it."
"At the same time, it will also tell you the extent of the damage. If you see more than 40% damage, or even an unmanageable powerful entity appearing within the Webway, then don't hesitate, press this button."
Noah slid the virtual screen, directly showing him a termination button.
"If the enemy cannot be resisted, and there are no longer any of our own people inside the Webway, then press here, and this Webway will be immediately destroyed. No one will be able to reach Terra through the Webway."
"If something is unusable, then we might as well destroy it, but you must be careful not to press this button when we have our own people inside."
"If you destroy the Webway, then the people who were originally on the Webway will directly appear within the Warp. You should understand that for ordinary people to appear in there, there is only death."
"If we want to provide them with support, we need the Psionic Legion, but I haven't cultivated the Psionic Legion yet."
Noah warned Trajan gravely, and Trajan firmly committed everything Noah said to memory.
After Noah stated that the Webway could be destroyed, Trajan nodded sincerely.
He now admitted that the Emperor's Webway technology was nothing compared to this one.
If only the Emperor's Webway could have been directly destroyed, he wouldn't have allowed the enemy to directly enter Terra through it, and he himself wouldn't have had to sit on the golden throne constantly blocking it.
Although the burning of the astronomican required the Emperor's psionics, at least he wouldn't have to be firmly seated there as he was now.