Chapter 8: The Path of Technology

Chapter 8: The Path of Technology

Guilliman pondered his next move, sorting through the current state of affairs. Given the nature of this universe, the Chaos Gods would have undoubtedly turned their gaze toward him the moment he awakened. The traitor primarchs would soon initiate their own schemes against him as well.

If his memory served correctly, Fulgrim, the traitor primarch of the Emperor’s Children, would be the first to act. Ten thousand years ago, this wretch had slain Ferrus Manus, primarch of the Iron Hands, becoming the first traitor to kill his own brother. After the failure of Horus’s rebellion, Fulgrim had crippled him during the pursuit at Thessala. Most importantly, this creature had become the chosen champion of Slaanesh, the Chaos God of Excess, treating the torture of others as a form of artistic indulgence.

How to describe the daemons and followers of Slaanesh? They were decadent, unrestrained, and utterly devoid of taboos, willing to do anything in pursuit of pleasure. Some might think they would find favor with such a deity, perhaps imagining the fiery forms of the daemonettes, but in truth, no one could endure the horrors of Slaanesh’s devotees. It was an absolute truth that one would rather be cut down by the followers of Khorne than linger in the clutches of Slaanesh’s spawn. Khorne simply desired one’s death; Tzeentch enjoyed toying with destiny; Nurgle offered a twisted form of love; but Slaanesh truly wanted to ensure that every individual suffered an eternity of agony while masquerading as pleasure.

Fulgrim’s threat level: catastrophic. Being captured by that creature was a fate worse than death.

Beyond him, there was Magnus the Red, primarch of the Thousand Sons. This one, too, had ascended to daemonhood, becoming the chosen champion of Tzeentch. Possessing peerless sorcery, his greatest feat was shifting an entire planet across half the galaxy. Thinking of this made Guilliman’s head ache; moving a planet across tens of thousands of light-years was the stuff of celestial-level cultivators in fantasy novels. It was maddening—this world was a bizarre contradiction of science and magic. What was the point of having magic mixed into technology? Magnus was formidable, well-versed in the dark arts of Tzeentch, and obsessed with schemes; one would be ensnared by his traps if they were the least bit careless.

Furthermore, there was Lorgar of the Word Bearers, the fanatic who harbored a blood feud with the Ultramarines and longed to tear him limb from limb. While the others fought for the sake of Chaos or the struggle against humanity, Lorgar’s hatred for Guilliman was deeply personal. It was an irreconcilable enmity; only one of them could remain standing.

The roots of this hatred lay in Guilliman’s execution of the Emperor’s order to burn the City of Faith, an act that forced the entire Word Bearers Legion to kneel in disgrace. During the onset of the Horus Heresy, the Word Bearers staged the Calth Betrayal against the Ultramarines, turning the surface of the planet into glass. Guilliman had been stabbed by Kor Phaeron, First Captain of the Word Bearers, and that wound became a weakness that Fulgrim later exploited at the Battle of Thessala by plunging a blade into that very same spot. The Word Bearers had sabotaged him from beginning to end. During the Calth Betrayal, the Ultramarines were crippled by the surprise attack, and countless Imperial Army personnel and civilians perished. The radiation levels in the entire system went off the charts, rendering the surface uninhabitable. Thus, an eternal blood feud was forged.

Guilliman weighed the balance of power and felt a chill settle in his heart. The traitor primarchs were still alive, and the Ruinous Powers were watching him. On his side, he stood alone. The loyalist primarchs were all gone, the Emperor was a half-dead husk, and the Imperium was burdened by the corrupt High Lords of Terra, a fanatical Ecclesiarchy, Custodians who acted like reclusive hermits, and Space Marine Chapters that ignored summons. Currently, the Imperium was torn asunder by the Great Rift; the other side had lost the guidance of the Astronomican and was now unreachable. The Imperium was like a patient hemorrhaging to death.

Most significantly, the enemies of the Empire were not limited to Chaos. There were the Tyranids from outside the galaxy, the awakening Necrons, the rising T'au, and the Aeldari, who lay in their coffins with one foot already in the grave. Guilliman almost wanted to ask if he could just surrender and call it a day. With so many factions and the current state of the Imperium, humanity was undoubtedly doomed. Had it not been for the "Supreme Commander" template and the database, he would have considered stealing a ship and fleeing. Why stay if he couldn't win?

"Auxiliary Spirit," Guilliman called out in his mind.

[I am here. How may I assist you, Host?]

"Where is my reward?" Guilliman asked.

[The Level 1 database clearance has already been opened for you. You simply haven't accessed it yet.]

"Then open the database."

[Understood. Linking to the database now.]

As the spirit spoke, a light screen appeared before him. He reached out to touch it, only to find it was a projection, not a physical object. At his command, the content on the screen shifted continuously.

"First-generation Super Soldier enhancement technology, First-generation Angel dark matter computer engine technology, blueprints for the Yamato-class battleship, individual auxiliary combat suits, blueprints for the Gauss plasma rifle, schematics for curvature engines, interstellar warship schematics, star-killing weapon—Death Star schematics, principles of biological genetic enhancement surgery, principles of bio-induced evolution, genomic remodeling, manuals for cultivating special alien flora, a beginner's guide to raising sows, 108 methods for taming a Husky..."

Guilliman scanned the list. The knowledge within the database was vast, rich, and could only be described as terrifying.

"Is this the knowledge available at Level 1 clearance?" he asked.

[Yes, Host. This is the knowledge accessible at Level 1.]

Guilliman contemplated the Death Star and the first-generation Angel dark matter engine technology for a moment before asking, "How many levels of database clearance are there in total?"

[There are ten levels, with ten corresponding certification missions. Once all are completed, you will gain full access to the database.]

"If Level 1 grants the Death Star and Super Soldier technology, then Levels 2 and 3 must be even more terrifying. Is it all scientific knowledge? Or will higher levels grant those mysterious, supernatural things?" Guilliman voiced his confusion.

If Level 1 was this powerful, what would Levels 2 and 3 offer? By Levels 4 or 5, perhaps Void computer engines and space-time annihilation bombs would appear. What could possibly be left for Levels 7 or 8? He suspected they might involve mysterious, metaphysical powers—the kind of supreme artifacts or cultivation techniques that could grant immortality.

[The database contains only the knowledge of civilization. It does not record anything useless to the development of civilization.]

Guilliman paused. "Then what is in the Level 10 database? Inter-universal engines? Pan-universal conceptual weapons? Or a device to restart the universe?"

[The path of technology is endless. There is no need for the Host to speculate. Please strive toward the ultimate goal: the transcendence of civilization and the dominion of the multiverse.]

Hearing this, Guilliman chuckled. Surviving was a blessing enough; he hardly dared to dream of transcendence. Since he couldn't get an answer about the contents of the Level 10 database, he set the matter aside. Take it slow; one day, he would unlock the tenth level and see for himself.

Guilliman composed himself and began to study the knowledge within the database. This information would be his most important trump card in reshaping the Imperium and restoring humanity’s combat strength. With his brain's immense computational capacity, he quickly selected the most critical technologies, those that would be of the greatest immediate help.

"Summon the Tech-Priests, the Saints, and the Chapter Masters. I need to hold a meeting," Guilliman said, opening the room's communicator to instruct the guards waiting outside.

He would hold a council to determine the tone of their development, prepare a fleet, and cleanse the Five Hundred Worlds of the remnants of Chaos. Using the Five Hundred Worlds as his foundation, he would sweep across the entire Imperium, purge Chaos and the Xenos, and stop the bleeding of the Empire.