Chapter 133: The True Intentions of the Tech-Priest

"Could you be more clear? Who is Horst?" Grey still couldn't grasp the situation.

It wasn't that Chuck deliberately wanted to be cryptic, but he himself had only heard rumors of such an Inquisitor. He didn't even know that "Horst" wasn't the true name of the Deathless Inquisitor.

Among those present, only Qin Mo had some understanding of Horst, knowing merely of his deeds. As to whether Horst would address the plague first or the Talon System, or if his presence would bring more good than harm, even Qin Mo couldn't predict.

After a brief pause, Qin Mo cast his gaze towards Vic, hoping the Tech-Priest could provide some useful information.

"The situation has developed beyond expectations," Vic admitted truthfully. "The Inquisition isn't a puppet of any Imperial institution, but some Inquisitors are indeed influenced by other Imperial factions. The Great Sage has calculated that two Inquisitors are most likely to come to the Talon System, and they will either bring salvation or doom."

"However..."

"The Great Sage did not foresee Horst's arrival, nor does he have any further information about him, making it impossible to predict his actions."

After hearing Vic's ambiguous words, Qin Mo fixated on the bio-organic tissue spinning relentlessly in the device before him, lost in thought. 

Horst, unlike a rogue inquisitor like Chuck Reyna, wielded true power over military forces. Forget the complications that would arise if the Grey Knights appeared—just the arrival of the Battle Sisters would be enough trouble.

"Do you know what the greatest strength of the Talon System is?" Chuck suddenly asked. "It's not your combat prowess or your arcane technologies. It's your unity. The Inquisition will find it hard to divide you."

"That is true," Vic nodded in agreement.

Even Grey, standing by, couldn't help but glance admiringly at the young Inquisitor.

"When Horst arrives, I'll prepare the Talon System for war," Qin Mo said, staring resolutely at the device before him, his decision made.

Vic had originally intended to remind Qin Mo of the formidable challenge the Inquisition posed, but recalling what he had witnessed in the Talon System, he suspected that Qin Mo had more hidden cards yet to be played.

His mind wandered to the cult-like reverence for the Creator God within the Talon System…

Compared to the Inquisition, Vic was more concerned about this so-called Creator God. After Qin Mo had promised to explain the matter regarding Reyna, he had yet to fulfill that promise.

Who exactly was this Creator God? Why did a sect worship such a deity in the Talon System? And why did they venerate those black spherical machines?

Vic had attempted to investigate the truth himself but had only gleaned the most basic information from the worshippers, who, after hearing about the faith in the Omnissiah and the Machine God, showed goodwill and revealed a few more details. Although not much was disclosed, it was enough for Vic to notice certain similarities between the worshippers and the Mechanicus.

"It's done," Qin Mo suddenly interrupted Vic's thoughts.

Under Vic's watchful gaze, Qin Mo extracted a vial of liquid from the device, tinkered with it briefly, and finally dropped the substance onto the bio-organic tissue Grey had retrieved from the plague-infested settlement.

The green, decayed tissue began to rapidly disintegrate, bubbling until it vanished entirely.

"What is this?" Vic inquired.

"A defensive weapon," Qin Mo replied, shaking the vial of clear liquid. "It accelerates the death of those infected by the plague, ensuring they perish before spreading the contagion further."

Vic, skilled in mechanics rather than biology, couldn't comprehend how such a concoction was produced, though he had witnessed a few pharmaceutical processes. But this was certainly not the typical method of creating an anti-plague serum.

Qin Mo placed the vial into another peculiar machine, which merely scanned the liquid, then swiftly filled numerous empty vials with more of the substance.

Vic could tell this device wasn't ordinary—it operated with an efficiency that was almost... inhuman.

"The plague contains some elements of the Warp. But as long as it continues to spread in the material universe and isn't the kind that turns machinery into living flesh, this substance remains effective," Qin Mo explained, handing a vial to Chuck.

Chuck rushed forward to accept it with both hands. "Thank you for your support of the Inquisition!"

"I'm giving it to you as an antidote," Qin Mo said, his gaze locking onto Chuck.

Chuck felt the weight of Qin Mo's stare, as though it penetrated past and future alike. From this gaze, Chuck gleaned one thing—Qin Mo had already discerned his stance and intentions.

"Thank you," Chuck muttered, tucking the vial into a special band around his chest, designed for holding serums. He wanted to request Qin Mo to share more information about the plague, but the governor's next words left no room for further discussion.

"Leave."

"Uh... alright." Chuck reluctantly gave up on the idea of information-sharing and exited the underground chamber.

Now, only Vic and Grey remained beside Qin Mo.

Vic glanced at Grey before turning his attention back to Qin Mo. His metallic mouth did not move, yet his voice emerged: "Governor, could you fulfill the promise you made earlier? You said if I told you where Reyna was on the ship, you'd share more about the Creator God."

"I nearly forgot," Qin Mo feigned sudden recollection of his earlier promise, but instead of immediately answering, he posed a question to Vic. "Why are you so interested in this? Did your Sage send you to inquire?"

"No. Both the Sage and I are outliers within the Mechanicus, and our objectives differ," Vic replied.

"And what is your objective?" Qin Mo pressed.

Instead of directly answering, Vic first shared some context: "I have given everything to the great Omnissiah. I scour the galaxy for traces of His presence. I've even ventured into the Eye of Terror…"

Qin Mo was mildly surprised.

The Omnissiah—the faith of the Mechanicus. What exactly the Omnissiah was, even Qin Mo didn't know. Perhaps it was the Emperor, who once repaired a Titan before the Mechanicus on Mars. Or perhaps it was a fragment of the C'tan hidden beneath Mars. It might even be a Chaos God named Vashtorr.

"Most in the Mechanicus view the Talon System favorably, but that's because they believe it contains numerous STC templates. The Talon System could be destroyed by the Imperium, but only after every last STC is recovered."

"But I am different. I seek something more important than the STCs. I want to find traces of the Omnissiah."

Vic continued, speaking passionately. Though as a Tech-Priest he had long suppressed his human emotions, he couldn't overcome his urgency. He felt that he was close to discovering the Omnissiah—so close, if only Qin Mo would share more information…

As Vic awaited Qin Mo to fulfill his promise, Qin Mo didn't address the matter of the Creator God. Instead, he abruptly shifted the topic. "I know of a place in the underhive where an STC template is hidden. I can take you there."

"I don't care about the STC—well, I do, but there's something far more important to me than that," Vic said. "Please, tell me more about this Creator God. I beg you."

"Why not come with me to retrieve the STC?" Qin Mo smiled. "You might just find what you're looking for."

Vic almost retorted, saying Qin Mo could keep the STC for himself. But suddenly, he hesitated, realizing something. In the end, he suppressed his impatience and nodded silently, deciding to follow Qin Mo to uncover the STC.

In his mind, the STC didn't matter. As long as this journey led him to what he truly sought, that would be enough.