Warhammer: Lord of the Endless Monster Horde [183]

Life aboard the starship was rather dull. The scientists under Rhodes' command, along with Belisarius Cawl and others, were busy handling various matters.

At Cawl's suggestion, Rhodes' space carrier had been outfitted with some Imperial ship technology. For example, a massive Gellar field and a warp drive. According to Cawl, this was just in case—warp travel was relatively safe under the Emperor's psychic light.

Second, the ship was equipped with a void shield. Although the carrier had its energy shield, any shield had a damage limit. The void shield could absorb attacks and shift them into the warp. The two shields could be used alternately—when one reached its damage threshold, the other could be activated, providing more effective protection for the ship.

With an Archmagos from the Adeptus Mechanicus overseeing things, these upgrades were quickly installed on Rhodes' ship.

Rhodes' three scientists held Belisarius Cawl in very high regard, considering him a rare genius. If it weren't for the limitations of his knowledge base, his achievements might not be much less than theirs.

Because of this, Balt and Zett took Cawl to see some of their creations: two newly modified Zettons, as well as old Zetton.

All three Zettons had been given a new organ—previously created by Cawl—a tendon coil that could greatly enhance muscle strength. If made from ordinary metal, it wouldn't do much, but if made from Ace killer weapon metal and regenerative metal, the tendon coil could dramatically boost Zetton's combat power.

After touring this giant bio-weapon, Cawl was full of admiration. This beast's fighting power was truly formidable! Who would have thought that humanity in the Golden Age had created such terrifying biological and monster weapons?

"Haha! Archmagos, this is our secret weapon. It's also extremely easy to carry—usually stored in a small launching gun, and released when needed," Balt explained excitedly.

After several months together, he had grown very appreciative of Cawl. Cawl's capacity for new knowledge and innovation was off the charts.

"I think we could incorporate my Belisarius Furnace, but it needs to be enlarged. That would increase this giant bio-weapon's regenerative power," Cawl said, rubbing his chin.

The Belisarius Furnace was a superhuman organ he developed himself, different from the Sanguinal Gland, and not based on the Emperor's primarch gene-crafting. This organic furnace could be scaled up hundreds of times and installed in the giant bio-weapon.

"As expected of you, Belisarius Cawl! In that case, work with Balt and Zett to make two giant Belisarius Furnaces, and implant them into these two Zettons," Rhodes said, nodding with satisfaction.

Cawl was a talent. Guilliman, you misused him; you should let him reach his full potential!

"You flatter me, Lord Rhodes. If you require it, I can begin work immediately. I'm fascinated by giant bio-weapons like this. If I'm not mistaken, the Bioware muscles and the enhanced black carapace of the super space marines are derived from this bio-weapon, aren't they?" Cawl asked.

"You're right! Both the bioware muscles and black carapace come from it. This brute has several other powerful combat abilities," Rhodes nodded.

Zetton's teleportation and shield abilities were both extremely useful, though unfortunately, they couldn't be made into superhuman organs—otherwise, they'd have been included in Primaris Space Marines by now.

"May I study it? Who knows, maybe we can further advance Space Marine augmentation technology in the future," Cawl asked.

"Of course! I brought you here to extract some of your genetic material to ensure your safety. I intend to give you control of the third Zetton; after it absorbs your genetic material, it will obey your orders as your personal combat weapon," Rhodes said.

It's about using people wisely! For talent, you have to find ways to win them over—especially top-tier talent like Belisarius Cawl.

The second Zetton was given to Balt, and the third would go to Cawl, so he'd have enough power to protect himself.

Aside from research, Cawl sometimes took risks. His Primaris head's fighting skill was decent, but Rhodes thought he needed another layer of protection.

"L-Lord Rhodes, you're giving me this giant bio-weapon?" Cawl looked at Rhodes in astonishment. He never imagined such an immensely powerful weapon—on par with Emperor-class Titans—would be simply given to him.

No, he'd just seen this thing's combat power; even an Emperor-class Titan would only last a bit longer against it.

"Just take what I give you, don't be polite! If you ever face danger, just unleash Zetton. Remember, protecting your own life is the first priority. As long as you survive, the Zetton can be sacrificed at any time—these bio-weapons can always be made again, endlessly. But there's only one Belisarius Cawl. You are the most precious asset, far more valuable than a bio-war machine," Rhodes said, patting Cawl's mechanical shoulder.

At this, Cawl was so moved he was trembling. Lord Rhodes was just too good to him! What an honor!

Rest assured, Lord Rhodes, I'll never let you down.

"In addition, I'm giving you some teleportation bracelets. They allow matter transmission within a designated area—similar to Necron phase teleportation, not psychic teleportation. There's a way to recharge them; I'll send you a core you can install in your ship," Rhodes said, handing Cawl a golden teleportation bracelet and twenty regular silver ones.

When it comes to winning people over, Rhodes was always generous. If you give enough, you never need to worry about not recruiting talent.

"T-this is too valuable, Lord Rhodes," Cawl tried to refuse.

"Don't be so polite! The golden bracelet allows teleportation anywhere within a star system, and most importantly, you can always return to your flagship—just set the teleportation core. The silver ones are weaker but still allow free teleportation within a planet or an astronomical unit. I want you to study these and try to replicate their functions, to replace psychic teleportation! It will greatly boost our Legion's combat ability. This is a glorious and challenging task—I hope you can accept and accomplish it," Rhodes said.

"Lord Rhodes, I won't let you down," Cawl nodded. If he could crack this teleport tech, they'd have a tremendous advantage against Necrons. He must not betray the new Primarch's trust.

"Also, here's some armor for you—modify it as needed. Once you wear it, it will generate an energy shield to protect you better than Terminator armor," Rhodes said, handing over a retired flagship captain's armor.

He then gifted Cawl some regenerative metal, a King Joe robot, and a small Pedan mothership. Rhodes' generosity was on full display.

"Lord Rhodes, when you regain your Primarch status, I'd like to apply to be your personal Magos assistant," Cawl said.

From their very first meeting, this lord had been open-hearted with him, proven himself the Emperor's chosen, helped him recover his human form and memories, upgraded his body with regenerative metal, provided Golden Age tech, giant bio-weapons, and even an FTL mothership. Plus, those giant mechanical Titans—fully autonomous, no pilot needed. If he didn't show some loyalty, he'd be ungrateful.

Sorry, Lord Guilliman, but I want to serve Lord Rhodes from now on.

"No problem! I value you highly, Cawl. If you join me, you are more than welcome!" Rhodes said happily.

Done! The old guy is mine now. From now on, stay away from Guilliman and work for me.

After securing Cawl's loyalty, Rhodes headed to a secret room aboard the ship.

Inside sat a bald, muscular man about four meters tall.

"Why did you revive me? Revive me, a sinner?" the bald man asked.

"Horus, your father needs you to atone. The Imperium needs you to atone. It's time to clean up the mess you made."

PS: Read atleast 85 advanced chapters at patreon.com/AbsoluteCode