NABC Chapter 53 Belisarius Caul
Chapter 53 Belisarius Caul
All bad news.
Not a single word was comforting.
Clearly, the universe is collapsing, and at a speed visible to the naked eye.
The current time is M41.940.
For many still immersed in the empire's false prosperity, it was just an ordinary year.
But for someone like Jessia, who possessed part of the truth, it was nothing short of the eve of the apocalypse.
An atmosphere of despair permeated the hall.
The nobles who were just moments ago comparing and scheming against each other are now ashen-faced.
Some people even began to sob quietly.
Even the usually menacing Judge Orion had a furrowed brow and his hand on the explosive pistol at his waist, seemingly lost in thought.
Just when everyone thought the meeting was going to end in this somber atmosphere.
"Sizzle—sizzle—"
The servant who had been recording the Mechanicus channel suddenly began to tremble violently.
Immediately afterwards, an extremely piercing, high-frequency binary noise emanated from its sound unit.
The frequency was very special, carrying an indescribable sense of majesty and oppression.
The Mechanic Sage Sigma-7 suddenly turned around, his electronic eyes blazing with unprecedented light.
"This...this is..."
The Sigma-7's voice trembled—a trembling of excitement.
"Forced insertion across all frequency bands!"
"The highest-level privilege code is a Mars-level identifier!"
Everyone looked up at the servant.
Even the Star Speakers in the cage stopped screaming, seemingly stunned by the powerful mechanical signal.
The machine's vibrations stopped.
It opened its mouth, and this time, what came out was no longer a fragmented human voice, but a grand voice that had been perfectly synthesized and was full of rationality and power:
"I am Belisarius Caul."
The name was revealed.
The entire hall erupted in chaos.
Although most of those present were ordinary people, at their level, they had heard of the important figures in the upper echelons of the empire.
Belisarius Caul.
The Great Sage of the Martian Mechanicus, an old monster who has lived for ten thousand years, the greatest inventor in the entire galaxy, and also the greatest technological heretic (of course, no one dares to say this to his face).
This guy is a true legend.
He is said to have met the emperor in person, although his memory may be somewhat hazy...
But at the very least, reliable sources say that Kaul is currently working on some mega-projects that could change the fate of the empire.
Most importantly, he controls the Mechanical Ark, one of the most powerful fleets of the Mechanicus.
Kaul continued:
"My flagship, the mechanical ark 'King of Explorers,' is currently carrying out a top-priority recovery mission in the Misty Starfield."
"We have just finished our archaeological work in the Elsar system."
"The sleeping space dead are not hospitable, but I also took some... interesting souvenirs from their graves."
The tone was understated.
It's as if he just dropped by his neighbor's house and casually grabbed a bunch of scallions.
Instead of going to a necropolis filled with Gauss weapons and living metal to wreak havoc!
But that was just a minor, insignificant problem.
It's important to know that the Elsar system is not far from Forge VII!
This means that Kaul is near the Hazy Starfield!
A massive fleet equipped with mechanical arks is right on our doorstep!
Savior!
These are the heavenly soldiers and generals bestowed by the Emperor during this darkest time!
Jessia felt her heart pounding, and she instinctively grabbed Thor's arm.
Thor's face was also flushed, and he was breathing rapidly.
The broadcast continues:
"To prepare for the impending ultimate darkness, I need more resources and more knowledge."
"I now issue the highest bounty to all loyal subjects in the surrounding star sectors."
"Anyone or any organization that can provide standard construction template fragments from the Dark Ages, or clues to the genetic material of ancient alien technology or prototypes with extremely high research value, can contact my fleet directly through this channel."
"In return."
Kaur paused for a moment before making the promise that drove everyone crazy.
"The Cult of Mechanics will provide it with the highest level of technical support, or perhaps..."
"A permanent pass to board the mechanical ark and be under my protection on Mars."
The broadcast has ended.
The servant lowered its head again and returned to silence.
But the deathly silence in the hall had been broken.
Boat tickets!
The ticket was personally promised by Kaul!
In this universe where war rages everywhere and people are dying all the time, this thing is worth more than a hundred Forge No. 7s!
With this ticket, you can not only survive, but also rise to the top and become a distinguished guest in the core circle of the Mechanicus!
Thor's hands were trembling. He turned his head and stared intently at Jessia.
At that moment, the brainwaves of the uncle and nephew were completely synchronized.
What do they have?
They have a black box from ancient times!
Although the black box is still in the hands of the mysterious forces at the bottom of the nest, as long as we get our hands on it, it will be the best gift to give to Kaul!
This thing absolutely meets the standards for "Standard Building Template Fragments"!
and also!
That merchant ship in District 9!
The crazed machine spirit inside, the defense system that even plasma cannons couldn't penetrate, and those security robots that could even suppress Helios' elite troops—this shows that the ship must be hiding some kind of ancient technology!
This is what Kaul wanted too!
"Jessie..."
Saul's voice was hoarse, like a gambler who had put all his chips on the table.
"Opportunity...this is the only opportunity."
"I admit I misunderstood you before, but I've changed my mind now. We have to get those things."
"At all costs."
……
at the same time.
On the other side of the hall.
The mechanical philosopher Sigma-7 was also calculating frantically.
As the local mechanical engineering coach, he naturally wanted to curry favor with Caul.
But he had nothing in his hands...
All his resources are in those factories in Zhongchao, and even then, Kaul might not be interested.
"Zor..."
An idea flashed through the logic circuitry of Sigma-7.
"That guy may be lazy, but he seems to have a lot of good stuff in his collection."
"And I've heard that he's been getting very close to the Helios Group lately."
"It seems I'll have to make a trip to Zhongchao myself."
"If Zor has any goods, then requisition them."
"If he dares not give it to me..."
The servo skull behind Sigma-7 reveals a laser cutter.
"Then let him return to the embrace of the God of Myriad Machines."
A madness revolving around Kaul begins atop this incense-filled, bone-laden spire.
The upper echelons of Forge No. 7, which had been stagnant, were completely thrown into turmoil by this news.
All the powers: the tycoons of the upper nest, the priests of the middle nest, the warlords of the lower nest, and even the aliens and heretics lurking in the shadows...
Everyone will be drawn into this vortex.