Chapter 20: Howard Offers an STC Fragment

Before Howard walked into the palace, he took a deep breath; the scene he had witnessed earlier and the words of Luoersiliefu still echoed in his ears, and he also thought of the youth named Bukayo.

The image of Ninglu in his heart became increasingly mysterious and powerful; he had already received confirmation from Tech-Priest Luoxiji of the Chech clan, servants of the Omnissiah who had been on good terms with his family for generations, that it was impossible for a cyborg created by the Adeptus Mechanicus to possess such a powerful body and combat prowess.

【Could it really be the descent of a god from the Old Night?】

He looked at Ninglu, who had his back to him, and said respectfully.

"My Lord, I have reached an agreement with Sage Kaminski; please review it."

Ninglu snapped out of the sword-fighting simulation in his mind and turned to walk toward Howard.

"My Lord, the Sage agrees to support you in becoming the King of Teziwoke, and he is willing to perform the Omnissiah's blessing for you."

"He requests that their existing interests be maintained, and furthermore, he asks that you resolve the Xenos problem in the Sea of Music."

After hearing Howard's briefing, Ninglu took the Data Slate, swiped through it rapidly, and asked.

"The Sea of Music?"

"That is correct, My Lord."

"The Sea of Music is just as its name suggests, an oceanic realm where pearl-like archipelagos are scattered; it is a beautiful world."

As he praised the Sea of Music with genuine sincerity, Ninglu had already finished reading the 1,503-page document; after his superhuman brain read it at high speed and distilled the key points, they matched Howard's summary perfectly, and he looked at the blonde noble with appreciation.

"The seafood and small amount of agricultural products produced by the Sea of Music are vital to Vostonia."

"Recently, due to the appearance of Xenos pirates, the food supply has been affected, and reserves are being consumed rapidly."

"If this continues, Vostonia will fall into crisis in no more than three months."

Howard's words were filled with worry; he could already smell the crisis.

"What kind of Xenos are invading?"

"My Lord, there are currently no reports regarding the physiology of the Xenos."

"What is worth noting is that the Xenos' ships are extremely advanced; they can fire a beam of Ether Pulse, and the beam ignores the Adeptus Mechanicus' Void Shield, directly eroding the hull."

Howard's expression was grim; previously, he had always thought that the Adeptus Mechanicus was synonymous with technology, but it was only after hearing the words of Priest Luoxiji not long ago that he realized there was even more advanced technology in existence.

"It also has a nasty side effect: after an Adeptus Mechanicus ship is hit, the shields immediately overload, yet the enemy warship can follow up with a barrage of Lance fire after completing its attack."

Upon hearing this, Ninglu fell into deep thought; he immediately associated it with the Dark Night Fragment and the Fulao people from the Potion Formula earlier.

【It sounds like the Xenos' artillery and attack characteristics are similar to the Ether cannons of the Fulao people.】

"I accept the conditions of the Mechanicus."

Even if it had nothing to do with Potion Material, Ninglu would not allow Xenos to plunder; the Vostonia system was his territory.

"But I also have requirements; the Xenos' firepower is powerful, and I need to conduct boarding actions to defeat them."

"Therefore, I need weapons and armor suitable for my physique that can unleash my combat power."

He was still missing two types of Potion Material for the Sequence 9 "Knower" Potion, and the technical capabilities of low-sequence Beyonders were not as good as the Tech-Priests of Mars; since they were asking him to expel the Xenos, he naturally had to take the opportunity to demand equipment.

"Such a request is reasonable and consistent with the logic of the followers of the Omnissiah."

Howard pondered for a moment before reaching a conclusion based on his understanding of Sage Kaminski.

Subsequently, a look of determination appeared in his azure eyes.

"My Lord, my family possesses a holy Standard Template Construct discovered and copied by our ancestors."

Ninglu knew that the Standard Template Construct was abbreviated as STC, and its essence was a complex analytical processing program.

Various human technologies were preserved in the STC system, which, along with the Warp Engine and the human mutant—the Navigator—were the three main factors that allowed humanity to expand beyond the Solar System and conquer various planets.

The STC allowed human colonists to maintain a standard level of technology; without any relevant knowledge, colonists could use all available local materials to efficiently build shelters, generators, transport vehicles, and other necessities.

Users only needed to simply ask for the construction methods for houses and drills, and the STC would provide all the necessary plans.

The technology of the future Human Empire also relied on STCs, and the tech-priests would even launch exploratory expeditions in search of holy templates.

"Although the Standard Template Construct obtained by my ancestors is incomplete, the Biological Scanner, Automated Robot, Refraction Field, and other technologies contained within it are all manifestations of the Finde Family receiving the favor of the Omnissiah."

"Except for the Boleslaw Family, the Finde Family is the only family that has stood tall in the Hive Tower since the founding of Teziwoke."

"Now, I offer you the foundation of the Finde Family: a copy of a holy template."

Ninglu knew that STCs could exist in various forms, from paper documents and data files to large, complete sets of facilities.

Those lucky ones who unearthed an STC usually found incomplete ones, fragments with data corrupted by the ravages of time and other reasons.

They would copy and replicate them to preserve them for a longer time.

Howard was now presenting a backup copy; of course, even a backup was worth tens of billions in Mars Currency.

After Howard finished speaking, he pressed his finger firmly onto the golden lightning bolt of the Family Emblem on his right chest.

The left chest of his Precision Power Armor popped open, and he reached in to take out an adamantine box; through the glass casing, one could see a rectangular thin sheet with an exquisite appearance inside, its surface covered with intricate metal circuits and tiny electronic components.

He presented it with both hands to Ninglu's large hand and stepped back respectfully.

"You are responsible for communicating with the Adeptus Mechanicus and those nobles who can be made to surrender, and determining the time for the ceremony."

"In addition, confirm with your subordinates which families launched the attack on the Hive Tower just now, as well as those die-hard loyalists of Boleslaw; I want to see the list within one standard hour."

"As you wish, My Lord."

Howard exited the palace; he felt a bit disappointed at not receiving a reward, but he immediately cheered up.

【I have been under the Lord's command for less than one work cycle; even if I offer up family secrets, there is always an assessment period.

In the future, I must perfectly complete every task the Lord gives me and obtain a reward as soon as possible.】

At the same time, Ninglu opened his communicator and switched to the communication channel with Bukayo.

"Bukayo, how is the situation in the Hive City?"

"My Lord, all shops in the commercial district of the Hive City are closed, factories have stopped production, and everywhere is fully armed, but there has been no large-scale chaotic fighting between the various factions."

"According to my speculation, the major families should be quite cautious, first sending out intelligence personnel to figure out the situation of the forces that captured the Boleslaw Family; most importantly, they want to observe the reaction of the Adeptus Mechanicus."

"Only a few fools who think they have found an opportunity and the forces loyal to the Boleslaw Family would launch an attack on us."

Upon hearing this, Ninglu found it similar to his and Howard's speculation, and he immediately issued new orders to Bukayo.

"End the investigation and head to the Arbitration Court; I want you to take all the Gavels, mark each with the original owner's name and position, and bring them back."

"As you command, my lord."

Bukayo did not know why Ninglu wanted the Gavels, but he knew he should not pry into the secrets of serving a god, so he did not voice the doubts in his heart.

(End of chapter)