Chapter 178 New Soldiers and Long Journey

Just like the last time I visited here decades ago, the white ice and snow of the Northland Plateau and howling winds are the eternal background here.

As the Storm Bird lowered its flight altitude from high in the sky, the invisible forest sea below reminded Elvis of the time when he first left here, as if it was yesterday.

"Elder, what are you thinking about?" Malvis asked beside him.

"Nothing, just a little memory." Elvis pulled away from his memory and glanced at Mal and his brothers beside him.

He lowered his head slightly to hide his gaze, but what couldn't be blocked was the burning hope in his heart at this time.

Like the other dozen battle brothers behind him, the power armor on Malvis is still a product of the St. Chris in recent years.

Qingyishui's Mark IV type has been supplemented and strengthened for the gaps between the neck and other armors. It is really affordable and easy to use.

Whenever he sees the new reflective power armor on these new recruits, Elvis can always think of the poor days when he and his other brothers used armor parts to each other in the war group.

Nowadays, life is affluent, but it is a pity that there are no more people there.

In the eyes of the mechanical magi, this amount of armor is not worth mentioning. It is not enough for the St. Chris's production capacity for one day.

If it weren't for the high technical content of the servo instruments, just a hundred or so sets of Mark IV would probably be enough to handle in half a day's work for the main forge on the Mechanical Ark.

But they still flatly rejected Elvis's production application in the early stages.

There are many reasons, but to sum up, it is expensive, the process is cumbersome, and the cost of making molds is more expensive than the cost of materials.

But can these really stump these mechanical priests? impossible!

What is so expensive? The local population and minerals are all in vain. There are no imported materials at all. Where does the cost come from?

Why is the process so cumbersome? Isn't the Mechanicum the best at automated manufacturing?

What is the mold cost? More than 5,000 years have passed since the STC public technology authorization of the Mark IV was launched from Mars! The complete set of drawings and parameters are almost growing in the minds of these mechanical priests, okay? Where are the fees for new students!

They simply did not want unplanned work to occupy their private research time, and Elvis knew this well.

But fortunately Lord Calvin supported his idea. He still vividly remembers the conversation that Lord Calvin had with Constantine and other priests at that time. When Calvin said to these priests:

"There is indeed a demand for such a batch of materials in the plan, but since the quantity is small and not cost-effective, I suggest we just buy a few thousand sets."

As soon as he finished speaking, the priests who had just said that the molds were expensive were dumbfounded. This was not what they expected.

So all the reasons came out: "The electromagnetic muscle cultivation period is too long, the alloy processing requirements for the internal pipelines are too high, and the main forge construction period is tight and cannot be delayed."

Elvis almost suppressed his smile as he watched Calvin bargain with them several times before finally finalizing the batch of 1,200 sets of power armor and supporting equipment and spare parts one by one.

Under the intentional or unintentional favoritism of this gentleman and Father Constantine, they pursued the victory and finally finalized the installation plan of a set of independent and fixed power armor parts production lines. Like the subsequent small arms and ammunition production lines, the newly established In a fortress monastery reserved for their battle group on the industrial planet.

The production line's production capacity is not large, but 50 sets of complete power armor and corresponding small weapons and twice the number of spare parts every ten years can still be guaranteed.

It is better to teach people how to fish than to teach them how to fish.

Elvis still knew this. Therefore, he understands the significance of this production line to a battle group that has just been reborn from the ashes; he also understands what an upright heart lies behind Calvin's behavior of giving away core resources without reservation.

He was extremely grateful to the generous Primarch for his assistance to the Chapter, and secretly decided to prove the value of the former's generosity with the blood of his enemies on future battlefields.

"Hey... Hey... Elder Elvis, the destination has been reached. The intended target has come into view, please provide further instructions."

The voices of the two pilots in front of the Storm Bird came from the communicator in the ears, and the holographic device moved from the top of the cabin in front of them began to work.

Elvis put away his inner thoughts and focused on looking at the external landscape displayed by the holographic projection.

"Close air cruise! Weapon authorization lifted! Land in alert attitude!"

Elvis stretched out his hand and clicked on a place on the three-dimensional map displayed as a reserved landing site.

He raised his head and looked at the recruits beside him and across from him, his serious eyes sweeping over their heads. The recruits couldn't help but straighten their bodies when they caught the eye, in response to the officer's majestic gaze.

That's not Elvis's purpose. His real purpose was just to habitually check the recruits' fixtures.

But from the brutal selection of soldiers to the lengthy combat training, Elvis has been accompanying these recruits to grow up during their long military life. As he gained increasing prestige, every word and deed he said would arouse reactions from the soldiers, which was also a helpless move.

During the days without a Chapter Leader, he had gradually become accustomed to the life of giving orders.

But he clearly knew that the fate given to him by the Emperor was not here. He could only temporarily shelter these new recruits from the wind and rain. When the young people around him truly grew up, he would quietly retreat to his rightful place.

"Status check!" he ordered in a low voice.

The Astartes in the cabin received his order and began to check the status of their power armor, weapons, and mountings in an orderly manner, and responded to him one by one in accordance with military discipline:

"Private Bard is in good condition, please give instructions!"

"Private Randolph is in good condition, please give instructions!"

"Private Simmons is in good condition, please give instructions!"

"Private Joel is in good condition, please give instructions!"

"Sergeant Malvis is in good condition, please give instructions!"...

When the last familiar voice sounded beside him, he looked up and inspected the Astartes recruits in the cabin, and under their gaze, he put on the sacred white Mark VI helmet that symbolized his pharmacist position.

Coincidentally, the announcement from the driver's seat had also come. With his reply and confirmation, the airdrop gates under the feet of the Astartes warriors in the cabin were all opened.

He took one last look at these warriors, then pressed the decompression valve switch on his chest and fell first.

The wind was cold and biting at an altitude of thousands of meters. Under the powerful engine output, the Stormbird was stably suspended directly above the church in the back half of the battleship.

Elvis, who flew out from the belly of the storm bird, activated the jetpack on his back and observed the situation below.

The towering statues on the dome of the church were covered with snow.

Saint Celestine's figure with wings on her back and holding a sword high was still upright. The slightly tilted direction was the result of the collapse of the ground when the battleship landed that year, which did not affect her holiness in the slightest.

Through the wind and snow, Elvis led the Astartes behind him to fly towards the main entrance of the church, where there was a portal he reserved for himself, guarded by a servo that was on standby in shallow hibernation.

"Command!"

The emotionless servo woke up from the cold hibernation and said to Elvis.

"Reborn from the ashes!" Elvis did not hesitate, and the warriors behind him also descended from the sky at this time and gathered behind him in an orderly manner.

"Voiceprint passed, key passed. Welcome back, respected pharmacist Elvis."

As the dry electronic sound of the wetware came out, two football field-sized and more than ten meters thick armor belts on the hull in front of the church slowly opened to both sides.

In the gap in the center, a spare corridor that was rarely used except for overhauling warships appeared in front of them.

"Emperor!"

Even though they were used to the roar of the steel forge on the mechanical ark day and night and the power of the gravity fleet to change the world.

But when a warship, a steel behemoth several kilometers long that they were told belonged to them, opened in front of them. These Astartes who had not yet experienced the baptism of a long time could not help but be stunned.

These warriors were rarely a little timid, because they knew that if there were no accidents, this would be their long-term residence in the future.

This huge warship, which could be called a space city, would serve them, and the mortals and slaves who would be stationed there later would also serve them. They would also fight for the entire human race under their leadership in the vast sea of ​​stars.

What a magnificent epic!

They had always known that their fate was already determined.

But after going through difficult selections, cruel operations, and long training, when this kind of life really opened up and beckoned to them with this epic scene in front of them, they actually retreated shamefully.

"Focus! New recruits! Keep your focus!" Elvis' voice came from the ice and snow.

His stern eyes swept over the figures of all the new recruits. In the eyes of the new recruits who were ashamed, Elvis stepped forward and jumped down first.

In the orbit of the industrial planet, the Saint Chris was suspended on the iron ring belt that was half-built.

The mining planets in the surrounding galaxies have been unfolded, and a large number of transport ships can be seen coming from outside every moment.

Under the watchful eyes of the mechanical ark, these ships transported the ore to the star port and sent it to the surface. Then after preliminary processing in the factory below, it returned to space and was handed over to the mechanical ark for further smelting.

The base on the iron ring belt was surrounded by countless small construction ships like a swarm of bees in this background. The installation project has been going on day and night for ten years.

When these frameworks are in place, larger factories and smelters will be located on them.

The ultimate goal of the project here is to provide basic maintenance for large ships, and to have the ability to manufacture ships below cruisers in emergency situations.

"How long have they been gone?"

In the cabin prepared for Calvin on the St. Chris, the dim light illuminated the long table made of basalt.

In the empty cabin, apart from the necessary office supplies, there was only a huge single bed on the other side of the room.

Calvin left his desk and took a break to rest his eyes and look into the distance. He accidentally glanced at the clock on the wall, so he asked Allen this question.

"48 hours and 01 minutes, sir." In the shadow behind the long table, Allen Janus's motionless figure was like a sculpture.

When Calvin's voice sounded, the Grey Knight, who now performed his duties as Calvin's adjutant, did not look at the data board in his hand and quickly gave his reply.

"Has the fleet with slaves set off?" Calvin turned his attention back to the documents on the table without raising his head, but it was obvious that the problem was not over.

"Three hours ago, 150,000 people have reached the minimum requirement, and Father Constantine has ordered to allow departure."

"How did the navigator and other crew members implement it?"

"Lord Solan, the Deputy Forge Supervisor, has recommended a group of family members serving in the Order. The specific decision on whether to stay or go will be left to Elvis."

"Okay. I hope everything goes well for them."

Calvin looked at the French window in front of him. It was just when the orbits of the two planets were approaching. Through the uninhabited starry sky, Calvin could even see the air masses surging in the atmosphere.

Elvis was about to leave here, after his regiment had restored its basic organization.

This was the time when the Flame Eagle Regiment returned to the vision of the High Lords after disappearing from the eyes of the Empire for nearly a hundred years;

It was also the time when he, as Calvin's messenger, contacted other cursed regiments.

Calvin was not too worried about the questioning from the Emperor.

After all, it was also an Astartes regiment, and unless there was an obvious tendency to betray, the High Lords' Council would still have basic respect.

The threat from the Inquisition was not a problem either. Now that the gene seed had been completely purified, the Flame Eagle Regiment from top to bottom was the Emperor's purest warriors, and of course it could withstand a comprehensive test.

But what about those regiments that were plagued by the curse? Calvin didn't trust them.

These Astartes warriors who were contaminated at the genetic level, each had their own unique characteristics. Calvin found it hard to believe that every warband could communicate as effectively as the Fire Eagle.

In Calvin's eyes, whether people could be brought back was a secondary matter.

But if any warband lost its mind and swung its butcher knife at Elvis and others, then as a commander who was a pharmacist, plus fifty new recruits, it would be like a wolf walking into a tiger's mouth, and there would be no return.

But Calvin had to take this risk. As he continued to grow taller, he already knew clearly that the power of time and space would break his restraints.

There was not much time left for him, and every minute and every second was precious.

He had to send this new warband out in advance as a messenger to contact those warbands that belonged to the 21st founding army.

This was the basic condition for gaining people's trust. Otherwise, how could those warbands who regarded seed mutation as top secret be assured?

Only when Elvis and the new recruits, who were also cursed, stood in front of them, could the warbands believe that the seeds could be purified. Only then could they go to this planet to meet Calvin under his persuasion.

The light of the battleship engine lit up on the distant planet, which was the battleship struggling to escape the gravity of the planet after sleeping for a long time.

Calvin knew that things had come to this point, and he had done everything he could, and the rest could only be left to fate. The seeds had been sown, and as for whether there would be any rewards, it could only be decided by the Emperor.

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