On the other side.
Above the world of Valos, in orbit.
The Morning Wood.
On the armored plating of this very vessel, Adam strolled leisurely in casual attire. Clearly, the freezing temperatures and the vacuum of space had no effect on him, even without any protective gear.
With his full-coverage spatial perception, he could easily penetrate the steel plates beneath his feet, perceiving the internal structure with absolute clarity. Furthermore, Adam could perform targeted reality warping based on the material information within his perception.
With every step he took, the original plasteel plating beneath his feet began to transform. First, it turned into a brilliant, radiant gold; then, under the subatomic alterations of his reality-warping abilities, it shifted into a pure, pristine white.
Auramite.
This rare substance was once priceless, mostly reserved for high-value units like the Emperor's Custodian Guard—used for weapons, armor, or vehicle plating—but even then, it was used sparingly.
However, what Adam was doing at this moment would leave anyone familiar with the material utterly slack-jawed. Like using an invisible paintbrush, he was systematically transforming the entire outer hull of a five-kilometer-long starship into Auramite armor over ten meters thick—an armor that could truly be described as indestructible.
In the past, if anyone had suggested to the Tech-Priests of the Adeptus Mechanicus responsible for ship construction that such a rare material be used for a starship's hull, they would have been dismissed for making an absurd and impossible demand. Yet now, through his reality-warping powers, Adam had brought it to perfect fruition.
"Finally, it's finished."
Adam stopped and, with a touch of human-like weariness, wiped the sweat from his brow.
As for how sweat could form in such a low-temperature vacuum? You don't need to look too closely into the affairs of a Reality Warper. If I say it's there, it's there!
This was the last corner of the armor to undergo material conversion. Now, even without activating the multi-racial shields equipped on the ship, the ten-meter-thick Auramite plating possessed enough defensive power to easily withstand the firepower of almost any starship in the galaxy.
At that moment, Sybilla's voice came through the mental link.
"Lord Adam, the team sent to Terra has basically completed your instructions. Would you like a report on the specific mission progress?"
"Of course, go ahead," Adam responded readily.
"Understood."
Inside the bridge, Sybilla flipped through a thick stack of parchment, reporting as she read.
"Magos Dominus Belisarius Cawl has sent word that the framework for Prometheus Labs has been secretly established. Quite a few Tech-Priests have already joined this clandestine organization. Seeing the effects of Reality Warping firsthand, their enthusiasm—how shall I put it—is exceptionally high."
"Some of the more heretical—no, let's say 'highly motivated'—Tech-Priests didn't even wait for the endorsement of the Custodes before they started drafting new scriptures for the Cult Mechanicus."
"Good."
Adam wasn't surprised. The temptation that Reality Warping held for Tech-Priests was self-evident. He nodded, "What else?"
"Regarding the Custodes, with the support of the resurrected Custodian Ancestors, Trajann Valoris remains the Captain-General. Furthermore, he has already lifted the restrictive decrees at the Council of Terra."
"The High Lords of Terra representing other Imperial factions and departments had mixed reactions. The Chancellor of the Estate Imperium, the Master of the Adeptus Arbites, and the Master of the Administratum expressed strong opposition. The Speaker for the Chartist Captains, the Master of the Astronomican, the Envoy of the Navigators, the Grand Master of Assassins, and the Fabricator-General of Mars remained neutral. Meanwhile, the Lord Commander Solar, the Lord Commander Militant, the Lord High Admiral, the Ecclesiarch, and the Representative of the Inquisition expressed their support."
"Good. To be honest, the Council of High Lords is far too verminous; it must be reformed. Moreover, I believe this was one of the most foolish systems established by the Primarch Roboute Guilliman ten thousand years ago—even more foolish than the Codex Astartes."
Since the Emperor slew Horus aboard the Vengeful Spirit, the four Chaos Gods had been heavily wounded and forced to lick their wounds in the depths of the Warp. The Empire had entered a long period of relative calm. But those foolish and short-sighted High Lords, following the departure of the Emperor and the Primarchs, immediately fell into an endless struggle for power, completely ignoring the development of the Imperium. They had squandered such a golden opportunity.
"Ah... that—"
Sybilla found this difficult to respond to. She knew nothing of the secrets Adam was referring to and was momentarily at a loss for words.
"Don't worry. When that fellow finally leaves his stasis field and returns to the world, he will surely understand and agree with what I've said." Adam shook his head. "Continue."
"The Sisters of Silence have begun regrouping and reorganizing with the assistance of the Custodes. Currently, they have established six mobile task forces. Once Magos Cawl equips their vessels with Inertialess Drives and Eternity Gates, they can depart from Terra immediately."
"Which six?" Adam asked.
Sybilla checked the scrolls.
"They are: 'Hammerfall,' which focuses on fire support and Exterminatus missions; 'Achilles' Heel,' responsible for eliminating psykers and Warp daemons; 'The Left Hand of the Law,' which assists the Arbites and the Administratum in correcting the crimes of the Imperial nobility; 'Nine-Tailed Fox,' responsible for suppressing rebellions on Imperial worlds; 'The Bibliographers,' who work in tandem with the Grey Knights to focus on Warp daemons and related rituals; and finally, your personal guard, the 'Red Right Hand,' dedicated to supporting your actions."
"Excellent."
Adam nodded in satisfaction. He had only shared those ideas with Ra Endymion, and the legendary Custodian of that era had handled everything with incredible efficiency.
As he spoke, the space beneath Adam's feet flickered. He bypassed the hatch, entered the ship, and walked quickly toward the bridge.
Pushing open the doors, the Custodes standing silently within the bridge looked up. The gauntlets on their right hands were painted a vivid crimson—symbolizing that they were under Adam's direct command.
Adam nodded in acknowledgement and walked to the Captain's throne.
"Welcome back, Captain," the Machine Spirit of the Morning Wood—an intelligence enhanced by technology from three different races—spoke calmly in his mind.
"Open the star map," Adam ordered.
A materialized projection of the star map emerged. The brilliant bands of light representing the entire galaxy unfolded like a scroll, with the five major Segmentums clearly visible to everyone on the bridge.
Adam scanned the map and pointed to a specific location: "We go here."
"—Is that the Five Hundred Worlds of Ultramar?" Sybilla murmured, slightly confused.
"No, it's just a bit below that." Adam smiled slightly.
His current goal was to continue collecting souls, so the higher the intensity of the battlefield, the better, and the more high-value units involved, the better. However, before officially entering the year M41.900, while wars were constant across the galaxy, they were mostly short, sharp conflicts. Apocalypse-level "Great Melees" were actually quite rare.
But the place he was heading to next was certainly worth a try. Not only were there massive amounts of souls to collect, but he could also simultaneously salvage the unique technologies of two different races: the T'au Empire.
Specifically, the Hive Fleet Gorgon Invasion.