90: Chapter 90: Forging General Helios Obrian, Sage Ruler Talia

The heavy doors opened, and two members of the Adeptus Mechanicus walked in.

The former immediately began to introduce them to Xia Xingchen.

"On the left is the Fabricator-General, Helios Aubrian."

Helios Aubrian had no hair, no skin, and not even what could be called a "face." On a polished metal skull, two lenses emitted a cold, ghostly blue light, resembling two ice volcanoes about to erupt.

His body was disproportionately massive, as if he had been directly "installed" onto a custom-built power armor chassis.

This power armor chassis served as his lower body. Heavy crimson and gold robes obscured most of the mechanical structure, revealing only a massive, slowly rotating cog emblem on his chest. Each rotation was accompanied by a deep, resonant hum, like the roar of an ancient engine.

On the right stood Tech-Priest Dominus Thalia. She stood in the cold light, her short, greyish-white hair neatly tucked behind her ears. Her bionic eye was embedded with some sort of special linear device, resembling a fissure beneath a sheet of ice.

Her skin was so pale it was nearly translucent, with high cheekbones and thin lips habitually pressed together.

Her form-fitting red robes cinched at the waist, outlining a slender yet taut figure.

These two were the rulers of Tri-Faer Alpha.

The Fabricator-General first took the envelope provided by Xia Xingchen's Inquisitor Kolo.

Helios Aubrian looked at it for a while, then announced: "Purchasing military supplies." The Fabricator-General paused for a moment before continuing, "Tech-Priest Dominus Thalia will handle this matter."

After saying this, Helios Aubrian left the room.

Helios Aubrian did not pay much attention to Xia Xingchen. A small fry like Xia Xingchen could not possibly acquire many supplies, no matter what. One had to understand the status of the Tri-Faer system in the Ultima Segmentum; it was equivalent to Mars in the Sol System.

In fact, these military requirements of Xia Xingchen's were merely a relatively large order in their eyes.

The Fabricator-General had no interest in speaking with Xia Xingchen personally; for him, leaving this matter to the Tech-Priest Dominus was sufficient. The only reason he had come in person was because Xia Xingchen carried a letter of introduction from the Inquisition, and he was wary of an Inquisition inspection.

The relationship between Triplex Phall Forge World and Mars was not particularly friendly.

Triplex Phall Forge World and Mars were nominally submissive but effectively in opposition.

They were like an ancient feudal lord and a duplicitous vassal; while they observed the rites of master and servant, the vassal always had their own agenda.

The direct reason was that Triplex Phall refused to share any core technology with Mars. This "technological secrecy" directly challenged Mars's absolute authority within the Adeptus Mechanicus.

However, Xia Xingchen had no interest in this. In his heart, he neither wanted to nor had the ability to manage the conflict between Triplex Phall and Mars.

After the Fabricator-General left, Xia Xingchen cast his gaze toward the only person present who could make decisions: the Tech-Priest Dominus.

In Xia Xingchen's estimation, she was an old monster who had lived for who knows how many years.

The Tech-Priest Dominus approached Xia Xingchen, and a cold, mechanical voice quickly emanated from her: "Shopping list."

Upon hearing this, Xia Xingchen took a tablet from Cassandra's hand and handed it to Tech-Priest Dominus Thalia.

Thalia took the tablet and tapped it open, revealing a large amount of data and categorized list items.

Thalia's gaze swept over the list, and the very first item under heavy equipment made her pause in surprise.

"Heavy Vehicles: Leman Russ Main Battle Tanks (Standard): 300; Conqueror-pattern Main Battle Tanks (Anti-tank/Assault): 100; Chimera Armored Transports: 700; Basilisk Self-Propelled Guns: 200; Medusa Siege Guns: 60; Sentinel Walkers: 200."

"Are you preparing to exterminate a world?" Thalia looked at the number of heavy equipment, which alone would be enough to form an armored regiment. "The Imperial Department of Military Affairs rarely sees individuals purchasing such massive quantities of armored units from us."

Tech-Priest Dominus Thalia's finger swiped lightly, and more military equipment requirements appeared before her.

"Standard Pattern Lasguns (M35/M36): 120,000; hellguns: 30,000; Master-crafted Carapace Armor: 150,000 sets; Specialized Infantry Weapons (Melta/Plasma/Flamer): 2,000 of each."

It wasn't over yet; there were also accompanying supplies, enough to sustain high-intensity combat for at least six months. Hmm, for the first time, Tech-Priest Dominus Thalia genuinely wondered if the client before her was just playing around.

Tech-Priest Dominus Thalia looked up at Xia Xingchen.

Seeing this, Xia Xingchen immediately thumped his chest and guaranteed: "We will pay in full."

Listening to Xia Xingchen's arrogant tone, Tech-Priest Dominus Thalia realized the other party actually intended to pay for all the equipment in full, settling the account on the spot.

The Tech-Priest beside her also chimed in: "They truly have the capability; they are likely from some ancient family. The warships outside alone, along with the power armor from the Dark Age of Technology they wear, as well as the power armor from the Great Crusade era of the Imperial Guard, are enough to prove their financial strength."

This Tech-Priest meant that Xia Xingchen had the qualifications to guarantee the funds for this transaction.

Thalia did not just listen to the Tech-Priest's one-sided opinion, but instead asked Xia Xingchen: "Young Governor, what do you intend to use for payment?"

What Forge Worlds needed most was ore and energy, followed by throne gelt; the trade value of everything else was far inferior.

Xia Xingchen said calmly: "Adamantium, or Neutronium."

Thalia automatically filtered out the "Neutronium" mentioned later, focusing only on the "Adamantium" mentioned first.

The price of Adamantium far exceeded other ores; it was a necessary material for forging the keels of Imperial warships. If a stable supplier could be found, Triplex Phall's forging capabilities would be elevated one step further.

Thinking of this, the logic engine in Tech-Priest Dominus Thalia's mind began to calculate rapidly, assessing the value of this transaction.

Soon, the Tech-Priest Dominus reached a conclusion: if Xia Xingchen could provide Adamantium stably, the value of this order would exceed the priority of all other orders.

"I require at least 300 million throne gelt, or if converted into an equivalent amount of Adamantium," Tech-Priest Dominus Thalia paused, her internal calculation engine running rapidly, considering various other factors, before finally stating a figure, "over 130 tons of Adamantium."

After finishing, Thalia looked up at Xia Xingchen's expression, only to find that Xia Xingchen was basically unmoved.

Thalia felt strange; she had originally thought Xia Xingchen would request to pay in installments, as this was not a small amount of money.

"Then we shall proceed as you said, 130 tons of Adamantium. Furthermore, I need this order to be fulfilled once every month."

Tech-Priest Dominus Thalia was stunned; what did he mean by "every month"?

Seeing this, Xia Xingchen repeated himself: "Lady Thalia, this is not a one-time order; it must be provided to us once every month, and it will likely continue for about three months."