"I have to say, Alex, you always like to give me trouble," Archmagos Cawl complained, a reluctant tone mixed with the whirring of gears and the hum of servo motors.
Though he complained verbally, his face, covered by a metal mask and with little flesh remaining, was full of smiles, and excited data streams flickered in his bionic eyes: "But what can I do when my student has such a good relationship with you! I'll reluctantly help you out this time!"
The mechanical tentacles behind him unconsciously danced, eager to move like venomous snakes that had caught the scent of prey.
Several mechanical arms also fidgeted like flies rubbing their hands, emitting metallic clattering sounds, looking utterly impatient.
One mechanical arm even uncontrollably reached out towards Alex, only to hastily retract in mid-air, revealing the Adeptus Mechanicus Archmagos's inner eagerness.
"Where is that STC Template?" Cawl's voice suddenly turned serious, but his speech quickened noticeably, betraying his excitement.
His massive mechanical body leaned slightly forward, the hydraulic system emitting a faint hiss, like a mechanical behemoth poised to strike.
Alex was not surprised by Cawl's expression.
He had seen the fanatical behavior of Adeptus Mechanicus members when faced with precious technology too many times; in some ways, Cawl's attitude was a good thing.
At least it showed that the Archmagos still maintained relatively rational thinking and had not fallen into complete madness upon seeing an STC, unlike some Adeptus Mechanicus members.
After all, it involved something as precious as an STC Template, and the Adeptus Mechanicus not outright seizing it already showed considerable reasonableness.
Alex knew that in the eyes of certain extremist factions on Mars, launching a small-scale war was worth it to obtain a complete STC Template.
Cawl's mere words were enough to convey his current mood and attitude—the Archmagos clearly viewed this transaction as a rare opportunity, not a natural plunder.
Alex did not feign modesty and once again produced the STC Template, its metal casing gleaming with an ancient luster under the cold laboratory light.
He carefully placed this precious technological holy relic on the workbench and explained to Cawl: "This is the STC Template for Saturn-pattern Terminator Armor. I discovered it while excavating ancient ruins on Helson III."
His fingers gently traced the complex mechanical patterns on the STC's surface; the precise gears and circuit boards still maintained perfect operational status after ten millennia.
"By the Emperor's grace, its internal data is very complete," Alex continued, with a hint of deliberate piety in his voice: "As long as it is followed, Saturn-pattern Terminator Armor can be produced again, returning it to the Imperial Army's military roster."
Cawl did not believe a single word of Alex's statement, but he also would not offer any rebuttal.
His bionic eyes, hidden behind the metal mask, merely flickered slightly, rapidly scanning every detail on the surface of the STC Template.
Cawl was unsure if an STC Template could be found on Helson III, but he was certain that the one in Alex's hands was definitely not found there.
As for its specific origin? Cawl's mechanical tentacles swayed gently, emitting a thoughtful hum.
He said it was by the Emperor's grace, so why are you still asking?
Prying into this matter was not only impolite but could also touch upon dangerous truths.
More than the origin of this STC, Cawl was concerned with how to reproduce the Saturn Terminator Armor and how to widely produce and equip it.
His six mechanical arms were already eagerly at work; one carefully took the STC Template, while another began preparing the decoding equipment.
Cawl's core processor ran at high speed, already planning how to allocate his resources to support this groundbreaking project.
The history of the Saturn Terminator Armor was too ancient, even predating the Emperor's unification of Holy Terra and the establishment of the Imperium.
In that golden age of technological enlightenment, this armor was initially designed as a heavy engineering exoskeleton for construction work in the extreme environment of the Saturn rings.
Later, with the advent of the Dark Age of Technology, it was gradually transformed into a fearsome war machine.
Although Alex also mentioned that this was a redesigned model by Vulkan, the Gene-Seed Primarch of the Salamanders, intended for widespread use in the Imperium, and differed from the original Saturn Terminator Armor.
Vulkan retained its sturdy frame structure but optimized the power system and weapon interfaces, making it more suitable for Astartes Monks.
But this did not obscure the fact that it was a powerful and ancient piece of equipment—its core design philosophy and basic architecture still carried the technological essence of that lost era.
However, for Cawl, the antiquity of this item was similar to his own age.
This Adeptus Mechanicus Archmagos, who had lived for over ten thousand years, had witnessed the rise and fall of Imperial technology; the Saturn Terminator Armor was merely a "new invention" he had seen before.
His body, covered with mechanical tentacles, leaned slightly forward, and a nostalgic glint flashed in his bionic eyes, as if recalling the first time he saw this armor.
After carefully examining the STC Template, Cawl's expression turned serious: "This thing is very complex. Rostov's current production capacity might barely be able to build it, let alone mass-produce it."
"But I don't think that will be difficult for you, Archmagos," Alex said, appearing unconcerned, merely watching Cawl with composure.
"Of course, of course!" Cawl didn't want the good item he had acquired to be taken back by Alex, so he quickly calculated and then said: "To produce it, Sage Olegana's forge factory on Rostov III will need to be expanded, and you will also need to undertake larger-scale development of mineral resources across the entire Sub-Sector to meet basic production needs.
In addition, you will need to import some precious resources from outside; your Sub-Sector alone cannot produce all the mineral resources required for Saturn-pattern Terminator Armor.
Furthermore, there are the accompanying weapons and other equipment, many of which are precious, lost technologies that you will need to re-discover!
On this point, you can utilize the Orbital Ring on Rostov II and build new factories there to produce these accompanying parts!"
Alex noted down everything Cawl said, then told Cawl: "Since you already have a comprehensive plan, Cawl, I'll leave this matter to you! I trust you won't disappoint me."
After speaking, Alex did not wait for Cawl's reply and changed the subject: "Additionally, although my ultimate goal is to re-equip the Imperial Army with Saturn-pattern Terminator Armor, please do not spread it for now, or rather, keep it confidential until the return of someone you and I both know."
------------------------
I've posted 70+ chapters in advance on Patreon.
Webnovel updates will still be daily, as usual.
It might not seem tempting right nobut who knows what the future holds?
[email protected]/TripleCrown
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"