Chapter 5: The True Golden Finger: Warp Essence

"Your Majesty, Emperor?"

Eden attempted to call out, but the cold sun gave no response.

After a while, he noticed something was off.

Where are my hands and feet?

Where's my body?

He couldn't feel his body at all!

Eden tried to expand his psychic sense to investigate and discovered a shocking truth.

He had turned into a ball!

To be precise, he had become a small sun made of psychic energy.

At this moment, he was hidden beneath the radiance of the Emperor's great cold sun, slowly emitting warmth, bringing a faint glimmer of heat to the cold Warp.

A massive influx of psychic information flooded Eden's mind.

After absorbing all of the information, he finally understood what the small sun was and took full control of it.

This small sun-like psychic sphere was his Warp essence, something that the powerful beings of the Warhammer universe desperately sought after.

In simple terms, Warp essence is the projection of a living being into the Warp — in other words, "What is the essence of your existence?"

Not everyone can possess such a thing. At the very least, one must be at the level of a Primarch to awaken it.

For example, after Corvus Corax, one of the Primarchs, awakened his Warp essence, he became a Warp shadow creature.

He could transform into ravens and black clouds and had the ability to turn invisible.

Once someone awakens their Warp essence, their life form ascends to a higher level, becoming something akin to a god.

Beyond that level is the Emperor himself, represented by the cold sun before Eden.

The Emperor's light protects the entire Imperium of Man, enough to resist the Four Gods of Chaos!

Now, Eden had also awakened his Warp essence, gaining access to the path of godhood — this was his true cheat!

Eden's Warp essence was named Dawn, but he preferred to call it the Little Sun.

The Little Sun had saved Eden from Slaanesh's palace and granted him the power to become a Psyker.

This was enough to prove its immense strength.

However, this had also caused the Little Sun to become extremely weak due to excessive energy consumption.

Even the smallest Warp storm could cause it to be snuffed out.

Luckily, there was still a way to recover.

Like the Four Chaos Gods — Khorne, Tzeentch, Nurgle, and Slaanesh — the Little Sun also fed on certain concepts or emotions as sustenance.

But unlike the Chaos Gods, the Little Sun thrived on positive emotions. It fed on the concept of hope.

Things like happiness, dreams, aspirations, courage, and passion could all restore the Little Sun's energy.

Eden could split off a psychic core and anchor it in the real world, allowing the Little Sun to absorb hope-related concepts and emotions.

As the Planetary Governor of Urth, Eden held dominion over an entire planet.

As long as he developed the planet and improved the lives of his people, the Little Sun could continuously absorb the power of hope, restoring its strength and growing even more powerful.

Once the Little Sun became strong again, it could in turn bless the planet, protecting its inhabitants, and granting them strength!

This was Eden's true trump card. As long as he had enough time and continued to expand his territory, absorbing more and more hope, he could eventually ascend to godhood!

Eden examined the Little Sun's abilities and found that many of its powers were currently locked.

Abilities like blessings and teleportation required the energy to reach a certain level before they could be unlocked.

Just as Eden was about to delve deeper into his study, another wave of psychic energy hit, kicking him out of the Warp.

...

Morning.

At the top of the royal court district's tower.

Warm sunlight filtered through the stained glass windows into the bedroom, where the maids waited nearby, ready for their master to awaken.

Damn!

Eden jolted awake and found himself back in the real world.

Gathering his thoughts, he glanced at the clock. It was already ten in the morning.

Time flows strangely in the Warp… I was only there for a short while, but so much time has passed in reality.

Moreover, once again, it had been the psychic tide that had forcibly ejected him from the Warp. It seemed his time spent in the Warp was limited.

Eden felt a little disappointed. He had just been about to explore the Little Sun's powers, only to be interrupted at the critical moment.

It looked like he'd have to continue next time.

"Good morning~"

Linda, the head maid, greeted him softly as she handed him a warm towel to gently wipe his face.

With the help of the maids, Eden washed up and got dressed, still somewhat drowsy as he made his way to the dining room. The breakfast table was already laden with a lavish spread.

The golden utensils glistened under the crystal chandelier, and the plates were piled with an array of delicious dishes.

Golden pancakes slathered with sweet Arcaneberry jam; tender grox ham exuded an irresistible aroma; scrambled eggs dotted with rob fruits were as smooth as silk.

The rich, aromatic scent of black coffee wafted into his nose, instantly perking him up.

Eden came to his senses, looking at the luxurious breakfast before him and couldn't help but marvel.

I'm lucky I transmigrated into Eden Grant and became the Planetary Governor, enjoying such a lavish lifestyle at the top of the hive.

He could wake up naturally, be attended to by a group of beautiful maids, and then enjoy a sumptuous breakfast.

No commuting, no rushing, no daily grind, and no annoying supervisors!

A working man's tears…

If Eden had transmigrated into the lower hive, he would probably already be toiling away in a factory, screwing bolts until his hands smoked, waiting for noon to eat a small block of corpse-starch.

Lunch breaks? Forget about it.

Imperial workers had no rights; the conditions were a hundred times worse than any grueling 996 work schedule. Many simply worked themselves to death.

But the Imperium never worried about workers dying from exhaustion — there were always plenty of people to replace them. A single hive could support tens of billions of people!

And as for ending up in the underhive, Eden didn't even want to think about it. The people there lived amid horrifying pollution and terrifying mutants.

They scavenged rotten food from trash heaps, and even breathing was considered a luxury.

The people in the lower and underhives certainly lived miserable lives, but at least now their Planetary Governor was Eden.

Now that he possessed the Little Sun, a Warp essence fueled by hope, Eden was destined to be a benevolent governor who cared for his people.

He would make sure all of his citizens lived good lives!

After all, their happiness and hope were Eden's sustenance.

The better off they were, the more hope they would generate.

This way, he could restore the Little Sun's energy and grow even stronger.

"Governor, is the food to your liking?"

Linda leaned over, offering Eden a bite. "I made it with my own hands, you know?"

"So soft… cough, it's delicious, delicious!"

Eden nodded hurriedly as he ate, though his attention was somewhat distracted by certain… jumping distractions.

After finishing breakfast, Eden reclined in his chair, contemplating how best to manage his planet.

At this point, he knew almost nothing about the state of Urth, and even Eden Grant hadn't been involved in the actual governance of the planet.

The royal court employed hundreds of thousands of administrative personnel to manage the planet's complex affairs, but Eden had hardly met any of them.

All of these matters had been handled by Bayev's administrative team.

This was the way most Planetary Governors operated; otherwise, they would drown in the endless administrative work until they dropped dead from exhaustion.

Eden only needed to make important decisions, and the stewards and bureaucrats would carry out his will and implement his ideas.

Power and responsibility went hand in hand, inseparably linked.

As a Planetary Governor, he wielded immense power. So, what were his responsibilities?

What was his most important duty?

(End of Chapter)