Chapter 72: From Now On, You'll Be the Oil Man!

With a clang, Eden tossed the welding mask onto a pile of parts nearby. He looked at his creation, clearly very satisfied:

"Not bad. Looks just right. From now on, you'll be known as the Oil Man!"

Standing before Eden was a "man" dressed in a rust-red hooded robe, with a skull mask embedded on his face, glowing red cybernetic eyes, and octopus-like mechanical arms protruding from his back.

And most prominently, the Imperial Aquila symbol that Eden had just welded onto him.

The appearance was not just similar to the tech-priests of the Adeptus Mechanicus—it was an exact replica!

"Governor, what is an Oil Man?" the "tech-priest" Moss scratched his head, puzzled.

"Oil Man is a nickname for the members of the Adeptus Mechanicus. They love to enhance their bodies through various mechanical augmentations..."

Eden then gave Moss a detailed introduction to the Adeptus Mechanicus.

The Adeptus Mechanicus, headquartered on Mars, is one of the Imperium's most significant religious organizations, with its members possessing remarkable technological prowess.

Though nominally a part of the Imperium, they are more like a state within a state. They have their own exclusive technology, forge worlds, armies, and fleets.

Of course, like other Imperial organizations, they revere the God-Emperor, whom they worship as the Omnissiah.

They also believe that all machines contain a "machine spirit."

Because of the machine spirit's existence, machines can function.

The tech-priests of the Adeptus Mechanicus handle the bulk of the Imperium's research, engineering, equipment maintenance, and industrial production.

They also have a crucial task: to excavate and uncover the technology left behind from humanity's golden age.

After explaining this, Eden looked at Moss and issued his command:

"From now on, you will play the role of a tech-priest. You're not allowed to reveal your true identity to anyone!"

"Understood!"

"Also, adjust your voice. Make it colder, more raspy."

Soon, under Eden's guidance, a cold, mechanical tech-priest named Moss was born.

"It still feels like something's missing..."

Eden stared at him for a moment, then rummaged through the parts pile, tinkering until he handed Moss a mechanical staff.

Now it looked even more authentic!

Of course, it was all a bit rough around the edges.

For now, this would do. Moss could gradually modify his body as time went on.

"The Governor officially declares you the Chief Tech-Priest of the King's Court district!"

"Tech-priest" was just a general term for members of the Adeptus Mechanicus. It encompassed over a thousand different roles.

Biologis explored biological mysteries; Fabricators built and maintained war machines; Logis processed arcane knowledge and data.

These were the broad categories, but there were many more intricate specializations.

For instance, there were Transmechanics, Cogitators, Techno-shamans, and Magos of various disciplines.

Outstanding members in any field could earn the title of Tech-Sage.

Such titles included Tech Specialist, Master Metallurgist, Master Alchemist, Scholam Magister, Lore Sage, Tech Assassin, Relic Keeper, and Holy Seeker, among others.

Higher up were the Tech-Adepts, the pinnacle being the Archmagos, Fabricator-General, or Datasmith.

These individuals often held positions of power on Forge Worlds.

Does all this sound confusing?

That's because it is.

Eden himself was confused and wasn't sure if he had explained it all correctly.

The hierarchy and ranks of the Adeptus Mechanicus were mind-bogglingly complex, constantly shifting, and overloaded with overlapping titles.

Even beginning to comprehend the towering structure of the Mechanicum far exceeded the limits of the human brain.

But regardless, with the technology inside Moss's digital brain, it wouldn't be hard for him to rise to the rank of Tech-Sage in the future.

Eden had already thought of a title for him: "Master of Ancient Machines."

"Alright. Lord Moss, let us be off!"

"Praise the Omnissiah!" Moss said, leaning on his mechanical staff, his voice now a raspy electronic tone.

Perfect. He was in character!

Eden quickly led Moss out of the secret chamber.

From now on, Moss would be the tech-priest of the King's Court district. He had his own identity and residence, complete with servitors to assist him.

Eden then took Moss to a mechanical factory within the district.

The factory was scattered with strange, outdated machine parts, and it appeared to have been abandoned for a long time.

Eden had brought Moss here primarily to meet the district's former mechanical engineers.

Though Moss had the technical knowledge, whether he could apply it under current conditions remained to be seen.

He needed specialized personnel to help him create what Eden wanted under the available constraints.

As Eden and Moss arrived, a ragged, oil-leaking servitor greeted them.

The servitor seemed sluggish as it spoke:

"Honored guests, please follow me..."

It led Eden and Moss to a location, opening a large steel door.

As the door creaked open, a man dressed in a rust-red robe, similar to a tech-priest, emerged.

The man bore minor signs of mechanical augmentation, adorned with skulls and mechanical claws.

He greeted them with an exaggerated enthusiasm that bordered on sycophantic:

"By the Omnissiah, Governor, you've finally arrived!"

Eden scrutinized the man before him—Sali Kall:

"You haven't been conducting any...forbidden research, have you?"

Kall's expression turned firm as he shook his head vigorously:

"I swear by the Omnissiah, absolutely not!"

Suddenly, Kall noticed Moss and became visibly panicked:

"Is this..."

It was obvious that Moss appeared to be a tech-priest, while Kall, on the other hand, was a mere impostor, never having received recognition from the Adeptus Mechanicus.

Naturally, meeting a genuine tech-priest had Kall in a panic.

The Sali family, to which Kall belonged, had once been members of the Adeptus Mechanicus. His grandfather was a radical Magos-Explorator.

But his grandfather's views on technology were so extreme that even other radicals considered them too dangerous.

As a result, the Sali family was stripped of their status and titles, and exiled from their Forge World.

Eventually, the Sali family found refuge on Urth, under the patronage of the Grant family, providing technical support in return.

The Sali family had long harbored dreams of restoring their former glory and continuing their journey down the path of the machine.

But they had a penchant for researching forbidden technologies, which had caused quite a bit of trouble.

Especially with Kall's generation—he had always claimed to be a tech-priest.

He even developed a so-called "machine-spirit link" technology, which nearly destroyed the entire mechanical factory and surrounding area.

But given the Sali family's centuries of contributions, Eden had spared Kall.

Instead, he placed the family under surveillance, forbidding them from conducting further research, up until now.

Seeing Kall's nervousness, Eden found it amusing but didn't expose him.

"This is Lord Moss, a Tech Specialist from the Adeptus Mechanicus..."

Kall grew even more anxious—this was no ordinary tech-priest but a high-ranking member with the title of Sage!

He awkwardly stammered a greeting:

"Honored Sage...I, I am..."

Facing Moss's cold, red cybernetic eyes, Kall could barely speak.

Eden stepped in, pointing to him:

"Kall, the 'Tech-Adepts'."

Moss stared at Kall, then nodded: "Greetings, Kall. May the Omnissiah bless us."

Since Moss had begun playing the role of a tech-priest, he had taken to muttering mystical phrases and occasionally reciting binary code.

But to outsiders, it all seemed very Mechanicum-like.

"Praise the Omnissiah!"

Relieved that his cover wasn't blown, Kall finally exhaled.

Eden had no intention of letting Moss or Kall learn the other's true identity.

He planned to let these two impostors continue their charade...

Through Moss and Kall, Eden intended to gradually rebuild the Adeptus Mechanicus structure, providing the King's Court district with technological support!

(End of Chapter)

[Check Out My Patreon For +20 Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!! For Only $5!!][www.p@treon.com/zaelum] 

[+500 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter]

[Thank You For Your Support!]