Chapter 117: Seeking New Power!

Now that the Genestealer Patriarch's location was confirmed, things could proceed more smoothly.

Eden planned to dispatch an elite force through the underground tunnels to strike directly at the heart of the Genestealers' lair and execute the Patriarch.

The secret route through the tunnels capable of accommodating the strike team was already being calculated by the psychic network.

Using the data transmitted by his clone, Eden supplemented the incomplete schematics of the King's Court's tunnel system.

Currently, Webby was analyzing this residual data, using logical computation to fill in the missing pieces of the map.

According to its projections, there was an 80% chance it could pinpoint a suitable route.

That was more than promising.

Eden hoped it would succeed.

While determining the attack route was one challenge, the bigger issue was the manpower for the elite force.

The King's Court simply didn't have enough elite troops available.

The only true elites were the 200 or so Guards.

Under normal circumstances, these Guards were more than enough to dominate any adversaries on the planet.

But now, they faced terrifying heretics and xenos.

Against such monstrous threats, the Guards were far from sufficient.

Moreover, this mission targeted a fully mature Genestealer brood.

The 200 Guards wouldn't even make it past the swarming hordes on the outskirts of the lair, let alone reach its core.

Thus, Eden had to seek new power. His sights were set on the void-dwelling survivors aboard the derelict space vessel.

He looked up at the tribal settlement clinging to the mountains of wreckage.

That was the place.

During his exploration of the derelict vessel with the Little Sun, Eden had discovered these void survivors.

Their bodies were incredibly strong, capable of slaying Chaos creatures with their bare hands.

They were natural-born warriors.

"Damn, the Chaos creatures here are endless. How many more do I have to kill?"

Eden grumbled, tossing aside the remains of a Chaos beast as he made his way toward the void survivors' settlement.

He had uncovered their secrets, giving him hope of recruiting these powerful warriors.

At the tribe's outskirts:

Tia stood anxiously at the settlement's entrance, awaiting the return of the foraging party.

Her father had joined the foragers in their search for fungi within the mountains of wreckage, and she was deeply worried for their safety.

The fungi near the settlement were growing scarce, forcing the foragers to venture further out, where they faced increasingly dangerous Chaos creatures.

Each foraging trip resulted in casualties, yet they had no choice but to go.

The dwindling fungi supply had already led to famine in the tribe.

If the foragers didn't bring back food, more people would starve.

Tia had been waiting a long time. One group of foragers after another returned, injured and downcast.

When she inquired, they could only report that the fungi were vanishing in patches, leaving them with almost nothing to collect.

It seemed the tribe would face another wave of starvation.

Tia herself was starving, but she held onto hope that her father, the best forager in the tribe, would return with food.

"Oh great deity, please protect my father and the others. Let them return safely…"

Tia clasped the wooden figurine in her hands tightly, her young face solemn and devout.

The figurine represented the deity her tribe had worshipped since its inception.

Even the eldest shaman, who had lived for decades, didn't know the deity's true name.

They only knew it was the tribe's protector and savior.

During every ritual, the shaman would recount an ancient prophecy:

The tribe must worship the deity with utmost devotion, for one day the deity would hear their call.

It would descend clad in golden armor from the void to save them all.

And they would follow in the deity's footsteps to a beautiful paradise, a land of warmth, endless food, and sunlight.

For the void survivors, this prophecy was a beacon of hope.

Tia clung to it during every ritual, imagining the paradise where she and her loved ones would never go hungry again.

Lost in her daydream, Tia was suddenly overshadowed by a looming figure.

"Little girl, can you help me?"

Eden, clad in radiant golden power armor, looked down at her, forcing a warm smile.

"I'm a traveler from afar, here to trade with your people. Can you fetch your elders for me?"

As he spoke, he awkwardly retrieved a loaf of bread and offered it to her.

"If you help me, this tasty treat is yours…"

Tia's gaze shifted to the bread. Its aroma wafted into her nostrils—she had never smelled anything so delightful.

But instead of focusing on the bread, she stared blankly at Eden, her eyes wide with awe.

The golden glow emanating from his armor struck a deep chord in her.

Clatter!

The wooden figurine fell from her hands.

"The deity… The deity has heard our call and descended…"

Tears welled up in her eyes as Tia dropped to her knees in reverence.

Eden was baffled.

"Deity? What deity? Little girl, I just want you to fetch your elders…"

"By your will, great deity! I will inform them immediately!"

Scrambling to her feet, Tia wiped her tears and ran toward the settlement, her small legs pumping with urgency.

She couldn't wait to share the joyous news: their deity had come to lead them to paradise!

"What's going on? Deity? Me?"

Eden scratched his head, watching the girl run off, his mind filled with questions.

This wasn't part of the plan.

Initially, Eden had intended to recruit the void survivors by offering them food in exchange for fighting under his command.

At least with him, they'd receive ample food and proper armor, instead of risking their lives for scraps of fungi.

Picking up the fallen wooden figurine, Eden examined it closely.

It was unmistakably a crude depiction of the Emperor.

Realization dawned.

These void survivors worshipped the Emperor, and they had mistaken him for their deity.

"Well, might as well go along with it…"

After all, as a minor Warp deity himself, he could loosely claim divine status.

When Tia informed the tribe, the entire settlement erupted in excitement.

The elderly shaman, trembling with age, led the people in welcoming Eden, their "deity," into the heart of the settlement.

Eden's presentation of wheat-based food solidified their belief in his divinity.

To them, such delicious food could only come from the paradise foretold in the prophecy.

The long-awaited savior had arrived, offering them salvation from their endless hunger.

They knelt and begged Eden to lead them to the paradise.

Faced with their eager and hopeful faces, Eden felt a twinge of awkwardness.

Paradise? More like a world crawling with Genestealers.

How could he tell them their deity's plan was to march them into the heart of a xenos hive?

(End of Chapter)

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