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Chapter 270: Enigmatic Engineering
🕑 Added 2025-09-04 09:19:54 +0000 UTCChapter 270: Enigmatic Engineering
Lucan looked at the list of Ascension Perks from Stellaris. The ability to select one for free, with the next one costing only 1,000 Unity, meant that he didn't have to be overly cautious with his first choice. At his current rate of Unity income, he would be able to pick another perk in just one month.
The four main paths—Genetic Resequencing, The Flesh is Weak, Synthetic Evolution, and Mind Over Matter—were currently unavailable. A number of the original perks from the game had also been adapted to fit the Warhammer universe. Perks that increased fleet capacity, diplomatic weight, empire size, or the number of envoys and scientists were gone, as Lucan was not bound by those in-game restrictions in reality. He didn't suffer extra maintenance costs for having too many warships or scientists, nor did he receive penalties for his empire's size. This could be seen as a benefit, but at the same time, perks that reduced construction costs and the like were also not applicable in the Warhammer universe.
Before making his choice, Lucan first checked the other interfaces. He started with the leaders screen. The Chief Scientist was, as expected, Pavian. Besides Pavian, he saw a list of his other important personnel: Rebecca, Verre, Ian, Damon, Artanis, and Kerrigan. Both Artanis and Kerrigan were listed in the system as "Paragons," but to his surprise, Rebecca was also a Paragon. This was unexpected. It seemed there was a good reason she was able to single-handedly manage the political affairs of the entire Mongorte Dynasty. While the enhancement from the Divinity Machine was a factor, the fact that she could keep the Dynasty's affairs in perfect order even as its territory continued to expand spoke volumes of her exceptional ability. In contrast, while Verre was an excellent purser, managing the entire Dynasty was a bit beyond his capabilities. Fortunately, Verre was aware of his own limits. There was no backstabbing at the top of the Mongorte Dynasty's power structure; everyone simply did their job to the best of their ability.
As he continued to scroll down, Lucan saw the names of Cawl, Guilliman, and Ferrus. These three were also listed as max-level "Legends," but their character panels were currently unselectable. Under Cawl's name was a long list of beneficial traits. He had a +15% research speed bonus in all three fields: Engineering, Physics, and Society. It seemed that living for ten thousand years was not for nothing; that time had allowed Cawl to accumulate an unimaginable amount of knowledge in all fields. If Cawl could serve as the Dynasty's Chief Scientist, he could save Lucan a massive amount of resources and time. The cooperation they had agreed upon earlier had established an employment relationship between them.
When Lucan checked the science panel, he was pleasantly surprised to find that it was not, like in the game, filled with only a few starting technologies. The late-game tech options were all laid out, though they still required their prerequisite technologies to be researched first.
However, he also noticed that some prerequisite technologies were already displayed as unlocked—for example, the cold fusion core. The technology for it was present in the StarCraft powersuits. Similarly, the servo-systems integrated into the powersuits and other StarCraft vehicles could serve as a substitute for the Smart Computer technology. It was a form of primitive artificial intelligence. Further breakthroughs could lead to the development of true AI. Cawl himself had been secretly researching AI, and Lucan figured that once he officially hired him, he could save some research points by skipping a few techs.
Technologies that were fundamentally the same or similar had been used to directly fill in the Stellaris tech tree. Some of the basic technologies of the Warhammer universe were the same, such as the cloning vats he now possessed to clone soldiers, which could also be found in the tech tree.
Furthermore, it wasn't just about unlocking specific Stellaris technologies with research points. He could also use research points to forcibly crack technologies that his Dynasty currently possessed but had not yet successfully reverse-engineered, bypassing any research barriers. It was just like stealing technology by investigating enemy ship debris in the game.
[StarCraft Warp Drive] [Physics Tech Points: 30,000]
[Eldar Warship Holo-field] [Physics Tech Points: 30,000]
[Anti-Matter Matrix] [Physics Points: 40,000]
"The StarCraft warp drive can be researched directly with tech points?! And Blackstone technology is in here too?!"
Lucan remembered that the warp drive in Stellaris had many prerequisite technologies that needed to be researched first. But because his StarCraft warships already possessed this technology, the system allowed him to directly use tech points to break through the technical hurdles, bypassing the prerequisites. This meant that it was now a certainty that he would be able to manufacture his own warp drives. He no longer had to worry about the reverse-engineering process failing; all he needed was time. In Stellaris, the jump drive was also a rare technology.
It wasn't just human technology; he could also reverse-engineer Eldar and Necron tech. Looking at the tech point cost for the warp drive and the holo-field, Lucan calculated that it would still take a full six years to unlock them. The Null-Field technology would take even longer.
Four years was a short time in the Warhammer universe. In fact, to be able to crack these technologies in just four years was already unbelievably fast. After all, he had been in this world for some time now, and with the full power of the Cult of the Holy Machine, they had only managed to transplant a warp drive; they still had no clue how to build one.
But Lucan couldn't wait. He was only in his twenties before he transmigrated. Four years was a very long time in his mind. He wasn't like the old geezers in Warhammer who lived for hundreds or thousands of years. This made his need to expand his territory and gain more research points even more urgent.
Looking at the dazzling array of technologies in the interface, each requiring a huge amount of research points, Lucan felt an itch he couldn't scratch. For now, he could only look.
He temporarily closed the technology page. He needed time to carefully consider the unlock order.
Looking at the list of Ascension Perks, he decided not to use his first free unlock on Cosmic Genesis or Become the Crisis. The former, once unlocked, would still require him to spend tech points to research the Synaptic Lathe, which would cost no less than the warp drive, and then he would have to spend time building it. The latter also didn't allow him to build the Aetherophasic Engine right away. He wasn't in such a hurry that he couldn't wait one more month. It was better to choose a perk that would give him an immediate effect.
After some deliberation, Lucan finally settled his gaze on two Ascension Perks. Their effects were the most direct, and he believed they would be the most helpful to him right now.
The first was:
[Technological Ascendancy: Those dark technologies once indistinguishable from magic are now within reach. A new technological era has arrived.]
[+10% Research Speed, +50% chance for rare technologies to appear.]
The description was simple and direct. A ten percent boost might not seem like much, but it was significant. The points saved would be enough for him to research another technology. The research time for top-tier technologies was very long, and the longer it was, the more substantial the 10% reduction would be. It could save him a huge amount of science points and time.
Technological Ascendancy was important to Lucan, but at the same time, it wasn't. Even with a 10% reduction, research would still take years. The fact that it still required a large amount of time made it less urgent. And with Cawl working for him, his own research acceleration abilities would allow Lucan to put this perk on the back burner for a while. Furthermore, he was definitely going to research the Synaptic Lathe, which would conflict with this perk. The research speed bonus from the Synaptic Lathe was far greater.
Given the System's usual pattern, the Unity cost for subsequent Ascension Perks would surely increase. The second one cost a thousand, the next might be ten thousand, and the one after that, perhaps a hundred thousand. Using a precious perk slot on Technological Ascendancy seemed like a bit of a waste. Instead of loading it now and still having to spend a huge amount of time grinding through the tech tree, it would be more practical to research it later, when his empire was larger and he had more research points.
Finally, Lucan looked at the other Ascension Perk he had been considering.
[Enigmatic Engineering: Technology is not a rigid knowledge to be solved, but the product of our transcendent genius. Mere mortals cannot comprehend our progress!]
[Attempts to steal our technology will automatically fail.]
[The wreckage of our destroyed warships cannot be researched by enemy factions.]
[Small chance to acquire Fallen Empire building technology.]
The description for Enigmatic Engineering was just as impressive. Looking at its effects, Lucan felt that this was the Ascension Perk that could give him an immediate benefit. It would protect the series of StarCraft technologies he currently possessed, and it would also ensure that after he developed the Stellaris technologies, they could not be reverse-engineered by other factions. This was especially important when it came to the Necrons. Their technological and research capabilities were not low. Once a war began, some of his wargear would inevitably fall into their hands. If it were cracked, he did not want to be dragged into another quagmire of a war of attrition.
But the main reason he was determined to choose this Ascension Perk was because of a special situation developing within the Koronus Expanse. The Ork pirates roaming the region were beginning to show some strange mutations. The Ork WAAAGH! field was once again displaying its absurd, reality-bending effects. The very nature of the Ork race made it impossible to completely eradicate them from the Expanse. Even as the campaigns against these space pirates intensified, they would always pop up from the most unexpected places.
With their current strength, the Orks of the Expanse posed no real threat to the Dynasty. It had been a long time since the Greenskins had managed to overrun a planet or destroy a fleet within the Rogue Trader Alliance's territory. But in the fringe systems, and before the warp drives produced at the starports could be installed on every freighter and trade convoy, the merchant ships traveling between the systems and various dynasties were still occasionally plundered by these Greenskins.
And Lucan's Rogue Trader Alliance was not the only power in the Expanse. The trade of powersuits and other StarCraft equipment had already spread to the various official Imperial combat forces in the region. Originally, when fighting against trade ships or official Imperial forces, the Greenskins had a hard time winning. But even in retreat, they would still strip the powersuits from the bodies of fallen human soldiers, and with their superior numbers, they could still win small-scale battles. This was almost unavoidable, but at first, no one had paid it much mind. The warships in the void could not ensure that every single powersuit was recovered after a battle.
After some time, Ork forces wearing powersuits cobbled together from various scraps began to appear in the Expanse. This seemingly ramshackle armor was surprisingly no less effective than the trade version of Lucan's powersuits. It didn't take a genius to figure out that the Greenskins had used their "Ork know-wotz" to replicate the powersuits in their own way. This had greatly increased the threat they posed to the Expanse. Ork warbands in their own version of powersuits had even begun to launch large-scale attacks on some of the fringe worlds. The poorly defended planets were starting to fall to these special Ork forces.
The Ork clan that had first figured out the powersuits was now beginning to unite the various Ork factions in the Expanse. As more and more Mekboyz gathered, the power of their collective belief grew stronger, and it was beginning to look like it might coalesce into a massive WAAAGH!. It wasn't just the powersuits; other StarCraft technologies were also showing signs of being cracked—ramshackle Ork Thors, or scrap-built Ork fighters with cloaking fields. If these Greenskins managed to destroy and capture a Gorgon, or somehow acquire a warp drive, they might be able to truly manufacture these war machines before Lucan could. Hadn't he relied on the "know-wotz" of those Ork Meks to get the Stellar Pioneer up and running in the first place?
Lucan did not want all his efforts to become a wedding dress for these Greenskins. Given the metaphysical bullshit of the Warhammer universe, there was no telling what kind of nonsense the Orks could come up with. If the System's usual priority in enforcing its laws held true, Lucan believed that the effects of Enigmatic Engineering would surely be able to counter the Orks. You want to use metaphysics? Fine, I'll use my cheat codes!
Lucan knew he could not allow these Orks to continue to grow stronger. He did not want to face a massive Ork WAAAGH!. There was no profit to be had in a war with them, and cleaning up their scattered spores was a major undertaking.
The final effect, the chance to acquire Fallen Empire building technology, could also provide him with some help. Some of those special buildings, once unlocked, could even create resources out of thin air. But compared to the other effects, this bonus was a bit lackluster.
"It's decided then! The next one will be the Crisis perk! A month is a short time. I should be able to unlock it after the trip to Terra is over!"
Having made his decision, Lucan immediately selected Enigmatic Engineering.
[Ascension Perk Selected]
[Successfully loaded Enigmatic Engineering]
[Effect is now active]
A high-dimensional power began to spread out from Lucan, expanding across the entire galaxy. The various races could not perceive its existence, but they were all now subject to its influence.
