After the consciousness of the Legion Commander—Lorgar Aurelian—had completely departed,
Carlo Dest did not hurry to rise from the ground.
Instead, following his usual habit, he remained prostrate on the cold floor and silently recited a passage of scriptures recorded in the Sacred Text before slowly getting to his feet.
As a member of the Word Bearers Legion,
daily devout prayer was indispensable to him.
Its importance came second only to missions!
It was even more precious than his own life!
His head could be severed, his blood could be spilled, but his daily prayers had to be completed!
Otherwise, it meant his devotion was insufficient!
And insufficient devotion was equivalent to absolute impiety!
At the very thought of it, Carlo Dest felt utterly sickened!
That was blasphemy! It was also a death penalty!!
He ought to be cast into the Purification Furnace and have his sins washed away!!!
Not long afterward,
having earnestly completed his daily duty,
he contacted his subordinates, then used a thought to communicate with the Central Will of the Living Fortress, ordering it to open a Space Door leading to the control room. He stepped inside.
Then,
before he had even steadied himself, several figures appeared beside Carlo Dest. They wore robes made from special Soft Metal, their surfaces entwined with numerous tubes, while several Metal Spheres bearing strange patterns floated beside them. Bowing respectfully, they reported:
"Commander, we have handled the matter you entrusted to us."
"A total of eleven qualifying universes have been selected."
These individuals were members of the Adeptus Mechanicus within the Fallen Empire, specifically responsible for technological research.
However, due to their positions, they were now Carlo Dest's subordinates, tasked with managing the various technical departments within the Living Fortress.
As a force that possessed Time Technology,
altering time