Catachan Wolf

Void Hunter.

Chief Apothecary Mikel bathed and cleansed his sticky body after a long trek through the humid forests of Catachan before arriving at the lower deck of M-108.

After setting up a sealed Spirituality environment with a ritual knife, he knelt on the altar.

Beside the "Beast Tamer" lay Wolf Prime, unlike the gray or brown-furred Thunderwolf, its fur was emerald green.

"The Black Emperor of the Shadow of Order"

The mysterious ruler of Kingdom of Disorder

The King of Light and Shadow, who rules the rules.

Mikel picked up the sacrificial offerings prepared in advance from the altar and held them above his head with both hands.

I pray for Your watchful gaze.

I offer you a sacrifice.

"The Iron Law of the Monarch, the foundation of Kingdom of Disorder, please transfer your power to my incantation."

The wolf with its emerald green fur sensed an unseen force surging within it; its fur stood on end, and it warily surveyed its surroundings.

The "Beast Tamer" held the offering in his left hand and gently patted the back of the Catachan Wolf with his right hand to soothe its fear.

As Mikel recited it for the third time, black mist rose and engulfed him and the Catachan Wolf.

Mikel had some idea of what was going on in the mysterious space and the current situation from Sanchez's words. He looked around and calmed down after a few seconds.

The Catachan Wolf snarled in terror, as if Dream-entry.

The "Beast Tamer" stroked the Catachan Wolf again to soothe its fear.

"My lord!"

Nimrod slightly, his eyes fixed on the wolf with its emerald green fur, its size similar to that of the Fenrisian Wolf.

Besides its fur, its pupil color is also different from that of the Fenrisian Wolf; it is not yellow, but green.

He also noticed that, in addition to the changes in its fur, the Wolf Prime also had armor protection on its vital areas.

"Mikel, it seems you have successfully tamed and bred a new breed of wolves adapted to Catachan."

"As you can see," Mikel said, "The 'Apothecary' concoct unique potions, and the 'Beast Tamer' accelerate the taming of the Thunderwolf, allowing them to quickly adapt to the environment of Catachan and complete their evolution."

"Their bodies have changed to adapt to jungle life, most notably in the color of their fur and pupils."

"Their fur density is reduced to minimize the problem of fur sticking together due to the high humidity in the jungle, while also enhancing their heat dissipation capabilities."

After reporting the adaptive evolution of the Catachan Wolf, the "Beast Tamer" added:

"The 'Beast Tamer' are also guiding their evolution, and the current direction of this guidance is to reduce the distance between their toes."

"This will make their forelimb joints more flexible, improving their walking efficiency on soft humus."

"They are a completely different species from the Thunderwolf; we call them the Catachan Wolf."

He concluded by saying, "The mechanical devices on the Catachan Wolf are improvements based on experimental data collected from previous battles."

"This started during the Thunderwolf era. The Shadow of Order of the 7th Legion reported that, despite the Thunderwolf's exceptional speed, they suffered unacceptable casualties in every battle under the Ork's firepower."

"After consulting with the Tech Sergeant, I developed suitable armor for them."

"But this doesn't align with Catachan culture and would slow down movement in the jungle, so currently only limited equipment is being provided to protect vital areas."

Nimrod recalled that the "Space Wolves '" Thunderwolf cavalry would also equip their mounts with armor to increase their survivability.

They also underwent some mechanical modifications, adding weapons while retaining the form of the Thunderwolf. The Space Wolves riding them could operate the weapons to fight, and so he spoke.

"Research and development is not limited to protective armor; it also includes developing heavy weapons used by the Shadow of Order who ride them."

After reporting on the progress of the domestication of the Catachan Wolf, the Chief Apothecary opened the box in his hand, revealing the carnivorous plants inside.

"My lord, this is the Catachan Brain Leaf you need!"

"A fleet consisting of three Transport Ships and five escort vessels has set sail. You will see the flora and fauna of Catachan later."

"Very good," Nimrod said approvingly, as the Chief Apothecary pressed the rune and closed the box.

"Sir, the transformation surgery on the Catachan people is progressing smoothly."

"They have excellent physical condition and strong adaptability, and no rejection reaction occurred after taking the medicines prepared by the 'Apothecary'."

"To date, none of the 1,500 candidates have failed in their transformation efforts."

After the report was completed, Mikel and the Catachan Wolf were returned to the Void Hunter.

After comforting the Catachan Wolf, the "Beast Tamer" clasped his hands together, praised the Black Emperor for a moment, and then slowly stood up.

At the same time, on the surface of Catachan, the residence of "Harvest Priest" Malena Skala was set up next to experimental farmland.

The "Harvest Priest" strode forward, inspecting the farmland area.

A turmeric-furred, Brainy Cat followed beside her.

The plants in Catachan are self-aware, and the "Harvest Priest" must inspect the defensive perimeter she has created with the plants every day.

The "Harvest Priest" surrounded the farmland, establishing a defensive perimeter around the mutated plants.

When attacked by mutated plants, these plants retaliate according to her will, and this happens every day.

The "Harvest Priest" looked ahead as a "Beast Tamer" led a train-long Catachan Devil past.

Its presence deterred most animals from approaching.

The "Harvest Priest" withdrew his gaze and looked at the five-meter-high wall formed by vines.

Building this wall cost the "Harvest Priest" one stellar month.

The vines in Catachan grew at an astonishing rate, far exceeding what she had seen in Triken. Malena spent most of her time manipulating the plants and building a defensive perimeter.

It's almost a meter taller than when I inspected it yesterday.

Without the invasion of various mutated plants, it's hard to imagine how tall these vines would have grown.

After walking more than a hundred meters, Malena passed the southeast corner of the wall surrounded by mutated plants.

As soon as she turned the corner, she saw a one-meter-wide crack about ten meters ahead.

The defensive wall, which was originally about three meters thick, has been reduced to about one meter.

[The fissure was created by yesterday's attack by the vines and the Catachan Catcher.]

The "Harvest Priest" raised her fair right hand and aimed it at the vine.

The Spirituality spread, and the vines grew in accordance with the will of the "Harvest Priest".

Although the plants of Catachan have "consciousness," they do not possess true wisdom. The "Harvest Priest" can control plants and insects within a 30-meter radius that lack wisdom, and thus can also control the plants of Catachan.

Moments later, Malena finished constructing the mutated plant defensive wall.

After walking across the entire defensive wall and inspecting the defenses, Malena walked toward the vines.

As the "Harvest Priest" approached, the vines she commanded parted, revealing a passage.

Malena went inside, and what appeared before her was a field of farmland.

She used Psionic Energy to transform the entire farmland using the technology of the Aeldari world, taking a year to complete.

This area is unlike any other in Catachan; the crops growing here are ordinary crops, not the mutated plants that launch frenzied attacks.

After the "Harvest Priest" inspired the growth of hundreds of crops, he finally determined that raspberry and pomelo trees were the most suitable for planting here.

Malena walked through the lush orchard back to her dwelling.

Fifty-two Catachan women looked at Malena with awe.

Every woman in the Catachan is physically strong, even comparable to Auxilia.

Like the men, they are also Catachan people who survived in the dangerous jungle, and even without training, their combat strength is no less than that of ordinary Auxilia soldiers.

The women of Catachan bowed respectfully to Lady Malena; they had never seen anyone command the plants to such a degree as Lady Malena.

In their eyes, Lady Malena was even more powerful and mysterious than those Astartes clad in black armor.

The women of Catachan considered it an honor to serve Malena, and each one who ultimately qualified had outmaneuvered tens of thousands of others.

They were deeply moved after being granted permission to set foot in the area.

Lady Malena, you actually managed to plant trees in Catachan.

The legendary fruit tree.

The women of Catachan served Lady Malena with utmost devotion, regarding it as an honor and a blessing from fate.

Malena nodded slightly and continued walking into her residence.

She went straight down into the underground, where fourteen Catachan women and Legion Servitor were busily working to build the altar according to her instructions.

They tried their best, but progress was still much slower than on the Void Hunter.

Thirty-eight sidereal days later, the altar was completed.

After Malena ordered everyone to leave, she set up the altar.