Boarding the Ship

After Kaminski left, King Nimrod waited for Howard.

"My Lord, I have begun to implement the Khanty-Mansi Dome system throughout the lower hive. Soon, the lower hive will be completely renewed."

After hearing the briefing, King Nimrod said with appreciation.

"Well done. You must also take charge of forming the 5th Regiment; your future is not that of an Arbites."

"As you command, My Lord."

"You must also remain vigilant, identifying talent within the ranks to prepare for the next expansion."

King Nimrod issued the same requirement to all his regimental commanders; when he returned to Vostonia, he intended to initiate a new round of expansion and thoroughly conquer this world.

"The defense of Tezwork is also entrusted to you. Buksa will assist you in this regard."

The newly subjugated Mazov and Szczecin, along with the Magadan people, were more cultured and lacked a strong will to resist, so King Nimrod handed these two hive cities to Rawlslev and his 1st Regiment.

"My Lord, I will surely hold Tezwork for you and await your return."

After Howard left, Rosicky arrived with dozens of servitors to deliver the armor.

The servitors stepped on mechanical rigs to help King Nimrod don the black armor.

"King Nimrod, does the armor fit you well?"

Retaining most of his human features, save for a single implanted ocular lens, Rosicky wisely kept his scanning range focused on King Nimrod's physical data and the armor itself.

King Nimrod flickered, appearing at the palace gates, then immediately returned to where he had been standing; his speed was so great that Rosicky's optical scanners only registered a momentary flicker.

"Not bad. It fits."

"My Lord, Magos Kaminski has ordered me to accompany you on your campaign against the xenos pirates."

"Go and prepare the aircraft. I depart in one standard hour."

Tezwork only possessed aircraft for low-altitude use; it lacked vehicles capable of high-altitude flight.

One Terra hour later, King Nimrod, accompanied by Maria and two other assassins, boarded the transport ship he had summoned from the starport under Rosicky's guidance.

Lukpo Hive, upper palace.

King Nimrod first summoned Szczesny to hear his briefing.

"My Lord, Thierry has been diligently executing your order to form the 2nd Regiment."

"He has utilized his own prestige and influence, working alongside Murawski to stabilize order. I believe he is truly loyal to you."

King Nimrod nodded slightly; if Thierry harbored any ulterior motives, the time he had been away would have been his best opportunity.

"How goes the formation of your 4th Regiment?"

"My Lord, the 4th Regiment is fully formed. I request to accompany you on your campaign."

"In that case, you shall immediately lead the 4th Regiment and board the Piszczek."

Szczesny was overjoyed. Since becoming a "Sailor," he had always wanted to serve King Nimrod and repay his trust; now, the opportunity had finally arrived.

"As you wish."

He spoke using the grammar he had just learned from a rhetoric book.

After Szczesny left, King Nimrod immediately opened his communicator and sent a message to Thierry.

"Come to the palace to see me."

King Nimrod walked up to Thierry and opened his palm, revealing a red vial.

Thierry hesitated for three seconds, If My Lord wanted to kill me, there would be no need for such trouble.

He knew he had no choice but to drink it. Gritting his teeth, he picked up the vial and downed it in one gulp.

Ten minutes later, Thierry's previously well-fitting carapace armor was nearly bursting at the seams. After mastering meditation and spirit-sight under King Nimrod's tutelage, he carefully and slowly knelt.

"My King, thank you for your grace."

"I am about to head to the star-seas to strike at the xenos. I leave the defense of Lukpo to you."

King Nimrod's decision to cultivate Thierry into a "Warrior" was intended to further enhance the strength of his primary combat asset.

Unlike the other three remote hive cities, Lukpo was surrounded by powerful rivals, and there was no guarantee that no one would harbor ill intentions while he was away on campaign.

Thierry felt a tinge of disappointment at not being chosen to follow King Nimrod into battle, but being entrusted with the defense of the largest and most prosperous of the four hive cities, he felt the weight of that trust.

"My King, I shall defend Lukpo with my life and will never fail your trust."

The third person King Nimrod summoned was Wojciech Bielik. Hearing the sloshing of liquid inside the crates carried by the tech-artisans, he already had a guess.

"It seems you have achieved results?"

"My King, I have developed a waterproof coating. When brushed onto melee weapons like chainswords and left to dry for four hours, it can last for four work cycles without rusting."

As he spoke, he opened the lid of one of the crates and took out a chainsword.

"Please allow me to demonstrate for you."

"Proceed."

The chainsword roared to life, water droplets sprayed, and Wojciech cleaved the head off a steel mannequin.

He set down the Chainsword and continued.

"As for ranged weapons, I have only completed the modifications on the Lasgun."

"The most critical part is the power pack; beyond a waterproof coating, I have also employed a vacuum-potting method to prevent water seepage."

"Using this method, the maximum continuous submersion time is one work cycle, after which it must be vacuum-potted again."

King Nimrod watched as he retrieved the Lasgun from the water tank and, without wiping it dry, immediately fired, blowing the head off another mannequin.

"Not bad. Take your men and materials and wait at the Spaceport."

The last person King Nimrod summoned was Murawski.

"My King, as you commanded, I have distributed the grain that once belonged to House Piatkowski and is now your property."

"The Upper Hive has temporarily returned to stability, but this is not a long-term solution; it is estimated to last only one month."

"I am about to set out against the xenos pirates, and the food issue will be resolved in a short time."

Upon hearing this, Murawski felt the pressure on his shoulders lighten significantly; he believed that the divine King Nimrod would surely defeat the xenos pirates.

"May my King's journey be smooth, and may you crush the xenos!"

After receiving reports from Thierry and Wojciech, King Nimrod took Maria and the others to the Hive Spire landing pad and boarded the transport ship.

The transport ship carried King Nimrod as it slowly ascended, and Lukpo began to shrink rapidly in his view.

Vostonia has three Spaceports in total, all controlled by the servants of the Omnissiah.

King Nimrod did not intend to provoke the Adeptus Mechanicus, so when he seized the three ships, he did so only after obtaining the access keys.

For him, three ships were already enough for now.

After capturing the xenos ships, he believed the Adeptus Mechanicus would certainly be interested in the advanced xenos technology, such as the suspected Aether Cannon, and would agree to joint development and build large warships for him.

Although The Emperor had signed the Treaty of Olympus with Mars in 739.M30, the fleet of the Great Crusade had not yet arrived at Vostonia, and the local Adeptus Mechanicus would certainly not miss this opportunity.

Since the "Dark Age of Technology," the Adeptus Mechanicus and numerous warlords across the galaxy had been using technology without restraint.

King Nimrod also knew that the root cause of the future civil war on Mars was the faction led by Fabricator General Kelbor-Hal, who were dissatisfied with the restrictions imposed upon them.

The Adeptus Mechanicus managed the ships of the thirty-three Hive Cities by distributing them equally among the three Spaceports.

The four Hive Cities under King Nimrod's control were all assigned to the Krakow Spaceport.

After boarding the ship, King Nimrod immediately headed to the strategy room on the bridge.