"Concept Substitution" and Interacting with the Ancestor Shrine

The moment Grimnyr Magos saw the black-armored giant, he knew that the opponent was someone he could not contend with.

He raised his staff and commanded two Mind Servitor to step forward. The Warp Circuit intertwined above their heads were activated, and the Warp field, along with the Grimnyr Magos, simultaneously burst forth with blue light.

The Sage Green's spirit grasped the power of the Warp and condensed it together, as if withdrawing a cable from a conduit.

He waved his staff, Bio-lightning was projected toward Nimrod.

The Primarch raised his left arm, Telekinesis surged forth, coalescing into a high wall of Psychic Field in front of him.

The Psychic Lightning struck the Force Shield with a loud bang.

The Force Shield shook for a moment, then suddenly shattered.

An invisible shockwave swept around, causing the entire deck to shake continuously.

The Power Armor of the Honor Guard members crackled and swayed.

Arsena 'Telekinesis surged as he struggled to maintain his balance.

The Primarch keenly detected the blue light bursting from the head of the Mind Servitor. He also knew that the Bolter in the Mind Servitor's hand was merely a preventative measure at the physical level; their true primary means lay in the complex Warp Circuit within the circular shell.

Grimnir himself did not have high warp abilities; compared to humans, he was only average.

However, thanks to the runes on their bodies and the amplification from the Warp Circuit of their Mind Servitor, they can unleash powerful forces that only top-tier Psyker can wield.

More importantly, the Mind Servitor act like Psionic Energy fuses, able to sever the circuits according to the Grimnyr Magos's commands when he draws power from the Warp, preventing the power from spiraling out of control.

The Psionic Energy insurance provided by the Grimnyr Magos reminded him of the Astropath Abbot, who always had two Sisters of Silence by his side to suppress his excessive Psionic Energy and prevent others from spying on him.

[The methods used by the Psionic Energy insurance and the Astropath abbot are similar: one relies on the Warp Circuit fuse of the Mind Servitor, and the other relies on the Sisters of Silence.]

The combination of the runes of the Grimnyr Magos and the Warp Circuit system amplified Psionic Energy to a much greater degree than expected.

It's quite useful; it can both amplify Psionic Energy and act as a Psionic Energy insurance.

Nimrod decided to acquire the Warp Circuit system of the Grimnyr Magos, and he resolved to kill the three quickly without damaging it.

The "Baron of Corruption's " eyes flashed, and his Spirituality burst forth.

The consciousness of the Grimnyr Magos had just entered the Warp, drawing power to fight the Black Armored Titan.

His idea of protecting himself and preventing things from getting out of control was "Distortion".

Grimnyr Magos was horrified to discover that the Warp Circuit had abruptly reversed direction, and he could no longer sense the Warp's existence; the Psychic Flame he had condensed vanished in an instant.

The Primarch charged forward at breakneck speed, unleashing the Sword of Vaul, and the Mind Servitor's raised arm fell to the ground.

Nimrod swung his Power Blade again, slashing at the waist of the Mind Servitor. The ornate crowns that curved upwards from their backs and covered the domes fell to the ground along with their heads.

After acquiring two spoils, he charged toward the powerless Grimnyr Magos.

Nimrod swung his Sword of Vaul and plunged it into the head of the Grimnyr Magos.

The Disruption Field tore his short, stocky body apart, but did not damage the runes on his body.

After capturing the flagship, the Honor Guard members searched the flagship and found the sealed Ancestor Shrine.

Unlike the Imperium of Man and many other factions, whose important cabins are built on the upper levels of their ships, the Squats' buildings are constructed on the lower levels, seemingly as a tribute to their underground mining activities.

The Ancestor Shrine is the same; it is built on the bottom of the flagship and is the size of four decks.

[Only the Grimnyr Magos can communicate with Votann, so it's reasonable that the Ancestor Shrine is built on the lowest level.]

When Nimrod arrived at the gate of the Ancestor Shrine, he raised his right hand and placed it on the gate.

The Primarch gene's muscles bulged, its back twisted, and its arms exerted force, slamming against the door.

The gate remained completely still.

[A gate forged from the finest Leijin Alloy.]

Nimrod stared at the gate, where he saw that the Leijin Alloy was covered with Warp Circuit and runes he didn't recognize.

After a moment's thought, he abandoned his plan to use the Spear of Dionysus to forcibly destroy the gate forged from the Leijin Alloy.

The "Baron of Corruption" walked to the control panel, bent down, and placed his right hand on it.

"I am human, and so is the Grimnyr Magos."

"Grimnyr Magos can open the gate, then so can I."

The "Baron of Corruption" was rapidly depleting his Spirituality energy due to using the "Concept Substitution" ability, and a series of runes flashed across his control panel.

The Crimson Chain flashed, rapidly replenishing the "Baron of Corruption's" Spirituality, but he still felt his Spirituality being depleted even faster.

The top-grade Leijin Alloy gate trembled, causing the deck to shake.

Rumble!

The top-grade Leijin Alloy gate swung open with a resounding boom.

The dimly lit Ancestor Shrine resembled a dark underground mine.

Nimrod saw a huge statue deep inside the Ancestor Shrine.

The statue, made of dark, rock-like material, has no arms or legs, only a huge head.

It occupies more than half of the area of Ancestor Shrine, and is surrounded by ten pillars. The pillars and statues are connected by runic pipes of the same color.

Nimrod walked around the shrine and found that the entire statue was like a dead object, unresponsive to his presence.

Each pillar was taller than the Squats, but the same height as an ordinary person, and covered with runes.

Nimrod walked to the base of the statue, where a complex mechanical device with intricate wiring was located, its dark surface embracing the cables of the surrounding pillars.

He knew this was both an altar and an interactive interface.

Nimrod leaned forward and placed his hand on the screen.

After several tens of seconds, the screen remained unresponsive.

"The Baron of Corruption" invoked his Spirituality, "The Grimnyr Magos is human, and so am I."

"Grimnyr Magos could communicate with Votann through the Ancestor Shrine, so can I."

The "Baron of Corruption's" Spirituality was rapidly depleted, and at the same time, the statue's eyes lit up, their deep light reflecting on the screen.

Images and text appeared on the screen and scrolled by rapidly.

It now takes far more effort to "Concept Substitution" than to open the door.

Moreover, the writing system of the Squats differs greatly from High Gothic.

Obtaining all of Votann's secrets seems difficult; it will require a prolonged period of using "Concept Substitution" and interacting with the Ancestor Core.

As the "Baron of Corruption" pondered, his Spirituality rapidly depleted, and before it dried up completely, he raised his palm.

He has yet to find a way to actively communicate with Vulkan like the Grimnyr Magos did; the fleeting images and words are beyond his control.

The "Baron of Corruption" could not accurately understand the meaning; although he could not read the words, he could barely understand the meaning through the pictures.

He saw ten Grimnyr Magos, each with two Mind Servitor, kneeling before a statue as large as the one before him.

They were visibly excited, chanting resounding hymns.

Outside their capsule, countless Squats, raising their glasses, revelled in unbridled revelry.

The statue was placed on a huge ship, which then set sail.

The ship arrived at a planet, and the statue was moved underground.

Nimrod's gaze was deep, and based on his knowledge of the Squats, he made a guess.

He knew that Votann and the Ancestor Shrine were both intelligent machines, and that they could transform into each other under certain conditions.

Votann will decline due to factors such as data growth exceeding limits, leaving it only as a function of Ancestor Shrine, which will be seen as a tragic loss by the Hearthkyn who witness it.

In Nimrod's memory, before the Great Rift unfolded, many Votann declined due to the influx of memories from generations of dead Squats, exceeding their capacity to withstand it.

Some Ancestor Shrine develop their own artificial intelligence and are elevated to the status of Votann.

When such a miracle occurs, the entire clan regards it as the greatest honor and rejoices over it.

The birth of a new Votann may also give rise to a new alliance.

His clan sometimes chooses to leave and form new alliances.

[So, the League of Votann is a new alliance that emerged after the Ancestor Shrine was upgraded?]