Night Fragment

On the Mechanicus Ark Glory of Fire, Magos Kivior-9 examined the holographic projection.

Data torrents from the surrounding visual screens surged across his faceplate as his logic processors ran at high speed.

[enemy vessel rapidly withdrawing // We have not yet gained the advantage // enemy behavior is illogical / unreasonable // This behavior should be classified as baiting the enemy.]

Just as Kivior-9 was about to issue an order, the voice of the Tech-Priest in charge of the Sonic Array system suddenly came through the communicator.

"Honored Magos, I have received a communication from Tech-Priest Rosicky Cech of Vostonia Altar 25. According to Chapter Five of the Guide of the Omnissiah, Article Nine of the information rating system, this information must be reported to you. Requesting data transmission."

"Data transmission approved."

[Executing data reception protocol.]

Three minutes of ship time later, Magos Kivior-9's faceplate flashed rapidly.

[Error corrected // enemy vessel retreating // Main warship captured // Begin pursuit immediately.]

He immediately issued an order to the waiting Tech-Priest. "Order all warships to pursue the xenos vessel."

A logic processor message continued flashing across Kivior-9's faceplate: `[Xenos vessel // Advanced artillery // Extremely high research value rating.]`

His faceplate lit up.

Aboard the Flao battlecruiser, Nimrod began sorting through the spoils.

As he cleared out the Flao, he also gathered every potion ingredient he came across.

Aside from the Night Fragments, he found another fifty-two types of potion ingredients, three hundred and one items in total.

Nimrod could not help but sigh. The Flao truly deserved their reputation as space nomads.

Fifty-one of those potion ingredients were materials for various Sequence 9 potions. Only one was a finger-long, multicolored worm called the Prism Magic Worm on the Blasphemy Slate, the main potion ingredient for the Sequence 8 Law Officer corresponding to Arbites.

The Prism Magic Worm was also the only Law Officer potion ingredient that could not be found on Vostonia. There were two hundred and forty-seven of them.

Nimrod found these materials in the interrogation room. The Prism Magic Worm's eyes could emit dazzling light, and the Flao used one or two of them to make special blindfolds, which they placed over their people's heads.

When he entered, the Flao chained to the chair let out a miserable scream, blood flowing down from the edges of the blindfold.

Nimrod did not know where these Prism Magic Worms came from. Before encountering the Flao again, they would be the limit of how many Law Officers he could cultivate.

The more important haul was the Night Fragments. He rolled one Night Fragment between his fingers while individual fragments lay spread out before him.

The Night Fragments looked like shards from the most distant stars in the night sky, condensing endless darkness and faint light into a delicate balance.

Every fragment differed in size. Some were as small as fingertips, while others were as large as an open book, their surfaces flowing with deep, shadowy radiance.

When Nimrod touched a Night Fragment, he could feel a cold and subtle energy flowing through it. It was neither pure chill nor warm comfort, but a strange sensation beyond the material world.

[As expected, Psionic Energy material.]

Nimrod keenly sensed faint, almost imperceptible threads winding around the fragment in his hand.

[It can indeed serve as a divination focus.]

Compared to other psionic schools, the Divination School seemed stranger and more profound.

Even the most powerful Psykers could not ignore the risks brought by distorted and obscured divination results. To deal with this and obtain clearer visions, diviners used special focuses to give divination form and constancy.

In the Imperium of the future, the most commonly used divination focus was the Emperor's Tarot. It could also reveal the God-Emperor's own thoughts to those it chose.

The Night Fragments were psionic items that could serve as divination focuses, but to Nimrod, their greatest use was still as potion ingredients.

Before his next encounter with the Flao, the number of Night Fragments would be the maximum number of Bribers he could cultivate.

[One hundred and ninety-eight!]

Nimrod began making trips back and forth to the Kingdom of Disorder, bringing all the Night Fragments inside.

In the First Layer Space, he found a Gothic Spire palace. Its peak was shrouded beneath a black canopy, while its outer walls were built from stark Blackstone.

He spread all the Night Fragments across the ground, ensuring that none touched one another.

Then Nimrod attempted to enter the Second Layer Space.

With a thought, he instantly crossed an invisible barrier and arrived in the Second Layer Space.

The moment he arrived, Nimrod immediately sensed the difference in this layer.

This layer of space lay between the First Layer Space and another illusory space, both real and unreal.

[What is the purpose of this space?

The illusory side represents the shadow of order. The First Layer Space cannot be changed by me; it represents the use of rules.]

Nimrod looked around as related concepts surfaced in his mind.

["Kingdom of Disorder," "Black Emperor."

Order, shadow, rules.

Use, break.]

Nimrod's black eyes lit up. With a thought, an illusory palace instantly transformed into a spring.

He immediately felt his spirituality plummet, nearly running dry. His face turned slightly pale, and in a flash, he arrived before the spring.

Compared with its previous half-real, half-illusory state, the spring shaped according to his will was far more real.

The spring was crystal clear. It flowed over rocks with a pleasant tinkling sound, refreshing the mind and spirit.

[As expected. Break the rules and reshape them according to what benefits me.]

He considered how to use the Second Layer Space. He could conquer worlds outside and construct factories and other buildings according to his will. Doing the same here would be a waste.

Nimrod's eyes suddenly brightened as he thought of the best way to use this place—cultivating potion ingredients.

Things like Hive Giant Rats were too common to be worth cultivating.

But Chem-Dogs and Millipede Snakes were worth cultivating, and Prism Magic Worms even more so.

If he could cultivate those living potion ingredients here, then even if they could not reproduce, he could at least further reduce the risk of others discovering his potion formulas. Even if The Four Ruinous Powers watched him out of boredom, they would not know.

[Moreover, cultivating Beyonders would be more convenient. I have already decided to cultivate Maria Kournikova into an assassin, but because I had not decided before, I did not bring any Millipede Snakes. I can only wait until I return to Vostonia.]

Then he thought of the spirituality it would consume, and a bitter smile appeared on his face.

[This is destined to be a long process, but having the ability is still better than having no opportunity.]

Nimrod then returned to the real world. After thinking for a moment, he decided to bring the Flao's Data Crystals and other materials back to the Kingdom of Disorder for slow study.

If an ordinary Beyonder exhausted their spirituality, even moving would become difficult. But he was a Primarch, and felt only slight discomfort.

The Flao possessed deep knowledge of the many star systems in Segmentum Obscurus. This knowledge could play a huge role in his future expansion.

Although he had mastered only a small portion of the Flao language, deciphering its writing would not be difficult for a Primarch.

Besides, he could cultivate Readers.

As soon as the thought occurred to him, Nimrod acted. He brought every piece of information he could gather back to the Kingdom of Disorder, filling an entire palace.

Afterward, he received a message and went to the bridge to hear the briefing.

Thanks to "Eggplant Melon Is a Pigeon" for the reward!