The Old Man in Yellow, Ferrus, Void Dragon Shards, I Have Them Too

One Done

Rosicky Cech used a translator and, following the standard compliance procedure, reached a consensus with the natives, assisting them in dealing with the invading xenos.

After fifteen stellar days of fighting side by side, he won the natives' trust.

When Rosicky discovered that they possessed a palm-sized, mandala-shaped key, he immediately realized this was the world the Black Emperor had ordered him to find.

At the celebratory banquet, he spoke up and asked the native leader, one of the twelve Archons.

"Archon, your key is very unusual. Where did it come from?"

Aside from his head, the Archon's body was entirely mechanized, making Rosicky think of a Tech-Priest despite himself.

Through observing the various strata of the local natives during this time, he could determine that their classification was based on the degree to which their bodies were mechanized.

"Lord Rosicky, we discovered it in an ancient ruin." The Archons had already opened negotiations with the "Shadow of Order," and as he hoped to become the foremost among the Archons, he did not conceal anything.

"We came to this planet a thousand years ago and struggled to hold on under the attacks of all kinds of xenos."

The Archons had gladly agreed to submit to The Monarch precisely because they hoped to obtain the protection of the powerful Shadow of Order.

"Until two hundred and thirty years ago, while exploring, we discovered a large underground ruin beneath the surface."

"In a black stone chamber, we found a key shaped like a Mandala petal. After studying it, we developed this kind of secret key."

Rosicky's eyes narrowed. He thought of how, in the Data Crystal, the Black Emperor had mentioned that the symbol of the Sautekh Dynasty was the Mandala.

[The ruin may be related to the Necron Sautekh