New Potion Recipe

Nimrod's entry into the Kingdom of Disorder this time was different from before; previously, it had been his consciousness, ethereal and formless.

Now, it was his "Astral Body," making the sensations far more real and vivid.

His "Astral Body," which was several times larger than his physical form, immediately sensed a series of changes in this kingdom of black mist upon arrival.

The most intuitive change was the expansion of the light; everything within a kilometer radius of him was bathed in radiance.

He also sensed that the entire kingdom of black mist was, in fact, inverted. Above him was a ground made of a material resembling obsidian, and he was standing upon it with his feet up and head down.

Nimrod realized in his heart: The Kingdom of Disorder! The shadow of order!

He stepped forward, and after a few paces, he adapted to the sensation of being on the other side of a mirror.

Nimrod arrived before the Blasphemy Slate and discovered that the areas corresponding to five new sequences had lit up, one of which was the Sequence 8 corresponding to "Lawyer."

Sequence 8 "Barbarian" Potion Formula:

Main ingredients: 1 Lung Spider lung sac, 1 pair of Ogryn arms.

Auxiliary ingredients: 1100 milliliters of Helas Volt, 1 Psyker Crystal, 1100 grams of Mithal Steel.

Extraordinary abilities: ...

Some might find it strange that a "Lawyer" at Sequence 9 would promote to a "Barbarian" at Sequence 8.

But Nimrod understood the logic: if resorting to the law yields no results, one must inevitably resort to force; this, too, is a form of rule.

What caught his attention was that all the materials were glowing, which meant they could all be found in Vostonia.

The Mithal Steel could be produced by the steelworks he had just occupied, and with the Helas Volt, he already possessed two of the auxiliary materials.

Psyker Crystals often appeared in areas with active Warp energy and were used as psychic materials; the long Age of Strife had been accompanied by Warp storms that swept across the galaxy, so it was no surprise that Vostonia possessed Psyker Crystals.

He knew that the Lung Spider was a special arachnid found in the hive cities of Vostonia; the only thing that slightly surprised him was the Ogryn.

Did this world have Ogryns trying to make a living?

Nimrod continued to examine the other four illuminated areas, discovering that they were all potion formulas for other Sequence 9 pathways.

There were three pathways for which all potion materials could be found in Vostonia: "Arbites," "Sleepless," and "Reader."

The only one for which no potion materials could be found in Vostonia was "Cultivator," as the materials for this sequence were mostly crops like rapeseed.

Nimrod was not at all surprised by this; the ecological environment of this planet, which would later be classified by the Empire as an industrial world, had long since been destroyed.

It is time to start collecting potion materials and cultivating subordinates.

He noticed that the Chainsword was not among the unlocked potion formulas.

Weapons are most likely potion materials for the "Warrior" pathway.

Thinking of this, Nimrod returned to the real world; he wanted to conduct an experiment.

He drew his Chainsword, gripped it in his right hand, and let his spirituality seep from his fingers.

Returning to the Kingdom of Disorder once more, he found that the Chainsword had followed him into the kingdom of black mist, and he placed it on the ground.

The Chainsword remained lying flat on the ground, not falling away from this shadow kingdom.

Nimrod could not help but smile and sigh.

"After I promoted to 'Lawyer,' my authority over Source Essence increased, allowing me to bring items into the Kingdom of Disorder."

"A staple for any protagonist: storage space!"

Nimrod immediately moved all the Helas Volt into the Kingdom of Disorder, and he also issued an order that one-twentieth of all Mithal Steel forged in each work cycle be sent to the control room.

He further ordered the craftsmen to forge a set of armor out of Miguel Steel, using his current physique as a baseline, sized for an average seven-year-old male.

As a Primarch, his growth was far faster than that of an ordinary human; preparing it for a seven-year-old meant it would be slightly large, but at his current rate of growth, it would fit within a single stellar month.

Just as he finished giving orders, Rawlslev arrived at the control room.

"Boss, the Arbites sent a subordinate to deliver a message, demanding you see him immediately."

"His tone was harsh; I suspect it is because you occupied the Magneto Steelworks."

Nimrod struck a thoughtful pose, tapping his brow; Rawlslev's aura appeared dark, as he was worried for him.

"I understand."

Nimrod rose immediately and headed toward the Arbitration Hall.

The guards at the entrance looked at him with a hint of vigilance, and one spoke in a stern tone.

"Please leave your weapons."

Nimrod handed his Lasgun and Chainsword to his subordinates, who took the weapons with both hands as if accepting a sacred task.

He remained calm, walking toward the Arbitration Hall as whispers reached his ears.

"Let me see, let me see—I didn't see him during the last deployment, is that the boy? He looks only five or six years old."

"That's him! He killed Vulture not two days ago, and now he's actually taken out Iron Fist. That old guy was a ruthless character; the big shots in the upper hive all knew him."

"That big shot upstairs is the young master of House Finde. I heard 'Vulture' was his man; he wouldn't be here to settle the score, would he?"

"What a pity. He was too impatient. If he had grown steadily, he would surely have become a big shot in the future—maybe even ascended to the Upper Hive."

Although the Underhive and the Upper Hive are both parts of the Hive City, the gap between them is like a chasm. The dream of countless Underhivers is to become residents of the Upper Hive; they call the act of taking an elevator thousands of meters upward and achieving a leap in social status "Ascension."

Nimrod caught the key information from the crowd's conversation: the noble from the Upper Hive was right there in the Arbites Hall.

He secretly raised his guard, while simultaneously feeling a bit more interest in the upcoming meeting.

Walking into the Arbites Hall, he saw a handsome, blonde-haired youth of about fifteen or sixteen sitting in the main seat, his azure eyes sizing him up.

His skin was not as dull as that of the Underhivers; it looked fair and healthy.

Nimrod keenly noted that he was wearing a set of magnificent Artificer Power Armor, which looked somewhat similar to the armor of the Arkan Confederation, also in a Baroque style.

His carapace armor encased a powered exoskeleton, the helmet was completely covered by armor, and only the parts providing a heads-up display for the wearer used bulletproof glass.

The armor was equipped with weapon systems at the ends of the arms: a heavy stubber for ranged combat and a drill for melee.

Unlike the Arkan Confederation armor, this set was not equipped with disposable rockets.

He also keenly discovered that this armor was unstable and difficult to maintain; only noble families with the ability and financial resources to maintain it could pass it down from generation to generation.

Is the equipment of the Vostonia nobility this good, or does House Finde have such close ties with the Adeptus Mechanicus that they receive technical support from the tech-priests?

Nimrod could not reach a conclusion; the young master of House Finde opposite him was the first noble he had ever seen.

Behind the noble stood four guards, all wearing carapace armor and fully armed.

The young master of House Finde did not speak; he signaled to Dimitrov with his gaze.

The Arbites understood; he coughed once and then loudly questioned him.

"Nimrod, what exactly are you trying to do? Is one foundry not enough to satisfy you?"

"It's only been a few days, and you've already seized the Magneto Steelworks."

"In a few more days, are you going to seize my position and take over the entire Khanty-Mansi Dome?"