No Tech-Priest Could Say No to an Iron Man!

Led by Tech-Priest from the Mechanicus, Alvin arrived at the foundry.

Despite the chaos outside, with Orks, Genestealer, and Chaos everywhere, the Spire region at the heart of the Nest remains peaceful.

A large number of Diet Guard were spread across every corner, and Automated Turret were visible everywhere. The defense was extremely tight, and one could tell a lot from the clues around them.

The Styx Eight Tech-Priest of the Celerus Hive didn't care at all about the loss of the nest; their core forces were still controlling the key areas!

As for what constitutes an important area?

Without even asking, Alvin knew that this must be the location of "Blackstone Creation" and the Titan Factory!

But this scene also made him completely disappointed with Styx Eight. These crazy people who were obsessed with technology didn't care about the Imperium or the billions of lives in the Nest District!

Even Space Marine and Astra Militarum are not their concern. Perhaps in the eyes of the Styx Eight, they only have some value because they are protecting technological heritage.

No wonder the situation in Celerus is so dire, yet the core hive remains calm... Alvin sighed. These people are even more hateful than the nobles who Upper-hive!

Soon, led by the Tech-Priest, Alvin arrived at the Laboratory and met Drakris, who was still sitting in the cradle-like device, being pulled by a robotic arm, checking the data terminal.

"The small Shield Device you needed has been manufactured." Drakris, sitting in the mechanical cradle, turned to look at him. "But I didn't call you here for that."

The Tech-Priest beside him left, leaving Alvin alone. He looked at the high and mighty Drakris and smiled, "Please speak, Your Excellency, Grand Sage."

"It was you who helped Rosales sneak away from the Hive City, wasn't it?" Drakris cut to the chase, exposing Alvin with a cold laugh. "Do you know that just for that, I could get the Vought to arrest you?"

"Is that so? Although you are a highly respected Grand Sage, you still need evidence to support your words." Alvin remained calm, looking at the Grand Sage with a half-smile, "Although I am merely an heir, Valshius's reputation is not something that can be tarnished by just anyone."

He could easily see that Drakris had no evidence whatsoever and was simply bluffing him to get him to confess.

Otherwise, even if Valshius had fallen from grace, he was still once the "Imperial Blood Merchant"!

"Lord Drakris, do you... have any evidence?" Alvin smiled at him and said calmly, "If you don't have evidence, can I interpret this as you slandering and defaming a heir to the Merchant Dynasty who is loyal to the Imperium?"

Not just anyone can take the blame for this!

Even the Forge Grand Sage the Styx Eight wouldn't be unjustly burdened with the stigma of slandering the Imperial Blood Merchant Dynasty, let alone Drakris, who was merely the Grand Sage in charge of the Alert Star.

Drakris's gaze immediately darkened as he stared at Alvin. After a few seconds, a smile suddenly bloomed on his face, "Not at all, that was just a joke. Please don't take offense at what I said, Lord Alvin."

"Of course, but please be a little more careful in the future, Lord Drakris." Alvin deftly defused Drakris's attack, adding casually, "If my retainers were to overhear this, they might take it seriously, don't you think?"

This statement is a real threat.

While it wouldn't pose a substantial threat to Drakris, it would be enough to jeopardize his competition within the Styx Eight.

"Heh, I underestimated you." Drakris chuckled coldly, finally understanding why this kid had been able to suppress the Agamemnon family so much in just a few days.

"Truly worthy of the Horn bloodline." He remarked approvingly, then added meaningfully, "Actually, I don't care who let Rosales go, but someone has to make up for my loss. What do you think?"

"May I ask, what exactly do you mean by 'loss' that Your Grand Sage speaks of?" Alvin asked meaningfully, his eyes half-closed.

This old man is clearly here to "extort" me; Rosales is just an excuse.

"Rosales was originally a gift from someone. This merit... coupled with the Blackstone Creation here, was enough for me to exchange for a new Forge World on the Styx Eight." At this point, Drakris lowered his cradle to Alvin's level, gazing into his eyes. "Now, this merit is gone. Tell me, how am I supposed to make up for it, Lord Alvin?"

I understand.

This old bastard probably had some kind of secret deal with the Dark Adeptus Mechanicus, using Rosales's head as credit, which he then ruined.

To put it bluntly, he wants a promotion and to get out of this wretched place Alert Star, but he's hampered by a lack of merit.

Thinking about it, it's understandable. Given the situation on Alert Star, it wouldn't be surprising if it got caught up in a war at any time. For a Tech-Priest who is obsessed with research, this would undoubtedly be a big problem.

Therefore, Drakris wanted to escape Alert Star and be transferred to another Forge World!

Having figured out Drakris's needs, things became much easier. A smile appeared on Alvin's face. Since none of them were exactly "good people," there was room for negotiation!

Alvin sighed with feigned regret, then said sympathetically, "I am very sorry for what happened to you, Lord Drakris."

Drakris listened, staring at him expressionlessly, his tone tinged with impatience. "You should understand what I want."

"I don't quite understand what you're saying." Alvin looked puzzled and shrugged. "Lord Drakris, your losses... should be compensated by that damned heretic. What does it have to do with me, a loyal citizen of the Imperium?"

The meaning of this sentence is quite obvious.

He didn't do it. If you want compensation, go find someone else, not him.

But ironically, if there were evidence, Drakris wouldn't have bothered asking in private.

Seeing his feigned innocence infuriated Drakris, who was practically burning with rage as he glared at Alvin through gritted teeth.

What a shameless brat!

With that kind of shamelessness, Horn would probably be ashamed of himself!

"Of course..." Seeing the exasperated Drakris, Alvin felt the time was right and said with a smile, "Considering your acquaintance with my retainer, I am willing to sponsor you. I love making friends, don't you think, Your Grand Sage?"

How do you want to "make friends"?

Drakris's expression was uncertain; he was somewhat unsure of the kid's intentions.

"Before we talk about this, I have a gift... that I'd like to show you." Alvin said, taking a metal cube out of his pocket.

Drakris stared at the metal cube with some suspicion. "What is this?"

"Shh~"

Alvin put his index finger to his lips and smiled, "Please be quiet, Lord Drakris. Now... is the moment to witness a miracle!"

As they were speaking, the metal cube in the palm of his hand suddenly seemed to be injected with some kind of energy, and began to "expand," its volume rapidly increasing!

Alvin was still a bit unfamiliar with the "Micro Space Compression" experiment, but even so, it still caused Drakris a shocking amount of damage!

He watched helplessly as the palm-sized metal cube instantly expanded into a metal cube with a diameter of one meter.

Despite his shock, Drakris quickly regained his composure. "If it's just about compression technology, I think... let's talk about something else."

While this level of compression technology is indeed "amazing," it's something that could be achieved in some of the artifacts excavated from Styx Eight, and it wasn't enough to tempt him.

"Don't rush, Drakris."

Alvin chuckled softly, his gaze shifting to the cube, and said calmly, "Transform!"

As soon as the words were spoken, the one-meter-diameter metal cube instantly collapsed inward, transforming into a humanoid mechanical creature before Drakris's horrified gaze. "Number 08-1, willing to serve you!"

"Iron... Iron... Iron Man?!"

Drakris abruptly stood up, his shock mixed with fear, his pupils dilated as he stared intently at the deformed mechanical lifeform. "You, you actually possess 'Iron Man'? This is a product forbidden by Imperium decree! Are you insane?!"

"So what?"

Alvin tilted his head, completely unconcerned.

There are many things that the Imperium has explicitly prohibited, but he's not worried about having too many lice. Even the most extreme Inquisitor would probably give him a thumbs up and praise his audacity for the "forbidden" items on his body!

"If you think it's too dangerous, how about we pretend we never met today?" he said, about to put "Iron Man" away, when Drakris grabbed his hand.

Drakris's eyes were red, and his voice trembled, not from fear, but from... excitement. "No, this is amazing! What do you want? I'll give you anything!!!"

No Tech-Priest can refuse an "Iron Man"!

The Iron Man represents the Dark Age of Technology, the pinnacle of human technological achievement, and the ultimate goal pursued by the Tech-Priest of Styx Eight!