This Is the Emperor's Gift!

Allies should not keep too many secrets from one another.

Guilliman decided to reveal part of the "truth," in the way Cawl would find most acceptable.

"All right, Cawl, you're right."

Guilliman sighed, as though admitting a grave secret. "This truly is not a relic of the Dark Age of Technology.

It... is a miracle manifested by the Omnissiah, the God of All Machines."

"The God of All Machines! The Omnissiah!"

Cawl's mechanical body trembled faintly with excitement, his vents expelling more steam and lubricating oil.

"I knew it! I knew it!

Only the God of All Machines, who had gathered the finest wisdom of countless races across the universe, conquered infinite seas of stars, and comprehended every truth of machinery and matter,

could create such a flawless sacred object, one beyond mortal understanding!

So it truly is a miracle!

Praise knowledge! Praise the Omnissiah!"

Seeing that even some of the pipe joints on Cawl's head were leaking more lubricating oil from excitement, Guilliman knew the moment was right.

He walked to Cawl's side and, like a leader confiding in a trusted lieutenant, placed one large hand on Cawl's cold mechanical shoulder.

"Cawl, you know,"

Guilliman lowered his voice, carrying the solemnity of a shared secret. "The Omnissiah, the God of All Machines...

in essence, is the great projection of my father, the Emperor, Lord of Mankind, in the concept of machinery and technology."

As he spoke, Guilliman raised his other hand. In his palm, the newly acquired psychic power infused with the traits of Smart Atoms began to stir.

Golden-blue light gathered and spun in his palm, gradually forming a miniature, moving illusion.

It depicted a roiling Warp backdrop that represented Chaos.

Yet amid those filthy, chaotic colors, a point of pure, warm golden light stubbornly shone.

That golden light continuously condensed and grew, eventually sketching the vague outline of a majestic figure wearing a crown and cloaked in radiance.

Though blurred, its sacred and imposing aura was identical to that of the Emperor's holy icons!

"This faster-than-light engine is a gift bestowed by my father, the Emperor, in the name of the Omnissiah, upon his son who had slumbered for ten thousand years—namely, me!"

Guilliman's voice carried unquestionable solemnity.

"He foresaw the Imperium's future trials and prepared it in advance for his awakened 'Child of Hope,' as one of the keys to turning the tide!"

At the same time, Guilliman quietly drew upon another "inheritance" he had absorbed from the daemon of Tzeentch.

It was an exceedingly weak, nearly imperceptible low-level Warp trick that enhanced the persuasiveness and emotional force of one's words.

Though it had limited effect on someone like Cawl, whose body was mostly mechanical and whose will was like steel.

Even if it could only make his logic circuits lean slightly more toward "gladly accepting" this explanation, that would be enough.

After all, Guilliman's psychic power was still too weak. The energy of a lesser daemon of Tzeentch was only enough to learn little "life tricks" like this.

I still need to find a way to kill some Warp daemons.

My psychic power is still far too feeble.

Still, using it to assist with "bluffing"... no, "strategic information guidance" was enough.

"The Emperor's... miracle..."

Cawl's multiple compound eyes stared fixedly at the fading illusion of the Emperor's radiance as the logic units and faith modules within his mechanical mind underwent intense data exchanges.

In the end, faith and his desire for a "sacred creation" overwhelmed the purely rational analysis filled with doubt.

"Praise the Omnissiah! Praise the Emperor!"

Cawl offered a soaring hymn of praise, his voice a mixture of electronic tones and biological tremors.

"Primarch! You have returned bearing the Emperor's will and gift!

Please tell me, what must I do?

How can this sacred technology benefit the Imperium and illuminate mankind's path through the darkness ahead?!"

Guilliman knew that the most crucial step had already been taken.

He withdrew his psychic power, and the illusion vanished completely, but his gaze shone even brighter than it had, filled with the ambition and pragmatism of a regent.

"Cawl, there is much we must do.

First, we must repair the Golden Throne beneath my father. That requires the techniques of the Eldar Haemonculi, and I am making arrangements.

Second, we must study this engine."

He pointed at the faster-than-light engine. "I do not require you to replicate it completely at once. That may exceed the limits of current Imperium technology.

But I need you to use it as a blueprint to design and manufacture one of our own for the Imperium.

Even if it is only a prototype 'sublight' or 'low-multiplier faster-than-light' engine with one percent or one-thousandth of its performance!

Even if it can only increase a vessel's speed tenfold or several dozenfold, it would greatly improve the Imperium's transportation crisis and reduce the immense losses caused by Warp travel!"

"Go and do it, Cawl."

Guilliman's voice became lower and more enticing. "I believe the Omnissiah's gifts will not end here.

So long as we walk the proper path and truly dedicate ourselves to mankind's revival, similar 'miracles'—condensing the essence of wisdom from different fields—may yet appear.

For instance... more stable and efficient gene-seed cultivation techniques, or... blueprints for ultimate weapons against certain specific threats..."

The brightness of Cawl's mechanical compound eyes instantly rose to its maximum. His cooling fans spun at full speed, producing a rushing roar.

The Emperor's miracles, entirely new technological blueprints, the great undertaking of saving the Imperium...

All of it perfectly struck at every core desire he possessed as a great sage of the Adeptus Mechanicus, a loyal servant of the Imperium, and an elite technological fanatic.

"For the Emperor! For the Imperium! For knowledge and progress!"

Cawl bowed to Guilliman with the most solemn ritual of the Adeptus Mechanicus. "I will do everything in my power, Primarch! The Omnissiah's wisdom shall shine again in your hands!"

Guilliman's hand remained firmly upon Cawl's cold mechanical shoulder.

Yet his body leaned forward slightly, blocking the somewhat dim light cast down from the workshop ceiling at just the right angle.

At the same time, he summoned the newborn psychic power within him—still not powerful, yet sufficiently pure—and silently gathered it behind himself, mixed with the unique "sense of presence" of Vitruum Smart Atoms.

In that instant, it seemed as though endless golden radiance poured forth from Guilliman's majestic back.

It was not a blinding brilliance, but a warm, sacred light filled with hope and affirmation.

Like dawn, it enveloped the complex mechanical body of Belisarius Cawl.

The light dispelled the workshop's dim grime and oily filth, making even that cold metal seem to take on a sacred glow.