Today was the day the War Hounds were reborn.
Through the joint efforts of Lox and Sage Land, all 193 Blackshield War Hounds aboard the Emperor's Fangs had their Butcher's Nails removed. These steadfast warriors had endured long years and finally attained the redemption they had dreamed of.
It was a vast and delicate undertaking. Every brain differed in subtle ways, as did the time each had borne the Butcher's Nails and the severity of their implantation.
Fortunately, with Sage Land and the rapidly learning Stone Men assisting him, Lox had managed to complete it within two Terran days.
If he and Land had performed every operation themselves, the schedule would likely have stretched beyond a month.
"Compared to the vast majority of Mechanicum priests, the Stone Men are far more intelligent. They only need to observe us once before mastering the techniques we use and putting them into practical application."
"No wonder humanity's technology became increasingly dependent on the Stone Men back then. They possess an innate advantage."
Lox watched the Stone Men learn and improve at astonishing speed, feeling deeply moved. Before long, they might be able to do better than him, perhaps even refine the procedure into something more efficient.
Moreover, time was not especially precious to the Stone Men. Their knowledge could continue accumulating with time until it eventually underwent a leap from quantitative change to qualitative transformation.
"Everything on Terra is progressing smoothly. I created an entirely new scientific organization, the High Technology Consortium, unified the scattered Mechanicum sects, and even found time to help this batch of War Hounds escape the Butcher's Nails' control."
"I even sent Curze to capture Magnus. There are fewer and fewer things within the Solar System that require me personally. I wonder how Lion's frontline forces are doing now."