Vane checked the Idol of Tzeentch’s functions and realized they were exactly the same as the Emperor’s: [Enchant], [Bless], [Summon].
Oh, Big E…
you really still want to claim you aren’t the Fifth Chaos God?!
Your idol’s mechanics are completely identical to the four Chaos Gods’!
Vane clicked [Bless].
The Idol of Tzeentch pulsed with a faint, ethereal blue radiance, almost as if it were breathing.
A second later, a brilliant pillar of azure light materialized out of nowhere, crashing down over Vane as the haunting echoes of an arcane, majestic choir filled the room.
Vane could physically feel the forbidden knowledge of the cosmos frantically forcing its way into his brain.
In an instant, the fundamental laws, hidden truths, and esoteric mechanics of the universe laid themselves bare before him, granting him complete mastery over countless bizarre sorceries and sacrificial rituals.
— Deep within the Crystal Labyrinth in the heart of the Warp, Tzeentch’s countless eyes were actively observing reality, monitoring the progress of millions of intertwining conspiracies.
Its myriad mouths continuously whispered into the void, manipulating mortals into becoming the puppets of fate, ever turning the gears of destiny.
“Hm?” One of the mouths suddenly voiced a profound confusion.
Just a moment ago, the very authority of fate and change had been invoked.
Yet, Tzeentch could not sense the identity or existence of the follower who invoked it.
It felt exactly like a ghost had effortlessly bypassed its supreme administrative security and directly siphoned its divine power.
“Has an unforeseen variable entered the board?” the mouth asked, genuinely baffled.
Instantly, another mouth violently rejected the notion.
“There are no unforeseen variables!
This is entirely within the grand design!” — “Y-you…
you are the Chosen Champion of the Changer of Ways?!” Johnny’s voice shook uncontrollably as he witnessed the blessing.
This world is absolutely unhinged!
A literal Chosen Champion of Tzeentch actually became a Living Saint of the Corpse Emperor!
Just how completely compromised is the Ecclesiarchy at this point?!
“Is there a problem?” Vane turned to look at Johnny.
“N-no!
I am merely in awe!” Johnny violently shook his head.
He would never dare question a Chosen of his god.
“How…
how did you procure this idol?” Johnny pointed a trembling finger at the crystal statue of Tzeentch.
“This is all naturally part of the Changer of Ways’ grand design.
It is a manifestation of His supreme will.” Vane’s incredibly vague, utterly profound-sounding non-answer instantly vaporized all of Johnny’s doubts.
It doesn’t matter where it came from or how it got here.
As long as it is the will of the Great Architect, everything is perfectly normal.
“Praise be to Him.” Johnny bowed with absolute reverence.
“His wisdom and might truly transcend all mortal comprehension.” Seeing how easily the Tzeentch cultist’s brain short-circuited, Vane decided that from now on, whenever a Chaos cultist asked him a question he couldn’t answer, he would just spam this exact line.
What?
You don’t believe this is part of the Great Architect’s plan?
Are you questioning His infinite wisdom and power?
Filthy heretic!
Execute him immediately!
“By the way, are you the only believer here?” Vane quickly changed the subject, wanting to gauge exactly how deep the Chaos infestation went.
“Of course not!
The Cult of the Changing Ways has been operating in the shadows of the Cryptus System for years.
While the Tyranid invasion wiped out the majority of our flock, there are still over a thousand of us embedded within the refugee population right here.” Johnny eagerly gave a brief rundown of the cult’s status.
Before the Hive Mind attacked, the Cult of the Changing Ways boasted hundreds of thousands of members across the Cryptus System.
They primarily recruited from scholars, tech-priests, administratum adepts, and anyone else who hoarded knowledge.
With high-ranking Imperial officials secretly running interference and shielding their activities, the cult had thrived for years—largely thanks to Governor Flax’s incompetence and total neglect of planetary security.
Vane nodded thoughtfully.
“Are there cults dedicated to the other gods operating here as well?” “Oh, absolutely,” Johnny practically gnashed his teeth.
“The Cult of the Blood God, the Cult of the Grandfather’s Blessing, and the Cult of the Prince of Pleasure all have active cells in the system.” “We’ve spent years locked in a brutal shadow war against them, actively trying to halt their expansion.
We even actively reported them to the Imperial Inquisition and local Arbites!” “Unfortunately, the Imperial government is so catastrophically incompetent and inefficient that they failed to wipe out their leadership on multiple occasions.” Vane’s eyes went wide.
“Wait…
you guys literally called the Imperial Inquisition to snitch on the other Chaos cults?!” “Of course we did.” Johnny said it as if it were the most natural thing in the universe.
“The Great Game demands no less.
It’s how the war of faith is played.” “Especially those brain-dead barbarians worshipping the Blood God.
They are insufferably stupid.
Every time we found one of their cells, we anonymously tipped off the Arbites.” “If the Imperial enforcers weren’t so completely useless, we would have had their entire operation raided and shut down last month.” Johnny sighed deeply in genuine frustration.
“But we can’t do that anymore.
Due to the Leviathan invasion, all the cults recently signed a Non-Aggression and Mutual Non-Snitching Pact.” “The spaceport is only so big, and the Corpse Emperor’s forces have absolute numbers and authority here.
If we start tipping off the Inquisition now, the ensuing purge would inevitably catch all of us in the crossfire.” Vane: “…” A Mutual Non-Snitching Pact?
You Chaos cultists really know how to play the game!
“Laying low is definitely the right move.
Remember, my true identity must remain an absolute secret.
To the public, I am a Living Saint of the Emperor; to the cult, I am a Chosen Champion.
Do not leak my status, or you will draw unnecessary heat onto our grand design.” Johnny nodded furiously.
“I understand completely, Chosen One.” Vane ordered Steve to pack the Idol of Tzeentch back into his inventory.
He’d find time to fully explore its mechanics later.
“Also, find a way to quietly alert the upper echelons of the cult.
Tell them to await my orders.” “It will be done,” Johnny affirmed.
With the meeting concluded, Vane stood up and left the room.
If I can infiltrate the highest ranks of the Tzeentch cult, and then snag a high-ranking position within the Imperial Inquisition, I can literally order the cultists to hold massive secret meetings, then personally lead the Inquisition raids to bust them!
I could farm so much Imperial merit I’d be promoted to a High Lord of Terra in a week!
As for whether he was worried about playing with fire and ending up a crippled skeleton on a golden chair like the Big E?
Vane wasn’t worried in the slightest.
With the absurdly overpowered endgame weapons from his tech mods paired with limitless enchantments from his magic mods, blowing up a sun was as easy as breathing.
Completely erasing the Milky Way from existence was merely a matter of time and processing power.
With that kind of absolute cheat code backing him up, why would he ever fear the four Chaos Gods?
“By the way, the automated farms back at the base should have generated enough resources by now.
I’m uploading the blueprints.
Head back and install the void thrusters on the fortress.
We need to prep for orbital deployment.” Vane handed Steve a stack of meticulously planned fortress upgrade blueprints.
Steve took the blueprints and gave a silent nod.
Suddenly remembering something crucial, Vane quickly added one last instruction.
“Oh, right.
While you’re at it, carve out a pocket dimension specifically for farming normal crops.” “I’ve been here for over a week and haven’t had a single french fry or a drop of cola.
I’m dying for some junk food.” “And for the love of god, do not use the Bone Meal generated from the Tyranid composters to grow my food.
It grosses me out.” Receiving his orders, Steve silently pulled out a Mystcraft Linking Book, teleporting directly back to the mobile fortress to get to work.
Meanwhile, Vane casually strolled through the spaceport, touching every piece of Astra Militarum gear and heavy ordinance he could find to rapidly unlock new crafting recipes.
[New Crafting Recipe Unlocked: Void Shield Generator] [New Crafting Recipe Unlocked: Valkyrie Assault Carrier] […] Leveraging his unassailable status as a Living Saint, Vane had absolute, unrestricted access to the entire facility.
He casually strolled past the heavily armed guards and deeply reverent tech-priests to touch their most meticulously maintained and heavily guarded machinery, instantly unlocking their blueprints.
Once I gather enough rare resources to mass-produce advanced silicon chips, I’ll upgrade the Iron Golems with advanced AI modules so they can pilot vehicles and fighters into battle.
When that happens, I’ll literally recreate the Men of Iron armies from the Golden Age of Technology.
It’ll scare the absolute hell out of every xenos race in the galaxy.
As for the Treaty of Olympus that the Emperor signed with Mars, strictly forbidding the creation and use of Abominable Intelligence and Men of Iron?
Sorry, but Iron Golems are fundamentally born from alchemy and magic mods, not pure technology.
Therefore, the treaty mathematically does not apply.