Chapter 374 338: This, Is the Allure of Power

The Mechanical Order operated as a self-contained system, independent of the Empire, shrouding them in an aura of danger and mystery in the eyes of most Imperial citizens.

Of course.

If it were merely the classical God of All Machines or Protestantism's Om Messia, Imperial Knights would not be unfamiliar with these names, as the Technician Soldiers often mentioned the existence of both during their prayers.

When Koller witnessed the transformation of Reinhardt's firearm, he initially suspected a problem with his own Spiritual Perception.

'A weapon... that seems to have come to life?'

But beyond the cold steel, he couldn't detect any other power. It was as if the object were evolving and upgrading on its own, just like a living organism.

He wasn't the only one.

The three Technician Priests, assigned by the Third Fleet to temporarily maintain the Avenger Flagship, all turned pale with shock upon hearing the sacred hum of the machinery, and they dropped to their knees.

They chanted strange prayers that the Imperial Knights could not understand.

The founding members of the Vengeful Angels, however, would not have been surprised by these changes. It was an open secret among them that all of Reinhardt's weapons and equipment had been blessed by the God of All Machines.

After Stearns withdrew from the Demon Void Realm years ago, he had only heard these rumors by chance during a conversation with Manon.

But to now witness the blessing of the God of All Machines with his own eyes filled him with utter shock. He had thought that Reinhardt possessing the combined Mighty Power of both the Empire's Chosen One and the Abyssal Divine Chosen One was already astounding enough!

'To think that even his lordship's weapons and equipment had also been blessed!'

Lu Jia watched in silence, lowering her head to take a sip of her hot tea.

When the dust settled.

Koller, who had always valued order and rules, frowned. He loudly commanded the three Technician Priests, who were still kneeling on the ground, unwilling to rise, to return to their posts.

The bridge of the Avenger Flagship was a command center, not a shrine for the Technician Priests to worship in.

He then took a deep breath.

A question that had long been on his mind was finally answered.

He had wondered about the price of convincing the Mechanical Order to provide such an advanced warship—one the likes of which he'd never seen even during his service in the Old Empire. The cost must have been astronomical, absolutely beyond his conception of money and value.

'Worth ten industrial worlds?'

'Or twenty?'

Based on his understanding of the Imperial Administrative Region's financial situation, the Grand Governor would surely have been unwilling—and unable—to come up with such a sum just to provide the Vengeful Angels with a command and operations vessel.

But now, he understood.

It was because of Agate, a founding member of the Vengeful Angels and one of the current Sages of the Mechanical Order—the Master of Hundred Machines.

Through his maneuvering.

For the Cultivators of the Mechanical Order, pious to the point of zealotry, providing a warship for an Imperial Knight blessed by the God of All Machines wasn't a transaction; it was a sacred duty.

'To even speak of a price for such a thing would be a sign of insufficient Loyalty!'

In other words, if Reinhardt was the owner of the Avenger Flagship, then by extension, the God of All Machines had also blessed the vessel.

As long as the Avenger Flagship wasn't lost or blasted into space junk by enemy fire...

...when its term of service ended and it returned to their hands, the Avenger Flagship's value would have only appreciated. It might even be worthy of a place in the Mechanical Order's collection of Holy Artifacts.

It was a win-win situation, but at the end of the day, there was still a profit to be made.

'Koller knew firsthand just how formidable the Mechanical Order was. Get those holy rollers, with their vast armies and immense wealth, to take a loss on a deal?'

'Not unless the Emperor himself appeared to have a personal chat with them about Loyalty.'

Even the Old Empire's Regent Council hadn't possessed that kind of clout.

The moment was interrupted when the Radiant Beacon on the bridge began to flash rapidly. A sheet of Holy Sheepskin Paper from the Military Affairs Department shot out of the communication channel and landed in Koller's hand.

He scanned it quickly and said in a heavy tone, "Sir, word from the Military Affairs Department. Rebel forces are reportedly massing in large numbers on Lelag World. We need to make a decision and report back to the department as soon as possible."

As Koller finished speaking.

The awe-filled atmosphere on the bridge, born from witnessing the miracle, instantly grew heavy.

Stearns' brow furrowed. "Lelag World... That's the border world where the Holy Temple of Justice is stationed. Could it be..."

As he spoke, the Second Company Commander turned his gaze to Reinhardt, awaiting his decision.

Even Lu Jia, who had been recuperating, set down her teacup and rose to her feet to look at him.

The rebel assembly was a matter of grave importance.

At that moment, Reinhardt stood before the bridge's panoramic window. The massive, crimson Battle Banner of the Vengeful Angels hung at his side. Below him lay the ocean-blue Lundnia World, and behind him sprawled the deep expanse of the cosmos.

Once, the Vengeful Angels were a force that rushed to battlefields at the command of the Military Affairs Department, fighting bloody wars against all manner of powerful foes on the front lines.

Now.

Even when the Military Affairs Department got news of rebels massing on Lelag, they still had to use the Radiant Beacon to seek the Vengeful Angels' opinion, await their deliberations, and wait for Reinhardt's final decision.

And this was merely the tip of the iceberg when it came to the power wielded by the Vengeful Angels and Reinhardt.

If that weren't the case.

Shepherd Leader Constantine, who stood shoulder to shoulder with Grand Governor Sedon as one of the titans of the Ash Soil Star Zone, would not have stooped to contact Reinhardt personally and make overtures of goodwill.

This was the allure of power.

To reach this day, Reinhardt had walked the path of a Knight for twenty-two years, climbing a ladder built from mountains of corpses and seas of blood. He had started as a vagrant orphan from Sea Eagle City and clawed his way, step by step, to where he now stood.

After hearing Koller's report, Reinhardt strode purposefully toward the mostly-repaired second-level command platform, all eyes upon him.

As he passed Koller and Stearns, the two men fell in step behind him with a silent understanding.

When Reinhardt stood before the command platform, which was empowered by Ancient Witchcraft Technology, he looked up at Lu Jia, who was standing alone below. "You come up as well," he said, his voice devoid of warmth. "I need all of your wisdom."

Reinhardt might have a reputation among his peers for being valiant yet reckless, but he was by no means arrogant. He knew that for an upcoming operation of this immense scale, his wisdom alone was nowhere near enough.

This was precisely why the three commanders of the Vengeful Angels—and Koller—were here.

Lu Jia was no longer the reckless but loyal Battle Sister she once was. She knew, of course, that not just anyone was qualified to ascend to the second-level command platform—the symbol of the Vengeful Angels' supreme authority—and participate in a war council.

But upon hearing Reinhardt's summons.

Lu Jia hesitated for only a second before striding forward and setting foot on the steps leading to the second-level command platform.

In the past, her naive self would never have gotten involved in such struggles. But now, she remembered the lessons Sister Superior Eleonor had personally taught her: politics and power were not things you could simply avoid because you wished to.

When caught in a bloody maelstrom of intrigue, no one could remain untainted.

If she couldn't seize great power and fight her way out of the siege, her only fate would be to end up as another corpse in a secret prison.