Warhammer: The 11th Primarch - The Black Emperor

In the third layer of realspace within the Kingdom of Disorder, Nareth stared intently at the three-sided die in front of him.

His black pupils deepened, and after a moment, black threads appeared within them, connecting him to the Dice of Prophecy.

'The preliminary connection has been established.'

While considering this, Nareth removed the power gauntlet from his left hand and placed it next to the die, continuing to strengthen the connection.

Then, the Primarch turned to the body of the Raft Spider and sliced off a limb segment with its carapace still intact.

This part lacked spiritual residue and was not a viable potion material.

He retrieved a small specialized storage unit crafted by the Forge Lord, activated the stasis field, and placed the tissue inside.

Back in reality, Nareth received a report from his guards: no other signs of Giant Spiders had been found near the sewage pool.

The Primarch then sent messages to Adams and Rosicky, giving final orders before departure.

One stellar hour later, he met the two Shadow of Order inside the tower that once belonged to the Chief Iron Lord.

"The Fourth Chapter will temporarily take responsibility for guarding the six star systems of the Arneus Continuity. Death Lord, I want you to establish a new order here."

"Similar to Vostroya's structure, but tailored to local conditions."

Nareth recalled how the House Helmwar would one day establish long-lasting rule over Necromunda, and continued:

"Though Necromunda's population is a hundred times greater than Vostroya's, as long as you position yourself as the Supreme Authority and support the rise of a single family, you can build a lasting system."

"Father, I will carry out your orders." Adams, as always, accepted his command with a stern expression.

"Your other duty is to excavate ruins and master the newly acquired power. In that, you'll need to cooperate closely with the Forge Lord."

Once both Shadows nodded, Nareth picked up the storage unit from the floor.

"Rosicky, aside from researching teleportation and the leftover technologies of the Araneu Continuity, I want you to study the biological tissue inside this."

The Forge Lord took the arm-sized box in both hands, asking curiously:

"My Lord, where is it from?"

"The Raft Spider, the rarest and most prized of the Giant Spiders."

"I want you to develop a way to kill these spiders without damaging their silk glands, fangs, eyes, or legs."

Nareth wasn't certain if other types of Giant Spiders had eyes that could be used in potions, so he included them just in case.

"Adams, once any Giant Spiders are located, organize a hunt."

After finalizing plans for Necromunda, the Primarch ordered the 2nd, 5th, and 11th Chapters to set course for the Vigilus star system.

The "Interrogator" Howard had extracted the location of Vigilus from an Aeldar Seer. Knowing that the Saim-Hann Craftworld was renowned among the Aeldar for its prowess in battle, Nareth decided to go support the Arbiter Lord stationed there.

Meanwhile, on the main planet of the Triken System, in a maiden world terraformed by the Aeldar to be a paradise, even its jagged peaks appeared elegant.

Atop one of these lush mountains, the "Apothecary" Mikael had established his laboratory. Every day, he would take a walk through the mountain before sunrise.

Today was no different. Clad in a flowing black robe, the Chief Apothecary strode along the mountain path.

As his eyes swept across the surrounding flora, he would occasionally stop to inspect a particular herb.

This mountain had been chosen for a reason: it harbored a bounty of primitive medicinal herbs,

Sage with gray-green oval leaves,

Lemon balm oozes pale yellow resin with a citral scent,

Evening primrose that splits into four petals when ripe...

Mikael would stop from time to time, using his mechadendrites to delicately harvest the plants. The surgical tools were temporarily replaced with specialized foraging tools.

After an hour, his pack was full, and he returned to the lab.

There, he placed the fresh lemon balm and other herbs on a drying rack at a low temperature, removing extraneous parts and keeping only the essential oils.

Next, he invoked his spiritual energy to use "Medicinal Concoction" and began the process of taming the plants.

He placed sage leaves into a mortar, gripping the pestle vertically.

He pressed in gentle circles first, listening for the soft rustle, then gradually applied pressure.

Once the sage was crushed, he switched to precision grinding:

Slow, clockwise movements, keeping steady,

Letting the mortar's grooves grind the fibers down,

Then, reversing direction, making tight counterclockwise circles to create fine, even powder.

As the temperature rose, oil seeped from the leaves and condensed into tiny beads on the mortar walls.

His "Medicinal Concoction" ability is fully activated during the process, enhancing the medicinal quality by harmonizing with the spiritual essence of plant and animal material.

Afterward, he processed deer antlers and other ingredients in sequence. Once everything was prepared, the potion-making began.

He carefully measured liquid solvents and poured them into a two-meter-wide cauldron, activating fire runes.

As the liquid began to boil, he added the evening primrose, and lastly, the lemon balm essential oil.

Mikael picked up a sterile glass stirrer and began to rapidly mix the solution.

Fifteen minutes later, he ceased stirring and deactivated the runes.

The liquid began to cool, releasing a rich, sweet herbal fragrance into the air.

He filled brownish liquid into bottles one by one and neatly arranged them on a stainless steel rack.

Wiping sweat from his brow, he felt a sensation as if something inside his body had dissolved.

Grabbing a control staff from a nearby shelf, he pushed the silver cart of potions to a massive marble door.

He raised the staff and activated the unlocking rune.

Green symbols flickered, and with a heavy grinding sound, the marble door slowly opened.

Mikael pushed the cart through, then turned to seal the door.

He descended the spiral corridor carved into the mountain, finally reaching a waiting lounge deep inside the peak, where the candidates were assembled.

Picking up a bottle, he shook it and called out:

"Come here. Line up to receive your potion."

The warriors of Vostroya looked doubtfully at the imposing man. Were it not for their knowledge that the black-robed Mikael was the Chief Apothecary, they might've thought he was a quack selling fake remedies.

They were about to walk the Path to Ascension, but how could a potion possibly help?

"While it won't enhance your physical attributes, it will significantly reduce rejection symptoms."

"This is a unique ability granted to me by the Lord."

At these words, all doubts vanished. They quickly lined up and drank the potion after receiving it.

Once distribution was complete, Mikael spoke:

"Proceed immediately to the chambers to begin your transformation procedures."

With that, he raised his control staff and aimed it at a white alloy door.

The runes lit up, and the door opened. The candidates filed in one by one.

Mitchell followed them down toward the surgical chambers. A servant handed him a datapad, which he began scanning.

'Since I developed the anti-rejection potion, the surgery success rate has increased by 5.2%.

But the emergency potions haven't been as effective, the mortality rate only dropped by 1.4%. That's the limitation of an 'Apothecary.' In that regard, I'm no match for the 'Doctor'.''

With those thoughts, Mikael began inspecting the surgical pods.

Just past Pod 4, he noticed a patient undergoing modification start to spasm violently.

He instantly activated Spirit Vision, detecting the issue even before the sensors.

His mechadendrite shot out and began emergency treatment.

Meanwhile, in Pod 16, "Doctor" Marlena finished her surgery, exited the mountain via a corridor, and boarded an airship headed for Farm No. 5.

...

If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.

[email protected]/DaoistJinzu