Mars, four years later.
Hades rarely sat in the dining hall of the Techmarine Training Base, surrounded by Techmarines from various legions.
They had gathered to bid farewell to Hades.
The red soil of Mars' wastelands had been churned by storm after storm, with time quietly slipping through like sand in an hourglass.
It was his own turn to leave.
Originally, Hades wasn’t supposed to leave at this time. By plan, he would’ve been the second-to-last to depart among this group.
But he had completed all his studies!
Achieving the "Fastest Techmarine Legend of Mars", Hades cheerfully collected his certification code and personalized Techmarine binary badge from the venerable Magos Yordan.
The hunched and imposing figure of Magos Yordan sat at his workstation, his red robe draping down in folds, cables intricately interwoven with precision, while blue pulses of energy coursed through them like living veins.
"Congratulations, Hades of the Death Guard. From now on, you are qualified to serve as a Techmarine on the frontlines of war."
"Originally, you could have stayed here longer. With your remarkable talent, this base could have taught you much more."
"Thank you for your kind offer, Magos Yordan," Hades replied.
"But my legion is calling me back."
Hades nodded. Truthfully, he had completed everything a while ago but had delayed leaving as he scouted for transportation to return to the Death Guard.
Typically, Techmarines would depart on the same fleet that transported their legion’s weapons and ammunition to Mars. However, because the Death Guard had yet to engage in any major conflicts requiring resupply, no such fleet had come.
It was impractical to dispatch a ship solely for him. Furthermore, the Death Guard had already received orders to head to the Vasarius warzone and was currently at full speed, heading for the frontlines.
Thus, Hades turned his attention to the movements of nearby Mars transport ships. Unfortunately, the legions fighting Orks on the frontlines didn’t need any logistical support from Mars at the moment.
Now, however, Magos Korklan had reached out to inform Hades that he had discovered the origins of the trinket Hades had once inquired about.
This discovery came from clearing debris from an abandoned spacecraft. The Magos who found it traced the ship’s origins back to its home planet.
As the spacecraft contained no remarkable technology, the planet was quietly logged in the Magos Explorators' star charts. A small team conducted an initial survey, collected a few machine anti-aging techniques, and then shelved further exploration.
Until Magos Korklan proactively approached that Magos.
"I knew one of you xeno-tech enthusiasts would come looking for me," said the Magos with unmechanized, murky white eyes, as his logical computation systems activated.
"Your prediction is correct," Korklan replied in an even tone, his black stone pendant swaying as he walked.
A battle of binary language commenced! The bargaining war between the two Magos was a contest of pure computational exchange, devoid of traditional speech.
Hades was, of course, unaware of this intense exchange. All he knew was that Korklan approached him afterward, brimming with triumph.
“Hades, I found it!”
Found what?
Hades, who had long since forgotten the matter he had tasked Korklan with years ago, looked confused.
“What?”
“The trinket you asked me about—I found its origins!” Korklan exclaimed with a series of static crackles, as if chastising Hades for his poor memory.
“Oh!”
Hades finally remembered.
“What did you discover?”
Korklan quickly shared the data package he had obtained.
It described a forgotten human world where no living humans remained.
Abandoned cities stood in desolation on the planet’s surface.
But the most crucial detail was the presence of a small, black obelisk on the planet.
From the information Korklan provided, Hades tentatively concluded that it was a blackstone construct, likely left by the Necrons to suppress the tides of the Warp and stabilize realspace.
These blackstone constructs came in many forms, often placed on worlds where the barrier between realspace and the Warp was weak to ensure spatial stability.
Although some blackstone constructs concealed Necron forces within, not all did. This particular planet, with only a solitary construct and evidence of human colonization, likely held no hidden threats beneath its surface.
Hades thought for a moment and spoke,
"You should go check out that planet."
"The black stone obelisk there is of great value."
"Aren't you going, my lord?"
Hades blinked. Perhaps he should make the trip? But the Death Guard's first battle, the Conquest of Galaspar, was about to begin, and he really didn’t want to miss the Legion’s inaugural combat.
"I'm still waiting for the fleet from Mars heading to the Vasarius war zone."
Korklan black stone pendant swayed, its bright reflection glinting off its surface.
"My lord, you could go to that planet first. I’ve found out that a Forge World near it is primarily responsible for supplying the 11th Fleet in the Vasarius war zone."
Hades blinked again. What a coincidence!
He quickly gathered some intel and discovered it was indeed true.
Moreover, compared to the ever-delayed fleet departure from Mars, this route would actually be faster.
The Death Guard was still on its way and had not yet received news from Galaspar. Even after arrival, Mortarion would need some time to prepare.
"Alright, I’ll go too."
"I’ll set off immediately."
Thus, this was how Hades found himself surrounded by a group of Techmarines. To his relief, most of the gifts from his brothers were food.
The Ultramarine Severius was chatting with Hades with a big grin on his face.
"I was thinking of asking you to look after the new batch of Ultramarines after I left, but it turns out you’re heading back first."
Hades laughed heartily.
"Then I’ll leave the care of the incoming Death Guard to you!"
Then, with a knowing look, Hades turned to Severius and said,
"Don’t forget to pass on the data packet I shared with you."
After seven years of relentless effort and self-discipline, Hades had compiled a guide titled The Mars Techmarine Survival Manual. It included everything from cracking the behavioral codes of most servitors in a base to behavioral analyses of Magos Yordan, providing new Techmarines with the best Mars experience.
Seeing the eager gleam in Hades’ eyes, Severius swore it took every ounce of political and diplomatic training he had as an Ultramarine not to let his mouth twitch.
When Severius first saw the data packet Hades had shared, he was astonished.
Hades was creating something... entirely new.
Severius swore he’d never seen such a style of writing. Although it seemed somewhat irreverent at first glance, a closer read revealed profound insights on how to maximize rewards on Mars with minimal effort.
Hades had even independently devised a template that closely resembled the one Ultramarines used internally for handling official documents.
It was truly astonishing.
While Techmarines arrived on Mars every year, they typically just studied and then left.
Techmarines from factions like the Ultramarines or Luna Wolves would consciously introduce new Techmarines to other Legions to facilitate their future learning and living.
The Master of the Forges in the Legion, upon meeting a satisfactory Techmarine candidate, might offer them some advice on what to pay attention to.
But someone like Hades, who created a targeted document about life and study on Mars and distributed it—
He was the only one!
Or rather, no one else possessed Hades’ level of awareness and initiative!
This was truly a mark of greatness.
Whether it was his unprecedented speed in mastering skills, his unbeatable presence in the dueling cage, or this Mars Techmarine Survival Manual—
This Death Guard overshadowed them all in every way!
And he didn’t even realize it.
Thus, in private, Techmarines referred to Hades as "The Overseer."
He was truly someone who stood at the top, looking down on the rest of the Techmarines.
However, Hades was unaware that he’d gained yet another nickname. He continued to confidently look at Severius, waiting for the well-mannered Ultramarine to extend some help to the future Death Guard Techmarines.
"Of course, that’s incredibly valuable knowledge. As an Ultramarine, I, Severius, will definitely pass it along."
Severius spoke earnestly.
"Oh, no need to be so serious!"
Hades chuckled and happily accepted a farewell gift of cookies, representing the Ultramarines.
"Hand them over!"
Severius, understanding the gesture, turned with the other Ultramarines, allowing Hades to collect other gifts.
The Iron Hands gave Hades some hard-baked biscuits, the Imperial Fists provided fortress-shaped waffles, and the Space Wolves offered a pile of roasted meat.
No overly fancy limited-edition screws, no strange weapons— even the Salamanders gifted food. At this moment, Hades felt happy.