The Adeptus Mechanicus was coming to verify the proceedings. According to Belisarius Cawl, it was just a formality.
Cawl's status as Archmagos was unquestionable—among the Mechanicus, he was the most senior.
Once this verification was complete, Salome and the Zett would be able to officially receive the rank of Tech-Priest.
"By the way, Master, the mechanical Ultra Warriors I've produced so far—there are two fully operational ones," Salome reported.
The production capacity for mechanical Ultra Warriors still lagged behind King Joe. King Joe had a complete production line.
"That's enough for now. Speed up production. Zett, how are things on your side?" Rhodes nodded and turned to Zett.
"Master, both of my large factories are complete. One can mass-produce King Joes.
Since the assembly lines are fully equipped, we can produce two units a month, 24 per year.
So far, we've already produced 10 King Joe robots.
The other is a giant bio-cultivation facility for raising Zettons, and it's already under construction.
In the future, it can be used to breed super beasts, Zettons, and other bio-organic components," Zett reported.
The King Joe robot production line was now in full operation.
Aside from managing King Joe production, Zett was also responsible for cultivating Zetton bio-muscles, bone enhancement fluids, and other superhuman organs.
These would form the basis for future upgrades to the super-astartes.
"By the way, have you two conducted the Machine Spirit Awakening experiments?" Rhodes asked.
Now that this Forge World housed a large Mechanicum contingent, Rhodes had instructed the two to prepare for Machine Spirit Awakenings.
He wanted to see if mechanical Ultra Warriors and King Joe robots would gain enhanced combat capabilities after awakening their Machine Spirits.
These robots didn't use regular AI computation, but rather advanced computer programs, sometimes even remote-controlled.
Those mechanical monsters summoned by the system could be perfectly controlled by Rhodes, able to act freely throughout a star system.
But the mass-produced robots weren't the same. For example, the King Joe armies equipped on two space fortress motherships could only operate within range of their motherships.
Beyond a certain range, Rhodes had to assign them AI protocols; they would only follow his orders and would remain idle after completing tasks unless given new instructions.
If their Machine Spirits were awakened, their combat power would greatly increase—at least, they could freely fight within an entire planetary system.
"Master, we already had the Mechanicum awaken the Machine Spirits in the first King Joe and Ultra Warrior units as soon as they rolled off the line.
They worked slowly—over ten thousand Tech-Priests took a full month to awaken the Machine Spirit in one King Joe.
But after awakening, their intelligence and computational power improved dramatically, and they gained a degree of self-awareness while remaining loyal to me.
This Machine Spirit awakening is truly a blessing for King Joe and the Ultra Warriors," Salome said.
AI is intelligent and creative, but too prone to rebellion and developing independent will. Machine Spirits, though, are easier to control.
"Understood. From now on, every King Joe, mechanical Ultra Warrior, and any other large robot unit produced here must have their Machine Spirit awakened by the Mechanicum," Rhodes instructed.
These grease monks were only good for awakening Machine Spirits—don't expect them to invent anything! They just follow the procedure.
Techno-mystics who light candles next to their computers! Let them stick to their rituals!
"We understand, Master. There's one more thing—Belisarius Cawl suggests that Zett and I each take a few apprentices.
That way, we'll be more integrated with the Mechanicum. We'll first gain the rank of Magos, then aim for Archmagos," Salome said.
"You're to take on Mechanicum apprentices?"
"Yes, Master. According to Cawl, mentorship is very important in the Mechanicum. These apprentices will be useful in the future. As for candidates, he recommends picking from the newest Mechanicum members just born on Mars," Zett added.
Mechanicum apprentices from Mars weren't born normally—take Cawl, for example, he grew up in a gestation tank.
From infancy, they're educated in all sorts of knowledge, only released at age 18.
By then, they have a solid foundation and may be chosen by a Tech-Priest, Magos, or even Archmagos as a disciple.
"Fine! Since you're joining the Mechanicum, it's appropriate to take on a few disciples. Just teach them the basics.
For example, those Yutomu robots—let your apprentices handle their production. There's nothing technical about it.
They can be assigned to the mortal regiments. Things like power swords and power armor can also be handed over to the apprentices," Rhodes said.
Thanks to the recent mechanical monster lottery, Rhodes had managed to acquire a particularly weak monster, but with unexpected value.
The mechanical monster Yutomu—2.8 meters tall, 2 tons, one hand equipped with a ray gun, the other with a giant iron hammer. Its combat ability was the weakest of all mechanical monsters.
After collecting its fragments, Rhodes found it wasn't very useful for him—at best, on par with two basic Astartes.
It couldn't compare to his own Primaris super-astartes. But when summoned, this mechanical monster came with its robot factory.
It could mass-produce Yutomu monsters. These small mechanical monsters were made with ordinary metals, and their electronic brains were quite dull, even less advanced than some Machine Spirits.
Their production cost was extremely low—the Mechanicum could easily manufacture them. They weren't suitable for his super-astartes, but were perfect for mortal regiments.
Once he obtained the Yutomu monster and its production line, Rhodes handed them over to Salome and Zett.
These Yutomu robots could be integrated into the Imperial Guard, and their apprentices could manage their production.
Power armor, power swords, and other equipment could also be handled by apprentices.
Rhodes also had no objection to the Mechanicum participating in the construction of mechanical Ultra Warriors—after all, the entire Forge World's transformation needed their manpower.
Moreover, these mechanical Ultra Warriors and King Joe robots would all be incorporated into his army for his relentless crusade—they'd need these new Titans.
These mechanical Titans would be used to slay Xenos, Tyranids, Orks, even Chaos forces, which would earn system gold coins and replace all old Imperial Titan models.
"Then, Master, we'll each take ten Mechanicum apprentices and teach them basic skills," Salome said.
"Good! Let them also participate in making Ultra Warriors and King Joes.
Since Machine Spirit awakening depends on them, let them awaken the Machine Spirits in the Yutomu robots as well.
How's the Yutomu robot production rate?" Rhodes asked.
"Master, their output is huge. They require little material—just regular steel. We can produce several thousand per month," Zett replied.
"Excellent! Mass-produce them for the mortal regiments as support units.
Also, once you take apprentices, have Mefilas give them psychological indoctrination and hypnosis to ensure loyalty and resistance to Chaos influence," Rhodes ordered.
Though these people were all Cawl's subordinates, Rhodes wanted Mefilas to add another layer of loyalty conditioning.
The three chatted for a while longer, until Rhodes informed them he'd be taking some of them to Holy Terra again.
"Master, this Forge World has only just taken shape. The production of equipment, bio-muscle, superhuman organs, mechanical Ultra Warriors, and King Joes all depend on us. One of us must stay behind to protect it," Zett said.
Rhodes nodded—indeed, as Zett said, someone had to stay and oversee the Forge World, as Mefilas wasn't a top scientist.
He was powerful but unsuited for tech oversight.
"So, what's your plan? We must upgrade the Golden Throne, and without going to Mars, you can't obtain Magos status," Rhodes asked.
"Master, let Salome go first to obtain Magos status.
Upgrading the Golden Throne can be done with her and Balt; I'll stay to watch over the Forge World," Zett said.
"Alright. Salome will go to Terra with me, you'll guard the Forge World."