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Undercurrents of various factions surged, yet Zhang Ge, at the eye of the storm, remained utterly oblivious.
Due to the need to consider the speed of the Titans, the convoy arrived at Yarkalan later than the personnel dispatched by other factions. When Zhang Ge reached the grand entrance of the hive city, the two main factions were clearly demarcated.
On one side were the lavishly dressed local hive nobles, and on the other were the red-robed chanicus.
It must be said that the forr knew how to please. They mobilized over a dozen intra-planetary ships, each about a hundred ters long, and hung exaggeratedly large posters on the sides of the ships. The vertical edges of these posters alone were also a hundred ters long.
The posters featured purely hand-drawn images, with compositions full of power, placing Zhang Ge alongside a Warlord-class Titan. The edges of the posters were adorned with gilded fonts, filled with concise and laudatory phrases.
Even disregarding the ships, the creation of over a dozen such large paintings in such a short ti must have required the chanical arms of many servitors to work until they smoked.
These ships were arranged on both sides, forming a nearly two-kiloter-long corridor that extended all the way to the entrance.
Below the posters were rows of neatly lined PDF (Planetary Defense Force) soldiers, standing shoulder to shoulder, as if participating in so grand parade. Zhang Ge estimated that a single shell could easily take out hundreds of them.
Behind the PDF were large crowds of cheering hive "commoners." Though their clean and tidy attire bore no resemblance to the typical lower strata of a hive city, the genuine joy on their faces was unmistakable—indeed, it didn't need to be faked.
If Zhang Ge were an ordinary middle-to-high-ranking hive citizen, unaware of the frontlines' collapse, and saw a divine machine taking residence, he would probably laugh ten tis more joyfully than those people, instantly transforming into a champion of strength.
On the other hand, the chanicus side, given that the local nobles held sway in Yarkalan, didn't waste resources on such grand displays. Instead, they straightforwardly showcased their power.
Being adjacent to the Forge World of Huangquan VIII and occupying an entire continent on the planet, even the branch dispatched to other hive cities could be considered imnsely wealthy.
From Sand Crawlers to Kastelan Robots, from Skitarii to heavy-duty servitors with their legs replaced by tracks, they even brought in a tracked mobile transport platform, draped in red carpets and covered in prayers, placed prominently at the front.
The size of this thing is more than sufficient to transport a Warlord Titan, and it is likely used to carry so ultra-heavy industrial machinery in normal tis.
Although using such a tool to transport a Titan is certainly not up to standard, in the eyes of the Tech-Priests, it is still far better than letting the Titan's feet touch the dust outside of warti.
To be honest, the number of dium and heavy vehicles present here alone might surpass that of an entire line infantry regint of the Astra Militarum.
Upon seeing such a scene, the convoy naturally ca to a halt in front of them.
Zhang Ge, Amilia, and Dominica walked forward, while Burton jogged back to organize the soldiers of the 35th Platoon, who quickly ford a column and followed behind the trio.
Facing them were representatives from the hive nobility and the chanicus.
The forr was none other than Ernesto, whom Zhang Ge had seen earlier. It seed he had not perished in the previous battle, though his force feedback armor, while still ornate, had clearly been replaced. It appeared that while he had escaped, he hadn't co out unscathed.
The latter was a "high-ranking" Tech-Priest. The reason we can only roughly estimate his rank as high is because the chanicus has an extensive array of positions within the "Tech-Priest" category. Across different planets and hives, the titles alone are countless, let alone the specific functions. It's likely only those within their own ranks can truly distinguish the differences between these roles.
It seems that before Zhang Ge arrived, they had already engaged in so friendly negotiations and reached an agreent. Otherwise, the scene wouldn't appear as harmonious as it does now.
The first to speak was Ernesto, who remained as enthusiastic as ever, though this ti without—at least deeply concealed—that air of superiority, nor did he ntion a single word about Zhang Ge's true background or their previous agreent:
"Colonel Zhang Ge, it's been a long ti. You left a deep impression on the last ti we t, and now, as expected, you've beco extraordinary. To be honest, the morale among the military and civilians within the hive city is at an all-ti low. We desperately need a war hero like you. The specifics... why not co to my residence to discuss?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the high-ranking Tech-Priest imdiately followed up, his voice as if filtered through three layers of voice changers, making it impossible to even discern the gender:
"Benefit: Gain the friendship of the Hongbei District.
Cost: Accept deploynt during warti."
After both had spoken, they waited for Zhang Ge's response. A montary silence fell among the three, broken only by the beeping of the chanical workings on the high-ranking Tech-Priest.
Frankly, Zhang Ge didn't want to choose either option. If he were to be dragged into becoming a propaganda tool for the nobility, they would undoubtedly go to great lengths to ensure his survival. After all, what good is a war hero if he gets killed the next day?
But becoming an Oil-ch was also out of the question. Putting aside other considerations, just in terms of lifespan—if the chanicus found out that Olivia only obeyed him—they would likely subject him to extre asures.
Rejuvenation surgeries, chanical augntations—even if he didn't die, he could barely make it to a hundred years. But if he got involved with these, his life would be ruined, with overti stretching into decades.
Wait, no. When you're out in the world, your identity is what you make it. Why should he be limited by their options?
With this realization, Zhang Ge's mind cleared. He straightened his collar and spoke with righteous determination:
"It's not that I don't want to accept your invitations, but the structure of my regint has been completely shattered. With the urgency of the war situation, I must imdiately focus on rebuilding and can hardly spare attention elsewhere... However, if both sides could provide support, the rebuilding of the regint could proceed swiftly, and we could restore sufficient strength to defend Yarkalan Hive City."
Hearing this, the two n exchanged a glance.
Forming an Astra Militarum regint locally? Then I could just stuff it with my own people, couldn't I?
Ernesto nodded with a smile:
"The Yarkalan First Regint of the Astra Militarum—sounds quite good."
Forming an Astra Militarum regint locally? Equipnt provision, maintenance, and of course, the reluctantly included Titan maintenance services—then I could inspect them whenever I wanted, couldn't I?
The high-ranking Tech-Priest spoke in a low, rumbling voice:
"Correcting terminology, anded to: The Yarkalan First chanized Regint of the Astra Militarum."
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