The shuttle pierced through the thick and complex pollution clouds above the planet, and the specific details of the surface gradually became clear in the observation window.
The massive ring-shaped fabrication complex now occupied most of the view, its scale even more evident.
Dense industrial building clusters spread within and around the ring, forming the only urban landscape on this planet.
Countless factory outlines were faintly visible in the pervasive smoke, and in most areas, muffled thuds and a continuous low-frequency hum could still be heard.
The dark red glow emanating from the furnace districts was still visible even in the daylight.
However, disproportionate to its enormous size, many areas clearly lacked sufficient signs of activity.
A significant portion of the secondary processing areas had smokestacks that were not emitting exhaust, and the massive storage facility doors were tightly shut, with identifiers indicating disuse or dormancy hanging on their surfaces.
On the freight rail network connecting the various areas, traffic was sparse, and some sections of the tracks even showed exposed, unmaintained rust.
The shuttle finally landed in the main forge area at the geometric center of the ring.
This was the true core of the entire Neksum, a hub where immense energy and material flows converged.
The main forge standing at the center was itself a behemoth, its base extending deep underground, while its upper structure continuously radiated astonishing heat and a deep roar.
This sound was not mere noise, but a continuous vibration with physical penetrative power, clearly perceptible through structural conduction even within the well-insulated shuttle cabin, conveying an almost primal force contained within it.
Surrounding the forge were layers of energy relay stations, control temples, and material distribution centers built around it, together forming a complex and orderly colossal compound.
In the passage leading to Archmagos Fabricator Kasper Vox's private sanctum, the systemic difficulties faced by the Forge World became more concretely apparent to Osiris.
This passage, which should have only echoed with regular mechanical footsteps and data whispers, now revealed an uncharacteristic complexity.
Several Tech-Priests in red robes gathered in a recess along one side of the corridor, their data ports interconnected, engaged in high-intensity encrypted data exchange.
From the unstable flicker frequency of their optical lenses and the occasional, inadequately modulated binary chirps, it could be deduced that the discussion involved the priority allocation of critical resources, and its intensity exceeded the scope of conventional technical discussions.
Public data screens embedded in the passage walls were scrolling to display the real-time status of major production lines.
Osiris' sensors quickly captured and analyzed these information streams.
Over thirty percent of the production units were marked as "low-efficiency operation" or "awaiting materials/standby," and the daily output indicators for several critical weapon platform assembly lines showed continuous, unhealthy downward curves, with values already below the theoretical threshold required to maintain basic production capacity.
Osiris' core thought process calmly recorded and evaluated these phenomena.
This systemic decay in efficiency and resource shortage was undoubtedly severely restricting the operational capabilities of the entire Forge World.
Against this backdrop, any factor that could potentially improve efficiency or bring new opportunities would be magnified in value, and its approval process might therefore be reconsidered.
He clearly knew that the Archmagos qualification review and certification should, in theory, be handled by the Qualification Review Tribunal under the Forge World Archmagos Committee, with a process involving as many as one hundred and twenty-seven independent assessment stages, aimed at ensuring the candidate's technical capabilities and loyalty to the omnissiah's doctrines.
However, within the Adeptus Mechanicus' strict hierarchical system, regulations often yielded to actual power structures, especially when the entire world faced developmental difficulties.
Archmagos Fabricator Kasper Vox, as Neksum's highest administrative officer, the Skitarii Corps commander, and the world's legal representative in the Mars Council, his will was sufficient to exert a decisive influence on any internal process.
His attitude could accelerate, delay, or even substantially alter the outcome of any deliberation.
Therefore, the fact that his promotion application passed the preliminary review so quickly, without any visible resistance, was itself a strong signal.
This was certainly not the result of the committee's bureaucracy operating in due course; it was almost certain that Archmagos Vox had directly intervened, using his highest authority to simplify or forcibly advance the process.
Osiris needed to know the fundamental reason that prompted this Archmagos to act in such a manner.
Was the crisis facing the Forge World so urgent that it required promoting any personnel who might bring a turning point, regardless of convention?
Or did his report on the "Ancient Logic Core" touch upon a deeper plan of Archmagos Vox?
Or did it involve more complex political considerations?
Understanding his true intentions was the basis for all of Osiris' subsequent interactions and negotiations.
He adjusted the operational priority of his internal logic unit, preparing for the upcoming meeting.
The sanctum's large door slid open silently.
The scene inside contrasted with the industrial clamor outside; it was more like a combination of a library, a museum, and a command center.
The air was filled with the scent of aged grease, ancient parchment, and faint electrical arcs.
The four walls were made up of towering bookshelves reaching the ceiling, crammed with ancient paper tomes, data slates, and replicas of STC fragments encased in stasis fields.
In some glass display cases, there were weapon prototypes from different eras, samples of xenos technology, and the remains of some battle-hardened mechanical units, displayed like trophies.
In the center of the room, behind a massive desk forged from a single piece of adamantium, its edges inlaid with complex computational arrays, sat Archmagos Fabricator Kasper Vox.
Archmagos Vox's physique was far more "traditional" and "bulky" than Osiris'.
His lower body was completely integrated with a multi-tracked mobile platform, providing stable support and impressive maneuverability.
His torso was covered in heavy, dark gold armor with clear signs of successive upgrades, etched with dense omnissiah holy words and gear patterns.
Four primary multi-jointed mechanical tendrils extended from his back; two were rapidly perusing suspended holographic documents, one was adjusting a miniature plasma reactor model on the desk, and another was in standby, its fingertip faintly flickering with energy arcs.
His head had also undergone extensive modification, retaining part of the human skull structure, but mostly replaced by a silver metal cranium.
On his face, one original human eye was deep and sharp, as if it could see through people's hearts, while the other was replaced by a multi-spectral bionic eye with constantly shifting focus.
His lower jaw had been modified into an integrated vocal unit and tiny tool interfaces, speaking with a unique metallic resonance.