Chapter Seventy-Five: How Much Do You Want?

“How many do you want?” Tara Xin looked at Wang Ming’s grinning face with unease and asked.

“At least six hundred thousand,” Wang Ming glanced at the other Travelers around him, then at Tara Xin, and with a grand gesture, named the astronomical price of six hundred thousand phase swords.

“Impossible, I don’t even have that many phase swords!” Tara Xin was taken aback by Wang Ming’s outrageous demand and refused outright.

“Sixty thousand, then.” Seeing Tara Xin’s refusal, Wang Ming lowered the price.

“That ship isn’t worth nearly that much.”

Tara Xin still refused; the price was far too high.

“Ten thousand,” Wang Ming offered, reducing the price again.

But Tara Xin continued to shake his head. He looked at Wang Ming and named his own price.

“Two hundred phase swords for the battleship,” said Tara Xin.

“Impossible! You know how rare a ship like this is? There can’t be more than a handful in the entire galaxy! At least six thousand!” Wang Ming began to haggle, talking up the value of the Imperial Truth to the skies, trying to persuade Tara Xin to pay more.

“If you keep raising the price, aren’t you afraid I’ll just take it by force?” Tara Xin’s tone was laced with threat.

“You won’t. Trading is always easier than mobilizing your forces, isn’t it? Isn’t that true, greatest collector in the galaxy?” Despite Tara Xin’s threat, Wang Ming simply grinned at him, unfazed.

“Fine. Payment and goods, at the same time,” Tara Xin looked at Wang Ming for a long moment before finally agreeing.

“Give me a moment. I’ll notify the Imperial Truth to clear out its crew. We’ll make the exchange at the spaceport,” Wang Ming said, beaming.

“Oh, and Abdullah, you gave your word earlier,” Wang Ming added, turning to the figure beside Tara Xin.

“I’ll keep my promise,” Abdullah answered solemnly.

When all was done, Abdullah recalled all the death knights and boarded the battleship, preparing to leave Mols with his people. Wang Ming and the other Travelers returned to their encampment, and with them came the Endless One, Tara Xin.

Tara Xin’s arrival immediately put the mortal auxiliaries on edge. The moment he appeared, every laser rifle and heavy weapon in the trenches turned his way. Tara Xin, looking at the array of weapons aimed at him, sought out Wang Ming.

“Weapons down, soldiers. He’s not a threat,” Wang Ming said, standing at Tara Xin’s side and addressing the auxiliaries.

After the Primarch’s explanation, the mortals lowered their weapons, though their eyes never left Tara Xin, watching his every move.

Under Wang Ming’s orders, the Imperial troops withdrew from the Barren Expanse and returned to Thanatos Hive City to recuperate. Meanwhile, Wang Ming took the first regiment, ready to move their belongings, and led Tara Xin to the Colson Spaceport on Mols for the transaction.

The Imperial Truth was already docked at Colson Spaceport. Its captain, Leandro Ferreira, had also received Wang Ming’s order to clear the ship. Two thousand crew members stood in perfect formation on the spaceport plaza, waiting for Wang Ming’s arrival.

Wang Ming, Tara Xin, and the thousand-strong first regiment of Travelers arrived at the plaza. Through the windows, they could see the Imperial Truth berthed at the edge of the port.

“Here it is,” Tara Xin said, satisfied as he looked at the Imperial Truth. He produced a small green cube and tossed it to Wang Ming.

Wang Ming, familiar with its workings, checked its contents to confirm everything was in order, then took out a chip.

“The ship’s AI system. Interested?” Wang Ming tossed the chip to Tara Xin.

“Interesting,” Tara Xin replied after scanning the chip.

“In theory, it’s not so different from your kind—non-organic life,” Wang Ming remarked.

Tara Xin pocketed the chip without another word, heading toward the spaceport node where the Imperial Truth was docked.

Wang Ming followed, curious to see how Tara Xin would manage to move the thirteen-kilometer-long Imperial Truth.

Tara Xin stopped at a window with a clear view of the ship, pulled out an unfamiliar instrument, and began operating it. Once he finished, the Imperial Truth vanished without a trace. Wang Ming, who had been watching intently, never saw how the ship disappeared.

“Necron technology—truly astonishing,” Wang Ming sighed, wiping imaginary sweat from his brow as he watched the delighted Tara Xin.

“If you ever come across anything else of historical significance, remember to contact me,” Tara Xin called back, then vanished in a beam of green light from the spaceport.

After Tara Xin’s departure, Abdullah activated his warship on the Barren Expanse and left with his people. Their departure was anything but subtle; half the Barren Expanse was devastated, transformed into a vast crater by the Necron ship’s ascent.

Once both parties were gone, Wang Ming simply retrieved another ship of the same model as the Imperial Truth from the system’s “store.”

He had Leandro Ferreira lead the crew to move back into their brand-new home. The battleship, a priceless collector’s item for Tara Xin, was to Wang Ming nothing more than mass-produced stock.

The new ship was quickly set up. All the Travelers’ belongings had already been removed by the crew and mechanics, so reinstalling them was easy.

Wang Ming stood in the command center of the new Imperial Truth, watching as the sun of Mols—Helios—slowly slipped behind the planet. When the last ray of light vanished beneath Mols’ surface, faint points of light began to appear below.

Those were the lights of small hives—utterly insignificant and trivial against the vastness of Mols.