"Oh! Are you saying that the flesh and blood of orks are completely useless?" Rhodes asked with great interest.
"Yes! As a noble of the ancient empire, you should know the origin of our race, right? It's not just a myth or legend but an actual origin," Lelith said.
The Eldar God are actually deities born within the Warp, belonging to the Eldar, but they are not the true creators of the Eldar race itself.
Every member of the Eldar possesses immense psychic power, which led to the formation of a complete pantheon in the Warp.
"I know! The Eldar were created by the ancient Old Ones. Even the Webway we use now was opened up by the Old Ones. That great war in paradise tens of thousands of years ago led to the fall of the Old One race," Rhodes said.
The Old Ones were the true bug race. Back in their prime, even the gods of the Warp dared not provoke them.
However, even such a powerful race was ultimately wiped out through the combined efforts of the C'tan and the Necrons.
Yet, after their destruction, the Necron race suffered devastating losses, leaving them without the strength to deal with the creations of the Old Ones—the Eldar and the ancient Orks.
Even now, these two races remain at odds. Eldar assassins attempting to kill Necron Phaerons is a regular occurrence.
"Exactly! Our race wasn't born naturally or evolved through biology. We were created by the Old Ones. However, our race isn't particularly suited for battle. The ones truly created for combat were the ancient Orks," Lelith explained.
Having lived for nearly 20,000 years, she had witnessed far too many events and naturally knew the origins of her race.
"These Orks possess great combat prowess. Many species across the galaxy have attempted to control them, especially those self-proclaimed superior races.
But the Ork race was a creation of the Old Ones, with an incredibly perfect genetic sequence. Their genes are deeply encoded into their very being.
No one can alter the programming of the Old Ones or control this race. Even the Tyranid gene-stealers, while capable of infecting Orks, are quickly discovered by other Orks due to the disruption of their WAAAGH field.
The Human Emperor once studied this race. It's said that the ancient Orks had combat power comparable to today's primarchs," Lelith continued.
The Ork species is one of the largest and most terrifying in the galaxy. Before the arrival of the Tyranids, they held the Tyranids' place as a galactic scourge. Encountering them is akin to a curse of misfortune.
If a planet is discovered to harbor these green-skinned creatures, it's practically deemed lost. Even if all the Orks on the surface are destroyed, they will eventually regrow, rendering the land unusable.
"The psychic power of the Ork species isn't weak either. The WAAAGH field is no joke—it's a form of powerful psychic energy.
Like our Eldar, the Orks have also birthed their gods, and they far outnumber ours. Gork and Mork, the two Ork gods, if they weren't constantly battling each other, could join forces and rival a Chaos God from the Warp," Lelith explained further, providing Rhodes with a detailed account of just how powerful this species in the galaxy truly is.
Of course, this strength is only relative; Chaos Gods are the most powerful entities in existence.
Clap, clap, clap!
A round of applause sounded as a tall, dark Eldar woman entered. She was dressed in a luxurious black evening gown, smiled, and spoke:
"How fascinating! Good day, Lord Loki.
If you're interested in obtaining all research data on the Orks, I can acquire it for you in exchange for your friendship. In Commorragh, there are many renowned Haemonculi who have conducted experiments on this race," Lady Malys said with a slight bow.
Seeing the newcomer, both Lelith and Yvraine lowered their weapons and offered a slight bow in return.
"Allow me to introduce, Lord Loki. This is the famous Lady Malys, a prominent figure in all of Commorragh.
In terms of power, she's second only to Vect and is the leader of a cabal. She also operates several arenas.
This lady even met the Laughing God once, wagered a bet with him, and won," Lelith introduced the newcomer to Rhodes.
In Commorragh, Lady Malys was a figure of immense power. Most notably, she was Vect's sworn rival.
Although the two had once been very close, they now wished nothing more than to see the other dead.
"Good day, Lady Malys!" Rhodes smiled warmly, stood up, and offered a courteous bow.
Someone who had met the Laughing God, wagered with him and won indeed had impressive skill. This was also the first time the lady had shown goodwill toward Rhodes.
"Lord Loki, do you require this data? If you do, I guarantee I can get it for you," Lady Malys asked.
The ability to create such terrifying biological monsters and genetically modified warriors demonstrated the immense expertise of her cabal in genetic biology.
Maybe they really can figure something out. If I think of a way, it should be possible to buy that information from Haemonculi.
"Thank you for your kindness, Lady Malys. I am indeed very interested in this research material. So, what do you want from me in return?" Rhodes asked.
There's no such thing as unwarranted kindness in this world. This woman must be after something! But then again, I want something from her too.
Moreover, compared to Vect, Lady Malys seems like a much better partner for collaboration.
"Loki Loki, there's no need to talk about compensation. I simply wish to gain your family's friendship, that's all," Lady Malys said with a smile.
Free things are often the most expensive. Rhodes understood this all too well.
"Lady Malys, I can provide you with monster enhancement potions, or arrange for a great beast to perform at your arena. Our family never takes anything for free. Whatever you want, just say it," Rhodes replied.
"In that case, could you provide me with any new monster potions? I mean, apart from the two types currently available on the market," Lady Malys asked.
"That's not a problem. New monster potions will be available soon, and there will even be enhanced versions," Rhodes said.
The frost beast Guigass had already been enhanced to its limit. Using its current blood to create monster potions would produce warriors more than twice as powerful as the current Ice Warriors.
Additionally, the bloodlines of Red King, Gomora, and even Golza could also be used to create monster potions.
"Then I look forward to working with you. I'll need some time to bring over the research materials on the Ork Beasts. Could you be patient and wait for a little while?" Lady Malys asked.
"Of course, no problem. I'll be heading to Holy Terra soon. When I return, we can complete the transaction," Rhodes replied.
"Then it's settled, Lord Loki! I look forward to our cooperation in the future," Lady Malys said with a smile.
She was unlike that fool Vect; she knew how to make a powerful man owe her a favor. Even if she couldn't make him owe her, she at least wanted him to have a favorable impression of her.
Her goal of coming here today had been achieved! She successfully gained Lord Loki's friendship, which was more important than anything else.
The two continued their pleasant conversation, discussing future collaborations—from priority rights to rent great beasts to the purchase of new monster enhancement potions.
After finishing these discussions, Lady Malys left with Yvraine.
"Lord Loki, you need to be careful with that woman. She's a viper—a viper who was once abandoned by Vect, crawled back from the depths of hell, and now wants to bite Vect to death," Lelith warned.
This woman was absolutely no simple character, and Lelith could faintly sense that she posed a slight threat to her position.
"I understand. Don't worry! She can't take your place. You have priority access to all my monster enhancement potions, and they'll be cheaper for you than for anyone else," Rhodes reassured.
Dark Eldar was infamous for infighting. This Lady Malys gave Lelith a bit of pressure.
However, Lelith was not someone who cared too much about competing for power and benefits, so she wasn't overly concerned.
Besides, no woman could make Rhodes change his collaborative partner.
After chatting for a while longer, Rhodes returned to his spaceship. He was now eager to let the three scientists examine the Orks' flesh and blood.
Because of preparations for the recent Great Beast Battle, Rhodes hadn't returned to his spaceship for a day and a half. The scene inside the ship was now somewhat eerie.
Even Rhodes was startled when he entered the ship. In the second-level hall, all the Space Marines had changed into plain robes. Each one knelt before their powered armor, performing some kind of mysterious ritual of worship.
"Please hear our prayers, Machine Spirit! Respond to my call! Respond to our call!"
Salome was sitting to the side, watching the Space Marines worship their powered armor with great interest.
"What's going on here? What are you all doing?" Rhodes asked.
"Lord Rhodes, we are trying to awaken the Machine Spirits in our powered armor. We've been wearing this armor for several days, but we've found that the Machine Spirits in the armor are unresponsive to us. We are now attempting to awaken them and communicate with the Machine Spirits of the armor," Titus explained.