Terra.
The home of mankind.
The core of imperial power.
The planet where the greatest man of all, the Emperor, rests.
All political decrees regarding the empire are issued from here and are implemented by agencies at all levels of the empire.
Dispatching troops, collecting tithes, issuing extermination orders, fighting aliens, fighting Chaos, building new troops, forming new warbands, etc., many orders were issued by Terra.
Terra is the seat of the highest power in the empire, and it is a place that every capable and powerful person wants to come to.
Why did they all want to come to Terra
Because only here will they have a chance to gain the highest power.
Only then can we go further and further.
The nobles of Terra also have a high opinion of themselves. They believe that they are the masters of the empire, and that it is their wisdom and talent that have protected the empire from surviving in the dark galaxy.
This arrogant thought continued until Guilliman's awakening.
The Thirteen Primarchs, the Emperor's own son, the Regent of the Empire, each of Guilliman's identities is so terrifying.
Each name represents the orthodoxy of the empire and his status as the heir to the empire.
It represents the magnitude of his power.
Represents the horror of his influence.
When the news from Macragge came, many Terra nobles were very happy when they learned that Guilliman had awakened.
The Great Rift has come, and natural disasters caused by demons and aliens are ravaging the planets of the Empire.
As wars increased, the empire became increasingly overwhelmed.
The return of a Primarch is undoubtedly exciting.
It will definitely keep the crumbling empire going.
Maybe it will allow them to further expand their power and gain more authority.
However, their attitude changed when Guilliman announced a comprehensive reform of the Imperium's existing system.
News of various reforms came, and families that had lasted for thousands of years were uprooted to make way for more capable people to take power.
Some families that resisted stubbornly were sent to punitive camps as a whole to be used as cannon fodder and die.
The family's hereditary power was taken away, and even businessmen needed to be under unified management before they could qualify to do business.
News like this came one after another, causing countless nobles to feel terrified and uneasy.
The tax system was also reformed, with most of the profits taken away by Guilliman's new system and handed over to the new Council of Macragge for redistribution to recruit new troops, build backward planets, and so on.
The Chamber of Commerce is firmly under control.
The original tax system was reformed.
Hereditary power was abolished.
These reforms will inevitably cause many nobles to lose their original status.
They simply don't have the confidence to compete in such a large human group.
Because of this, many nobles became dissatisfied and secretly cursed the Primarch in anger.
Soon they were openly cursing and spreading the word of Guilliman's evil deeds.
Terra's evaluation of Guilliman quickly changed from the savior promoted at the beginning to a traitor and a thief who stole the country.
A despicable traitor.
The most hated Primarch in history.
They spent more time discrediting Guilliman than they did their own jobs.
The Imperial Senate, which Guilliman had established, was also arguing about his return.
Some people claimed that Guilliman's reforms were a betrayal of the Emperor. These people were conservatives and they demanded that Guilliman maintain the original system and many regulations.
Some people feel that the time has come for the Empire to change. These people are radical and support Guilliman's reforms, even if it means losing power.
The two sides were on the verge of a fight.
But overall, on Terra's side, conservatives are stronger than radicals.
Those who can enter the Terra bureaucracy are basically powerful families or top dignitaries, especially those who can enter the Imperial Senate. The power behind them is incredibly great.
They are unwilling to accept that their thousands of years of accumulation have been surpassed by others' efforts over just a few decades.
The struggle between the two factions is reflected in all aspects.
The Imperial Senate was also involved in the turmoil.
As the highest authority in the empire, the Senate is composed of the twelve most powerful people of the human race, the High Lords.
This institution coordinates and manages various political decisions within the Empire in the name of the Emperor.
The Senate was originally created by the Emperor. The then Prime Minister of the Empire, Calgar, served as the head of the parliament, making various decisions and managing the empire on behalf of the Emperor.
Following the Horus Heresy, the Senate was eventually dissolved.
After the Horus Heresy ended, Guilliman, who was appointed by the Emperor as Regent of the Empire, rebuilt the Senate of Terra as a transition so that he could optimize the Imperial ruling structure in the future.
Unfortunately, in the pursuit of the rebellious Emperor's Children Primarch - Fulgrim.
Guilliman was accidentally ambushed and stabbed by Fulgrim during the Battle of Thessara, and fell into a stasis field and fell into a deep sleep.
This also resulted in the management model of the Terra Senate being fixed, and no one made any reforms to it.
In the days that followed, the Senate's administrative efficiency became increasingly slow.
Not only did the Senate fail to bring change and innovation to the empire, but it became the driving force behind the empire's fall into the abyss.
In order to gain power, the high lords had to promise a lot of benefits to the families and other dignitaries who supported them, and promised to take care of their interests after they came to power.
In this way, the chain of interests becomes more and more complicated.
It is conceivable how much resistance Guilliman would encounter if he wanted to implement his reform decrees on Terra.
You must know that there have only ever been individuals who betray their class, but there has never been a class that betrays its class.
Faced with the current chaos on Terra, the Imperial Prime Minister, Tirian, felt somewhat helpless.
The situation is getting increasingly out of control.
The lower-class dignitaries cursed endlessly, the imperial daily published all kinds of radical reports, and even the state religion indulged itself in secret.
The anxious and terrified nobles proposed several proposals to prevent the Primarch from coming to Terra.
Currently, the high lords are discussing and debating the proposals and are planning to implement them.
Tirian thought they were mad, at least at this stage they were already mad.
After a day of futile arguments.
Tirrion was summoned by the Chancellor of the Interior and Lord Irtu, the Chief of the Terran Elder Council.
The other person's face was extremely pale, and it looked like there was no blood left.
Tyrian knew that this guy was injected with too many life-extending potions.
The life span of mortals is limited.
Surviving for centuries is already a difficult thing.
During these ten thousand years, the empire has made no progress in the field of scientific research.
The same is true for extending life expectancy.
Technological progress has almost stagnated and is still regressing.
This is a very sad thing.
Tirian followed the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Irtu, into a private room, where their conversation could be guaranteed not to be eavesdropped by a third person.
The room was luxuriously decorated, with a huge red carpet on the floor and precious works of various artists hanging on the walls.
The desk is made of logs shipped from other galaxies, and is decorated with fruits shipped from the agricultural world.
There is no agriculture on Terra anymore, and the entire world relies on food shipped from other worlds to survive.
The value of these fruits is many times more expensive than the equivalent amount of gold.
They are very fresh and no more than a week old.
This was unimaginable for the slow-moving empire.
Of course, this is just a small display of the power of the members of the Imperial Senate.
A piece of fruit was a small noble's lifetime wealth.
Now that the warp storm is raging and fleets dare not sail easily, the price of fruit is also rising.
Many people at the lower class cannot even have fruits, and it is a blessing from the emperor that they can even have enough to eat.
Iltu sat in his seat and motioned for Tirian to sit in front of him.
"The situation is becoming more and more complicated." Irtu looked worried and uneasy. "People are becoming fearful and uneasy."
Tirian did not speak. He looked cautiously at the high lord in front of him, waiting for the other party's next words.
He was merely an executor of the policies of the Imperial Senate. In a sense, he served these high lords and carried out their orders.
"We must take action to stop the Primarch's absurd move. His reforms have severely dampened the enthusiasm of many loyalists. Many people are complaining that they have given everything to the Empire, but now the Primarch wants to abandon them. This is too cruel."
When he said this, Irtu stood up, paced back and forth, and his expression became more and more solemn.
"But he is the Primarch, the Emperor's biological son, and the Regent of the Empire. Whether from the perspective of law, legitimacy, or moral ethics, he is the heir and first controller of the Empire." Tyrion said carefully.
To be honest, Tirian didn't know what to do.
The last active Primarch disappeared thousands of years ago, becoming a myth.
Even the great archives of the law could not go back that far.
No one expected that the Primarch's return would launch reforms that would affect the entire empire.
"I don't deny that he was once the Regent of the Empire. But don't forget that he was also part of the great rebellion that almost destroyed us. The rebellious Horus and many demon primarchs were his brothers. They waged war to seize the power of the Emperor and almost brought all of humanity into the abyss."
There was contempt in Irtu's tone, and it was obvious that the thought of Guilliman possibly depriving him of his power had made him lose his respect for the Primarch.
"Those fools say that this reform will bring a new dawn to mankind. I am worried that such a reform will only bring us the night of the old days. Humanity has suffered enough, and the Primarch has brought us more suffering."
"Do the other High Lords feel the same way?" Tyrion asked. "Are they all opposed to the Primarch's return and reforms?"
"There are some people who support me, including the Pope, the Forge General, the Merchants, and several marshals. But the Inquisition and the Assassin's Court strongly oppose my proposal. They claim that we put power higher than the Empire." Irtu said with a somewhat annoyed tone, "These are false accusations, but I can't stop them from happening. Their radical words make some people follow them."
Tirian felt some pain. He looked at Irtu and old memories came to his mind.
Before Guilliman awoke, he had been trying to persuade the High Lords to send reinforcements to Cadia Fortress, and even to dispatch the Custodians, to defend Cadia Fortress at all costs.
However, the High Lords were slow to make decisions.
Just as the final decision was about to be made, news arrived that Cadia had fallen.
This has to be said to be a very sad thing.
The High Lords had a chance to stop all this, but due to inefficiency caused by internal strife, they lost their last chance.
"My lord, perhaps we should send someone to talk to the Primarch and reach an agreement with him. You must know that the reforms required by the Primarch will take a long time to achieve. We can become the product of his transition, so that we can withdraw unscathed with honor and applause." Tyrion proposed a compromise.
The Empire's territory is vast, and Guilliman's reforms will take decades, or even hundreds of years to cover the many territories of the Empire.
During this period, they only need to reach an agreement with Guilliman, and they can land safely without being liquidated.
It is foolish to expect the lotus in a filthy swamp to be spotless.
This is the Terran bureaucracy, it has been rotten for ten thousand years.
There is even an unspoken rule that only by becoming the same kind of person can you be accepted by other powerful people.
As long as you stand in this position, the distribution and entanglement of interests are necessary.
"No, this is not for ourselves, but for the Empire, for the well-being of millions of Imperial citizens." Irtur's face was very gloomy, "The Primarch's reform and power are the real danger to the Empire. Once Guilliman takes control of the highest power in the Empire, what do you think he will do? Another Great Crusade? Purify everything we have worked hard to build. Now he has done that."
"He launched an Indomitable Crusade to wipe out the nobles who disobeyed him and treated the loyalists as aliens and chaos. Isn't this a dangerous signal? As the chancellor of the empire, you know the taboo history, don't you?"
"They are fratricidal lunatics who tore the galaxy apart for power. Look back at the history books and see how much destruction they have caused. Guilliman's return and rise to power will inevitably bring suffering to the people of the Empire. Have mercy on them, Tyrion."
Tirian did not answer, for he remembered something interesting.
Before Guilliman woke up, the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in front of him kept talking about the scriptures and laws created by Guilliman.
When Tyrian proposed to lift the ban on the Ten Thousand and send more troops to the Cadia Fortress.
Iltu, the Forge-General, the Lord Chancellor of the Astronomican and other dissenters all cited Guilliman's Codex as their reason for opposing the lifting of the ban on the Ten Thousand.
"This is the wisdom left to us by the Supreme Commander of the Empire, the great Primarch. The holy code and laws have helped us to maintain the Empire for thousands of years. If we change it easily, it will undoubtedly lead to our own destruction."
Tirian remembered Iltu's words very clearly.
The Supreme Wisdom that Irtu had always praised had now become a potential rebel in his own eyes, a terrifying Primarch who had almost split the Empire.
And Tyrian, the man who tried to destroy Guilliman's Codex, wants to lift the ban on the Ten Thousand and the Codex.
For this, he was accused of insulting the Imperial Regent and was almost labeled a traitor, but he became a supporter of Guilliman's reforms.
This is undoubtedly a huge irony and reversal.
These guys never cared about Guilliman's Codex or anything else, they cared about the system that gave and maintained their power.
Selfishness is disguised as loyalty, and greed is decorated as dedication.
Tirian carefully concealed his true thoughts.
"Then how are you going to stop him? Besides the support of the law, he is also the commander of a legion, and those space marines will fight for him."
"The Legion no longer exists, right? The era of Space Marines roaming the planets is over and has become a distant history. The Primarchs should also become history."
"But Kalgar and many warbands responded to his orders. Otherwise, he would not be able to organize such a large-scale expedition, let alone build such a magnificent fleet." Tyrian said, "According to the existing clues, Ultramar and several other star regions that surrendered to him already have the ability to manufacture weapons on a large scale. Those weapons are stronger than those on Mars and are manufactured faster."
"We still have the advantage, don't we?! The Custodians and the Imperial Fists are still on Terra, and many chapters have not yet declared their allegiance to him. We still have a chance, and many of Mars's war preparations will be released as a result. The Rogue Traders have already stated that they will support us. The Martian Fabricator has promised to provide us with more armaments and summon those Titans and interstellar chapters that obey them. The Grey Knights and many chapters are under the control of the Inquisition. The representatives of the Inquisition are very dissatisfied with the Primarch's reuse of Vincenhorn, and they will also become our strength."
"In addition to these, the Pope's Inquisition, the Admiral of the Navy and the Field Marshal have all promised to give us more support. We will be able to mobilize a large-scale legion to prevent the Primarch from coming to Terra. We will pass many bills as quickly as possible, and then mobilize the army to stop the Primarch in the Beta-Garmon system."
Tirian looked at Irtu, his eyes rarely showing a trace of surprise, followed by his inner anger.
Of course, he didn't show it.
He kept these emotions hidden inside himself.
Faced with Cadia's plight, Irtu and his supporters claimed that they had to vote according to the Empire's complicated procedures before they could lift the ban on the Ten Thousand and mobilize troops to support the Cadia Fortress.
And now, facing his own power.
However, they were able to mobilize a large army to fight the antigen at an incredible speed.
If they had always maintained this speed before.
The Empire's many enemies would have long been overwhelmed and destroyed by the endless human army.
"We cannot possibly fight a Primarch. His military might and reputation are too great." Tyrion considered for a long time before speaking.
"The Primarchs are not invincible. They will fail and die as well." Irtu's tone became excited. "As long as we work together, we can defeat him. He cannot take power from us. He cannot do it. We will use our actions to tell him that the Primarch's time is over."
"Those men say that the Empire is now a slowly decaying corpse, but I never believed them. We are greater than we were before, and the trials before us are no different from those we have overcome before. We are more resilient and more united than before, and the dark days we have faced are longer than his. His time is over, and this one is ours."
"The people of the Empire support us. Are we going to push those poor people into the abyss? The reforms and expeditions launched by Guilliman are the bottomless abyss that will kill everyone."
The head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs has gone crazy, Tirian made a judgment in his mind about Irtu who was waving his hands and giving an impassioned speech.
Considering the current strength of the conservatives, Tirian knew that he had to act carefully, otherwise he might be in danger.
"So what do you want me to do?"
Iltu walked up to Tirian, his tone mad.
"Support us, Tyrion, persuade the Custodes and the Assassins' Court, as well as those who are hesitant or even opposed to our army to join us, let them recognize the situation and stand on the side of justice."
"We must work hard, otherwise the Emperor's power will be taken away by the Thirteen Primarchs. You must let the Grand Admiral of the Custodes know that once Guilliman seizes power, he may kill the Emperor directly in order to clear the obstacles. In this way, no one will be able to stop him."
"Guilliman cannot become the new Lord of Terra. If he wants to reform, let him go back to Ultramar and hide in his own small kingdom. We can give him enough autonomy. If Calgar and other chapters are willing to go to Ultramar, let them go. We can create a brand new chapter to replace them."
Tirian was silent for a moment before nodding, "My duty is to serve the High Lords. If this is the order of the High Lords Council, then I will execute it faithfully."
"That's the best, Prime Minister. You will find that you have made an extremely wise decision," said Irtu.
Tirian smiled, didn't say anything more, bowed, turned around and left, ending the meeting.
After leaving the Minister of the Interior's residence, the assistant and bodyguards who had been waiting for a long time welcomed Tirian into the aircraft.
The palace is so vast that walking would be too slow.
The best way is to use an aircraft to quickly travel between buildings.
Terra is home to the largest number of nobles in the empire. They all own their own flying vehicles, which they consider a symbol of status.
The aircraft shuttling through it are like schools of fish swimming in the ocean.
Of course, Terra no longer has an ocean.
Tyrian had been to other worlds and seen oceans in those worlds.
Honestly, the ocean is beautiful.
Unfortunately, it doesn't belong to Terra.
The aircraft flew straight to Tirian's mansion. Tirian sat in front of the high-strength bulletproof glass and looked at the magnificent city of Terra.
Because of air pollution, the city is always shrouded in a light, hazy smog.
The fog allowed Tirian to see only the hazy outlines of the buildings.
Even the reflected sunlight seemed to be polluted, shining on the building, making it appear slightly dim.
This is Tyra's normal state.
In some ways, the home of Terra is not much different from those polluted industrial planets.
The poisonous air settles at the bottom of the city.
Being inhaled into the lungs of the poor and mutants who have nothing, accelerating their death.
The rich and powerful were indifferent to this; they lived in the highest places where the air was fresh and pleasant.
They have gardens, fountains, and various luxurious and exquisite mansions that those at the lower level do not have.
Enjoy natural and clean food.
They don't care about the suffering of the lower classes.
Recently, Terra has been experiencing a food shortage due to the subspace storm.
The high lords didn't care at all. They allocated which family should control those safe waterways for the sake of profit.
Cultists, gangs and other shady forces are also thriving in Terra.
Those in power do not want to clean up those cancers.
When necessary, these tumors can be used to attack one's enemies, or they can become tools for one to deal with some shady and dirty work.
Tyrian sat in the flying machine and surveyed the city of Terra.
Each building is magnificent and extends into the atmosphere.
Various majestic sculptures can be seen everywhere.
Those exquisite paintings are all from famous artists.
This is a glorious city.
The embodiment of the great era that Irtu talked about.
Tirian moved his gaze downwards, and saw neon lights shining, indicating the residence of the lower class.
People there breathe toxic air.
Eating synthetic food.
They are the empire's cheap labor force.
Tirian recently hopes to pass a decree to limit the disorderly price increases of the Chamber of Commerce and ensure that the bottom layer can survive.
However, according to the process of the High Lords' Conference, it will take at least a year before this decree is processed.
Tirian was also helpless about this.
There wasn't much he could do, the most he could do was to reduce the suffering of those at the bottom as much as possible.
The imperial bureaucracy has become an extremely inefficient but bloody and cruel machine. Tyrian knows that he cannot change this machine.
Tirian withdrew his gaze, tapped his desk, and fell into thought.
He recalled every word of his conversation with Irtu, and at the same time looked through the latest information and intelligence, guessing what troops Irtu and others would mobilize and what he could do.
He didn't like the Civil War.
Starting a civil war would be foolish, at least at this moment.
He also didn't like Guilliman, and his reforms would make him lose a lot.
The power of the family and the wealth accumulated over the years.
But he knew that Guilliman was right.
The empire is terminally ill, and continuing to maintain the old system will only lead the empire into the abyss.
He had to fulfill his duty, to protect those worlds and the Emperor from the harm of the xenos and Chaos.
For the sake of his duty, Tyrion could only help Guilliman.
Help the other side resolve the crisis of civil war.
Help the other party clear the obstacles, come to Terra, put the noose of reform around his neck, and destroy everything he has.
The aircraft flew through the rows of tall buildings and finally landed on a large platform in front of Tirian's mansion.
Dozens of bodyguards came out to check the surrounding situation for him.
Assassinations were common.
Usually it comes from political opponents who want to take power and forces with different ideologies.
After confirming that it was safe, Tirian walked out of the aircraft and entered the mansion.
The servant reported that the Khadija general he was supposed to meet earlier was already waiting for him.
Tirian met him in the study.
The other person was very tall, with a strong build, and strong limbs, like a little giant.
A biochemical prosthetic eye was installed in place of the right eye.
He has a scar across his entire cheek and short gray hair.
Exuding the unique aura of a soldier, fierceness and violence.
His face showed fatigue, but his demeanor was decent.
"General Hast." Tirian handed over a drink with a very kind tone.
This is his innate talent, he can always switch to the state and tone that the other party is most suitable for.
Hast and Tyrion have a good relationship because Tyrion is the one who cares most about the Cadian Fortress among Terra.
Tirian was instrumental in urging Mars to provide the equipment promised to Cadian Fortress, proposing more support, and allocating supplies.
"Prime Minister." Hast said with a tired tone, and took Tirian's drink. "I wonder what you want to see me for?"
After the fall of Cadia, the surviving Cadians fought everywhere, trying to numb themselves and forget the destruction of their home world by Abaddon the Despoiler.
The same is true for Hastur.
During this time, he encountered some difficulties and chose to return to the solar system.
He wanted to obtain documents from Terra in order to gain more resources so that he could continue his attack on the enemies of humanity.
“Have you no orders from the Admiral or the Field Marshal?” said Tirrion. “To change your purpose.”
"Got it. They want me to go to the Beta-Garmon system to stop the Regent of the Empire. I think they are all crazy." Hast said bluntly, "And I find it ironic. It took me ten years to get fifty regiments and five or six hundred thousand people. Now, they have prepared a force a hundred times more than that in just a few months."
"If this efficiency had been achieved, Cadia Fortress would never have fallen. With all due respect, this is no less than betrayal. Cadia Fortress became a victim of political struggle."
The slow process on Terra is like a bottomless abyss, making aspiring people feel meaningless and frustrated.
When humanity faces an unprecedented crisis, Terra's bureaucracy becomes an obstacle on the road to salvation.
This system will only start to operate quickly when the interests of the powerful are threatened.
"You are angry at their orders," Tyrion said.
"Shouldn't I be angry? My homeland was destroyed, and more than 90% of Cadians died on the battlefield. I am like a stray dog, biting madly around the galaxy to vent my anger." Haast said angrily.
"I came to Terra, grovelled, and humbly begged for support. I asked the high lords to pay attention to the threat of the Great Plunderers, but they turned a blind eye. It took me a full ten years to finally leave with hundreds of thousands of people."
"And now, they have spent several months gathering millions of Astra Militarum troops, a huge Imperial fleet and the Titan Order. Isn't this Terra's betrayal of Cadia?"
Tyrion said nothing, and Hast had every right to be angry about that.
And this anger is what he needs.
The Cadian Fortress held off the Great Reavers and the Eye of Terror for ten thousand years, but fell to the increasingly corrupt Imperial bureaucracy.
They became wanderers, being ostracized and looked down upon everywhere.
I can only numb myself with crazy fighting.
Tireon waited until Hast calmed down before continuing, "I hope you will respond to their call and join the team heading to Beta-Garmon."
"What do you mean? You want me to continue to serve the High Lords who have disregarded the Cadian Fortress, to fight against the Primarch's army? To use the lives of the Cadians to maintain their power?"
Hastur questioned Tirian with anger in his eyes.
"No, Hast." Tirian said, "My purpose is not this. The current empire cannot afford a large-scale civil war. The soldiers who died in the struggle for power are a terrible crime. Their lives should not be wasted like this. But I can't stop the madness of the high lords. The conservatives headed by Irtu control most of Terra's power. Therefore, I have no way to confront him openly."
"The only hope to stop this civil war lies in the Imperial Regent. His military is strong enough, and most of the chapters support him. You will join Irtu and his team and head to Beta-Garmon. At the critical moment, pass on the relevant defense intelligence and turn against the enemy. This will deal a blow to the morale of the unstable army, allowing the Primarch to win at the lowest cost."
Hearing this, Hast's anger subsided a lot.
"Is this possible? It would be difficult to do it with just my troops."
"You will not fight alone. During this time, I will attract some like-minded generals and lobby the Chapter Master of the Imperial Fists and the Grand Marshal of the Custodians. We don't need to destroy the entire dam. As long as we destroy the key nodes, the dam will collapse under the water pressure. The army that Irtu is building is the dam we have to deal with."
Tyrian told his plan.
Hast fell silent for a moment, then agreed.
The conservative faction on Terra is too strong, and Tyrian's approach is undoubtedly the best.
After receiving Hast's promise, Tirian smiled. "Very good, but please keep our conversation secret, otherwise all efforts will fail."
"I will," said Hast.
Tirian escorted Hast to the door, gave him the Eagle Salute, and said goodbye, "May He bless you."
"May He bless you too," said Hast.
Then he walked towards his own aircraft and left under the protection of several personal soldiers.
Tirian watched the aircraft leave and ordered his servants to take out the data tablet and check the information of each unit.
He had to see who to persuade next.
Only those who were dissatisfied with the Terran bureaucracy and had hopes for the Primarch could be won over.
He must do this very carefully.
Otherwise, if Valtu and others knew about it, the consequences would be disastrous.
The High Lord would never hesitate to send out assassins or use his own connections and power to kill him.
There are undercurrents in the upper level of Terra, and there are also turmoil in the lower level.
The collapse of the Great Rift and the dark fate of mankind affect those at the bottom in a special way.
Warp storms have made Warp travel dangerous, and many fleets dare not take the risk.
Several families monopolized the supply of materials with the help of several secret safe shipping routes and the protection of high lords.
Using the risk of subspace travel as an excuse, they raised prices and began to make money frantically.
The Ministry of Justice and the court are helpless against this behavior.
Those families exploited loopholes in the imperial laws and used the influence of the Chamber of Commerce to interfere with the decisions of the High Lords' Conference.
Coupled with the inefficiency of the High Lords' Council, these families became extremely unscrupulous.
These families are extremely shameless, and prices are rising several times a day.
So high that it is intended to plunder every drop of wealth from the poor.
Let them sell everything they have to enrich the family wealth of those vested interests.
The inquisitors and legal officials could only desperately suppress those lower classes who intended to riot.
A large number of leaders who incited the mob were burned at the stake, declaring with an iron fist that the imperial order was inviolable.
"These traitors shall be sentenced to death by burning. They have been bewitched by the cult. In the name of the Emperor, grant these traitors death."
An official from the Ministry of Justice stood on a suspended platform and used a loudspeaker to announce the verdict to the crowded citizens of the Empire.
Several men and women were put on the stake.
The law enforcer pulled the trigger, flames spurted out, and burned those guys to charcoal amid screams.
There were smug and arrogant smiles on their faces, as if they were declaring to people.
Behold, I have burned another traitor of Chaos at the stake for the Emperor.
What a noble and righteous thing this is.
The Emperor will be pleased with what I have done.
Nava was one of the civilians watching.
He witnessed his friend screaming in the flames. His friend's two children heard their father's screams and hid in his arms, crying silently.
Tears streamed down his young face and his eyes were filled with hatred.
When he realized that the Ministry of Justice was taking action, his friend sent the child to Nava's home to avoid being implicated.
Fortunately, the Ministry of Justice only wanted to suppress the riot quickly and declare the inviolability of Imperial law with a strong gesture.
They didn't want to waste time investigating the backgrounds of these leaders.
After executing the ringleader, the people from the Ministry of Justice left.
Nava looked at his friend's body with a sad face, but he could do nothing.
No one dared to collect the bodies, otherwise they would be labeled as cult traitors.
Nava felt extremely angry in his heart, and he knew one thing very clearly.
That is, the good friends who have known each other for many years are definitely not cult traitors.
He was just a poor worker who wanted the Chamber of Commerce not to raise prices.
All of the meager salary was used to buy food, which was not enough to feed myself and my two children.
For this reason, friends can only protest against the price increase of the Chamber of Commerce, hoping to unite everyone to fight against the bad Chamber of Commerce taking the opportunity to raise prices and make money.
The situation got out of control due to the Chamber of Commerce's unwillingness to compromise and the dispute between a group of starving people.
The protesters turned into a mob, stormed the Chamber of Commerce, killed store clerks, and took away food.
But for those high and mighty people, the lower classes have never been worthy of attention.
For the sake of a great empire, the lower classes should silently endure hardships and carry on.
You have to shout (Emperor YYDS) (My empire is so great) from time to time. Only in this way can you be considered a good citizen of the empire.
Those who resist like this and want to disrupt the wealthy and powerful's comfortable life must be traitors bewitched by the evil cult.
The Ministry of Justice acted with lightning speed, arresting the ringleaders in a lightning speed and sending them to the stake.
The bodies were thrown on the stake and no one collected them.
Nava didn't dare to collect the bodies. The Ministry of Justice was arresting people everywhere, and anyone who went to collect the bodies would undoubtedly give the other party an excuse.
Anyone who has secret dealings with a cult will be labeled a "guide" and will be punished with being skinned alive at the least or being put on a burning rack at the worst.
He picked up the two children and walked home.
There are some projected images along the road.
Several important figures were giving speeches inside.
A propaganda officer from the Ministry of Justice roared loudly in the video.
"This is the best era. We have achieved greater results than our ancestors. Looking at the magnificent buildings of Terra and our army, the Emperor will be pleased. However, those cunning traitors still want to take it all away. I call on people to arm themselves and resist those enemies who try to destroy our beautiful life. The traitor who betrayed the glory of the Emperor and deceived people with bewitching words is about to arrive in the Beta-Garmon system, and our brave army has been assembled and will surely expel the abominable traitor and keep him out of the sacred solar system."
Nava ignored this and continued walking forward with his child.
But after a while, another image emerged.
A man who was dressed luxuriously and looked like he came from an upper-class family was talking about the rebellion.
"People nowadays are too hostile to the rich. Food prices are clearly marked, and those who don't like it can choose not to buy it. It's unreasonable to force the merchants to set a price that you like. Is it the merchants' problem that they can't afford it? It's obviously because those people are too lazy. They can reduce the time for eating and sleeping and continue to work hard. I firmly support the actions of the Ministry of Justice. They must strike hard against those rebels. I believe that most of the people of the Empire are reasonable, and those thugs must be a minority who have been bewitched by the cult. For the glory of the Emperor, I suggest reducing the wages of those workers and letting them work harder. In this way, they will have no time to listen to the bewitching words of the cult."