Warhammer: Hail to the Void Lords!.

Chapter 1033, 09.1032: 'The Game of the Qing Palace'

Sibelius, the oldest steel behemoth on the planet, has a history that predates even the conquest of the entire Calicus sector by the Imperial hero Angwin.

Like a crouching prehistoric behemoth, its massive body, eight thousand kilometers wide, ruthlessly dominates the coastal plains and vast lowlands of the northern temperate continent.

The "head" and "forelegs" of this behemoth are a coastline stretching for 500 kilometers. Countless huge structures stubbornly extend from the black granite cliffs, like the ridges of glaciers or steel platforms suspended above the abyss, overlooking the inky ocean below that never stops pounding against its base.

This is the heart of Sintira's power.

Every noble family on the planet considers it the greatest honor to have a place in the highest spire of this hive capital.

As a result, countless penthouse estates sprang up like mushrooms after rain, competing with each other to climb higher, forming a bizarre and diverse architectural forest.

Here you'll find both stark, heavily guarded Gothic fortresses and gilded, nightly entertainment palaces.

However, the growth of the spire is endless.

The new manor will be built mercilessly on the foundation of the old one, trampling the corpses of the losers underfoot, becoming the foundation for a higher view.

Every nobleman of Sibelius enthusiastically invested huge sums of money to continuously expand and decorate his estate, fearing that he would fall behind the extravagant trends of the time.

They were keen to display their superiority with magnificent mansions and rare treasures they had collected, ranging from alien artifacts unearthed from the depths of the desert and forests to art treasures from all eras of the empire.

Therefore, deep within most aristocratic estates lie galleries or private museums with security levels comparable to military fortresses.

In those display cases protected by lasers and force fields, there are sometimes extremely valuable illegal items, such as bizarrely shaped alien artifacts, or even taboo items that could send an entire family to the stake.

At the top of the hive city's towers, the streets are always bustling.

Nobles dressed in fine clothes walked by, surrounded by servants, with the hovercars drawing elegant arcs above their heads.

A spectacular, impractical, and ever-changing fashion trend spread like a virus through elite social circles.

Despite its dense population, the streets of the Spire are unlike most of the city. The well-designed community presents a tranquil and clean scene. Under the lush landscape trees, the soft starlight unique to Spire shines on the spotless tree-lined avenues, and pedestrians greet each other with dignified and cultured manners.

However, beneath the shadow of the towering buildings, a massive private army guards the entrance to each estate like statues, while local law enforcement officers set up checkpoints at various transportation routes leading to the area, scrutinizing everyone who attempts to enter this forbidden zone of power.

Even so, the shadow of crime never truly disappeared. Aside from the noble duels and battle trials considered "traditional," theft was their greatest concern.

Because those priceless collectibles are enough to tempt any desperate person to take the risk and gamble on a future that defies fate.

The folklore of Sibelius, the city of the city, is full of stories about highly skilled and elusive thieves, and some of these stories are not entirely unfounded.

At the top of this steel forest, Sibelius’s most famous landmark is the “Qing Palace”.

The palace of Mario Hax, the governor of the sector, is located here.

The Qing Palace was not built on the bedrock of the tower, but was supported high by huge round pillars that rose from the surging waves below.

These columns are made of neither gold nor stone, and their surfaces are covered with the marks of time. They are believed to be older than Sibelius itself.

From a distance, the Qing Palace resembles a giant, ever-blooming flower carved from massive stone. Its granite "petals" overlap, forming a huge dome and hundreds of magnificent arches that serve as entrances.

Hundreds of ornate banners representing Sintira’s various institutions and noble families hang on the palace’s outer walls, fluttering in the biting sea breeze.

And atop the highest dome, only a single golden eagle banner, representing the highest honor of the sector governor, flutters proudly and alone.

This is the power hub of the entire star sector, the place where countless urgent communications are received daily, and where decisions are made on the life and death of countless people, and even the rise and fall of ancient families.

At this very moment, right at the heart of this hall of power, a high-level military meeting is taking place amidst the tireless lapping of the waves.

Inside the enormous conference hall, the dome soared high, and the walls, constructed from solid blocks of black marble, coldly reflected the figures of the attendees.

Representatives from the Sector's Ministry of Internal Affairs, Imperial Navy admirals, high-ranking officials from the Ministry of Military Affairs, priests from the Order of St. Drusus, the state religion, and representatives from the Martian pioneer mechanical order all sat solemnly around a huge round table made of ancient wood.

"After assessment and discussion by the Ministry of Military Affairs, the site for the first pilot training base for the Imperial Navy's rail landing force has been officially designated as—Polaberia."

A senior official in a white executive robe stood up and read the contents of the data board in his hand in that standard official tone.

Horatio showed no surprise upon hearing the place name.

Because Duke Charles de Lannes had already informed him of this result before he even arrived here.

He simply sat quietly, his fingers tapping lightly on the table, waiting for the real game to unfold.

Sure enough, the administrator cleared his throat and continued, "Lord Cochrane, given that the training base is located on another planet, and that Your Excellency has already conducted a large-scale recruitment in Sintira, in order to achieve more efficient management and training results, the Ministry of Military Affairs believes that all the new recruits you recruited in Sintira should be handed over to the Imperial Navy's Calissis Fleet for subsequent management and training."

As soon as the words were spoken, the air in the conference room froze instantly.

"You mean, I spent a huge amount of money and effort personally recruiting new soldiers, and now I can't take a single one with me?"

Horatio's hand, which was tapping the table, stopped abruptly. He slowly raised his head, his cold gaze sweeping across the long table and piercing the eyes of the Interior Ministry representative.

His voice wasn't loud, but it was so cold that it seemed to lower the room temperature.

"Yes, Lord."

The representative from the Ministry of Military Affairs took over the conversation with a fake smile on his face, "Because you recruited soldiers before the pilot training base was determined, strictly speaking, they are not yet in your command order."

Furthermore, considering the workforce changes in many key positions due to the large number of applicants, and in order to maintain social stability in Sintila, all recruits who have passed the selection process will retain their military status.

However, its jurisdiction will be transferred to the Calicus fleet. I believe Admiral Latouche-Trewell will gladly accept this 'gift'.

As he spoke, he deliberately cast his gaze toward the white-haired old admiral beside Horatio, attempting to incite conflict between the two naval commanders.

However, to everyone's surprise, the old general simply picked up his teacup slowly and blew on it to cool it down.

“…I don’t need it.”

(End of this chapter)