Warhammer: Hail to the Void Lords!.

Chapter 1074 09.1073: 'A Lifeline or Adding Insult to Injury?'

The holographic projection has been activated.

The footage was shaky, suggesting that the person filming was not a professional and did not intend to take the filming seriously.

In the scene, Bishop Jan Hus, whose bishop's robes have been roughly stripped off, leaving him only in a dirty undershirt, is tightly handcuffed to a thick, grease-soaked wooden pole with thick, black chains.

At his feet lay a pile of dry, pungent-smelling firewood.

The background is a magnificent square somewhere in Sintila.

The nobles' private soldiers and mercenaries, armed with laser guns pierced with sharp bayonets, formed a cold, steel wall that surrounded the pyre made of dry wood.

Outside the human wall, elegantly dressed noblemen and women waved lace-trimmed fans, as if watching a vulgar drama.

They gathered in small groups, whispering and making sarcastic comments about the bishop who came from humble beginnings. Some were even placing bets in hushed tones on how long he could scream.

"The God-Emperor can see everything that happens on this land! Don't think that your evil deeds can be hidden in the darkness!" Jan Hus, chained to the stake, let out his final roar with a dry, hoarse throat.

A messenger stepped forward, unfurled a parchment document amidst jeers and laughter, and proclaimed in an exaggerated, aria-like tone:
"The criminal Jan Hus, accused of promoting heresy in a theological debate, murdered the High Bishop of Polaberia in a fit of rage! After trial, such a blasphemous person, a heretic hiding in the clergy, was sentenced to be burned at the stake!"

“You have all been bewitched by heretics!” Jan Hus struggled frantically, the chains rattling as he pulled them. “Even if you set fire to the flames, I will become a holy flame, and what I will dispel is the dark hiding place of you parasites!”

The nobles were already disgusted with this final roar, a mixture of faith and curse.

A noblewoman of obviously the highest status waved her hand impatiently.

"Burn this heretic!" she screamed. This sparked a deafening roar from the nobles.

A group of mercenaries and private soldiers, each holding a torch, grinned as they threw their torches into the pile of firewood.

boom--!
The grease-soaked firewood ignited instantly, flames greedily licking the wood with crackling sounds. Soon, a cluster of flames, accompanied by thick black smoke, leaped high into the air.

"The Divine Emperor will punish all those who are disloyal, untrustworthy, and unjust!"

The fire raged ever larger, the scorching heat even causing the nobles in the front rows to retreat slightly. Flames mercilessly shot up Jan Hus's lower body.

"You have destroyed my physical body, but my faith in the God-Emperor will never be destroyed by you! Aaaaaah—!!!"

His mortal body, made of flesh and blood, could not withstand the scorching flames. He finally cried out in agony.

The scream only elicited more unrestrained laughter and mockery from the nobles, as if they were watching a monkey being roasted on fire perform a clumsy act.

The flames ignited Jan Hus's last remaining clothing, quickly spreading up his body and engulfing him completely.

"Ah!! Great God-Emperor! Save me! Do not let these heretics succeed!!"

However, his shouts had no effect. The flames grew larger and larger, completely engulfing the entire body. Within the raging red flames, only a faint, twisting, and struggling black shadow could be seen.

The heart-wrenching screams sent chills down one's spine, but soon, even that last scream vanished, swallowed up by the roar of flames.

The dark figure huddled together, relentlessly scorched by the flames.

The broken wooden stakes began to collapse with a loud crackling sound, burying the charred corpse in the ashes of the firewood.

The video ended, and the screen went dark.

Horatio Valentis sat in his armchair, silent, a cold rage burning within him.

The old general's weary voice broke the suffocating silence once more:

"The high bishop who was thrown out of the church was very popular among the Sintira colonial nobles of Polaberia. As a representative of the refusals, he brought many nobles who had suffered losses due to the Great Revolution... well, 'psychological comfort'."

In order to avenge the high bishop, they convicted Jan Huss in a farcical trial and burned him alive.

They even recorded the executions and stuffed the recordings into the mouths of the 'Oath-taking' clergy who had their tongues cut out after being arrested, before sending them back.

This video caused a huge uproar among Sintila's Oath-taking clerics and lower-class believers.

Now, people have surrounded the archbishop's cathedral, demanding that he punish the heretics. And so, this very morning…

The old general's tone carried a barely perceptible hint of sarcasm, "The Cardinal Archbishop, seizing the opportunity, announced the formal establishment of the assembled Holy War Army. And their first target—is Polaberia."

"Holy...war?" Horatio sensed the extreme gravity of the situation. This was no longer a simple conflict of faith, but had escalated to the level of a religious war.

“Yes, you heard me right. But to be honest,” the old admiral’s holographic image flickered, his face showing extreme exhaustion and helplessness, “although this sounds extremely treasonous, as a senior naval commander, I believe… they simply cannot find Ducali’s stronghold (Comoro), and the original holy war is out of the question.”

But now that the Jihad Army has assembled, it must find an outlet to divert its anger from its internal conflicts.

Now, the Cardinal Archbishop has announced to the faithful that he will use force to transform Polaberia into a 'model state church world'.

He canonized the deceased Jan Hus and wanted to change the 'Dragon-Slaying Paladin' Church into the 'Church of the Holy Grail' to appease the anger of the believers.

And we,”

The old general sighed heavily, "Our food supplies in the orbital warehouses have also been confiscated by them in the name of 'fighting for the God Emperor'."

"The sailors guarding the warehouse are no match for so many fanatical believers, and... many of them are devout followers of the God-Emperor themselves. Our sailors have even joined the cultists' holy war and are being swept up in the march towards Polaberia. I can't help you with food, young man, you'll have to find a way yourself. I'll send you some military equipment. Polaberia will soon become a battlefield, and whether you're trying to defend yourself or do something else... you'll need it."

"Thank you for your hard work, General. It seems we've all been caught up in this vortex, and it's becoming increasingly difficult to fulfill our duties in Calicus."

"Good luck. We are detecting enemies from the Void. I will contact you if there is any further information."

The old general kept it a secret, perhaps not wanting to put more pressure on Horatio, and thus cut off the communication without making it clear.

Horatio sat in his armchair in silence for a long time.

The situation deteriorated faster than he had imagined.

Due to food shortages, recruitment in Polaberia went much more smoothly than he had anticipated, with the number of volunteers surging to 11 in an instant.

But they were less soldiers and more famine refugees who had come with their families to beg for food.

Few of the local freemen in Stuttgart enlisted, just as Poniatowski said, men were an important but scarce source of labor in many households. Faced with man-made famine, landed self-sufficient farming families were able to barely survive.

In order to feed the 11 new recruits and the people on the land, Poniatowski, under immense pressure to pay exorbitant penalties for breach of contract, forcibly seized the grain wagons that were delivering goods to the Universal Group.

He didn't know what price he would pay for this, but he vowed not to let people starve to death on his fiefdom.

Even with such enormous risks, the grain he seized was only enough to feed the landing troops, their families in the territory, and other civilians for three months.

Those are more than a million mouths crying for food.

Poniatowski was out of options; all he could do was try to buy Horatio these three months.

Now, with the approach of the Holy War Army, Polaberia is about to become a war zone.

Considering the risks and losses brought about by war, the actual duration that can be sustained is likely to be short, not long.

Horatio took a deep breath. He couldn't just sit and wait to die.

He opened the notebook and found a line of communication code from the encrypted pages that he didn't want to use so soon.

"Meilun".

"Is there anything else I can help you with, Captain?" came the voice of Chief Astrologer Melon from the holographic image.

"Contact the Star Court of Sintira and transfer to Duke Charles de Rana, Quartermaster General of the Calissis Military Department."

"Are you really looking for him?" Mellon was clearly surprised, but he immediately carried out the order. "Okay, please wait a moment."

Another burst of chilling electronic noise followed. This time, it wasn't just a simple signal delay. Horatio could clearly hear the terrifying howl of the warp emanating from the background noise, as if countless souls were wailing in the communication channel.

After a long while, a line of red text appeared on the holographic image:
'Communication is being interfered with... Access failed, first replay in progress...'

Horatio waited patiently for a while.

'Communication is being interfered with... Access failed, second replay in progress...'

'Communication is being interfered with... Access failed, third replay in progress...'

His brows furrowed involuntarily.

"Hurry up!" he gritted his teeth and forced out the words in a low voice.

Boom!
His iron fist slammed heavily onto the metal frame of the holographic communication station.

This time, it was an even longer, more intense, snow-like screen of light, as if dust were falling from the sky.

Just when Horatio thought the connection had completely failed, an aged voice suddenly rang out from the speaker, piercing through all the interference:

"It seems that our renowned naval hero has encountered a problem that he cannot solve."

A noisy but clear voice, imposing yet tinged with sarcasm, rang out.

The image finally stabilized. In the hologram appeared an elderly man with gray hair. He wore an exquisitely crafted silk robe and sat leisurely in a high-backed chair, a cigar still tucked between his fingers as always. The cigar wasn't as thick as the colonial governor's, but it was clearly more refined.

Duke Charles de Lana, Quartermaster General of the Calicus Military Department.

"So, do you want to give up now?" The old duke exhaled a long puff of smoke, staring coldly into Horatio's eyes, and said, "If you continue, you really will die. Give up, go back to your familiar and warm Gothic Sector, and leave this chaotic place."

“No. I will not give up.” Horatio said decisively, standing up with his head held high. “You said one year, and that’s one year. I hope that as a duke of the Empire, you will not easily break your promise.”

"Heh." The Duke chuckled, seemingly unsurprised by the answer. "That's right, I said I'd give you and Jadwiga one year. During this year, the Rana family and the Cochrane family will at least be temporary political allies."

“Well then,” he placed his cigar on the ashtray beside him, interlaced his fingers, and leaned forward slightly, “let me hear what you’ve come to me for, is it, to ask me for a favor?”

"If the Lana family is truly as powerful as you say..." Horatio took a deep breath, raised his head, and looked directly at the white-haired old man across the distant void:
"I need food supplies, clothing, and all the military and civilian supplies you can get your hands on. Enough to feed 500 million people for a year."

(End of this chapter)