Warhammer Survival Guide

Chapter 119 Dignity (Bonus Chapter)

Because the Governor's Office initiated the Supplementary Agreement on Asset Preservation, the relevant clauses of the handover procedures had to be cumbersomely adjusted and updated.

These tedious data integration tasks will later be completed by Loewe in collaboration with Márquez's tax service team.

Normally, this kind of paperwork was not his responsibility as an agricultural advisor; it was usually handled by a full-time clerk in the Executive Yuan. However, Governor Alicia specifically asked Lowe to do it.

Luo Wei naturally understood.

This was the governor finding a legitimate reason to have him stay and report on the real "internal situation".

An hour later, he finished verifying all the data interfaces.

After leaving the administration hall, Lowe did not leave the spire, but instead, guided by his attendant, went to the private study on the top floor of the governor's mansion.

Arriving at the familiar, heavy oak door, he tidied his appearance, straightened his collar, and waited to be informed and given permission before pushing the door open and entering.

The study was well-lit, but not warm.

The air here is filled with a cool, incense-like fragrance.

This is the distinctive flavor of the Valentius family:

Noble and solemn, keeping people at arm's length.

Alicia van Valentius removed the heavy platinum crown and casually placed it on the corner of the table.

When she saw Luo Wei enter, she sat gracefully and elegantly in the high-backed chair without getting up.

Her long, silver hair cascaded down like a waterfall.

Purple eyes, calmly gazing at the data panel in his hands.

Like a silver rose blooming on an ice cliff, lonely and aloof.

Between her and Luo Wei was a large black walnut desk, and even more so, an invisible class divide.

Captain Lilith stood guard to one side of the desk, her hand on the hilt of her sword, her eyes sharp.

"Your Excellency the Governor." Lowe stopped five steps away from the desk and bowed respectfully.

Alicia nodded slightly, her gaze not leaving the screen, but she gently raised her finger, signaling Lilith to speak.

Captain Lilith descended the steps and stood before Rowe, looking him up and down before breaking the silence: "I heard Captain Buck was outside looking like a child who had lost a toy, with a long face."

"I just don't understand. Marquez said he wanted to return it, so why didn't you agree? Do you know what that thing means to Buck?"

Before Lowe could answer, Lilith continued, "Not only did you lose your gun, you got yourself into a mess. That young master Valentine's tattling is now on the Governor's desk."

"In his report, he tearfully accused you of deliberately misleading him and luring him to harvest those mutated wheat crops, which resulted in heavy casualties among his honor guard."

"Those old fogies from the Executive Yuan came to the Governor-General and said they were going to hang you to compensate the Valentine family for their losses."

.

Upon hearing this, Luo Wei smiled helplessly and said, "I clearly informed Young Master Valentine of the risks beforehand. Unfortunately, this young master's ears are filled with arrogance, and he won't listen to anything I say."

Then, Luo Wei suppressed his smile and explained about the precision-engineered explosive gun "Emperor's Wrath".

"First of all, Buck himself also has a standard-model bomb gun, which provides sufficient firepower."

"Secondly, Márquez is right about one thing: 'Emperor's Wrath' is a sacred relic, and its destiny should be on the front lines of battle, blasting apart alien heads, not left in the eastern granaries to fight rats and mobs."

At this point, Luo Wei added slyly, "Besides, I'm handing it over not just for the greater good. I want him to know that it's a sacred object possessing a 'violent machine spirit.'"

"According to that 'Soothing Manual,' during the long voyage ahead, he and his crew would have to treat him like royalty, with incense burning, prayers, and constant temperature control—that would give him a headache the whole way."

Lowe said in a deep voice, "This will ensure one thing."

"Such tedious and troublesome maintenance requirements mean that this gun is not suitable for lying in the private collection rooms of those important figures. After all, no one wants to accept a collectible that might explode at any time due to a bad mood."

"Therefore, this gun will not be used for bribery, resold, or left to gather dust in a transit warehouse."

"It will, as I wish, reach the most brutal front-line battlefield as quickly as possible and play a real role."

Upon hearing this, Alicia, who was perched atop the Runekin throne, put down the data panel in her hand.

A rare, faint smile appeared on her delicate face, which was covered by the frost of the wind all year round.

The smile was faint, yet it resembled the first melting snow on a polar glacier.

"Well done."

Her clear and melodious voice contained praise and pleasure.

"Advisor, you not only did what I wanted to do, but you also spoke for me—saying things that I couldn't say outright."

Alicia raised her chin slightly, her gaze passing over Rowe as if scrutinizing the departing tax collector: "I want to make that arrogant mechanical brain of Marquez understand that although the Valentius family is now weak, this planet is still not a place where he can do as he pleases."

"He can take away my people, my food, and my weapons in accordance with the sacred laws of the empire, but he has no right to publicly humiliate my agricultural advisor."

She paused deliberately when she said the last four words.

The implication of protecting one's own is all too obvious.

A slight ripple stirred in Luo Wei's heart.

Marquez's forceful requisition of Buck's "Imperial Wrath" was ostensibly an act of upholding justice and reclaiming the sacred relic, but in reality, it was a retaliatory rebuke against Buck for refusing to recruit him.

In his previous report, Luo Wei did not elaborate on the intricacies of this point.

However, Alicia not only instantly saw through the other party's sinister intentions, but also silently waged a perfect coordinated battle with him in the administrative hall just now, using the rules to fight back against the rules.

Luo Wei bowed slightly, placed his right hand on his chest, and performed an impeccable courtesy, sincerely saying, "Your Excellency, after this battle, Marquez will have to put aside his arrogance in future tax collection processes, at least when facing the Abundance II."

"He will act more strictly in accordance with the laws of the Empire and will no longer dare to easily place his personal will and desires above the sacred tithe."

The atmosphere in the study eased a little.

Alicia gestured for Lilith to pour her a glass of wine.

However, she did not invite Lowell to drink with her, but instead had Lilith hand the glass to Lowell.

This is a reward, but also a boundary.

Luo Wei took the glass with both hands, but didn't drink it. He just stared quietly at the amber liquid inside.

"Love," Alicia said, her expression turning serious, "Lilith told me about the suggestions Marquez gave you."

"He invites you to undergo life-extending surgery, saying you will directly serve the sacred Terra Executive Council. Your value will be elevated from millions of tons of wheat to astronomical resource allocation—"

"For any mortal, this is the ultimate path to advancement. But if you stay here, all that awaits you is endless acid rain, plague, and political infighting."

Her purple eyes were fixed on Lo Wei.

Luo Wei looked at the wine glass in his hand and remained silent for a few seconds.

He knew that this was not just a dialogue between superiors and subordinates, but a showdown to establish the core relationship for the future.

"First of all, this is a rational decision." Lowe raised his head, his tone calm.

"Although I yearn for the outside world, I know that what Márquez gave me was just a gray list identity."

""

"In his logic, people are just data. If I go with him, I'll just be a useful calculator that can be replaced by a better model at any time."

"So I need time."

"I want to use this year to gain more leverage on this planet. When he comes back next time, I want him to be begging me for cooperation, not begging me for a position."

Alicia nodded slightly.

This aligns perfectly with Loewe's consistent approach of maximizing profits.

"This is just a calculation based on profits." Alicia nodded slightly, then pressed, "Anything else?"

Luo Wei put down his wine glass, straightened his wrinkled sleeves, and stood up straight.

His gaze swept across the steps, meeting the lonely ruler before him, and he slowly uttered the words that had been hidden deep within his heart for so long: "And—for your 'dignity'."

"Decent?" Alicia's purple eyes narrowed slightly, seemingly surprised that the word would come from an agricultural consultant.

"Yes, Your Excellency."

Luo Wei stated in a low, calm tone, "If I refuse, even if he gives me a 'gray list,' he will definitely use administrative means to pressure me, and may even forcibly conscript me."

"At that time, in order to protect this valuable asset," you will definitely intervene.

"But I don't want you to have to reveal your ancestors' 'Divine Exploration Certificate' every time you face a life-or-death crisis, just like you did when you faced Magellan, the Sage of the Mechanicus."

"That is the supreme glory bestowed upon the Valantius family by the Holy Terra, the family's last strategic deterrent, and its trump card."

Luo Wei took a half step forward, his tone becoming more serious: "To save the life of a subordinate, a descendant of a wandering merchant, the rightful ruler of this planet, is forced to squander the family's most precious political asset—"

Lowell paused, then uttered the word that had lingered in her mind for so long, yet no one dared to touch: "This is absolutely not respectable for you, or for the Valentius family."

"This will lead outsiders to believe that the Valentius family has become so weak that it has exhausted even the most basic means of protecting its own people."

Lilith, the head guard standing to the side, trembled slightly with surprise as her hand rested on the hilt of her sword.

Inside this spire, people talk about survival, interests, sacrifice, and loyalty.

But no one ever spoke of her "decency" in front of the governor.

Even as her closest confidante, Lilith only thought about how to keep her lord alive, but she overlooked the fact that for nobles with the blood of wandering merchants, sometimes the way of living is more important than living itself.

Alicia stared blankly at the man below the steps.

Amidst the swirling incense smoke, Luo Wei's figure seemed both somewhat blurry and very clear.

She was taught the ruthlessness of power struggles from a young age.

It was a sacrifice made with iron and blood.

It is a heavy responsibility that one must bear as the heir to the family business.

On this planet filled with acid rain, betrayal, and famine, simply surviving is the greatest luxury. Who has the right to cling to empty, illusory dignity?

But Lo Wei cares.

This rational, shrewd man, who always talks about interests, doesn't care about his own dignity.

It was hers.

Alicia felt her long-frozen heart being gently touched by something warm.

In a daze, she heard her mother's dying words again: "Alicia, don't cry, hold your head high. Remember, never let the crown on your head fall. This is Valentius's last dignity."

In that instant.

A misty light and soft glow flickered in her purple eyes.

But it was fleeting.

She straightened her back again and put on the heavy platinum crown once more.

She buried the momentary wavering deep in her heart and once again transformed into an unapproachable and noble queen.

"One year."

She said softly.

"Love, a year is both a short and a long time."

Alicia slowly rose from her rune, looking down at her advisor with a determined glint in her eyes: "Since you have upheld my dignity, I assure you: I will do everything in my power to ensure you never have to face such a life-or-death choice again."

"When the time comes, even if the Ministry of the Interior tries to take people away, I will knock their teeth out without using any special permits."