Warhammer: Primarch's Life from the Beginning

Warning Star, Saint Harbor.

A VIP lounge inside the largest church in Port Sainte.

Above, an exaggeratedly carved arched dome hung overhead, stained-glass windows scattering the outside light in patches of color onto the stone floor and gold ornaments. The interior was illuminated only by a few candles, and shadows lingered in the corners. The wind blew in through the skylights high above, making a low, rumbling sound as it swept across the dome.

Leo sat in the main seat, the back of his chair higher than the ones next to him.

At this moment, he was thinking that, probably in the twelfth year of the Unyielding Expedition, Abaddon led his army to attack the Nakmund Corridor.

If he wants to hold this pass...

Based on his calculations from when he arrived here, barring any major unforeseen events, he has at least ten more years to operate.

If things go well, he might even have time to make a trip to the Limitless Starfield to see what kind of trouble Nurgle's Mortarion is planning.

Kore sat at the head of the right, back ramrod straight, with an attendant behind him holding a scepter. Kara stood silently and upright behind Leo, her hands clasped over her weapon, her gaze sweeping quietly across every corner of the hall. Sicarius sat further back, near the door, his cloak draped beside his chair.

The maids walked along the table, refilling water for everyone with silver pots.

When it was Leo's turn, the spout tilted slightly, and a clear stream of water fell into the cup, swaying slightly on the surface. Leo raised the cup, but didn't drink; he simply looked down at the gently rippling liquid.

Kore noticed this action.

He paused, the wrinkles on his face tightening slightly, before speaking.

"What was Your Highness's first impression of this planet?"

Leo didn't look up, only staring at the clear light in the glass.

"Warning Planet is a desert planet. Where does the water come from?"

Corey's eyes flickered, as if he hadn't expected him to ask that first.

He set the scepter aside, pressed his fingers on the table, and spoke in a flat tone.

"That depends on who's drinking it."

"I heard that the people on the lower levels drink water pumped up from deep underground. It's yellowish in color, has a foul smell, and sometimes contains rust and sand," Corey said without changing his expression, as if he were talking about something perfectly ordinary. "But most of them are used to it; as long as they can survive, that's enough."

"Those who are slightly better off drink water extracted from the two glaciers. That water is clean, cold, and almost impurities when properly preserved." He tapped the rim of his glass lightly with his finger. "But to transport it back, it requires crossing the desert, and caravans of that size are very expensive; most people can't afford to support them."

"As for us," he said, slowing his pace, "we drink holy water purified with holy oil."

Leo put the cup back on the table.

The bottom of the silver cup gently touched the stone table, producing a crisp sound.

"Tell me about the power structure of this planet," Leo said, pointing to the painting of the Ascension of the God-Emperor on the stained-glass windows. "It will make it easier for me to take over this planet in the name of the Son of God."

Kore nodded and hummed in agreement; the son of the God-Emperor naturally possessed this authority.

"Your Highness, Vigilant Planet is not like those worlds where a single governor can have the final say." He spoke calmly, "It's like three pillars supporting a rock; removing any one of them would cause the order to collapse."

"Almost everyone in power in this world has arrived." He paused, his eyelids drooping slightly, "except for those members of the Mechanicus."

"So, one bowl of water has to be divided among three people?" Leo made an analogy.

“Huangquan No. 8 has no shortage of water.” Corey shook his head. “They built an orbital elevator in the Hongbei District to collect ice crystals directly from the clouds. That system operates independently and is not open to anyone.”

"They won't share?" Sicarius leaned back in his seat and finally spoke for the first time. The logistics expert Ultramarines didn't understand this approach at all.

"The Ministry of Justice should enforce this."

Kore spread his hands, expressing his helplessness.

"Unfortunately, not a single drop is spilled."

"Their pursuit of knowledge surpassed their concern for the people of the empire."

Leo looked at him.

"Those machines... how much do you know about the minerals that the people from Huangquan No. 8 are mining here?"

"We're mining a mineral called Black Stone." Corey looked at Leo with reverence. "Forgive my ignorance, but I don't know what it is."

Kara raised her eyebrows slightly.

"Black Stone..."

She had heard Leo mention this name.

"Over the years, Huangquan No. 8 has been drilling deeper and deeper into the north, continuously probing and shaking the entire subsurface structure of the planet." His voice remained calm, but beneath that calm lay weariness. "Earthquakes are becoming more and more frequent, and the lower levels of many nests are suffering. Underground water veins are being cut off, diverted, and polluted, but they don't care."

Leo pondered for a moment. As far as he knew, the Yellow Springs VIII was a loyal faction of the Empire, focusing on researching alien technology, and they had indeed gone too far in some of their actions.

He didn't press Blackstone for more questions, but instead looked up at Corey.

"What is the status of the state religion here?"

Upon hearing this, Corey looked up at the statue of the Emperor in the VIP room and made a gesture of prayer.

"It's better than many people think," he said. "We have shrines and preaching places in almost every area that the claws of the Eighth Underworld can't reach. The Agammenus family doesn't like this because preaching would weaken their control over the localities."

"But it is precisely through preaching that the people can accept imperial rule with peace of mind. Without the sacred word, without rituals, without repentance, this planet would be even more chaotic than it is now."

He said this in a very natural tone, as if he were stating a self-evident fact.

"Over the years, more and more people in the Sisters' Force and the Planetary Defense Force have been willing to listen to the State Church first," Corey said. "The Governor's House has less and less say, but they haven't given up yet; they can always find new excuses."

"But I imagine Your Highness is already tired of hearing about these messy accounts."

It's a miracle that this planet hasn't experienced a civil war so far.

So Leo asked, "Have you never had a conflict?"

Kore put down the glass, his fingers slowly stroking the rim.

"Hmm... small-scale conflicts often occur."

"Before the rift in the sky unfolded, wars often broke out between the nest cities controlled by different factions over resources, but not many people died."

Sicarius, who was sitting some distance away, then spoke up to ask a question.

"So how do you handle this kind of relationship?"

"Because there is also a council." Corey replied immediately upon hearing this, showing no intention of disrespecting the Ultramariner.

"The Agammenus family calls it the Council of Aquilaria, while the Yellow Springs VIII calls it the Council of Gears. Here, we call it the Council of the Eagles."

He smiled helplessly.

"Please excuse our inability to even agree on a name. But at least we can get everyone to sit down at the same table and have a proper chat."

The current situation of the Vigilant Star is already clear, and Leo doesn't need to hear any more reports.

Now that we have a channel to contact the top leaders of various forces at the same time, things will be much easier.

After a moment, he leaned back in his chair, his expression returning to calm.

"Tomorrow, I will go and meet with this council."