Warhammer: Starting with Industrial Revolution

In the banquet hall of the governor's mansion, the melody of the imperial anthem flowed softly, drowning out the voices of the people. The air was filled with the aroma of incense, red wine, and expensive food, but it could not conceal the restraint and repression ingrained in their very bones.

Governor Karl, who should have been the host entertaining his guests, was huddled helplessly in a corner, holding a wine glass like a waiter, his face pleading for help.

After all, those present were either inspectors from the Sectoral Legal Department, disciplinary deacons from the State Religion, or even high-ranking priests from the Cult of Mechanics—none of whom he, a mediocre governor, could handle.

On the contrary, Victor, who usually keeps to himself, became the most active person in the room, and he seemed to have a very high status in the Mechanical Church.

The mechanical priests who accompanied the tax officials stepped forward to greet the planet's chief priest.

Ronin had no time to pay attention to the bewildered Karl; all his attention was focused on the silent female judge beside him.

From the moment she entered the banquet hall, Dani didn't utter a single word about official business, but the chill emanating from her dissipated considerably as she stood quietly beside him.

"I wonder if Your Honor is satisfied with the meal?" Luo Ning picked up two full glasses of red wine, handed one over respectfully.

He had expected that she would coldly refuse, just as she had done countless times before when faced with the advances of nobles, but to his surprise, Dani merely glanced down at the wine glass, hesitated for a moment, and finally accepted it.

But after the two of them finished their drink, the judge's demeanor became noticeably off.

He always seemed to be staring blankly at Luo Ning's face, and even his reactions seemed to be a beat slow, completely lacking the sharpness and pressure he had when questioning him in the square.

"My lord, are you alright?" Luo Ning couldn't help but feel a little worried, but the next second, he realized that he was very wrong.

"Dani".

Her voice was very soft, almost drowned out by the noise of the banquet hall, yet it clearly reached Luo Ning's ears.

Luo Ning looked puzzled, even doubting whether he had misheard, and asked, "What did you say, sir?"

"I said, my name is Dani," she repeated, a hint of resentment in her voice. "Don't call me Judge, and don't keep calling me 'adult'."

She was drunk, so there was no need for analysis. The moment Luo Ning heard what the other person said, he completely understood what had happened.

Who would have thought that a dignified imperial judge would have such a poor alcohol tolerance! No wonder she refused all the toasts offered to her earlier.

However, he absolutely dared not agree to the other party's request. In the Empire, any act of insubordination was unforgivable. To address the judge by his first name? Such a thing would undoubtedly be courting death!

"My lord, please don't joke," Luo Ning said with a forced smile, momentarily at a loss for what to do. "But I'm afraid I cannot comply with your request, at least not in this situation."

He didn't say it explicitly, but Dani was just drunk, not an idiot; at least she still had a shred of sanity left.

She stood up unsteadily, and Luo Ning quickly followed and helped her up.

"I think I need some fresh air. Is there a balcony around here?" she said slowly, her tone carrying a hint of ambiguity.

"This way, please." Luo Ning didn't dare to delay any longer and helped her walk from the side door to the outside terrace.

Night had fallen unnoticed, and under the cover of darkness, the upper level of the Nest City seemed like a lone boat in the universe, with only the stars in the sky dotting the surrounding landscape.

A gust of wind blew by, bringing a chill that made Dani shiver involuntarily.

"Excuse me, sir." Luo Ning took off his coat and gently draped it over the other person's shoulders.

Dani slowly lowered her head, a blush flashing across her face, but she did not flinch.

"Thank you. Also... there's no one else here, so you don't need to call me 'sir' anymore."

Luo Ning was taken aback for a moment, then gave a gentlemanly smile and said softly, "Okay, Dani."

Only then did the other party finally show a satisfied smile.

The two stood on the terrace, silent for a moment. Luo Ning didn't know what he could do, so he could only gaze quietly into the distance.

It was only then that he suddenly realized that in the two months since he came to this world, this was the first time he had the time to quietly appreciate it, with a stunningly beautiful woman standing beside him, which made him even happier.

Of course, it would be even better if she weren't a judge and if she weren't such a bad drinker.

He was lost in thought when he suddenly noticed a gaze fixed on his face.

Turning my head, I found myself face to face with the other person.

"What's wrong, Dani?" Calling her by her full name made Luo Ning a little nervous, but since she had asked twice, it would be impolite to refuse again.

Dani smiled slightly. "In your eyes, do I seem completely unlike a woman?"

Luo Ning was taken aback, not expecting the other party to ask such a question, but he immediately calmed down, maintained his gentlemanly smile, and slowly leaned forward to say softly:

"No, Dani. You are the most special woman I have ever met, beyond any other noblewoman I have ever seen."

As he spoke, he looked deeply into Dani's eyes and said, word by word:

"Did you know? There's a saying in my hometown: If a woman can still look beautiful even without all her feminine features, then her femininity must be off the charts."

Upon hearing Luo Ning's words, Dani trembled for a moment, but the tremor was fleeting.

She looked up at Luo Ning's face, the coldness in her eyes completely gone, replaced by deep admiration.

"Luo Ning, you're a really interesting person. Although I know you can't take what a playboy like you says seriously, I still thank you for the compliment."

Luo Ning shook his head with a wry smile, "I am just a minor assistant to the governor, and not a playboy, but everything I have said is true."

He wasn't lying; although Dani dressed in a neutral style, her looks were truly top-notch.

Dani was amused by Ronin's answer, then sighed softly, a hint of melancholy in her eyes.

"Alright, I believe you. In the past, I could say that I had absolutely no luck with the opposite sex. Everyone would stay far away from me, and those noble young men would treat me like I was a ghost."

She paused, took a small step forward, instantly closing the distance between them, and whispered in his ear with a mischievous smile:

"You are a very special person. The moment I saw you, I had a strange feeling that made me unable to look away. Fortunately, I am in a high position, so you have no right to refuse if I ask you a question."

It wasn't until this moment that Luo Ning finally realized why, from the very beginning, she had ignored the planet's highest-ranking official, Karl, and instead focused on questioning his assistant. Despite having evidence in hand, she hadn't looked at it closely at all, her gaze always fixed on his face.

In that instant, everything connected, and he realized why this had happened.

Damn Slaanesh!

thank you!

Being noticed by a beautiful woman is naturally a pleasant thing, but being noticed in that situation really scared Luo Ning half to death.

But he couldn't show any of this. He maintained his gentlemanly smile, bowed slightly, and said slowly, "Thank you for your kind words, sir. I am flattered."

Dani looked at Luo Ning with a smile, then slowly walked towards him and whispered in his ear.

At that moment, all the intoxication and tenderness vanished.

"Tell me honestly whether you and Governor Karl betrayed the Empire and blasphemed the Emperor. If you tell me the truth now, I can pretend I didn't hear it. But I want the truth."

The topic shifted too quickly; one second it was an ambiguous whisper under the moonlight, and the next it turned into a soul-searching question about life and death.

Luo Ning looked into her eyes, forced himself to steady his breathing, and silently counted in his mind; he had to calm down.