Warhammer: Starting with Industrial Revolution

The vehicle's suspension system slowly shut off, and the bumpy feeling from the rough gravel road surface enveloped the entire car once again.

When they stopped, the men who were reorganizing the army had already spotted them and came to meet them.

"Welcome, Your Excellency. The troops at the Dome Base have been inventoried as you requested, and now we await your personal inspection."

Upon hearing Garland's words, Governor Carl's face turned deathly pale.

Looking at the imposing troops behind Garan, they no longer resembled the Planetary Defense Force at all; they were clearly an elite force with exceptional combat power.

The weapons they carried and the equipment they wore also differed greatly in appearance from the standard Imperial equipment.

Even a layman like him could tell that the workmanship and protective capabilities of these equipment far surpassed the old and dilapidated equipment previously used by the Nest City Defense Force.

"The equipment currently used by the troops consists of ancient equipment found in the colonial warehouses, and the quantity is not large. After the workers in the middle layer of the hive city have finished screening, we will carry out a completely customized transformation of the production line. At that time, there will be little difference in appearance."

Ronin smiled and explained, though Governor Karl hadn't said it, he had heard it clearly.

Upon hearing Ronin's words, Governor Karl was completely bewildered as to how the other man had heard his inner turmoil.

But he could only nod silently.

After walking deep into the military camp and arriving at the passage leading to the underground level of the colony, Governor Karl, while marveling at how much better life was for people in the Dark Ages than it is now, stood frozen in place in front of the main hall of the underground plaza.

The garden in the entire underground plaza is even more unique than the upper levels of the Nest City.

The surrounding streams and greenery brought a natural fragrance that even Governor Karl had never smelled before.

In the central square, an imperial chapel built of pure white marble is already taking shape. Even though it is not yet completed, it already exudes a solemn and majestic aura.

Father Moraes greeted the two with a kind smile as they arrived.

"Your Excellency, you have arrived."

Governor Karl looked at Father Moraes and nodded hastily, but his gaze remained fixed on the magnificent cathedral behind the priest, which, despite not being fully completed, was already clearly impressive.

Father Moraes smiled kindly, his usual dejected demeanor gone, and he no longer carried the sternness of a Catholic priest. He was as kind as a kind old grandfather next door.

"Thanks to your excellent guidance and your assistant, Lord Luo Ning's contributions to the state religion are unparalleled achievements, which I will certainly report in full."

Governor Karl opened his mouth and moved a few times, but ultimately did not utter a word.

Ronin smiled, bowed slightly to Father Moraes, and said, "It seems the Governor is not feeling well. I'll take him to rest."

"Then go quickly." Father Moraes nodded with a smile, then turned back to focus all his attention on the construction of the church.

Led by Ronin, Governor Karl followed him to the end of the square, to the rows of residential buildings stacked together, some hundreds of stories high. They took the recently repaired elevator and went up to the top floor.

Here, you can overlook the entire plaza below, offering an excellent view. However, there are only a few rooms, which are noticeably higher in ceiling and also larger and more luxurious than the rooms below.

Luo Ning opened the central room, which was the room the repair team prioritized to clean. They found replacement sheets and furniture in the storeroom and decorated the room to be extremely cozy.

To be honest, although Luo Ning knew that the room had been prepared for him, he had never been there.

Upon entering the room, you are greeted by a huge living room, decorated with green plants throughout, which immediately puts you in a good mood.

And outside the window at the far end of the living room, the incredibly realistic holographic projection still lingers.

The scenery can be changed at will according to the owner's wishes; simply select it on the controller in the living room.

"Aren't we underground?" Governor Karl felt his dizziness worsen, and everything he had seen today made him wonder if he was dreaming.

With Luo Ning's help, he sat on the sofa and looked out the window in disbelief.

"The images outside are projected, and because the image quality is high enough, they are so realistic that they are indistinguishable from reality," Luo Ning patiently explained. "This was probably a solution used back then to comfort the colonists who were far from their homes."

Governor Karl listened to Ronin's words, but felt that he couldn't hear them at all. He was stunned and it took him a long time to come to his senses.

"Luo Ning, tell me first, are we doomed?"

Ronin nodded slowly, and looking at Governor Karl's face, which was on the verge of collapse, he finally continued, "Governor, we will all die. Even the omnipotent God-Emperor in this world will fall one day, let alone us."

Governor Karl realized in a second that this kid was playing him, and his expression changed, but Ronin continued:

"My lord, haven't you come to your senses yet? The Empire simply doesn't care about remote planets on the edge of our star systems. All they ever want is the tithes they pay on time, to squeeze every last drop of productivity from this planet. As for what we do on the planet, as long as we don't raise the banner of Chaos or side with the Xenomorphs, who cares? We're not even a core world in the sector. On Terra's high throne, there aren't many people who even know the name Vatos VII."

"As for the production lines here and the army we've armed, yes, we've broken the rules. But as long as our tithes increase year by year, the sector will only turn a blind eye. Both the Mechanicus and the State Church are on our side, and it's unlikely that anyone will bother to investigate these minor details for the next thousand years."

"Besides, when the flames of war reach our lands, whether it's the Orks, the Bugs, the Xenomorphs, or the Chaos, do you think the Empire will come to our aid? Unless they see our value, the Empire has plenty of planets like this for producing ammunition. In their eyes, we're no different from the readily replaceable workers in the Hive Factory!"

Governor Karl remained silent for a long time after listening to Ronin's words; he certainly understood what Ronin meant.

If people from marginalized worlds like theirs don't improve their strength as much as possible, they'll likely become nothing more than a small boat easily capsized in the vortex of war.

He was about to say something when the guard knocked on the door.

"My lords, urgent interstellar communication! The Inquisition will arrive at Vatos VII's main hive city within twenty hours."

Governor Karl, who had finally mustered up his courage, fainted on the spot, and even Ronin was stunned.