Warhammer: Starting with Industrial Revolution

For the next week, Luo Ning kept a close eye on the data transmitted every working hour.

In the past few days, Chief Priest Victor used the newly refined iron to perform a ritual on all the factory machinery inside the hive city, to appease the machine spirits and please the god of machines.

However, in Luo Ning's view, what he was doing was no different from the major equipment maintenance in the factory in his previous life.

Essentially, it's all about changing the engine oil.

Of course, in the Warhammer universe, gods are real, and in a world where machine spirits can indeed affect the operation of equipment, Viktor's ritual had a far greater effect than expected.

The failure rate of machine tools in the factory has been greatly reduced, the yield rate of ammunition has been stabilized at 80%, and the production speed has increased fourfold compared to before the reform.

As for the workers, after continuous reforms to the working methods in both factories and mines, both efficiency and worker enthusiasm have been significantly improved.

In particular, the release of the amnesty policy by the mines successfully ignited the enthusiasm of the workers, and the speed of mineral extraction has increased significantly.

The secret mining of the chromium vein has also gotten on track, with a steady supply of raw ore being delivered to the dedicated smelting workshop underground in the Sanctuary every day.

As for the extra bonuses for the workers, Governor Carr had previously worried that it would affect the government's revenue.

Luo Ning proved him wrong by demonstrating that he had been worrying unnecessarily.

Luo Ning had calculated that as long as they could continue production safely, they could not only make up for the previously owed tithes, but they would also have a large amount of ammunition left for their own defense forces.

The remaining low-purity chromium and surplus ammunition were converted into cash by traveling merchants.

The trading channels with the traveling merchants and ronin were provided by Victor himself.

Of course, Ronin offered to give Viktor 10% of the profits.

Although Viktor refused, Ronin successfully persuaded him by arguing that the funds were for the maintenance of the Mechanicus' equipment, upgrades to prosthetic bodies, and the Mechanicus ritual.

Governor Karl watched as the Nest City flourished under Ronin's management, and his own coffers were finally full again.

The face that had been etched with worry because of unpaid tithes finally brightened.

My greatest pleasure each day is to tour the factory and mine and enjoy the heartfelt cheers of the workers.

But things are never that smooth sailing. At the bottom of the Nest City, a new force is secretly gathering strength.

The mastermind behind them is a group of powerful individuals.

Ronin's reforms not only eradicated the planet's biggest cancer, but also completely severed the wealth and power of the Upper Nest nobles.

These families, who have been entrenched on Vatos VII for thousands of years, have long regarded the planet's resources as their own private property.

Now, Ronin has revoked the hereditary factory franchises held by the nobles and brought all production processes under the unified control of the governor's office.

He standardized the purchase price of ore, preventing nobles from profiting from the difference between the price and the price by acting as middlemen.

He consolidated military power over the PDF garrison and replaced all the senior officers who were in cahoots with the nobility.

He even won over the hearts of the lower-class workers and miners with amnesty and welfare, preventing these nobles from arbitrarily deciding the life and death of the lower classes.

Even Governor Carl no longer speaks to him as humbly as he used to.

How could the pampered upper-class nobles accept such humiliation? The four nobles led by Mohammad, Sasiri, Idazi, and Obido quickly formed a secret alliance, and the noble class turned its attention to the lower classes of the capital.

The hive cities of Vatos VII are divided into three levels: the upper hive is a paradise of extravagance for nobles, the middle hive is a production area of ​​factories and mines, and the lower hive is a hell on earth that has been completely abandoned by the Empire and the Governor's Office.

Nearly 60% of the planet's population lives here. The air is perpetually thick with the stench of rotting corpses and chemical waste. Blackened industrial wastewater flows through the drains. Starving corpses lie on the roadside, only to be dragged away by scavengers in the blink of an eye, leaving not even bones behind. Gangs and chaotic cults run rampant here. Law and order have long since collapsed, and thousands die every day from hunger, vendettas, and heretical sacrifices.

The poor there already lived a life worse than death, gangs and cults ran rampant, and public order had long been out of control.

However, the lower level of the Nest City is also the most populous part of the Nest City.

Soon, in every neighborhood of Lower Nest, agitators appeared, giving speeches while carrying food and water.

They vehemently protested that the middle-level workers and miners had been able to eat their fill and live in clean barracks thanks to the reforms.

Meanwhile, thousands of poor people in Xiachao were still starving to death every day. All of this was because of the governor's mansion, which had seized all the planet's resources and distributed them only to those who flattered him.

The poor, struggling on the brink of life and death, have accumulated resentment and jealousy for thousands of years under the daily instigation. Like a powder keg that has been lit, it only needs a fuse to completely explode.

Meanwhile, rumors began to circulate among the upper class.

People were whispering among themselves that the governor had been sidelined by his assistant, Ronin, who, in alliance with the Mechanicus, had gained enormous profits by seizing Baron Harker's mines.

Of course, these little tricks did not escape Luo Ning's eyes and ears at all.

From the moment he began planning his desperate counterattack against Baron Harker, he had already begun cultivating his own secret police force.

However, in response to the message from the secret police, Ronin specifically instructed them to remain inactive.

Under his leadership, the planet Vatos VII is moving towards unprecedented prosperity.

Both the workers and the army stood by him, and the chief priest of the Mechanical Church, Victor, was especially on his side.

He didn't care what the nobles thought, and even secretly hoped that they would do something, so that he would have a legitimate reason to wipe them all out in one fell swoop.

Luo Ning, who grew up in the 21st century, found it laughable to watch these nobles courting their own demise.

All they did was provide Ronin with more justifications for dealing with them.

"Ronin, you're getting more and more outrageous. Every step you take is practically crossing the line into treason. Aren't you afraid?" Governor Karl couldn't help but feel worried as he watched the informant leave.

Luo Ning shook his head helplessly. "After all, it's a matter of life and death. Sometimes, you really can't do things without being a little extreme."

He did not hide any of these plans from Governor Karl; on the contrary, he would consult him before implementing any of them.

However, Governor Karl's trust in Ronin had reached a point of dependence, so he naturally wouldn't stop Ronin's actions. After all, he was also a beneficiary of the system, and more importantly, Ronin was indeed someone who could be trusted to get things done.

Hearing Ronin's words, Governor Karl couldn't help but laugh and sigh, saying, "Ever since we realized we could no longer escape the tax collectors, you've gone completely mad. If one day you want to take over, don't harm me. Just tell me, and I'll abdicate."

"Your Excellency, please don't be ridiculous. I have absolutely no such thoughts." Ronin looked at Governor Karl with a wry smile.

He was telling the truth. From beginning to end, he never had any intention of usurping the throne, or even of sidelining Governor Karl.

Although in reality he had effectively sidelined Governor Carl, with high-ranking military and political officials reporting to him alone on almost every matter.

Governor Karl was happy with this arrangement, as he was not good at managing such trivial matters, and Ronin was indeed a reliable man.

However, Ronin had never even considered the position of planetary governor.

After all, what if one day he really did something that crossed the red line of the imperial government?

Even if the sky were to fall, there would still be Governor Carl, that unreliable superior, to hold it up; he was just a lowly assistant to the governor.

However, he would never say such a thing out loud.

"Why does your smile look so disgusting?" Governor Karl looked at Ronin with a wary expression.

Before Luo Ning could speak, the head of his informants entered the office.

"My lord, the nobles have made their move."

Upon hearing the news, Luo Ning could barely contain his smile. "I can't wait any longer. Everything is proceeding according to plan."