Warhammer: Starting with Industrial Revolution

As Luo Ning strolled along the ground floor of the dome base, a smile unconsciously crept onto his lips as he gazed at the ever-changing landscape before him.

Although the underground core area has been put into use, the construction on the ground has only just begun.

Under Olga's command, thousands of workers worked day and night, and rows of neat military camps have been erected on the once barren desert.

Dark gray alloy walls surrounded the entire base, and the automatic machine gun turrets on the watchtowers slowly rotated, their cold muzzles pointing towards the Death Forest.

The foundations for the living quarters and small airport behind the site have also begun to be laid. Construction crews and workers are working tirelessly on the construction site, and transport trucks shuttle back and forth, raising clouds of yellow sand.

Before long, this place will stand in the distance, facing the main city of Nest City, becoming the second backbone supporting this planet.

The two steel fortresses echo each other, working together to defend against all threats from the universe and the wilderness.

Just then, his communicator suddenly rang.

It was the governor's secretary calling, his voice tinged with barely concealed excitement: "Lord Ronin! The official commendation order from the sector headquarters has arrived! Commander-in-Chief Mason wants to speak with you personally!"

Luo Ning's eyes lit up, and he immediately turned and walked towards the base's helipad.

Half an hour later, the transport ship landed at the upper-level airport of Chaodu.

Ronin hurried back to the governor's mansion. Governor Karl was already pacing anxiously outside the communications room. Seeing Ronin enter, he immediately rushed over as if grasping at a lifeline: "Ronin! What do we do? Commander-in-Chief Mason wants to question me personally! I... what should I say?"

"Don't be nervous, Your Excellency." Ronin patted his shoulder and reassured him with a smile, "I'll take care of everything. You just need to sit here and nod."

The two entered the communications room and activated the encrypted communications matrix.

A few seconds later, the screen lit up, and Mason Hal, the supreme commander of the Valtok Sector, appeared on the screen.

"Ronin, Carl," Mason's voice came through the speaker, carrying an undisguised admiration.

"Well done this time! Our sector hasn't discovered any relics of the Dark Ages for a full century. You've done a great service to the Empire!"

Upon hearing the commander-in-chief's praise, Governor Karl's tense nerves instantly relaxed, and an extremely proud smile appeared on his face. He puffed out his chest, as if all the credit belonged to him.

"It was all thanks to the wise leadership of Commander-in-Chief Mason and the skillful command of Governor Carl."

Luo Ning then bowed slightly and respectfully.

"In addition, there is something else I need to report to you. Inside the ruins, we discovered a large number of Dark Age automated guards, as well as a small amount of intact weapons and equipment. These things are useless to us, so I would like to hand them all over to the sector, which should contribute to the sector's defense."

Upon hearing the words "automatic guard wreckage," Mason's eyes lit up instantly.

The Dark Ages' automated guards completely outclassed the Empire's current standard automated sentries in both performance and reliability.

Even if it's just wreckage, a large amount of valuable technology can be extracted, which will greatly enhance the military industry of the sector.

What's more, Luo Ning also had to hand over intact weapons and equipment, which was an incredible surprise.

Mason's smile grew even brighter as he slowly said, "Ronin, you have indeed lived up to the Empire's trust! I will record your achievements in detail and report them to the Terra Government!"

Just then, Ronin bowed again, his tone carrying just the right amount of sincerity: "Speaking of achievements, Lord Mason, I have a small idea that might allow me to make a greater contribution to the sector."

"Oh? Go ahead." Mason looked at him with great interest.

Ronin slowly said, "Due to the procrastination of previous governors, our planet's reconnaissance and defense are extremely inadequate. More than 70% of the planet remains uncharted territory, and we could be attacked by Greenskins, mutants, or Chaos at any time. However, the current armed forces of Hive City are clearly insufficient to deal with these threats."

He paused, then revealed his true purpose: "So I would like to request that you grant us permission to produce Imperial standard equipment locally, allowing us to establish a Leman Rustank assembly plant on the planet and build our own armored forces."

"Of course, this isn't just for ourselves."

Luo Ning immediately added,

"Once the factory is completed, we are willing to contribute a quarter of our annual production capacity, and we expect to deliver three Leman Rustanks to the sector each year to support the sector's defense."

As soon as he finished speaking, Governor Karl's face turned deathly pale.

He knew Luo Ning too well; this man was inherently insecure and always held onto power and fighting strength tightly in his own hands.

But to his utter surprise, Luo Ning dared to make such an outrageous demand, directly applying to establish a tank assembly plant! If the sector suspected them of treason, both of them would lose their heads!

Under immense pressure, Carl felt a churning in his stomach, and the pain caused him to break out in a cold sweat.

He couldn't hold on any longer. He forced a smile at the screen and said in a trembling voice, "Commander-in-Chief Mason, I... I suddenly feel a little unwell, so I'll have to take my leave now."

After saying that, without waiting for a response from the two, he clutched his stomach and ran out of the communications room as if he were fleeing.

Only Ronin and Mason remained in the communications room, staring at each other across the screen.

Mason's smile faded, his eyes sharpening as he stared intently at Ronin: "The Lemanrus Assembly Plant? Ronin, do you know what this authorization means?"

"I know, sir," Ronin said calmly. "That's why I'm willing to allocate a quarter of our production capacity. And I can assure you that all the tanks produced will be prioritized for the planet's defense, and not a single one will leave the sector."

Over the next ten minutes, the two engaged in a heated argument.

Sector Commander Mason revealed his greedy nature from the very beginning, demanding five vehicles in the first year and 60% of the total production each year thereafter.

But Luo Ning refused to budge an inch; his attitude was sincere, yet he remained steadfast in his proposal.

Praise and compliments are showered upon the recipient like they're free, while accusations are readily leveled against them.

For people in this world, haggling with superiors is simply absurd, but for Luo Ning, who came from China, it's as commonplace as bargaining in the market.

Of course, he also loosened his grip a bit, promising to provide maintenance parts worth the equivalent of one tank every year, in addition to the tanks that have just rolled off the production line.

Only then did Commander Mason finally agree.

However, this also negated Luo Ning's contribution in sealing the relics of the Dark Ages.

Ronin nodded politely, but his words were full of praise for Mason and vows of loyalty to the Empire.

The moment the call ended, Luo Ning finally breathed a sigh of relief and sat down.

Merit is a useless title; in fact, it might even lead to him being transferred to another star sector because of his outstanding achievements, which would render all his efforts on this planet futile.

But the approval of the tank factory brought tangible benefits.

Not only will they be able to obtain the complete set of production blueprints for the Leman Rustank, but they will also have access to a legal armor production line officially recognized by the sector, which will greatly expand their future operational options.

More importantly, he never forgot that sealing the remnants of the Dark Ages was also a monumental achievement for both the Mechanical Church and the State Church, worthy of being recorded in history.

The contributions of Victor and Father Moraes were enough to give them sufficient influence and resources in their respective churches.