Warhammer: Empire Reboot

So much has happened in Terra in these three months.

One after another, old privileges that had lasted for thousands of years were dismantled by the Seal Holder's Office.

So much so that many people almost forgot that three months ago, in the first announcements released by Lawson after entering Terra, there was another momentous event that could change the history of the entire human empire.

The Star Torch is about to shut down.

The date was never changed by the government office in charge of the seal.

Today is the last day.

Terra, Starlight Court.

There are still a large number of clergy, technicians, and psionicists here.

However, new psionicists have stopped replenishing the Star Torch Choir system.

The enormous sacrifices and consumption originally required to maintain the Star Torch have gradually decreased over the past three months.

Frank, the Lord of the Star Torch, was already dead on the gallows.

The people in charge here now are just carrying out the final procedure.

Deep within Terra, the last batch of maintenance procedures for the Starlight Court were shut down one by one.

The enormous lighthouse that had burned for millennia in the eyes of human psychics began to dim.

After a period of time, it eventually faded into silence.

The torch has gone out.

At this moment, a large number of navigators scattered throughout the galaxy noticed the change.

Some of the older ships that were sailing even experienced brief disturbances.

A navigator suddenly stood up from his seat, his third eye instinctively opening.

No matter how chaotic the warp was in the past, the lighthouse he could always sense in the distant direction had disappeared.

"Starlight..."

"It's really gone out."

The captain immediately looked at the cornerstone navigator who had been on board the ship for three months.

"everything is normal."

"Eleven hours ahead of schedule."

The captain bowed deeply: "I'm begging you, brother!"

Similar scenes have occurred on countless ships.

Many captains had already prepared for the worst.

They anticipated the chaos and the large-scale suspension of flights.

Some large chambers of commerce even put important goods into warehouses in advance, intending to observe for a few days before making a decision.

Everything turned out as usual.

The Imperial military continued to mobilize its fleet, and merchant ships continued their transport operations.

The fleet of wandering merchants continued to venture into unknown star systems.

The tithe transport ship continued along its original route into the solar system.

The large-scale shipping shutdown that many people had feared did not materialize at all.

The same applies to communications.

After the first large-scale integration by private chambers of commerce, it was as if they had discovered a new world.

The businessmen were the first to fully accept the new system.

They don't care at all about the principles behind navigation.

Whether it's called the Star Torch, the Navigator's Third Eye, or the Foundation Sequence.

For the vast majority of honest businessmen, there are only a few core issues.

Will we arrive on time? Will we get lost? Can we avoid dangerous routes in advance?

If a problem occurs, can it be adjusted immediately?

Can you afford the price?

The cost of Cornerstone Navigators is roughly in the same range as the original Navigator family's fees.

As a result, the sailing speed is more stable, the error is smaller, and the adjustment is faster when encountering subspace anomalies.

The businessmen started to dislike the old system after using it for less than a month.

A large grain ship traveling between Terra and an agricultural world used to allow for a 17-day margin of error on a single voyage. After switching to Cornerstone navigation, the margin of error was reduced to less than seven hours.

what does this mean?

This means that warehouses can be rented less, and a ship can make more trips a year.

For a chamber of commerce with hundreds of cargo ships, these things combined are far more important than the navigation fee itself.

Some chambers of commerce initially wanted to keep both sides.

One navigator remains, and one cornerstone navigator also remains.

Despite being touted as "double insurance," the finance department backed out before the six-month contract even expired.

"Why maintain an unused navigation system?"

As a result, more and more merchant ships began to voluntarily apply for cornerstone navigators.

The three-month transition period originally planned by the Seal Keeper's Office turned into something quite interesting for Lawson in the end.

When will our next batch of 73 ships be able to join us?

"Can I pay more?"

Three months ago, merchants were worried that the new system would damage the empire's economy. Now, they are worried that they won't be able to get a spot.

Those who truly care about all of this on Terra know that the extinguishing of the Star Torch signifies far more than just a change in the way we travel.

The Emperor no longer needed to devote that enormous portion of his will to guiding the entire galaxy.

The Star Torch Choir system has finally stopped operating in the way it used to continuously devour psionicists.

The golden throne still stands, and the emperor still sits there.

The sixty years that Lawson promised have only just begun.

One piece of the burden that had weighed on the emperor for ten thousand years has been removed.

For the first time, the emperor on the golden throne felt the true release of that remaining power.

No longer needing to constantly guide the lighthouse that covers the galaxy, he can now focus his attention on the warp much more completely than before.

Meanwhile, on the human side...

The starlight has been extinguished, but communications remain uninterrupted, and flight paths have even become more stable.

Something that everyone thought absolutely could not be stopped, just like that, stopped.

After the starlight was extinguished, another institution that had lasted for tens of thousands of years also came to an end.

Now that the Cornerstone Communications system has taken over completely, the continued existence of the Star Language Court has lost its meaning.

The Seal Keeper's Office quickly issued a reorganization order, and the Star Language Court was officially dissolved.

Valuable psychics are then re-selected.

Those suited for combat should transition to psionic warfare organizations.

A separate group is suitable for research, early warning, and psionic observation.

Some joined the newly established psychic management department.

The disappearance of an organization does not necessarily mean the disappearance of its people.

The Navigator family was truly left behind by the times.

Before the starlight went out, they could comfort themselves that the cornerstone navigation system was just a new system.

Now, merchant ships in the galaxy have voted with their feet.

Just three days after the Star Language Court was dissolved, a person voluntarily walked into the Seal Master's Mansion.

Fadix, the Grand Master of the Assassins.

This man, who once swayed the situation in Terra during the coup of the Six Councils and ultimately chose the winner, still maintains the restraint befitting a Grand Master of the Assassin's Court.

He first bowed to Lawson: "Your Excellency, the Seal Bearer."

Lawson put down the data panel in his hand: "You've arrived a few days earlier than I expected."

Fadix smiled slightly: "If an assassin always waits for others to knock on the door, he will be too passive. Once an assassin is passive, he is not far from failure."

Lawson's smile deepened a little.

"Is the Grand Master treating me as a potential enemy of the Assassin's Court?"

The room fell silent.

Er Gou turned his head at the door and glanced at Fadix.

Fadix was silent for a moment, then admitted it.

"If the Assassin's Court has never assessed you, then that would be my dereliction of duty."

"In the past, the Assassin's Court was able to maintain a great deal of independence because the Empire needed a sword that was not bound by the ordinary administrative system."

"But now that the Empire has you, the administrative system is being restructured. If the Assassin's Court insists on its old closed structure, it will eventually be eliminated."

"Therefore, the Assassin's Court needs to accept the leadership of the Seal Master."

After saying this, Fadix paused for a moment.

“If you deem it necessary, I can also resign from the position of Grand Tutor.”

What I can offer you is a fairly complete Assassin's Court and a clear stance.