Warhammer: Empire Reboot

Only then did the two men dare to lift the old man up.

Daquil licked his chapped lips.

Whether he is dead or not is not for us to say.

Palin stood on tiptoe again.

"Is there really going to be flooding today?"

You'll know once you get in line.

"They said it was clean water."

"Who said that?"

"The uncle with the tumor up ahead."

“He said yesterday that he had seen the Emperor walk out of the sewage pipe.”

Palin shut up.

After a few breaths, he still couldn't help himself.

"If it's really Qingshui, do I need to register to join the army?"

Daquil looked down at him.

This is common sense in the hive city.

There's always a price to pay for everything good.

An extra spoonful of nutritional paste means I have to work overtime tomorrow.

They issued a new protective suit, explaining that they were going down to repair the radiation pipe.

Give them a bottle of clean water, and perhaps the conscription team is already waiting behind the door.

Daquil pressed Palin behind his back again.

"No matter what they ask later, don't rush to answer."

"You won't even answer when I ask your name?"

"I will answer."

"How old are you asking me?"

"I will answer."

"Ask me if I want to serve the emperor?"

Daqueel tightened his grip, causing Palin's shoulder to hunch.

"Just say, 'I'll listen to my dad.'"

Palin nodded, then added in a low voice, "Then don't say anything wrong."

Daquil wanted to scold him, but when he opened his mouth, he only exhaled a dry breath.

The procession moved forward slowly.

After the water purification station's gate was opened, the roar of mechanical pumps could be heard from inside.

A woman led two children out.

She was holding four bottles of water in her arms.

A transparent bottle.

Clear water.

The line suddenly fell silent.

After a while, someone muttered a curse.

"really."

Another person said, "What's left after the nobleman washes his hands?"

"Don't touch it, it might be medicine."

"The medicine is better than yesterday's bucket."

"You don't know anything. The cleaner something is, the more poisonous it is."

The woman carried the water for a few steps, then suddenly stopped.

She unscrewed one of the bottles.

Someone in the group immediately shouted, "Don't give the child the drink first!"

The little girl next to the woman had already reached out her hand, her eyes fixed on the mouth of the bottle.

The woman took the water back.

She glanced at the child again.

Then he tilted his head back and took a sip.

His throat moved.

The entire team was watching her.

He didn't die.

I didn't vomit.

No convulsions.

She looked down at the bottle again, as if doubting that she had actually drunk anything.

So she took another sip.

Her son asked worriedly.

"Mommy? Mommy, does your tummy hurt?"

The woman hands water to the child.

"Drink."

The little boy licked it.

Someone behind them got impatient: "What's that smell?"

The child looked up and said blankly:

"It has no taste."

Someone in the group chuckled.

The purified water has no taste.

This statement should have been commonplace.

In the nest of Visalia, the water has no taste, like a heretical prophecy.

When it was Daquil's turn, the cornerstone supervisor stood behind the distribution table.

"Family unit".

Daquil's throat moved.

"Three people."

"Name."

"Daquir. Drainage pipe maintenance plant, 42nd mid-level branch line."

"Residents living together".

"Wife Miri, son Palin."

The regulator glanced down at the data panel.

"Three people confirmed. Basic water purification quota: four bottles. The second batch can be collected this afternoon."

Four bottles of water were pushed over.

The bottom of the bottle touched the metal surface, making a soft sound.

Daguet didn't take it.

The regulator looked up.

"Is there a problem?"

Daquil stared at the water.

What do we need to sign?

"Identity verification completed."

"Work ticket?"

"No need."

"Tax?"

"It has been included in the unified allocation of the star sector."

Daquil didn't understand the second half of the sentence.

He only understood "no need".

This made him more uneasy than asking for money.

"Do you need people?"

The supervisor looked at him.

"who?"

“My son is ten years old,” Daquil said quickly, as if afraid of being registered if he was a step too slow. “He’s not old enough for military service yet. He has lung problems, can’t run fast, and can’t count ammunition.”

Palin protested quietly behind him, "I'll count to three hundred."

Daquil covered his mouth with his hand.