Warhammer: Empire Reboot

She thought of her younger brother.

Her younger brother is seven years old and lives in a communal care unit on the 76th floor. She sees him twice a month, each time half an hour before bedtime.

Navi looked up. "Can I go see my family?"

The supervisor looked at her.

"can."

Navi's eyes suddenly felt hot.

The workers finally began to leave the production line.

Some people walked to the door and then stopped, looking back at the machine as if they suspected it might chase after them.

As Navi passed through the factory gate, she saw for the first time that the shift change window on the 91st industrial floor was still lit.

The entrance to the communal care unit on the 76th floor.

A thin little boy sat on the metal steps, holding a tattered cloth doll.

The doll only has one eye.

He heard footsteps and looked up.

When he saw Navi, he was stunned at first, then stood up.

Why are you here?

Navi was out of breath from running.

"get off work."

The boy frowned.

"It's not dark yet."

"New rules."

The boy looked at her with a serious expression.

"Are you going to die?"

Nawei felt a lump in her throat, squatted down, and hugged him tightly.

The boy froze.

He's no longer used to being hugged.

After a while, he whispered:

"Sister, you still smell of iron on you."

Navie buried her face in his shoulder.

"Less in the future."

"Really?"

"I do not know."

She hugged him tightly.

"But there are four fewer hours today."

The boy thought for a moment, then reached out and touched her hair.

"Can you have dinner with me today?"

Navi kept her eyes closed.

"can."

That same night, in Daquier's home on the 42nd floor, a small light was turned on for the first time outside of sleep hours.

The small light uses a newly issued low-power battery.

Miri opened the ration box.

Besides the nutritional paste, there was also a small bag of synthetic protein, two pieces of algae cake, and a tube of salt paste.

Palin stared at the salt paste.

Is this medicine?

“Salt,” Miri said.

Palin's eyes widened.

"Isn't salt something for nobles?"

Miri glared at him immediately.

She squeezed out a little salt paste and spread it on the algae cake.

Palin took a bite and froze.

Daquil thought he was choking.

"what happened?"

Palin chewed slowly for a couple of minutes, then looked up.

Why weren't we given this before?

Daquil smiled.

"Because someone took them and sold them before."

"Who?"

"A lot of people."

"Iron Throat Gang?"

"The Iron Throat Gang is just a small part of it."

Will they come back to get it?

Daquil did not answer immediately.

He looked towards the door.

At this time of year, the Iron Throat Gang would collect nighttime fees in the stairwells. They'd charge extra for electricity if light shone through a crack in someone's door. They'd also charge a "quiet fee" if a child cried too loudly.

Today, only the distant footsteps of the Cornerstone Death Squad patrolling can be heard.

"They don't dare come back," Daquil said.

Palin whispered, "Because of the Gray Armor Man?"

"Because of the Lord in charge of the seal."

Miri looked up at her husband.

These words sounded somewhat unfamiliar coming from Daquil.

He never used to say anything good about important people.

He only said that nobles eat meat while workers eat dust.

The governor is replaced, and the whip is replaced.

The emperor is too far away in the heavens, but the gangs at the water purification station are much closer at the door.

Parin asked, "What is the Lord of the Seal?"

Daguir didn't know how to explain.

Miri covered the salt paste.

"He's the one who gets the water from the water purification station to distribute the water."

"Then he's the governor?"

"Greater than the governor."

"Is he a saint?"

Miri frowned immediately.

"Don't talk nonsense. The matter of saints belongs to the church."

Parin, biting into the seaweed cake, thought for a moment, then asked:

Will he die?

The room fell silent.

Daquil looked at the water, algae cakes, and the tube of salt paste on the table.

This problem is terrible.

Because the child has already grasped the core concept.

If all of this came from the Lord of the Seal.

If the Master of the Seal dies, will the water start to smell bad again?

Will the factory resume its sixteen-hour operation?

Will the Iron Throat Gang change its name and come back?

Miri slowly put the salt paste back into the box.

"Everyone will die."

Palin's face fell.

"What should I do?"

Daquil did not understand prayers.

The prayers in the state church were too long, and there were many words he couldn't pronounce clearly. In the past, he prayed only because he knew the high priest would target him if he didn't.

But now, he wants to say something.

It's not for the church to hear.