Notification from the Palatine District

Ari's heart leaped into his throat as he watched the silent Governor, his body trembling slightly.

He was afraid.

Afraid that the Governor would be angered.

Even more afraid that the Governor would reject his plea.

"Gulp."

Kais swallowed nervously, terrified that Ari's words would offend the Governor.

Based on the information he had gathered, it was easy to infer that the Palatine District's material reserves were in an alarming state.

There might truly not be enough supplies left for the Defense Force.

In an instant, the atmosphere in the banquet hall froze.

Just as the two men were worrying,

Ron gathered his thoughts and looked at Ari and Kais.

"An hour ago, I ordered the Logistics Department to increase the Defense Force's supply rations.

"The new supplies should already be being prepared for distribution. The allocation will be twice what it is now..."

What he had done was bold. It was equivalent to advancing all of next month's supplies for the Defense Force.

And not only the Defense Force. The supply rations of other units would also increase, naturally by drawing in advance from future allocations.

According to his supply distribution plan, by Ascension Day of the Emperor, the Palatine District's supplies would be completely exhausted.

There was no other way.

Empty promises alone were useless.

He had to give everyone tangible benefits if he wanted them to believe the promises he made.

So Ron had chosen to advance all the supplies the Palatine District had prepared for next month.

That was equivalent to having twice as many supplies at their disposal this month, maximizing everyone's confidence.

Of course, the side effect was that they would eat today and have nothing tomorrow.

A month from now, if there was no new source of supplies, the territory would fall into extreme hardship.

But in order to stimulate and gather the Power of Hope, he had to do this.

Rather than cling to life, he would rather take a desperate gamble.

Just as he had said before, this was a high-stakes bet.

As long as he gained enough Power of Hope during Ascension Day of the Emperor,

he could use the portal to move the unharvested grain from Green Wave Farm aboard the Space Hulk, along with Golden Age cultivation technology, back to the Palatine District.

Then the food shortage would be solved, freeing his hands to deal with other matters—to develop the territory and reclaim the Hive City.

Instead of continuing to weaken and decay as they were now, before being completely swallowed by darkness like countless other planets in Imperium Nihilus!

Ron's gaze was resolute.

"With these supplies, the soldiers should no longer starve to death...

"I can promise you that these difficulties are temporary. The Palatine District has already found a way to solve the food problem.

"After you return, tell the soldiers that the Palatine District will not let down anyone's sacrifices.

"Their treatment will, and must, continue to improve!"

The Governor had agreed to give the Defense Force more supplies, and had even promised more in the future!

This news greatly exhilarated Ari and Kais.

Ari shot to his feet, tears streaming down his face. "Governor, on behalf of all the soldiers, I offer you our greetings!"

Kais hurriedly stood and added, "What Ari means is that, on behalf of all the soldiers, we offer you our complete Loyalty!"

He performed a salute representing reverence and supreme respect.

"Yes, yes, exactly!" Ari nodded repeatedly.

Ron smiled faintly and raised a hand, signaling for them to sit.

He lifted his wineglass in salute.

"Enjoy the food. There will be bread, there will be milk, and everything will get better!"

--

Palatine District, Administrative Units Residential Quarter.

The residential quarter stood near Sacred Plaza. It was home to the Palatine District's officials, with rather imposing buildings and lavish decorations.

Compared to the Lower Hive, it had decent housing and precious living space, as well as free resources such as electricity and water.

That had only been true in the past.

After the rebellion, the residential quarter had become utterly dilapidated.

Resources such as electricity and water were no longer supplied free of charge, and their availability became intermittent.

Yet compared with the rest of the territory, this place was still paradise.

It had relatively safe homes and a comparatively stable food supply.

Devere returned home with exhaustion written all over his face, carefully hanging the black overcoat that marked him as a Logistics Department official on the coat rack.

→

This was his only respectable piece of clothing.

Though the coat had been torn more times than he could count, his mother Marty had patiently patched and maintained it until it looked almost new.

She was always so patient, keeping the whole household in perfect order.

The floors and furniture had all been carefully wiped down, polished until they almost reflected a person's image.

These tasks had once been done by maids, but now Marty did them herself.

She did everything she could to preserve the dignity Lapp House deserved.

"Devere, you're back!"

Marty happily walked over and kissed Devere on each cheek.

"You came back at just the right time. You can have dinner with us..."

Marty happily returned to the kitchen to prepare dinner.

Before long, she brought the meal to the dining table. There were three portions in all.

Each exquisite porcelain plate held one-third of a portion of Sawdust Bread, paired with several small pieces of Corpse Starch and garnished with a single dried leaf.

At the sight of that food, Devere sighed deeply inside.

The food rations had been reduced again.

The world was getting worse and worse.

Devere remembered that when he was young, when his father was still alive, Lapp House had possessed a dignity nearly equal to that of the nobility.

Food had not been scarce. They could afford soft bread and juicy steaks, and occasionally even luxurious pastries!

But ever since Earth Planet's tax classification had been raised to the highest tier, everything had changed!

The crushing taxes had completely broken Earth Planet.

The planet's surface had become severely polluted, and billions of its citizens had died.

His father, too, had been worked to death at his post in the Logistics Department under the crushing pressure of administrative duties.

The ones responsible were those foolish, damned officials in Holy Terra's Administratum.

Their miscalculations had devastated Earth Planet and cost him his father!

After his father died, Devere took up the burden of Lapp House.

He passed the examinations and succeeded his father in the position.

Just when he thought he could care for his mother and sister through his own efforts and restore Lapp House,

the rebellion erupted!

The brutally harsh taxes had bred a terrifying rebellion.

Because a large number of Defense Force troops had gone deep into the Lower Hive and Underhive to deal with the aberrations, the Palatine District had been left vulnerable.

The Heretic rebels seized the opportunity to attack the Upper Hive, nearly capturing the Palatine District.

Although the Palatine District ultimately drove out the enemy, it had completely lost the Lower Hive, and they were all trapped in the Upper Hive!

That rebellion had nearly severed Earth Planet's lifeblood.

The following years only grew harder.

Until now,

as an administrative official of the Palatine District, he could barely even afford Sawdust Bread!

"Big brother, you're back!"

Lilith rushed out and hugged Devere. She had not seen her brother return home for several days.

Lilith was sixteen. She had soft golden hair, a slightly budding chest, and all the vitality a young girl should have.

"How are your studies going?"

"Hmph, I finished all my assignments. I'm much smarter than you!"

Because the times were difficult, the Palatine District had completely closed its schools, but Devere still insisted that his sister receive a complete education.

Devere sat down and had dinner with his mother and sister.

He cut off a piece of Sawdust Bread and stuffed it into his mouth. The faintly moldy taste of wood shavings instantly filled his mouth.

After swallowing it, he forced himself to gulp down a small piece of Corpse Starch despite the nausea.

Looking at the small pieces of Corpse Starch on the plate, Devere could not help but worry.

The Governor had transferred away a great deal of supplies again, apparently for some important plan.

But according to the Logistics Department's calculations, many units would not even have Corpse Starch to eat next month.

Looking up at his mother and sister as they tried hard to eat the Sawdust Bread and Corpse Starch, Devere's eyes reddened, and tears blurred his vision.

What should he do?

"Ding-dong!"

The bell on the mailbox by the door rang.

That meant an important notification had arrived from the Palatine District!