Nimrod's Request

One standard hour later, Nimrod returned to hear Howard's allocation proposal.

"My King, among all the factories awaiting distribution, the pharmaceutical industry of House Szymanski is the largest in scale."

"The industries of House Kournikova are in the chemical sector, which previously involved pharmaceuticals as well, with an average annual production of approximately fifty-two thousand units."

"Considering industrial synergy and integration time, the House Szymanski assets should be handed over to House Kournikova."

"..."

After listening to the allocation proposal, Nimrod nodded with satisfaction.

"Very well, execute the plan according to your proposal. Send messages to the various houses immediately."

"You are the true 'Arbites'. Return to see me in one standard hour."

"Arbites?"

Howard asked with confusion; wasn't that the title for the administrators of the lower-hive domes?

"You will know soon enough."

"As you command, My King."

After Howard took his leave, he descended twelve levels to the office of the Court Chancellor and activated the communicator.

"Count Howard, I am currently executing the King's orders. What are his instructions?"

"Countess Yelena, congratulations. The King has decided to entrust the pharmaceutical industry of House Szymanski to your management. Send your people to take over immediately."

Howard suppressed his own feelings of envy and spoke in his usual tone.

"Truly?"

Yelena's excited voice rang out through the communication channel.

"It is naturally true."

Howard understood her astonishment; every noble knew that relying solely on the workers of the Khanty-Mansi Dome, taking over the vast assets of House Boleslaw was already the limit.

But being able to overcome the human weakness of greed was another matter entirely; the previous king could not do it, for his greed was endless.

"Praise be to the King! The King is wise!"

Afterward, Howard continuously heard the praises of the various noble houses directed toward Nimrod.

[The King has already won the hearts of the people and gained a firm foothold in Tezwork. Of course, the most critical factor remains the power he possesses.]

His deep blue eyes were filled with longing. Just as his mind was wandering, the ticking sound of his timer rang out. He immediately straightened his formal attire and walked quickly toward the palace.

At the same time, within the Kingdom of Disorder, Nimrod cast a gavel into the furnace.

Golden light bloomed, the furnace crackled, and a golden, gelatinous potion slowly took shape.

He scooped up the Arbites potion. Letting Howard walk the Justiciar pathway was not merely because the potion materials currently on hand could only produce this specific concoction.

It was also because, while Howard's loyalty reached Nimrod's minimum requirements, it was not yet on par with Bukayo and Rawlslev.

The Justiciar pathway is an adjacent pathway to the Black Emperor pathway!

Certain pathways can be transitioned between relatively safely, as they all belong to the same Source Essence.

The Kingdom of Disorder corresponds to both the Black Emperor and the Justiciar. Possessing the Source Essence, he would be able to exert significant influence over Beyonders of the Justiciar pathway once his authority was unlocked.

Both the Black Emperor and the Justiciar are Beyonders who can be manipulated after one ascends to become an Old One.

Returning to the real world, Nimrod walked up to Howard and opened his palm.

"Drink it!"

Howard looked at the golden, gelatinous potion in the bottle before him, a flicker of terror flashing in his eyes.

[Poison? Impossible! If the King wanted to kill me, it would be like crushing an ant. Could it be? Is this the gift that Rawlslev spoke of?]

Knowing he had no choice, Howard took the potion, gritted his teeth, and tilted his head back to swallow it.

After teaching Howard the method of meditation to contain the overflowing power of the potion, Nimrod instructed him.

"That is how it is done. Meditate often and fulfill your role as an 'Arbites', and you will be able to master the power I have bestowed upon you."

Only then did Howard understand the meaning of the gift; only an existence as great as the Omnissiah could bestow power upon him in such a miraculous way.

He looked at Nimrod with excitement, "As you command, My Lord!"

"The arbitration system of Vostonia is not bad; it balances the nobility and the Mechanicus, but it is not yet perfect."

"My Lord, what do you mean?"

If Nimrod wanted to rule as a dictator, Howard had no doubt he could do so.

"The current arbitration is a balance; true arbitration is the maintainer of order."

Seeing that Howard seemed to have gained some insight, Nimrod continued.

"With the influx of technology from Mars into Vostonia, this world is industrializing rapidly."

"But what of the people in the lower hive, or even the Underhive? They live their entire lives without seeing a glimmer of hope; they drift in a stupor, fighting, killing, and betraying one another just for a single meal."

"I believe you should be able to see the strength contained within the people of the lower hive by looking at the path of my own rise."

Howard was struck by a sudden realization, his azure eyes flashing with light.

"You mean that once the people of the lower hive see hope, they will burst forth with initiative, working hard to increase production efficiency and, in turn, boost output."

"Correct, but that is not all. In time, you will understand."

Chaos was still unknown to the people of Vostonia, and Nimrod did not speak of it explicitly.

He thought of the words another Primarch, Roboute Guilliman, would say to Dante more than ten thousand years later after his awakening.

Just as Guilliman had said, only by providing people with better living conditions could a clear line be drawn between loyalty and betrayal, allowing them to understand exactly what they were fighting for.

Through his own personal experience, Nimrod understood the significance of a meal to the people of the lower hive.

He also truly understood the question Guilliman had posed to Dante: when the Great Enemy attacks, what reason does a person living in a cruel hell have to refuse temptation?

The uneducated masses at the bottom of society would not accept the grand principles preached by the priests of the Ecclesiarchy, even if they heard them with their own ears. They only knew the oldest, most fundamental truth: if they did not eat, they would die. Whoever fed them, that person was their god.

Since the "Black Emperor" intended to establish his own order, he would start from now. He lacked the ability to change the entire human race, but he could begin by changing his own home.

Nimrod wanted to build a prosperous world with immense potential for development; this was the primitive version of his domain.

"I want you to head to the Khanty-Mansi Dome and use the existing equipment there, along with the systems I previously established, to build a brand-new dome."

"I will assign a team of workers to you. You may draw inspiration from my previous systems, or you may recruit personnel from the surrounding domes."

"I want you to learn how to be an 'Arbites,' to learn how to establish a new order."

Nimrod emphasized his tone: "The order I want is not for you to provide alms to the lower classes, but to provide them with a system where, through effort and contribution, they can eat their fill and live like human beings!"

"This system can be applied to every Hive City, every lower hive, and every dome!"

Hearing this, Howard's brow furrowed tightly.

If Nimrod had merely requested the construction of a developed dome, the financial resources of House Finde would have made it easy.

But what Nimrod was demanding for the entirety of Vostonia was something that even if all the nobles of the Tezwork Upper Hive bankrupted themselves, they could not achieve—not to mention that the other families would never agree to it.

Seeing Howard lost in deep thought, Nimrod decided to broaden his perspective.

"Do not be bound by the dogmas of the Adeptus Mechanicus. Technology is merely a tool; I want you to establish a brand-new order."

"You can set a standard for qualification. Workers who meet their quotas receive a standard ration, and those who excel can be promoted to work in the upper hive."

"New factories can be built in the upper hive, or it can even be transformed into a middle hive. The hive spires can be dismantled to establish a new upper hive, and upon that, new hive spires can be built."

Howard's mind cleared, and he spoke with full confidence.

"As you wish, my Lord."

"Make good use of the abilities I have bestowed upon you."

Upon hearing this, Howard's deep blue eyes shone, and he spoke with absolute certainty.

"I will certainly not let you down."

"Now, take me to your family's treasury."

"My Lord, please follow me."