Planetary Governors and Rogue Traders

The Five Hundred Worlds controlled by the Ultramarines could be called the brightest jewel of the Imperium.

Public order was good, and the people's standard of living generally ranked among the highest of all Imperial worlds.

During the Horus Heresy, when the loyalist forces had been scattered across the Milky Way,

Guilliman had even considered making the Five Hundred Worlds humanity's second stronghold against Chaos, forming Imperium Secundus with the other two Primarchs—the Primarch of the Dark Angels and Sanguinius, Primarch of the Blood Angels.

Of course, before that plan could be realized, they discovered that the Emperor was not dead.

The three Primarchs dissolved Imperium Secundus, led their forces to reinforce Terra, and sealed away all records related to the matter.

Even though it had never come to pass, it still demonstrated the potential of the Five Hundred Worlds.

The Five Hundred Worlds were Guilliman's foundation. They could not be allowed to fall.

Upon hearing of his revival, some Planetary Governors whose situations were not too dire, along with quick-witted Rogue Traders, had already arrived.

The rest were either trapped by the current dire circumstances or unwilling to respect the orders of a revived Primarch and come to Macragge.

The Emperor and the Primarchs had long become legends of myth. Ten thousand years were enough to change many things.

The Imperial Truth of old had been swept into the dust of history, while the once-despised Ecclesiarchy had become a member of Terra's High Council.

The Adeptus Mechanicus had grown ever more insular and conservative, while the Council of Terra had become ever more rigid and corrupt.

After the Cadia incident, the vast Imperium had begun hemorrhaging like a bleeding zombie, unable even to respond swiftly.

After ten thousand years of growth, the various factions had become deeply intertwined, embedding themselves in the depths of the Imperium and constantly draining its blood, seeking to devour it whole.

Those unwilling to come were watching from the sidelines. They did not want their power taken away by a suddenly revived Primarch.

Centuries and millennia of rule had made them believe that the power in their hands was their birthright, a symbol of their superiority over others.

Anyone who infringed upon that was undoubtedly already their enemy.

Guilliman had no mind to deal with them for the moment. He first had to settle the worlds still willing to support him.

He had to reform and replace the old system, turning the Five Hundred Worlds into a solid rear base. Only then could they support his plans going forward.

He needed to optimize the population structure, provide recruits, rebuild the wealth distribution system, and encourage people to produce more food and weapons.

The bloated Departmento Munitorum and noble hierarchy had to be streamlined, reducing fiscal burdens and improving efficiency.

Education also needed to be further expanded, and research institutions independent of the Adeptus Mechanicus had to be established to provide more military strength and reserve technical personnel for his coming expedition.

The Adeptus Mechanicus and the Imperium were merely allies, and it held a seat on the Council of Terra.

Guilliman was not the Emperor. He could not guarantee that the Adeptus Mechanicus would not suddenly break free of his control.

He also had to consider this: if the Emperor awakened once more and declared Guilliman a traitor to the Imperium, which side would the Adeptus Mechanicus choose??

The sacred Omnissiah?? Or the revived Thirteenth Son of the Emperor??

The answer was obvious. Some members of the Adeptus Mechanicus might choose him, but they would certainly be a minority.

He had to possess his own research institutions and a complete research system to digest all kinds of knowledge from the Database.

To accomplish all this, he needed the help of these Planetary Governors.

A soul born beneath red light should never have tolerated the existence of families that stood above commoners.

But the complexity of this world far exceeded that of his original world.

Even though he was a Transmigrator and a Primarch, and could obtain unimaginable abilities with the help of the Dominion Template,

he still had no way to completely control every world.

The Imperium was too vast, while its communication and travel methods were too inefficient.

Nor was there sufficiently powerful artificial intelligence available for use.

The Chaos Gods could not only corrupt flesh-and-blood lifeforms; they could even invade networks.

This world had no way to use intelligent systems like those of the Super God Universe to govern worlds.

Nor could an intelligent system be allowed to command too many combat units.

If they blindly pursued automation, then once Daemons invaded, units controlled by intelligence could also have their flesh corrupted and turn their guns on humanity.

The Chaos Gods had countless viruses and Daemons capable of exploiting intelligence and networks.

Developing large-scale intelligence in this universe and entrusting the entire world to a single intelligence was simply courting death.

The limitations of all these conditions meant that every human-colonized planet possessed a certain degree of autonomy. The position of Planetary Governor could not be bypassed.

Besides that, another important role was the Rogue Trader.

The history of Rogue Traders was equally ancient. Beginning with the Great Crusade ten thousand years ago, from the moment the Emperor issued the first Rogue Trader warrant, they had stepped onto the Imperial stage and played an immensely important role.

They were responsible for trade between star systems, even possessing the right to trade with Xenos, and held unimaginable wealth.

Some Rogue Trader families could extend their influence across dozens or even hundreds of star systems. One could imagine how terrifying that was.

Where the Imperial Navy went, Rogue Traders went.

Where the Imperial Navy did not go, Rogue Traders went even more readily.

They salvaged war wrecks, explored places beyond the Astronomican's light, and searched for ruins and civilizations lost from humanity's Golden Age.

Far from the Emperor's radiance, they traded with Xenos.

This group kept the Imperial economy active and provided the Imperium with vast tax revenues, sustaining its enormous armies and bureaucracy.

Without this group's assistance, Guilliman would probably have to raise the funds himself.

After all, the Ultramarines under his command had no time to make money.

Simply dealing with Xenos and Chaos had already consumed all their efforts.

Within the grand hall, Ziller, dressed in splendid robes, along with numerous Planetary Governors and Rogue Traders, all expressed their loyalty to Guilliman.

Guilliman, seated at the head of the round table, showed no excitement at their words.

He tapped the table before him once before slowly speaking.

"I need a council. This council will help ensure my policies are carried out and my will enforced. Which of you is willing to serve me?"

Guilliman looked at the people before him. Just as he had said,

he needed a council to help him formulate policies and spread his will and beliefs.

When he set out on this expedition and brought every world under his rule, all worlds had to be remade according to his will.

They could not simply be left to their own devices.

Such actions would earn him the hatred of a great many Imperial opposition forces.

The Council of Terra, the Adeptus Mechanicus, the nobles and merchants of every sector, and others would all come to hate him for touching their interests.

But Guilliman had no choice. In this era when the Four Gods had awakened while the Emperor still slept,

it was absolutely impossible to continue leaving each planet unchecked as before.

Public order on many worlds was utterly chaotic. Gangs emerged constantly, vast numbers of the lower classes were used as expendable resources, the powerful lorded over others, and when it mattered most, they dropped the ball and fled.

On some worlds, the average lifespan was as low as thirty years!!

Just think about it—what kind of fucked-up situation was that?

There were far too many such cases. Living in worlds so unjust and cruel, why would people refuse the power of Chaos??

They were already at the bottom of the abyss. No matter how terrible Chaos was, how much worse could it get??

He had to control and reform every world, establishing a relatively equal system in which everyone had opportunities for advancement. Only then could he have no worries behind him.

Only then could the worlds he saved provide him with an unending stream of talent and soldiers, thereby saving the Imperium of Man.

Ziller and the others could not help exchanging looks. Those words had already crossed the line somewhat.

Could this Primarch be planning to imitate his brothers and rebel against the Emperor's rule?

They did not know whether he was speaking sincerely or trying to bait them into revealing themselves.

Guilliman saw their hesitation. "This is not an act of betrayal. Though I have only just awakened, I have already gained Insight into the entire Imperium. Ignorance and foolishness have filled every corner of it. Its former glory and rationality are gone; it is like a zombie. Patching it up may indeed prolong the Imperium's life, but it will only take it further from my father's dream. Necessary reforms can strengthen us. Only in this way can we fight Chaos and the rampaging Xenos."

After speaking, Guilliman looked at the Planetary Governors and Rogue Traders and asked in a deep voice, "Are you willing to serve me? You may make a decision according to your hearts. I will never harm you over this matter, but I must still tell you one thing.

"The power of Chaos has become incomparably strong. On our side, the Imperium has been torn apart by the Great Rift. Nearly half of humanity's territory has lost the protection and guidance of the Imperial Astronomican, suffering the ravages of Xenos and Daemons. You have all witnessed the bloated corruption of the Council of Terra and the insularity and rigidity of the Adeptus Mechanicus. If we do not change, the Emperor's dream will shatter in our hands, and humanity itself will march toward extinction because of us. As Imperial Regent, Lord of Ultramar, and Primarch of the Ultramarines, I sincerely hope that you can become my allies."

As soon as Guilliman finished speaking, the many Planetary Governors and Rogue Traders exchanged glances.