Guilliman said nothing more, merely sitting in his seat and scrutinizing them.
Things had already been made this clear. Those who agreed to join would join; those who did not would have to be excluded from his plans.
For the present-day Imperium, this reform would undoubtedly be a tremendous storm. He had to choose loyal, obedient people to carry it out, ensuring as much as possible that his will would not be distorted, much less exploited by Chaos.
Reform would inevitably encounter enormous resistance. That was beyond doubt. No one liked the feeling of losing power.
Back when Terra was still called Earth, ambitious men had launched countless wars over tiny dynasties spanning a few million square kilometers, all for the supreme power to look down upon all living things.
Among the stars, there would be even more ambitious men. They craved power—the kind of power that could effortlessly decide the fate of a planet or an entire sector.
After pondering for a moment, Ziller was the first to step forward. He bowed slightly and said, "Hittel House is willing to serve you, esteemed Regent. Please accept my humble loyalty. Hittel House swears here that our loyalty to you shall burn forever, like Terra's sun."
With someone taking the lead, the other Planetary Governors also stepped forward and bowed one after another.
"Valen House is also willing to serve you."
"Hittel House is also willing to serve you."
They bent their knees before Guilliman, allowing their mechanical limbs or flesh-and-blood bodies to kneel upon the cold floor, displaying their loyalty.
Seeing this, the Rogue Traders looked at one another. After hesitating for a moment, they too all knelt.
"The William Trade Guild shall resolutely carry out your will."
"The Nancy Trade Guild shall resolutely carry out your will."
Scattered among them, roughly half chose to submit and kneel.
The expressions of the remaining half shifted uncertainly, their gazes growing grave. Some even gripped the holsters at their waists as they cautiously surveyed the hall.
They feared that a group of Ultramarines in blue power armor might suddenly charge out with power axes and cut them down. This was no joking matter.
Guilliman's words had crossed a line. Clearly, he was trying to hollow out Terra and the Solar System's control over the Imperium.
From Terra's perspective, that was undoubtedly a betrayal.
Guilliman smiled and looked at those who had not submitted to him and were now tense with fear.
"Do not worry. I have none of the intentions you imagine. To me, the most important matter is how to save this dying Imperium, not to immerse myself in struggles for power and profit. Over the past ten thousand years, the Imperium has strayed far too far from the path laid down by my father. I must set it right as quickly as possible."
"Those who have not knelt may leave first. Please give me and my followers some time and space to discuss future reforms. You need not worry about suffering any retaliation from me either. I am not someone who would do terrible things for power."
Guilliman politely saw those people out, leaving behind only himself and those who had knelt on one knee.
"Rise, all of you. I am glad you chose to stay."
Guilliman had them stand and find seats.
The Imperium of Man was vast, spanning tens of thousands of light-years, far surpassing any empire humanity had ever imagined.
With inefficient travel and communication, reform was undoubtedly an extremely complicated matter that required caution.
Guilliman planned for the reforms to gradually spread alongside the new technologies in Cawl's hands, subtly changing the entire Imperium over one or two centuries.
Every policy change would be handled as carefully as possible, reducing its negative effects to a minimum.
The positions and roles of the officials and trade guilds that had not followed him would not be replaced immediately. Instead, their value would gradually be hollowed out, like boiling a frog in warm water.
Once everyone was seated, Guilliman smiled, ensuring that he could better integrate himself into this conversation.
"I am pleased that you chose to remain and assist me in carrying out this seemingly rebellious plan. Yet everything we do is for our people to continue surviving in this dark universe and to preserve the Imperium my father created with his own hands, so that it will not vanish into ashes or collapse beneath the tides of Chaos."
"We harbor no disrespectful thoughts."
"Regent, you need not worry. We do not have such thoughts."
"No matter what you may think, your decision to remain is a good thing. During the ten thousand years I slept, the development of many worlds has broken my heart. The Imperium completely abandoned them, leaving them to struggle in ignorance and folly, clad in rags as they offered up the only things they could offer. It has ignored the fact that every life is equally important to my father. I am not saying this is betrayal, but war and selfish desire have twisted things beyond recognition. Some possess everything—fresh food, water, even a beautiful private garden and a host of servants—while others can only search through toxic refuse for food to survive. This is deeply unreasonable."
"People will only fight for things worth protecting. If they have nothing and live in Hell, what reason do they have to reject the Hell that Chaos offers to create for them?"
Guilliman did not conceal his anger toward the Imperium's current state. Had anyone else spoken such words, they would likely have been assassinated soon afterward or declared a traitor.
Humans were born to obey the Imperium and believe in the Emperor. That had always been a key doctrine promoted by the Ecclesiarchy.
If someone else had used Guilliman's rhetoric, they would probably speak today and have no corpse left to find tomorrow.
Ziller and the others who had remained shifted uneasily in their seats.
They suspected that once the meeting ended, the Inquisition might come knocking directly on their doors.
For the sake of their lives, they offered no opinions and simply listened.
"I will sign orders for you. A new system of wealth distribution will be implemented in Ultramar, then gradually expanded throughout the Imperium. At the same time, I will raise funds to establish dedicated educational institutions and promote compulsory education on every backward, ignorant world, striving to ensure that every child can attend school and receive enlightenment, learning the new Imperial Truth and destroying from the root any organization connected to Chaos."
"Imperial law will also be subject to unified standards. Those damned feudal nobles and dictators will be abolished. We do not need them. We must reduce the chances of people rebelling or joining Chaos."
Guilliman laid out his ideas for reform one by one, having them record everything to serve as the foundation for future reform plans.
During the Great Crusade ten thousand years ago, in order to speed things along, the Emperor allowed planetary rulers to retain their existing systems so long as they were willing to promote the Imperial Truth and pay their taxes.
The Imperium was deeply malformed. Some worlds practiced socialism, some dictatorship, and others slavery. There was no end to the variety.
After the Emperor was grievously wounded and placed upon the Golden Throne, the Primarchs departed in the wars that followed. The High Lords of Terra left behind did not possess the resolve to carry out such reforms. So long as taxes were paid on time, they allowed those twisted systems to remain.
The High Lords of Terra might once have been useful, but now they were completely useless.
At every meeting, the representatives of various factions clashed over their interests. Everything was done at a snail's pace, with an almost deranged quality to it.
The great houses put every effort into stuffing people into Terra, striving to make their own people officials in Terra, the Administratum, and the Departmento Munitorum in order to preserve their interests.
Guilliman had no desire to play power games with these people while fighting the Chaos Gods, worrying about being stabbed in the back. What he wanted was absolute control.
After several hours of discussion and the formulation of a relatively complete reform plan, Guilliman finally dismissed the meeting. He authorized these people to establish a new organization similar to a council, to serve him and refine the reform plan.
After the many Rogue Traders and Planetary Governors departed, Guilliman rubbed his eyes wearily.
Since awakening, he had barely rested.
First, he had repelled the Chaos forces. Then he had summoned everyone to hear about the Imperium's current condition. Now he had summoned representatives from every side one after another, reassuring them and making the appropriate arrangements.
He stretched his fingers and calmly released a long breath.
A gentle electronic tone sounded. The voice of Sicarius, Captain of the Ultramarines' Second Company, came from the nearby communicator.
"My lord, several other Chapters that rushed here after hearing news of your awakening hope to be granted an audience."
Before you continue