Judge and Governor, Two Fellow Sufferers (Signed the Contract, So You Can Read with Confidence)

"Lord Horn, the Planetary Governor's transport is about to arrive."

"What does that scapegoat want?" Judge Horn Chronos's face darkened, and he furrowed his brow. "Tell him I'm busy."

"Not seeing him."

What kind of place was the Adeptus Arbites?

They were both the police and an armed force.

They were like the ancient Embroidered Uniform Guard and Eastern Depot, wielding boundless authority and spread across every Hive World in the Empire.

If some clueless governor wanted to challenge the Empire's authority, he, as the head of the Adeptus Arbites here, could make that governor learn what the Empire's order meant!

However, his subordinate didn't leave. "My lord... the governor's people said that if you refuse to see him, he'll formally send a letter to Adeptus Arbites Headquarters, stating that the local arbitrator's lack of cooperation has made it impossible to begin collecting the Tithe."

Horn nearly cursed aloud. Some Planetary Governor had clearly decided to go down in flames and drag him along.

Though Horn acted arrogant on the surface, he'd actually been worried sick lately.

Thanks to his excellent grades and handsome looks, Horn had finally managed to marry into a wealthy family.

He hadn't expected the family to be full of trouble. In the end, he'd become a pawn sacrificed in the family's internal power struggle and been kicked to this remote planet to serve as a judge.

At first, Horn had been quite happy. With the Emperor far away, he could take a few lovers and coast through life in comfort.

But no matter how carefully he'd planned, he hadn't expected this planet to be three hundred years behind on its taxes!

Horn had wanted to die.

The Adeptus Arbites' most important function was collecting the Tithe.

Whether it was managing Hive Cities or maintaining order, the ultimate goal was to collect the Tithe!

If his dereliction of duty were proven, Horn was certain he'd be sent to a Penitent Engine. It'd be worse than death, and even his lovers and illegitimate children would be implicated.

He had two illegitimate children. They were kept hidden from the world, but he loved them dearly.

At that thought, Horn could only give in. "Let him in!"

"I want to see what this short-lived wretch, who won't last three years, has to say!"

Aboard the Valkyrie Transport.

Looking down at the majestic Fortress Courthouse, Fu Haoran couldn't deny that he was jealous.

The fortresses were linked together, tall and imposing, easy to defend and difficult to attack.

On top of that, the System Panel opened before his eyes, displaying a string of numbers that made Fu Haoran green with envy and practically drooling.

[ Garrison: Arbitrators x 1,500, Armed Auxiliary Police x 5,000 ]

[ Heavy Equipment: Leman Russ Tanks x 12, Chimera Armored Vehicles x 22, Tarantula Sentry Guns x 38 ]

[ Air Support: Valkyrie Transports x 4 ]

"Good grief, the police have tanks!"

"The Adeptus Arbites are loaded!"

Thinking of his own Guard Regiment's 180,000 veterans, equipped with nothing but standard Lasguns and lacking even the heavy weapons needed to fight the nobles' private armies, Fu Haoran felt even more aggrieved.

They had shotguns, Bolters, Grenade Launchers, Riot Shields, and Power Hammers—everything you could want.

Compared to them, Fu Haoran's veterans were a bunch of beggars.

The only thing he could rely on was the navy, and it was still in the old nobility's hands. They appeared to obey the governor, but they'd only heed his words, not his commands.

"If I could get my hands on this fortress..."

Fu Haoran shook his head, casting aside the unrealistic thought.

That would be like a local prince taking control of the Embroidered Uniform Guard... Dream on.

Fu Haoran waited a full hour before Judge Horn Chronos finally appeared.

A thick cigar dangled from his mouth. His uniform jacket hung open, revealing the gold-plated Bolt Pistol at his waist.

Horn ignored Fu Haoran, walked straight to the desk, and sat down behind it, propping his legs on top.

"Governor Fu Haoran." Horn blew out a smoke ring. "I heard you threw a banquet as soon as you took office. You served canned food to the tax collectors? You know how to have fun."

A system prompt appeared before Fu Haoran's eyes:

[Horn Chronos (Judge/Warden)]

[Affection: -35 (Hostile)]

Fu Haoran ignored the fact that Horn's boots were practically pointed at his face.

"Judge Horn, I need some manpower. I'd like to recruit from the prison."

"No." Horn flicked away some ash. "That's against the rules."

"Let's cut to the chase." Fu Haoran leaned forward and lowered his voice. "This planet is three hundred years behind on its taxes. If I can't pay them, it's treason, punishable by death."

"You failed to supervise properly. That's dereliction of duty. I hear the Atonement Engines could use some volunteers lately?"

Horn lowered his legs from the desk.

His face turned livid.

"Are you threatening me?"

"I'm stating facts." Fu Haoran stared at him. "I've got no one to worry about. At worst, I can run off and become a space pirate. What about you? Can you get away?"

"I hear the Atonement Engine is terrifying. They strap a person to a machine and have mechanical tendrils peel away their skin, muscles, and nerves inch by inch. The entire process lasts for days, and the victim stays conscious the whole time, until they become a breathing skeleton."

"If that's really what happens, I'd rather die."

The two stared each other down, neither willing to back down.

At last, the cigar burned down to the end and singed Horn. He jerked his hand away.

Fu Haoran was barefoot and unafraid to step on the well-shod, but Horn had a weakness.

His two illegitimate children, hidden away on an Agri-World... If he were thrown into a Penitent Engine, the three of them would definitely be disposed of.

This short-lived wretch had found his Achilles' heel.

"...I can only give you one."

Horn practically ground the words out through clenched teeth.

"Pick one today, then get lost. Don't cause me any trouble."

[Horn Affection: -5]

Fu Haoran stood up. "Show me the way."

The dungeon was on the lower levels.

As the elevator descended, Fu Haoran could see the entire prison through the barred doors.

It had four circular levels, each packed with rows of iron cages. Blinding searchlights swept across them, illuminating faces that were either numb or crazed.

The air reeked of sweat, blood, and excrement.

"This level's for violent offenders." The guard leading the way rapped on the bars with his Power Hammer.

"Robbers, murderers, and rebels are all locked up here."

Fu Haoran activated System Recon Mode.

A translucent status panel appeared before him, floating above each prisoner's head.

Most of them were gray:

[Strength: 12, Intelligence: 4, Skills: None]

[Strength: 8, Intelligence: 5, Skills: Basic Melee Combat]

[Strength: 15, Intelligence: 2, Skills: None]

"Next level," Fu Haoran said.

The second level held financial and political offenders.

A former tax official who'd refused to falsify the books had been thrown in here. His status panel showed Intelligence: 11, with [Intermediate Accounting] as his skill.

He'd ended up in prison with only intermediate skills? Pathetic.

Fu Haoran wanted to keep looking, but things only got worse as they went down.

How could he put it... There were some talented people here, but the problem was...

"Why are they all a bunch of idiots?!"

That was exactly the most awkward part. Plenty of prisoners here had off-the-charts combat ability.

But their intelligence was generally low.

There were brawling brutes, stupid embezzlers, and deranged schemers... but not a single talented person who could help him make money.

As time ticked by, Fu Haoran started to get anxious.

"Is that old bastard Horn deliberately sticking me with a bunch of useless trash?"

Fu Haoran could already picture Horn's mocking face.

"This is the last level." The guard pushed open a rusted iron door. "The worst of the worst. My lord, I recommend you look from outside. Don't go in."

Fu Haoran ignored him and stepped inside.

This was his last hope and his final gamble.