Macragge Truly Deserved Its Title as Ultramar's Foremost Stronghold

The warm air over the Macragge Sea cooled as it passed through the mountains. By the time it reached Macragge City beneath Mount Hera, it had become refreshingly cool.

Zhou Yun breathed in softly, feeling his lungs fill with fresh air.

He greatly enjoyed the sensation.

On the Golden Throne, he had long since lost the ability to breathe. His lungs had been seared into shriveled fragments by the intense heat, and the only thing he could draw into his body was scorching thermal energy, as though he were taking a deep breath of lava.

The foul air of the Hive City, mixed with the stench of ozone, garbage, and disinfectant, made one want to suffocate oneself, let alone breathe deeply like this.

Caliban's air was admittedly of good quality, but it seemed to contain a malice that transcended the material world. Every breath sent a chill down one's spine.

Only Macragge's air made Zhou Yun feel refreshed and comfortable.

Gazing at the snow-capped Crown of Hera piercing the clouds, as well as the cloud trails left on the distant horizon by ascending starships, Zhou Yun could not help opening his mouth.

"Macragge truly deserves its title as Ultramar's foremost stronghold!" he exclaimed.

"How is Macragge a stronghold?!" Tita could not help retorting from beside him.

Zhou Yun smiled. He noticed that Tita had not questioned the word Ultramar.

That was perfectly normal, because the concept of Ultramar had not been created by Guilliman in the future.

As early as the Golden Age, before humanity had entered Old Night, the concept of Ultramar already existed. Many worlds that had once belonged to the Ultramar subsector had jointly established a trade network, with world depending on world as they prospered together.

Even now, Ultramar still existed as a concept, though it had weakened into nothing more than a loose alliance between Macragge and several nearby worlds.

After all, Warp engines had been completely lost on Macragge. Only the sublight engines of some starships still functioned.

"Announcement. Citizens of Macragge, please heed the Senate's latest resolution."

"By order of Consul Conor Guilliman, and following a Senate vote, the new agricultural reform bill has been passed."

"Beginning on the first day of March in the Macragge calendar, all independent farmers holding less than fifteen mu of land shall be exempt from taxes on agricultural goods entering Macragge City."

Before Zhou Yun and Tita could reach the Grammar Academy,

a sphere with an aged metal casing flew over their heads, continuously broadcasting the Senate's latest announcement as it flew. It appeared to be some kind of drone.

"They've completely abolished the city-entry tax for independent farmers. Those big landowners are probably starting to panic." A slight smile rose on Tita's lips. She was happy that food prices would fall even further.

Macragge was a mountainous planet. Most of its already scarce arable land was controlled by a tiny number of great landowning nobles, while the far more numerous independent farmers could only cling to narrow, fragmented plots.

This had kept the price of agricultural goods in Macragge City high under the control of the landowning nobility. Previous consuls of Macragge had not dared to act rashly against them either, as those nobles had complete control over the fragile food supply.

But after Consul Conor took office, he strengthened trade between Macragge and other planets. Interplanetary trade became Macragge's primary source of agricultural goods, freeing it from the grip of the great landowning nobles and allowing him to carry out land reform without restraint.

Reducing taxes on the agricultural goods of independent farmers was also part of that.

Clearly, Conor wanted to win over the vast number of independent farmers and have them join him in opposing the nobility.

"But the people who work the land the most and produce the most agricultural goods are not independent farmers, but slaves." Part of the scholar's memories stirred awake, and Zhou Yun said the words almost instinctively.

"We live in an age where trade can span the stars, yet our land is worked by slaves... Isn't that far too backward?" Tita said sarcastically.

Zhou Yun shook his head. This was nothing yet.

If Tita knew that ten thousand years later, humanity's civilization would rule a million worlds; that Warp engines could cross the entire galaxy in mere dozens of months; that weapons could destroy planets and fend off tyranid swarms from beyond the galaxy and daemons from the Warp—yet many humans would live worse lives than Macragge's slaves—he wondered what expression she would wear.

"I'm heading to the teachers' office first." Beneath the colonnades of the Grammar Academy, Zhou Yun spoke to Tita.

He truly intended to teach. It would help him recover more of the scholar's memories and acquire more of the scholar's skills.

He needed the scholar's knowledge to help him deal with the upcoming recruitment by Marcus Guilliman's family.

"No, you don't need to teach today. When I asked for leave for you yesterday, I already turned it down."

Tita reached for Zhou Yun's wrist and dragged him in another direction.

"You have a different task today!"

Zhou Yun did not resist. His psychic intuition told him that he would gain something from wherever Tita was taking him.

Tita pulled Zhou Yun to the door of an office and raised her hand to knock.

"Come in." A somewhat elderly voice came from within.

Tita pulled Zhou Yun inside through the door.

"Professor, I brought him! Give him a proper lesson!"

With that, Tita shoved Zhou Yun into the room, slammed the door shut with a bang, and left on her own.

Zhou Yun turned his gaze straight ahead.

The first thing he noticed was a broad wooden desk, at least two meters long, piled high with all sorts of strange and unusual objects.

There was a brass eye pendant, a bizarre marble statue, parchment scrolls covered in intricate writing, gears made from an unknown metal... These objects all seemed to be excavated artifacts, and some still had dirt clinging to them.

Behind the desk sat an old man who looked to be in his fifties or sixties. His head was nearly shaved bare, and he wore a short gray-white beard.

The old man was holding and reading a clay tablet carved with cuneiform script...

Zhou Yun remembered. This old man was his teacher, the Grammar Academy's chief instructor and Macragge's renowned historian, Lucretius.

Lucretius lifted his gaze from the clay tablet, smiled, and nodded at Zhou Yun.

"A new ruin was discovered in the mountains near Odin City. This clay tablet came from there."

"I have not yet finished translating its contents, but from a rough reading, it concerns the rule of the 'Witch King' during Old Night."

"This may help us uncover the secret behind the decline of the Witch King's rule, and show us how the War King replaced him."

As he spoke, Lucretius gestured for Zhou Yun to sit opposite him.

"Child, Tita told me that you've been doing much better these past two days, and that you haven't gone to the casino again."

"That gratifies me. You have always been a good student of mine. Sincerity and diligence are your strengths. I had always hoped that you would come help me with some historical research."

"But another thing Tita told me worries me. You owe a rather terrifying debt, don't you?"

Zhou Yun nodded slightly while discreetly observing his teacher.

"I see... Child, tell me according to your instincts."

"Do you feel that there was something unnatural about your downfall? Do you believe some... indescribable force led you into gambling addiction, and even drove you to suicide?"