History Is a Cycle

The rebels looked at one another, their eyes shining with the clear innocence of people who had never received compulsory education.

"What's Promethium fertilizer-synthesized starch?"

The rebel minor leader scratched his head and asked.

Though humanity in the Warhammer 40,000 setting could freely enter space, the educational standards of people on different worlds varied wildly.

Most worlds in the Imperium practiced education designed to keep the populace ignorant. They had no clear understanding of the world at all.

Farmers farmed their entire lives, workers tightened screws their entire lives. They had no chance to learn what the world beyond their work looked like.

The idea of using energy waste to synthesize enough food to feed tens of billions of people out of thin air was simply beyond the imagination of these uneducated commoners.

And who knew what these poor people would think if they learned that the universe beyond was filled with world-ending aliens, while demons in the Warp watched hungrily over their souls?

Li Qinwu explained what Promethium waste starch synthesis was. Yet the rebels still stared at him in shock, their eyes full of disbelief.

"How is that possible? If there's something so convenient, why do we still have to work ourselves to the bone farming? Wouldn't everyone just eat food synthesized by machines?"

Though the rebel minor leader lacked knowledge, he possessed wisdom, and he raised a fitting objection.

Li Qinwu explained, "First, it tastes terrible—so terrible that it's nicknamed Corpse Starch. Just hearing that name tells you how awful it is.

"Second, it isn't healthy. The nutrients it contains definitely aren't as rich or comprehensive as food grown from the soil. Eating it for a long time might shorten your lifespan.

"Third, this is an agricultural world. Its mission is to provide edible, high-grade food to the surrounding star systems.

"Heh heh heh. You probably don't know just how precious the natural food you can eat whenever you want is on other worlds of the Imperium.

"At regular intervals, Imperial transport ships arrive above our world. They compress dehydrated natural food and ship it to other planets, where it is made into high-end foods for nobles and those who have rendered meritorious service.

"The purpose of every one of your lives is this: producing high-grade food."

Now the rebels understood. On their world, food was considered a cheap resource, but on other worlds, it was actually a premium resource.

In extreme circumstances, the Imperium could choose to eat machine-synthesized food, but under normal conditions, it still preferred natural food.

The rebel minor leader suddenly realized something, and his heart went cold.

"You said the meaning of our existence is to provide natural food for the Imperium's other worlds. Then what happens if we fail to fulfill that purpose?"

Li Qinwu bared his teeth in a chilling smile.

"Then you will see towering steel cities appear above our world and rain down fires of destruction upon the ground.

"When that time comes, whether exploiters or rebels, conservatives or revolutionaries, heroes or despicable scoundrels, you will all see the truest face of this world."

In the end, they reached an agreement. On the surface, it was because Li Qinwu could provide the rebels with advanced firearms and ammunition, even precious medical supplies.

But on a personal level, this rebel minor leader's curiosity about the world had been stirred by Li Qinwu.

These rebels had lived on Agri-World 496b since childhood. They only knew that there was an industrial world next door, a Knight World farther away, and beyond that, they knew nothing.

These farmers could not recognize a single word. After they were born, as soon as they had enough strength, they had to help their parents with farm work. Once their bones had grown even a little, they had to learn how to use a hoe.

Like their parents, they would cultivate and labor on the land, marry an ordinary woman, raise the next generation, and then die on the very land they had farmed and worked.

But when these farmers raised their heads to gaze at the stars, immense starships passed overhead, while space stations like cities in the sky blinked with navigation lights.

When flying vehicles capable of breaking through the atmosphere descended like fireballs toward the surface, slowly landing in Hive Cities that pierced the clouds, could they truly feel no intense sense of dissonance, no curiosity?

Yes, they became curious. And the planetary governor's exploitation had become unbearable, so they raised the banner of revolution. They wanted to use this chance to learn more about the world.

But the revolution had not yet succeeded. They still had not broken the planetary governor's fortress of exploitation, nor could they take another step toward the truth of the world.

But now Li Qinwu had come. This man seemed unafraid of death; even with more than a dozen guns aimed at him, he still grinned playfully.

His calm composure was completely unlike theirs, people who had to exhaust every ounce of strength just to barely survive. The information this man revealed was something no one present had ever heard in their entire lives.

The rebel minor leader felt that this man had helped him tear open one corner of the world's truth, so he chose to cooperate with him.

The ropes around Li Qinwu's hands were untied. He stood, stretched lazily, and said to the rebel minor leader:

"Prepare three tons of grain. Next time, I'll bring another PDF Automatic Gun. You have plenty of people, so you'll need to help me move the grain somewhere I can receive it."

The rebel minor leader said, "I want to talk with you. Just the two of us."

Li Qinwu raised an eyebrow.

"Sure. Lead the way."

Private talks were one of the foundations of friendship. Li Qinwu was willing to spend time building connections with someone influential in a place like this.

The rebel minor leader brought Li Qinwu into a small wooden hut. After closing the door, he asked nervously, "If my comrades and I succeed in the revolution and seize power over this world, how will the Imperium treat us?"

Li Qinwu regarded the man more highly. Being able to ask such a sophisticated question proved that he was very intelligent and had a broad perspective.

He said, "The Imperium does not care about changes in local rule on any given planet, nor does it care what system you implement.

"Whether you practice capitalism or socialism, feudal slavery or utopianism, the Imperium will not interfere."

The rebel minor leader asked in confusion, "Then what does the Imperium care about?"

Li Qinwu said leisurely, "Taxes. The Imperium only cares about taxes. After you successfully seize control of the planet, as long as you declare loyalty to the Imperium and pay taxes, the Imperium will leave you alone. It will not care whether the planetary governor lives or dies."

The rebel minor leader let out a sigh of relief. They knew the Imperium existed. Though their understanding of it was abstract and inaccurate, all the rebel leadership shared one belief: the Imperium's power was unshakable.

There had always been an unsolvable question within the rebel ranks: after they killed the planetary governor and seized control of the planet, how were they supposed to deal with the Imperium?

Now, in this rebel minor leader's eyes, dealing with the Imperium seemed pretty simple. They just had to pay taxes.

Seeing his relieved expression, Li Qinwu let out a sinister cackle.

"Looking at that expression, don't tell me you think the Imperium's taxes are light?

"Don't tell me you think all your oppression and exploitation were caused by the planetary governor and his incompetent government?

"Don't tell me you think that after replacing the planetary governor, you'll be able to make this world a better place?"