(Bonus update with thanks to .Ziya10086. for the tip.)
Although they were always being called vermin, in the Imperium, even becoming vermin required passing an exam.
Without politics or other matters interfering, anyone who could become a planet's governor or serve in its ruling administration had serious credentials.
Governing an entire planet, with all its land and population, was far harder than governing a country.
So although the Planetary Governor and his five hundred fatties were not very good at managing their weight-they were usually too busy-when it came to their work, every one of them was an exceptional talent!
After the white fog vanished, Li Qinwu reestablished contact with those five hundred fatties.
He summoned them to the Hive City, intending to use the political system they had built on the Northern Continent as a template and expand it across the world.
With his warships in orbit helping produce some industrial infrastructure, they could bring this world into the industrial age, give it a push, and leave.
When Li Qinwu met the five hundred fatties in the Hive City's banquet hall, he wondered whether his eyes were playing tricks on him. All five hundred had actually lost weight!
Seeing Li Qinwu's incredulous expression, the former Planetary Governor chuckled.
"My lord, there's no need to look so surprised. Living with those primitives, we couldn't get good food even if we wanted it. The weight came off naturally.
"Besides, we were busy with government affairs every day. Bringing a bunch of primitives into the industrial age is exhausting work.
"After eight years of work, we've only reached the fringes of the firearms age. Ah, we've gotten rusty!"
The five hundred former fatties began laughing and chatting, discussing where they had made policy mistakes over those eight years and what they could