Dominic, seemingly oblivious to Lynn's unpleasant expression, stepped aside, revealing Sisters of Silence Ralfa behind him, and introduced her in a calm tone:
"And the lady beside me is Ms. Ralfa, the Doomsayer from the Adeptus Astra Telepathica Black Ship League."
"She is also the ' Black Ship Lady' of this Black Ship, responsible for collecting the Psychic Power Tithe from Brevis."
Ralfa nodded slightly, without saying a word.
Her grey eyes were fixed on Lynn, as if trying to see right through his soul.
The chilling aura of the " Blanks " surged towards Lynn like a flood, causing his Psychic Power to contract wildly.
Although Lynn cannot use Psychic Power, he does possess some Psychic Power within him due to the weasel and Rena.
Dominic's gaze fell on Lynn again, his tone firm and unyielding:
"Governor Kerry von, the situation in the Segmentum Obscurus is extremely turbulent due to the large-scale invasion by the Chaos Fleet."
"The situation at the front is critical, and the Imperium needs more resources and manpower to fight against the great enemy of Chaos."
"We hope you can cooperate fully with our work and understand the stringent standards for this Tithe collection."
Lynn's face had turned ashen.
Is this a plea for understanding? It's like having a knife to his throat and yelling, "Give me the taxes!"
But facing this Ventricular nobleman who held considerable Ventria power and had a powerful background, he had no leverage to confront him directly.
Once relations are broken, the other side only needs to give an order, and this massive fleet can turn Brevis's Hive City into scorched earth within hours.
He suppressed his anger, bowed slightly, and maintained a respectful tone:
"Rest assured, Lord Dominic, I have always been loyal to the Emperor and to the Imperium of Man."
"Regarding the payment of the Tithe, the Brevis government and I will fully cooperate with your work, sir."
This reaction surprised Dominic somewhat.
He had traveled to many remote planets to collect Tithe, but the governors there either cried poverty and played the victim, or they argued and shirked responsibility. Some even dared to secretly collude with Chaos in an attempt to resist the collection.
This was the first time he had ever seen a governor so readily agree to cooperate.
But he didn't let his guard down; instead, he had some doubts in his mind.
The more outwardly compliant someone is, the more likely they are to be hiding something.
The governor of such a remote planet is most adept at feigning compliance while secretly opposing it.
He wanted to see if this Kerry von was truly pragmatic or just putting on an act.
"Very good," Dominic replied calmly.
"Since the Governor is being so cooperative, let's not waste any more time here."
"We'll discuss the specific details of the Tithe somewhere else."
"Of course." Lynn immediately stepped aside and gestured for him to enter.
"The VIP reception room at Star Harbor is ready for you, with tight security, ensuring you will not be disturbed."
Dominic nodded and stepped forward.
Ms. Ralfa stayed close to him, while a dozen elite guards spread out in a fan shape, protecting the two of them and vigilantly scanning their surroundings.
Lynn walked to the side, half a step behind Dominic, keeping a very low profile.
On the way to the reception room, Sisters of Silence Ralfa's gaze never left Lynn.
That chilling aura of the " Blanks " clung to Lynn like a leech.
Lynn became increasingly wary.
These Sisters of Silence truly lived up to their reputation.
Simply standing next to her, one's Psychic Power is so strongly suppressed.
If a conflict were to actually occur, Rena's Psychic Power attacks would likely be significantly less effective against her.
What's more troublesome is that no one knows how many Sisters of Silence are on that Black Ship that came this time.
Hopefully, the traces of the Tyranids on the Brevis Ice Plain have been thoroughly cleaned up, leaving absolutely no room for error.
A few minutes later, the group arrived at the VIP reception room of Star Harbor.
This is a luxuriously decorated room, originally prepared for visiting Imperium nobles and high-ranking military officers.
But compared to the luxury of the Gemstone, the decor here seems rather shabby.
The room's door and windows were instantly guarded tightly by Ventria's elite guards and the Sisters of Silence.
Ralfa stood in the corner of the room, his gray eyes still fixed on Lynn, like an emotionless surveillance camera.
The door was closed, shutting out all outside sounds.
Only Lynn, Dominic, and Ralfa remained in the room, and the atmosphere instantly became tense.
Dominic sat in the main seat, and without any pleasantries, pulled a thick roll of parchment from his pocket and threw it on the table in front of Lynn.
"This is the list of Tithe to be collected this time. Take a look for yourself." His tone was icy, leaving no room for negotiation.
"Everything on the list must be ready and delivered to the Gemstone within ten days."
"If you're missing even one item or one person, it'll be considered tax evasion."
Lynn picked up the roll of parchment and slowly unrolled it.
The tax categories, written in High Gothic Script, covered the entire parchment.
The further he looked down, the more his brows furrowed, and the uglier his expression became.
The requirements on the list are beyond harsh; they're practically ripping Brevis dry.
The recruitment criteria clearly state that three-tenths of the total population of Brevis planet must be able-bodied men and women, who must be assembled and sent onto transport ships within seven days.
Three-tenths? Are you kidding me?
This one thing alone was enough to take half of Brevis's life.
After the Orks invasion, Brevis's total population has plummeted to around 10 billion, with the ratio of young and middle-aged men and women just over 3 billion.
If three-tenths of them leave at once, it's equivalent to draining Brevis's future manpower and main workforce.
However, there is still some room for maneuver in this area, after all, it is normal to include some elderly, weak, sick and disabled people.
For military equipment, 30% of the production volume of standard laser guns, explosive guns, Leman Rustam Chimera armored vehicles, and supporting ammunition and spare parts must be delivered within seven days.
This part is actually the simplest.
Firstly, Brevis is positioned as Hive World, and its main role is to provide manpower, so its demand for military equipment is not high.
But what drove Lynn to despair was the food category; the amounts listed there were so high that even if Brevis emptied his entire food supply, he still wouldn't be able to pay them.
It's clear that the other party included the food production in the Dorito Agri World in their calculations.
Dorito appears to be an Agri World, but it is too small and too close to Brevis.
On the Imperium map, it was directly assigned to the jurisdiction of Brevis, so Brevis's Planetary Governor could actually manage two planets.
However, Brevis lost the Dorito Agri World two years ago, and food production has long since declined significantly. Currently, it can barely keep the Hive City running.
If this grain is handed over, a massive famine will immediately break out in Brevis. Not only will the people in the Lower City suffer from famine, but the people in the Uptown will also suffer from famine.
The last item on the list is the Psychic Power Tithe, which is overseen by Ralfa.
One thousand Psyker have passed the Psychic Power rating and meet the standards of the Adeptus Astra Telepathica are required to deliver the Black Ship within ten days, regardless of gender or age.
If anyone conceals or harbors wild Psyker, it will be treated as Imperium, and the Inquisition will investigate.
Lynn put down the list in her hand, took a deep breath, and looked up at Dominic.
The respect on his face had vanished, leaving only a cold calm.
He looked at the arrogant noble major general before him and said calmly:
"Lord Dominic, Brevis is currently unable to meet the requirements on this list."