"Can't do it?"
Dominic's face instantly darkened.
He suddenly sat up straight, his sharp eyes fixed on Lynn.
His eyes were filled with undisguised murderous intent.
As the eldest son of the Ventria Family and a rear admiral in the Imperial Navy, he had never been the governor of a remote star sector.
He refused with such a calm yet firm tone.
"Governor Kerry von, do you know what you're saying?" Dominic's voice was filled with a dangerous undertone.
Do you know what the crime is for refusing to pay the Imperium Tithe?
"That's treason, disloyalty to the Emperor! What awaits you is the stake of the Inquisition and the Exterminatus for the entire planet Brevis!"
The moment the words fell, the dozen or so elite Ventria guards standing on both sides of the room simultaneously fixed their gazes on Lynn.
Their fingers landed on the triggers of the Boltgun, their Power Armour humming softly with hydraulic pressure, and a chilling killing intent solidified around Lynn.
The temperature in the entire reception room instantly dropped to freezing.
Ralfa, who was in the corner, also slightly raised his head, his gray eyes growing even colder.
Her aura suddenly intensified, and Lynn could feel that the faint Psychic Power fluctuations within his body were almost completely suppressed.
The only remaining connection with Rena is the mental link provided by the system.
This is a blatant threat.
Dominic was showing Lynn through his actions that she either had to pay her taxes or not.
Either die!
But Lynn seemed completely oblivious to the murderous intent that was enough to crush most people.
He remained calmly seated in his chair, even picking up his teacup and taking a small sip.
The tea had gone cold and had a slightly bitter taste, much like Brevis's current predicament.
He put down his teacup, looked up, and met Dominic's angry gaze, his eyes showing no fear or hesitation.
"Lord Dominic, as a loyal subject of the Emperor, I naturally understand the responsibilities I bear, and I am also aware of the turbulent situation in the current Segmentum Obscurus."
Although Lynn felt as if thunder was exploding inside, his voice remained as calm as a lake.
"If it were Tithe, I would hand it over to the Imperium even if it meant selling everything I owned."
"Even if it were up to me to personally lead Brevis's sons to the Cadian Front to fight against Chaos, I wouldn't bat an eye."
"But the problem now is that the requirements on this list are far beyond Brevis's capacity to handle."
" Brevis is just an ordinary Hive World. According to the Imperium's regulations, our primary obligation is to provide manpower."
"Over the years, we have sent more than 40 billion Astra Militarum soldiers to the Imperium, the vast majority of whom died on the battlefield against the Xenos and Chaos."
"We have fulfilled our obligations."
"But now, in addition to recruiting soldiers, you also need to levy such a huge amount of grain and military supplies."
"Especially food, Lord Dominic, you may not know this fact."
"In M40.998, the Dorito Agri World, originally under the jurisdiction of Brevis, had already been completely conquered by the legendary Orks warlord, Big Stomach Ragnar."
" Dorito has now become the homeworld of the Orks, with billions of Orks multiplying and thriving there, eyeing Brevis with predatory intent."
One of the guards had already cocked his rifle, but Dominic raised his hand to stop him, signaling Lynn to continue; he wanted to see what the governor had to say.
"Without Dorito, Brevis's food production can barely sustain the basic survival of the existing population."
"My lord, even if we emptied all of Brevis's granaries and ransacked all the noble families' granaries, we still couldn't gather the amount of grain you requested."
"If you insist on collecting taxes according to this list, the only result will be an unprecedented famine in Brevis."
Billions of ordinary people will starve to death, and the entire planet will descend into utter chaos.
" Brevis will collapse on his own, even without the Orks attacking."
Lynn's meaning was very clear.
The Tithe Dorito be paid by the Orks who occupy Dorito, not by Brevis.
He had done his best, but he really couldn't come up with that much food.
Upon hearing this, Dominic's anger did not subside; instead, it became even more mocking.
He chuckled, leaned back in his chair, crossed his arms, and looked at Lynn with the eyes of someone looking at a conman:
"Ha, you made up those words."
Dominic has seen many Planetary Governor.
When it comes to Tithe, they cry poverty and play the victim, making up all sorts of excuses, like Xenos invasions or natural and man-made disasters.
They just want to pay less tax and line their own pockets.
" Dorito has been overrun by the Orks?" Dominic shook his head, his face full of disbelief.
" Dorito is less than three days' flight from Brevis. Everyone knows what kind of people those Orks guys are."
"They are natural aggressors; once they conquer an Agri World, their next step will inevitably be to attack the surrounding planets."
"If Dorito was really occupied by the Orks for two years, how could Brevis still be unharmed?"
"Moreover, our fleet has sailed all the way from the edge of the Calixis System to the orbit of Brevis, and hasn't seen a single Orks warship."
"If the Orks had truly taken over Dorito, their patrol ships and raiders would already be scattered throughout the entire galaxy."
Do you think you can fool me with such a lie?
Lynn looked at Dominic's "I knew it all along" expression and was speechless.
He was telling the truth, so why doesn't anyone believe him?
But on second thought, it's no wonder Dominic didn't believe it.
It sounds incredible that a small planet could survive for two years on its own while being occupied by the Orks on the neighboring planet.
Typically, the Orks would conquer all the surrounding planets within a few months.
"That's because Brevis's soldiers and I used our flesh and blood to hold back the Orks ' attack."
Lynn's tone remained unchanged, even carrying a hint of pride as God's chosen one.
" The Orks did indeed reach Brevis's home territory."
"Their vanguard once nearly broke through Brevis's Forbidden Wall defenses and reached the icy wilderness less than a few hundred kilometers from their main lair."
"It was I who assembled the Vanguard, and beneath the Forbidden Wall, slew the Orks warboss, Mountain Fat Guga, and repelled the Orks ' first large-scale invasion."
"After that, I wiped out the newly risen Orks Mekboy, Machine Enemy Erko, and the remaining Orks remnants."
"The second potential warboss has been eliminated."
"After the war, I mobilized the savages of the Brevis Ice Plain and formed countless guerrilla groups."
"They ventured deep into the ice plains, constantly harassing the Orks 'Orks strongholds, preventing them from forming a threatening horde again."
"Just three months ago, I assembled and led the expeditionary fleet to conquer the Orks' stronghold at Carl II Space Station."
"We've slain two Orks warlords, Giantfoot Sith and Iron Claw Chandler, removing the thorn in their side that the Orks had planted at Brevis's doorstep."
"It was precisely because we recaptured the Carl II that the Orks lost their springboard for advancement, which is why you didn't see any Orks warships on your way here."
Dominic's mocking expression wavered slightly.
He looked at Lynn, his eyes filled with disbelief.
On his way here, he had already had someone check the information on this Governor Kerry von.
The records show that this governor had only been in office for a little over six months.
How could a governor who had been in office for just over six months defeat the Orks Dorito occupied Dolly for over a year, and even launch a counterattack to recapture the Strategic Space Station that had been occupied by the Orks?
How is that possible?
Who does he think he is?
Emperor's Chosen?