How can a retired savior be considered retired if his price drops to 40,000?

Chapter 19 The not-so-raging waves unfold
The decoration of the Governor's Palace in Jestal is not gorgeous, it can even be said to be simple.

There are no huge oil paintings on the walls here, no exquisite columns and carvings, no luxurious hangings or wall lamps, they are simply wallpapered.The furnishings and furnishings in the room also appear to be very simple. If it is said that this is the decoration of a middle-class imperial family, it may be more appropriate to say that it is the governor's palace.

Perhaps for other officials of the empire, talking to people here is a complete indifference, but Fujimaru Ritsuka still prefers this place to the intricate Gothic style of the empire.

After Deville briefly arranged the next matters, Fujimaru Ritsuka moved here at her invitation and began the "private conversation" she requested:
"I wonder if Ms. Governor has any clues about the targets that the Eldar on this planet may be interested in?"

She didn't expect to get any useful answers, but after all, she was investigating the Eldar infiltration incident, so the topic had to be opened in this way.

Governor De Vere hesitated for a moment, and the confusion on his face did not seem to be fake: "I'm sorry for being blunt, but Jestal is a remote place, and my knowledge of aliens is indeed lacking..."

Fujimaru Ritsuka observed the other party's expression calmly and could not find any evidence that Governor De Vere was lying.

"The Eldar have set up a webway gate on this planet, and they will not do it for no reason. Maybe they have lived on this planet, maybe there are some old alien objects stored on this planet, or maybe there are some things they think they need Something to watch out for.”

"...I think there should be no such thing. This planet has always been barren and there is nothing worth noting." Governor De Vere said with a wry smile.

Jestal has always been barren.It is so barren that the Imperial Government and the Mechanicus deem it not worth investing in, and so barren that the aliens and Chaos refuse to plunder it, but because of this, it is not so dangerous that humans dare not set foot there.

After a brief pause, Governor De Vere added: "To be honest, I only just learned about the fact that there is an Eldar webway gate on Jestal."

Fujimaru Ritsuka nodded: "In other words, this planet has never been invaded by the spirit race before?"

"At least this has been the case during the more than [-] years I have been in power." Governor De Vere did not finish his words. "I did not succeed the governor through the normal process. Many records of my predecessor's tenure were destroyed by the tribunal. With my The permissions cannot be accessed."

This caught the attention of Fujimaru Ritsuka: "Do you probably know what happened when the last governor was there?"

"No, I don't know, but I guess there was a rebellion. When I first took office, the traces of war on the planet were still very obvious...The governor was also new at that time, and so were the vast majority of the people. Even So we got off the same batch of immigration ships.”

Fujimaru Ritsuka frowned slightly.

According to Imperial archives, Jestar's history as an Imperial agricultural planet dates back approximately 500 years.Somny once mentioned that it was unusual for the country to have nine governors in such a short period of time, and Ms. De Vere was the one with the most stable tenure.Before she took office, Jestal's global population had plummeted to 300 million - which was unimaginable even in an agricultural world with generally sparse populations.

"Why are you so sure that the war came from a rebellion rather than an invasion by a foreign enemy?" she asked.

Governor De Vere smiled formulaically: "Maybe it's my habitual thinking. During my tenure, Jestal has always been peaceful. In addition, if it is a planetary rebellion, then the Inquisition will destroy a large amount of data for this purpose. A very reasonable thing.”

"Speaking of which, I remember that you are not a native of Jestal." Fujimaru Ritsuka suddenly changed the subject, "After you came to this planet, did you notice anything unusual here?"

"Why do you ask that?" Governor De Vere asked puzzled.

"I have also roughly read the brief records of this planet. In the five centuries that Jestal has been an empire territory, only your rule and management have been stable. I wonder if it is because you have noticed the other... Some important points that even the Governor failed to notice.”

"...The point is, I always stand with my people." The current governor was silent for a while and said with a wry smile, "The operation of the empire does not rely on us, the ruling class, but on the hard-working people. What do the people need? , I will give them what I can. I believe that human power is infinite. As long as I try my best to take care of my people, my people can try their best to take care of this planet."

When she said this, the bitter smile on her face gradually turned into a heartfelt and proud smile.This smile was different from the previous flattering expressions. Even though there were traces of weather and fatigue on her face, it still made her look radiant.

"..." Fujimaru Ritsuka was speechless for a moment, but her nerves were tight enough that she found her voice in time, "Ms. Deville, you are worthy of being the pillar of the empire. There are not many governors who can think like you. "

If this is what the governor really thinks, the whole thing is a real shame.

After Fujimaru Ritsuka's praise, Governor De Vere appropriately showed a humble smile: "You are ridiculously complimentary."

Li Xiang shook his head and continued to ask along the topic: "You must have encountered many difficulties in the process of governance. When I was lurking in the crowd, I heard that Jestal once owed a lot of taxes, but after This year we successfully paid the full amount in one go.”

"Yes, thanks to Hastings' self-taught skills, he found a way to keep the round wheat yield high." When the Governor mentioned this matter, there was also a touch of pride in his tone.

"...Self-taught technology? Isn't Technical Officer Hastings a member of the Mechanicus?" Fujimaru Ritsuka wondered, "What about 'always maintaining high productivity'?"

The smile on Governor De Vere's face gradually faded after hearing this question.

"...Jestal is a planet abandoned by the Mechanicus." There was a slight but unignorable sense of helplessness in her tone. "It seems that the environment is very suitable for plant growth, and there are also large plains for farming. This is also the reason why she was planned as an agricultural planet. But in fact, for some reason, any plant that grows and reproduces on the land here will undergo significant degradation at the genetic level for about 30 years. The Mechanicus once tried to find out the reason, but they It failed, so I don’t regard this planet as a valuable investment asset. No matter how lowly I begged or asked the empire for support, they still withdrew most of their aid and researchers..."

Her voice became softer and softer until she couldn't speak anymore.But this was enough. Fujimaru Ritsuka had already understood her unfinished words in the silence:

“…but she is still an imperial world that pays taxes.”

"Yes." Governor De Vere closed his eyes, took a deep breath to collect his emotions, and then spoke again: "It was difficult at the beginning... but things began to change after an unexpected archaeological activity 110 years ago. "

"Archaeological activities?" "We accidentally dug an ancient cellar during the city planning process." The clear smile returned to the governor's face again, "It is a remnant of the legendary Great Expedition era, and there are some preserved in it. The knowledge of that era. Hastings taught himself some of it and re-breeds round wheat at a frequency of about once every 30 years. Recently, there happened to be a breakthrough in his research, and he believes that the current high-yielding variety is expected to be adapted to Jestal. If the land is not degraded, maybe from this year onwards we won’t have to worry about it.”

"The ruins from the Great Expedition..." Fujimaru Ritsuka thoughtfully said, "Although it may have nothing to do with my mission... but can I go and see it? Just to satisfy my curiosity."

"Of course, it's a public open area now." The Governor looked a little surprised, but still answered her question, "Although the materials inside have been removed, the building itself is still worth seeing. If you If you want to take a look, of course you can anytime; if you want to take a look at the information left in the 'Ancient Ruins', please allow me to contact my Chief Technology Officer Raj Hastings first - those things are all He and his team are keeping it.”

...The "ancient ruins" Alita mentioned are such ancient ruins.

"Well, that's not necessary for the time being. I still have a mission. Maybe we should wait until the matter of the Eldar clan is completely resolved." Fujimaru Ritsuka declined, "It was a pleasure talking with you, Madam Governor. This makes me appreciate Jay. Starr's understanding has gone a step further, which is very helpful for my task. I wonder if you can provide me with a map of the first city and a quiet room? I probably have some clues and want to quietly Think about it and sort it out.”

Governor De Vere suddenly became confused.She didn't know what Fujimaru Ritsuka understood, but her instinct, which she had honed over a long period of time and would automatically emerge when facing imperial bureaucrats, told her that she should do as the other party said.

So she smiled and nodded: "It's up to you, Your Excellency."
-
It was night in Jestal.Alita held a small cloth bag and climbed to the eaves of a public room on the third floor with a depressed look, and sat down next to Sevita, who had been thinking about life there for a long time.

She raised her head and looked at the sky.This may not be true of other agricultural worlds, but Jestal is not as "developed" as its brethren, and its unpolluted atmosphere remains clear and clear, with many stars clearly visible in the sky.

Savita knew what she was going to say, so she said nothing and just waited quietly.

He was prepared to stay for a long time, and even decided to use the patience he had honed while serving in the Eighth Army, but Alita, who had always been cheerful, did not let him wait long:
"Is Ritsuka actually some kind of extraordinary person from far away?" She hugged her knees and gently asked her teacher, who seemed to know everything.

Even though he was mentally prepared, Savita still hesitated here.But in the end, he decided not to care about anything and just told the truth as much as possible: "...Yes, it's incredible. It's worse than the most incredible person in your mind."

"Is it worse than the Governor?"

"If she wanted to, she could execute the planetary governor at will without any reprimand."

This is obviously beyond the imagination of a farm girl.Aelita's eyes widened in shock: "...Jacob, are you lying to me? How could such a person exist?"

"I told you, she is even more incredible than the most incredible person in your mind."

"..." Aelita was silent for a while and squeezed herself tighter, "That's it."

The silence lasted for a short while under the stars in the sky.Sevatar closed her eyes.

He actually had something to say, but he didn't know how to say it.Conrad Coates's malicious descriptions lingered in his mind, and the predictions of a tragic future became clearer.When destruction was about to fall on their heads like a heavy hammer, all the tranquility and peace in the world seemed to have been stolen.

He didn't organize his language well.Perhaps he would never be able to organize the language.But after a period of silence, Alita successfully spoke again:

"What kind of round wheat should I use to treat such an outrageous person to her?"

"...?" Saiweita turned her head in surprise: "Why would you think of this?"

"Because she said she wanted me to treat her to food when we meet again!" Aelita's tone clearly contained some condemnation of "Why did you forget so quickly?" "And she gave me candy. , Isn’t it the most basic etiquette that I want to return a gift?”

"...That's probably what she said. Besides, we don't know if we can meet her again." Saiweita reluctantly said, "And this matter is not that important, right? Why don't you think about how to deal with her when we meet again? Does she get along?”

Aelita looked at him inexplicably: "Things like that in the future haven't happened yet. Besides, it's useless to think about it now. You'll know it when you see it, right? What kind of cooking is made of round wheat? It's obviously the current thing. More important issues should be resolved first.”

Sevatar was speechless for a moment.

What on earth is he worrying about "things that have no shadow of the future and are useless to think about now"?
-
+Somni, please calculate the revolution period of Jestal. I want accurate data. +
+...Understood, but still not investigating the pesticide factory? +
+No need.Adjust the observation time point of the Sheba lens to investigate the changing curve of the human foundation value of this planet in the past hundred years.If the pesticides here are really the 'blue gray disease'... to put it bluntly, the source of the disease caused by chaotic pollution, then during the period when pesticides are sprayed during the crop growth period, the human foundation value should decrease in the corresponding period. .Just observe whether there is such a cyclical changing curve. +
+Data collection in progress.The calculation of the revolution period data of Jestal has been completed. What kind of calendar expression should be used? +
+No, I suspect that the continued use of the Terran Standard Calendar here is to hide something.I asked directly: The following years calculated according to the Terran Standard Calendar - 110 years before the archaeological operation excavated the remains of the Great Crusade, the 30 years when the number of disappearances increased each time, and the decade when the 'blue gray syndrome' became widespread. What are the local years of the Jestal orbital period? +
+Calculated to four decimal places, they are approximately 99 years, approximately 27 years, and approximately nine years. +
+...all closed. +
Fujimaru Ritsuka sighed deeply in front of the meditator.A detailed map of the First City was displayed on the screen opposite her. The parade route since the celebration had been marked - the route that had not yet been traveled was a red dotted line, and the part that had been traveled was a red solid line.

Now the red solid line has drawn seven tangent circles in the city, and there are still two dotted lines left to travel in the next two days.

+...Have you found the source of pollution in First City? +
+ is not the source, it is a large ceremony. +
Fujimaru Ritsuka tightened his grip on the scepter in his hand.

+ is a large-scale ceremony that has lasted for 99 local years, at the planet level, with increasing intensity, and is now coming to an end.It is no longer meaningful to identify where the source of pollution is. The entire planet has already fallen into the net of chaos, and anyone or anything that lives on it for a long time has become the prey of Tzeentch.The threads of fate were twisted and deflected in such a large-scale ceremony, and now it has reached the point where no one close to the planet can escape after the ceremony. +
Somni's words fell silent in the tense atmosphere.
-
"...Anyway, I selected the best batch of round wheat first." Aelita untied the small cloth bag at hand and unfolded it for Sevita to see. "I think it is always good to select the materials first."

Sevatar looked inside the bag.The night was hazy and the stars were dim, but this was no obstacle to Nostramo's eyes.Savita could still see clearly in this dim light. There were round "wheat" one after another in the bag, with the same round mark on the round white bottom, in various colors, as if Hundreds of eyeballs that could not be closed were piled up in the bag, and some were even slightly squirming uneasily.

"It's quite energetic. Is it really okay to spend so much money?" Sevita asked with a smile.

He didn't think there was anything wrong with this at all.

(End of this chapter)