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

Riddler Curze: It's fun to play tricks on your own kids×

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 19: The Raging Waves That Are Not That Raging

The Governor's Palace in Jestal is not decorated ornately, and can even be described as shabby.

There were no huge paintings, exquisite columns and carvings, or luxurious hangings or wall lamps on the walls, just wallpaper. The furnishings and furniture in the room were also very plain. If you say this is the decoration of a middle-class family in the empire, it might be more appropriate to say it is the Governor's Mansion.

Perhaps for other officials of the empire, talking to people here is a complete disrespect, but Fujimaru Ritsuka still prefers this place to the complicated Gothic style of the empire with carved beams and painted buildings.

After Deville briefly arranged all the following matters, Fujimaru Ritsuka moved here at her invitation and started the "private talk" she requested:

"I wonder if Madam Governor has any clues about the targets that the Eldar on this planet might be interested in?"

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

Governor Deville hesitated for a moment, and the confusion on his face did not seem fake: "Forgive my dullness, Jestal is a remote little place, and I do lack knowledge about aliens..."

Ritsuka Fujimaru observed the other party's expression calmly, but could not find any evidence that Governor Deville was lying.

"The Eldar have placed a Webway Gate on this planet. They would not do this for nothing. Perhaps they once inhabited this planet, perhaps it houses some old xenos artifacts, or perhaps there is something they think they need to guard against."

"...I don't think there is such a thing. This planet has always been very barren. There is nothing worth noting." Governor Deville said with a wry smile.

Jestal has always been very barren. So barren that the Imperial government and the Mechanicus thought it was not worth investing in, so barren that the aliens and Chaos were unwilling to plunder, but also because of this, it was not dangerous enough for humans to dare to set foot on it.

After a brief pause, Governor Deville added, "To be honest, I only just learned about the Eldar webway gate on Jestal."

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

"At least that's been the case for the past hundred years that I've been in power." Governor Deville didn't say anything final. "I didn't succeed the governor in the normal process. Many records of my predecessor were destroyed by the Tribunal, and I can't access them with my authority."

This caught Fujimaru Ritsuka's attention: "Do you know what happened during the last governor's time?"

"No, I don't know, but I guess there was probably a rebellion. When I first took office, the traces of war on the planet were still very obvious... At that time, the governor was also new, and most of the people were also new. We even got off the same batch of immigrant ships."

Fujimaru Ritsuka frowned slightly.

According to the Empire's archives, Jestal has been an agricultural planet for about 500 years. Somni once mentioned that it was unusual for this place to have had nine governors in such a short period of time, and Ms. Deville was the one with the most stable tenure. Before she took office, Jestal's global population had plummeted to 3 million - this was unimaginable even for an agricultural world with a generally sparse population.

"Why are you so sure that the war comes from rebellion rather than foreign invasion?" she asked.

Governor Deville smiled formulaically. "Maybe it's my habitual thinking. During my tenure, Jestal has always been peaceful. In addition, if it was a planetary rebellion, it would be reasonable for the Inquisition to destroy a large amount of data."

"Come to think of it, I remember that you are not from 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 Deville asked puzzled.

"I have also read the brief records of this planet. During the five centuries that Jestal has been a territory of the Empire, only your rule and management have been stable. I wonder if it is because you have noticed some key points that the other governors have not noticed."

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

As she said this, the wry smile on her face gradually turned into a smile of pride from the heart. This smile was different from the flattering expressions before, and even though her face was covered with traces of frost and fatigue, it still made her look radiant.

"..." Fujimaru Ritsuka was speechless for a moment, but her tense nerves allowed her to find 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 the Governor really believes this, the whole thing is very regrettable.

After receiving the praise from Fujimaru Ritsuka, Governor Deville smiled modestly and said, "You are too kind."

Ritsuka shook his head and continued to ask, "You must have encountered many difficulties in your governance. When I was lurking among the people, I heard that Jestal once owed a lot of taxes, but he successfully paid them all at once this year."

"Yes, thanks to Hastings self-taught technology to find a way to keep the round wheat yield high." When the governor mentioned this, there was a hint of pride in his tone.

"...Taught yourself? Isn't Tech Officer Hastings a member of the Mechanicus?" Fujimaru Ritsuka wondered, "What about 'maintaining high productivity'?"

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

"...Jesthal is a planet abandoned by the Mechanicus." There was a faint but unignorable sense of helplessness in her tone. "It looks like the environment is very suitable for plant growth, and there are large tracts of arable plains, which is why it was planned as an agricultural planet. But in fact, for some reason, any plant that grows and reproduces on the land here will show obvious genetic degradation after about 30 years. The Mechanicus once tried to find out the reason, but they failed, so they don't regard this planet as an asset worth investing. No matter how humbly I begged, or sought support from the Empire, they still withdrew most of the aid and researchers..."

Her voice became softer and softer until she could no longer speak. But this was enough, and Fujimaru Ritsuka had understood her unfinished words in the silence:

"…but she is still an Imperial world that has to pay taxes."

"Yes." Governor Deville closed his eyes, took a deep breath and calmed down before speaking again: "It was very difficult at the beginning... but things started to change after an unexpected archaeological activity one hundred and ten years ago."

"Archaeological activity?"

"We accidentally dug up an ancient cellar during the city planning process." A light smile returned to the Governor's face again. "It is a relic of the legendary Great Crusade era, and it preserves some of the knowledge of that era. Hastings taught himself part of it and rebreeds round wheat about once every thirty years. Recently, he happened to have a breakthrough in his research and believes that this high-yield variety is expected to adapt to the land of Jestal without degrading. Perhaps from this year onwards, we won't have to go through so much trouble anymore."

"Relics from the Great Crusade..." Fujimaru Ritsuka thought, "Although it may have nothing to do with my mission...but can I go and take a look? Just to satisfy my curiosity."

"Of course, it's now a public open area." The Governor seemed a little surprised, but still answered her question, "Although the information inside has been moved away, the building itself is still worth seeing. If you want to take a look, you can of course go anytime; if you want to see the information left in the 'ancient ruins', please allow me to contact my Chief Technology Officer Raj Hastings first - those things are kept by him and his team."

...The "ancient ruins" that Alita mentioned are these ancient ruins.

"Well, not for now. I still have a mission to complete. Perhaps I should wait until the matter of the Eldar is completely resolved before I talk about it." Fujimaru Ritsuka declined. "It's a pleasure to talk to you, Madam Governor. This has allowed me to understand Jestal a little better, which is very helpful for my mission. I wonder if you can provide me with a map of the First City and a quiet room? I think I have some clues, and I want to think and sort them out quietly."

Governor Deville was suddenly at a loss. She didn't know what Fujimaru Ritsuka understood, but her instinct, which had been tempered by a long time and would automatically emerge when facing imperial bureaucrats, told her that she should do what the other party said.

So she smiled and nodded: "As you wish, sir."

-

It was already night in Jestal. Alita, holding a small cloth bag, climbed to the eaves of a public room on the third floor with a depressed look, and sat down next to Sevatar, who had been thinking about life there for a long time.

She looked up at the sky. Perhaps this was not the case for other agricultural worlds, but Jestal was not as "developed" as its compatriots. Its undeveloped atmosphere was still clear and transparent, and many stars could always be clearly seen in the sky.

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

He was prepared to wait for a long time, and even decided to use the patience he had developed while serving in the Eighth Legion, but Alita, who was always cheerful, didn't let him wait for long:

"Is Ritsuka actually some extraordinary person who came from afar?" She hugged her knees and gently asked her teacher who seemed to know everything.

Even though he was mentally prepared, Sevatar still hesitated for a moment. But in the end, he decided to ignore everything and just tell the truth as much as possible: "...Yes, it's amazing. Even more amazing than the most amazing person you think of."

"Is he more terrible than the Governor?"

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

This was obviously beyond the imagination of a farm girl. Alita's eyes widened in shock: "...Jacob, are you kidding me? How could there be such a person?"

"I told you, she's even more incredible than the most incredible person you think she is."

"..." Alita was silent for a while, and huddled herself tighter, "Is that so."

Silence lasted for a while under the starry sky, and Sevatar closed his eyes.

He actually wanted to say something, but he didn't know how to start. Conrad Curze's malicious descriptions lingered in his mind, and the prophecy of a tragic future became clearer and clearer. When destruction was about to fall on them like a heavy hammer, all the peace and tranquility in the world seemed to be stolen.

He didn't form his words. Perhaps he would never be able to form his words. But after a period of silence, Alita managed to speak again:

"What kind of food should I prepare with round wheat for such a remarkable person?"

"......?" Sevatar turned his head in surprise: "Why did you think of this?"

"Because she asked me to treat her to a meal when we meet again!" Alita's tone clearly contained some accusations of "How could you forget so quickly?" "Besides, she gave me candy, isn't it the most basic etiquette for me to return the gift?"

"...She might just say that, and we don't know if we can meet her again." Sevatar said reluctantly, "And it's not that important, right? Don't you think about how to get along with her when you meet again?"

Alita looked at him in confusion. "Those kinds of future things are not even in sight yet. Besides, it's useless to think about them now. We'll know when we see them, right? What kind of dish to make with round wheat is obviously a more important issue at the moment, and we should solve it first."

Sevasta was speechless for a moment.

Why is he worrying about something that has no future and is useless to think about now?

-

+Somni, please calculate the orbital period of Jestal. I need accurate data. +

+…Understood, but still no investigation into the pesticide factory? +

+No need. Adjust the observation time of the Sheba lens and investigate the curve of the change of the value of the foundation of human nature on 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 chaotic pollution, then during the period of time when pesticides are sprayed during the crop growth period, the value of the foundation of human nature should decrease in the corresponding period. Just observe whether there is such a periodic change curve. +

+Data collection in progress. The calculation of the orbital period of Jestal has been completed. What calendar should be used to express it? +

+No, I suspect that the use of the Terran standard calendar here is to cover up something. I asked directly: According to the Terran standard calendar, how many local years of the Jestal orbital cycle do the following years correspond to? +

+ Calculated with four decimal places, they are approximately ninety-nine years, approximately twenty-seven years, and approximately nine years. +

+…all closed. +

Fujimaru Ritsuka sighed in front of the Thinker. On the screen opposite her was a detailed map of the First City, with the parade route since the celebration marked out - the route that had not yet been taken was a red dotted line, and the part that had already been taken was a red solid line.

Now the solid red line has drawn seven tangent circles in the city one after another, and there are two dotted lines left to be completed in the next two days.

+…Have you found the source of the pollution in the First City? +

+It's not the source, it's a large-scale ritual. +

Ritsuka Fujimaru clenched the scepter in his hand.

+It is a large-scale ceremony that has lasted for ninety-nine local years, on a planetary scale, with increasing intensity, and is now nearing its end. It is no longer meaningful to identify where the source of the pollution is. The entire planet has long fallen into the web of chaos, and anyone or anything that lives on it for a long time has become a prey to Tzeentch. The thread of fate has been entangled and deflected in a ceremony of such a scale, and now it has reached the point where anyone who approaches this planet will not be able to escape after the ceremony. +

Somni's words fell silent in the tense atmosphere.

-

"...Anyway, I picked out the best batch of round wheat first." Alita untied the small cloth bag at hand and unfolded it for Sevata to see. "I think it's always better to choose the best materials first."

Sevata looked inside the bag. The night was hazy and the stars were dim, but this was no obstacle to the eyes of Nostramo. Sevata could still see clearly in such a dim light. In the bag were round "wheat" grains, with round marks of various colors on the round white background, as if hundreds of eyes were piled up in the bag, and some were even slightly squirming.

"You're quite energetic. Is it really a good idea to spend so much money?" Sevatar asked with a smile.

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

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 20: Magic against magic is a bit outdated, use prophecy to fight prophecy

After leaving the room where he spoke with the throne's envoy, Governor Deville was stopped in the corridor by another... person.

Judging from his appearance alone, the man standing in front of her could hardly be called a human: he was wearing a blue-gray cloak, and the wide hood covered most of his face, but it was still obvious that his outline had been distorted. A giant bird-like beak protruded from the bottom edge of the hood, and his body was deformed compared to the past, with his back unnaturally arched, his body leaning forward, his entire chest seemed swollen, his shoulder blades bulged abnormally like mountains, and his knees were bent at an abnormal angle.

Not to mention the limbs exposed under his cloak - those covered with colorful feathers made up of mysterious symbols, and the obviously mutated claws and skin that were completely unlike those of humans.

But Jasmine Deville did not back down. She stopped, looked at the monster in the shadow, then looked away and asked in a very cold voice:

"what's up."

The disgust beyond human endurance was enough to make her turn the question into a statement. The one standing in front of her heard the emotion behind this sentence, but he obviously didn't care.

"Nothing, Jasmine, I just came to see you," said Raj Hastings—or rather, that thing that had been Raj Hastings—in a manner of false familiarity. "I heard that you had a conversation with the throne's emissary, and I sincerely hope that the arbitrary and random requests made by those great men did not put you too much pressure on them."

"--Come on." Governor Deville sneered, "Stop imitating Raj's tone, you blue-haired bastard. You only came here because I stopped the parade in the outer city."

The thing's voice immediately became greasy and sticky, and the words it uttered were filled with uncomfortable howls and sharp inflections.

"Hey... Jessamine, Jessamine, why don't you believe what I say?" Its voice scratched the governor's consciousness like a sudden sandstorm, "I'm serious, I just came to take a look. You - look at your useless death struggle! Do you think there is any use in hindering the ceremony now? The Lord of Changes has already been watching here, and the fate of this place has been connected in a thread, heading towards the result He promised. ! Do you think that breaking a thread on a huge tapestry will have a decisive impact? Or maybe you place your hopes on the throne envoy? Do you think that what she said to you is completely Isn’t there a lie? You were naive enough to think that she didn’t find anything, but you could—”

"—That's enough." Governor Deville shouted coldly, "I know that I was unforgivable when I condoned Raj's use of that damned ritual to increase crop yields. I never expected that I could get away with it safely—"

"-No, you will be safe!" The thing shouted happily, and its voice was as noisy as some big bird with an unpleasant cry. "I will make sure you are safe, because Zeth Chatty is a demon who keeps his promise! Every nine hundred and ninety-nine ordinary souls in exchange for thirty years of increased production, Raj Hastings' soul in exchange for Jasmine Deville's 'safety'! Zeth Chatty keeps his promise! Hahahahahahahahaha..."

The Governor opened her mouth to rebuke, but found that she could not move at all: her tongue was frozen in place, her vocal cords were as stiff as stone, and her body was no longer under her control. Her soul was still well within her body, but her body had betrayed her will under the spell of the Tzeentch demon.

——Always like this, always like this! This demon can control Deville's body with its evil magic. She has always been sober, always wanted to correct her mistakes, always wanted to atone for her sins, and even thought of repenting to the Emperor and the people she pushed into despair with her death. She is willing to throw her soul into the fire and burn it up - but she can never say the words that should be said at the right time, convey the message that should be conveyed, or curse what should be cursed, so as to kill herself...

She couldn't even cry.

"It's interesting to let you think that you can still struggle for a while, but under the watchful eyes of the master of fate, the future has its own direction. The sudden appearance of the throne envoy was indeed unexpected, but under the guidance of Saint Tzeentch, no one else will come to this planet to disrupt the situation. A dull and ignorant person like you who has no way of seeing the endless branches of fate in the usurping sky certainly can't understand... It's late at night, Jasmine. For the sake of your own health, please go to bed early."

Jasmine Deville remained expressionless and silent as she walked towards her room amid the shrill laughter of the Tzeentch demon that had taken over her friend's body.

-

Think calmly and sort out the current situation calmly, Fujimaru Ritsuka. No one can cover you in this regard now, you must judge everything calmly and prudently.

The last Master of Chaldea kept saying this to himself.

Now she has succeeded in temporarily halting the progress of the parade in the first city, but there is no guarantee - no, it is impossible to stop the ceremony itself. The ceremony has progressed to this point where it is only one step away from success, and the instigator will not give up no matter what. Observing who is making small moves to allow the ceremony to continue is also a solution, but at this point in time, even if the mystery is solved...

...but I've never been good at this kind of thing.

Fujimaru Ritsuka sat on the chair and messed up his hair.

Calm down, calm down, find what you can do, find your own advantages. There are still two days before the end of the ceremony, but we must also consider the possibility that the ninth day of the celebration directly means the success of the ceremony. In the final analysis, the specific effect of this ceremony is still unclear, but it took Chaos almost a hundred years to lay out... No, you can't think like this. Speculating on Chaos's thoughts is dangerous in various senses. You must come up with a way to break the situation without knowing the other party's purpose.

Advantage, advantage... The advantage of the enemy is that this is their home field. Even humans, who have been operating locally for so long, must have accumulated power that is difficult to shake, let alone the Chaos Demon.With such a long-term layout, it should be considered that they have also hidden some subspace portals that can be opened instantly in various ways to prevent things from developing into the need for armed conflict... No, maybe not.The empire's tax ship didn't seem to have any special reaction after it docked in Jestal, and was just carrying out the most ordinary work process. However, the symptoms of "blue-gray syndrome" were so obvious, and the technical officer himself was also a severe patient. It doesn't make sense that the officials on the tax ship were completely unaware of the Chaos contamination on the planet - wait, tax ship!